T - Lucca, Callypso, Xenon, Kari - Complete

[Nathalia]

((The monster inclined its head, using a handkerchief it pulled from the pocket of its suit-jacket to wipe some of the blood away and standing again.
The doctor looked...pretty good for what had just happened to her, the thing had even stitched up her face and ear, she was no longer bleeding, and it had pulled out a small corked bottle of thick paste to rub on the wounds.
The creature glanced over to Farran.
Regarding him silently and for a long time...from the way it was staring at his weapon...the Cat could tell that the monster was contemplating taking it back.
It pointed to him, then pointed to the ground; then, it gave Arkady a slight bow and moved to Rosewood.

Finished, it unfolded, reaching an arm out to Rosewood, gesturing for him to come closer and sit down.
Once he had done so, it would sit behind him, grabbing his injured arm and pulling out two thin sticks carved from bone and sme twine, fashioning a quick splint and setting the wrist with three quick flicks.
Through with that, absurdly long fingers grasped his head and Rosewood would feel an indescribable pain blossom all along the back of his skull as the scalpel dug in.
Blood flowed down the white feathers as the flesh was peeled back, the scalpel angled and jabbed forward, not slicing all the way through the bone, but taking a chip off of the outer edge, ringing through the Swan's head like an explosion.
The bloody fragment was lifted under the mask, and again, eaten.
The scalpel was put away, the needle and thread came back out.
Four painful minutes later, and the corked bottle was put away too, an odd, cool soothing sensation (by no means killing the pain) spread through the wound, dispelling shock.

The creature stood again, gazed at the little group, and then rushed at the trees, changing into the doctor again as it vanished into them.
As they watched, the trees faded out of existence.
Within two minutes, disregarding the blood and Farran's weapon, it was as though it had never been there.
If Rosewood looks about, he'll see the horrible dead thing, still hovering over Farran's shoulder, still pointing at him. One of its eyes has popped out and is hanging loosely on a thread of nerve from its face.
The station is truly deserted and empty, Piers's body sliding further apart inside.))



~Nathalia

[Kari Muffin]

He rolled his eyes at Farran. He couldn't even muster up a proper response. Even the monster was exasperated by the young man. That took some talent.

The thing directed him to sit down, he hesitated for a moment before doing what was told. He honestly didn't expect the creature to set his wrist like it was nothing. Huh. That was nice of him. Considering what happened next, the swan couldn't honestly phantom why he bothered.

He wanted to scream, but the noise caught in his throat. The pain was so beyond his comprehension he he was frozen in place. He could feel everything. His skin being pealed back, the thing chipping off a piece of his skull--

Why? Why was this happening at all?

Why couldn't it just stop? Why couldn't he be dead?

He couldn't keep track of time, it was almost like an eternity. There was a weird sensation that was almost on the back of his head, though the pain still incredible. His skull. It had taken a piece of his skull. He stared with wide eyes for a moment at the creature.

It ran away.

And the trees slowly started disappearing.

When he turned back to children his eyes were still wide with terror and confusion and then he saw it. The thing. The monster. It was still pointing at him. And it was... it was worse off. And he was still in pain.

The man burst into tears, wailing as he did so.

Tonight needed to end.

[Callypso]

Farran watched sullenly as the monster set to work. He stuck his jaw even further out when the creature stared long and hard at he and his new weapon. Yeah, fat chance he was getting the blade back. He’d probably permanently damaged his dominant hand – he was at least keeping the tool that had done so.

Every once in a while he flinched – from the cold water of Arkady’s ablility cleaning his wounds, to the stinging of his damaged paw, to the uncomfortable itch of the wrappings. Oddly enough, the creature had deigned that it was its responsible to splint the Tulgey’s wing.

Then it really set to work.

Blood spilled down the swan’s back, staining his downy white feathers, as the monster sliced pitilessly into Rosewood’s skull. The feline’s fur turned pale, and a little green around the whiskers as he watched. He gulped in air, bile churning at the base of his throat as he watched, but he wouldn’t look away. He was going to make damn well sure that the creepy thin thing didn’t do any more harm than promised. Still, it would be a miracle if he didn’t lose his supper. Supper seemed so long ago…

After what seemed like eons – the doctor twitched now and then, but mostly seemed frozen in shock and horror as a piece of his skull was chipped away and eaten. Ugh. It was disgusting.

Swift as anything, Dr. Zenon and Rosewood were neatly sewn up and smeared with a thick salve. As soon as the creature placed the rest of its tools away, it fled into the ephemeral trees, which faded from sight.

Farran snarled and stood stiffly, promptly falling back on his rump and shrieking, HEY!! You sunnovabitch! You have some explaining to do!!!

His face crumpled into disgusted discontent when he realized the thing wasn’t going to come back. He was glad, but definitely miffed that the monster hadn’t let them know why it was going around eating people’s skulls.

