18

[asea]

Who: Walter and anyone
Where: Island
When: 5th, morning
Style: Either
Status: Open

[The change is gradual and starts with faint discomfort when it actually affects him. The onset of something more severe begins much later.

Walter glimpses the network between then: I believe this week some of you might begin feeling a little chilly if you don't have physical contact with someone. He throws the communicator aside after that, and ignores the clatter of the thing against a table as he folds his arms.

He endures through Thursday, but by Friday, his senses have dulled and he doesn't quite see it or his paling complexion.

Something compels him to visit the island that morning. His gait on the way is more languid than that of his usual march, and he moves with a deaf ear to his surroundings, his inattentiveness being cause for the rare bump (or close call) into another denizen of Vatheon. But he cares little for the error and moves on without so much as a glance when it happens. He's strong yet – there's nary a stumble throughout the whole ordeal.

When he reaches shore, Walter sits where the tides reach. Perhaps it is against his better judgment, but his mind is a haze and why should he not sit there in the seawater? It belongs to the sea. He belongs to the sea.

His head rolls to the side in a fit of exhaustion, his ear brushing against the fabric of his attire. He's tired. Odd, considering he has neither fought nor trained recently, and he should be accustomed to a few hours of sleep; but he's tired nonetheless, the feeling reminding him of another time . . . a time he can't recall . . .]

Comments

[seaborg]

[It had taken longer than he would have liked for Pyunma to make his way up to finally visit the island. He'd been in Vatheon for more than a week, after all. But between meeting with his comrades and finding his way around the underwater city, he hadn't had the time to come up and properly explore both the island and the mostly-empty village on top of it.

His first impression, when he emerges from the elevator, is that it's very much like the small islands he and the other cyborgs have visited before. A beach, a forest, some cliffs- the thing that's different from the islands he usually visits is the village. But the village will still be there, so he starts his exploration with the beach.

And here he encounters another unexpected sight, a person sitting in the sand. At first, he intends to leave him to it, but when he sees that this person is sitting within the reach of the water, and seems strangely listless, he approaches.]

Are you alright?

[asea]

[Walter lifts his head in the direction of the sudden voice, his position otherwise unchanged. His impassive gaze lingers on the man for a while before he turns back to the sea.]

I'm fine.

[The words that come out are automatic, almost a conditioned response, but he doesn't think that he's wrong.]

[seaborg]

[Pyunma is momentarily taken aback by the answer, but doesn't yet leave Walter to himself.]

At least move back, then. Getting wet doesn't seem like a good idea, during this curse.

[asea]

[Walter doesn't answer, seeming thoughtful for a moment. His reply comes quietly, and short.]

Why?

[seaborg]

Being wet usually makes the cold worse.

[He's had plenty of experience with that.]

[asea]

[Usually.

Walter finally rises at that, if rather ordinarily when he should have been quick and precise in movement. Then he walks forward until he's knee deep in the water.

He doesn't feel much colder. But he's also very cold to begin with.]

[seaborg]

[Moving on automatic, Pyunma steps out into the water himself, and reaches out toward Walter, to touch a hand to his shoulder if he can.]

Wait!

[shirleyhopeful]

[Despite feeling extremely cold, Shirley still managed to find a way to get to the island. Right now, the only thing she needed was warmth and the island seemed like good idea at first.

However, as time passed, it was starting become clear that it wasn't working. Even with the blankets on her, she was still shivering. Was this really the coral's plan? To freeze everyone to death?

Before she could even finish her thoughts, she managed to find someone else on the island. That outfit...it couldn't be...!]

Walter?! [In that moment, she momentary forgot what she was doing. All that mattered was her friend guardian.] Walter, what's wrong? Are you okay?

[asea]

[Ultimately, it was her voice and presence that sharpened his senses somewhat. Walter snapped his head up in attention, all seemingly alert in spite of his dulled condition. But he didn't stand, and the seawater continued to wet his boots and long shirt.]

. . . Merines . . .

[He looked down at the sand, considering what she had asked him, and then looked back at her.]

Nothing is wrong.

