august catchall

[fource]

WHO: Quatre + various folks
WHERE: Heropa and De Chima mostly
WHEN: all throughout August
WHAT: August catchall post! Hit me up (spoilers) if you want a top level or just toss something at me and we'll roll with it
WARNINGS: some spoopy tree people body horror

Comments

blue hue hue

[fource]

[Hounds for Hurting Hearts was slowly recovering after the shimmer hit De Chima. The headquarters wasn't in the damage radius, but like the rest of the city they were understandably nervous about the aftermath, and it took some time to get things running at full capacity again. This is the first time Quatre and Blue have ventured into the area on one of their walks, but it's important to be there. Maybe the dogs could be some help in the recovery efforts.

The city seems subdued, the residents still in mourning; Quatre's trying to hide the lingering discomfort by fussing over the dogs more than he normally would. The most immediate damage has been cleaned up around the streets of the city, but apparently there's not much that can be done for the looming shapes up ahead in the park. Quatre frowns as they approach, but he's been on edge since they first crossed into this part of the city.] Let's head back after the park.

bloo hoo hoo

[halloflamer]

[Blue had done a sharp 180 the morning the reports of the Shimmer hit and gone right back home before he ported over to De Chima, so he had managed to avoid it altogether. That also meant he hadn't been back until things in DC had settled to the point that businesses could operate. Hounds for Hearts reopened and Blue hesitantly ventured back to work- the bosses were anticipating heavy business from the recent catastrophe- if it could be called that.]

[Since he'd been so wary to return, Blue hasn't walked much of the city yet, so it's his misfortune that he hasn't seen or heard about this particular remnant of the disaster to know better in avoiding it. He nods absently to Quatre, watching a few of the dogs on his leashes snuffle around in a pile of leaves drifted down the park path, whining lightly.] Yeah, it's almost their dinnertime. Sheesh, and we only just got to the park, things sure are still a mess around...

[His sentence trails off, and his eyes settle on the gnarled branches scattered a little ways ahead of them. The recognition isn't immediate; it comes first as a vague ping of familiarity, before he can even think of why those shapes make him stop in his tracks.] ...What's... up with those...

[Trees, he's about to say. But when the realization does hit- with a sickening thud that spikes his heartbeat immediately, he knows that trees isn't the the right word.]

[fource]

[It takes Quatre a second to understand what he's seeing too; he's still squinting at the trees when he feels a sick spike of dread from Blue. That's the push he needs to connect the dots, to realize that he's really seeing what he thought he was. They're people, or they were-- he can't feel anything from them anymore, not at this point, and looking at how they're twisted and dying he can't help but be grateful for it. So much so that he doesn't pay as much attention to Blue as he probably should have.]

That's awful, [Quatre says quietly, shaking his head at the miserable orchard up ahead before turning back to share a sympathetic look with his coworker.] What a terrible thing to-- Blue?

[halloflamer]

[By the time Quatre's tsking is through and he's turned towards Blue, his knees are weakening, buckling under him. He lands softly in the grass, dropping the leashes in his hands; the dogs don't seem to understand just yet, thinking they've stopped to sniff at the grass or play.]

[But Blue doesn't hear or see anything else, right now. All he sees is a hand reaching out to grab at him; all he feels is the white-hot pain searing through his arm, then running up his body, numbing and turning to twisted solid nothing as the nerves warp into wood, his entire body literally rooted in place. He doesn't know it, but between his onslaught of panicked gasps escape a few whines and whimpers of his own, eyes squeezed shut and fingers gripped in his hair.]

[When he sees those trees-- those people-- it's a reflection of himself just a few months ago. It's what Red must have seen that whole week.]

[fource]

[Quatre's own heart starts racing, and for one wild second he turns back to look at the trees again, half expecting to see the shimmer emerge a second time, or the spirits of the dead lashing out at Blue-- some sort of immediate danger that Blue noticed before he did. It takes him a second to realize that he's riding off of Blue's panic, not his own adrenaline. It's disorienting, trying to determine if there's a real threat or not. Quatre should have realized earlier, should have recognized that Blue's reaction was escalating so much more rapidly than his own was; it took him too long to notice that it's just Blue's emotions seizing the pit of his stomach in a nasty feedback loop.

