[Yukinosuke can sit and read in peace for a while, but eventually, the little clown skitters into the room. Literally, it's on all fours. Or rather, all eights??? Rosemary has grown two extra sets of arms.
Also, as it stands up, there seems to be six dots, three under each eye, that might be more eyes?
The lower set of arms plants on its hips while the upper two cross over its chest.]
Good grief, why are so many of you coming in here? You guys know this is a morgue, right?
He's probably pulled out a student chair to sit at, and he looks rather fluffy in general - and he fluffs up, feathers to Ghibli hair, surprised, a little more when Rosemary. skitters in. Horror movie jumpscare,
He rises, closing his book and gently setting it on the desk with a slight bow. He seems a little more 🥺 than usual... somehow. )
Good evening, Ser Rosemary. I apologize for troubling you, but that is rather why I am here . . . Have you been well?
I'm fine! I just wasn't prepared for everyone to get access to this building... So many of you have come in here and moved my things around! I didn't think you'd all be interested in a morgue! What if there'd been a cadaver in here!
[Rosemary doesn't seem upset so much as slightly exasperated.]
( Even so, Yuki seems a little softer in face of exasperation. Don't hate me... )
Do you worry about scaring us? Or only for interfering with your work?
( Though he supposes that doesn't change that they've rifled through their stuff. He dips his head, apologetic. )
I will apologize for my part in it. I came in with a group that did investigate the morgue, though we did not realize you had made it your base at first. And I do apologize for troubling you now. I had... queries, but... if there is first a way I can make up to you for all this, I would be happy to do so.
[Rosemary seems to settle a bit at Yuki's demeanor.]
Mm... not worried so much as I thought it would dissuade you guys from coming here. None of my supplies were taken, so it's more just odd than inconvenient that they were handled and moved.
But don't worry, this isn't my base of operations, just one of my workrooms! That said... Hmm... You can ask me whatever you want if I can sit on your lap.
( He's from before this era of slang but he gets the gist probably. Maybe. Weird as their scuttling may be, and as many questions as it may beg, he's dealt with a number of strange dolls in his time, so this is probably less weird than if Rosemary were flesh.
Safely securing them in hai arms, he will return them to the desk he'd just been sitting at, his his book atop it, turning the chair out so Rosemary has ample lap space. His wings stretch and drag against the floor some, so they aren't troubled by the chair back. )
Please, make yourself comfortable. And I will apologize again for my part in going through your things.
( Does he mention Siffrin took some things, or that he read their notes... Hmmm... Maybe not right now... )
But it is because we went through a number of things that we saw quite a few mentions from students and teachers about a certain disease. One that seems... uncomfortably reminiscent to what affects us... and you as well, if this is what has altered your puppet?
Given you've almost certainly done your own research into it, I was hoping you might be willing to share some insight.
Even if Mr Gut might've been a bad person, we should still respect the rest of the dead. I wish I could've given him a proper burial...
[SIGH. Anyway.]
But yes, it seems whoever lived here before we came also dealt with the same disease that is affecting the worlds me, Sage, Foxglove, and Lobelia came from.
But don't worry! Like with Mr Gut, I don't think it's the same. The monstrous transformations with the disease seem to come on suddenly, more fully, and much less cute. Plus nobody seems to be losing their mind.
I am surprised it even spread to our puppets, but it's a bit fun! Though my extra arms are less cute than Rosemary's. And your wings are so pretty, Yukinosuke.
( Well, it's a relief this isn't that, but... Anyway, whatever he was going to say is completely derailed by the compliment. )
Why, I thank you very much, Ser Rosemary. I'm certain your arms are just as cute as your puppets. I need not see it to know.
( it sounds empty but he means it very seriously!! HE SEES IT WITH HIS MINDS EYE which is not at all influenced by being number eight on a rankings list, )
I can't imagine why chitinous would be bad on you . . .
( He clearly knows what the word means, but like? it's fine? obviously it's fine however you are.
wait right business )
Right, you said this same disease was affecting all of your homes... independently? Individuals were losing their minds and turning into monsters...? Were there any other symptoms to consider - ways that it seemed to spread?
I think Foxglove was focusing on disease transmission, they'd know more. The only other thing I can think to note is aggression. That's why we're especially concerned in keeping an eye on if it starts happening here. Even if you don't catch it you're in danger.
Ah, that's a relief. Hopefully, the situation stays as such.
