[log] Event: Metamorphosis, Part Three

[snowblindmods]

Characters: everyone
Location: all around town; note location in subject line
Date: Night 415 onward; note time in subject line
Summary: They break out and they wake up.
Warnings: extreme body horror, unreality, eldritch horror, absolutely definitely 100% include warnings in subject lines/before your comment if the subject line isn't long enough

Comments

[revenantking]

[He can't. He isn't sure why. Even when Quark collapses and the sight should have torn at his paternal heart, he is driven forward. He has to lead. He has to guide his country. This, above all else, is paramount. He cannot allow himself to be distracted by a mere child, anymore.

This is the true President Crane. This is the decaying, bitter ghost of a man who failed his people.]

T̶̮͂͂h̴̩̀a̶͓̒͛ţ̷͂'̷̠̱̌͝ṣ̷̛ ̸̰̊̉i̶̪̅̑ͅm̶̺̊p̶̝̘̚o̷̫̗͂̔ș̶͔̎̅s̴͉̰̆ī̷̱͜b̵͎̀̄ľ̴̞̬̌ệ̴̮.̵͎̻̔
̴̣͐͌
̶̙͖̽D̸̀̓ͅơ̴̧͉͝n̷̰͊̉ͅ'̷̘̜̅t̷͍̽ ̵̛̮̭l̷̨̎i̶̡͋e̶͓̰̐́ ̷̩̎͌t̶̬̀õ̵̼ ̴̪͎͒̐m̷̗̒̚e̵̯̽.̵̺̊̔
̷̪̫̑
[Don't lie to me, like an authoritarian parent who would never take their child at their word. It simply wasn't possible that everyone in the bunker was alive and well this morning. He knew the people in that room had been there, last.

Because if everyone were still there, there was just no keeping his promise to save the people he suffered alongside.]

[averytinyparticle]

I'm not a liar!

[His voice strangles, tears squeezing at the corners of his eyes. He feels so cold but so hot, the tang of metal hitting his lips as his nose begins to bleed.]

Get back--get away from me!

[Disoriented, he grabs a fistful of snow and hurls it at Roland. Is this it? Is he going to die again, just like this? When he's been trying so hard to be safe, so nobody would ever have to worry? Stupid, stupid, stupid. What was he doing? He should've gone back inside and held the door shut.]

[revenantking]

[Before the ineffectual snowball even vaporizes on his face, it's the sight of blood that, while it cannot stop him in his tracks, is able to slow his approach. He begins shaking his head, distressed, the ghost and the human sides of him fighting with eachother. The snow around him is painted with the vivid green of his insides.

He can't continue. He's an anomaly, now. And anomalies made humans ill, and Quark was just a boy.

-But he has to save everyone. He needs Quark to bring him into the bunker. He can't give up, no matter how dire things seem.

Pulling himself in different directions, he staggers and trips, wailing in deep frustration. He's so confused.]

Ṇ̷͍̟̈́o̵̺̳̘̳̻̦͉̯̍̔̍̀
̸͇͚̩̬̫̑͑
̵̡̮̣͚̳̦͕̔Į̶̼̳͒̋̿̅̈́̈̈́͗̚ ̸̩̦̹̉͊̕̕o̶̧͈͗͆͐͛͂̅̾̚̚n̶̛̥̼͔̥͂͐̃̓l̴̡̻͈̭̖̋͗̎͋̌̽̍̂ͅy̴͇̦̓̔͛̾̓ ̸̢̧̟̟̄̑̍͝ẃ̷̧͓̍̆́͌̎̌͘͝a̵̬̦͓͐̂̋͋̽̃̓̓͘͜n̵͓̬̼͕̠̥̓́̇͂̃̉̃͐͆ͅţ̷̬͈̗̰̗̳͚̺̿͒ȩ̸̢̪̲̬͚͎̯͆̏̔̉͘d̷̤̈ ̵̛̞͚̋͑͗t̷̺̾̔͆͋̓̎̾̀o̸̧̬̅͛̀̇͛̇̕͠͠ ̸̡͚̺͕̘̠̥̺̺̿̍̎̎ş̷̢̩̱̂̇͐̔͠a̸̪̩͎̫̺̰̗̺͛̔́́͝v̴̗̘̲͈̣͙͍̲͆ę̷͖̲̟̂̒͒̄̃̆̚ ̵̛̙̩̗̬̞̤̬̪t̴̳͈̜̉̀́͐̊́͐̍́h̴̨̬̰̘̦̼̣̍̑̉̽̅͂̚̚͜ẽ̶̥̫̅̈́m̷̛͙͚̗̩̮̰̤͖͖̓͋̎̀̓͋
[His speech is more unintelligible than usual, but he tries to explain he never intended to hurt anyone. He never wanted any of this to happen.]

