deercountry | Sense Switch

Entry tags:

Sense Switch

Who: Jason Kolchek + CR
What: Paleblood sense-switch fun
When: Early March
Where: Sanctuary infirmary

Content Warnings: Mild body horror, mentioned drug use, swearing

He hadn't taken anything. Jason was sure of that despite how damn tempting it was. So what the hell was happening to his body? Every time he breathed in through his nose he felt something, like the smell somehow gained a physical form and was sliding across his skin. He couldn't even enjoy the smell of coffee or the draniki he made for breakfast. The sensation wasn't unpleasant but it was still fucking weird and unsettling.

Jason did the only thing he knew to do and went to the Sanctuary. It was safe there and he could ride whatever was going on in a calm environment. Eventually he learned through the network that this was the latest Trench bullshit for Palebloods.

Of fucking-course it was. Jason could remember when he randomly lost one of his senses. Now it was like they were mixed up. This was going to keep happening all fucking month long.

Jason let out a sigh and ran fingers through his hair. His Omen had manifested herself, which was a sure sign Jason was in distress. Esfir only showed up when Jason really needed her.

"You're gonna tell 'em, aren't ya?" he sighed at her. He knew he had people who would want to be here and help him, but Jason hadn't really planned on reaching out to any of them. Esfir was sure going to, though.

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Thank you Esfir, needless to say Viktor very much wants to know if his bud is having a hard time.

He is too in a way, with sight. At the moment it's annoying but manageable, his sight triggering physical sensations- words made it the worst, so no reading for him. Reading 'karate' felt like a punch. Very annoying. At least walking around sanctuary mostly felt like the dusty air of churches and the chill of moonlit evenings.

Seeing Esfir wherever she prowls feels like a soft, solid pressure of fur. "Jason?" he calls, a little concerned that his omen was out. That usually meant trouble.

Esfir made sure that Viktor found his way to the infirmary, then positioned herself near the bed. By this point Jason was issued a face mask. There wasn't much for him to smell so he was feeling a lot better. He noticed Viktor and gave his friend a wave.

"Don't worry, I ain't sick," he said, guessing Viktor's thoughts. "Just need to wear this for a while. My sense of smell is fucked up."

Sharon spots Jason, Esfir out, and immediately recognizes that something is up. She's well aware of his blood-typing, though, and has learned that this month was going to be wild for Palebloods. It doesn't stop her brain from drawing the worst possible conclusion, though.

"Hey, Jason," she calls out as she approaches him, visibly concerned, "You doing okay?"

The smile Jason gives is hidden behind his face mask. "Yeah, just had some Trench bullshit happen." He says it casually; he isn't going to talk about how freaked out he felt at first. Anyway, Esfir being visible and Jason being in the Sanctuary said more than enough about his state of mind.

"I can feel smells," Jason admits. "It's like whatever I'm smellin' rubs on my skin. It's pretty fucked up. I don't feel much when I breathe through this mask, so I guess it doesn't have a strong smell." It's probably the closest he can get to just sitting normally until his senses switch back to normal-- or to something else.

"Feel smells?" she lets out a laugh of shock, head shaking as if she couldn't even wrap her brain around it, "Smart to go the mask route because I probably would have just stuffed my nose with paper or something."

If she even thought of that without being overwhelmed by everything, "I know Luna said she's been tasting sounds. You haven't had that happen, have you?"

"So far sounds are just sounds," Jason answers with a relieved nod. He hasn't eaten anything in a while so he doesn't know if his sense of taste has changed. "I might get outta here in a while," he adds. It's not like he's sick, after all.

Thank you Esfir, Viktor gives a grateful nod before focusing on Jason- or to the side of Jason after a glance.

"Ah, of course. It never ends, does it?" So dry. "A lovely paleblood symptom. What's it doing to you?"

"I can feel smells," he answers. "Really fuckin' unsettling, man." None of his other senses have switched around yet, for which he is grateful, but he knows Trench's bullshit very well: he knows it's only a matter of time.

