EVENT #2: BRAIN BOGGLING

[diceofthegods]

A CRASH IN THE NIGHT

In the dark hours of a snowy early morning, a sudden BOOM can be heard all across Town. It is swiftly followed by sounds of warping metal and then a screeching crash. Curious, albeit groggy, residents emerge only to find a smoking wreck just a mile outside of Town.

The strange craft appears to be almost nautiloid in shape with wrenched, broken tendrils streaming out the opening.

Much of it is metal although some of it almost seems... organic.

Those who with to get a closer look will be met by Charlie and Dimitri who are already on the job. They request curious onlookers keep their distance since this craft is, without a doubt, tremendously dangerous.

Later in the day, there appears to be an outfit of officials coming from the west to investigate and clean up the wreckage. Thankfully(?), you will all find out soon enough what's going on.

INVESTIGATION & PROTECTION

Deathcard Cabin by Jonah Senzel

4:07 / 13:06

▶︎

Click here to listen.

From the Inscryption OST: A unique and haunting sound paired with a unique and haunting game.

code

Charlie reports to the citizens of Town that an Illithid cargo transport. The pilot did not survive the crash, but they appeared to be transporting some kind of new breed of Intellect Devourers.

"We do not yet know what this new breed is capable of, but..."

Charlie does give everyone a rundown of what an Illithid and what an Intellect Devourer is, what they are capable of, and a keen warning to tread lightly. Many dead ones were discovered in the cargo but several of the enclosures were damaged in the crash and the likelihood of escapees is high.

Charlie reiterates: These creatures are to be killed on sight, or contained until someone can kill it. If you are not confident in your combat abilities, please remain in your homes as much as possible and seal all openings to your dwelling. Those who are capable though are urged to begin patrols of Town alongside Slayd, Dimitri and himself to ensure that Town and the surrounding areas are safe.

Please travel in pairs or groups, do not be alone! Attack from a distance when possible. Hoshiko will offer her assistance as a markswoman as well by picking off any Intellect Devourers from a distance that she can for those that are forced to travel alone. (Don't worry about any jokes she makes of her service not being cheap though. Charlie wouldn't actually let her charge you anything.)

Unfortunately, not even they can predict the blizzard that rolls through Town in the midst of all this. If you happen to see anything skittering through the snow, don't panic too much. It could just be a tiny woodland creature looking for a warm burrow to hide away in!

At least you hope it is.

PROMPT #3

Hybrid intellect devourers are unique from the regular ones in that the goal is not to kill their target, but to gather intelligence and act as a kind of spy network.

They will flee when confronted directly by greater numbers, but will attack a lone target. They do this by jumping at the target's head and wrapping a wet tendril around their neck. They will choke who they've wrapped around if anyone tries to remove it. They are also far more likely to try and attack sleeping target (hence the advice to keep your homes closed!).

These hybrids emit spores that will keep the target asleep during feeding. Their primary goal appears to be infiltrating the targets' minds and absorbing some of their memories. The target will have their mind left mostly intact... though they may suffer short term memory loss, confusion, distress, fatigue and head pain.

Here's where the fun starts!

Once one of these critters has fed on someone, they are onto their next target. When a fed Intellect Devourer feeds from another target, that target may absorb some of the previous target's memories. This can span across multiple victims and be erratic in whose memories taint whose mind. The memories will cross-pollinate in the form of dreams or waking visions and hallucinations.

If one of these creatures is killed, it will explode, releasing a powerful psionic wave and the memories it had absorbed from any recent targets. Anyone within ten (10) yards of the dying creature will be afflicted with extreme head pain in the short term and also witness the memories of it's previous victims.

Enjoy your muddled memories and leggy brain-hunting!

The outfit of people who have come to investigate are from New Svihelen's disaster containment squad and are investigating the hybrid creatures and the possible reason for an Illithid ship to crash here of all places. Right now, the running theory is that interference from the selfsame summoning circle that brought you all here could have caused the interplanar navigation systems of the ship to malfunction but nothing has been determined yet.

Eventually, these creatures will all be rounded up and taken care of. They are persistent and stealthy though in their efforts to survive above all else. Charlie assures that they're doing all they can to make Town safe once and for all but it will take some time.

Notes

⁂ The partner plotting post for this event/quarter is also up!

⁂ Additionally, we have a state of the game post available for people to read about updates, clarifications, and housekeeping items!

⁂ If you have any further questions or feedback about this event specifically, please comment here!

