2nd Sermon - forwarddated to the morning of the 31st

[nosigntospeakof]

[A - The Factory]

[It's been twenty-four hours since the Signless was taken to the factory. It's been the longest, most painful twenty-four hours of his life, every detail of the surgery and the aftermath clear in his mind. He looks exhausted as he walks out of the open gate, even more so than usual. Along with still wearing the rumpled, now slightly bloody clothes he was taken in he's had a few...modifications done in the past day.

The most noticeable are the rotting fins attached to his face and the gills on his neck. Well, not so much attached as stapled to his skin. There's another set of gills under his shirt, spread across the sides of his ribs, there the small blood stains seem to be coming from. Tyrian purple stains.

That's right. In a single day he's gone from a null blood, a mutant freak to be culled on sight, to the highest color on the hemospectrum. He's technically goddamn royalty now and it. Is. Terrifying.

He should really get home, contact Psiioniic and Disciple, check in on Karkat, let them all know he's okay. Well, alive. But normal breathing is still near impossible and the sharp stabs of pain he keeps feeling in his chest aren't helping. He flops down onto the ground, just far enough away from the electrified fence not to get shocked, and pulls one of his knees into his chest.

He's tired. He's so damn tired, his body feels dry and itchy and wrong and the whispering voices in his head are getting louder and more persistent. He tilts his head forward to rest his forehead against his knee, closing his eyes. He'll just rest a few minutes then he'll go. Just a few minutes and hope no one he knows sees.]

[B - Phone]

[Signless's voice is barely above a whisper but the panic in his tone speaks louder than his volume.]

Everyone, this is the Signless. Humans, trolls, every other species in Mayfield, you need to stay away from me. Far, far away from me please. Your lives depend on it. They took me to the factory and they did something to me, to my blood...

If you see me out on the street run and run fast. If I'm out it means something is wrong and I can't guarantee I won't- [His voice cracks.] I can't guarantee I won't hurt you or worse just by being near you.

[I don't want to kill anyone else.]

[C - Locked to 945 Beulah Street]

[All the salt in the house is missing. Every container in the pantry, even the salt shaker. The bathroom door is also locked tight, the sound of running water coming from behind the door. It must have been running for a while because there's a large pool of water coming from under the door and the carpet is soaking wet.

A note is taped to the door, hastily scribbled in pencil and stuck to the poor with a bit of tape. 'PLEASE DON'T TRY TO COME IN. STAY AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN. I DON'T WANT TO HURT ANY OF YOU.']




[ooc: Signless has been released from the factory with some nasty side effects. Please let me know if you want his psychic powers to accidentally kill/injure your character.]

Comments

DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK. *FATALITY*

[polariity]

[Signless won't be so lucky to avoid anyone he knows. Not today.]

[From one worry to the next. That's the Psiioniic's life. Milla has recovered excellently, which is both a blessing and a curse now that she's able to use her levitation. This means he has had plenty of time to fuss over the other important person in his life. Perhaps the most important person, as a matter of fact. ]

[The combined efforts of friends- if some of them can even be called that- was enough to keep him from killing himself against the electrified field earlier. That doesn't mean he refuses to return, and return he does. ]

[With his sharp sight, it doesn't take him long at all to spot that familiar set of nubby horns and messy hair as he approaches the factory, and the Psiioniic breaks into a run.]

ETH!!

SOB SOB SOB

[nosigntospeakof]

[Oh. Oh no. No no no no, not Psii. Not right now. Please not now.

Signless doesn't get up to meet him despite the strong desire to jump up, embrace him and apologize for any concern he caused. But 1) getting up requires moving parts of his body that would result in excruciating pain and 2) he has no idea how Psii is going to react to his new attachments.

All he can do is lift his head, tyrian purple irises where bright red used to be, and force a weak smile.]

[polariity]

[From the start, the Psiioniic has been determined that no matter what would happen, he would be there for his friend. No matter if they made him want to kill others. No matter if they turned his skin to metal or replaced his body parts with technology or made him want to drink blood.]

[No matter what.]

[He hadn't expected the rotting fins he soon spots peeking out from that messy black hair. He doesn't expect to see familiar bright red gone, replaced instead by a shade of color that instinctively makes him stumble.]

[It doesn't last long. Not even a second. He keeps going.]

Eth, I'm thorry, I tried to get in, but I- we'll get you to the medbuilding, alright, and we'll-

[There's been a backdrop of subtle pain nagging at him all this time which the Psiioniic has been ignoring. Considering he spent yesterday trying to blackflirt with an electric fence, he's not surprised. But it keeps getting worse and worse, making him shake and come to a halt every few seconds. Finally, he stops and doesn't immediately keep moving, wrapping his arms tight around himself and trying not to vomit at the pain.]

E-Eth... There'th...

[nosigntospeakof]

[He's not stopping, not even hesitating, even when Signless looks like this. It makes his heart jump in a surprisingly not painful way. He starts to stand, a warm smile spreading across his face.

Wait. Something's wrong. Signless starts to take a step toward him. Did something happen, is he sick? Did the town do something while I was gone?]

Action at the factory

[a1a100]

[Sol wanted to inspect the factory further then he got to the other day. Since Psii was gone, he had nothing to distract him.

He was a little nervous, yeah, but he needed to know what was going on. Though, it was strange. The closer he got to the factory, the more and more nervous and scared he felt. He had a deep feeling in his gut like something bad was happening. And then something even stranger did happen. As soon as the factory was in eyesight, well would be in eyesight if he weren't blind, his head started to hurt. And the closer he got to the Factory, the stronger the headache became. He stopped a few feet away from Signless and held onto his temple, obviously in pain.]

