Frostlinger
| Frostlinger | |
|---|---|
Nice and spicy. | |
| Players | Hyde Park Javi, Darwin and Solomon buckle down on breaking the fetter of a frosty spirit. They also feed Solomon's pet mantis, very important. |
Solomon isn't actually adverse to having guests. He generally doesn't, both because of the bugs, and because he's Solomon and a not a lot of people want to be alone in a room with him if they can help it, but that is what it is. The important thing is that he has a guest room that does have just enough room outside of the bed to set up any ritual components they might need. So texts are made, and a time is set. Solomon has even prepared for guests, with beer and soda in the fridge, and a few orders of wings in various flavors, complete with celery, carrots, and bleu cheese. No one's gonna see him pacing through the rooms, tidying things and pondering whether to cover some of the tanks (and eventually discarding the notion). But he does it anyway. Company is difficult. When Darwin is eventually welcomed inside, he freezes at the threshold. Highly tuned to anything that /skitters/, his gaze narrows on the terrariums, and he doesn't have to watch long for something to skitter again. And again. A deep shudder rolls up his spine, but for the most part, he's too tired to react strongly, and there's that distractingly pleasant scent of wings and-- "Bleu cheese! God, someone tried to tell me you could just swap it out for /ranch/," he murmurs. There's no getting around it, Darwin is in rough shape. He looks like he's been up for days, and while it looks like he might've tried to sharpen up and comb his hair, it's disheveled from repeatedly slumping into any surface in front of him. Most notably, a thin layer of frost has built up over his clothes and a bit of his skin. He carries with him a cheery smiley Have a Nice Day grocery bag packed with tools of experimentation, and just sort of... lingers in place, even with the temptation of wings. "Bugs," he notes, dryly. Javi also has some offerings when he arrives at Solomon's place at the time that was appointed and definitely not coincidental. The first is one of those reusable grocery bags, which everyone will soon discover is filled with snack-type food. The second is what Solomon would recognize as his Ghost Backpack, and it //also// looks full, though presumably not with food but probably with various experimental spirit-banishing equipment. That he isn't actually familiar with //spirit//-banishing equipment has apparently nor deterred him. At least his guesses might be slightly more educated than some other random mortal. He is a lot less reticent to enter the apartment -- but he //is// quite concerned at Darwin's appearance as soon as he sees him., and as per usual, there's no hiding it. "Holy shit," he murmurs when he gets a good look at him. Sorry, Darwin. "Uh..." He looks from him, to Solomon, then back, then back again...and then, in the world's worst attempt at a subject change because he's realized that maybe his reaction to Darwin's state is not the best: "Can I feed your mantis?" Solomon is dressed casually when he opens the door; jeans and a t-shirt that could probably stand to be retired, thanks to the faded lettering and a couple of small holes near the hem. He raises an eyebrow when Darwin freezes in the doorway. "Don't worry. These mostly aren't able to hunt things your size." His voice is silky and openly amused at Darwin's shudder. He does add, quietly, "There aren't any terrariums in the guest room, and that's where we'll be working." There's a snort. "Bleu cheese is always superior to ranch. Obviously." He waves towards the kitchen and its spicy, carnivorous bounty. Of course, if Darwin tries to move past him, he'll reach out and try and pick off a flake of the frost that encrusts Darwin's clothes. He places it on his tongue to let it melt. "Hm. That's starting to get concerning. Ah, Javi...nice to see you again. And of course. I'll get the mealworms. Keep Pace from fainting, would you?" He locks the front door behind them, then opens up the supply room; the smell of meat becomes briefly more intense, but he's careful to only keep it open for a little bit before returning with a small container of live mealworms, wriggling and crawling on one another. Darwin smiles weakly at Javi's initial response, even after Javi pivots into feeding his one true love. "Yeah, I know." At Solomon's assurance that they'll be using the guest room, Darwin's shoulders slump in relief, though his coat is so frosted that the fabric hardly bends. It