[log] Strange Things Are Happening to Me [closed]

[rubikscomplex]

Characters: House, Haurchefant, Dorian, and Emmanellain
Location Building 19
Date: Days 68 - 70
Summary: The event happens and at least three of these people are hallucinating. This will get interesting.
Warnings: House is his own warning, but general spoilers for Dragon Age and Final Fantasy online are likely.

[On day 68, they make it to the building, coming in pairs to escape the lizards. Its where House had been heading, and he'd been forced to take Haurchefant along... and Haurchefant had told Emmanellain who had taken Dorian along. At the moment, House doesn't want to be around anyone. He's feeling nauseous and dizzy from the lizards, the initial symptoms not dissipating, even after more than an hour. He's also suspicious, paranoid. He's been traveling with these two, but someone had stolen one of his bottles of Vicodin. House is pretty sure it was Angel for Rhys and Clayton. There's nothing that he can actually do about that right now, though. Which just frustrates him more. Hiro turning up in the obits is the icing on the cake.

Sparrow Langley's house is where they are, though, a standard single-story house with a kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom, and bedroom. There's a hanging bird cage in the living room, but the door has been left open and there's no sign of bird remains inside. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, STEPHANIE BROWN, GREED, EDWARD ELRIC, DAY FORTY FOUR, TRAVELLING EAST." has been carved into one of the walls. A cardboard sign on the dining room table reads "DAY 61, REACHABLE SHELTER TO EAST, RESUPPLY POINT TWO DAYS EAST."

No one's symptoms are letting up. In fact, they seem to be getting worse.]

Comments

[rubikscomplex]

Day 68
[House doesn't even bother to check Sparrow Langley's house when they get there. He drops to the ground and starts going through everything in his pack in meticulous detail. In spite of what people may assume about him, everything is well-organized and neat. That gets destroyed as he simply empties everything out and goes through a mental checklist of his things before repacking them, seeing if anything else has been stolen from him. He's not terribly engaging during this, but it probably looks strange and just a little manic. If anyone happens to approach him, they'll get snapped at.]

Stay the hell away unless you want a wrench thrown at your head.


Day 69
[House has been yo-yoing back and forth in time ever since yesterday. He's quiet for a great many of these hallucinations, but there's one that has him tensing up, staring ahead at someone who clearly isn't there. The person he's seeing happens to be his father when House had been eleven and tried to run away from the base back to America. He's standing about as straight as it's possible for him to, an angry look of defiance spread tight across his face.]

No, sir. From your wallet, sir. In your pack, sir. Yes, sir. In your room, sir.

[There are pauses in between his own responses as he listens to the voice of his father demanding to know how he'd managed to buy a ticket, then snarling at him for stealing his credit card.]


Day 70
[Some moments are lucid. You might catch him in one of these. Or you might catch him in a much less lucid moment.]

Foreman is gonna die because you won't let me take a goddamn biopsy from that idiot's corpse... Great. You can keep your job. Maybe put out a new listing for a diagnostics fellow while you're at it. I hear we'll be having an opening real soon.

[Whoever is closest will get the brunt of this snarl before House turns and limps away, muttering to himself.]

Day 69

[whiteknightnecromancer]

[Dorian looked where House was looking for a few minutes and waited until House had been quiet for a few minutes before clearing his throat.]

That did not look like a good trip. Do you want to perhaps sit down for a moment?

[Standing that way on that leg didn't sound like a good idea.]

[rubikscomplex]

[It isn't a good idea. It's agonizing, but in his memory-hallucination, House is an angry 13-year-old who tripped while being dragged back to the base, explaining the pain. It shouldn't be this bad, but like hell he's telling his dad he needs a doctor. He'd tell him to suck it up, anyway.

House's attention snaps over to Dorian, but it's still his father he's seeing. He bristles, uncertain what this new tactic is.]

