dappledleaves | THE WORLD: PSL LIFE

[ Sinclair's brow furrows but he keeps petting Oria's hair, carding his fingers through gently. ]

... alright.

[ Oria falls into silence a bit longer, before speaking up again, even though it's such a quiet voice. ]

How long was I out?

[ It's strange to hear Oria's voice so strained and quiet.]

A week.

[ He strokes Oria's hair. He doesn't say the obvious; that they were all terrified Oria wouldn't wake up]

[ A week.

Oria quietly breathes out. He wishes he could get well quickly so that he can start doing things. Oria is already starting to feel slightly restless. ]

Can you tell me... more about abnormalities? And... stuff surrounding it. I saw vines coiling around your arm...

[ The last part sounds as if he's asking a question, because he's not sure if he's remembering it right. ]

... I'm involved now. I think... I should know what we're up against.

Yeah. I can.

[ Sinclair bites his lip]

... Honestly there's so much about them that I don't know myself. But I can tell you what I know, which ones I've faced and how the weapons work.

[ He hesitates]

Do you want me to tell you now?

[ Oria gives Sinclair a small nod. He can't see, but he'll listen, and if this is the only way he can be productive, then he'll do it. ]

[ He's quiet for a moment as he looks for the best way to explain things as clearly as possible]

...I guess you can call Abnormalities 'cognitive monsters'. I told you before that an underground government funded lab was researching ways to push humanity past it's limits, right? Creating weapons. Super weapons. They discovered at the same time they could produce massive amounts of energy too that could be harnessed. Well...to do that, they needed subjects.

[ a quiet pause]

From what I could tell, they would put someone under an experiment. Many someones. And they would infuse their food, or air or something with a chemical. I don't have clearance to know the name of that chemical but...

Abnormalities are monsters born from the human mind, representing concepts - wishes and fears usually - brought into reality.

[He's quiet here]

... they're also born in situations of extreme trauma and distress. Because their existence is the antithesis to our own, most humans can't engage with them directly without losing their mind or being lured into their promises or threats. They don't have a reason to exist, but they know they must survive.

They'll do anything to survive.

[ If they're from wishes and fears, that sheds a different light on the abnormality that he saw that had traces of his father. He closes his eyes, shut tightly for a moment before tiredly opening them again. It also makes him wonder if abnormalities are only formed in certain areas. There has been mass tragedies and anything like an abnormality has never been reported, and that would be incredibly difficult to hide, considering many bad things happen around the world every day and how voyeuristic the world is becoming.

But what Sinclair says also explains the extreme discomfort he felt when encountering those abnormalities. Oria knows that he doesn't have to be The Special One for every scenario, but he hates being unable to do something because of how he was born. He's always resented that for various reasons.

He needs to hear more. ]

Super weapons?

Mm. They don't need to do damage directly. They can convince people to chop off their feet, fight in their defense...

[ He exhales softly ]

But the most powerful ones could level an entire city block if they're left unchecked.

[ Cool. He can imagine them using it for war and how countries would try to covet them like their nuclear bomb showboating.

He'll admit that it's a lot of power that people shouldn't have. ]

... What about your vine arm? Is that the "skin" crafted into a weapon thing you talked about?

[ It's too much power. It's a good thing they can't be controlled. ]

Yeah. There's two things an abnormality can give us. It can shed it's 'skin' when we defeat it, which can be crafted into weapons and a
or a suit. That armor is matched to a person. Fae Lantern resonates with me, but it's not completely compatible, so the vines take more energy than they should.

[ He rubs his shoulder ]

...it helps with regenerating my body faster at least. The other thing is the 'EGO gift'. We can wear those to act as charms or defenses against other abnormalities.

[ Moneter drops. Wow. He didn't miss real-life monster hunting— ]

Do they stop working if you "run out of energy"?

[That's something he doesn't really want to answer]

... they can consume us if we're not careful. The effects are reversible on us but...

[ Oria probably won't like the implications of that! But he saw the terrorists in Kayser Corp so]

[ Ah. He remembers those guys with robes at Kayser Corp. He seems to take the information in pretty calmly. If the company members can be "consumed" and have the effects reversed, Oria thinks it's more of a mental thing than a physical thing.

Still, not that he'd like to see it happen. ]

... Were you close, at the fight?

Yeah. I was corroding pretty far. [He was pushing himself much further than he had ever before, and then facing Kromer and trying to keep his cool...]

I probably would have been consumed if I had to keep going for even a minute longer.

[ The breath catches in his throat, making him cough. Sure he can return, but it doesn't mean the initial process won't hurt or anything. ]

... Do you have anything that you're better attuned with?

[Sinclair thinks for a moment and shakes his head] Not yet. I suppose they're still digging through the records of what they have to see what could be used. Or if we bring in enough abnormalities...they could test those.

[ Hm. That just makes Oria think a little more about the situation, which brings up a Thought. ]

... Sarabi is trying to do what you guys are doing, but your company seems more neutral like an actual mercenary group. I doubt... that you guys are fighting for "justice" against abnormalities, but it sure is a byproduct of what it could look like to others. So then, why? To staunch outbreaks with orders given by higherups? Then what's their plan...

[Sinclair shakes his head, still carding his fingers through Oria's hair]

...The 'immediate subjugation' of all abnormalities is the priority. I...I'd hope they're researching ways to seal off abnormalities for good. But it seems like the longer this continues, the more groups get involved.

That can only be the case when its left longer out to fester.

[ Other people will definitely get involved. Oria sighs and brings Sinclair's hand closer to him and eventually hugs his arm. ]

... Regular people who get driven insane by just looking at an abnormality... do they also get healed over time or is that permanent damage?

[ There's something Oria has to assess, because otherwise, he feels that he's lost something within himself. ]

[Oh, this is an awkward position to be leaning down in, but Sinclair tries to get closer while ignoring the dull throbbing in his body. He should go back for another check up, but...

He wants to hug Oria badly. Maybe he can move the visitor's bed closer...]

There's a chance for recovery still. Because your exposure was limited, you can recover. It's only from prolonged continuous exposure that people lose themselves.

[ Oria nods and hugs Sinclair's arm a little more, before loosening it. ]

Thanks for telling me what you can. You should get some sleep...

Do I sound that tired?

[ He'll get up carefully, fingers brushing gently over Oria's cheek. He moves to the little dresser, taking out Oria's glasses and putting it at his bedside table. He'll just unlock the wheels of the visitor's recliner and move it closer before setting it down to be a bed. There. Better.]

Edited 2023-12-26 12:38 (UTC)

... Mentally.

[ He knows Sinclair must have been worried for him a lot. Now that he's woken up, Oria wants Sinclair to rest easy for a bit.

But his voice softens, also dissipating into the air like before. ]

Thanks, for staying by my side.

[ Sinclair wont argue it or deny it. He settles himself in the bed next to Oria, reaching over to take his hand again]

Always.

[ The nurses will be coming around with food soon, he imagined so he didn't need to call for anything to make sure Oria had food, even if he doubted Oria wanted it]

...I guess I can take a nap for a little while if you don't need me to get anything.

[ He can be a model patient]

Edited 2023-12-26 13:16 (UTC)

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