⁂ For even more ambient event music, you can check out this this playlist!

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Comments

Angeal Hewley-Rhapsodos | Final Fantasy VII

[firsteditionbfs]

OTA Prompts

[firsteditionbfs]

A - Bread for the Long Haul

Judging by the abilities of all the people gathered and some other things like the intensity he saw in Elidibus's eyes at the news of what they have to deal with, Angeal has decided that he doesn't need to get involved with the hunt right now. Too many cooks in the kitchen, and all that. But the thing about stuff like this is that hunting and fighting is only one part of the equation.

So he makes his way over to Annie's Bakes, and makes sure the lanterns around it are burning bright amidst all the snow. So it's easy to find, along with the simple bulletin put to rock: If you need bread, pre-made baked goods, or just raw materials, come to the bakery.

Anyone who steps into the bakery will find a rush of warm air coming out to meet them. Almost more than just warm, even. Some of that is no doubt thanks to the ovens, but Angeal's own presence can't be denied with the natural warmth of a gold dragon radiating off of him as he works hard, fast, and disciplined behind the counter.

"So whatcha need?" he asks, not looking up.

B - Hunting

With Genesis being how he is, so territorial about their little orchard that's slumbering through the winter, Angeal has no doubt they're staying right in place. So with him working at the bakery, making sure the bakery is locked down, then going to make sure his own home is locked down... He's just a little bit late to the party when it comes to hunting down things.

So after being paired up with someone new... He gives a mild smile just to break the ice before his expression falls back to something more somber and serious.

"So, been hunting since the start? How have we been doing?"

C - There's Only Room For One Fucked Up Alien Here

There's a lot of arguments that could be had on just what Jenova is, not helped by the many fucked up explanations of it that have been mangled ever since it was first found in a chunk of ice, and probably even before then. So the exact scientific definition is probably messed up, not helped by how it is a completely different thing.

...But when you ignore all that shit, it's a little bit simpler.

Jenova is greedy. Down to the cell.

And it can only handle something invasive latching onto 'itself' (Angeal, in this case) before reacting in the only way that a highly aggressive greedy space entity knows.

So for anyone who may be outside on patrol, or simply trying to get something outside, do an errand, fix perhaps a broken board... Congrats! You get to witness, hear, and very likely feel the small but fiery explosion outside of town, and the giant puff of intermingled snow and water (which is likely melted snow). Anyone who goes to investigate will find two things.

The first is a large and rather chunky golden dragon... presumably. If anyone has a traditional image of a dragon, it will be just a bit different. Multiple legs can be seen along its sides, and even its wings seem to be two different pairs with brilliant white feathers emerging from them. Hard to see the head when its bowed down the way it is. There's just Angeal's muffled cursing.

The second is a rather impeded Intellect Devour, which is impeded because it is wobbling along while missing two of its legs.

Have fun figuring out which to focus on.

D - Wildcard

[ooc: angeal's plotting post is right here, so if you have questions or want to do something in particular, let me know!]

C. Actually there's room for at least 2.

[rhapscdos]

Genesis knows exactly what to focus on, and it's Angeal.

It'd been hard to miss the explosion, what with his enhanced senses, and it being a fiery explosion. Genesis is practically magnetized to them. So, after doing one last circle around his orchard to make sure it is secure, he launches into the air on full, black wings, and wobbles through the sky towards the noise.

Flying he has decent experience with. Having to balance correctly with two wings makes it less than his usual grace. And landing? Well, that's a rough one. Especially because he's distracted gawking at the absolute girth of the golden dragon he finds at the center of the mess.

He knows it to be Angeal on instinct. It smells like him, feels like him, mutters annoyed swears like him. But he's rotund and Genesis stumbles into a landing beside him with a raucous call of laughter. The limping brain is entirely disregarded in favor of Genesis practically tapping his front feet in delight, seeing his mate's new form. His priorities have always been in order.

"Darling, you are looking positively round."

[firsteditionbfs]

Of course his husband - love of his life who he adores so much and would do anything for him - comes immediately to the sight of an explosion, only to immediately mock him. There's another huff, which sends off a small flurry of flames.

Good thing they're decently away from town, and most other flammeable objects.

"Thanks, Gen. I didn't notice, despite it obviously being a body I have to deal with now." The massive weight shifts, a good half dozen different legs digging into the mud and snow. "Where's that damn ID? Can you at least make sure it's not going to explode near me?" He doesn't want to deal with another headache, after all.

