higanbana | week 1, night 1

I was screaming because it's wrong, because it— [She's struggling against King, and while he is but a corgi, she's also a noodle herself. This might be the one person on this train capable of losing a fight with a small dog.] Let go of me!

[She won't be able to answer Mithos until she finally wrenches herself out of King's grasp and scrambles a bit away from him.]

It's... it's not... [There are tears welling at the corner of her eyes. ...Well, her functional eye. The concerning one doesn't seem to function that way.] I don't have an eye there! I've had a migraine all day, I was going to take out the glass eye and see if that helped, but then there was something in there and it's not supposed to be, and—

[Yep, the panicking has just gone to full crying now. Apologies to the smalls.]

Get it out!

[~~That’s really sad~~ But she does manage to break out of his grasp, having loosened it when thinking he should let go.

Hearing this out makes him feel a bit more panicked, though, because so much of that is concerning that a weird part of him is telling him to give her a hug. He’s ignoring it, though, and trying to think quickly about what to do.]

Okay, okay, so you somehow...grew a eye that is hurting you, and we need to fix it...

Tell me right now if it hurts to try and get it out. That needs to be answered now.

[He has an idea that he hates, but he’s pretty sure he needs to talk it out, at least.]

[ Mithos feels himself panicking a little himself but ... breath. There's already one (two?) beings here panicking he can't be doing so himself!

It .. sounds like King has an idea and while Mithos doesn't know exactly what he could be thinking he could only be asking that for one reason. And really it ... sounds like it might be the only option as ... terrible as it seems but if it helps. ]

... Also, would you be okay once we take it out? Or do we ... need to find something to put in its place.

[ A quick glance doesn't give him anything that could be an eye glass. So he wants to make sure that if they ... actually go through with it that it'll actually help stop her suffering. Even though he's trying not to think too much about just how wrong this all feels. ]

I don't know! You two came in before I could try, and... even if it does hurt, it's fine! I've been through it before!

[w e l p]

I-it doesn't need anything else in there, I just put it in normally because it feels more normal to me... but having nothing would be better than this...!

[Sorry about Ris' everything, you two.]

[…

why

why oh why

could it not just be for #aesthetic]

Okay, okay, then I could...I could try to get it out, if you need me to, but you'd have to tell me if it hurt too much! If it hurts too much to get it out, it might need to stay in there.

[He's clearly not thrilled with that idea, but he really doesn't want to put this girl through any more pain than she's apparently already been through.]

[ Mithos isn't ... thrilled either. In fact he almost wants to re-evaluate this idea. But seeing Ris like this is painful, and if it's .. something she's been through before (which is really concerning but maybe that's a topic for another time) then maybe it'll be okay.

With that he glances at King ]

How do you plan on ... getting it out.

[ Sticking your paws into her eyes doesn't sound like a good idea at. all. ]

[Ris freezes up at the suggestion. She ought to have known it was coming, but...

She is being asked to trust someone else with this part of her, again. As it is, having his paw around her wrist earlier was enough to set her heart racing wild, the idea of entrusting him – either of them – with something more is just...

...

But she doesn't have much of a choice, does she? They won't let her do it herself, and she knows she doesn't have the power to fight both of them off. It hurts, it's wrong, and she wants it gone.]

...i-in the armaments car. There should be some saline at least you can use for a disinfectant... the kitchen might have implements if you need them...

[She's shaking like a leaf, but that sure is implicit permission.]

[~~HOORAY???~~

King turns to Mithos, trying not to sound harsh, but still sounding on edge.]

Do you think you can get that stuff from the armaments car? I'll get the stuff from the kitchen so I can wash my hands.

[Turning back to Ris before Mithos can answer.]

Can you wait for a minute while we get those things?

[He is trying very hard to not go back to panicking, and it's...sort of working?]

[ Mithos doesn't mind. As ... uncomfortable as this situation is Mithos seems to be staying calm.

... On the outside anyways.

He'll turn to Ris as well since King had already turned his attention to her. No need to respond if King already knows he's willing to go but-- ]

Are you .. sure you're alright with this?

[ He needs to make sure before they move to go get the items. It seems they have her permission but Mithos is Concerned based on how she's been acting thus far ]

[. . .

She's not in the headspace to keep herself composed and keep her own secrets to her chest, so.]

...I don't want you people touching me, but if you're not going to let me do it myself, I don't have a choice, do I?

Just go!

Yes ma'am!

[And he's running to the dining car to grab some utensils and wash his hands! Part of him feels bad that she apparently doesn't want them touching her, but he's also sure that they can't really let her pluck out her own eye, so...it's better this way? He hopes??]

