Re: The Gradual Massacre (GBS2G4) [Round 4: Misty Swamp]
11-13-2011, 06:32 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.
"So I guess... Ever since then I've just been uncomfortable around non-humanoids, you know?"
Cherry nodded silently. Yes, she knew. You told her every time you were here. She definitely knew. What she didn't know was why you kept coming back to it like this, or why you were so resistant to pathomancy, or why one little incident with an extradimensional horror made you such a xenophobe. But every time she thought about those questions, she started thinking very Hollyish thoughts. So she just nodded and looked concerned and did her best to help.
"It's just been so hard ever since everyone got mashed together because of those damn bugs... It was bad enough before, when I only had to deal with, you know, a few of them... Hell, I'd even nearly gotten used to the ones that came from the Sanguine Scrum. Now though, here in Fernwood it just seems like they're everywhere, and everything's so crowded."
Cherry nodded silently. It certainly was crowded, yes.
"I mean, I know I shouldn't feel this way, but it's just... Ugh, like Xerkzet, right? Just watching him undulate like that makes my skin crawl. Something so damn... slimy shouldn't exist anywhere, right?"
Cherry nodded silently, then cocked her head for a moment and drummed her fingers. It was hard to play psychologist when you couldn't cheat with pathomancy, but she was doing her level best, even if Careous Finch made her want to punch something with all his sniveling.
"It's probably best not to try to deny your feelings; instead, accept that you have them and work towards changing your reactions. You can't control how you feel, but you shouldn't let how you feel control you."
"Yeah, I guess..."
There were a few beats of quietude, which Cherry felt she had to fill.
"Maybe you should try–"
She was cut off quickly by a shout. It was followed by another, closer one, which was itself followed by Algernon bursting into the room. His eyes were wild and he had a gash through his clothing and shoulder; it wasn't much of a cut, but it was bleeding pretty readily, and judging from Algernon's movement and expression the cut itself wasn't the real problem. Cherry jumped up to help him, but he collapsed with a gurgled "Churrrrreeeee".
Before she could cross the floor to help him up, a lanky creature that looked like the worst parts of a spider and a human stuck together insinuated itself into the room. Its mandibles clacked as it stowed a small crossbow in its overcoat and drew a handful of knives.
"M sssurry t ntrupt, but thsss murdrur mssst fsss jssstsss."
It moved as though to cut Algernon's paralyzed throat, but Cherry bounded across the room and shouldered it away.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Kerosene wasn't Algernon's fault! Everyone knows that."
The spiderbeast looked as annoyed as it could and folded a pair of arms. "Prhhhps, prhhhps nt. But, t beecums clurr tht hee'sss glty uv dssspeernsssesss n drknsss."
Elfin eyes narrowed as Cherry puzzled out what the hell the spider was trying to say. She'd seen it before a couple of times, now that she thought about it, and had never had much success understanding it. Still, she thought she got the gist this time.
"You have got to be kidding! Algernon hasn't been killing anyone. Get the hell out of my office."
It uncrossed its multisegmented arms and shook its head slowly.
"M sssury, bt cnt lt t lv. Fff prtct th glllty, msst fsss jsstsss sss wll."
With no more warning than that near-gibberish sentence, it lunged at Cherry. She hurriedly transmuted her shock into an invisible pulse of outwards force, sending the spider sprawling backwards and knocking Algernon's prone form into the wall. She winced; she'd have to apologize for that later.
"Careous!" she shouted, "A little help?"
Her patient, for his part, peeked around the back of his chair where he was taking cover and muttered something containing the phrase "... did destroy Kerosene..."
Cherry's knuckles whitened. Of course he was going to be no help. Fucking worthless little... The spider was already righting itself, and she had nothing to hand. It wasn't very therapist-y to leave weapons laying around the place.
"Wntd nt t hv t sss thsss..."
Another chitinous hand pulled itself out of the spider's overcoat, holding the crossbow it had stashed earlier, freshly loaded with a paralytic bolt.
