(no subject)

[nihilmancy]

Who: Heroes, possibly suffering
When: Day 16, Late Morning through Afternoon
Where: Aurora

[Well, that just happened! Many people on the train are now doubtlessly the worse for wear, physically and psychologically. How are you sorting all of that out?

Alternately, maybe you have enough Sparks for a memory and you're playing it on the big screen? Or you're testing out a new power?

Or maybe you have something else in mind? Mingle away!]

Comments

cw: implied alcohol/drug abuse, depression and other mental health problems

[nihilmancy]

[Hlasoh is making her way back from the healing pods and she doesn't look like she is in a very good state. Her eyes are blank and lifeless, red from previous crying, and her posture is slumped. She looks broken and beaten down. She deliberately avoids eye contact, especially with fellow members of Licorice.

...Nevertheless you might want to stop her, because she has a bottle of wine in one hand, and sedatives in the other.]

[desirestruth]

[She was going to leave her, she really was. But naeva has her memories. and with those memories, the knowledge that sedatives and alcohol are a really bad combination.

So she's going to do what comes most naturally to her...

...which is attempt to scruff Hlasoh. This worked better when she had superhuman strength but, it's fine. this is fine.]

I really hope you weren't planning on combining those.

[nihilmancy]

[Hlasoh is caught unawares and not really in any sort of state to resist, so she is easily scruffed. She chuckles mirthlessly.]

Only a little bit.

[desirestruth]

...Incorrect.

[Right. She's just. Going to start carrying-slash-draggong Hlasoh off. It's morning, so she doesn't know if the others in Licorice are awake...

which means she's going to take her to Senna's dorm, unless stopped.]

[nihilmancy]

W- stop it!

[But she doesn't exactly have the energy to resist, so she just whimpers while trying to ineffectually drag her feet.]

[desirestruth]

No.

[You're getting dragged somewhere she can keep an eye on you and that's final.]

Sedatives and alcohol? Are you trying to die, girl?

[nihilmancy]

I've mixed wine and opium before, and I only blacked out for a little while.

[Whining as she realizes the futility of her resistance. Because she doesn't want to fight. She's so tired.]

...I. I just need to take my mind off of a few things. I won't drink that much.

[desirestruth]

Opium--by the Night Mother. That doesn't get less lethal as you grow resistant to it!

[Why are you like this. WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS. But she'll just drop Hlasoh in Senna's living area and try to wrestle the sedatives out of her hand.]

[nihilmancy]

This isn't that, it's something weaker!

[But yeah, she's too emotionally exhausted to put up much of a fight. She just looks thoroughly miserable.]

A-At least let me have that. No wine, but at least something.

[desirestruth]

Let me ask you something. Are you going to feel better or worse when it wears off?

[She's holding her hand out for the wine bottle. You give her that before she gives you anything!]

[nihilmancy]

[Thinking about the future? What the fuck is that? She just holds the wine bottle to her chest, staring at the floor.]

I-It was just a bad trial. I only need to r-relax a little bit. I'm alright.

[She looks extremely not alright right now. She looks empty and broken.]

[desirestruth]

Give me the bottle, Hlasoh, before I decide if I'm giving you this back. And don't lie to me again, this is not something one does when they're alright.

[Waving the...dose? However the sedatives are contained.]

A bad trial...this morning?

[nihilmancy]

[After several seconds of silent consideration, she hands the bottle over. She doesn't really care if she destroys herself with the wine and drug, even though rationally she knows it will just be a waste of sparks if she manages to die or severely disable herself.

But she'd rather have some sort of calm right now than be drunk.]

Yes. Not very long ago. You may have been sleeping.

[desirestruth]

Was Lucien-[...] Who else on Licorice was there?

[She does hand the sedatives back, once she has the bottle. She's the last person who could judge this means of coping, but she won't allow someone to go and get themselves killed, either.]

[bowtiedbones]

[Eliza is out running on the beach, doubling back whenever she gets near the corrupted border or risks going out-of-sight of the train— she's being safe about this. She's healed up and feather-free, with a new running outfit too, but more noticeable yet are the pets keeping pace with her:

A matched pair of skeletons, loping along with easy grace. They're big animals, either a match for a grizzly in size, with heavy spiked heads and sharp teeth. Two of Eliza's dragon familiars, here in the bone!]

[nihilmancy]

[She shakes her head.]

Just Crow and Emilia.

[She opens the bottle with shaking hands, and swallows a pill.]

He's important to you, then?

[desirestruth]

...[Well, she's not any happier crow was there, but her expression doesn't really change.]

We're from the same world.

[Naeva, you're not fooling anybody.]

[wontforbidtherain]

You're healed.

[And Cat is not yet; she's sitting by the beach, looking at the water]

[desirestruth]

[I JUST WANTED TO EXPLORE THE WAY THE BEACH SMELLS AS A JACKAL OH GOD--

there's a very small jackal with sienna-colored collar, obviously startled and alarmed by those familiars! Weird, a jackal on the beach?]

[nihilmancy]

[She has a lot of complicated feelings about Crow right now, let's not even start.]

Mm. You really love him. It must be really nice.

[desirestruth]

[Oh, she got naeva to flinch! Good thing you're getting high and won't remember, clearly--]

...He doesn't remember.

[bowtiedbones]

[both skeletons come to a stop, lifting their heads on alert]

What is— Oh no, no, heel.

A fox??

[bowtiedbones]

I bought a healing! Do you need sparks to get one for yourself?

[trotting over to stop beside her. one of the skeletons takes the chance to pounce at the other, bones clattering together like some giant terrible xylophone— eliza ignores them]

[nihilmancy]

[She's totally going to remember, sorry]

I see. And you have not approached him about this?

If it is any consolation, Crow backed out of having sex with me because I sounded "attached." Just because I said something about wanting to become closer to a member of my team, I think.

[She laughs bitterly.]

I learned my lesson this morning anyway. Don't trust teams.

[She's not even sedated yet, she's just really lonely.]

...Still. I'm sorry. Yours is a greater problem than a fling with some foolish boy.

[wontforbidtherain]

I have enough saved. I haven't spent them on anything yet. I'm just considering if I might need them more later. How often are these things?