Week 2, Tuesday - Varian, Steph

[fragileprophet]

[It's pretty late when Ion hears about what happened--or, not what happened so much as evidence that a thing happened on two people who he really cares about! A lot of people area really putting themselves through insanity today, it seems. Ion, wheezing and exhausted in his haste, finds Varian as soon as he can.

The damage is...horrifying, I'm sure, even if someone has temporarily bandaged him by this point.]

--Varian! You have to let me help!

[He can't leave him like that!]

Comments

[alchemenace]

I, well, I might be able to make something less [ shitty ] ... um, something safer in the lab, but in the state it's in I wouldn't count on it, and we should do this sooner than later.

[ going for science is his safe place but. he should probably. address ion too. ]

... How many times have you used it already?

[fragileprophet]

Right.

[The absolutely dead, regretful look on his face suggests that this time it's really gotten through.]

I've used it four times now.

[Or five, but I don't actually know because SIPP needs to TAG ME BACK.]

[vigilantics]

-- was Natsuo one of them? His wound is healed.

[ she just assumed that was ion's doing as well, but she figures that she should probably actually check to be sure. ]

[alchemenace]

Ion... There's only so much your body can take.

[ like. any body? but also ion specifically is a sick boy smh ]

[fragileprophet]

...wait...

[Ion blinks, looking at both of them.]

No, I didn't heal Natsuo.

[vigilantics]

[ ... ]

Wait. What?

[alchemenace]

[ uh ]

So who healed Natsuo?

[fragileprophet]

[Ion shakes his head, looking troubled.]

I...I really don't know. Perhaps there are others with healing abilities present...but if so, I...

[He has no idea why there are still people SUFFERING.]

[vigilantics]

... we should probably ask him.

[ because if there is someone else with healing powers, are they the same kind as ion's? if not then that's kind of mean. ]

[alchemenace]

Why would we have... two titles that have the gift of healing?

[ and NO DOCTORS but. that thing. bothers him a little. ]

[fragileprophet]

Maybe they anticipated this.

[Meaning, him. This ridiculous self-destruction. If your one healer went out of commission so quickly they'd all be pretty fucked.]

Otherwise, it's hard to say. Healers or not, we could really use some standard medical supplies.

[vigilantics]

If we ever get more of those tokens, I'm going to try the well again. I figure we need to be extremely specific with what we ask for.

[alchemenace]

I don't know if it was anticipation. They don't seem to care too much what we do so long as we keep... going along.

[ but this isn't the time for speculation, so ]

Extremely specific is... putting it lightly. I don't know if anyone got something good out of that well.

[ well. honestly blood aside. the shitty tool set wasn't 100% useless ]

[fragileprophet]

I got what I asked for, actually.

[They already know he was lying about the scars being his wish, so...]

I don't know why that's the case for so few of us.

[vigilantics]

... what did you ask for? If you don't mind me asking.

[ she knows some people asked for personal things. she... did not. ]

[alchemenace]

[ ... he's also curious so he just turns his look to ion

LISTEn ]

[fragileprophet]

[I hope you guys are ready to chew him out again.]

Oh, no, it's fine. I'm surprised it hasn't already come up--I wished I couldn't feel physical pain, so I'd be able to use my gift more effectively.

[He got what he wanted, because it was an excessively bad idea! But, clearly, he doesn't seem to comprehend this. It's just, like, whatever, right?]

[vigilantics]

[ there is a long period of silence from steph as she attempts to compute what she just heard. ]

You... you what? [ holy shit. ] Ion, you are aware that people feel pain so that they know when they are dying because they are injured.

[alchemenace]

[ oh mood steph ]

Not just, not just that, pain receptors control your body's reaction to extreme temperatures and you could've frozen to death last week Ion why would you think that was a good idea!

[fragileprophet]

[??? ????? ?????????????????]

...oh.

[Ion looks confused, then startled, and then troubled.]

I'm sorry...I don't know...I wasn't taught much about physiology. I just thought...I could do more this way.

[And keep it a secret for longer. But.]

[vigilantics]

[ the years that the chicken house didn't knock off her, ion is. ]

Okay. Well. There's not much we can do about that now, unless the well would be kind enough to undo that.

[alchemenace]

[ is this how Varian's dad felt at all times. this is horrible. ]

There's a high chance even if it did, it would give back all the pain you missed out on at once.

[ and that would be... Bad ]

Just... Check yourself periodically? Or. Make one of us do it. You could get wounded somehow and never even notice.

[fragileprophet]

Right.

[He absolutely does not want to think about that reality. This...this is fine.]

I'll be more careful about it from now on. I hadn't even thought about other injuries...

[vigilantics]

And like Varian said, we're both willing to help you check to see if you have anything you don't know about.

[ they. probably need to do this anyway because of the strip searches during trial. ]

[alchemenace]

[ don't strip the children ]

And also because we happen to be some of the very few people who know how bodies work in this place.

[ THATS NOT A GOOD THING ]

[fragileprophet]

[HE FEELS DUMB, BUT SHOULD FEEL DUMB, AND HE RECOGNIZES THIS.]

Maybe I can find something to study in the library. I'm sorry...I thought I was helping, but I just made so much more trouble for both of you.

[vigilantics]

[ she shakes her head. ]

I want to help you. Trust me, if I didn't, I wouldn't be here.

[ she won't say that he didn't do some things wrong, but. ]

[alchemenace]

Ion, you, you literally got hurt to try and help me. I hope you remember it. It was five minutes ago.

[ he's. trying to joke about it. ]