( lol )
Really, I mostly wanted to help keep an eye on our people as well. I think everyone would be interested in being aware of what symptoms to be mindful of . . . Though, if I may . . . is there a chance the disease has spread beyond simply the homes of you four?
( This was floated during trial, which is uhhh not great )
I suppose it's not impossible... But I don't see why you'd all arrive here with no memory of it. It had been ongoing for several months back home before I actually came here.
... He squeeze one of Rosemary's little puppet hands (one of the ones they normally have, if possible). He sounds genuinely hurt for them. )
... I'm sorry.
( Because what else is there to say, what else there is to feel? There must be forward progress, yes, but - knowing you've got to continue on doesn't make the loss any less. )
... I am glad you are not alone in your grief, if nothing else. You have three friends who might grieve with you.
... I do hope so, as well. ( ... ) It's something I'm certain we can achieve with time, the more we speak, and the more we come to know each other, and our character.
( ... )
... So I will say... though perhaps it isn't the same, I lost someone dear to me to corruption before I found myself here. Two, in a sense. So I do understand a little bit of what it's like.
( And a third he'll also never see again ... but Ageha is a category separate from Leo and Choushichirou. Choushichirou was overachieving with his second death, but Leo...
Still, he hasn't mentioned this to anyone yet. It hasn't really come up, and it's not easy to mention. But it seems ... fair to return this, when it probably wasn't easy for Rosemary to talk about, either. )
( Heavens forbid. The mere thought of that happening to Leo gives him heart palpitations. )
... My twin and I are mediums for purification. In purifying corruption - sadness, abuse, anger - of dolls, we filter it through ourselves and that residue remains. I, myself, was nearly lost to that corruption once, before I was saved by my master. But, my twin...
( ... )
... I suppose you could say the corruption gave way for a much more vengeful spirit to make its home within him. I... had no choice. There was no way to purify him without... his death.
( Yuki's revoice remains calm, if a touch ... faltering, but it's in his hand that a slight tremble is most apparent. The same soul divided, made of the same clay. His other half, his mirror, his brother ...
A slight pivot, as if he didn't realize how tender he'd be trying to recount this: )
... I do not know if this story is useful to you, but... perhaps weakness of the heart can be a factor. It was here, at least.
( Yuki fell first because he was weak, and Leo fell because this was an endurance run they were both meant to lose eventually. A healthy body worn down over time, so to speak. )
[What are you supposed to say to someone when they basically admit to you they had to kill their own brother? To most people, that's a harrowing situation to be in. Rosemary, meanwhile, pats Yuki's arm with its little clown hand.]
Sometimes, death is the greatest gift we can give to someone. I think it was brave and kind of you to free him from his suffering.
I used to work as an assassin. Once, I took a job that required me to break into a highly guarded VIP hospital suite. Inside I found a young girl. She'd spent most of her chronically ill life in that room, being forced by her rich parents to undergo all sorts of treatments to prolong her life. There was no cure. She had used all the money she had to her name to pay me to kill her.
( There's a visible furrow of Yuki's brow when Rosemary defines themself as an assassin (if a former one) - much like with Beryl (hi Caitie), Yuki Does Not Approve. But there is a distinct difference here that stays his judgment so Rosemary might continue: first, Rosemary likes him relative to the other people here (the hotness rankings), whatever the metrics actually are (Yuki doesn't know what factors were taken into consideration and they don't super matter) - second, he's gotten to experience Rosemary a little bit more than he did before learning Beryl's profession.
Thus, while his lips purse, he does hear out Rosemary's tale - as startling and tragic as it is. )
... That's... horrible. Were... all your tasks of that nature?
( Robin Hood assassinations..........,,,,,,,,,????????? Frankly the idea of an ethical assassin is really testing him right now. )
No. Most of them weren't. I spent years wondering why I couldn't find fulfillment in the family trade... That one really woke me up. I realized I wasn't interested in loveless killing.
[It leans back against Yuki, comfy.]
My family was a bit taken aback when I told them I wanted to change careers, but eventually they understood.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
W1, Tuesday
Also, as it stands up, there seems to be six dots, three under each eye, that might be more eyes?
The lower set of arms plants on its hips while the upper two cross over its chest.]
Good grief, why are so many of you coming in here? You guys know this is a morgue, right?