"I thought I was trippin' out," Jason confesses. "It's why I came here."

"It could end up being like that month where you guys were losing your senses. This week might be physical scents, next week could be sound having a taste," she just wants him to be prepared, though she knows Jason is fully capable of handling himself. He always has been. He takes everything in stride and it's part of what she admires about him, "But if you're gonna leave soon, want me to stick around with you?"

"We could grab a drink and catch up. Of course, not at the bars. I bet that'd be too much to deal with. But I got some whiskey at my place," she grins at him here, something sly to it, "And maybe we can talk about Obi-Wan"

She might have seen his discussion with Usagi Tsukino in February on the network. The way Jason had gushed over the man, she kind of figures that's who he's got the hots for.

Yeah, he's not really looking forward to any of that. Sharon's right, though, so Jason sighs and nods. At least he'll know it's coming this time around.

It doesn't sound like a bad idea to have a drink, and to do it away from a place with a lot of smells like a bar. Jason is halfway to agreeing when Sharon brings up Obi-wan. Dammit, he should've known that she'd hear that. Hell, the whole damn network heard Jason go on and on. It wasn't necessarily his fault: another Paleblood moment where he had to compliment people he cared about.

"Nothin' to talk about," Jason grunts. Oh, he knows Sharon will keep pushing, but it's not in him to just start spilling his guts.

Her grin turns cheeky and knowing, "Yeah, okay." Oh, but that okay was weighted with something, verging on sarcastic as if she knew better. But she'll let it slide for the moment. He's already suffering, no reason to press him until there's a drink in his hand.

"I've been dealing with my own crush-thing lately," Obi-wan can wait but this subject was a good way to lead back to him, "Did I tell you I was dating someone? And then we broke up?"

Jason gives her a narrowed-eye look. He knows the subject isn't dropped, just on hold. Even so, she provides a good distraction with her own news.

"No shit? That does sound like somethin' to have a drink over. Let's get outta here and you can tell me about it."

Sharon knew that would get him and she knows he knows the subject isn't dropped but they're both good at pretending; at playing along. She loops one of her arms with his, holding onto him gently. Friendly, "Come on then."

It doesn't take long for them to reach the little victorian cottage she calls home. Up the porch steps, through the softly colored entryway, and right into the kitchen. She pulls out a crystal decanter, half-full, of an amber liquid, and a pair of short glasses and pours them each a few fingers full before she takes a seat at the kitchen table.

If Jason breathes through his nose, he'll find that the kitchen has a sweet, bright scent to it. Of lemons and mint. There's a mint plant on a table in front of the window and bowl of lemons on one of the counters. Sharon clearly keeps a tidy home.

After Sharon takes a sip, she speaks, "Do you know Tinya Wazzo?"

Jason's smile is covered by the face mask. He lets Sharon drag him along, out of the Sanctuary and to her place. His eyes widen a little as he takes it all in. Her house looks so... pretty. Jason is a little surprised, but glad, that Sharon could find a place like this in the Trench. She deserves having a nice place.

He sits politely and waits while Sharon gets everything ready. Jason is not quite willing to test if his sense of smell is working just yet, but he can tell from looking how tidy everything is. He reaches for a cup and lifts his mask to take a sip.

"Huh?" Jason is a little distracted. "Not sure, might've heard that name on the network." He's not exactly what one would call a social person, so he doesn't know that many people.

His response doesn't surprise her much and it's not as if he needs to know Tinya to hear about her love life. She's got a feeling he'd never have told her about Obi-wan. Maybe more to keep from jinxing it, somehow, in addition to the fact he's always been the kind of man to keep most of her feelings close to his chest.

She shrugs, "Well, she told me she loved me. I knew I felt something for her but... You already know I don't know shit about dating and falling in love and all that ooey-gooey shit." She smiles at him. They spoke on that briefly all those months back.

