expiationlogs | August Catch-All

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August Catch-All - Glitching Event

Who: Silco + Open to All
Where: Around Aldrip
What: August Monthly Post – Includes glitching
Warnings: Violence, murder

i. Glitching Out
[The previous month and part of this month, Silco had been spared having alterations to his person. His businesses, his property and even the generalized environment had seemed to be on the fritz, and no one seemed to know if it was a result of the previous infection or if they had failed their ‘rehab’ enough that this place was destabilizing and required a reset.

Still, he had to continue business as usual while he investigated on his own. That was until he was stepping out from the Last Drop to head to another business for a daily check-in when he experienced a disturbing situation not unlike being struck by lightning. He dropped at the unexpectedness of it all, and it took him exactly one minute to realize the difference.

He could see normally from both eyes. The aches of his facial scarring and generalized age had disappeared. The air felt unbearably clean to his lungs. His hair fell forward into his face.

Silco pushed himself back to his feet slowly, and he looked down at this hands – youthful hands – and then reached up to feel his face. There was a puddle of water nearby which he stepped over to look into, sighting an appearance half of his previous age.

Yet, his mind remained intact. He was trapped in a 20 year old body, and he couldn’t deny how amazing it felt.]

ii. Around Town - Parkour
[He didn’t know how long he was going to be stuck like this, but it seemed prudent to take advantage of the spirit of youthfulness. While he didn’t have idle time per say in Aldrip, he certainly made time every time that he stepped out of one of his businesses to enjoy what age and reputation had slowly turned him from.

Fissurefolk were infamous for their abilities to scale buildings and get into places that few others would dare to. Silco had been the slimmest of their group, meaning he could slide into narrow alleys and scale buildings were Vander had trouble; getting down was Vander’s strength. So he was going to enjoy the freedom.

Silco could be seen around the residential and commercial spaces perform feats that were as easy as breathing for those of his people. Scaling buildings, run over rooftops and leap between buildings, flip over large open spaces, and even using random poles to perform. It was all about testing the limits of a body he had outgrown years ago, and he found he enjoyed himself.]

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[Silco followed her out the window when she began to descend down the ladder, sliding the window closed again behind him. He peered down the distance, reminded of just hours ago sliding down ladders and pushing the limits of his malfunctioned body. Not anymore, he supposed.]

Yes, your preference for surprise parties can be worrisome.

[He began his descent down the ladder the perfectly acceptable and normal way, hand over hand and foot down foot.]

When will the big surprise reveal occur?

[ she hums over the question, but it's painfully obvious she is pretending to think about it, when in actuality, she knows the answer. at the final step of the ladder, her boots crushes against the concrete then scrapes the soles to skate to the right to give her father room. ]

Hmmm, that all depends on how nice everyone and this place treats me. Could be an hour from now, a day, a year, never, who knows!

[He was three-quarters way down the ladder when he stopped so that he could twist enough to look down the rest of the way at where she was now on the ground. He expected she was pulling his leg on that, but why not? Keep them all on their toes.]

I expect you'll bring bullets to the pa--

[He swayed on the ladder before he glitched backwards in time again. Uncontrolled, he released his hold on the ladder rungs and fell backwards clutching his face with his hands as pain stole his breath. It was sizzling at his facial nerves, the left side of his face raw, blistered and oozing blood between his bare fingers.]

[ the knowing smile quickly vanishes when she sees the effects of the city's malfunctioning overtakes him again, and when he plummets to the ground, her pupils widen and glitters pink in fear. ]

Dad!

[ she doesn't need to user her shimmer capacity to bolt by his side when she's already semi-close, but her instincts to flee to him set her on autopilot nevertheless. jinx kneels down to silco, her hands gently placing on each of his shoulders, and to lean in a little closer. ]

Hey, hey. It's okay. Lemme see...

[The cold of the ground was similar to the cold of the caves where he had once hidden. Back then adrenaline and fear had taken him deep into the poisonous abandoned portions of the mines to hide, but now, he was the full weight of the pain without the benefit of a pressing need for survival. He knew his pain. He remembered it and that reminder sparked that old hatred and anger.

His fingers still clutched over the left half of his face, and he started when Jinx's hands touched him. It took him a second to realize it was her and not the pitiful lost souls of the mines.]

Jinx? I need...

[He didn't know what he needed. So, he did remove his hand from his face to look at it, the bloody serosanguinous fluid smearing his palm and fingers. Where there had been scars was raw blistered flesh. There was a deep gnarly gash under his left eye, and his eyelid was blackened with obvious necrosis. His eyeball was completely bloodshot with black veins and his pupil was still blue at this point. The flesh around his eye was swollen and painful, and he couldn't completely close his eyelids nor did he want to.]

