deercountry | [open] Socially acceptable behavior

Altaïr is completely frozen, limbs half-bent in a ridiculous-looking transitional position in what would have otherwise been a fluid movement. He is also completely unharmed. There are little cracks in the pavement from the impact of what is effectively a statue hardened to imperviousness, but Altaïr himself received not a scratch.

Of course not, I cannot move! I cannot even look around! Who are you?

Not being able to look around and take stock of his surroundings is the real issue here apparently. He is irritated. He is almost at the point of complaining. But though he feels no pain, his voice is magically trapped in what sounds like the tone of a wail.

It's definitely more than a little disturbing that this person truly doesn't move - nor seems impacted by the fall in the slightest, though that is perhaps the one tiny upside to this entire situation, no matter how unsettling.

But the most unsettling part is definitely that voice in her head. Not just because it's there, but due to the emotion in it. Chizuru is someone emotionally connected enough to other people that it immediately threatens to set her off into a panic as well, so worried about him screaming in her head like that.

At least the girl tries to remain strong. She tries to not let it conquer her, instead moving to try and put herself into his line of sight, even if she isn't sure if he can see her that way.

"I-It's me, Chizuru," she stammers. Her hands are folded together, the look in her eyes - now she's actually within his field of view and therefore visible - very obviously concerned. "I.. um, I helped you before, remember..? When you couldn't see."

Ironically enough, seeing might be the one thing Altaïr can do right now..

"I could try to help you now too, if you'd let me.."

Not that she knows how.

But one thing is always true with Chizuru - she is forever determined to help, no matter the situation or the odds stacked against her.

He is not the best at reassuring another. He answers questions with silence, barks out orders, and otherwise suppresses his own heart. Still, no one could be more disturbed than him. He remembers being immobilized by the power of the Apple. The betrayal he felt is dredged up again by the betrayal of his own body now. Freedom of thought and agency are things he prizes most dearly.

I remember you.

He is grateful for that time she helped him, but he is terrible at expressing it. He is also unable to change the tone of his relatively measured statement from the distress the spell limns it in.

What must I do?

Because surely, there is something he can do other than just lie here helplessly. He can't stand that. He can't stand that someone is seeing him like that.

"I, um.."

.. it's a good question. Chizuru doesn't directly know what to do about this either, after all. She really wishes she could give him some more concrete reassurances here, especially with that tone in her head that only increases the worry in her heart.

She inhales, and then sinks down next to where he's lying on the ground, sitting next to his frozen form on her knees.

"Would it be okay for me to touch you?" There's a pause, and then she quickly adds: "J-Just to examine you!"

Please, Chizuru, like he was about to get the wrong idea about that in a situation like this..

"My father is a doctor, and I've learned a few things from him.." And while this isn't anything she recognizes, she does realise that maybe examining is the only thing she can do to find out what is wrong with him, and what she can do to help with it.

It's perfectly normal for even a layperson to touch him if they found him incapacitated on the street. And she is the daughter of a physician. Altaïr is from a time when children often took up their parent's profession. He expects that she knows a thing or two. He tries to explain his symptoms:

This is not like any disease that I have ever heard of. There was no warning sign. I should have been hurt by my fall, but I do not see blood or feel pain or even spasms. It's almost like a dream--a nightmare. But of course, it's very real. I know when something is an illusion.

It helps that he's also trying to explain to her what's going on with him from his point of view - even though Chizuru would sure appreciate if it wasn't blasted straight into her head with the tone of someone screaming in the throes of a violent death.

But sometimes beggars can't be choosers, and this is one of those moments. It's why the girl frowns, trying to focus on what's in front of her. Her hand moves towards his wrist, her eyes closing as she feels around there for a moment, focusing--

"You do have a pulse."

Granted, one would imagine he does since he's still alive, but.. you never know for sure in this place.

At least that's one good sign.

"But.." Her hand lightly pushes against his arm, but it doesn't budge. Chizuru tries to push a little harder, but still nothing. Sure, it could be her own lack of strength.. Though it's much more likely that-- "It's like your body has sudden grown entirely rigid. Like a statue, almost.."

It would explain why he's stuck in this pose, rather than attempting to move out of it.

"Is projecting your thoughts into my mind all you can do right now..?"

It is good to be forthcoming with a physician. Practicality wins out over his usual reluctance to divulge anything about himself.