This is already causing him one, in more ways than just the obvious. That'll become apparent when he ever raises his head, instead of trying to hide it in snow and behind his wings.

[rhapscdos]

How can Angeal think he's mocking him? When Genesis coos and ruffles all of his feathers in a delighted display. Okay, well, maybe he does derive some joy in the irony of Angeal having the script flipped on him after so many years of his mate trying to fatten him up to no avail.

Genesis slides his long, lithe body along Angeal's rubbing against those many wings and chunky legs with a deep, guttural purring that vibrates through both of them. And when he finally pops his head up, Genesis' eyes go wide, long whiskers quivering in unmistakable interest.

"Oh, don't be tetchy, love. You're as handsome as ever," he drawls, gently butting his head just beneath what he thinks is Angeal's chin. Despite the teasing, there is a much softer note to his tone, low and likely harder to discern in this form, with these vocal cords, but it rings with sympathy and a note of concern. He knows his mate is far less enthused about these sorts of involuntary changes thrust upon them than Genesis himself, and for good reason.

At the mention of the crippled brain waddling away, Genesis lifts his head, snorts, and slinks around his mate to deal with it. The wretched little thing has no escape from his claws, and Genesis swats it up into the air, swings his long body around, and home run smashes the thing with his massive tail. The flexible structure of his thick tail means it doesn't explode on impact, but goes sailing away until it vanishes out of sight into the treeline. And then explodes, as evidenced by the distant, wet pop and rustle of the underbrush.

"Better, darling?" Genesis preens, swishing the tip of the gelatinous tail beneath Angeal's maw like a pleased cat.

[firsteditionbfs]

Definitely a chin, if nothing else, and it seems to do well enough with Angeal letting out a long heavy sigh that rolls out from his draconic throat rather than the little humanoid extension of himself which exists about the very edge of the 'snout' and makes up the upper half of his mouth in general.

"You would say that no matter what," he says, something which elicits a mixture of both fondness and some strange sort of despair. It means nothing and everything at the same time. Still, at least he has a second to pull himself together as Genesis turns back to the problem at hand. Speaking of hands... The two smaller ones at his snout-torso run across his face. It should feel more dizzying than it is, having two different sets of eyes, but it isn't. He closes the smaller pair anyway. Breathes in. His exhale sets out a large plume of steam.

"...It's one less worry taken care of, at least." His many legs shift in place, a sort of rocking against his mate. "Don't even know how - this happened. Hardly any warning."

You know, besides the monster going after his head.

[rhapscdos]

"Perhaps," Genesis teases, knowing full well he would. But how could he not? It's Angeal no matter the shape, and that means more than anything else. They are still the same stardust, no matter the universe. So yes, he would still love and call Angeal handsome, even if he is currently a strange, pudgy worm wyrm.

"Those awful little things are causing it, I'm quite sure. That or the ship that crashed from the heavens." Really, it's probably both, but without a definite answer, Genesis likes to keep his options on what to torch on sight open. "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised, though. The changes have been coming on for a bit. Maybe any sort of catalyst would have set off the rest."

Some of them have been a lot less resistant to the changes in their bodies than others, though. Genesis curls his massive tail around his mate, starting up a slow purr to soothe him.

"Has Voridin said anything of this to you?"

Re: OTA Prompts

[abyssalflames]

Given his work in Pandaemonium, the idea of needing to seek out creatures that would otherwise have been a threat is not unfamiliar. True, under most circumstances, such creatures as reside in Pandaemonium would be safely interred under most circumstances. But he has not forgotten, either, the events that had transpired once Hephaistos had managed to escape his prison.

Still, those are matters he keeps to himself. It's clear enough that there is a problem that yet wants for resolution, and he has skill enough to handle it. That's all that matters, just at the moment.

"Well enough. Though I doubt we have seen the last of the creatures, yet."

[firsteditionbfs]

"If they're meant to be for surveillance and intelligence work, then we definitely haven't," Angeal agrees, settling besides Lahabrea to see if he starts first or if Angeal is good to go. He's a more flexible sort than some would think, but that's just years of being in the military for you. He's had to be plenty flexible around a bunch of people in ShinRa who he upfront did not like, but still needed to play nice for Lazard's sake.

Either way, they're on the move. "Whatever has been caught so far were just the ones we were lucky to catch, and which were the least skilled of the lot. The weather has probably been helping as much as it's been hindering us. I doubt it's the kind of environment they were made for."

