.

[rehandle]

Comments

[rehandle]

It's early days, there are still some issues to iron out. They'll make a reappearance eventually.

[unconscionable]

Do they count for your zadza purging? Or is that not an issue.

[rehandle]

Undetermined, but probably not. More skill development than recreation.

I have failsafes in place this time.

[unconscionable]

That don't involve showing up at the clinic with your monster half out?

[rehandle]

[ Ah. ]

That avoid that, yeah.

[unconscionable]

Good.

—I'm not trying to warn you off or anything, just to- just to be clear. Only teasing.

[rehandle]

I got it.

[ But the encounter's been evoked, so in the name of clarity - ]

It was dangerous of me to go there when I did. I won't be doing that again if I can help it.

[unconscionable]

Maybe time just swing by the cabin.

[ So he can wATCH— ]

[rehandle]

I'll send a triplet sometime. See if I can go long distance.

[ No he won't, but it's an easy redirect. ]

[unconscionable]

Maybe after ResDay/Xmas/Yule, I'm trying to find out why my mark changed.

[rehandle]

[ Changed. ]

What kind of change?

[unconscionable]

Red coffin to black triangle. The one the locals call Niez.

[rehandle]

[ Niez. The symbol stamped into the back of his own right hand. ]

And you're following it through to transformation?

[unconscionable]

Hopefully not all the way. Version 1.0 inflicted radiation sickness on people around me, so if there's any sign of that, I'll stop.

[rehandle]

You have something in place for if it goes too far?

[unconscionable]

I have House and Danny.

[ Between them they have the two possible solutions to transformation pretty covered. ]

[rehandle]

If you get the timing right, sure. Just don't let curiosity kill the cat.

[unconscionable]

I think House is planning to catalogue my symptoms by the hour or something equally insane. If it turns out I'm just turning into Skeletor again, we'll stop.

cw: references to temporary blindness, body horror

[rehandle]

And if it's something else?

[ Concern from a man who pushed it far too close for comfort last month. His motivation had been pride and fear rather than research, but he knows exactly how easy it is to think you're doing fine only to turn a corner and abruptly find yourself blind, something clawing with blunt fingers at your insides, looking for a way out.

He should be straightforward. ]

I'm on call if things go sideways.

[unconscionable]

You do strike me as the type of guy who just gets called in to fix a situation.

Generally I'm pretty confident in Danny's ability to kill me, but if things go really badly and you get called in as reinforcement, don't bring my body to town, I can come back on my own.

[rehandle]

It's been known to happen.

"Generally"? Does he need to kill you often? [ Light, believe it or not. Though that doesn't exactly seem out of the question here. As to the rest... ] Noted. Perks of being a necromancer?

[unconscionable]

Perks of being Papatūānuku's special little guy.

[ It's a proper noun, so like any name it doesn't auto-translate, but Stephen might know it's the Māori mother earth figure. ]

Since we're talking about existential terror; Zlatka spent a few weeks figuring out how my immortality works and I'm pretty sure she can turn it off if she wants to.

[ The main reason he's recused himself from local politics. ]

[rehandle]

[ Intrigue bleeds into horror. There's likely something practical to say here, but the first thing that comes to mind is: ]

I'm sorry.

cw: vague suicidality

[unconscionable]

It's fine. Kind of appealing if I'm being honest. It's been a long time.

[rehandle]

Mortality does have its perks.

[ When it sticks. ]

How old are you?