[Mostly Open] So we'll press, and press 'til you can't take it anymore!

[groupiedrifter]

CHARACTERS: Precursors and you. And Eventually Newton. Hopefully!
LOCATION: A holding room in Ximilia Station.
DATE: Est. two days post-mission, after the kaiju is defeated and the orb is retrieved.
CONTENT: The precursors are revealed — and are finally removed from Newt's mind.
WARNINGS: Possession and the bodily autonomy issues that come with that. More will be added if necessary!

Closed and opened starters will be added as I go, which will be announced on plurk! But if you don't use plurk or would rather keep an eye out by email/tracking, feel free to use the tracking option and mark to receive notifs any new top level comments posted to this log! The log will involve an open starter to visit the precursors where they're cuffed/contained in the room, so stay tuned.

Also no rush once the open starters are posted!

Feel free to focus on the player plot log first and come back to this later.

CLOSED STARTER | THE DOCTOR
DARKLING'S TOP LEVEL | WHILE NEWT WAS SLEEPING...
OPEN STARTER | THE PRECURSORS, REVEALED
CLOSED FINAL CONCLUSION | THE PRECURSORS, REMOVED
OPEN PROMPTS | NEWTON GEISZLER'S RETURN

Comments

[coordination]

[ He politely ignores the first thing, almost as if he didn't hear it. Almost as if he has no idea what Newton could be referring to, even! He's letting that awkwardness slide since he was just there himself, knows he'd prefer it to never be spoken of again - so grants Newton that grace. ]

It has been, hasn't it. You arrived a month or so after I did, right? That means it actually has been a whole year on my end.

[groupiedrifter]

[He wipes a little urgently at his cheeks, trying to rid himself of the evidence.]

Y-yeah. Yeah... I-it's been. [A sniff. A soft breath.] A month.

I can, um, remember — they showed up pretty much at the beginning. But that fucking mental block thing they do, it stopped me from remembering. 'Cus I did. I remembered every time I went to sleep. But when I woke up and tried to find help, I just... I forgot why I felt like I needed it.

I always knew... but I didn't... know.

[He wonders if that sounds stupid.

But at least Yzak saw for himself, back then. Newton in a panic, leaving his room, glasses abandoned as he slowly deflated when he realized he had nothing urgent to actually tell him.]

[coordination]

Since the start...?

[ Newton recounts what had been happening to him all this time. Those things really did bide their time and slowly work their way through Newton's mind. Yzak recalls a number of times where Newton had acted a bit strange in that regard. Late nights with lack of sleep and stress from not being to remember... ]

Similar to what happened to us, then. When we all forgot about our own run-ins with them, until just recently.

[ It can't sound stupid when it was a reality to him. ]

I hope the next year treats you better in that regard, then.

Not that I really want to be here for a whole other year myself...! But you know what I mean.

[groupiedrifter]

... Yeah. Since the start.

[He sounds. So tired as he says it.

But he has a feeling it'll be an uphill battle the first few weeks, to not feel pretty exhausted. It was all mental in its way, but... still feels like he'd been through a marathon he was ill-suited for; or rather, his human form was terribly ill-suited for.

The idea of going home without knowing if the precursors are truly gone there, too...

Terrifying, honestly.

But it can also wait. As long as he can make the topic wait.]

... At least now I might be able to get a little more sleep.

[Maybe?

Though the sounds of their voices mingled together still echoes in his mind, from night after night of lying there and listening to them.

Ah, yes... The man with monsters covering his skin thinks he can't be a monster, too. You've seen the way people look at you. You've dedicated your life's work to monsters, fawned over their innards, guilted your poor lab partner to drift in their hivemind with you, and yet you can't bear the thought of being one.

But look at you; if you're not a monster, why are they in your head?

He presses his hands against his ears, cringing.]

I just — I need to get some sleep.

[coordination]

[ Yzak sits up a little straighter when Newton does that. A couple of moments pass, and he doesn't seem to pull his hands away from his ears ... so he reaches over to put a hand on his forearm. ]

At least the sleep will be better, now.

[ ... ]

Better in that you won't be mocked and tortured by those things in your head and made to forget about it. Unfortunately I can't assure much more than that. [ It's said with an understanding tone. Because he knows himself how things will come back to haunt you in your dreams.

He stares at his own hand on Newton's arm. ]

... Sorry, by the way. For punching you the other day. [ o o p s! ]

[groupiedrifter]

[He relaxes his hands, allows them to fall as Yzak's hand carefully presses his arm. Right. Sleep will be better, and the memory that had poured into his head will lessen with time... He'll adjust. Humans are super malleable. They bounce back from some crazy shit. What's one alien possession, huh?

(A lot, he thinks. But he'll try anyway, because fuck it.)

An exasperated sound leaves him.]

I was talking to you like an asshole. Why wouldn't you have hit me?

Sure, it wasn't me, but it's not like you knew that.

[coordination]

It's not. But that doesn't change the fact that it wasn't you, but it was still your body.

[ And then, a little lighter: ] I guess you're lucky that they found it prudent to take away my enhancements during that mission. Because if I'd put more of my natural strength into it you might have been recovering from a broken jaw right now, too.

[groupiedrifter]

[.... A-ahaha.]

Yeah... Lucky me. But the others probably would have appreciated the peace and quiet, if they had to wire my jaw shut.

[As if he's done much talking lately. But you know what he means.]