Quatre fumbles with the leashes-- the dogs are well-trained enough not to run off on their own, though he can't claim to be thinking about it that consciously; one by one they realize that Blue is kneeling and upset and start sniffing at him in concern. Quatre tries to control his own breathing as he bends down towards Blue, reaching out to steady him.] Blue?

[halloflamer]

[It's uncharacteristically as if Blue doesn't see the dogs anymore; he shuts them out the same way he's shutting out everything else, rocking slightly on his heels and face screwed up against the outside.]

[Shrinking back from Quatre's touch, Blue's breath sharply draws in as he scrambles, body curled even further inward.]

DON'T TOUCH ME!! [He shrieks, voice rough as he holds back sobs.]

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[It's just as much the spike of panic as the shout itself that stops Quatre in his tracks; he takes another deep breath to steady himself before lowering his slightly shaking hand. He has to shut his eyes for a moment, thinking back to what he basics he'd learned from Anderson all those months ago to try to shut the foreign emotions out. It's harder when he was already caught off guard, when he's trying to build up a wall after already accepting it in.]

Blue, [he tries again, his eyes still squeezed shut, no attention to spare to try to keep the waver of fear out of his voice] I need you to calm down.

[halloflamer]

[It's no use; despite Quatre's steadiness, despite his pleas for calm, Blue seems to have shut out everything around him. Now it's only an internal world, memories playing over and over like a skipping record.]

[The dogs are whining and pacing nervously around both boys now, and trying to do what they've been trained to do- no jumping, no sudden barks, but just steady bodies pressed against them, offering warmth and companionship.]

[One of Blue's Pokéballs at his waist shudders and cracks open of its own volition, Eevee jumping out between the boys. He stands his ground in front of Quatre; a sharp but determined cry to let him handle this.]

[fource]

[Quatre's focusing so hard on trying to keep his surroundings out that he forgets about the dogs until one noses into his side in concern. He opens his eyes in surprise, giving the good boy a heartfelt ruffle before hugging his arm around its neck. He takes another breath to center himself, half holding himself up with the dog, before he nods at Eevee-- it's not as though he's in a position to insist even if he had an idea of how to help Blue...

Well, he might not know, but-- in a burst of inspiration, Quatre fumbles for his communicator. Having something conclusive to work towards helps him steady himself just the bit more, something to focus on other than the panic attack he's living courtesy of Blue. He's barely spoken to Red himself, but Blue talks about him enough.]

De Chima, the park where the shimmer was. Please help.

[versusseeker]

[Red accepts, of course, and Quatre's expression alone is enough to set him on edge. When he sees Blue, a switch flips in him. His expression goes cold and serious, echoing Quatre's terrified determination. He doesn't know what's going on, but he won't waste any time asking questions. He simply nods and cuts the feed.

[Not fifteen minutes later and he's swooping in low on Charizard (with very little warning, mind you). He takes a leap off the dragon before it even touches the ground, only inches from the crowd of dogs around Blue. He communicates something to them, but doesn't wait for them to move before crouching down close to his boyfriend, laying a hand on Blue's shoulder - he hesitates a bit before doing so. He doesn't know what might make something like this worse.]

Blue.

[His voice is soft but still louder than normal, low, gentle. Then, he glances back at Quatre and, lo and behold, he speaks again:] What happened?

momo

[fource]

[Between Quatre's busy schedule and Momo's even busier one, the two of them are rarely in the house at the same time. That changes a week or so into August. Quatre's suddenly around Heropa 12 a lot more often than he usually is-- still working around his work schedule and preparing for the test flight to Mars, but for the first time in a long while he's spending every night in Heropa. Quatre's cheerfully making tea in the kitchen (all of his cooking experiments have long since stopped, and most days he never seems to touch anything outside of the fridge), and since he can tell he's not alone in the house, he sets out a second mug.]