may be the sight of Javi's apparent preparation that calms Darwin enough to prompt him to build a small plate of wings and celery. The frost melts on Solomon's tongue with no odd taste beyond water. It's very much a physical effect. "Oh god," Darwin groans upon seeing the wriggling mealworms. "What the hell are those? Why does everything have to /move/ like that!" "Sorry, man." Javi sets down the grocery bag -- though not the backpack yet -- and a brief smile flickers across his face at Solomon's acceptance, and the directive, though it's nowhere near enough to dislodge the worry. It fades quickly when Darwin takes off the coat that's so stiff with ice that it could probably stand up by itself. He does start toward him, though, and reaches to lay a hand on his shoulder briefly. It may or may not be reassuring, since touching Darwin makes him shiver just enough to notice. At least he has something else to focus on when Solomon returns. He looks //slightly// uncomfortable, but it doesn't keep him from reaching for the container so he can do as he'd asked. "Do I just give her one?" Solomon bares his teeth at Darwin. "You wanna breakdown of the muscular structures of the common mealworm? Or you wanna eat your wings and then let us poke at your passenger? Because both of those options will take all day." As Javi reaches for the container, he hands it over, but gestures towards the terrarium where the flower mantis is slowly walking along one of the branches in her enclosure, her large, faceted eyes looking around at everything that's moving. Namely, the three humans. "Not directly. She doesn't really like people to loom. Take the tweezers on the top of the terrarium, pick out a worm, and lay it on the floor of the terrarium where she can see it. She'll come down and get it when she's hungry. This is close enough to her regular feeding time that she'll probably go for it immediately, but she _might_ not. So, temper your expectations," he tells Javi, but fondly, clearly pleased at the other man's interest. "Try to put it on a leaf if you can, so it doesn't immediately start wriggling into the dirt." Darwin seems at least a /little/ more reassured by Javi. Whatever that looks like. He glowers at Solomon and his options. "You know, I bet if I just let you go on and on about worms you'd kill the spirit with boredom. But then you'd kill the rest of us, so I'm not chancing it." Then he moves to examine the flower mantis that Javi spoke so highly of. For good reason, as even Darwin marvels. "Now that's some killer camo," he praises, nibbling at some celery. Javi raises an eyebrow at Solomon's remark toward Darwin, his gaze shifting from one to the other again, though this time in a slightly different way. In fact, the rejoinder makes him let out a quiet huff, and he shakes his head, but doesn't comment. Out loud, anyway. However, any amusement at the interaction fades quickly when Solomon begins giving him instructions. He nods slowly, focusing on what he's supposed to do far more intently than is //strictly// necessary, since it's not particularly complicated. But he wants to do it right. "Okay. Yeah, I will." Temper his expectations, that is. But WILL HE?! Well, who knows. Either way, he heads toward the terrarium to do as instructed. "Right?" he murmurs after Darwin, his expression softening a little bit. "Cool as fuck." He's careful as he takes the tweezers to select one of the mealworms -- the best one, of course -- and set it inside the enclosure on a convenient leaf, near but not //too// near to the mantis. Close enough that he obviously is hoping she'll go for it right away, but not so close that he's in danger of disturbing her. "Here you go. Enjoy." Solomon sniffs at Darwin. "If I wanted to kill you, Pace, I guarantee it wouldn't be with _boredom_." There's not much heat to it, and he even smiles a little as the mantis is examined. For her part, the insect pauses in her slow exploration of her enclosure and turns to regard Javi and Darwin as the top of the terrarium is opened. There's nothing in the way of facial features there, but her head slowly turns to one side as the tweezers with their wriggling bounty descend. She goes very still, until Javi's hand has retreated and the terrarium is closed again. Then, she starts to make her way down the branch. Like everything else she does, it's deliberate and careful. The mealworm wriggles towards the edge of the leaf, looking for some nice loam to bury itself it in. It'd probably get there eventually, but the mantis reaches it first. She pauses by the