[abyssalflames]

Lahabrea is perfectly willing to let Angeal start first. He may want to see the creatures taken care of as much as anyone, but he has no need to be the first to move. Not when patience has ever served him well - to say nothing of the fact that he might as well take a moment to take what he can of Angeal's measure.

Still, there's a nod once they do get on the way.

"I would imagine not. Though that we must make our way through it lessens what advantage we might otherwise have."

A pause, while he considers.

"Should we be aware of what they prefer, it may be possible to lure them into a specific space."

[firsteditionbfs]

"Definitely would make our jobs easier." And help them mitigate risk as well.

Although with that in mind... Angeal casts his gaze back in the direction he knows the crash is. "I know Charlie wasn't keen us us getting near everything at the start, but maybe we'd find some clues as to what they prefer. Even if they were all caged, you would still want to keep them in some particular environment, right?"

Closed

[firsteditionbfs]

[Popp] point zero

[firsteditionbfs]

Some habits are so deeply ingrained in a person that, even when they know they should know better, they still fall into those habits. For Angeal, it's always been taking a hit for someone else, because he can generally take it.

And, well. That's not untrue in this case. He can take an ID latching onto him for someone else. And, fortunately, the way of things means it's easy enough to chase off of him and get him out of the moment.

Whether Popp kills it himself when it tries to make its escape, or is the victim - ultimately, the result is ultimately the same, because he is standing in a room, holding a black feather in his palm, and he feels sick.

The room is - some sort of study, an office, honestly it doesn't really matter in this moment. All that it matter is that it has Genesis tearing through desks and cabinets, muttering to himself, frantic and trying not to be. But that's Genesis. It's always been Genesis, burning hot and bright with action.

He's his eternal opposite. Right now, as he takes in the knowledge that Genesis has put onto him, all he can do is just stand there, his heart a lump of ice heavy in his chest.

The black feather feels as though it should burn straight through his palm.

He doesn't know when Genesis returns to him, but he's there suddenly, some sort of folder in one hand. The other rests along his own. Dragging his gaze up, he meets those pale blue eyes, the glow of them in this dim lighting. "We were never meant to be a part of this world, you and I," Genesis whispers. "This knowledge would always chase us down sooner or later. That we were always experiments crafted by a cruel hand."

It's human, to want to deny tragedy even when it's hanging over his shoulders. But can he still do that now...? He tries anyway. "We don't even know if I'm actually from that same project," he says, and can see Genesis's eyes flare in that temperamental and stubborn way of his. "Gen... I'll stay with you no matter what. It's just..."

That helps soothe a bit of Genesis's fire, he can tell from the way his jaw loses a little bit of tension, how his shoulders relax a touch. But it's still not enough.

"Then there's one way to know for sure," Genesis says, and his coat shifts.

A single black wing pulls out from his back, stored away in muscle and fat in no way that makes sense, and stretches out there in the room they stand in together.

Even just looking at it is enough to make him feel sick to his stomach. It's not because of how wrong it looks, either, although that doesn't help - the awkward joins of it, the way it bends sharply in places that it shouldn't. He's seen Genesis fly with just this one broken wing, and he doesn't know how.

But it's not just that.

It's what it represents.

And he is terrified of what it means to follow Genesis's subtle demand.

But he can't leave him alone. He can't say no. So he takes a breath, feels the way it seems to shake all the way through his lungs, and focuses on his own body. He's rarely done so before. If he were honest, the few times he's done so, maybe he's noticed something a little off, but... always dismissed it. Always had something more important to do.

Right now, focusing on his body is the important thing to do, as much as he hates it, so he looks inward. Feels the muscles of his back. Feels something that's more than that.

It's almost funny, in that way in which it's not funny at all, how easy it is to move muscles and internal body parts that he never knew existed until just now. Easy, but not necessarily... comfortable. How could it be, with flesh squirming against flesh, things moving underneath his skin? He has no idea just how close it is to surfacing... until he can hear, feel, his own shirt tearing just a little bit as something pushes through.

He almost doesn't dare look. But Genesis does, his gaze following the long lines of something else, and he breathes out something almost like a sigh of adoration. "Oh..." The redhead reaches up, touches gently against something so distant that it's the faintest of touches. "How beautiful."

When he finally forces himself to look, he can't see what the beauty is at all. A set of large white wings - both on the same side, one far tinier than the other. Not so broken, but not right either.