I think my words are being twisted into something like a mourning wail... I can see--what little good that does me--and I can hear you speaking. I cannot feel anything but surprisingly you can feel my pulse. I am not moving at all, not even enough to breathe. I have not... shattered anywhere, have I?

He has not, and he doesn't think he has, but he should make sure. He can't bend around or move his eyes to take stock of himself. He is also painfully aware that Chizuru or anyone else could simply help themselves to his possessions, and he would not be able to do anything about it.

"No, it seems that you're unharmed from the fall, at least." It's a tiny bit of light in this situation, because it's just about the only good news Chizuru could give him under the current circumstances. His current state still isn't great, after all, and the fact that she's never seen anything like this before, nor knows how to cure it, certainly doesn't help.

It's why she's still got a thoughtful frown on her face, even as she's done inspecting him and moves to kneel in front of him again, just so he can actually see her.

"Um, did you.. see anything, right before this happened..?"

It's not like she'd like to hear more of that awful voice in her head, but asking him questions to gain more information feels like the one thing she can do right now.

"Or did you do anything out of the ordinary?"

Maybe they can at least nail down the cause then to something in this place. Some creature that might be going around and petrifying people, maybe. (Hey, it's at least better than her stealing his stuff, huh. Which she doesn't seem like she's about to do with the way she sits there so calmly.)

He will take his blessings where he can, and safely tucks away Chizuru's bit of good news as encouragement. He cannot move his eyes, so he simply observes her come into his field of vision again. He does not think she would hurt him or take his things, as he sees her as an ally, but his discomfort remains. He hates being made to be still. He can't even put his finger on why, but it fills him with a directionless anger.

Nothing. No sound either. It came on without warning. I thought it might be an attack at first, but it may be like that time I went blind, where it would have gone away on its own, or indeed the Blood Ministers might...

He trails off pensively, except the tone is only reproduced as like the sound of wind mourning through cracks in a house.

It's truly a mystery. Chizuru can't tell what came over him. If he didn't see anything special, then it probably wasn't some creature causing it.. but on the other hand, she also doesn't believe it to be a blood effect when Chizuru isn't suffering the same condition, despite them sharing a bloodtype.

They have to, after all, for him to have gone blind in the same month as she did, even if it wasn't at the exact same moment.

It makes the girl frown with concern, and some frustration turned inward towards herself. She should be able to fix this somehow, but.. why can't she think of a way..? Is it just that she's too inadequate? (That's often it.)

"I'm.. not sure what's wrong, or how to fix it," she admits. There's some shame in the way she says it, because it feels like she ought to be able to do more, somehow. And yet she's not. "But-- I promise you, as long as you're stuck like this, I won't leave you alone, sir. I'll stick with you here and watch over you until someone might pass who knows more."

Even if that might be.. a long time..

But Chizuru intends on sticking by her words. The girl sounds extremely sincere.

"I understand this might be a really scary situation, but.. you're not alone."

He, too, is familiar with feeling inadequate. Unfortunately, in his case, he tries to hide that from others as much as possible. He used to lash out and was a pain to work with... Now he's just sad and repressive towards himself. This is the same thing that hides, even from himself, why being immobilized disturbs him so much, and why he grasps a kind word so hard.

It would be better to get me to someone who can help... But I understand you cannot carry me.

And, with difficulty, he says, Your presence is a comfort. I had not given thought to the care for someone's spirits when it comes to medicine, but lifting them is essential for recovery. I am still not sure how I may recover from this, but--

His body goes limp and then coiled again, but this time he sits up in a crouch.

"What...?" is all he can manage to mutter in his surprise, once again remembering how it felt to have sensation in his limbs.

Talk about timing.

In fact, Chizuru was so busy trying to make out the words in her head - it's hard when they're all transformed into some sort of near-howl the entire time - that she doesn't quite realise the feeling in the other's limbs has returned until he's already moving like that.

The girl lets out a slight yelp of surprise, instinctively moving back a little bit at the sudden movement. But it's only a moment later that the yelp of surprise turns into a gasp of realisation, Chizuru's hands pressed to her mouth to cover up the way her mouth drops open.

"S-Sir! You're moving!"

That may not be anything to get this surprised about under regular circumstances, but when he suddenly moved again out of nowhere?

It's definitely surprising.

"What happened?!"

Even when surprised she takes care to cover her mouth. Altaïr would have forgiven her if she had screamed and waved her arms. He rubs his own in disbelief. The only sensation in them is the aftereffect of his distress tensing his muscles.