"So, we dated for a few months and my feelings for her never really... Grew? I guess," she sighs, expression twisting briefly with something that looks a lot like guilt, "So, I broke it off. Felt like shit to do but I think I'd have felt worse leading her on."

Jason was going to tell her, as soon as there was something to tell. But as always Trench pulled it out of him first. Jason takes another sip of his drink and makes a face. He keeps hearing something, though it's hard to pinpoint the sound. Jason looks around but doesn't see anything out of the ordinary in the house. Esfir rubs on him as assurance.

"Well," Jason says, focusing back on the conversation, "sounds to me you did the right thing. Stickin' with it would've hurt both of you."

It's a white loth-cat that comes trotting into the infirmary first. Ezra's omen is often manifested...but does not necessarily stick close enough by to him to easily spot their relationship. If anything, the more closely he roots himself with his friends and family here, the more she wanders.

That she comes and finds Ezra, and pins him with an expectant gaze, is a clue to him that something is up. He follows her through the Sanctuary grounds, concern spiking when he sees where she's leading him.

When she stops and sits near Jason, Ezra shifts his attention to give the man a quick visual once over.

"Sahar seems to think I should be here," he explains, to Jason. "What's up?"

Esfir accepts the presence of this other cat-like being. The fact she does clues Jason into its status as an omen. He glances up in time to see Ezra coming into the infirmary. Jason's responding smile is lost behind the face mask he's wearing. It helps block out most of the smells around him, which has helped a lot in calming him down.

"Hey, kid. I'm good, it's just Trench bullshit. Palebloods are havin' their senses switchin' around. I can feel everything I smell."

Sharon follows his gaze as he glances around the room and a frown touches her lips. She doesn't hear a single thing, doesn't see anything, but it's clear something is bothering Jason. She chalks it up to his Paleblood effect acting up on him but it's not something she's down to ignore.

"You okay?" That's more important than the conversation.

"Yeah, I'm good," he assures her. "Just thought I heard somethin'. Maybe I was pickin' up a stray thought from someone passin' by." His telepathy has gotten pretty strong these days, and most of the time Jason is able to keep it turned off. But with how distracted he's been with the Paleblood stuff, maybe he's not blocking it all out as usual.

Or maybe... He eyes the cup in his hand and experimentally takes another sip. "Oh, what the fuck. I'm hearing the drink."

"Oh, gotcha." He finger guns - yes, really - in Jason's direction, with a tight, sympathetic smile.

"Tasting colors is a new one for me."

Jason snorts a little at the finger-guns. That was a pretty dorky move, but it just makes him more endeared toward the kid. His interest perks when Ezra mentions tasting colors. Jason hasn't eaten or drank anything since he checked himself into the infirmary. It's very likely that his taste buds have switched senses with something else, but Jason isn't in a hurry to test.

"What's that like?" he asks.

His realization catches her off guard, her eyebrows shooting up beneath her messy bangs, visibly surprised and then immediately curious. She takes another sip before she asks, "What's it sound like?"

Palebloods always wind up with the most interesting of blood effects when she gets saddled with things like exhaustion. She's almost jealous.

Where Sharon sees interesting, Jason sees a pain in the ass. How is he supposed to enjoy eating and drinking when he keeps hearing weird shit instead of tasting? Jason shakes his head, at a loss for how to explain the sound.

"Kinda low, like a bass?" That's the best way to put it. "It's nice, but it's fuckin' weird." He takes another sip, this time letting the liquid stay on his tongue. "Yeah, a kind of low vibratin' sound, like from a bass guitar."

Viktor grimaces at that, trying to imagine it- no, better not to. Don't give the Trench ideas. He leans on his cane (the threaded one Jason gave him no less) and shakes his head. "That's a new one. Dare I ask how that feels?"

Curiosity is hard to break. "Luna's been tasting what she can hear, from what I gather. It makes me miss the mushroom hallucinations last year."

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