He feels sick to his stomach.

It's proof. There's no more getting back to how things were the way before. Even if they manage to cure Genesis...

"It's beautiful, Angeal."

[snapp_crackle]

Popp is well aware of the psychic explosion phenomenon by now, but he's getting so tired of people getting hurt on his behalf! He has a lot of memories to that effect that keep getting dredged up, it's a sore spot. He doesn't think twice about absolutely obliterating Annie's attacker and the last Devourer from the swarm with his first successful dualcast. He doesn't have any time to celebrate before he gets an agonizing headful of entirely new worries.

The terror, the sickening dread at reality and what it's going to do, that's familiar, and it's very disconcerting to feel that from a perspective of a guy who he looks up to as someone who has his shit together. The solid knowledge that he wants to stay with his friend (okay okay more than that but Popp isn't up to processing being second hand in love with a man for a moment on top of everything else especially since it is much closer to how he feels about Dai than it isn't) and back him up no matter what is familiar in a more positive way.

The specific dread of being some sort of non-human monster... is not familiar from the inside, that's for sure! Dragon soul aside, that is. Being wrong about who you think you are and having to face it is really upsetting, too... Popp doesn't know what the whole wing deal actually means, but he has a pretty good idea about how Angeal feels about it and that's even more upsetting!

He'd be in actual tears right now if the memory hadn't shocked him out of it with one final sideswipe. His eyes are wet and his nose is running a little anyway, but that could just be the cold.

"Wait, Annie's short for Angeal?!"

That's not important right now actually! Popp shakes him by the shoulder that he didn't have wings coming out of in the memory. Shakes in spirit, this is a lot of supersoldier to move in any capacity.

"Annie! Wake up, wake up wake up...! Don't make me carry you out of here, c'mon!"

He'd do it, or die trying, don't get him wrong, but he would complain the whole time!

[firsteditionbfs]

The good news at least is that Angeal can wake up pretty fast, for some mysterious reason that Popp might have an idea of (maybe). It doesn't take too much of a shake for the body Popp is holding onto to suddenly jump beneath his grip, and Angeal lunges into a crouch before he's even taken in a breath. He blinks his eyes a few times, just to make sure the world really has reoriented itself right, before immediately looking to Popp.

"Did we get it - oh boy, I'll take that as a yes." Reaching over, he uses a warm hand to tilt Popp's head back just a little bit. He won't wipe away the tears yet, but only if so Popp has a second to do so himself first.

"Did it give you trouble?"

[snapp_crackle]

That was fast! Inhumanly fast, even. For all of Popp's various biases, he's startled by the movement alone and not actually put off by anything he's learned about Angeal.

"No way, they're not that tough once you know where they are."

He sounds shaky, but relieved. He doesn't bother to wipe his face before Angeal can get him; but the fussing is mutual - what he's done in this time frame instead is fumble around in his pockets and retrieve a bag of hard candy.

"Here, these help a ton with the headache I bet you've got right now."

They're made from the painkilling fairy nectar. Not quite as potent as drinking it right from the frog, but much more portable.

[Avan] yesterday was better

[firsteditionbfs]

You're standing outside of your own house.

At least, it was your childhood home - a simple little two story with not a lot of room to it, crammed inbetween some other houses near to the square in this part of town. The part of town where a lot of the workers lived, including his departed father. It's not much, but it's been kept in better condition than some places thanks to all that hard work that they put into it.

And you don't dare enter, not even with Genesis. You're.... It's shameful to admit it. You're SOLDIER, First Class, and you've been in war. You've fought against monsters five times your size. Even as a child, you never felt any fear when you picked up a shovel to smack them away from the dumbapple orchards. But you're terrified right now.

You're terrified to look at your mother and not know what you'll find. What she'll think of you. But you can overhear the conversation Genesis has with her, the way she tells him don't do anything you'll regret. How she still calls him a good boy, after all this.

Genesis walks out the door like he can escape hearing those last words, but that's never worked for him. Not with his hearing.

So you take a breath, push yourself away from the wall, and step inside. Genesis is going to his own parents' house, and that... You don't know what the conversation with them will be like, but you should have enough time for your own. Genesis has a temper, and he's hurting, but... You should finish this up in time to go be with him.

Your mother sits there at the old dining table that's been in the exact same place since for as long as you can remember. Her face is tired, drawn, a life lived that you never had any idea about. Not the full extent. Her shawl is drawn tight around her shoulders, and she does the same thing you always do: a deep breath, in through her nose, before she looks up at him.

