sticksandbones | pop goes to the clinic

Entry tags:

pop goes to the clinic

Who: Truthless Recluse and White Lily
What: Oripathy Research finally goes WRONG
When: Maybe after the Town meeting
Where: Clinic
Warnings: Nothing yet will alter as needed, mention of rock cancer and it's effects

It was time to put research to practical application. Pure Vanilla and White Lily had been making good strides before hand. Set backs happened, but that was expected with any theorem. Perhaps... Truthless shouldn't have joined in with this one. His presence still discomforted Lily, he knew it, and they needed to be fully focused to prevent any mistakes from happening.

But he had it in him due to Pure Vanilla's reckless actions, and he wanted it out of him. It affected his ability to use his left hand.

So once the modified circle has been drawn for this attempt, he steps into the center, his left hand outstretched so Lily can look at the crystal in the center of it. It hasn't grown since a few times they've made mistakes, but it takes up a large part of his palm nonetheless.

He says nothing as he does, merely stares at Lily with his unnerving eyes, the faint glow in them locked onto her.

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( she shouldn't be working right now. this is something she knows, deep down. she's tired, exhausted even. she's demoralized. she doesn't want to. but at the same time, she must- multiple people are terminally ill, and if she can try to do something, she has to.

she records the visible changes, working quietly- she's never been too chatty during these sessions, so that's not too unusual, but... )

[ But the silence stretches between the two of them, painfully. She may have never been overly chatty, but Pure Vanilla had been, willing to fill the space with love, theories, and general good will.

Not there's nothing there but the yawning abyss of things left unsaid and pain. When she's noted the changes, he drops his hand to his side. Closes his eyes finally, gives her a rest from his stare, and focuses on the circle. Filling himself into the spaces, touching it with his magic.

It's different, it's Pure Vanilla's work but his magic is far from Vanillas. Then he waits for her to initiate. ]

( the real challenge will, if they ever succeed, translating it to nonmagical means. but that's something for a later date. for now, it's simply a method, and the one they both know best.

he makes his move, and lily

doesn't.

this is wrong. his magic- she knows this touch, these strings, this awful feeling- this is wrong, it's- )

No-

( ... better hope she gets herself together, she's missing her cue. )

[ A beat. Two. The circle around him strains, flickers. Lily should be initiating the spell to turn the magic in on him, to seek the Oripathy out, to pull it apart strand by strand. Instead there's nothing but the circle and his magic cascading in on each other, feeding, looping.

His eyes open. It may be a trick of the magic flaring around him, it may be an illusion, but for a moment they're both blue. For a moment as she stares at him and he stares back, he grins and his teeth are razor sharp. Then it's just him again, though for the first time there's strain in his eyes, on his face. ]

Focus.

[ Is she betraying him? Tension tightens his shoulders, the circle wobbles. ]

White Lily Cookie.

Edited 2025-02-03 00:04 (UTC)

( blue- blue, blue, blue, the blue of lies, of pain, of loss and misery-

lily gasps and scrambles to pull the threads, to fill the space as needed, but her grasp is shaky and her skin is paler than normal, heart pounding in her chest- )

I'm sorry. Something surprised me. I...

( focus. she has to focus. )

[ She has the threads but something is wrong. The harmony between them is off, no longer in sync. No, it was never there to begin with because he is not Pure Vanilla. He distrusts her and the discord echoes through the magic. Her grip on the strings she needs to weave is weak.

Pain as the magic twists under her fingers, suddenly wild, out of control, rolling and building. Truthless gasps quietly himself as the crystal in his left palm cracks, begins to climb up his wrist. ]

Stop it!

[ For once, urgency in his voice. But is he telling her to stop the spell or to stop doing whatever she's doing. ]

Edited 2025-02-03 00:42 (UTC)

( he demands she stop, and she does- but it's all wrong, all wrong, and everything lashes out-

gentle hands no longer hold her own. warm smiles no longer greet her. cool moonlight and warm vanilla do not rise to meet and embrace lily and all those flowers bring with it, and her hold is not enough for once (was it ever?).

ah, she thinks. i am going to get us killed.

even as the magic surges, she can do two things.

it seems like an eternity despite only being a snap of a second- a flower seems to bloom beneath truthless recluse's feet before closing around him, and then another around the room itself. a shield for the shell of the man she loves, and a containment for the blight of an illness to spare the rest.

a loud crack echoes, and the building shakes, and lily accepts it all, because she deserves it, because she must, because she cannot fail him one more time, because blue eyes and sharp teeth haunt and she doesn't know what to do. )

[ It happens in an instance. A familiar bloom - she did it once before when Pure Vanilla died upon giving Aurora his last piece of soul jam - around him and then the magic explodes outwards. The crack of glass, sharp and loud, and the Oripathy spreads. Spreads with the magic as it rebounds, grabs, and sinks it's teeth into the unprotected woman, fueled by the Oripathy in Truthless as he mingles with the surge.

It's going to leave far more than the crystalline rot in her, as the magic scars her. Scars the walls and floors and ceiling of the clinic with the backlash of it. Discord and distrust and pain lashing and twisting and blackening whatever it touches. Withers and wilts and destroys plants and equipment.