If he were feeling more himself, he would insist she tell him what happened. Instead, he is finding it very hard to speak, and it has nothing to do with being like stone for the last few minutes.

"I do not know. I am as before. But how...?"

He straightens where he sits and holds out his hand with a resolute frown on his face. He is an educated man; he must approach this rationally.

"Examine me as before."

If there's anything that can pull Chizuru - if not partially - out of a state of surprise or shock, it's being given a sudden task to carry out. She doesn't even protest him nearly ordering her to examine him again.

No, instead the girl gently takes the hand into both of her own, her fingers prodding at the skin to try and see the difference from a moment ago. There doesn't seem to be any visible difference, nor anything she can feel..

.. well, other than the fact that his fingers actually move along when she attempts to move one of them a little bit.

".. you seem normal."

Sure, maybe it's an obvious conclusion. But it's the only thing Chizuru can say, even as she slowly lets go of his hand. He seems normal in pretty much every single way - but then again, so did he a moment ago, other than the odd lack of any ability to move his body whatsoever.

It makes a troubling thought arise in the girl's head, and she frowns. "Maybe we should get you somewhere safe, in case it returns. Or maybe someone who knows more about this place's ailments should take a look at you..?"

Chizuru may have learned some medical knowledge from her father, after all, but illnesses in Japan and illnesses in this place sure seem to be two different beasts entirely.

His hand is its usual calloused texture, and all his digits respond to sensation properly. Altaïr even experimentally wiggles his toes inside his boots. To keep doing something is all that keeps him from an unknown precipice. He must corroborate the evidence of his own senses. He's always trusted in his senses, and they have never let him down, but he's so unsettled that he questions them now. He doesn't care for the Lumenarium much, but,

"In this case those two places may be one and the same. You know the Lumenarium? I do not want to bring danger to you on the way if this is an attack, but it would be foolish to continue on my own. I do not like being held still," and here a little directionless venom creeps into his voice.

"If it happens again, hide yourself and get help. Maria can be found--wait--"

Of course. Yes. Altaïr can call reinforcements with one simple trick--

"Here is the name she uses when sending messages with the Omni." He produces the funny lens-like rock from one of his belt pouches.

Ah, yes, witness it - two people who aren't very familiar with technology exchanging someone else's contact information over here. Thankfully have been in this place for a proper year now has made Chizuru a whole lot more capable of knowing how to handle these things, and she makes sure to look at the name, and then - confident she can memorize it - nodding in return.

"Alright. I will remember that, sir."

(Not that Chizuru realises she's already met this Maria. She's not the type to assume that someone with the same name is necessarily the person she's thinking about.. maybe she'll figure it out one day.)

Not right now though. Her focus is instead on Altaïr, like she's worried he'll freeze right back up again the moment she looks away from him.

"Let's make haste towards the Lumenarium then. The sooner we'll get there, the safer we'll be, right..?"

They can do it. With their powers combined, they can exchange contact information, and Altaïr will have to tell Maria about this. Normally he likes to ask before giving an ally's information out, but this is not a normal circumstance. Someone (him) so skilled at keeping things secret should also know when to divulge things.

He dislikes being looked at as if he will shatter like glass, but it's better than many alternatives.

"I am not so sure about safety, but I do want answers."

He does remember assassinating a doctor who experimented on his patients... Trust no one.

"You will be safe. I-- I'll make sure of it."

Look at the sheer determination on that girl's face. It's hard to say how much she could make good on that claim, given that she looks to be 5 foot tall and like she'd have trouble opening most heavy doors, but the girl doesn't look like she's obviously lying either.

Regardless of whether or not she can live up to it, the intention is there, that's for sure.

"I already saw you having to go through such an awful thing. So.. I'll try to protect you until I'm sure you're alright." Until at least a doctor can tell her that much. She feels personally responsible now as the one who witnessed all of this in the first place.

How on earth can this small slight person keep that promise? But at least Altaïr knows he can count on her determination to help, which includes contacting Maria if necessary. This is exactly what contingencies are for and why they should be in place at all times. Altaïr's ability to adapt to strange situations can only take him so far. He's learned this the hard way.

"Keep your Omni close," is the only thing he says stoically.

With that, he makes his first attempt to rise and finds that he can.

[open] Socially acceptable behavior

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i'm good to wrap this soon!

yes!! probably wrappable with your next tag!

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