[It seems slightly peeved but it is here.]
no subject
He's probably pulled out a student chair to sit at, and he looks rather fluffy in general - and he fluffs up, feathers to Ghibli hair, surprised, a little more when Rosemary. skitters in. Horror movie jumpscare,
He rises, closing his book and gently setting it on the desk with a slight bow. He seems a little more 🥺 than usual... somehow. )
Good evening, Ser Rosemary. I apologize for troubling you, but that is rather why I am here . . . Have you been well?
no subject
I'm fine! I just wasn't prepared for everyone to get access to this building... So many of you have come in here and moved my things around! I didn't think you'd all be interested in a morgue! What if there'd been a cadaver in here!
[Rosemary doesn't seem upset so much as slightly exasperated.]
no subject
Do you worry about scaring us? Or only for interfering with your work?
( Though he supposes that doesn't change that they've rifled through their stuff. He dips his head, apologetic. )
I will apologize for my part in it. I came in with a group that did investigate the morgue, though we did not realize you had made it your base at first. And I do apologize for troubling you now. I had... queries, but... if there is first a way I can make up to you for all this, I would be happy to do so.
no subject
Mm... not worried so much as I thought it would dissuade you guys from coming here. None of my supplies were taken, so it's more just odd than inconvenient that they were handled and moved.
But don't worry, this isn't my base of operations, just one of my workrooms! That said... Hmm... You can ask me whatever you want if I can sit on your lap.
no subject
Yes, of course. Which chair should we sit at?
( He comes over to kneel down before them, offering his hands so he might pick them up and take them to wherever. )
If I may.
no subject
Hmm... Any of the chairs at desks besides the ones around the slab I did the autopsy on... Obviously I cleaned it well but you know. Vibes.
no subject
( He's from before this era of slang but he gets the gist probably. Maybe. Weird as their scuttling may be, and as many questions as it may beg, he's dealt with a number of strange dolls in his time, so this is probably less weird than if Rosemary were flesh.
Safely securing them in hai arms, he will return them to the desk he'd just been sitting at, his his book atop it, turning the chair out so Rosemary has ample lap space. His wings stretch and drag against the floor some, so they aren't troubled by the chair back. )
Please, make yourself comfortable. And I will apologize again for my part in going through your things.
( Does he mention Siffrin took some things, or that he read their notes... Hmmm... Maybe not right now... )
But it is because we went through a number of things that we saw quite a few mentions from students and teachers about a certain disease. One that seems... uncomfortably reminiscent to what affects us... and you as well, if this is what has altered your puppet?
Given you've almost certainly done your own research into it, I was hoping you might be willing to share some insight.
no subject
Even if Mr Gut might've been a bad person, we should still respect the rest of the dead. I wish I could've given him a proper burial...
[SIGH. Anyway.]
But yes, it seems whoever lived here before we came also dealt with the same disease that is affecting the worlds me, Sage, Foxglove, and Lobelia came from.
But don't worry! Like with Mr Gut, I don't think it's the same. The monstrous transformations with the disease seem to come on suddenly, more fully, and much less cute. Plus nobody seems to be losing their mind.
I am surprised it even spread to our puppets, but it's a bit fun! Though my extra arms are less cute than Rosemary's. And your wings are so pretty, Yukinosuke.
no subject
Why, I thank you very much, Ser Rosemary. I'm certain your arms are just as cute as your puppets. I need not see it to know.
( it sounds empty but he means it very seriously!! HE SEES IT WITH HIS MINDS EYE which is not at all influenced by being number eight on a rankings list, )
no subject
Well they're much more chitinous!! It does compliment my wardrobe at least.
Was there anything else you wanted to ask about from what you found?
no subject
I can't imagine why chitinous would be bad on you . . .
( He clearly knows what the word means, but like? it's fine? obviously it's fine however you are.
wait right business )
Right, you said this same disease was affecting all of your homes... independently? Individuals were losing their minds and turning into monsters...? Were there any other symptoms to consider - ways that it seemed to spread?
no subject
I think Foxglove was focusing on disease transmission, they'd know more. The only other thing I can think to note is aggression. That's why we're especially concerned in keeping an eye on if it starts happening here. Even if you don't catch it you're in danger.
no subject
( Mmmm... noted... )
Did you find evidence of this disease when inspecting Ser Gut's body? Or was it truly his magecraft at work?
( Rosemary did say they're not familiar with magic, but surely they can verify if it was the disease at work here or not . . . right, )
no subject
[But Rosemary shakes its head.]