edge of the leaf. Then her serrated forearms come up. It's like that moment where you're poised at the top of a roller coaster ride, tense and still - then an explosion of motion as she lunges forward and grabs it with her forearms. It wriggles and convulses in her grip, trying to flee, but she drags it up to her mandibles and bites. She starts to consume the insect, not waiting for it to die. Darwin eyes Solomon for a long moment, perhaps searching for that absent heat. Unnerved, he ends up leaning away, oblivious to Javi's huff. As the mantis moves, Darwin finds himself holding his breath, eyes wide as they track the insect's movements down towards the leaf and the mealworm. Then, the sudden, vicious attack and Darwin jumps slightly. "Shit," he almost laughs, in spite of his fatigue. "Wow, look at-- Sneaky little hunter!" Javi doesn't comment on Solomon's remark, either, but this time it's because he's too busy watching to see what the mantis will do. He leans down a little bit, and in, going more still than usual as he waits for whatever is going to happen to happen. Of course, maybe it's nothing! But no, he's eventually rewarded. //He// jumps a little at the pounce, too, but he grins widely after the initial surprise. "That is //fucking cool//," he murmurs, watching for several more seconds before he straightens up again and hands the mealworm container back to Solomon. Solomon grins at their reaction to the strike. "It is pretty cool," he murmurs. He takes the mealworm container. "And she's happy, too. That'll serve her until the morning." The mantis has no shame in her meal. She perches on the leaf and happily chews as the mealworm's convulsions turn to tiny twitches, then fade away to nothing. He seals the container back. "I'm going to put this away, but why don't you tell us exactly what you know about how you picked up your parasite, Pace." He turns away, although clearly expects that he'll be able to hear any response as he goes into to put the container away - despite some hopeful rustles from other terrariums as bugs shift closer to the glass. Darwin's features twist at the description of parasite. It's not inaccurate. "Makes it sound like I have heartworms or something," he mumbles, then looks to Javi. "The only thing I can think of is that last winter I fell through some iced over lake water. It was so fucking cold that I passed out. Must've made some little spirit motes that just... followed me until they ate each other and became..." He gestures vaguely at himself. "I'm /guessing/. Can you see it? It can't hide forever," he growls. "I'll see you later, okay?" Yes, Javi directs that at the mantis, who does not care. But at least he doesn't wait to see if she acknowledges it (she won't). He turns to Darwin instead, his smile fading again as his brows pull together at the description. "I mean," he eventually replies, "yeah, makes sense. Definitely, like...looked like that." He shivers a little again, his shoulders hunching just a bit against the phantom cold. "Want me to look again? I brought some stuff to try. Dunno what's gonna work but yeah." He reaches up to lift the backpack that's still on his back for emphasis. "Hot things. Candles and shit. Electric blanket. Like that." It doesn't take more than a minute for Solomon to put the feeding equipment away and return. The mantis doesn't acknowledge Javi's parting, but surely somewhere in her tiny insect soul, she feels something. Maybe. Either way, the professor re-emerges to grab some wings and bleu cheese, and lean against the counter while Darwin explains. "I can't see the realms Javi can," he murmurs. "But I gathered a few things to try as well, in the guest room. An iron, a firelighter, a blowtorch..." it's all deadpan. But in the next moment, he smiles. "And some more metaphorical heat. Spicy peppers, an erotic novel, a sweater handknit by a grandmother." A pause. "Not mine. Just an old lady I know who's been trying to give me the damn thing for months." "Yeah, try it. I mean, if only to keep an eye on it," says Darwin. "I brought... some rock salt. And a bottle sugar beet juice--? Read that it could help with ice." It doesn't matter when and where Solomon smiles, or the ridiculousness of the listed items: Darwin is always, /always/ confused as to the gravity of Solomon's words. "Wh-- a blowt-- an erotic--" He stammers, then flusters, flinging his hands in the air. "Okay, you know what? I'm so sick of this thing that I'll try /anything/. I can take it!" The source of his fatigue becomes clear to anyone that looks close enough: splotches of black frostbite form rapidly over his skin, but just as rapidly, he heals it away in a continuous cycle, and it's visibly draining. Leaving his plate on the nearest surface, Darwin heads for the what he presumes is the guest room. Hopefully he doesn't end up in the /other/ room filled with bugs. "Okay." Javi looks...well, a little nervous. It's probably understandable, after last time. And he also doesn't seem in a hurry to actually do it -- but that could also be because Solomon is listing //his// offerings. His eyes widen, and right about when he gets to the erotic novel, he laughs. It's loud, too much so for the space, but at least it cuts the tension? Maybe? "You're fucking annoying," he remarks with a //look// at Solomon, but it's said quite fondly as he starts toward the guest room, too. When they get there he takes off his backpack, setting it down in some convenient place or other as he takes a deep breath to prepare. Before he quite does it, though, he turns -- not toward Darwin or Solomon, but toward an empty space in the room. Of course, it's probably not empty. "Stay out of it this time," he says, in Spanish and in //quite// a serious tone, "or the first thing I'm doing when we're done is getting rid of you." The warning given, he straightens up and settles his gaze on Darwin to take stock of the situation. The guest room is...blissfully normal, and easy to find. The only buggy thing of note is a framed print of a naturalist's painting of a metamorphosis into a butterfly. Solomon blinks a couple of times at the reactions. He grins at Javi. "Fuck you, man. I was being serious. A 'cold' spirit could be anything associated with physical cold, including the psychological and mythopoetic ones. What's hotter than sex?" He follows them into the guest room, where his own offerings are laid out neatly on a dresser top like someone's meticulously cared for fetish gear. Despite his levity, Solomon sets himself up near Javi, and he watches the young man with visible concern, his arms crossed and hands hidden to make it a little less obvious that they're in tense fists. Darwin drops his grocery bag near his feet and sits on the edge of the bed, gaze tilted towards the ceiling. Javi's Spanish is a grim reminder of NACHO, who Darwin has deemed the most frightening ghost in Chicago. He shivers and keeps his eyes elsewhere. They settle on the items that Solomon has /actually/ procured. "...If you gotta' burn me, do it." He sighs. "This is gonna' suck." With perfect clarity, Javi can see the spirit lurking just a few feet behind Darwin, just out of sight. It's no longer simple shards of ice hidden within his person. It's a full-fledged... creature. A humanoid, roughly, towering at eight feet, with thin, fractal limbs made from clusters of jagged ice. No real face to speak of, just a cluster of frozen shards sticking out in every direction, "staring" at Javi in particular. Meanwhile, Darwin guzzles his beet juice. No change, so he tosses it back in the bag. "What next? I'm not reading erotica," he says through his teeth. Surely Javi had a comment for Solomon's reply. He definitely did. And it was a good one, too! But we'll NEVER KNOW WHAT IT WAS. Since he's looking at Darwin now. The nervousness doesn't exactly disappear, but it's like he's holding it in the background. He's acknowledged that it's there, but it isn't going to stop him from doing what he's going to do. The moment where he sees the spirit is obvious. His eyes go wide again as he looks //up// at the thing, sucking in a sharp breath. He takes a half-step away, backward and toward Solomon. At least this time there's no panicked screaming. "Holy shit," he murmurs as some of the color drains from his face. "That is a fucking ice demon." Solomon's movement is instinctive, to step in front of Javi as Javi moves towards him, his hands coming down to reveal hands that are now curled into claws - even though they don't particularly LOOK like claws. There's no smile on his face, now; instead, his gaze is flat and predatory, even if frustrated as it scans the the air behind and around Darwin. "I don't...see anything," he mutters, with a scowl. His gaze narrows in on Darwin's face, and he doesn't even tease him about the erotica. Instead, he says, "We would need to find its ban to try and separate it from you, or its bane to kick it in the fucking teeth, right? Let's start with something less invasive. I doubt that clothing will work, since you'd...probably have hit that by accident. Maybe we can start with one of Javi's candles? First