F-fuck...

Action;

[nosigntospeakof]

Sollux? [Speaking is still difficult but he manages to choke out a whisper.] Are you alright?

Action;

[a1a100]

[He smiles a little, still wincing.]

I'm fine, it's just a headache. How are you? What happened?

Action;

[nosigntospeakof]

[Like hell he believes him but he's not going to press it. Not at the moment.]

Fine. [As fine as one can be with rotting fish parts attached to their face.] They did things to my blood, added some things.

phone

[crusthatecean]

[Karkat doesn't have time for this shit, but he's also concerned enough to answer; the blood thing hits a nerve and he feels he needs to respond to this call.]

What did they do?

phone;

[nosigntospeakof]

They removed my blood and mixed it with indigo...attached fins and gills. They made me into a mock-up seadweller.

[His voice cracks again, his voice barely audible now.] Karkat, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.

[crusthatecean]

[Oh god, just the thought of that makes him feel sick and furious at the same time. He would normally try to hide how he feels, but he's just too angry at the thought of some fucking human woman who has no idea, absolutely no idea, how their world works would make them into a joke when she doesn't even understand. The same fucking human woman who made a joke out of Equius' blood obsession and did such sickening things to Gamzee and Terezi he can barely stomach it at all.]

Fuck them. Fuck them. That fucking smug piece of shit human doctor, I will floss her fangs with her intestines and see how she likes being screwed around with.

What the hell are you even apologizing for?

C- [Action]

[ghostlygames]

[Yeah, that sign sure said some stuff. Stuff which Mindy translated as, 'please bother me 'cause I need help.' So have some knocking at the bathroom door.]

Mr. Signless? Mr. Signless, please come out.

[Action]

[nosigntospeakof]

[Nooooooo. Let him soak in his salty ice bath completely still so he doesn't accidentally kill the whole family.

He lifts his head out of the water enough so he can speak. It's much easier to speak normally with his gills submerged but it's safer to stay at a whisper.]

I can't, sweetheart. It's not safe.

Re: [Action]

[ghostlygames]

But what's wrong? Are you hurt? Or sick?

[S-so worried...]

A

[miraculls]

[When he's not too busy chewing off his own fingers, Gamzee has been firmly attached to the Signless's side, having dubbed him as replacement Karkat until Karkat comes back. As his blood is currently both a synthetic indigo and also made of drugs, he's not that badly affected by the psychic waves the Signless is giving off; his whole body is in pain anyway when he's not devouring himself, what's another migraine on top of the blindingly awful one he already has?

He's pretty tired too though - the rush from the last bite he took out of himself is already starting to wear off - so he takes a seat next to the Signless and pats his hand clumsily.]

Shit still all be hurting, yo?

[nosigntospeakof]

I'll be fine. [He turns his head to look at Gamzee, his reassuring smile morphing into a cringe.] You should really stop gnawing on yourself like that.

[miraculls]

You think so? [He glances down at his hands, looking a little surprised when he sees the bloody state they're in - he hadn't realized it'd gotten that bad. Obediently, he laces them behind his back, as even just looking at them fills him with a desperate craving.] Guess you're probably right, haha.

C

[fatefullfriend]

[Arf drops a bunch of towels on the ground to soak up the water. She still feels very weird, very disconnected from things, but she's at least starting to hide it.]

Turn the water off.

[She knows she should be alarmed by this, by the note on the door, but it's taking her a bit to fully react.]

[nosigntospeakof]

[He obliges, using his foot to turn the knobs on the faucet so he doesn't have to move too much. He mutters an apology but the only sound the only sound that can be heard is a bubbling glub.]

[fatefullfriend]

[Her ears flick at that glub. It is an odd sound for a humanoid to make. It almost sounds as if...]

Speak to me.

[disciplewhomsignlessloves]

[She's become part of that crowd that gathers to catch friends coming out of the factory. And it's a little late that she notices him off to the side--Or...it looks like him. Sort of.

But with things attached. He's wrong in a lot of ways, but she's not afraid or even disgusted. A cold little fury burns back behind her love and compassion. She can't believe she let someone touch a hair on his head after...after all that happened. Yet she pushes it down even further. He's alive.]

Signless! Signless are you alright? Do you need some help? [There's a nagging sense of pain, a headache growing as a dull thump behind her eyes but she ignored it to rush to his side]

[c]

[frothymilk]

[This is Equius pounding on the door. He has a headache now, in addition to the pain from his scars, and he is not in a good mood. He's very STRONGLY tempted to just break down the door]

Father. Open up. I need medical supplies.

so extremely late to this but sometime after signless's call with KK.

[wweh]

[Yeah, as soon as he heard about everything from Kar, he was on the lookout for Signless. since Feferi's death he's been really looking for some way to help, anything. He's not sure how to feel when he sees Signless - he's surprised at the fact there's another troll here but he's not sure how he feels about the improvements, it was an awful mockery of seadwellers... but still, might as well show him how to live as one so at the very least he won't be alone again.]

So you're the one I'm supposed to be lookin' out for, huh?

[nosigntospeakof]

[Signless smiles when he sees Eridan. He remembers him, the thoughtful seadweller he gave blankets to to bring to his friends. He looked different then, even moreso now, so he's not surprised Eridan doesn't recognize him.]

Yes. It's nice to see you again, Eridan.

[wweh]

I don't recall meetin' another troll much less a "seadweller" but...

[He just shrugs, and offers a hand]

I'm hearin' you need my help... an' I can't really be refusin'...

It's what Fef would a' wanted me to do anyhow.