samsa | 007 | Text/Action for Goldenrod

[Text]

[There have no doubt been plenty of people broadcasting their displeasure at the appearance of these creatures that have shown up, and even more talking about strange changes that have suddenly begun to take over their bodies within the last day or so. With each passing hour, the affliction seems to have affected more and more trainers.

At this point, though, Kaneki isn't interested in complaining about the situation on the Network, so he instead has a different question to ask.]

How long do you think this will last?

[That's assuming, of course, if this will even wear off...]

[Action near the edge of the city]

[Staying indoors is a solution that can only last for so long when your body is rapidly changing beyond your control. It started slowly as all things like this seem to at first, beginning with his aching leg and traveling outward from there to the rest of his body. While it wasn't particularly painful any more than the cut had been, it was an ache that settled into his bones in a way that was a little too familiar for his liking.

It wasn't like he had a whole lot of time to think about what was happening, at any rate. His first reaction to the change was initially to contact someone, but that never made it past being just a thought. For some reason, talking to anyone while like this was too daunting to think about, so he didn't. By now, though, he's wondering if maybe that wasn't the best idea.

Kaneki eventually has to leave his hotel room and wander outside thanks to a myriad of tentacles that now protrude from his shoulders and back, making it difficult to avoid undue property damage from being indoors. Not to mention the thick, purple substance that occasionally drips off of them, only to hiss and sizzle wherever it lands. At least going outside closer to dusk and away from the town's center made it less likely that he'd be spotted...maybe. None of his Pokemon are out with him, either, all either in their balls or back in his room. His Gear was left behind as well, so anyone trying to reach him right now won't get a response.

But now that he's out here...he honestly doesn't know what to do. He's had a day or so to actually quietly panic about the situation in private as the changes really took shape, leaving him at a bit of a loss afterwards. He doesn't want to be alone, not really...but he hasn't even gotten to a mirror to see what he looks like. He can't imagine it's good, and just not knowing for sure has his hands (which are blessedly still intact, compared to some) shaking a little at his sides, particularly when he lifts one up to hesitantly run his fingertips along the hard substance that has grown from the crown of his head down over his forehead and the bridge of his nose. It doesn't help that the growth has made it significantly harder to see in any direction that isn't straight on or slightly to either side, meaning that he wouldn't even be able to see if someone decided to approach from behind.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Mm...more like a jellyfish. I still have my arms and legs, but...just these to deal with all of a sudden.

_{[There's a pause for a moment, but then well.]}

I have a tail.

It's really weird.

[...oh dear.]

Ah...I can imagine. It doesn't hurt, does it?

No.

It's blue.

Well...that narrows down the kinds of Pokemon it could be from, doesn't it?

[KANEKI YOU ARE NOT HELPING]

_{[SHE WOULD BE STICKING HER TONGUE OUT IF THIS WAS VIDEO, GOOD SIR]}

Sure. It's one of the Eevees, I think.

And I bet you're a Tentacool cause nothing else has tentacles.

Close. Tentacruel, actually. I've got the, um...

[He ends up miming the shape of the hard mask over his face before realizing that, again, this is not video.]

...beak thing that it has.

... not on your mouth, right?

Cause you don't sound different.

Not on it, no. It's more like a mask that's grown over my face.

All of it?

Part of it. It's a little hard to see, but it doesn't hurt or anything. ...it's a little heavy, though.

Can I see?

_{[She sounds a little wary, but she'd rather know what he looks like than not.]}

[There's a pause and a little shifting on his end before he answers.]

Yeah. Give me a minute.

[He sends her the same picture that he sent Tsukiyama earlier. His eyes- which almost seem to glow white behind the mask- aren't very visible, though the many tentacles coming out of his shoulders definitely are.]

_{[It's a good thing they're not on video, cause she does recoil a little. He looks scary. And she had been prepared for that, or well, she thought so, but it's still really unnerving to see him like this.]

[So there's a pause on her end too. Then, cautiously,]}

I don't like it.

I don't either, Molly-san.

I'm hoping it will wear off soon. ...or...there will be some sort of cure for it.

Someone will come up with one.

_{[She says that with a surprising conviction.]}

You're right. We'll just have to be patient until then, right?

007 | Text/Action for Goldenrod

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio]