[Semi-Open]

[long_live_the_queen]

WHO: Lucy and you!
WHERE: Pen's house for the closed prompt, around Recollé Square and Chata for the rest
WHEN: 5/10ish
WHAT: Someone woke up. It was a terrible experience.
WARNINGS: Language, mentions of death, Lucy being horribly depressing, potential violence against NPCs



[Closed, Pen's house]

[Sickness and herself usually came in two forms: minor, terribly annoying sniffles, or something that came along suddenly and knocked her on her ass.

This was the latter; a fever this time, and Nyu was unprepared to deal with it. Pen was nice, Pen was helpful. Pen let Nyu stay at her house too, when she was too sick and wobbly to get home the first day. She mostly existed as a blanket-cowled lump on the couch afterwards, occasionally plaintively asking for water or tissues and coughing. A lot of coughing.

Eventually, the lump quieted down. The next time she needed to sneeze, a distortion in the air was what grabbed the nearest tissue.

The blankets stirred, and their occupant sat up with a bleary scowl. When she spoke, her voice was a bit deeper and more raspy—hoarse from coughing.]

...the fuck am I?

[Fever be damned, she was going to try standing even if she had to lean on the couch. This was a familiar place, may...be?]

[Open]

[Her fever had broken quickly, but the wretched reality of everything else persisted. She needed to walk somewhere, get some air, though Lucy didn't go far. To the park, not the forest. She was...she was done with forests for awhile.

The horned girl slumped without a hat and with a more usual stalking gait down one of the paths in the Square, though she was too tired to pick out a less-traveled one. She had a brush with her, occasionally flicking drops of paint at the side of the path to try and find an unpainted (and thus unoccupied) bench.

After awhile, she found one; methodically if clumsily painting it. Some of those paint thinner creatures nearby looked slightly offended, but Lucy ignored them. She could see where the flat surfaces were, that would do; Lucy promptly flopped down on it, and dropped her brush over the side.

Lucy didn't say anything, staring up at the patchy half-colored sky.

She looked miserable.]

[Unnecessary Violence (also open)]

"Shit, what's that on your head?"

[Another one. Again. No one had paid this much attention to Lucy's appearance since she was still in high school, and she'd gotten rather used to being ignored. This popped collar asshole seemed set on dredging that back up, and kept following her as she passed by him on the sidewalk.]

"Hey, did you hear me? I said—"

Horns. [Lucy snapped, her hoarse voice more of a growl than usual.]

"You going back to the zoo or something?"

[Lucy stopped, jaw squeezed shut so much to keep from saying anything else her teeth hurt. Her fist was balled up into such a tight fist that it had started to shake, knuckles white.

She's trying to behave. She was. But her patience was already in the garbage today.

An intervention may be required. Or an audience, either/or.]

Comments

Unnecessary Violence

[matchbreaker]

Are you fellows even listening to yourselves? Honestly, I've always told people this was a warm city! Don't prove me wrong.

[ ... So said the 41 year old 5' and generously 90 pound woman with a hand on her hip. Well, a hand on her up that's also holding a parasol in it, a wide-brim hat over her head and sunglasses on. ... Basically aside from the purple hair she's very, very much rocking the tacky mom look.

She also has a paint-brush in her other hand though, so. On the app.

She also happened to walk past at the exact moment, so will she diffuse this or make it worse? Time will tell. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Mr. Popped Collar isn't backing down, hands in his pockets and posture unimpressed.]

"Hey, lady, I'm not talking to you, step off."

[Lucy said nothing, teeth grinding with the effort. She was fine. She was fine.]

"I asked you something, it's rude not to answer."

[Just fine. Just fine.]

[matchbreaker]

... Are you serious?

[ She sighs a little and holds up a hand here to go between both parties here... ]

Look, she's clearly uncomfortable. Just drop it.

[ . . . ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[The hand distracted Lucy for just a moment; she glanced sharply at Elda, then back at the man. He was still undeterred, even faintly dismissive]

"I'm just asking a question, you don't need to be a bitch about i--"

[Just like that, he pulled the little pin out of the grenade that was Lucy's frayed temper.

Lucy shoved Elda's hand out of the way as arm coiled to her shoulder, and she launched that fist she was clenching in a single explosive movement. No other warnings, no second chances. Just her knuckles pulping the man's nose before he had time to flinch back. Lucy was already following up with her second fist, grabbing at his shirt collar with a furious grimace.]

