Event: Consolidation Theory, Part Four and Five

[snowblindmods]

Characters: red-marked characters and their new friends
Location: ???
Date: Morning 354, Morning and Day 355
Summary: A quiet morning and a confusing morning, or maybe they're both, or maybe they're neither.
Warnings: gore, psychological horror, warn for specifics in the subject lines

Part Four OOC Post
Part Five OOC Post

Comments

[lacecase]

[Ginger still remembers the way that she thought when the paranoia had been turning her against the ones with line. Back then, she would've been happy to throw him under the bus, blame him for any part he may or may not have had in what happened to her and the others.]

You're Enoch. You're my friend.

[Her voice breaks, her eyes burn again. Ginger shakes her head. She doesn't know what to do. She just doesn't know.]

[warriorscribe]

[He pauses a moment, then shifts out from his hiding place, looking up at her from his seat on the floor.]

This isn't- this isn't like the tower. Being my friend can't protect you or save either of us.

[But he's out, in plain view. He just can't turn Ginger away outright.]

[lacecase]

[Ginger shakes her head over and over. Hearing him talk like this, look like this, act like this...it's not the way he is. He doesn't deserve to feel such misery.]

It doesn't have to mean those things. All it has to mean is that I'm here with you.

[warriorscribe]

[He's afraid. If she stays, what if they're compelled to hurt them again? It's not tied to a place, like the cells. It's not some outside force to fight this time, not really, just drugged into complacency or mindlessness or whatever it was Miller had done.]

And you would feel safe?

[lacecase]

Safe?

[It's a strong word to use in this kind of situation. Her eyes flutter away. This isn't the sort of time to lie for the sake of optimism.]

No, not really. I won't feel safe until we're not here anymore. But I won't feel any less safe because of you. That I can promise.

[warriorscribe]

[He's silent a little while, wrestling with his thoughts, his guilt, and his fear of being taken over again.

But in the end, he can't dismiss her words. He gives her a tiny nod.]

You can-...what did you want to do, to help me?

[lacecase]

Anything that I could.

[She's not sure if she should--if it would make him uncomfortable, but she hesitantly steps through the unseen barrier, into his cell.]

Even just talk, or if you need any bandages, I can make some...

[warriorscribe]

I don't need any.

[Though his own bandages aren't undamaged. The bandages around his neck are hanging raggedly from where they'd been torn on the side, revealing deep healing scratches, numerous enough his ordinary skin tone is hardly visible there beneath the wounds and surrounding inflammation. But the wounds aren't actively bleeding anymore. They're healing well enough and the pain of exposing them to open air isn't bothering him - if anything, it helps, having that bit of outside pain, something to keep him grounded in reality. As far as he is concerned, the cell is pristinely clean, even though Ginger would see the same disgusting mold as in her cell. There is no reason to cover them again.]

If-...if you can tolerate my presence as one of them, and if you feel it's all right to stay with me, I-...

[He's feeling isolated and helpless and company will help with the first part, but it's beyond his ability to articulate, the root feelings buried too deep.]

[lacecase]

Of course I can.

[It just breaks her heart. Poor Enoch doesn't deserve to feel this way--to feel like he's terrible, like he's done something so awful. Like she wouldn't be able to stand being around him. No, now more than ever she wants to be there with him. How can she ever be afraid when he's in such a state? Ginger shuffles ever closer.]

I wouldn't leave you for the world, you know?

[warriorscribe]

[It should feel like a relief, but what he feels is that he's tricked her somehow. Made her think it's okay to stay at his side in spite of it all, and it makes the company feel hollow. Like her words have dragged her closer somehow to failure.]

It may be for the best that-...if you see the distorted beings coming for me, get away from me. They're the ones who drugged us.