[ when he removes his hand, it gives jinx a chance to get a good look over, and she hisses out a quiet swear underneath her breath. silco had told her this story countless times of the night of him and vander, and this has to be the moment of that evening.

she needs to think quick on her feet, so she sheds off a piece of her clothing — her top slipping over her head, then carefully placing the blouse to the side of his injured face. her doing this leaves her chest exposed, but that is the least of her worries. ]

Here. Keep that there. [ her thoughts continue to scramble and crash together with options, and with her voices chiming with their own suggestions -- it causes her words to trip over her tongue. ] — I-I, uhm. What about my mask? It has a little shimmer in it. Lemme get it set up for you.

[Pain disrupted his normal responses as he lay on the ground in dirty clothing similar to what he had been wearing when as his younger self. He almost put his hand back over his face to try to soothe the deepening injury, but he was stopped momentarily when Jinx's shirt was pressed to the area. He groaned in half-pain, half-relief and held the material over his skin and eye.

What had he done back then? Hidden and outburst anger and pain to no one in particular. He had been so certain Vander would come to finish the job, though perhaps the man had known that the filthy waters would kill him with enough time and at the time, lack of medical treatment.

Now he was struggling to focus through the pain, his other hand reaching to find a part of Jinx to hold onto so he could gather himself. He didn't recognize that mask would mean Shimmer either.]

We... can't stay here...

R-Right, right! We can't. We can... We can, uhm... —

[ where can they go right now? their home is too far away, the flower shop is several blocks away, and so is the last drop. besides, there may be patrons in either of those establishments. her café is another option, but like their home and everything else, it's a bit of a walk. ]

[ her head starts to whirl with too many frantic thoughts, and her voices screech at her from every angle — yelling if she doesn't do something, silco could die for the third time. and if he does, it'll be all her fault for not being fast on her feet. jinx grimaces at the sharp pitches and holds onto her head in attempt to ease the pain. ]

Shuddup, Shuddup! — I need to think, let me think!!

Edited 2024-08-22 03:47 (UTC)

[ she lifts her head to immediately look at a company across the street. it appears to be a twenty-four-hour laundry mat that seemed so far to be vacant. and with everything malfunctioning, it looks like it hadn't been used for a quite a while. in a panic, she gathers to her feet and quickly says: ]

Stay right there, okay?

[ jinx doesn't wait for him to agree or protest as she sprints through the street to the laundry, then violently kicks the lock doors open that caused the left one to fall lopsided. it's not the best solution, sure, but it's out of the streets and dark enough. so with that out of the way, she scurries back to her father — embracing him around her arms the best way she can to help him to his feet. ]

Okay, let's go. You ready?

[He could come. That was a thought that filtered through the haze of pain, despite knowing that his surroundings made it nearly impossible. People could appear here just like Finn and Renni, only to disappear afterward. Vander could appear, but would the result be the same? He couldn't risk it, not then, not now.

When Jinx left him, he noticed and slowly rolled onto his side, preparing to rise or crawl somewhere dark. Perhaps this would be relative short lived like his previous youth. Perhaps it was a reminder of the suffering that had given him the strength and resolve. He set a hand on the ground so he could push himself to sit, still holding the material to his face.

He inhaled sharply when he felt arms around his body. He dug his heels into the ground and otherwise allowed her to push or pull him up to his feet. He wavered, bending over with a groan.]

...if he comes... I need you to abandon me. Promise me?

[ when he wavers, she tries to steady him, and while also snapping her bag from the ground she abandoned. the to-go plate she cares little about, there will be other meals in her future, but it's the gas mask she doesn't want to leave behind. originally, she was going to take a quick whiff due to her own weakness brewing slowly increasing, but silco needed it more. far much more. she can make due.

putting one foot in front of the other, his daughter heardly heard his request due to her concentration of them moving, and she shook her head to protest with a faint simle painting over her face. ]

Are you kidding? No way... I'm not abandoning you. Don't start being silly on me now.

[With Jinx's pull and direction, he stumbled his way toward their destination of the laundrymat, able to put together that she had found a small out of the way refuge for now. He would deal with this, would swallow the weakness of the pain and age old paranoia of being hunted.

Halfway across, he slung an arm across Jinx's shoulders so he could lean his weight on her more Still, by the time they arrived, he was ready to sit down again. How long had he nursed this injury until found? Over a week he thought. He was well into it at this point.]

You need to. Promise me. He'll kill me and take you away from me... I'm your father. I won't give you back to him.

He won't kill you.

[ she says matter-of-factly after the two enter inside the cleaners, continuing to guide him to a bench which, unfortunately, will have to make due if he needs to sit or lie down. ]

I'll get in between the two of you, and he'll be forced to stop.

[ because if vander loves her "oh so much", he would stop dead in his tracks and stand down. jinx saw vander as a father once upon a time, and maybe somewhere extremely deep down inside, she still... holds some care for the man. but out of all the children, he favored vi the most, always had.

and having to share him with three other people was a little excruciating. with silco, there are no other children, and she didn't need to share him. ... well... she kinda is now with his secret lover, but... that's something she shouldn't think about now. carefully, she sets him down onto the pew and sets the bag by his feet. since they are in this place, maybe there might be some leftover blankets, rags, or something else she can use for his face. ]

[He hissed that she would refuse to leave him and save herself. She didn't know the monster that lurked in that man, when the rage filled him. Not like Silco did...

