[log] we wear red so they don't see us bleed [closed]

[bywolves]

Characters: Royce Melborn, Alfie Solomons
Location: Building 141
Date: Day 242, morning
Summary: Both boys are monsters, figuratively and literally.
Warnings: Body horror, possible gore, warnings for other things in subject headers

141: A post office, long-abandoned. There are a few empty white plastic bins where mail was once piled up, and the lobby area is still remarkably clean and polished. The back area isn't locked, so if you like you can go through the back and see the office with its locked safe and the back door that leads to the downtown area. Trees, impossibly tall men, and lots of Ⓧs have been drawn on the walls, along with ball-like things that are made up of tentacles and beaks and death and one circle in green crayon that's been scribbled over in charcoal.

Comments

[devoutish]

[Alfie doesn't wake up before Royce does - he's exhausted too, and he also has the sickness from the MN poisoning to deal with. But he'd fallen asleep leaning up against Royce, and so when Royce sits up suddenly, he's jostled to the side, and jostled awake.]

Oof--

[He starts taking stock immediately. Fiona there. Gwen there. No, not Fiona and Gwen; fake Fiona and Gwen. And Royce--]

Royce.

[He puts a hand on his shoulder.]

[bywolves]

[ Alfie's hand will go right through his shoulder. Royce doesn't seem to notice, staring up at Gwen. She's got her hand resting where Royce's cheek should be, where his mouth has split to reveal rows of jagged teeth instead. ]

[devoutish]

Royce.

[He jerks his hand back, but immediately tries again, making a harder grab for his arm.]

[bywolves]

[ He manages to grab, this time, but it's a bit like trying to hold onto smoke. Royce startles and actually, honest-to-god hisses at him, eyes not aware at all. There's no sort of intelligence there, not at the current second. ]

[devoutish]

Royce, listen to me. Can you hear me?

[When Royce wisps away from him, he tries again. He really hopes it doesn't hurt him, but he needs to get his attention.]

[bywolves]

[ From behind him, Gwen speaks: ] Royce, darling.

[ And Royce flinches. A beat. And then another. And he looks back up at Alfie, eyes focusing. He looks vaguely confused. ] What?

[devoutish]

You were gone. For a moment, you were--

[He doesn't know. But he wasn't Royce.]

[bywolves]

[ Well, that's terrifying. ]

... I don't remember. [ He digs his claws into the blankets. And then: ] Solomons, you - you're.

[ Well, a lot furrier than the last time Royce saw him. ]

[devoutish]

[He brings a hand up to his own face. He can feel, but he doesn't have a good mirror.]

How bad?

[bywolves]

... You look like you have fur. [ It's not quite frightening, but it's unsettling. ] Like a bear. A wolf.

[devoutish]

[He grunts.]

Shouldn't've fallen asleep.

[He wouldn't have been able to keep the changes from happening, but he would have had time to get used to them as they came on gradually.]

[bywolves]

Doubt that would have stopped it. [ Royce says. Sorry, he can't stop staring. His eyes focus in and out again, and then he shakes his head slowly. He feels fuzzy. Fuzzy and aching. ]

I don't think I can walk. [ He sighs out, curling an arm around his stomach. ] I don't want to. To stay here, but.

[devoutish]

We can't go. We'll just have to sit here.

[bywolves]

Yeah. [ Royce looks down at one of his claw hands. ] When - did I have these, before I slept?

[devoutish]

Not like this. And your mouth.

[He's trying not to look too closely, honestly. It's horrifying.]

[bywolves]

[ Both of them can spend the day not looking at each other, it's fine. ]

Hurts. [ He says, trying to get his mouth around the words. Now that he's thinking about it, he's having trouble. ] It split too far. I can - I can feel the...

[ He can feel the muscles, but he trails off, because that's gross. ]

[devoutish]

Think about something else, Royce. There's nothing else to do, eh?

[bywolves]

Hard to think at all. [ He takes a deep breath. He looks up at the girls. ] They're still here.

[devoutish]

Yeah.

It's not them.

[bywolves]

... Right. It's not.

Are you sure? [ He sounds distant. ]

[devoutish]

Positive.

[There's just a little bit of desperation in his voice.]

You know they wouldn't be acting like this. Things would be very different.

[bywolves]

[ Royce looks up at Gwen, watching her quietly. ]

I miss you. [ He murmurs to her, his teeth clacking together. Gwen smiles, tucking her hair behind her ear. ]

[devoutish]

Don't talk to her. Tell me about her, instead. What she's really like.

[bywolves]

[ Royce doesn't answer. He actually gets up a little, crawling closer to her. ]

[devoutish]

No. Royce--

[Alfie follows on hands and knees, trying to catch at Royce's cloak.]