proximity, and then contact with the candle, and then with the flame." "The lines blur a little, but yeah, something to that effect. A ban could supress it, a bane could kick its ass, which could break the fetter." Darwin stiffens when he finally spots his dearest parasite stepping out from around him in pursuit of Javi, pausing only when Solomon gets in the way. Solomon endures an odd tug at his heart, and a chill that works through his blood, centering at his core. Another tug, and another, but nothing seems to give, and the sensation fades. The spirit stalks away on digitigrade legs, just a short distance, never too far from Darwin, and to Javi it looks /irritated/. The shards of ice down its neck and back bristle fiercely. Darwin seems to notice it too, but his glance is quick, and now he's in a rush to go through a bunch of things at once. "So crossing out the warmth from cloth... sweater and blanket, we've got candles, then flame, then rock salt. Oh, we could try boiling water." He lights a match, then a candle. "Lemme' know if it does anything weird, Javi?" he asks, holding his hand over the flame. No change in the spirit. It continues to look displeased. At another time, Javi might have had something to say about Solomon's instinct to stand in front of him. Sure, he might have been //amused// by it, but nonetheless. Now, he does not. Instead, he actually moves even further back and shifts slightly, putting the man exactly in between him and the fucking ice demon. "Nope," he says, under his breath and to no one in particular. "Don't like that." He takes yet another step back when the thing starts advancing on him, though he stills in a very uneasy hold once it stops. "Uh huh. Right." This to Darwin, even though he's still staring at the spirit. "Just looks kinda pissed right now," he admits. Solomon shivers as that odd invasion, one hand coming to cover his chest as if he might shield himself that way. His eyes dart this way and that, and he takes a deep breath. But he can't see nor sense the spirit; only feel the effect of its encroachment. "Back off," he growls at it. "I got nothing for _you_." As Javi shifts behind him, he asks both of them, "What's it look like? Maybe there's some clues in its appearance or demeanor. I think it just tried to...chill me?" A glance at Darwin as he starts going through items. He rubs at his chest. "Try the spicy peppers. Maybe you need an internal warmth?" Unbeknownst to Solomon, the spirit laughs at him. It's an odd, hissing sound with a muted cracking undertone. Oh god the peppers. Darwin reeeally doesn't like peppers. Setting the jar of rock salt aside, he rushes over to the dresser anyway, and pops a few into his mouth. Javi can hear another horrible laugh from the spirit as Darwin wheezes and fights to swallow the damn things. "God, /fuck/, fucking peppers, why does anyone like peppers!" Again, no change in the spirit. It studies Solomon, going completely still, and then, something that Solomon /can/ see, a very physical burst of ice emerging from the ground. Sharped shards sprout at harsh angles and one manages to cut into Solomon's side, a good inch or so. Solomon takes some lethal and is now lightly bleeding. "Scary." It's Javi's first thought, and so of course he's going to //say// it. But at least he realizes that that is not particularly helpful, and so he goes on to do a bit of a better job. "It's like...eight or nine feet tall, maybe." He's still staring at it, but even though he continues to keep as much distance as he can, the look becomes more scrutinizing and less like he's about to freak out. Sure, maybe he'll still freak out eventually, but for the moment, he's okay. "Looks, like...person-ish. Has arms and legs and stuff, just made out of ice. A head. Not really a face except it felt like it was looking at me. So that's fun." Another pause; then: "Like made outta icicles. Ice pieces. All stuck together. It's kinda..." Suddenly he stops, and squints, peering a little more closely at it. He doesn't //get// closer, but his focus sharpens. "There's some pieces closer to the body that look like little cubes," he says. "Like...salt? Maybe? Dunno if that matters." He might have said something else, but then the thing is //laughing//, and even though he shivers, his mouth sets a little more firmly. "Fuck you," he mutters -- but anything else is //also// stopped, this time with a little hiss. "Watch out!" he cries, but too late to stop the damage from ice sprouting out of the floor. "You don't usually consume them by just stuffing them in your