I don't need to sit down, sir. [He resists the temptation to snipe about it being a great trip if he'd been able to get on the plane. It may be very obvious on his face that he's holding back a sneer, though.] Are we done here, yet?

[whiteknightnecromancer]

I certainly wish we were. Dorian mutters very quietly.]

Yes. We're done.

[Dorian recognizes that face. He remembers making that face. Now to try reverse psychology.]

On second thought, I do not give you permission to sit.

[rubikscomplex]

[House bristles and pointedly leans against the wall. At least it takes some of the strain off his leg.]

Fine. [The unspoken 'asshole' hangs in the air. He's silent a moment, weighing the risks of back-talking. But he's already in deep enough that another foot or two probably won't matter.] You know, I'd stop trying to run away if you'd just let me go home. Why do you even want me here? I'm an embarrassment. Is this supposed to be character-building, sir?

[whiteknightnecromancer]

Yes, very much so. I'm sure it will give you far more character than is good for anyone.

[Dorian sighs.]

Home isn't there anymore.

[rubikscomplex]

[What the actual hell? His dad's sense of humor is demeaning... belittling, not frustrated sarcasm. What's going on? He crosses his arms, expression shifting to mild suspicion.]

What do you mean 'home isn't there?' Where's Mom?

[Is this a trick? No. Dad doesn't do tricks. They would be 'beneath' him.]

Day 68

[silverfuller]

[Haurchefant notices House's tension and pads up to him. Being snapped doesn't make him go away, in fact he doesn't even flinch.]

I've had worse thrown at me in my day.

What is troubling you so?

[rubikscomplex]

[House just casts a supremely unimpressed look at Haurchefant. He doesn't actually throw the wrench, though. For the moment.]

Our little Angel stole something from me yesterday. I'm making sure she didn't snatch anything else.

[silverfuller]

Truly?

[Haurchefant arches a pale brow.]

What did she steal?

[rubikscomplex]

My meds.

[Those meds you helped him get from Stein. He's really not very happy about this at all, thanks.]

[silverfuller]

The ones we retrieved in the tunnels?

[He folds his arms over his chest.]

Wherefor would she steal it?

[rubikscomplex]

Because Epps told her to and she's his lapdog. I told him I wasn't giving him any and to just call the goddamn Admin for an emergency. He didn't like that answer.

Trespasser Spoilers

[whiteknightnecromancer]

[Dorian fell in and out of hallucinations of the future, mistaking the people he traveled with for various Magisters he was trying to recruit to the Lucerni.]

I know your family has voted with the Bantii for the last three hundred years but you have to see things have changed. We can't let this business with the Qunari distract from cleaning our own house. We don't need maleficarum to fight the Qun. They will just turn this whole affair into a war on two fronts when the southern nations decide to allow the Qun to get rid of the evil mages. We know what the Qun can do but they don't.

Too many of their leaders will hope the Qunari will be contented with subduing Tevinter and that it will be another three hundred years before they move again. We need to show the south we can take care of our own housekeeping so Nevarra doesn't start chipping away at us when our backs are turned. This legislation is a small step but it's a step in the right direction.

Dorian couldn't quite pull off earnest but it would be difficult to miss how genuine his passion for the subject was.]

[rubikscomplex]

[House is lucid for the moment, but that doesn't make what Dorian's saying any more sensible. He's heard a little about the other man's world and politics, but not nearly enough to know what the hell is going on. He's also still feeling sick and ill-used, being jerked around from hallucination to delusion, back and forth.]

This isn't wherever the hell you're from, Pavus.

[At least he can try to break through the hallucination. House has no real idea what to do about these symptoms. Contacting the Admin is, once more, on the table with how some of them are being affected, though.]

My family votes Republican, not Bantii. And god knows I'm not voting with them.

[whiteknightnecromancer]

[A little of that got through. Probably not the parts House was hoping.]

Good, good. I know things are different near the Nevarran border. Does that mean I can count on your support when the vote comes?

