[Action]

[healeveryone]

[There's a man-sized caterpillar prowling around the Ermis Suites today. It's not doing much of note - mostly crawling about and munching on plants, and anyone who first encounters it from a distance will find...nothing of note. Just a big caterpillar-EVO doing regular caterpillar things.

Get too close or even just linger, however, and people may find that the world becomes a little different. A little more interesting.

Because that's when the voices start.]

(Note: Auditory hallucinations are go. Feel free to hear whatever you want!)

Comments

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen had simply gone home from a long night of somewhat drunken monster-hunting. Tired, too sober for his own liking, and vaguely unhappy, he makes his way into the building with every intention of just going home and sleeping this off.]

[Then he espies the giant caterpillar.]

[He stares at it for several beats and when it soundly fails to attack he continues on his way, accidentally brushing past it as it chewed on a potted plant. He makes it to his door and then he hears someone call his name.]

"Shen..."

[He turns, seeing nothing but empty hallway.] Who's there? Who said that?

[Again, he hears someone call his name, from another direction, now.]

"Shen..." [Still no-one about.]

Palom, is that you? I'm warning you, I'm not in the mood for games!

"Shen... You aren't worthy... you know you aren't worthy..."

Be SILENT, whoever you are!

"You'll only break her heart..."

THAT IS ENOUGH! [Several knives are now embedded in the wall, and he stares wildly about, eyes wide, breath harsh.]

"...Give up, Shen... before it's too late... before you hurt her..."

[He slumps against the door.] No... no, it can't be....

[life_is_megas_wonderful]

*Tsuruya is hearing the catchiest darned tune in her head. She's not sure where it's coming from, but it sure is catchy! But hey, at least she's enjoying it --

Unlike Shen.*

Y-yo! Shen! Shen! Pull yourself together, nyoro!

[healeveryone]

[Alarmed at the appearance of sharp and dangerous-looking objects, the caterpillar abandons its current position in favor of one a little further from the building, enough that the hallucinations should leave but not enough that the caterpillar is now out of sight. It's watching, just in case.]

[nomen_est_numen]

[He's sitting on the floor and shaking violently.] That voice... I know that voice....

[After another beat, he finally looks up to see who's talking to him, now.] Wha... Ts-Tsuruya... is that you?

[life_is_megas_wonderful]

*Aw, the tune is gone. Must be that caterpillar! At least it seems pretty passive.*

Yep! You okay? You looked megas shaken there for a moment. Were you hearing weird stuff too?

[nomen_est_numen]

Hearing... yes. I heard... I heard my father's voice....

[He shambles to his feet, leaning against the doorframe.]

What were you hearing?

[life_is_megas_wonderful]

*"Tourai... tourai... tourai! Wacchiki wacchiki boro mouke..."*

Oh, nothing important. Anyway, I thinks maybe we oughta get you outta here for now.

*She eyes the caterpillar.*

[healeveryone]

[The caterpillar eyes back.

...No it doesn't, it's just a giant caterpillar. Its body is oriented in their general direction, however, waiting to see what they'll do and if there are going to be more sudden pointy things involved. Pointy things are bad.]

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen slumps against the doorframe, suddenly feeling more old and tired and hopeless than he could ever remember feeling.]

To where, though?

[life_is_megas_wonderful]

We'll figure something out! But I think something around here's kinda got a bad influence.

[healeveryone]

[Totally innocent over here. Actually, this clover doesn't look too bad, does it?

Tempting, but then watching out for danger is important too.]

[nomen_est_numen]

It's that... giant grub, isn't it? It's too close for me to just ignore it and go home... not with that voice in my mind.

[He peels himself from the wall.]

Lead on, then.

[life_is_megas_wonderful]

Hmmm...

*She mulls the grub a bit.*

But ya know, it doesn't seem like a bad grub, does it? I mean, most of the monsters went all mean and stuff immediately. This one seems kinda timid.

[nomen_est_numen]

[He stares at Tsuruya as though she'd just grown another head, which would not be impossible at the moment, and then at the caterpillar. Back to Tsuruya.]

You... aren't suggesting we keep it, are you?

[It is, after all, a bit large.]

[has_a_blog]

[Dave kind of edged the giant caterpillar, but didn't really pay it much attention otherwise, since it seemed content to not flip out and kill people.

He got close enough, though. He suddenly stops and looks around, looking a combination of baffled, upset, and angry.]

What the FUCK!?

[life_is_megas_wonderful]

Not KEEP it, per se! But maybes it'd be friendly enough to take back to the labs to get changed back from whoever it was! It'd certainly beat having to fight them, right?

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen is loathe to do anything with the creature, seeing as the further away he got from it, the less he heard that voice whispering at him. Still, he couldn't make Tsuruya shift that thing all on her own. It would be ridiculous and utterly futile. He sighs.]

I suppose you're right. We can't just leave it like this, especially if there's a chance it's actually a person.

[He takes a few steps toward it.]

[healeveryone]

[Still wary, the caterpillar does nothing for a moment before starting to turn around, as if to leave - although it's not very quick in the first place.]

[theheirofbreath]

What is that thing?

[John is similarly confused. But mostly by the caterpillar itself. He hasn't started hearing things. Yet. But Dave's reaction is a bit of a surprise....]


.....Hey, are you okay?

[life_is_megas_wonderful]

Hey, hey! It's okay! Don't be afraid! Come here!

*She kneels down to a lower level, hands up.*

I won't hurt you, okay?

[nomen_est_numen]

[The closer Shen gets to the creature, the more distinctly he hears the voice in his head, haranguing, needling, endlessly whispering his worst fears about the past and the future.]

[He stops, shaking his head, trying to concentrate on the present.]

[healeveryone]

[The caterpillar stops, although it doesn't make any efforts to move towards them either.]

[life_is_megas_wonderful]

Do you understand us? We wanna help you, but you gotta trust me, okay?

[nomen_est_numen]

Yes... we need to ... to...

[He is so distracted. He stumbles away, leaning against the wall and hissing something under his breath that sounds a lot like the idea that he doesn't need to hear this right now...]

[healeveryone]

[The caterpillar isn't bright enough to understand what they're saying, but the fact that it hasn't died yet is good. Not quite aware of their intentions, it curls up a little - are they going to leave?]

[has_a_blog]

You don't hear that?

[theheirofbreath]

Hear what?

[Listening carefully now. Also looking around. Because you can totally see sounds.]

[life_is_megas_wonderful]

*o/~ Ashita mata au toki warai nagara hamingu...o/~*

Um... Shen, maybe you oughtas go somewhere else for a bit. I can handle this pretty easy for now.

[nomen_est_numen]

[He takes a few steps away and seems to breathe a little easier when the voice recedes again. Eyeing the caterpillar and his door, he figures home would be far away enough.]

Maybe... maybe you're right.

[Oh, gawd, it's been a day. He stumbles toward the door, then stops and looks back.]

...Thank you, Tsuruya.

[Then he vanishes into the apartment, letting the door swing shut behind him.]

[healeveryone]

[With Shen gone, the caterpillar turns its head towards Tsuruya - is that one going to leave, too?]