Let's go in the garden...

[sticksandbonesmods]

Who: Add and the Claimed
What: Where's Add been?
When: Between his disappearance and reappearance
Where: The Garden
Warnings: body horror, parasitism, death, hallucinations

Comments

[harmacy]

[Dynamo beeps weakly, shuddering in her hands, but it manages to float itself up into the air. It struggles for a few moments longer before severing the mental link—when it comes to delicate operations like this, it only makes sense to remove any chance for human error. It evens out its hover, checking power reserves, assessing the patient's condition...

All Nene needs to do is put the vial into Dynamo, and the drone will gladly guide her hand. Just one little jab that Add barely even notices. A simple, routine procedure.

He tries again to breathe, counting down from one eighty, one seventy nine, one seventy eight... time blurs together, but now that relief is within sight, it's easier to pull himself together. just a little more, just a little longer, hand held tightly in his own...]

We shouldn't linger. [his voice wavers, but even if he could stay and wait for the painkiller to set in... he can feel the eyes of the forest all around, the rattle of branches, a distant howl. he doesn't want to stay any longer than he has to. he wants this nightmare to end.

He tries to stand again, hand pressed to the bloody mess on his face. Dynamo supports the side opposite of Nene, for as little as it can do in its current state.] How much further... quickly...

[mermaidcursed]

( nene puts her other hand over his once dynamo begins to move. she only stops to carry dynamo once more in her free hand before they start to stand again, though her legs feel like jelly despite being the safest person in all the forest. she nods, and when she speaks her voice is shaky- )

I can't say for sure. But I'll lead you there as fast as I can. I promise.

( she doesn't take time to talk this time around, only leading add through the fog and mist of the early morning. how long does it take to travel? it might feel like minutes. it might feel like hours. it might feel like days. even she doesn't know, though add will feel no more tired than when the journey began, at least.

eventually the fog breaks, and the grove is visible. things are different. lanterns hang from different posts. there's a giant turtle resting by the well. a new building has appeared.

and a field of unusually large flowers all turn their heads to look upon the new arrivals. they dare not reach for the forest's beloved or her charge, though. )

[harmacy]

[No more tired, but does it matter when he's already exhausted—physically, mentally? He moves with purpose but his steps are even more unsteady, like he's ready to collapse at any moment. Every little misstep, every stumble or slip makes his heart jump into his throat, ready for the worst, ready for the forest to come back and finish him off—

it doesn't (thank El it doesn't) and the painkillers do, eventually, start to kick in. The pain dulls to a distant throb... he's in no better shape, but at least he can keep going. He can ignore the pain, shuffle it off to a low-priority corner of his mind. How much further, how much longer...

The forest finally opens up, and his chest aches with something that isn't pain or fear. He wants to collapse onto his knees then and there, dig his fingers into the dirt... but Nene's hand is still firmly grasping his own. He allows himself a sigh, tiredly forcing his feet to march forward. The strange flowers barely even register in his mind, too focused on the singular task of getting back to his room where it might be safe.

... he hasn't asked yet if she'll stay. At this point, he almost doesn't want to.]

[mermaidcursed]

( she's not making any effort to split away, at least- nene ignores the new building entirely, gently tugging him to the inn. it's quiet, painfully so- is everyone in bed right now? hopefully they won't run into anyone in the hallways. )

Um- which one's yours? I didn't get to learn a lot from my Momma, but she did teach me a few things to help...