[He stumbled a little and smiled, eyes still hard.]

Rumor has it they killed your uncle the same way they killed my father. We can have payback as well as do the right thing.

[rubikscomplex]

[He resists the urge to run a hand down his face. They'd sitting in Sparrow Langley's living room at the moment. Or House is sitting there, anyway, just looking up at Dorian from the sofa. Fine? You know what? Let's see where this takes us. It's better than being trapped in his own memories or... flash forwards or whatever's going on there.]

Well, I always hated my uncle, but vengeance is cool. Very Game of Thrones. But sure, I'll vote for you. Am I getting something out of this besides vengeance?

[whiteknightnecromancer]

Of course. When the legislation comes through, you can try for Ulpius's seat as Chair of the Committee discussing overseeing the refortification of the coast. They won't be checking the books very closely for months.

[Vengeance, threats, and bribery are pretty much the cornerstones of Dorian's political system.]

[rubikscomplex]

[Yeah, House is beginning to get that.]

Refortification, huh? Sounds good. And what'll you be doing?

Day 68

[silverfuller]

[Haurchefant sits in the corner with a haggard expression, staring into the middle distance.

In his own mind he is staring up at the face of the Countess. She is dead, however, and he is a grown man. Or is he?

He cannot be sure anymore. Somehow he feels both terribly old and terribly young at once, like his own mind is slowly tearing as his memories scatter into different directions.

The Countess advances towards him, shaking a finger and shouting which causes him to suddenly leap to his feet and snarl. Something snaps between his ears like a steel trap and he loses his moment of lucidity.

You are not to come to the dinner party the phantom warns. I care not where you go, but make yourself scarce.

Haurchefant lifts his chin defiantly, his expression twisting into one of uncharacteristic scorn.]

Fine. I did not wish to go, anyroad!

[He seizes his broomstick and brandishes it like a sword before stalking towards the door.]

[rubikscomplex]

[It being almost lockdown and House being invested in no one else potentially dying today while he's lucid, he drags himself up and moves to get in front of the door.]

Well, you're not going outside. Let's go somewhere else. Wherever they're not letting you go sounds pretty lame.

[silverfuller]

...Ah?

[Haurchefant's pale eyes drift across House's face, trying to find a name from his broken memory to match the person he is seeing.]

I would rather be anywhere but here.

[rubikscomplex]

Cool. Through that doorway looks pretty good. Might be a fancy bedroom or something.

[He points, then starts leading Haurchefant over to the doorway into what is, in fact, a bedroom. He's wondering how much suggestion and actual surroundings can influence these hallucinations.]

[silverfuller]

[Haurchefant pauses in the doorway and his stance changes from slouching to upright and proud.

In his mind's eye a new image drifts before him. There is a spartan bedroom with a closet, fire place and an old arm chair. His bedroom, but not the one from his childhood. It is his room from Camp Dragonhead.

Home....

Anger drifts from his expression to be replaced by a kind, content smile. When he turns towards House he is much more distinctly Haurchefant, though he does not see the doctor before him. He sees a muscular man with cat ears and a long, fluffy tail. An adventurer passing through his garrison, no doubt.]

'Tis kind of you to escort me.

I can direct you to the Whitebrim Front come morning, if you wish.

Until, then, I think it best we rest... Unless....

You are not tired?

[He rocks back on his heels and winks mischievously.]

[rubikscomplex]

[And great. House had been hoping to make his escape before Haurchefant fitted him into whatever memory or fantasy he was having. Apparently he's now someone the Elezen feels like hitting on.

That doesn't really narrow the field.]

Not really heading for the Front, but why don't you tell me about it?

[And hopefully, it will keep him lucid. House has noticed that the hallucinations seem to crop up when he's not directly engaging with someone else for a while. It's an irritating pattern. He studiously ignores the flirting while he goes to seat himself in a nearby armchair.]