[averytinyparticle]

[With the slight distance, Quark finds enough in him to sit up onto his knees, breathing heavily. He wipes shakily at his nose, smearing blood across his face and his sleeve alike. His eyes feel boggled, but he can live with it. He's had one ripped from his head and he's been fully blinded before, too. Those encounters were worse than this one.]

You can still help people. You just have to listen.

[Quark grimaces. He's angry, distrusting, afraid, and he knows he should use everything in him to bolt toward the bunker. But he's always been empathetic, too. He can't just...leave, can he? Not when Roland's acting like this.]

And you have to wait and stay away so you don't hurt anyone. We'll figure out a way to get you all back to how you're supposed to be, I'm sure we will.

[revenantking]

[Roland would have been upset if Quark had run, futher emboldened to stalk the door to the bunker, but now that Roland's intentions have been understood, he is calm. This was an outcome that could satisfy his leadership responsibilities without hurting Quark, or the other humans he cared about. The cold no longer bothering him, he decides to stay crouched in the snow, fearful he might lash out again.

It's a strange feeling, losing control of onesself. He'd have to leave this to Quark, for now. He tries to nod, but all that happens is his head tilts and dumps radioactive waste into the snow.

There's just one thing he's worried about in this plan.]

D̶̞̟̂̕ô̵̡̨̠̦͚͛͗̎̓n̶̥͍͔͒'̸͕̫̭̪̍͑͝t̵̪̗͆̏͑ ̵̻̥̩̙̽̽̓̿͝l̵̃̌͗̇͝ͅë̵̪͓̤̰͈̋͂̚͝t̵̰̥̠̰͋̈͜ ̶̖͓́̐͊̕̕t̶̪͇̩̃͌̑͛ͅh̵̨͎̮̦̐̆̑̈́̄ě̵͙͔͆̍m̵̹̰͚̣̙̕ ̶̨̦̬̞̔͘ḱ̵̖͕̮ȉ̵̬͋ͅl̶̡̖͎͇̒l̷͚͍̩̻̜̊ ̸̡̡͕̬̲̽̈̋̽̕ŭ̶̖̉̓s̴͈̎̑̈́̈́͛
̸̯̬̟͍͊͛̋̒
̶̗̙̝̰͎̈́͛̈́̚Ỉ̴̧̼̩̙͖͗̈́f̸̙͆̄̀͋ͅ ̶̖͆̃t̶͈̾̍̎h̶̖͍͊e̸̯̼̣̱̦͛͋͛y̷̡̛̫̓̿̌͝ ̶̰̝͌̎̀f̸̢̤̬͆͌́i̶̱̋̓̔n̴̗͎̲̜̓d̷̳̥̞̬̖̾͋͗̍ ̷̞̮͖̓̏͜a̵̘̯̖͔̹̽ ̴̨̢̬͔̜́̓͠w̸̜̼̓́a̵̠̩̜͛͌́͊͘y̸̭͎͑̓́

[Don't let them kill us. He's heard it's impossible to kill an anomaly, but he's certain people might try. He knows for a fact that if the shoe were on the other foot, he'd want to purge them from Norfinbury, not understanding that the creatures haunting the town were people.]

[averytinyparticle]

I won't.

[He doesn't know if it's a promise that he can keep, but there's nothing else he could possibly say. Not when Roland is trying--is hurting. He feels his thoughts coming back together more clearly.]

You're just sick right now, you'll get better. I know all about being sick--the best thing to do is just make sure you're safe until we know what to do.