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda might be incredibly strong, but she's also small and less than a hundred pounds. She's easily tossed aside, her sunglasses coming off in the process. God, that won't be goo for her eyes. But it does expose her red-eyes, now cat-like as she exposes herself and leaps back up to her feet.

She remembers this girl, the weird force field things from back in winter. That... could be bad. She's going in to try to yank the "gentleman" free of her, get him in her own arms. ]

Come on, none of that! Let's... break this up!

Apartment

[chaoticwhimsy]

[Luna was a bit winded when she suddenly swirled into existence in Penelope's living room, stepping out of a burst of darkness and light. She'd teleport-hopped all the way there across the rooftops, and clearly hadn't even really stopped at all considering her uncombed, not-in-her-sidetail pink hair, pajama-shirt and shirts and slippers.]

[Oops?]

[When she'd gotten texted by Lucy, who actually typed like Lucy, she hadn't been sure what to make of it. But she had to come.]

[As soon as she appeared, she was twisting around until she spotted her sister on the couch...and she approached slowly, blue eyes slightly narrowed.]

...Hey.

[long_live_the_queen]

[After putting her phone down on the table near the tissues, Lucy had started rubbing at her temples. Christ, her head hurt.

She'd gotten used to the sound of Luna's teleporting, and didn't look up immediately.]

Huh? [Right, she needed to actually say hello too.] Hi, Luna.

[If Luna was here already, then...she was at Minako's apartment? But the couch was facing a different set of windows. And she didn't remember if they had any blankets in this color.]

[chaoticwhimsy]

[Okay, that was...that was good, right? But Nyu had known her name too. Luna hesitated, stepping a little closer, crouching down to look the other girl in the face, studying her eyes.]

Hi.

[She hesitated.]

...Are you you?

[long_live_the_queen]

[Now Lucy glanced up at her sister, frowning.]

Who else would I be?

[The pajamas didn't go unnoticed either.]

Shouldn't you be asleep?

[The sky looked rather pale from here, but Lucy's sleeping schedule was all over the place anyway. It could be any time.]

[chaoticwhimsy]

Probably, but I got your text, I...[She sucked in a breath.]

What's our older sister's name?

unnecessary violence

[compendiem]

[ The hospital isn't quite fully painted yet, so maybe let's diffuse this situation. Minato isn't the best at deescalation- he tends to keep his mouth shut during an argument and walk away, because when he opens it, things get worse. What to do?

Minato sidles over from behind the other guy, some sort of bulky contraption strapped to his back that he'd gotten from Cloud to help with the repainting efforts. ]

Molaison... Let's go to the zoo.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy glanced at Minato, but didn't respond. Was that this guy's name?

The man looked at Minato too, nose wrinkling a bit.]

"Hey, we're busy here. Use that leafblower somewhere else."

[...or maybe Minato didn't know him?]

[compendiem]

Hm...

[ Minato doesn't back off, but he does raise the "leaf blower" a bit, nozzle tucked under his arm dripping black and creating a shadow around his feet as he uses the tip to gesture at the other guy. ]

I was hoping I could borrow her for a bit. Need help with the flamingos... You should come back too; the petting zoo is missing an ass.

de-escalation pun

[long_live_the_queen]

[...okay. She could forgive Minato's zoo comment a little bit now. Lucy snorted a little, her grimace lightening by a degree.

Mr. Ass was not so amused, taking his hands out of his pockets and spinning towards Minato.]

"The hell did you call me?"

[He raised his hand to strike Minato--but his arm didn't move.

A translucent shimmer was curled around his wrist, like a hand. Before he could turn to look, another vector grabbed into his shirt collar--and yanked him backwards, slamming him back-first into the ground.]

[compendiem]

[ The nozzle is raised reflexively like a sword to parry the blow, but there's no need.

Minato can feel his jaw tighten in surprise when the guy goes slamming into the ground, the hair on the back of his neck prickling at the thought of an invisible something he wouldn't be able to fight back either. He glances over at Lucy, who didn't seem to have moved at all, and then back down at the man. ]

...Was just requesting help. Whatever assumptions were made, you made them yourself.

