expiationlogs | [CLOSED] got a colony of ants underneath my skin

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[CLOSED] got a colony of ants underneath my skin

Who: Morph and Douman, Marco, Scott, Kotone
Where: Around Aldrip
What: Closed event starters for gnosia!Morph being a menace.
Warnings: Violence, potential body horror. Further warnings will be marked.

(Stated days optional, if any of these need to be rearranged let me know! If you'd like to encounter Morph during the event please contact me at

evilbo or on Discord.)

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[Even before they opened their eyes, the first sign that Morph was regaining consciousness was that the goo that made up their body had stopped flowing, slowly solidifying back into their regular humanoid form. Morph is looking a little melty still, but not half as bad as before, the imposed catnap having given them the time to literally pull themself back together.

Groaning, Morph pushes up on one arm, though when they spot Douman sitting there they freeze like a deer in headlights. They're slower to rise up to sitting after that, subconsciously pulling the blanket tighter around them (and where did that come from?)]

Like I could sleep for a week. What was that?

[Morph is amazed that they aren't dead. That the room doesn't feel like a freezer anymore is a huge bonus, though their fight had certainty left the place a little wrecked, and with a good-sized hole in the ceiling. Maybe that could've been an escape route about ten minutes earlier, but right now it's taking all of their energy just to stay in their natural form. Besides, they surrendered, so - that meant staying put. At least for now.]

The sledgehammer version of finding out whether you're telling the truth or not.

[Douman sighs and shifts a little, pushing one leg forward so that he can rest his hands and upper body against the propped up knee of the other. He doesn't bother to hide his frustration.]

Simply put, I took out your battery to see if that'd make the bothering lights go out. It didn't. That means you're not the culprit. [It sounds flippant, but that's pretty much what he did. Trap realms and spells feed off the spirit energy of the one who casts them. The base principle of an exorcism is to drain the target of their spirit powers to the point where they'll be unable to keep up whatever magics they're doing or have become uninhabitable barren land to whatever supernatural entity had latched onto them, thus forcing it out. Knocking the caster out via a powerful exorcism could even break a Medusa's petrification, so using it to knock Morph out and see if doing so would cause any notable change in the world around them felt like a reliable test.] You should make a full recovery after getting some rest.

Huh, okay.

[Honestly, the simple explanation was best - Morph isn't familiar with magic, or anything approaching it. They tended to wander off whenever Hank so much as started rambling about metaphysical concepts. Most mutants, and even the non-mutant superheroes, had much simpler powers by comparison.]

I haven't been in the city much longer than a month, and believe me, I wouldn't be here if I had a choice. We're both rats in the same maze.

[It was good to know that what they were feeling was only exhaustion, but now was a bad time to be out of commission, and they know it. Even if Morph hadn't seen how gnosia were talked about on the network, their conversation with Rogue had convinced them that it was very much a 'hunt or be hunted' situation. There were other mutants here, too, and Morph knew they'd all fight like hell to defend each other. That's exactly why Morph had to be the one to handle them. Who else would know the other mutants better than one of the family?]

So what now? There's - I have friends that I know aren't like us. I have to deal with them before they realize what I am.

Also about month, huh? Then we must have arrived around the same time.

[Douman would envy such freedom. Both as Onmyoji and leader he needs to understand things as much as possible, if only to know where to put a lever and hope that he can move them in a direction that's a little less troublesome or chaotic. Or for knowing where to look when things inevitably end up going wrong somewhere along the way anyway.]

I'm no rat.

[He scoffs lightly at the description of their circumstances, apt as it might be. No offense to the clever rodents, but he isn't anybody's toy or specimen to poke and probe at however they wish. He is a former noble and a Nurarihyon - Ashiya fucking Douman. The trap that can hold him still needs to be invented!]

You are intending to hunt your own friends? How cold! [but there's an intrigued note in his voice, rather than judgement. Douman wouldn't turn against those that have allied themselves with him even now, but like all youkai his idea of morality is rather polka dots and stripes than black, white or even just grey. There is loyalty between family, between friends, between weak and the strong whom they follow, and even just that based on what or who brigs you the most personal satisfaction. And it all constantly weighs against each other and creates new struggles and compromises. So while Douman wouldn't hunt them, he'd also have no qualms using them as meatshields and alibi for himself.]

[Morph wasn't about to argue the point. Yeah, it was ironic that someone so powerful had ended up here along with everyone else, but maybe power levels didn't matter. They still had no idea exactly how they or any of the other Chosen had ended up here. Hell, Morph had been on an asteroid in Earth's orbit and still been plucked up and transported to Aldrip like space itself hadn't been an obstacle.]

I still owe them payback for what they did to me. Besides, I can get close to them. I know them better than anyone.

[Kurt was the one exception, but Kurt also hadn't been involved in that particular incident. He'd need to die only if he wasn't gnosia. For the others it was personal, and even if they were infected, Morph wasn't so sure that they'd let them go. The gnosia gave them power that they'd never had before, and they intended to use it.

It's only as they tug off the 'blanket' that they realize the fabric is a garment. Morph looks between Douman and the kimono, visibly surprised, but they don't comment on it. Instead they hastily fold it up and lean over to pass it back to him.]

