001. (v1) [audio]

[snowtop]

[The audio clips on to some panicked breathing.]

I-I thought-- I--

Th-this place, it, i-it's su--s-supposed to be a s-sa-- sanctu-- safe p--place! A-And I--

F-First I ff--find a-a guy i-in the--the c-cold room, then I-- there--

Th-there's ink i-in m-- my-- my s--skin!

[Letters are crawling onto his fingers and they won't scrub out.]

Comments

[70ftandcounting]

You--

You too?!

[snowtop]

Y--

[There's a pause of a few seconds. Apologies - Xanth is having a reaction identical to Rapunzel's. Someone else is having this problem? But if someone else is, then that means--]

Is-- is e--everyone ge--getting it!?

text :3

[thii2ii22tupiid]

ii2 iit doiing anythiing other than ju2t...exii2tiing?

oh man sollux's quirk is gonna kick xanth's ass

[snowtop]

[Xanth sees letters on the page (thankfully they are not in his skin), but he has no idea what they mean. He taps around a bit and manages to make it play back, but that does not help in the least. If anything, he's more confused than ever.

But not panicked. Step up?]

I-- uh--

W-What?

[70ftandcounting]

[no dude she totally understands.]

I...I don't think so! I think it's just you and me!

hee. he wants answers so he might switch from [text] soon

[thii2ii22tupiid]

the letter2, are they hurtiing or doiing anythiing two you?
or are they ju2t there?

[snowtop]

Well-- wh-- w-why u--us!?

[That makes even less sense!]

icon. she's totally doing it right now

[70ftandcounting]

[FLAIL]

I don't know!!!!

an excellent plan!

[snowtop]

I-I can't, I don't-- I-- can't r--read th-this...

[Audio] it is!

[thii2ii22tupiid]

*You get a groan, just to make sure his displeasure at having to switch over is known.*

Are they doing anything other than just showing up? Hurting or anything other than being just decorative.

[snowtop]

[FLAIL!!!

Xanth actually spends a minute or two doing that - at least mentally. Physically, he tends more to lock up when panicked, so he sits on his bed stone-still and with his journal in an iron grip.

When he next speaks, his voice is very tight.]

Y-You... you're n... n-not h--hurt, a--are y-you? B-By the, y... you kn--know...

[Because he isn't. Not yet.]

[Audio]

[snowtop]

[Xanth hears that groan and somewhere deep down he regrets being a bother, but it's so thoroughly layered with alarm that it doesn't quite register.]

Well--

N-No, but, i-it, it wasn't th-there be-before, a-and I-- it-- I-I don't know.

Re: [Audio]

[thii2ii22tupiid]

We all have tattoos, they're harmless, but yours is spreading, right? Do you feel anything where the new letters are? Or any different from how you felt yesterday?

[70ftandcounting]

[Her voice is shaky]

No. No, I'm not hurt or anything, it's not doing anything bad...

[Audio]

[snowtop]

B-But I don't have a-a-- any-- t-tattoos! I-I was l-looking through m--m-my j-journal, and-- and then l-letters c-came off the pa--page a-and on-- onto m-my f-ff-- fingers!

[snowtop]

Y--Yeah. N-- Neither is m--mine.

[But it wouldn't wash off. Now his hand is littered with letters that he can't read and words that he doesn't want.]

Ma-- maybe-- i-it'll g-go aw-- away?

Re: [Audio]

[thii2ii22tupiid]

We all have a ring of letters on us somewhere, we got it when they brought us here to mark us for some reason.

But the ones that walked off the page to your fingers, does it feel weird or bad or anything other than just now having little letters on it.

[70ftandcounting]

I...I don't know--

I mean. Maybe it will! It just...appeared, so maybe it'll just...go away, too!

Right?

[snowtop]

M--Maybe.

[But as much as he's hopeful, that hope is tinged with pessimism. This ink simply cannot be harmless.]

I'm-- I-I'm g-- going to w-- wash it ag-again.

[Maybe if he scrubs until he bleeds it will go away.]

[Audio]

[snowtop]

[All of them, marked? But Xanth can't see any tattoos on himself at all. Thoughts start to emerge: maybe it's just in a spot he can't see. Maybe it's inside his body.

Oh no. Oh no. That thought has him getting even more worked up, but he can keep it in check. Sollux asked something else - focus on that instead. Focus on that and breathe.]

Uh-- no. It. I--It's not... doing.. a-an-anyth--thing.

[Nothing but flinging him into a panic!]

[Audio]

[thii2ii22tupiid]

Then its probably just ink. Calm the fuck down.

[Audio]

[snowtop]

J--"Just ink" d-doesn't d-do this...

[Audio]

[lightwithin]

[That stutter seems familiar. Two people affected by the same thing in the one day? This is weird.]

Are you okay?

[Audio]

[thii2ii22tupiid]

Fine. Magic ink.

[70ftandcounting]

I can...

I can come help, maybe? My hair - it's...

[Yep, making no sense.]

It might help. [Maybe the situation is different. Maybe her hair will help him, even though hers didn't go away.]