Before the mako sunk into you, you used to have her eyes. You wonder if yours look just as tired and regretful.

Even with all the time it took for you and Genesis to arrive back in Banora - Chocobo and then flight once you hit the island shores - you still don't know exactly what to say. You don't know how to feel. It is undeniable that your own mother held a part in what's so wrong with you, and Genesis, that she contributed to children becoming monsters...

But you sit at the same table, and her hand lays over your own large one, and you think about how much of your childhood - your shared childhood with Genesis staying over as much as he could get away with - how much of that was bright and shining and warm for all that you were just a poor family...

She confirms everything that Hollander told Genesis, and which Genesis told you. She confirms Project G.

And she says she's sorry.

What are you supposed to do with this knowledge? With the feelings choking your own heart and throat? You don't know what to do besides gently take her hand in your own.

That's around time that something feels wrong. It's hard to describe it, besides that the back of your neck prickles, and you realize you just - you have to go. So you're still holding your mother's hand as you get up to your feet, and you look her in the eyes. Can you offer forgiveness? Can you do it on your own, without Genesis right there at your side? You still aren't sure. But you know this: you can look her in the eyes and tell her softly, "I love you."

And you mean it, even as you let go of her hand, and make a run for the largest house in Banora, there at the top of the hill.

You've not even at the base of it before you can hear, distantly, Genesis's enraged roaring, and you kick it up a notch. A hill like this, it's not even that big, so why the hell does time drag so much as he goes up it? And the entire time, he can hear the Rhapsodos's voices. Hear an argument.

"Are you scared of me? A real father wouldn't be." Genesis's voice shouldn't be that quiet. Angeal can hear it, just barely, and it shouldn't be that quiet. Shouldn't be like a taut string. Genesis has a temper, but this-

Jean Rhapsodos, next, a voice he knows most from complaining he'd done at his own parents. "They said you were missing. The Director called-"

"A real father would be happy to see his missing son again."

"Why did you come to Banora-?"

"Real parents wouldn't have a shotgun to greet their son. Are you afraid of me? Are you scared of me?"

You're not fast enough to beat the speed of words, the quickening pace of the argument, a spray of firepower suddenly going through the open doorway up ahead. The spray of blood up ahead.

By the time you make it to the door, and screaming from Catarina Rhapsodos stops, it's far too late.

Your soulmate lets out a long, slow breath as though he hasn't breathed in years. You don't think he realizes it, but his body is shaking. From what he's done, or from his normally fast healing factor needing to pull all the energy to can?

Genesis's voice is - it's not right, it's not right. It should never be this quiet, should never be this unsteady and violent, a flame in a hurricane. You can't tell if it's going to be snuffed out, or become a firestorm. "I have a warpath to carve against ShinRa. I start with their deceivers. I stop the lies before they can hurt me anymore."

For a moment, you and Genesis just stand there, together, in his old home, the bodies of his parents at his feet. You feel sick. You should have stopped this, and you didn't. Even if they were just lying about their care for Genesis, even if they were just ShinRa plants from the day Genesis was born, you should have stopped this, shouldn't you've?

Rapier hits the ground hard, and you jolt, gaze snapping back into focus right onto Genesis, right where it always goes. He's swaying in place, now, unsteady, and - fuck, fuck, blood loss again, he got hit with a shotgun, and you dig your fingers into your pocket for a Cure materia -

"Mom?" You freeze. Genesis is looking right down to where Catarina's body is laying, cooling in the Banoran heat. "Mom?" he echoes again, and there's a hint of begging to his voice. Like - like he doesn't understand. Doesn't realize she's dead for good, even as he hits the floor next to her dead body.

You are going to throw up.

You should have stopped this.

"Mom..." He's sobbing, and you could kill yourself right now, guide his hand to your throat and slit it, too, but you can't do that to him, not in front of his own eyes. So you just force yourself forward as he crumples to the ground. Help him up, hand to his back and shoulders, even as he grabs Rapier to make the job easier. "Why you?" he mutters, tears carving a path down his cheeks, carrying blood splatters down with him. "I trusted you my whole life..."

On one level, you know he's speaking to people who can no longer answer him. You know he is demanding an answer from the lips of corpses. And yet, as you stand there besides him, you feel it's on you.

You should have stopped this, because Genesis trusts you, and you didn't.