[ Mithos simply nods and exits the room after King a ... lot less frantically? Still, he tries to move as fast as possible to go get the items that Ris said. The sooner they do this the better, right? ]

[It's nothing to with either of you, and everything to do with trauma. She'd be sorry if she were capable.

In the meantime, she's just going to curl up on herself, digging fingernails into her legs in an attempt to distract herself. If they're going out of their way for her, for whatever godforsaken reason, she owes it to them to at least keep a promise to the puppy.]

[look, he knows when to be afraid of women, okay? plus, stubby legs.

He has to rush, but he still washes his hands thoroughly, as well as a couple different utensils, making sure they're not dirty. A large spoon, a sharp knife, and a pair of tongs. This is...probably stupid, but this entire thing is completely insane, so!!

He runs back to Ris' room as fast as he can, the utensils now resting on a paper towel.]

Okay, got some things that I think will work.

[He's covering the stress a bit better, but he's still very nervous.]

[ Once Mithos gathers all the item he quickly comes back to the room as well with the saline (as well as some bandages for good measure) in his hands. He comes in just a moment after King is back. ]

I think I have what you asked for.

[ Also trying to keep himself from looking stressed. staying calm might help everyone else stay calm right ]

[Ris is where they left her when they both return. She, too, is trying to keep herself together a little better, although her limbs are still clearly trembling and she's still somehow even more horribly pale than usual.]

...

Just get it over with.

[And for the sake of literally everyone involved, we are just going to expunge any data related to what actually went on from here. Because Kay doesn't want to write that out, and she doesn't think anyone else does, either. Okay? Okay.

So. With that said. [DATA EXPUNGED], but what probably makes the whole thing even more distressing is that there... really isn't blood?

In fact, what they're left with isn't really much like one would expect. It's not really organic material so much as it is weird, almost magical wisps? And they won't get too much time to investigate it, because not long after it's removed, it just kind of... vanishes. Like it's disintegrating or falling apart into a shadowy mist, and then it's gone, as if it were never there in the first place.

Whatever the hell that thing was, it was not an eye, and Ris was probably right in saying it wasn't supposed to be there. Doesn't make it any less freaky for anyone involved, though.

As for Ris, she'll just be flopped against a wall, trying to catch her breath and stabilize herself. It's unlikely she's been wholly conscious throughout all of this, but she is now.

Pros: She seems to be in a lot less pain now.
Cons: Literally all of the rest of this, and with how her breath keeps catching, it does seem like she's struggling not to cry again.

You and everyone else in this room, Ris.]

[So...yeah, that happened. King really hated having to be involved in it, but he wasn’t sure anyone else would do it, and considering the eye is now just...gone, he feels justified in his decision.

Now that it’s over, a part of him sort of wants to to just pass out from all the stress he just kept in. He can’t though, because he needs to handle the situation and see if Ris and Mithos are alright. Or, more accurately, see if Ris is in any more pain from losing her eye, and gauge how traumatized Mithos is from this whole thing.]

Okay, so...all of that happened.

Are you both, uh...I’d say “okay”, but that clearly isn’t the right word, so I’m going to say “not in any more physical pain or completely traumatized.”

[...this is his first time doing damage control, okay?]

[ That was .... an experience. And not a pretty one. But it's over and there's a moment to breathe now? Except not really since Mithos can hear how Ris' breath keeps catching. Mithos himself feels like he's on the verge of tears but he's ... managing to hold them back.

He's sitting next to the bed (doesn't seem right to sit on it when it's not his) hugging his knees. He hears King's question and shakes his head without looking at the dog himself. ]

Please, don't concern yourself with me.

[ Concern yourself with the girl who had ... whatever it was it definitely wasn't an eye the way it disappeared ... taken out instead he's Fine ]

[How does one even begin to answer that? The easier answer would be to just break down in tears out of sheer mortification, but... no. She's put both of them through more than enough as it is.

She just needs to swallow it and pull herself together. She can cry once they're not looking. It'll be just like with the Doctor back then, only she doesn't actually detest these people with every fiber of her being.]

It's... [Deep breaths, Ris. She's making some efforts to correct her speech patterns, now, so at the very least it seems like she's re-approaching normal?] It is a little sore, but far better than it was. I imagine some soreness is natural, given... well.

[She makes a soft sound, something approaching a bitter laugh.]

...My apologies, Mithos. I couldn't even keep it at "pleasant" for more than a couple of hours.

[Bowing her head and releasing a shaky sigh, she addresses both of them.]

...Thank you. I hardly know how I can even begin to repay either of you for this.

[Yeah, he knew it was a stupid question, but it was a question that needed to be asked. Ris just went through improv eye surgery, to get rid of an eye that was made of dark magic, or something incredibly close to it. And Mithos got to have a front row seat to see it! The fact that King himself wasn’t screaming into a pillow is a testament to his own self-control, he has no idea how neither of them ended up passing out during the whole thing.