I don't know how to detect magecraft but that's my theory if only because it didn't show any evidence of the disease, yeah.
no subject
( lol )
Really, I mostly wanted to help keep an eye on our people as well. I think everyone would be interested in being aware of what symptoms to be mindful of . . . Though, if I may . . . is there a chance the disease has spread beyond simply the homes of you four?
( This was floated during trial, which is uhhh not great )
no subject
no subject
But that four of you encountered it must suggest it's spreading, somehow. ( Not refuting Rosemary, but just pondering aloud. ) Still, that's . . .
( ... )
... That must have been difficult, and horrifying. Though this is not the most ideal circumstance . . . I am glad you did not fall victim to it.
no subject
[Rosemary looks down at its feet.]
Some of my friends already fell victim to it. Even if I find a cure... It won't bring them back.
no subject
He's just going to have to hope.
... He squeeze one of Rosemary's little puppet hands (one of the ones they normally have, if possible). He sounds genuinely hurt for them. )
... I'm sorry.
( Because what else is there to say, what else there is to feel? There must be forward progress, yes, but - knowing you've got to continue on doesn't make the loss any less. )
... I am glad you are not alone in your grief, if nothing else. You have three friends who might grieve with you.
( Who know what it's like, he can only assume. )
no subject
It is lucky. It would be a lot harder to do all this if I were alone.
[It pats Yuki's hand with another free hand.]
But you all have been relatively kind as well! I hope we can continue to improve this relationship. The more the merrier as they say.
no subject
... I do hope so, as well. ( ... ) It's something I'm certain we can achieve with time, the more we speak, and the more we come to know each other, and our character.
( ... )
... So I will say... though perhaps it isn't the same, I lost someone dear to me to corruption before I found myself here. Two, in a sense. So I do understand a little bit of what it's like.
( And a third he'll also never see again ... but Ageha is a category separate from Leo and Choushichirou. Choushichirou was overachieving with his second death, but Leo...
Still, he hasn't mentioned this to anyone yet. It hasn't really come up, and it's not easy to mention. But it seems ... fair to return this, when it probably wasn't easy for Rosemary to talk about, either. )
no subject
Oh? Not... not at all similar to a disease, was it?
no subject
( Heavens forbid. The mere thought of that happening to Leo gives him heart palpitations. )
... My twin and I are mediums for purification. In purifying corruption - sadness, abuse, anger - of dolls, we filter it through ourselves and that residue remains. I, myself, was nearly lost to that corruption once, before I was saved by my master. But, my twin...
( ... )
... I suppose you could say the corruption gave way for a much more vengeful spirit to make its home within him. I... had no choice. There was no way to purify him without... his death.
( Yuki's revoice remains calm, if a touch ... faltering, but it's in his hand that a slight tremble is most apparent. The same soul divided, made of the same clay. His other half, his mirror, his brother ...
A slight pivot, as if he didn't realize how tender he'd be trying to recount this: )
... I do not know if this story is useful to you, but... perhaps weakness of the heart can be a factor. It was here, at least.
( Yuki fell first because he was weak, and Leo fell because this was an endurance run they were both meant to lose eventually. A healthy body worn down over time, so to speak. )
no subject
Sometimes, death is the greatest gift we can give to someone. I think it was brave and kind of you to free him from his suffering.
no subject
( Still... Rosemary has said ... things about death before, haven't they. )
... Do you truly believe that? That death is a kindness?
no subject
It can be. I...
[It hesitates.]
I used to work as an assassin. Once, I took a job that required me to break into a highly guarded VIP hospital suite. Inside I found a young girl. She'd spent most of her chronically ill life in that room, being forced by her rich parents to undergo all sorts of treatments to prolong her life. There was no cure. She had used all the money she had to her name to pay me to kill her.
no subject
Thus, while his lips purse, he does hear out Rosemary's tale - as startling and tragic as it is. )
... That's... horrible. Were... all your tasks of that nature?
( Robin Hood assassinations..........,,,,,,,,,????????? Frankly the idea of an ethical assassin is really testing him right now. )
no subject
No. Most of them weren't. I spent years wondering why I couldn't find fulfillment in the family trade... That one really woke me up. I realized I wasn't interested in loveless killing.
[It leans back against Yuki, comfy.]
My family was a bit taken aback when I told them I wanted to change careers, but eventually they understood.
no subject
Ok but on top of that, "loveless".................? Pin in that,
Well, he allows the lean. )
... And what did you change your career to?