Inbox for sticksandbones

[sesa]

I will make this pretty later

(Spoilers I won't, I always say I will but I won't-)

===

INVENTORY:

-Grenade Launcher with 3 ammo stacks (refreshes monthly)

-Nondescript gaming console (it's an offbrand Nintendo Switch)

-Some glowing star rocks from an investigation with Elsword in the Deep Woods

-A little knitted dragon from Elsword that I forgot to link and am too lazy to find now

-1 Kotatsu that he keeps in his room at the lab. It's red with light beige birds on it

-His toolbox from Rhodes

-A workshop that connects to Gnosis' lab via a breezeway. He lives there with Passenger now

-3 erythrites, used to make Passenger a pair of earrings

Comments

[sesa]

[Sesa is at his work bench tinkering away as usual when Elliot comes in. Incidentally, he's cleaning his gun, having it opened up on the table so he can clean off the components since he hasn't been using it as regularly as he normally might in the field. Elliot coming in is nothing unusual, prompting him to flick his tail and turn his head to greet him-]

Ah, Ellie, could you gra-....b....

[He trails off the moment he spots the Liberi with every feather fluffed out in his anger, stomping past too quickly for Sesa to stop him or get a word in edgewise. He's up to his feet by the time Elliot has disappeared into the bedroom, though he doesn't immediately chase after. He waits for a few seconds before tentatively following in his wake, stepping through the bedroom cautiously and into the bathroom.]

Ellie...?

[...then he stops short, his eyes catching on the blood. Seeing that it's on his forehead immediately leaves Sesa to assume the worst, his heart sinking into his gut as he shoulders the rest of the way into the bathroom.]

Your...Elliot, what happened?

[forwander]

[It's probably twice as alarming to see blood around an Oripathy crystal because, theoretically, that could mean a new nodule is breaking out of the skin... but no, that's not what happened, and Sesa will be able to see that as he looks. Elliot is sorry for storming past him, but if he doesn't wash the blood off of his face, he thinks it'll make him angrier... so here he is.

There's a sigh, like he's relieved somehow, but that doesn't show in his body language. Stiff-shouldered, still all puffed out, not looking at Sesa because he's too busy glowering into the mirror.]

An otherwise normal conversation gone south. [Which in and of itself, is not necessarily a red flag. No, the red flag is—] You know of Pure Vanilla Cookie, yes? The dessert-turned-Caprinae. He's given himself Oripathy using me as a conduit.

[sesa]

[It sure is man!! Like, he isn't even sure what to do at first. He assumes it's Elliot's blood initially, which is why he's hurrying into the bathroom so quickly, but as he wipes it off his forehead he realizes that his boyfriend isn't who's bleeding at all. But what, then...? It isn't adding up.

He and Elliot have been together for some time now, but given that he's never seen him this upset before, he's cautious as he approaches him. He steps up to his side in a way that means Elliot will be able to see him in the mirror, not forcing him to look at him, just presenting himself so that he knows he's there.

Just as he's reaching to place a hand on Elliot's arm, what he says causes Sesa's blood to run cold, and he stops short.]

...Pure Vanilla did this?

[Pure Vanilla? The sweet older Caprinae who wouldn't harm a fly?

That doesn't add up either.]

I...I don't understand. What possible reason could he want for infecting himself?!

[forwander]

He seeks to do what Rhodes Island has not — to find a cure. He said infecting himself was a mandatory action, that he would need to conduct experiments and wouldn't feel comfortable doing them to me.

[He sighs, shakes his head, and sets aside the cloth. It looks to him like the blood is gone, so now he's just going to exit the bathroom and sit at the desk in the corner. He needs to think of a way to write "hey don't touch the rock on my face" politely.]

I realise I'm the only Infected person here, but I do wish that extreme measures wouldn't be taken for me. As far as we know, the dead come back here. It should matter little if I am cured or not.

[Elliot, do you need a hug?]

[sesa]

[Sesa, in his expert opinion, thinks that maybe Pure Vanilla should have minded his own god damn business. He doesn't say this of course, and he immediately feels bad for the way he violently thinks that, but he can't help it. Almost immediately he can feel his temper flare, and he's glad that he has Elliot to spend his energy on comforting as opposed to anything else, because he can't promise he might not have done or said something he shouldn't. The fact that Elliot is the only Infected here just makes it worse, because it puts the entire onus of this directly onto his shoulders. It doesn't matter how genuine Pure Vanilla's intentions were. Him doing something like this, with or without consent...it boggles his mind.

He follows Elliot back out into the bedroom, over to where he sits at the desk. From there, Sesa will very gently place both hands on the Liberi's shoulders from behind, gently pressing his fingertips into them while avoiding letting his claws graze the skin.]

What he did to you was out of line and grossly negligent. I do not think he knows as much as he assumes, tampering so recklessly with Oripathy.

[Gently kneads...]

It isn't your fault. You couldn't have known what he was going to do, nor do I doubt you could have stopped it, if he already had the idea set into motion. I am just...sorry you had to be the denominator, here.

[He sighs deeply, trying to keep his temper in check. Elliot doesn't need him stomping around the room, or flying off the handle.]

...tell me, is there anything I can do?

[forwander]

Not particularly. What's done is done... and though I do not know if it's necessary, I may as well inform the others here not to touch anything. I expected this sort of behaviour from Doctor Add...

[wow Add's not even here to defend himself smfh.

Elliot leans back into Sesa's touch, grateful for the comfort. At least one person here sees reason (every Terran here will see reason). He takes a moment, breathes deep, and then starts to pen a note.

...

And then Vash comes in with his specific brand of bullshit and this is when Elliot gets up to lightning bolt near the house from across the Grove, clearly too exhausted and pissed off to deal with this properly. Meanwhile, everything in the notebook is getting Worse.

Bro, he's so tired.]

[sesa]

[In spite of himself, Sesa has been keeping an eye on the post that Elliot makes. And it...does not make him happy, let's put it that way. He's lost several CR points with both Pure Vanilla and Vash in one fell swoop, and while it will be made up for with apologies and time, right now? He doesn't have the patience for it, at all.

It's around the time when the lightning bolt happens that Sesa takes it upon himself to reach out and close the notebook Elliot has been furiously writing in, pushing it aside before stepping over to where the Liberi ended up when he stood from the desk, wrapping his arms around him from behind.

It's both a gentle hold, and a hold that suggests he doesn't plan on going anywhere.]

Alright. We're going to bed. Come on, no more notebook for today.

[forwander]

[Elliot is busting out the argument pen right now, he's going to say something and it's going to be very much "hey. this is not funny. you're being an asshole. stop"... but it looks like Enciodes is going to handle that while Elliot is absent, because the notebook is closed just as he presses the pen to the page.

His headwings flop downwards.]

I'm not convinced it's late enough to go to bed.

[No, but you need a nap and to be cuddled, you're being grouchy.]

...but if you insist. Let me change out of my day clothes.

[sesa]

There is nothing saying we cannot nap.

[He is Going to wrestle you into bed with him so help him god-

He will also gently guide Elliot away from the desk, taking the edges of his sleeves between his claws.]

Let me help you, mm?

[forwander]

...very well, if you would like.

[He's so tired (existential) bro. But that's fine, Sesa can help him undress and put on his usual flowy loungewear, which he doesn't actually need help with, but.

It's nice to have someone there, he supposes.

Sesa might have to physically drag Elliot down into bed though, because as soon as he's re-dressed his angry brain goes "wait I have to argue" and tries to head back to the desk.]

[sesa]

[Yeah no, he is steering you back away from the desk like no, no baby-]

That notebook is dead to you for the rest of the day. Just pretend it isn't there.

[He takes Elliot carefully by the hand while using his tail looped around his waist to physically keep him near just in case he tries to continue that way, guiding him back towards their bed instead.

Down into bed they go, with Sesa pulling back the sheets so they can both climb underneath them. He wraps himself around Elliot carefully, letting Elliot be the little spoon in that respect.]

[forwander]

That's easier said than done, my love.

[But Elliot stays near, and then he's led into bed and pulled down into it. He really wants to get up and start bitching at people, but he's starting to get a migraine after all of this. No doubt it's caused by the stress and also the Oripathy, but.

Ugh.

He moves his hair so that it's not in the way and strangling Sesa, swinging it off the side of their bed.]

...but very well. My head is beginning to throb regardless...

[sesa]

Trust me, I understand.

[It isn't often that Sesa is getting into arguments with people "online", per-say, but he can certainly understand being as upset by something as this and then unable to let it go. He shouldn't feel like he has to. Oripathy is no joke, and Sesa thinks that a lot of people here for some reason don't treat it as seriously as they should, whether they realize it's gravity or not.

Well. He doesn't want to waste his energy thinking about that right now. Instead, he rests his chin on Elliot's shoulder, humming softly against his ear.]

Let me know if you need me to get you anything.