face," Solomon tells Darwin, indignantly. "Those are good quality!" And they are, too. Nice and _spicy_. Luckily, he doesn't hear the laughter. Unluckily, he doesn't realize the attack is building until it comes, and although Solomon is a quick bug, he was not expecting Sudden Ice (the lesser known and liked successor to Vanilla Ice), and his jeans are torn open and a long, shallow gash opened up on his calf, even as he jumps back - and hits his ass against the wall. "God damn it." His eyes flash with irritation. "Hey, snowflake. You want to go, we can go. One on one." Darwin might recognize the general thrust of that challenge - and the way Solomon's body seems to take on an unnatural grace as he starts to sway in place, trying to pinpoint the next attack. To Javi and Darwin, he says, "Salt can dissolve ice. Give that a shot." Darwin's eyes water. Good quality indeed. But through his spice-born tears he can see the sudden shards, the wound, and the activation of that fucking annoying... skill. Thing. Darwin doesn't have a word for fae magic, but he's never been so glad to see it. Right. SALT. Darwin goes back, reaches for the jar, and Javi can see how Solomon's taunt lures it forth, only for it to vanish. It reappears, superimposed over Darwin's body, even if it's got several feet on him. It moves its icy arm, and so does Darwin, smacking the salt away. The jar spills across the floor. Then, Darwin looks up, locking eyes with Javi. There's a wild intensity in his stare. "Javi? Give me the silver coin I gave you," he says. "No no no," Javi says quickly when Solomon challenges it, shaking his head as he takes a few steps forward again toward the man. "Don't, don't do that." He's scared, and he does not try to pretend that he's not. "It's not...shit!" Because the thing has now disappeared. He looks around a little wildly to locate it again, only to find it //right// on top of Darwin now. It doesn't exactly make him feel better. "//Shit//!" Look, it's that kind of day. He shoves his hand into his pocket for his wallet, pulling it out and fumbling for the coin. It's tough, since he doesn't seem to want to actually look down at it, lest he lose sight of it again, but eventually he manages to find it. Once he does, he extends his arm toward Darwin and starts edging toward him so that he can give it to him. Solomon is only seeing a fraction of what's going on here, but when Darwin knocks away the jar of salt he was just reaching towards, it's not hard to fill in the gaps. Solomon dives for the knocked aside jar, trying to snatch it up without getting in Javi's way as he reaches out with the coin. If he can get it and get it open? Guess whose getting doused in salt. You're welcome, Darwin. Darwin /smiles/ as Javi begins to hand over the coin, an expression that's entirely out of place. His hand is trembling as it reaches, straining against /something/, but before he can take it, Solomon manages to fling a spray of salt across his face. He screams, thrashing and clawing at his neck, as if desperately trying to scrape off a colony of fire ants. Darwin backs away, further and further, baring his teeth. "If you continue this, I will kill your ignorant mutt and inhabit the tragic anchor instead! It would be very easy!" He snaps off a shard of ice from the previous attack and drives the point against his neck. The intense look from Darwin when he'd asked for the coin may not have tipped Javi off, but that smile does. His eyes go wide, and he //snatches// the hand with the coin back right as Solomon douses Darwin in salt, shoving it back into his pocket for safekeeping. "Nice try," he gets out through gritted teeth, but anything else is stopped when Darwin starts screaming and grabs the icicle to press against his neck. "Don't!" Not that it does any good, since it's not //him//. The fear is still there, though not really for the threat against himself. He starts backing away again, but it's just to the backpack so he can jam his hand inside and pull out //his// salt. Useful for ghost circles, and apparently for this, too. He doesn't try and use it yet, but he holds it ready, probably to follow Solomon's lead. "Better they both be dead than _inhabited_ by anything against their wills," Solomon says - and there's not a hint of hesitation or insincerity in those words. His eyes have narrowed, and his hand has tightened around the salt. "If you want to bargain, snowflake, lay out your terms. But taking or keeping either one of them isn't on the table. A centipede, maybe. Despite my profession, I find the things...unsettling. What