Hello! [he calls out cheerfully when Momo's in hailing distance.] Would you like some tea? The water's just boiling now.

[recommendations]

[ It's later in the afternoon when Momo gets back from Darin's forge, and she goes straight to the bathroom to shower all the sweat and soot from her body and hair. Only after that's done does she go to the kitchen in search of a snack. Which is where Quatre catches her with an offer of tea. ]

Hm? Oh, yes, please. That would be lovely. Thank you.

[ She grabs a protein bar from the cupboard and begins unwrapping it, taking a bite and chewing as she leans against the counter, waiting for the water to boil. ]

How have you been? We've both been so busy, it feels like we haven't had a chance to even say 'hello' to each other."

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[He drops a tea bag into the second cup with a smile.]

No kidding. I'm glad you've settled in so well. [It feels a little odd saying that as if he's been here for so much longer than her instead of just a few weeks, but he's committing to it anyway!] Busy is the right word for it... were you safe, with everything that was going on last month?

[recommendations]

Thank you. [ It is a bit strange to think that she hasn't been here that long, and yet she's so entrenched in activities to be a part of.

She nods, putting her protein bar down on the kitchen counter while she talks. ]

I was. I avoided the riots mostly, and stayed outside of the... event, in De Chima. Deku went in, but I stayed behind to coordinate with rescue professionals.

[ She laughs, then, bright and bubbly. ] In between, I was five years old for a week. That was rather strange!

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[He sobers slightly when she brings up the shimmer, nodding seriously.] It was terrible, what happened over there. My workplace wasn't impacted directly, but the entire city is nervous now, and I can't say I blame them.

[But turning into a child again is a more lighthearted line of conversation, so he smiles back at her.] Were you really? I had no idea! It missed me somehow, but it seems like half the people I know were younger. [Including his best friend; it was nice to spend time with a Duo who was his age again. He'd spent so long getting Duo caught up with this world that he didn't bother going back to Heropa at all that week. And now Duo was gone entirely... He turns to fiddle with the tea kettle, which sounded on the edge of boiling, to try to let the wistful look pass without Momo noticing.] You weren't alone, were you? This house probably isn't the best place for a five year old.

[recommendations]

Yes. It really was horrible. [ She looks down at her hands where they grip the countertop. She clenches them tighter, then releases. It's important to respect the lives lost without getting too consumed by grief. What's important is how you move forward from tragedy. ] The Justice League is on high alert. That's part of why I've been busier than usual lately.

[ She gladly takes the change in conversation, however, smiling up at Quatre and shaking her head. ] No, I was taken in by Chauncy Anderson. I don't know if you know him? He's a lawyer in Maurtia Falls. I was lucky that I still had my memories from being older, but there was another boy who didn't remember anything.

[ That reminds her, she ought to seek out 622 to see how he's doing. ]

[fource]

[The kettle starts to whistle, but Quatre needs to take a second before he grabs it; when she forces herself to relax, he breathes his own tiny sigh of relief and reaches for the kettle. He's learned the hard way to be careful handling fragile or dangerous objects when other people experience temporary surges of emotion like that-- Kaneki's coffee shop is missing a few cups already.]

He was the one who was concerned about minor imPorts, right? [he asks as he pours out the cups. That stuck out in Quatre's mind just because it was so unfamiliar-- it certainly made sense for children, especially a five year old (but even then, did it still count if the five year old remembered being fifteen?) but it's still strange for someone to be so worried about people his age.] I've never spoken to him, but I'm glad he was able to help. I spent the entire week trying to explain this world to people who didn't remember being here, so it's lucky that you did. Can I ask-- was it strange being a child again? What was it like to remember being an adult before?

[recommendations]

Yes, that's him.

[ She accepts the cup, blowing on it lightly and just holding it in her hands, letting the heat seep through the ceramic into her skin. It feels good. Grounding, in a way. No matter how strange this world gets, she can always count on tea to make her feel better. ]

It was strange. I still had the memories of a fifteen year old me, but I had all the reasoning, instincts, and brain power of a five year old. All I wanted was to play with the other boy, or make him feel happy, because he didn't know where he was and he was scared.