All you can do is pathetically make up for it all, your arms around him, and trying to keep your breath steady from where it slips into his hair along with your face. "I'll dig graves," you say, and you don't know if your voice is steady enough. "Let's go, Genesis."

Genesis looks at you, then, and you try not to think too hard about - everything. The way his eyes have lost their shine, grown paler. How his skin has only lost color all the more since Wutai. It takes him a second to focus on you, really focus properly on you, and you're not sure if it's just because of grief.

"Angeal," he breathes, as though you're salvation, as though you're an answer, and you don't deserve it. You don't deserve the way he looks at you, his hand finding your wrist and tightening hard around it. You notice there's holes in the back of his glove, small wood splinters still clinging. "You'll stay with me, won't you? You'll help me - with them, with all of ShinRa?"

And what can you say?

"Always, Genesis."

And that's around the time that Angeal yanks an ID straight from where Avan had poked his head out a window, claws clenched tight around the nuisance brain. "Got you," he growls, the sound definitively more animalistic than normal thanks to the changes he's gone through. He doesn't destroy it immediately - not after the encounters he's had so far - but instead shoves it into... yeah that's sure a burlap bag. Do not worry about it!

Then again, if Avan didn't worry about things, he would haven't suck his head out the window in the first place at all the ruckus (perhaps mild explosions) that involved chasing a walking brain.

[1/2]

[avanture_time]

That sure is a lot to take in all at once! But Angeal will be able to see it on Avan's face when he peels the intellectual devourer off of him: his primary takeaway from what he's seen is anger, a righteous fury at this tragedy that never should have come to pass. The fierce scowl would make for a comedic contrast with the pink bandana tied around his hair to keep it out of the way in the kitchen, if it weren't so uncharacteristic.

[avanture_time]

And then it's gone, replaced with a more typical look of concerned confusion.

"Mr. Angeal? How are you planning to kill it?"

Because he can understand not wanting to kill it right here given the whole, y'know, exploding thing, but he is going to kill it, right?

[firsteditionbfs]

Angeal knows what that look means. It was quick, but he's on high alert due to the situation they're all in, so he spots it. Which, well.

Fuck him.

He tries not to think too heavily on that, at risk of getting distracted. Instead, he just ties up the sack quick and decisively, despite all the thrashing that's already kicking off inside of it. "At a distance," he says gruffly. "Going to turn this thing into fireworks. My husband loves a chance to shot a large enough fireball at something. And if we get it airborn, it won't have anything to hit in the aftermath."

So he doesn't have to see anyone else's memories either.

Fucking thing.

"Do you need a second to sit down? I know these things can be problematic."

[avanture_time]

"No, I'm alright. I'd be in trouble if they actually devoured intellect, though!"

He laughs at his own stupid joke and rubs the back of his head.

"I'd invite you in for some tea or snacks, but I'm guessing you want to take care of that thing right away. Oh, but hold on a second before you go!"

With that, Avan disappears from the window. If Angeal looks in, he'll see that Avan was cooking something, but smartly removed the pot from the heat before sticking his head out of the window. Avan himself is rapidly working on something on the counter nearby, but his back is to the window, so Angeal wouldn't be able to see it. Regardless, it's not long before Avan returns to the window, holding a small pouch that he holds out.

"Here, take this. It's full of candy made from fae nectar. It'll help with the headaches if you can't get it far up enough!"

[Rosie] never second guessing

[firsteditionbfs]

Rosie looks in on herself.

It's probably a funny feeling, as is the feeling of actually being tall for once in her life. You know, tall in the way that lets her fit into the average human building. And this is more than just a simple human building, but a little karaoke booth for the two of them. Two of you?

The Rosie that she can see seems to have shorter hair, and a distinct thought that lays in the background of her mind of how there should still be a ring on her finger (but it's not his place to judge). Really, it's such a quiet background thought that it might get completely washed away because she gets to watch herself make a silly sort of 'oops aw fuck' smile after a flicker of some sort of emotional vulnerability and ask a simple question. Ask about what he cam here for.

And there is an overwhelming tide of oh fuck, right.

The following conversation is an awkward mess. The dancing around the timing of the conversation. Knowledge that at least one version of Rosie has made a shipping chart. A deep belief that, apparently, Angeal Hewley-Rhapsodos is gay.

And she herself, having to say with his mouth, that actually he's not.

