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Lacrimosa watched QUAXCEE for a moment, before realizing he would rather rip out his own antlers before giving her a shred more of this time. He glance to the other man, catching that bare flicker of almost-recognition. Which... sure. Lacri had no idea who this was, though, and Sarthor certain didn't match up with Lacrimosa. So, he opted for a doe-like look of confusion.

And then another npc had to tromp in. Mom, for some reason, charging through the landscape to beat up a groundhog.

This was not exactly the scientific endeavor he had been looking for. "I had thought this was a children's game..." He mused. Mom and QUAXCEE were bringing that into question, though.

He glanced back towards the other trainer, giving him a smile. "How wonderful to meet you, Luxe- I'm Lacrimosa." He looked over Yuze again- nothing specific stood out, but everyone had their uses. "Are you a new trainer, too?"

Lacrimosa glanced sidelong at whomever deigned to speak to him- but any disdain that would have crossed his face was masked with pain. "I- Um..." Wincing, he tried to sit up without putting any weight on that arm, cradling it to his chest. "I... no. I'm afraid not..." He shook his head a bit, stilling as it incurred a wave of dizziness.

This was... inconvenient.

"I went to that- the area the professor asked us to explore." He blinked up at Muin, looking pitiful and downtrodden. "Whatever's there is... so angry. I don't understand." Lacrimosa paused, a moment, looking at Wysteria, and then to Muin once more. "You... haven't gone, have you?" Like he was concerned about the other's safety, or something.

Lacrimosa awoke to pain. His head was searing, every trace of light that hit his eyes nearly blinding. Every movement was throbbing, pain leeching over his skull and down his neck. He wondered, perhaps, if this was part of it-

But he forced his eyes open to the light, and saw not the corruption and grasses, but a cobbled road, a hill and church harried by tremendous storm. This was... the settlement. Briar-bane. What a name for it. More things crept to him- the pain lacing down his entire body. The cat, still there, bunting their head against his side. Did it really have nothing better to do?

Lacrimosa could waste no more time laying on the ground- For one, it was ungainly. And secondly... he needed to go back. Demand what he was owed. He moved to push himself out- a cry of pain escaping him as his arm simply gave out under him, crumbling back to the ground like ash.

Wysteria gave a panicked yelp, jerking back, and casting her eyes worriedly over the area. There had to be someone who could help- <Wait, please!> She begged, scampering over to Muin , looking up at them with glossy eyes. Hopefully he could understand... <My trainer- The Professor said not to, but we went anyway- Something's wrong. Please help him!>

trigger warning | LOVECRAFTIAN / COSMIC HORROR, UNREALITY, MEDICAL/SURGICAL TRAUMA

His heart was pounding so loudly he could not hear. The cat screamed at something. He did not care.

Lacrimosa dug his hands through the corruption as if it were a pile of leaved, coming away with nothing. He had to be here. Kazuki had not been there when he awok, so he must still be here.

His chest hurt. He had to keep looking.

The cat had gone silent. Good- good, then at least he could hear himself think. But the pounding in his ears did not abate, and a pressure was growing in his skull. Where-

There you are.

It was him, it was Kazuki's terrible voice. Lacrimosa whirled, teeth bared. Kazuki was standing there, hair in a neat braid, tucked into a surgical cap. His face covered by a mask. Body dressed in scrubs.

Right on time. Let's get you fixed up.

Lacrimosa lunged at him, nails clawing into his arm-

And a sharp pain in his head forced him down with a scream.

DON'T WORRY. YOU WONT BE ABLE TO FEEL A THING.

The trainer's eyes were black as he looked down at Lacrimosa, not even given the dignity of passing out from pain.

"Wha-"

He was yanked up, held eye level and dangling before Kazuki, who was just staring at him.

I'm going to ask you some questions. I need you to answer them. They won't be difficult. You just need to be sure you're still talking, okay?

What was this? What was this? "Fuck you," He rasped, before a white-hot rod of pain shot behind his eyes.

wysteria || 50/150

He couldn't stop his hands from shaking.

Lacrimosa had waited. Given it a few days. Logged out, transcribed every last thing he could remember. Poured over it. Logged in again, and instantly felt the rage return to him. But he could manage. He could be civil. Bunya was a scientist, after all. He could respect that. He paused outside the tent, and tried to compose himself before heading in.

"Dr. Bunya," He greeted, polite. Pleasant. The way any other player would. He gave her a smile. It looked correct. It did not reach his eyes. It did not reach anywhere, honestly. "I've brought by a sample for you." A specimen he never picked up. Perhaps the game had decided his desperate efforts at survival- ones that failed- counted, though whatever he had gotten under his nails still would not add up to this. It was contained in a glass vial, one he also did not have before. Perhaps it was for safety.

He held it tightly in his hand, feeling the cool glass against his skin. His hand shook.

He debated dropping it, and letting the corruption out. Or perhaps he should throw it at Bunya. She could see, first hand, what it would do. Surely a fellow scientist could respect that? He debated finding that man- Kazuki- and shoving it down his throat.

Lacrimosa, gently, set the vial down on the desk.

rolled a 12 in breaking new ground

TRIGGER WARNING | LOVECRAFTIAN / COSMIC HORROR, UNREALITY

Lacrimosa looked back when Kazuki began to scream. He had frozen there, trapped like a fly on a web, a clot in the veins of the world threatening failure. He drifted to the man, just looking at him, past him, beyond him. "How interesting," He breathed, like in the presence of a god, or lover, or something both. "How wonderful." He reached forward, not to help Kazuki in any way, but to brush fingers across his cheek, marveling at the touch.

"I can see you," He said. It was understatement- he could see every pixel, every facet that made up Kazuki, every neural input translated to movement, to breathing and blinking and slamming fists wildly. "How," He, too, was breathing hard- entirely unlike Kazuki. His eyes were bright, blown out with a wild excitement. "Beautiful."

Wysteria's experience was cared not for- for she was nothing, ai coding and a simple cat mesh, adorned with slim grasses and color. Kazuki- Kazuki was more interesting. Interesting in that he had wandered here- here- after someone else, and interesting still in all that he was. In pixel, in code, in thought. In person. He can see the frantic jolting of aliased edges, the thoughts, shrieking, i can't move i can't move i'm trapped i can't get it off get me out.

The dark shadows rise up, but in lieu of some hulking monster they simply settle again, curling around Lacrimosa like a cloak, like an affectionate feline, like a ghost. He welcomes the embrace, the knowledge, the potential.

"What's happened to you?" He breathed, circling Kazuki's avatar, now, fingers trailing across his chest and shoulders as he moved. "Who hurt you, hm? Atsushi Himura?" Every syllable is pronounced, given its own space to breathe, and his eyes never, never leave Kazuki. Never leave Atsushi, laying there in a half-stripped bed, a leg bound in a heavy cast.

Lacrimosa looks, looks at the strands interwoven, strung around Kazuki like a thousand million puppet strings, and grabs one, and pulls.

WYSTERIA || 50/150

He tossed aside another handful of gravedirt, looking over. The pokemon had split, again, Wysteria seeming fine, the spirit flagging. The cat twisted, looking back at Lacrimosa, mewling a little question. <What should I do?>

This question, at least, Lacrimosa seemed to understand innately. "Keep going." Her ears fell, tail instantly drooping. There was no need- the phantump would gladly leave now if chased off. But Lacrimosa stood there, watching, face impassive.

"I said," He enunciated, unyielding. "Keep. Going."