"Frsssd me."
"So I guess... Ever since then I've just been uncomfortable around non-humanoids, you know?"
Cherry nodded silently. Yes, she knew. You told her every time you were here. She definitely knew. What she didn't know was why you kept coming back to it like this, or why you were so resistant to pathomancy, or why one little incident with an extradimensional horror made you such a xenophobe. But every time she thought about those questions, she started thinking very Hollyish thoughts. So she just nodded and looked concerned and did her best to help.
"It's just been so hard ever since everyone got mashed together because of those damn bugs... It was bad enough before, when I only had to deal with, you know, a few of them... Hell, I'd even nearly gotten used to the ones that came from the Sanguine Scrum. Now though, here in Fernwood it just seems like they're everywhere, and everything's so crowded."
Cherry nodded silently. It certainly was crowded, yes.
"I mean, I know I shouldn't feel this way, but it's just... Ugh, like Xerkzet, right? Just watching him undulate like that makes my skin crawl. Something so damn... slimy shouldn't exist anywhere, right?"
Cherry nodded silently, then cocked her head for a moment and drummed her fingers. It was hard to play psychologist when you couldn't cheat with pathomancy, but she was doing her level best, even if Careous Finch made her want to punch something with all his sniveling.
"It's probably best not to try to deny your feelings; instead, accept that you have them and work towards changing your reactions. You can't control how you feel, but you shouldn't let how you feel control you."
"Yeah, I guess..."
There were a few beats of quietude, which Cherry felt she had to fill.
"Maybe you should try–"
She was cut off quickly by a shout. It was followed by another, closer one, which was itself followed by Algernon bursting into the room. His eyes were wild and he had a gash through his clothing and shoulder; it wasn't much of a cut, but it was bleeding pretty readily, and judging from Algernon's movement and expression the cut itself wasn't the real problem. Cherry jumped up to help him, but he collapsed with a gurgled "Churrrrreeeee".
Before she could cross the floor to help him up, a lanky creature that looked like the worst parts of a spider and a human stuck together insinuated itself into the room. Its mandibles clacked as it stowed a small crossbow in its overcoat and drew a handful of knives.
"M sssurry t ntrupt, but thsss murdrur mssst fsss jssstsss."
It moved as though to cut Algernon's paralyzed throat, but Cherry bounded across the room and shouldered it away.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Kerosene wasn't Algernon's fault! Everyone knows that."
The spiderbeast looked as annoyed as it could and folded a pair of arms. "Prhhhps, prhhhps nt. But, t beecums clurr tht hee'sss glty uv dssspeernsssesss n drknsss."
Elfin eyes narrowed as Cherry puzzled out what the hell the spider was trying to say. She'd seen it before a couple of times, now that she thought about it, and had never had much success understanding it. Still, she thought she got the gist this time.
"You have got to be kidding! Algernon hasn't been killing anyone. Get the hell out of my office."
It uncrossed its multisegmented arms and shook its head slowly.
"M sssury, bt cnt lt t lv. Fff prtct th glllty, msst fsss jsstsss sss wll."
With no more warning than that near-gibberish sentence, it lunged at Cherry. She hurriedly transmuted her shock into an invisible pulse of outwards force, sending the spider sprawling backwards and knocking Algernon's prone form into the wall. She winced; she'd have to apologize for that later.
"Careous!" she shouted, "A little help?"
Her patient, for his part, peeked around the back of his chair where he was taking cover and muttered something containing the phrase "... did destroy Kerosene..."
Cherry's knuckles whitened. Of course he was going to be no help. Fucking worthless little... The spider was already righting itself, and she had nothing to hand. It wasn't very therapist-y to leave weapons laying around the place.
"Wntd nt t hv t sss thsss..."
Another chitinous hand pulled itself out of the spider's overcoat, holding the crossbow it had stashed earlier, freshly loaded with a paralytic bolt.
"Frsssd me."