The tears are nearly immediate, following the crack of her voice, and she's just not fast enough to hide it as she ducks her head down. The trepidation that Rosie as the viewer can feel overflows into concern and a sort of regret - not at the truth but that the pain she's feeling can't be taken away in any capacity. Not in an easy magic wish sort of way, at any rate.

The only way to fix this is to keep pushing through, she does, rubbing her own back with a large sturdy hand. An understanding somewhere deep in her bones - in Angeal's bones - that he should be someone's rock, and he wants to be.

There's some talk. The admission that Angeal has never wanted to betray her. Rosie in turn admitting to some rather deep-seated issues on her self worth. An instance in which Rosie's whole-ass head is taken in Angeal's massive hands and turned to face him, which could probably be a sexy thing in any other scenario that wasn't the confrontation of her sex-based self worth by someone whose opinion she very obviously cares about.

And then words. Said in a voice deeper than Rosie's, even as she in some way says them, or experiences the feeling of saying them.

"I realized that I liked our relationship so much more without sex ever being involved."

Rosie gets to watch herself take this in. Talk about her own experiences in a world with such... encouraged sex, and the realization that it still doesn't have to happen if they don't want to. That maybe...

"I think I like it more this way, too."

And she looks down at a Rosalina Nurumi with slightly red eyes and messy white hair who looks up and smiles. Soft and, even despite everything, happy.

If the secondhand feelings she gets to feel in this moment are any indication, a soft happiness can be no less deep and powerful enough to be aching in all the best ways. That's what Angeal's heart says, even as the conversation moves into sillier topics, unimportant ones in the grand scheme of things. Smiles that are brighter, and a little more ridiculous, even when they finally pick up long abandoned drinks and hold them up to each other.

Kanpai, Rosie.

And Angeal lightly smacks her cheeks a couple of times. "Rosie? Can you hear me?" He really hopes that she didn't see anything too fucked up, considering her whole life is already like that, but, well, it's not like he ever gets his wishes granted with these sort of situations. All he can do is hope that she feels alright enough.

Maybe if they're both lucky, she won't remember what lead to her getting jumped by those god damn brains.

[hasitsthorns]

It is a surreal experience to see herself through someone else's eyes. She feels both large and so tiny simultaneously; it is a bit novel, being so tall in this perspective, but hard to really appreciate it with the scene unfolding as it is. (There is a lot to process, really, and she does get a little stuck briefly on that ring- Was she married? Or going to be? What happened?)

In a way, she can also find the comic, cosmic irony in it all: That Rosie believed Angeal to be gay. This one did too, actually, but only because he knew who the other gay men were (like Ardyn) and she only ever heard of his boyfriends. It made sense. But it also makes sense, really, that she would assume such a thing in two realities over. At least, in this one, she didn't put her foot so horrendously in her mouth about it.

Here, she can see what a friendship like Angeal's would mean to her as just that. She can see what a man wanting her - not her body, but her - could look like. And that it could be okay. It could even be better than okay, in the end. It could be something that heals and helped her in ways she couldn't fathom even from the memory alone despite the echoes of those feelings present.

As her mind switches from Amani remembrance through Angeal's eyes to the current day, she can hear him. It takes a moment to un-cross the wires of 'that's his voice, not mine' and that she's back in her own body. Man. Yeah, the world is a lot smaller like this. That kind of sucks, but- She'll swoon over a much taller man before long and remember how much she enjoys her height.

"Yeah. Yeah, I. I-" Lucidity comes with fresh waves of emotion. It's almost on instinct, really, as she starts to cry that she also reaches out to hug him tightly. "I saw me. As you? And we were talking, and-" She's trying to articulate it, but she might need to take a moment to remember how to breathe and form coherent words once more.

[firsteditionbfs]

Automatically, without even thinking twice about it, he wraps his arms around her in return as she embraces him. His hand goes to her hair, slowly stroking it. "Hey hey hey." Soft, meaningless little words that are meant more to let her know she's not alone than to truly articulate anything.

"Take your time. Take a breath."

And he can only hope she really didn't see a memory about when she died.

[hasitsthorns]

"It was my birthday?" she manages next, more a question because she thinks it was from what she can recall. A celebration for her, at least, and that's what she assumed cake and alcohol would mean.

Her breath comes in damp, shallow gasps still for a moment before leveling out to something less painful for her and perhaps difficult to listen to as well. Her grip on him is so tight, at first, but then gradually loosens as she is soothed. She wants to say more, but she's still reeling from all the strange, conflicting emotions and trying to find the right words to explain what she did see.