A cry burst into his angry thoughts, and he turned to find that the Tulgey had dissolved into terrified, wracking sobs. Farran’s already moistened eyes grew wetter as he looked sadly at the bird. He struggled once again to his feet and shuffled over to the man, afraid to get too near, but not wanting to invade his space – much like he’d done for Zenon.

There, there… he said lamely, It’s gone now. It’s gone.

Truth was, Farran’s heart was thumping too loudly in his chest, and his over-tight grip on the scalpel was developing a cramp. Exhaustion, too, was creeping upon him from this seemingly endless night.

[Lucca]

Arkady watched, keeping one eye on Farran in case he made any sudden movements, and the other on Rosewood and the horrible thing. He paled under his dark fur, and trembled, at the sight of so much blood. At the monster eating part of Rosewood's skull. It didn't take a genius to make the connection that the monster would now be able to take the Swan's form, too, just as it had the form of Zenon after it had eaten part of her. He focussed on these thoughts in the attempt not to be sick, still keeping his vigil on Farran so he didn't go after the monster again. It was obviously an enemy far beyond any of them, and the poor Feline would only get himself hurt.

Arkady let out a sympathetic whimper as Rosewood burst into tears after the monster (and the trees with it) vanished into the night like they had never been there. He rushed right to Rosewood's side and nosed at his hand, licking a bit to try and be comforting, ears pulled back. He didn't say anything...there was nothing to really say. His Tove followed, hovering a bit behind him, silent and eerie, red eyes gleaming in the foggy light.

[Kari Muffin]

Rosewood couldn't stop himself from crying, even when Arkady came over to comfort him. He was in a great deal of pain, there was still a monster to be dealt with and he still had to deliver Piers's message. He had to get up and go. He had to move despite the overwhelming pain.

But he would cry and sob until his tears ran out, and he could struggle to focus again. He reached out to give Arkady a small pat on the head as he tried to regain his composure. "S-sorry," he gurgled rather lamely.

The thing was still pointing at him like it was accusing him of some sin. It couldn't possibly know anything, it was probably just a twisted figment of his imagination. However if that was the case they wouldn't have seen it dripping blood earlier.

"W-we need to go. Need to deliver the message."

That meant he had to pull himself together. The swan pulled himself up and went to collect the binding. There was the matter of the doctor as well. They should probably put her somewhere safe. Safe. Right. "We should put Zenon back in her lab." he half muttered.

He leaned heavily on the spike. Even if it was a bit short and he was tall it gave him some form of comfort. He looked down at the support on his wrist. Why... had that monster bothered? It didn't make any sense.

And his head hurt.

It wasn't a headache exactly, but at least he could try to cast to spell. It was better than flopping around like an idiot.

Small Ability: This SD can now stop headaches of any sort, magical or no, their own or someone else's, at any time and any place.

[carcinoGeneticist]

It wasn't until the creature had finished stitching her up and a salve had been applied that the doctor even considered waking up. It was a slow return to consciousness, not at all abrupt. She just didn't have the energy for that kind of show. She was oblivious to the drama going on around her, but... She heard sobbing.

How odd.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, immediately squinting again. It didn't seem like she was dead, but then, everyone was present and mostly intact, and the monster was gone. So there had either been a miracle of some sort, or they were dead.

Either way, at least the monster was gone. She heard her name mentioned (sans title, but for now, she would let that slip) and her ear twitched. Slowly, she pushed herself up, a small shiver going through her body. "That won't be necessary, I can put myself there,[/b]" she commented quietly. Gingerly, she lifted a hand, fingers brushing against the wound on her head - now neatly stitched, no longer gushing blood. The other wounds had a similar tightness, and she realized they must have been closed as well. "Who stitched me up? The technique could use work, but it's not bad...[/b]"

Then she stood, wavering heavily on her feet from loss of blood and nearly collapsing. "...I'm glad to see you're all alive.[/b]" She said, voice sounding very faint. Snark was a first reaction, but really, it was primarily a defensive maneuver.

[Callypso]

There was nothing to be done for the moment but wait until the swan had let his emotions free. Farran couldn’t even imagine the sort of pain he must be in. Only now, after the heat of battle, did the hot pulse and ache of his own injuries begin to bother him. It was amazing, how adrenaline cut away the pain. The stitches along his own scalp from the demented Mephit were resuming a tender throbbing as well. Every muscle in his body protested from the abuse. He wasn’t used to this kind of full-body exercise. He hoped he wouldn’t ever have to again.

Rosewood’s sobs slowly faded away as Farran sat by, awkward and uncomfortable. He knew the swan didn’t like him – he didn’t much care for him either, but he wasn’t going to leave. Not after all this. The Tulgey managed to pull himself together and went to collect a long spike. He blinked. Now that he recalled, both he and the Solandrian had been toting them around. They looked awfully familiar.

What message?