Yet, he couldn't fight much as he was helped to the bench and seated himself there. The cloth on his face would surely be ruined, but he couldn't spare much thought of where it came from or what he might have to do to replace it eventually. Right now, the pressure helped to focus him. Jinx helped focus him.]

...it's okay. I've bore this pain before. I just... need a moment to gather myself.

[The caves perhaps. It was the safest place.]

I'll keep the lights off.

[ she knows nothing about how to heal a severe eye injury, but it doesn't take a dummy to know that any bright lights at this point will only irritate things. jinx rests a gentle hand on his shoulder to let him know she is here, but to also say: ]

I'm going to check the dryers for more stuff. I'm just around the corner, I won't be far away.

[ in fact, she'll make enough sounds just to further prove she is nearby as she scavenges from dryer to dryer, opening and shutting them for anything useful. ]

Yes.

[The survivalist urge to hide remained unreasonable in the back of his brain, so the idea of no lights helped to soothe that. The darker the better; he and to an extent Jinx could navigate in pitch darkness and the poisonous poor air quality of the mines.

Once she had stepped away, he turned himself and lay down on the bench, still holding her shirt - even if he didn't know that's what it was - to his injured face, applying pressure to remember this pain because soon enough it would fade as the nerves died. He was trying to think how long he had before the Doctor had said he'd lose the eye, how much time he had until that point.]

[ in her search, she uncovers a few things, an oversize shirt in which she slips on (after taking a few whiffs to make sure it's decent), and another cloth that is better than the shirt he is using. there are other objects in the establishment, like baskets, dry sheets, chemicals, and hangers, but unfortunately, none of these items would be useful for their current dilemma.

there are vending machines she passed by too, but like the rest, none of the objects inside would be of help. maybe in the future, she should build another SNAX machine here — at least with hers, there are medical supplies stored inside, along with remedies. not wanting to dawdle for too long, the bluenette returns to her father's side, kneeling down as she extends a fresh strain-free fabric to his hand. ]

Here. This is all I can find in this dump, but better than nothing.

[His ears listened to Jinx moving around the laundry mat, uncertain exactly what she happened to be looking for. Supplies perhaps, though it would be prudent to consider leaving this place for somewhere safer once he had sorted himself out. Of course, he had no doubt that Jinx would protect him, that there was nothing truly to be concerned about.

Vander wasn't here, the hunt wasn't on, but the pain was a reminder of those old days, the old memories.

He pulled the cloth away from his face to view what she had brought, nodding his head and taking the new fabric. He rested it against his face again, closing his blue eye.]

We won't stay long. Will you sit with me? You had wanted to use your mask; now would be the time.

Are you sure you don't need it more?

[ she asks while climbing back to her feet, but only to sit next to him on the bench. to keep him as comfortable and reassured as possible, she scoots close enough so her leg brush against his and takes a hold of his free hand to twine their fingers together. ]

I can always bum off of it later when we get home or... wherever you wanna go after this.

Hmmm...

[He turned his head as he felt her settle in nearby, taking comfort in her protectiveness. He returned to applying extra pressure, and the pain dulled some of his other senses. Shimmer beyond what he used for his eye was not something he indulged in, but perhaps the pain relief would be worthwhile? Just to be functional.

His fingers didn't resist hers, and he offered a little squeeze in return.]

Home is our safest option.

Okay... Let me know when you're ready, and I'll hunt down a ride.

[ the fact they are in a completely different district, it would be a bit of a walk if they wish to return home. but she'll worry about that soon-to-be task later.

for now, she'll focus on stay close and keep her voice smooth and collected for his sake. every so often, she lets her boots tap gently against the tiles — in case the eerie silence that hangs in the air becomes unbearable for him. but she should also make light conversation too, so he wouldn't be so focus on his eye, his fear, or whatever else is going through his mind right now. ]

Did you know that chickens aren't completely flightless? People think their wings are for nothing, but they can kinda still use them. They just suck at it, and only can fly a short distance.

I don't want anyone to see me like this. It's too dangerous.

[It was an unreasonable request, of course. The illusion of the past which lead him to this point still inserted itself on his paranoia that someone may take advantage of his vulnerability and try to kill him. Jinx would protect him, he knew. There was no way that she would let anyone bring him harm.

Uncharacteristically, his free hand groped around behind him to where she was sitting and held onto any part of her that he could find, which happened to be her knee in this case. His fingers gripped, assured by her closeness. Her random fact was distracting enough, but he had other matters on his mind.]

How much... pain relief in your concentration of Shimmer?

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August Catch-All - Glitching Event

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cw: descriptions of facial/eye injury

cw: partial nudity + maybe drugs. — a party but not that kind of party

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