Are you going to keep looking for our so-called jailer? Because I oughta warn you, I've talked to people who have been here way longer than we have and haven't found any way out. Not yet.

[Douman unfurls himself to his full height and pads over to take his kimono back wordlessly. Tucking it beneath one arm, he tilts his head to give Morph a proper once-over through the eye-slits of his mask.]

I'm aware. But the longer I'm away, the more the school will be at danger. [Whether it will be by outside forces or simply imploding from the many different kinds of supernatural beings gathered in one place, or Haruaki being Haruaki again... The possibilities are endless, and it's giving Douman a headache just thinking about it. The nightmares and slips of visions that have been plaguing him are harrowing, but it's fairly easy to dismiss as memories and materialized fears. But the school, his precious school with all its students, staff and teachers... That's real. He can't let anything happen to that. Not again.]

I will unravel this trap dimension and find a way back. That's a fact, not a promise! ...and if I wring the neck of who is responsible for it in the process, then that's a mere fringe benefit. [Like hell he'll let them get away with it so easily! He'll even turn against the gnosia if that means getting his will! The thought pulls him back to the present and has him consider Morph once more. The smart choice would be to join forces, now that their respective positions have been confirmed. But that'd mean a detour.]

Does taking your revenge really mean that much to you?

[Morph hands it over before trying to climb back up to their feet - trying being the primary word here, as their legs are shaky and it takes a lot longer than it should. But hey, at least now they won't get a crick in their neck looking up at the guy.]

If you're going to bust out of here, I'm on board. I have a school I need to get back to myself.

[It wasn't what they expected to hear from a demon - if that word was really appropriate - but any reason to leave is a good reason. Morph had been eager to find a way out when they first arrived, too, but the reality of their situation had set in pretty quickly. What Morph had left behind wasn't just a team, but a badly injured friend, and being forced to leave his side still sucked. They had no idea what condition Logan was in now, if he'd gotten better, or... if he was like he'd been on the jet, unconscious and barely responsive.]

It's... important. But as long as they don't catch on, I can still take them out whenever I want.

[The changed tilt of his head and the mask with it is the only hint Douman will allow to betray that he is ready to catch the other this time. He isn't enough of a hypocrite to suddenly fake a sense of camaraderie when he's the one to blame for Morph's poor condition in the first place, but he also isn't the kind of sadist who takes pleasure in pointless pain.]

Don't push yourself if you're still feeling weak.

[People are resources. It's bad to waste them.]

It's a bad idea to rush into confronting your friends unprepared. They will know your strengths and weaknesses as well as you do theirs, after all. I don't mind standing guard for a little longer.

[As token for the misguided beating he'd given the other. The itch of the gnosia is still strong, whispering and pulling at him to join in the hunt no matter who it is they're hunting. If they'd work together, then Morph's friends surely would stand no chance. It'd be a quick, easy success.

But Douman doesn't like wins that come without bragging rights. He wants to hunt the big game, or no game at all. So Morph will be on their own in their vendetta. Maybe they'll even win and survive.]

In my experience everybody will be released once the seal is broken. I can't guarantee what's going to happen after, but I won't leave anyone behind.

[Standing guard?? Huh. That was a kind gesture from a guy that had just been eager to beat the snot out of them. And it was a good thing that fight had been defused, too, because Morph was pretty sure the outcome would've left them as a smear of paste on the floor.]

Yeah, but I can go smaller and stay hidden while I'm resting. I won't be found if I don't want to be.

[Besides, Morph wasn't eager to extend quite that much trust to a stranger who hadn't listened to reason the first time around. Maybe they were on the same side in this fight, but that didn't mean the yokai wouldn't change his mind. Or decide it wasn't worth the trouble. No, Morph just needed a little time to shift into an animal form and find a hidey-hole to curl up in.]

Heh, you're a pretty nice guy after all. Look, you might as well get back to finding that seal. Once it's only gnosia left in the city... maybe we can band together and finally get out of here.

[Call him old-fashioned, but Douman believes in taking responsibility. He grew up in an era where honor was still such a big thing that you killed and died for it, and while he has adapted to modern times, its concept is still ingrained into his being.]

Won't using your power make your recovery slower? Well, whatever. I won't tell you to do anything anymore.

[He might have, if Morph had insisted on doing something irresponsible and suicidal. But otherwise it's not really any of Douman's business. In fact, it makes things easier.]

'Nice'? Heh, you seem to have forgotten who just put you through the wringer already. I'm not nice at all. [His body starts to dissolve into black fog again as he prepares to leave.] But I look out for those who are mine. Take care.

[and with that, Douman's gone.]

Wait, yours-?

[It's too late, the yokai is already gone. Morph stands there for a minute to make absolutely sure, then finally turns and shuffles over to a corner to sink down and lean against the wall.

There was definitely something going on in that guy's head that Morph didn't quite understand. Were they going to regret giving in like that later? Maybe so, but for now it was enough that they were alive, that they still had a chance to kill the people that had hurt them - and just maybe once that was taken care of, there'd be some hope of escaping this place for good.

Morph just needed a little catnap, and later a literal nap as a cat, and they'd be able to get back to the hunt.]

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[CLOSED] got a colony of ants underneath my skin

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wrapping this up :)