Farran’s tired, taught face turned to puzzlement. Dr. Zenon and he had been out here battling the creature long before the others came to their aid. The feline didn’t remember running into anyone else, and Rosewood hadn’t mentioned anything about delivering something (besides Arkady to his home). What was he talking about? Had someone come to the station with a letter? If so, why had they left without taking them to safety?

About to open his mouth for more questions, the Corvie mix stirred from her position on the ground. She shuddered, then gingerly touched the stitched ringing her skull. When she queried over their appearance, Farran bit his lower lip and looked to the others before responding.

Um… the monster did. And he splinted Rosewood’s arm. He um, sewed him up too…

He trailed away, unsure how much Rosewood wanted to tell the doctor. It was pretty weird, the whole thing. Farran still didn't understand why the bird had agreed to it.

Hey! Now that he thought about it, the monster hadn’t so much as lifted a finger to help him. Well, that was just fine. Arkady had done a pretty good job. Besides, if it had even tried to get near him, Farran would have made sure some of those long, bony fingers had joined his toes. What a jerk.

So, he fumbled, What now?

[Lucca]

Arkady continued to offer what comfort he could to Rosewood as the man sat there crying, nosing his hands and licking at him slightly. His tail gave a halting, nervous wag as Rosewood stood, and he backed up, ears still back in a worried position. He nodded. Right, the message! He still remembered it...Tell my brother it's hidden where I used to work...and to tell Mom... Arkady frowned, focusing on the words. He turned when Farran asked that, and his voice was a little sterner than it had been.

"A message from Piers to his brother," he said, leaving Farran to puzzle out who that was if he could. The Feline hadn't even given Piers a chance. He'd taken one look at the gross, rotting appearance and assumed he was dangerous. He prepared to follow Rosewood, nodding, when the voice of Zenon filtered in. He whirled around to see the doctor was standing, and alive, and...the Coyote let out a breath as some tension he didn't even realize he'd been feeling eased out of his shoulders.

Dima hovered nearby, still holding the binding and the pearl for his master, still waiting for further orders.

[Kari Muffin]

Rosewood would have rubbed his forehead if he wasn't focused on staying standing. Suits he wanted to kick Farran in the head. The boy was just... whatever. At this point it didn't matter as long as he stayed away with that monster hanging behind him.

"I'm so happy you're not dead, Doctor. The monster sewed you up in exchanged for me being a willing participate in his bizarre behavior. Be a little grateful." He sobbed a bit. So much pain.

He was grateful for Arkady. So grateful he couldn't come up with the proper words. The young boy was capable of thinking for himself and he was sweet enough to try and comfort him. "Arkady and I intend to go Downtown and attempt to find Piers's brother. If you would like to join us, feel free. However, Farran, if you randomly attack anyone else while accompanying us I will take this spike and shove it through your face."

The swan's feathers ruffled a bit as he picked up the spike and put it under his arm for safe keeping. He was in too much pain to actually give a damn about proper manners, but he would try to smooth that blunt comment over. "I'm sorry about being so harsh, I would like to deliver the message and get poor Arkady home without incident."

He made the motions to leave, a little wobbly on his own feet. Maybe the ghost would leave if Farran left. That would be nice.

[Callypso]

Who the hell is Piers?

The looks he received in return were enough to quiet the feline for a moment as he played back the evening in his head. The only person they’d run into beside Dr. Zenon was that mon- oh. Oh.. Farran’s stomach churned, his nose wrinkling in distaste, though he tried very hard to not look absolutely disgusted. It was clear they were unhappy with him, so he was trying his best to be pleasant. His voiced came out somewhat strained and falsely pleasant. Oh. Piers. Yes.

Why the hell had they agreed to run errands for some creepy rot monster? Eugh. These people were crazy.

Farran didn’t have long to feel puzzled or grossed out before the swan insulted him. Fur bristling, the feline took to his feet again.

Grateful, are we? You wouldn’t have had the opportunity to have anybody stitched up if I hadn’t pushed you out of the way!

Sure, he could have caused more injury to the swan in the process, but he had still saved his sorry Tulgey ass. It may have been instinctual and rash, but at least everyone was still in one piece. More or less, anyway. At least they were all patched up, right? They hadn’t been left to bleed all over the police yard and die, right? Right?

Sorry, he mumbled, looking away as Rosewood replaced his prior comment with a more diplomatic one. I did try. The Villa was the very picture of a child caught at the cookie jar, defiance in his eyes and a pout hovering around his muzzle. He shuffled a bit and looked up again. I’ll come with you. I promised Arkady I’d help him find his family, remember? Farran blinked. It had seemed like such an easy task once upon a time. Yet here there were, still out in the city. Broken, bruised and tired. And still no Solandrian siblings.

Farran gathered up his scalpel and let himself be ushered across the yard with the others, finally noticing that when Rosewood wasn’t regarding him with contempt, he would avoid his gaze altogether, seeming strange... Almost...jumpy?

Why do you keep looking at me like that, Dr. Rosewood? He demanded, keeping in limping step with the others.