Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon did

[inblood]

[It's been a few days since the...incident with Kumagawa. Thanks to Sei things turned out better than they could have, but it still isn't something Touya could just recover from. He's spent these last few days in his room, avoiding contact with others as much as possible, not eating or talking, barely even responding to anything. Today, Audi finally kicked him out of the room to  eat something.

Flatmates can find him poking about for food and making a small and simple snack. He still isn't very hungry, but health is important.

Later on, he ventures out to the streets. With the seal back in its proper place, Bouffalant wasn't really conscious enough to follow Touya, so now Touya's out looking for the buffafro that's been meandering through the streets for days. They'll find eachother eventually, they always do.

Finally, after he's found his buffalo, Touya can be found in a park or other relatively peaceful part of London. He's sitting with his eyes closed, back against the large Pokemon, just listening to everything around him. His head's been ringing ever since that event, maybe if he focuses and listens he can find the cause. He's still too jittery for this to look like meditation though.]

Comments

[hairpine]

[And she is very very rarely ever hostile, so the presence is just there. It doesn't get any worse, but.

Well, it doesn't get better, either.]

For a buffalo to have a human hairstyle on its head, of all places, is certainly unusual!

... Oh, but are you quite all right, Sir?

[inblood]

[He can ignore it, shove it down, pretend that the sound and feeling aren't there. Why does he keep running into people who sound all kinds of off? --No, ignore it, don't think about N or that man or this girl's aura right now, don't think about it at all.

He would correct you. He would tell you that it's quite normal for Bouffalant to have hair like that, that it's actually a kind of natural defense, but what slips out instead is...]

Wh-What's a..."buffalo"...?

[He settles backward a bit at the question, looking down again and shaking his head slightly.]

F-Fine. Don't...worry about it. [It's one of the biggest lies he's ever told, and it's rather obvious. He's trembling.]

[hairpine]

The animal behind you is what we refer to as a buffalo, or bison! It bears a resemblance to the ones of the New World -- Bison bison, I believe is the binomial name -- although its horns closer resemble Bubalus bubalis? The American Bison has much smaller horns! They're very cute.

Ah, but I digress. You are clearly unwell!

[inblood]

What's...an "animal"..? [This term sounds more familiar, he's probably heard it tossed around a bit here. Still no idea what it means.] He's a P-Pokemon, a Bouffalant...

[He shakes his head a little more vigorously this time.] R-Really, don't.. It's nothing that can be fixed easily, i-if at all. [Because how do you repair a soul?]

[hairpine]

Your friend is an animal, as are you! Animals are living organisms that aren't plants.

So you are unwell! What is the matter, Sir?

[inblood]

H-He's a Pokemon. [Wha...? Your classification system makes no sense to him. What about Grass-types? Why exclude them?]

It...It isn't physical. [Maybe he can avoid talking about it with that. Most people will get physical problems to a degree and then he can try to medical talk them out of delving too deeply, but it's a spiritual problem this time so there's no medical anything to it.]

[hairpine]

[I have no idea what a pokemon is.








I also don't care. Moving on.]

Spiritual and psychological ailments must be seen to immediately as well! Being unaware of the term "animal," it is safe to assume you are from another world -- and so you must be unaware of this as well. It is of the utmost importance to maintain your mental health!

[inblood]

I-I know that, b-but--! I...I don't know how to fix this... Some Healer I am...

[There's a bitter smile at "maintain your mental health". It's just a cruel joke to him. Berserkers are insane practically by definition, and it's always been this way for him. It's just the sealing ring that keeps that side of him in check.]

It...isn't mental, either.

[hairpine]

[Look she knows all about being a huge nutcase but that doesn't mean you can just go and ignore that kind of thing!]

Your spiritual health, in that case! Has something happened?

[inblood]

[At least you managed not to orphan yourself.

He nods this time, a little more uncomfortable than before.]

A...few days ago. I don't..know exactly what, but there was...I could hear something dangerous all day, and my housemate said something about the world creaking...and then somebody attacked me. I don't know his name, just...a lot of negativity, and I think there were...screws. A-And whatever he did, it...it ripped a hole in my soul, o-or something like that. Like if you tear a piece of paper and leave the two parts just barely connected, that's...that's what's wrong. I can hear it.