House

[mincingminuet]

[Penelope had more or less been dreading the moment this happened. She was sitting on the living room computer, playing a game when things started shifting around. Definitely time to put Stellaris on hold.

Spinning, she immediately started for the kitchen and grabbed a water cup. Returning just in time for a profanity laden good morning.]

You're in my living room. You're also feverish, so you may want to lay back down and have some water.

[long_live_the_queen]

[That was not a voice she expected to hear. Lucy snapped her head around to look at Pen despite herself, blinking. She glanced at the cup, but was sluggish to take it.]

...how did I get here? [She rasped hoarsely, with a pause in the middle to ineffectually clear her throat.]

[mincingminuet]

You walked.

[Pen presses the cup into Lucy's hand then takes a seat in her chair.]

You've been here off and on for a few days. I think you hit your head or something, or got affected by some change. You were...kinda different, almost like a different personality, and I didn't like the idea of you being alone while you were sick. So, you stayed here.

Just a fever, probably exhaustion. There's some meds for it on the endtable to your right.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy frowned, and was about to protest. Of course she could walk, she wasn't stupid--

But Pen kept explaining, and her scowl became something else. Something quieter, more blank, her expression drawn with dread at the edges.

That she was sick--fine, that happened. Something went...wrong, and she had a good idea of what, fine. Or not quite fine, not fine at all. But a suspicion had started to settle coldly in her chest, worried and heavy.]

What happened to Minako?

[mincingminuet]

[At least she doesn't have to explain why Freya's staying here nearly all the time now. That would've been too much, at the moment. It doesn't make what she has to say about Minako any easier, but it does ease the string of needing to explain all of this to someone as clearly fragile as Lucy.

Closing her eyes, Penelope folds her hands in her lap and considers how best to put it for a second before finally answering...]

She's lost connection to the app. So, it seemed better to have you here, in case something happened. Minako's not hurt or anything, but things have been kind of wild lately, and you didn't seem to be able to use your powers so I invited you over.

Pen's house, a little later

[belligerentwarrior]

[When Freya enters the house, her work duffle slung over a shoulder and her sleeves uncharacteristically rolled down, she didn't pay close attention to Lucy.]

[She'd been informed of the feverish, couch-surfing lump, and figured the illness would be enough to keep Nyu out of trouble. Hopefully. All that she gave, as Freya kicked off her shoes and set down her bag, was a mildly concerned and surprised glance.]

Huh, you're up. Sure you should be shufflin' around like that? You look awful.

[long_live_the_queen]

[That voice. Whatever lingering fog and confusion weighed on her mind, that voice cut through it all. Lucy's head snapped to the source of the voice, her grasp on the back of the couch going from unsteady to white-knuckled in an instant.]

Freya, you're--

[Here, around, and very clearly not dead.]

...I'm fine.

[Lucy didn't look away, as if her friend would disappear like a ghost if she did.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[Freya froze on her way to the kitchen, turning a half-curious, half-watchful eye back to Pen's guest.]

[The tone was different. The speech patterns were different. Mannerisms.]

Lucy? [She tried, experimentally, hoping Nyu wouldn't be upset if she was wrong.]

[long_live_the_queen]

I said I'm fine. [Lucy rasped, obviously not fine. Her knees were steady, but moving just another couch-cushion's worth of distance was exhausting. The horned girl pulled herself forwards anyway, stubborn as ever.]

You're still...here?

[She couldn't see Freya's arm from here, with that horrid black mark she'd gone from idle dismissal to virulent hatred of in a span of a few moments. After spending all that time with Lucy and Minako, the movies and the games, the sound of the front door closing behind Freya echoed as loud and heavy as that old clock's chime. As loud as it had when Katherine left.

Was Lucy even awake now? Or was this part of a fever dream?]

[belligerentwarrior]

[On one hand: this proved Lucy as safe. Cool.]

[On the other: Lucy had another personality. Or she'd been hit by some weird Retrospec shit. Or whatever, something like that. Freya wasn't an expert on these things. She'd have to wait to see if Nyu ever came back.]

[Freya sets a hand on her hip, tilting her head a bit.] Yeah. I've got time. [Not... much, but saying that wouldn't help anything. She kept her sleeves rolled down at work lately, since the appless had been remarking about her new tattoo and the brand. It was disturbing.]

You should sit down before I've got to scoop you off the floor.