He rubs at his eyes with the palms of his paws, stress starting to show a bit more on his face. So much stress in one day...]

It’s fine, Ris. You...probably would’ve done the same for either of us, right? Plus, even seeing magic stuff before, that was...new.

Now, important question, do you have any idea how that thing got there? It’s fine if you don’t, I’m just...very worried, in all honesty.

[He’s not angry, per say, just...extremely tired. He just wants this to not be caused by the conductor.]

[ Mithos turns his head to look at Ris as she makes her apology to him. He manages a small smile. King pretty much took the words out of his mouth for the most part but-- ]

We might have lost the pleasantries, but maybe ... we'll find something else.

[ This is a game of trust they're playing, after all ...

Beyond that Mithos is quiet. He'll leave King to the questions. Being front row to a scene like that was ... exhausting. And he didn't want to ask too much of Ris right now by answering both their questions. ]

[Honestly, Ris is impressed by the two of them. She's broken down at less. Perhaps she thought too little of some of the guests aboard this train...]

[As for whether or not she would have done the same for them:] Certainly, but...

[She just sighs. She supposes there really is no follow up to that. This is a game of trust they're playing, after all, and with King now, as well. She may as well just try to answer his questions.

Sure, talking about this isn't fun, but Ris barely knows what that is to begin with. To her, it's like being given a task. That's something she knows, something she can grasp onto.]

...I... [She sounds hesitant, like she's still trying to think through what she's saying even as her lips are moving.] ...Perhaps?

It... feels as if trying to look through something opaque. But the last thing I recall, before waking up here...

[...It's funny, in a way. She doesn't mind talking about what the Doctor does, for the most part. Perhaps it's because all of those things happen to other people, and it's easy for Ris to distance herself from the situation. Turn his victims into objects even more than she herself is. But when it comes to her, it's uncomfortable.

Perhaps even moreso because Mithos is here. "Maybe we'll find something else," and yet if she's honest, she'll worry him just like everyone else aboard is. She doesn't want that.

...But this is a game of trust. So.]

Master was strapping me to the operating table. So... perhaps this happened within that fog in my memory? But I cannot imagine what his goal would have been.

Okay, new rule: That “master” of yours? He’s not allowed near you. This is a non-debatable rule. If we somehow ever see him, I’m going to bite him.

[Yeah, sorry if that seems kind of harsh, but...at this point? This is only the second time he’s heard of this guy, and both times have involved human experimentation, with this one involving experimenting on Ris. He doesn’t have any reason to not hate this guy.

King can’t help but pace around a little bit, trying to think. A lot of things are going through his head. The biggest one being, “Is this going to be a problem for anyone else?” Hopefully not, since Ris seems to be the only person missing a body part like that, but he never knows what he should expect in life. This train in general is gut punch to his nice life. The only bright side to it so far is that most people seem fine, and these two seem surprisingly trustworthy. In a place like this? That may be a blessing.]

Okay, that’s one positive, maybe? We don’t need that...woman in purple giving us things like that.

But, if it’s not her, then that may make a different problem. Specifically, since we can’t ask her about it, we have no idea about anything it could do...unless you’ve got something Mithos?

[He looks to Mithos at the last part. It...may not be the best strategy, but Mithos seems like the only one among them that could’ve seen some sort of magic like that. King knows he hasn’t, and Ris screamed at the sight of it. Plus, his world seems fantasy inclined, so hopefully...?]

[ Meanwhile for Mithos this is the first time he's ever heard of this "master". He's.... definitely on that list of people who Mithos instantly dislikes. Either way, although he doesn't voice it he agrees with King completely.

He keeps quiet until King asks his question. What is it that the "eye" can do ... Mithos takes a moment to think over what both Ris and King have said and how the eye just... disintegrated.

And also something that Mithos has realized upon being on this train. ]

Who knows, if it wasn't intended to be used as one would expect.

[ as in ... as an eye and not something-like-an-eye but really isn't if Ris feels like she's looking through something opaque. ]

But it seems she received it before coming here. The woman in purple wouldn't have anything to do with it.

[ ... ]

Many humans have a morbid sense of curiosity that can only be satiated by things such as experimentation, whether it be on another kind of being or another human alike. For all we know that.. is all it could've been.

[ Mithos... ]

Whatever it may have been, it's possible it was instilled with a sort of self-destructive mechanism. I'm not certain if it was due to magic, as magic doesn't seem to work here, but it would explain why it vanished once it was extracted. Perhaps to keep people from discovering its intentions. But this is only a guess.

