Freeloading is a bonding activity

[runs]

Ryoji's place has become busy lately, since both Casper and Kitty drop by regularly. Usually they aren't around at the same time at least, and thus Kitty doesn't expect anyone to be around when she wakes up from a nap and raises her head, a ruffled mop of hair surfacing from under a pile of blankets and pillows that looked nothing like a child was sleeping under it.

For the moment, "surfacing" is saying a bit too much. Right now, there is only a pair of (as far as Casper can see) dark eyes peering out from the pile of blankets, observing the activity in Ryoji's bedroom.

Comments

[helborn]

"... Sorry. It's... it's not your problem, it's mine... I've been... it's just... people here actually care, and... and I'm not used to that, it's... it's weird and I don't... it's nice but I don't know what to..." And now he's just babbling, so he squeezes his eyes shut, falling silent and rocking her. He doesn't dare tighten his hug, for fear of hurting her, even as much as he wants to.

[runs]

"Sometimes you just need to cry." She would shrug, but she doesn't want him to think that she's shrugging him off, so she shifts instead to make rocking her easier. "It means that you still have enough of a soul to do so. Even if it's not in your head anymore." She's not sure if Malicia can still cry. She's not even sure if Simon can. Street samurai tend to not be very good in the soul department. So it is something that Casper has going for him.

[helborn]

"... yeah. Thanks." He lifts up his sleeve and wipes his face on it. "... You're. You're a really good person, Kitty."

[runs]

"Of course I am." She's a cat, and cats are great, everyone except some people who prefer dogs (and people who prefer dogs clearly have no sense) says so. "But you aren't half bad either."

She's still hugging him and will continue to do so until he pulls away.

[helborn]

He pulls away after a little bit, even though it feels like it's been a while. He rubs his face, trying to pull himself together, but it's hard. "I don't... I don't know. What to do. About how I feel."

[runs]

"Don't take drugs. They make things worse in the long run." Look, it's a pretty frequent coping mechanism, and she's seen too many people whose lives it has ruined.

She sits back and scratches her head. What do you do about feelings. She usually eats until she barfs and then finds someone to curl up on. Or sits in a corner and screams. Neither of those really work for a human.

"...Maybe you should find a trustworthy doctor to ask."

[helborn]

"I wasn't going to. But I don't know that any doctor around here is going to know what to do with... a demigod." And he's not sure where he'd even start looking for one. He's never really had to before.

[runs]

"Does you being a demigod," whatever that is, "affect what that kind of doctor would do?"

[helborn]

"Maybe. It definitely affects a lot of medical things since I don't have normal blood."

[runs]

"...So they couldn't give you drugs or... do surgical stuff without adapting it." Or however you deal with such things. She's only ever been treated by streetdocs, but even they could improvise and react to her different physical set-up. Or perhaps they could do it specifically because they were streetdocs and used to not having ideal equipment at all times? "But they could adapt it, and you could still talk to them."

[helborn]

"Possibly, but I don't know if people here will believe me when I try to explain things. They seem like they... don't really notice the supernatural." And trying to make someone notice is probably a bad idea.

[runs]

Good point.

"...Could you go to one of those doctors who just talk and omit the parts that were supernatural?" She's not sure how they work, but if it's just talking weird blood shouldn't be a problem, right?

[helborn]

"... Maybe? I don't know, a lot of it's all caught up in everything and how am I going to explain 'yes, I was at the bottom of the ocean and a guy who looked like a crab tried to rape me and -'"

He stops himself, shaking. He's never said that word out loud before, not in reference to himself.

[runs]

She'd have said to omit the parts that wouldn't work with a regular person's experiences, but that sounds like there is a lot that just cannot be omitted without important parts lacking.

Maybe there is a way to find a doctor who knows that the supernatural exists and who will treat someone not of their own species... But how should she find such a person? She'll think on it later. For now it looks like Casper needs more hugs, if he will accept them, so she moves back over to wrap her arms around him if he doesn't pull away.

[helborn]

He shakes his head at himself and just hugs her tightly, trying to breathe. "... I'm here. I'm safe. Right?" Or as safe as they can be, for the moment.

[runs]

She'll hug him back. "You are."

Ryoji's place is perhaps the safest spot that she's been to since coming to Hex, and there being two of them they could defend themselves more easily should something happen than if there was just one.

Three? Do Bob or Casper's weird possession thing count?