It's only White Lily's containment that keeps it from spreading to the Greenhouse, beyond the walls of the main building.

When it's over, Truthless is kneeling in what remains of the charred circle, burnt into the flooring in a reminder of the dangers of what they do. His left arm is dotted with beautiful black crystals, hidden under his sleeve but he can feel them pushing through skin. He's glad he can still bend his fingers, his wrist, though the crystals speckle across his skin. It hurts, but he's unharmed otherwise, his eyes lifting to find Lily through the devastation of the clinic. ]

Edited 2025-02-03 01:04 (UTC)

( he's unharmed, and lily is not. lily, fragile, resilient, persisting lily, is curled up against the wall, only barely conscious- which is the only thing holding the outer bloom together, or her efforts would be for nothing.

it hurts.

from the collapsing building to the burst furniture to the burns and searing heat, to the dust, it hurts. she doesn't want to move. but she has to stay awake.

when she speaks, her voice is weak. )

Are you hurt...?

[ ... It hurts?

It hurts.

It hurts to see her like that. Crumpled against the wall among the rubble of broken furniture and equipment, burns staining her clothing, her.

Don't breathe it in he wants to say but it's too late for that. It's far too late for that. ]

I'm fine. Why did you not protect yourself?

[ Is there? Anger? In his voice? She protected him. He, who was already infected. She protected him and left herself open to violence of magic with no owner. Idiot!

Because he can't! He can't protect her. His powers no longer twist that way. They need help, though. He carefully gathers some magic to his hand and flings it to the window. It will pass through her shield without puncturing it, then shine bright against the glass in a call for aid. ]

...

Because I love you.

( even as a shell of himself. another cookie entirely, even if he doesn't trust her. even if he's never going to be who he was once upon a time. if she could keep him from one more ounce of pain...

the other half of her answer goes unspoken though- she deserves this. for her hubris, for her crimes, for leaving over and over and over and over and over and over and over and OVER-

she shifts, carefully moving to sit and lean against the wall.

...

she's so tired. so, so tired. all she can do is uphold the shield, and sob softly into her hands. )

[ Her words are met with silence, before it's filled with her soft sobbing. He takes in a hard breath and exhales, standing himself upright. It's nothing to break the soft blossom around him with a gesture of his hand, not bothering to cover his mouth to the cancerous dust as he goes over to her.

To kneel by her side and gently touch her shoulder. He can't heal her, he can't shield her, so instead he tries to ebb her pain... by the only way he can. Gently - trying not to further her injuries - he takes her into his arms. Shifts his cape off his shoulders and uses it to cover her. Gives her something soft to relax on while they wait for the dust to settle enough it becomes safe for someone to come in. ]

... I'm sorry.

[ He brushes her bangs out of her face, his touch soft. ]

I can't help you.

( there's a soft hiss as she's moved because it burns and aches, but she doesn't resist. it's not the same, it's never the same, it never will be the same, but she needs it so badly.

at his apology, she shakes her head. )

There's nothing you have to do. It's my fault.

If there is blame to be had, it will be shared between us both. We should not have attempted this.

[ They should have known better. Working together with such delicate magic takes trust. Which he lacked.

And she... she had hesitated. Her eyes wide, her complexion far more pale than normal. ]

What did you see?

... At first, I was unsettled by your magic. It was- different, and I wasn't prepared. Then I saw flashes of Shadow Milk Cookie. His eyes. His smile, on your face.

It scared me.

Ah.

[ He's not surprised. Of course she would see other portions of him with magic meant to ... peek into him. ]

I am sorry, I should have warned you before hand.

... There's a lot that we should have done differently, that we shouldn't have done at all because we're trying to cling to a normalcy we can't have anymore.

Because I'm clinging and you're trying to satisfy it.

( it isn't fair to him at all. and still he holds her. )

Would it be easier... if we stopped?

[ Silence. It's a good question. Could he ever love her again, with his entire soul steeped in doubt? He promised he would try.

But she loves Pure Vanilla Cookie.

And he is not him.

He will never be him again. And he is growing tired of trying. ]

Yes. He is never coming back, and I do not believe you can accept that. And it has been too long for me. I am not Pure Vanilla Cookie. I am not your husband.

( she said 'you' and she meant you, regardless of what has become of you, )

I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to. ... Don't let me sleep until we can be decontaminated and leave. That's my last request of you.

[ He will never believe it. ]

I will keep you awake.

[ Then he falls silent for a moment. His brow creases just a bit. ]

Do you miss the past?

... You have to remember. For you, it might have been an eternity ago. But for me, it hasn't even been a month.

( of course she does. of course she does! this nightmare that started the moment the group left for the temple, the fear and grief and then he came home, hollowed out and broken-hearted and still he tried, he tried, he tried--

lily chokes out a sob again, and cannot bring herself to push away. )

I'm sorry, I'm sorry-

[ It's only been a few weeks. He knows this. He has the memories.

But for him, as time twisted at the tower, the last time he saw her was.... so... so long ago.

And those years were filled with doubt.

As she sobs and apologizes he raises his hand and gently presses it to her forehead. Then swipes her bangs back. A soft stroke. He might not be pretending to be her husband anymore but he... he cares. Somehow. In his own way. ]

As am I...

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