[hairpine]

Oh!

That's only Kumagawa. He is... something of an eccentric? Mm, no... awkward. He is somewhat awkward. Seldom does he hurt others with explicit intent -- What you felt, Sir, was an attempt at friendliness. Erm -- a proposition, if you will! He would like to reach a state of mutual understanding with you, and become your friend.

[inblood]

[You know him. You know the guy who messed everything up so terribly. And that, that screwing around with everything, that was supposed to be an attempt to make friends?

His face is going back into his knees, and when he speaks again it's pretty obvious he's crying. The trembling has gotten worse, too.]

I...m-may not know a whole lot about, about f-friendship... But I-I'm pretty sure t-tearing someone's soul apart isn't the way to do it. [Now Touya's lonelier than ever because even his bond with his two Pokemon isn't working quite right.]

[hairpine]

Oh, that isn't true at all! My soul is in pristine condition, if one believes such a thing to exist!

Kumagawa is someone very important to me.

[inblood]

You were lucky, I guess. Or maybe I'm just unlucky. [His soul is so complicated by now he'll probably end up in some kind of limbo when he dies just because whoever runs these things doesn't want to deal with his case.

...He's important to you. Best not mention his buffalo maimed him, then.] H-How was that supposed to make anyone understand a-anything?

[hairpine]

[She'd justify it somehow and then frolic off to find him a replacement arm, nbd.]

What you felt, Sir -- were Kumagawa's memories and emotions. Those were his feelings. You understand him!

In addition, the people pierced by such a screw are reduced to their purest states. By observing you, he understands you as well!

[inblood]

[She can justify it as Bouffalant being batshit insane and full of rage!]

No. A-All he did...all he did was reduce me to a stare where, where I can't even think, a-and tear my soul up in the process. I...I couldn't have understood anything, and he-- No one should ever see me like that. H-He didn't even have much time to...to observe. I don't even know how he l-lived through it.

[His thought-to-mouth filter is not working properly, and he's mentally kicking himself for saying as much as he did. He'd normally do his best not to imply he's a Berserker.]

[hairpine]

[She'd planned on just ~smiling cheerfully~ and explaining that yes, he did in fact understand everything and that just means that thoughtless state is Touya's true nature, but then he said that.

Imagine, if you will, a record scratching. Broken record players and broken vinyls wash up on the Thames like corpses, in perfect condition. That feeling of dread gets slightly worse, like a crack slowly moving across your windshield. Her tone of voice doesn't change, even if her expression does.

Her tone of voice never changes.]

... Pardon me?

[inblood]

[He knows and hates the fact that that's his true nature. It doesn't mean he can understand anything at all like that. Because all that part of him cares about is fighting and destruction and hurting others.

Watch him curl up tighter as his trembling gets worse. He does his best to reply calmly, but his best isn't good enough. It just creates a disconnect between how calm he sounds and how obviously not calm he is.]

B-Bouffalant charge with enough power to send trains flying. He got hit head on, and was still standing. And that was only the beginning.

[His voice trembles more as he continues - it was a completely horrifying experience. It would probably be easier if he could just forget anything from when he's a Berserker, but that's not how it works.]

[hairpine]

Ah, he's quite all right. Please don't worry. It's impossible for him to die, after all!

[Or it was. Now it's just "or else."]

[inblood]

...I guess he is...i-if missing an eye and a-an arm is "alright"...

[The more he talks about it, the more upset Touya sounds.]

[hairpine]

Those can be replaced.

[Or else.

There it goes.]

[inblood]

[WHAT

WHAT

WHA-- okay, no, he knows such things are possible, he'd seen his mother practically working miracles while she was alive several times, but...well, don't expect him to do it (he might actually do it).]

F-Fully?! [He's heard of other Healers attempting what his mom did, but the replaced or regrown part wouldn't usually work as well as the original did.]

[hairpine]

Of course! Through magic, either that of the Old Ones or someone else's, all things are possible. One may even resurrect the dead!

[inblood]

That...back home, such things were possible, but...only the best Healers, like my mother, could restore body parts fully. And even she couldn't bring people back to life.

[His mom was awesome, seh could heal anything short of death and didn't afraid of anything.]

[hairpine]

You aren't at home, Sir! You are in London.