[fource]

I can't even imagine. [What would it be like to be that young again? Quatre can't even remember properly if he was as irritating at 5 as he was at 13; he's quietly very glad he didn't have to find out. Still, it doesn't surprise him to hear that Momo was so considerate of the other boy. He smiles slightly wistfully-- he can't say he would have been the same at that age.] But it's very kind of you to look out for him. Do you have any idea who he is? It was another imPort, right?

[recommendations]

His name was TK-622. [ An odd name, to be sure, and surely one that has some story behind its oddity, but Momo hadn't pressed at the time. ] Yes, he was an imPort. You know... I really ought to seek him out and make sure he's doing alright.

[ She sighs, smiling faintly in a self effacing way. ] It's just been so busy since then. What with the Shimmer, and the flooding in Maurtia Falls recently...

lester papadawwwpolos

[fource]

[The bad thing about having an empath friend is that they can't not know when something is bothering you. But hey, maybe that's also the good thing about having an empath friend?

In any case, it's only a matter of time before Quatre picks up on a pang of... something like grief, something with a familiar edge to it, like he knows the emotion or the person feeling it or both. He's not capable of untangling the specifics from a distance like this, but he pauses in the middle of the sidewalk when he feels it, frowning to himself as he rests his hand on his heart.

About twenty minutes later, he's tracked down the source of the feeling, and also stopped by a convenience store on the way. He knocks on Lester's door with a small smile and a plastic bag full of snacks (mostly the snacks they had in New York; he defaulted for the things he's seen Lester eat before). His hand is still on his heart (he doesn't seem to notice that it's there), but otherwise he just acts like it's a given that he's here when the door opens, smile widening in greeting as he hefts the bag up for Lester to see.]

[lesterzeppelin]

[ He hadn't been expecting company. If he had, Lester would've cleaned up his appearance. His shirt is way too long, almost hiding his shorts, his scuffed sandals have seen better days, and he sure hasn't shaved in a while. (Not that a teenager like him has much facial hair, even with skipped days.)

But his eyes light up as he sees who's on the other side of the door, and he steps to the side immediately to let him in. ]

Quatre! Hey. [ It must've been obvious that he was feeling down, though... he thought he hadn't texted Quatre about it just yet... ] Come on in, and uh, don't worry about - [ the way I look ] the mess.

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[It's obvious that he caught Lester off guard, so Quatre's smile turns slightly sheepish.] It's fine. Sorry for coming over unannounced. I was just in the neighborhood. [Well, in the neighborhood when he started picking up what Lester's heart was putting down, anyway. Once he's invited in, he heads straight for the kitchen (all these Heropa houses have the same layout, so he doesn't even hesitate) to start laying out the snacks on the counter with a self-assured confidence like he helps himself into other people's houses all the time, no matter what state they're in.] Do you have a tea kettle? [he asks, pulling out a box of teabags and considering them in his hand like he's second-guessing this purchase decision.] I suppose I should have checked first. [Before initiating an unasked-for snack run.]

[lesterzeppelin]

[ Just in the neighborhood, he says. Lester feels like there's more to the story than that, but he doesn't hesitate to pull out the fancy electronic tea kettle he bought months ago. ]

Sure do. [ he plugs it in, stepping aside so Quatre can do whatever magic he feels like. ] But no, you're fine. Wasn't exactly like I was planning on leaving the house...

[ Or well, doing anything of grave importance. ]

[fource]

Oh, this is a nice one! [Quatre says appreciatively, taking a second to admire the kettle before busying himself with preparing the water.] Mm, if you don't feel like leaving, we can stay in the house. Don't worry about that.

[He says this as matter-of-factly as if he and Lester had made plans to spend time together today, like it was just a given that they'd do whatever Lester felt like doing.]

Or I can pick up one of the dogs from work and bring them over, if you'd rather do that!