[ Another one is that it's something that could only survive within Ris' ... eyesocket... but Mithos can't seem to bring himself to say that. Saying all this was exhausting enough and it was evident as he spoke. By the time he finished he voice sounded strained from holding back any emotion that would indicate that he really wasn't okay from all this. ]

[Ris has been keeping herself mostly together, but at the suggestion that King might bite the Doctor, her eyes widen and she sits upright off the wall.]

No. [It's said quickly, fearfully. She shrinks back after that, eyebrows knit together.] ...Please. It... would be dangerous for you, if you ever so much as saw him. [...] I don't want either of you to get hurt. Especially not for me.

[She sounds more genuine with that last bit than she has with most of her speech, short of the hysterical screaming.

And to their hypothesizing...]

...I really have no idea. Whatever it was... I'm just glad it's gone.

Fine, I won’t bite him. I could probably handle myself against him, but fine. The point is, I don’t want you going anywhere near him ever again, even when we get out of here. It’s an order.

[Again, harsh, but seriously, this guy sounds messed up.

Trying to figure out where this eye came from is looking like it’s only going in circles. It’s extremely worrying, but it...seems like it’s handled???]

Okay, proposing an idea here, you can call it out if it’s stupid, but what if we just...let this be? The problem seems like it’s over now. If it comes up again, we can do something about it, but right now it seems...alright?

Again, feel free to call me an idiot, I’m just trying to stop this conversation topic from looping forever.

[ Mithos nods slightly at the proposal ]

It's gone, so there's no reason to really continue it at this point.

[ There's really nothing to do but speculate and go in circles so what King is proposing isn't idiotic at all. That and they're all tired so having such a conversations continue probably isn't a good idea anyways ]

[An order, huh.. Ris just stares, a little wide-eyed, at King for a moment before sighing with the tiniest hint of a smile.

It's not ever going to be that easy, she knows that. But still, it's a sweet gesture.

So, to the proposal, Ris just nods.]

All we'll do is tire ourselves out more than we already are. [Ris will just say it outright.] It is distressing, still, certainly, but it... I am no longer in pain, and it is gone.

...I have always found it is better not to stick one's nose in further where it doesn't belong. It tends to be safer that way.

[...]

...And I would very much like to not be the source of any further distress for either of you this evening.

[King's a little bit surprised that his suggestion is not being treated like the stupid idea. It's nice to be the one suggesting the reasonable option, and everyone agrees with you.]

Alright then, we'll stop talking about it, and only bring it up again if something weird like that happens again.

[While this event was disturbing as all heck, he knows when he needs to be involved with magical insanity, and something like that would definitely worry him enough to get him involved.

He gathers up the utensils that were...used, making sure to keep them away from his body.]

I'm going to find a place to hide these and hope to high heaven they don't get found and used for literally anything else.

Ris, you may want to keep your eye covered up. I don't know much about medical stuff, but I feel like letting it be exposed to the open air might not be the best thing.

Mithos, I'd appreciate it if you would put the disinfectant back where it was. We don't need a panic starting because one of the medical supplies are missing.

And both of you...try to get some sleep if you can. Please.

Does all this sound good?

[His voice takes on a sort of dad-like tone. Not really trying to be bossy when he's giving these orders, just that he's thinking these are the best things they can do in the situation.]

[ Mithos nods to King's proposal. He finally moves from his position on the floor and gets up to grab the disinfectant that he got earlier. ]

Yeah, that sounds alright. Try to get some sleep if you can as well, King.

[ He's ... probably isn't going to if he's honest but he's going to follow what Ris said and try not to let it cause anymore distress tonight. ]

I can work with that.

[As far as keeping the eye covered:] Please, do not worry yourself about me any further. I know how to handle this from here. [Which isn't meant to brush him off, but just reassure him that it will be well taken care of.]

I can make no promises about sleep, but... I will make an attempt. That much, I can promise you both.

[She knows already it won't work, but hey. Laying down and staring at the ceiling while everyone else sleeps won't be much different than wandering.]

Thank you both, again. I can only hope that someday, I'll be able to repay you for this.

I'll try Mithos.

[Which roughly translates to "I'm probably going to be tossing and turning all night from disgusting nightmares. Don't worry about it though."

And Ris has the eye thing handled with! Awesome! He doesn't even need to be paranoid about that!]

I'm sure you will, Ris.

[He starts walking to the door as he's saying this.]

Both of you...try to have a good night, okay?

[He's half jokingly serious, half genuinely afraid for the two of them.]

week 1, night 1

just assume it continues for the rest of this tbqh, also more cw: ocular prosthesis insertion/remova

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okay so just MASSIVE CW: IMPROMPTU SURGERY. EYE SCREAM GO???? FOR ALL FUTURE TAGS

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1/2

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