[OPEN] I fight the fever alone

[bemist]

WHO: Gebura and you!
WHAT: June catch-all! Maybe longer! It's a mystery!
WHERE: All around
WHEN: June 2024
WARNINGS: Graphic descriptions of violence, dismemberment, murder, gore and death. Also spoilers for Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina!



[ If you'd like a starter, just let me know! ]

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[bemist]

[ In a sense, he can act. No one gets up, but one of the people ransacking the apartment turns to look at him, then jerks his thumb in the direction of the redhead sitting silently there.

"Hey. Go see if you can get her to spit out the location of the rest of the money. She's a Fixer, she can probably handle a broken bone or two if you've got to resort to persuasion."

He is, apparently, being viewed as one of their own, though from the way Kali looks at him, it's clear she's aware he's not a face that belongs there. ]

[yuwon]

[ at the sudden words, he looks towards his hands. oddly enough despite his attire matching the general mood of the memory, the one thing that does remain that's his is his glove. almost as if marks him as an outsider to this memory—

outside of the distinct way she looks at him. when their eyes lock, he seems to mouth something to her, while it's obscured it seems to be a form of "sorry"— whether it's for peering into her memories unintentionally, or the fact that he tries to behave naturally in this vision.

he kneels down beside her, before giving a gruff. ] All right, but I'm going to do it my own way. [ this was all the acting skills he could utilize today, or so he's thinking, before he turns back towards her. he speaks to her in a hushed tone: ] Is this where you tell me, or where I... [ he looks at her ropes.

if this is her memory, he figures they should do what she wants with it. even if it's to █████ them. ]

[bemist]

[ Yeah. It's about what he imagines.

Kali meets his eyes, the gold of her irises a little muted, as though she's trying to detach herself from the situation at hand. It's neither.

Maybe it would have changed, had it been either of those options.

But that's not how this memory goes and even though Yuwon is here now, the most essential part of this cannot be changed. ]

You should step back. Close to the door.

[ it's spoken rather calmly. ]

[yuwon]

[ her voice is oddly calm despite what's happening around them. he doesn't know if that's the testament to how strong her will is, or if this was simply truly just another memory to her. regardless of which it is, he doesn't ponder on it for long.

this is her dream and if she's being this direct, it must be for a reason. despite the lingering curiosity in his eyes, just as she states, he moves back. his body casually moves towards the door, no longer really putting on an act as he waits to see what happens.

maybe even a part of him is expectant of what's to come. ]

[bemist]

[ She wishes it was "just" another memory. It's one of her more defining ones and a subconscious part of her isn't exactly thrilled that other people are seeing it; it's different than explaining it to Roland.

Still, there's no helping it now. Gebura knows that and Kali had known what the outcome was going to be as soon as she realized there was no good reason for what her neighbors were doing.

So it's really too simple to snap the ropes holding her in place, rising to her feet and--

Put simply, it's a bloodbath. As soon as the group realizes she's free, they move to subdue her, but Kali moves like a demon, snapping a man's neck in a single move, flinging an older woman into the wall, grabbing a knife to slice someone's throat.

There are tears in her eyes, pooling over, as she does this--but no hesitation whatsoever, and she will not actually stop until there's no one else standing in the room beyond herself and Yuwon. ]

[yuwon]

[ so she had the power to free herself all along. it's a stark contrast of emotions— of one's positive emotions like gratitude, a fleeting bit of happiness, or whatever else he may have distantly felt in the moments leading up to this.

the blood doesn't phase him, nor the instant smell of something metallic that fills the air. she's proficient in her movements, and if yuwon had to say there's a certain precision to her movements that he genuinely thinks of as almost hypnotizing. or maybe that's also part of this memory.

when the people standing there are no longer simply just... corpses, he barely looks at them as he speaks. ] It's probably pointless to ask if you're okay— [ he looks down and realizes he doesn't exactly have anything to give her to wipe the blood or the tears, so instead. ]

Do you need some time? [ as straightforward as yuwon is, it's not like he knows the conditions to free himself of this memory, so it doesn't hurt to give her the time she needs. or doesn't need. ]

[bemist]

[ Does she need time? Probably.

Kali at the time had stood there and cried until her eyes had ached whenever she blinked. And she'd dealt with the bodies herself.

Now, she looks wearily at Yuwon and closes her eyes with a faint sigh. ]

No. Dwelling on it won't accomplish anything, at this point.

[yuwon]

[ if she said no, then he wasn't about the push the matter. instead, he looks at the corpses, before turning back towards her. ] Yeah, you're probably right.

[ there's a brief sigh, before he speaks. ] It's none of my business, but you did what you had to. [ he looks away momentarily, as if to offer her a bit of privacy in a place that obviously gave none. ] Was this the first time...? [ obviously, he doesn't know what thoughts she had while she acted. maybe he just imagined a sense of conviction to her movements, or projected his own beliefs onto her. whatever it was, he says these words, anyway.

for some reason, it kind of reminded him of a struggle in someone else, albeit this memory seemed a lot more personal. perhaps, it's precisely because of that, he isn't filled with the usual brusque or dismissive words he normally gave.

at the same time, if she said nothing, he also wouldn't blame her, either. ]

[bemist]

The first time? That I've killed someone?

[ Well, that alone would have told her he's not from the City, had she not already known he was an odd variable here. But she shakes her head with a noise that's half brusque and half... well, just tired. ]

It doesn't matter. What are you doing here, anyway?

[ as though he has any say in this-- ]

[yuwon]

[ well,

at least that answered his question. somehow, it puts him a bit more at ease. though, she then asks a question of her own that seems to shake him out of this somber atmosphere. his brain almost seems to short-circuit at that, before gradually coming back to. he looks at her, as if to ask if she... is really asking him this question.

but, considering this is her memory, he can see how he probably just comes across as a some... random outer entity. ] I closed my eyes for a second, and suddenly I was here. [ ... ] Maybe someone figured you needed the company.

[ he's not serious, if just because that looks like the last thing she actually needs, but he doesn't say this either. ]

[bemist]

Well, someone can mind their own damn business.

[ With the weariness of someone who will still throttle "someone" if there is, in fact, an individual to blame for this. Which there likely isn't. A pity. ]

Come on. Leaving the apartment should at least do something. [ Ideally, remove them both from this very uncomfortable situation. ]

[yuwon]

Be sure to tell them that. You can always use your skills there, too.

[ if there truly was a someone... surely no one would feel bad about them being taught an adequate lesson. while they don't exist, he supposed it may have been better to blame an unknown entity than focus on any other emotion, maybe. ]

Sure, lead the way. [ ... and for her benefit, he hopes this is the last time she sees this memory. ]

[bemist]

[ It won't be, but she's used to that much. All she can hope for is that no one else sees this memory.

But she nods, opening the door of the apartment--and he'll find himself awake and free of that scene! Huzzah!! ]