about you? What are _you_ afraid of?" Darwin's lips curl. "You offer a /centipede/?" But now both Solomon /and/ Javi are armed with salt, and he begins to look nervous. A dot of blood colors the pointed shard against his neck, a crimson rivulet traveling down to pool against his grip. Solomon will find that the mind of a spirit is chaotic and incredibly difficult to sift through. If it seems at all intelligent, it is only the echoes of the intelligence from the sentience that caused its birth. But as far as fear goes, it seems to be frightened of different spirit. The rather well-known fire cow from the local Wound. "...Fine. I'll leave him be, in exchange for transport to a very cold place," he says, simply. He offers no suggestions. Javi's eyes are on that little trickle of blood, but he holds where he is, salt in hand and coin safely in his pocket. It's his turn not to understand //everything// that's going on underneath the surface, but he certainly doesn't interrupt. He doesn't even move, really, until Darwin speaks again. Or rather, the spirit. His eyes lift up toward where its 'face' is, before he replies. "How much space you want?" he asks. "Like, a //place// place? A big place? Or can it be, like...a freezer?" Does the spirit know what a freezer is? Well, possibly. "How cold? If you went in the lake and down to the bottom that's gonna be pretty cold." A beat; then: "And you know what, by the way, I'm //not// tragic. I'm fucking awesome." Solomon's head tilts to one side, a lot like the mantis did earlier, when considering her prey. "Or," he says, quietly, "how about you fucking let him go and get your ass back to the spirit realm, and we _don't_ use you as bait for O'Leary's Cow. Because, honestly, Pace will probably survive getting a bit roasted, but I don't think you're in the cow's league." Darwin looks particularly interested by Javi's freezer idea, eyes dancing. Then Javi nobly defends his awesomeness, and there's that wicked smile again. "You're a brave one, aren't you. Do you understand just how /open/ your little soul is? It's a matter of time before something sinks its claws into you and refuses to let go." His smile fades as Solomon addresses him, and the tension builds instantly, a fresh spill of blood across the shard. His eyes widen at the mention of O'Leary's Cow, and there's something about the quiet intensity of Solomon's threat that drives a primal fear so deep that the spirit just... discorporates. Right then and there. Javi can see the fractal creature burst into a thousand harmless snowflakes. Darwin collapses to the ground, unconscious. "Yeah, yeah." Despite the fear that's still evident on his very readable face, Javi snorts, shaking his head. "My soul's open, my heart's bleeding all over the place. Whatever. Turns out you ain't the first one to tell me." He does, however, look like he's ready to finish the negotiations about taking the spirit to a walk-in -- until Solomon makes his threat. His head jerks toward the other man, though there's no //argument//. Not yet, anyway. He goes very still instead, waiting for the result, salt at the ready...until the spirit suddenly explodes into snow, and Darwin falls. He doesn't waste any time. He drops the salt and crouches down next to his backpack, rummaging quickly around until he comes up with a first aid kit. "It's gone." His tone is a little clipped, but his mind is on something else now. It's only another few seconds before he's kneeling down next to Darwin instead to check his breathing, and his pulse. If they're fine, he'll focus on the cut -- if not, well, that will be a different matter. Solomon snorts. "Don't listen to that asshole," he mutters to Javi. "You're fine. And we're gonna--" and then Darwin collapses. He blinks. "...is that good or?" The 'it's gone' draws a sigh of relief. He doesn't rush over to Darwin, giving Javi his space. Instead, he stands watch over the two of them...although it's clear from his darting gaze that he's acutely aware that if it's not REALLY gone...he's not going to be the one who knows. Darwin's heart is hammering, and he appears to be breathing, but it's obvious his regeneration is lagging heavily, so that shallow wound continues to bleed down his neck and soak into the floor. The good news is that the frost on his skin begins to thaw, as do the jagged line of ice shards that split the guest room. To Javi, there doesn't appear to be any trace of the spirit in twilight. Javi manages to effectively stop the bleeding, but Darwin doesn't look to be rousing any time soon. | |