[shirleyhopeful]

[Shirley didn't believe a word he said. Why would he just sit there like that? It wasn't like him, he was always in top shape and he would never do this. However, the more she thought about it, the more it worried her]

...I think there is, Walter. Are you sure you're okay? You're not h-...h...

[SNEEZE]

...Hurt right?

[asea]

[That was a sneeze. Wasn't it?

After a bit of staring, Walter stood and closed what distance that remained between them. He looked at her long and hard, unblinking, with a different sort of severity than his usual.]

. . . Are you cold?

[shirleyhopeful]

[What are you talking about? There was no sneeze, it was all a figment of your imagination!]

No um, I'm okay! I um... [Shirley was never good at lying was she?]

I'll be fine! What about you? Aren't you cold too?

[asea]

[Her question either didn't register in his head or he didn't care to answer. Mostly, he wasn't thinking about the cold in relation to himself.

His gaze traveled down to one of her hands.]

Physical contact prevents the cold from growing worse.

[For her benefit, of course.]

[contemptibility]

[And from a small distance behind him—]

You're only going to get colder like that.

[asea]

[He hears every word, but deigns not to reply, head still pressed against his shoulder with his back to Tiir. In fact, he makes no move to indicate that he registered them.]

[contemptibility]

[a sigh]

Ignoring me now? Or have you gone deaf?

[asea]

[Previously closed, his eyes open. Flatly, quietly:]

I prefer the cold.

[contemptibility]

[He shrugs, even if Walter can't see it.]

As long as you don't mind getting sick. I don't imagine Shirley would be too happy if you did, though.

[asea]

She's unhappy about many things.

[ . . . many things about himself. But he doesn't drone on that long.

When he otherwise doesn't feel anything, though, that statement seems to crush something in him.]

[tsundyne]

[It's not an entirely difficult concept to grasp, but it certainly doesn't make it any less inconvenient, either: at least for this week, physical contact = warmth. Maybe it was stupid of her too, to think that being on the beach might help matters, but at this point, she has to do something. Her teeth chatter, and when she breathes, it feels like she should be seeing smoke; but when she doesn't, she just keeps walking, with the sun doing nothing to warm her.

She comes across a familiar blond figure who seems to be minding his own business -- and really, she wants to do the same. Out of some morbid curiosity, though (and perhaps against her better judgment), she also ventures out far enough to wear the water comes in to drench her feet.

And they feel like icicles not long afterwards.

Stumbling, she hurriedly scrambles backwards in the direction she came as the tide "chases" her -- and just as it goes out again, she plops into the sand.

Yeah. Ow. Real graceful.]

[asea]

[Walter hears movement, and although he doesn't care to watch, it sounds like a ruckus not long after. He lifts his head and twists it over his other shoulder to investigate. The rest of him stays as still as a statue, no matter how much the water drenches him with the tide.

A person.

His is a distant stare, not like the usual glare he points in her direction.

That girl.

He continues to sit there and watch, because he honestly has no idea what in Vatheon she's doing. His mind isn't working up to date; it's being slow, slower than should be the norm, and as a result he can't be overcome with irritation, either. And that should be the normal reaction.]

[tsundyne]

Tch . . .

[Yukari seems embarrassed, but in the end, it actually doesn't hurt too badly. The sand is soft, after all, even if it feels cold; and she certainly doesn't want to make a big deal out of it if she doesn't have to. Of course Walter of all people would be watching her today, but . . . it's fine. She opts to just not make eye contact with him as she straightens, sitting in the sand with her arms wrapped around her knees.]

So much for it being warmer up here.

[asea]

[That tips him off to why she's here, though it takes a while to sink in. After a brief moment, Walter climbs to his feet. Sand clings to his sodden boots, and there are some on the hem of his shirt as well, but he doesn't care.]

. . . You won't get warm that way.

[His voice neutral and quiet, he approaches. There's no logical reason as to why, other than that it seems appropriate when talking at her.]

[tsundyne]

[Oh.

Somehow she hadn't been expecting him to approach; so when she hears his footsteps in the sand, she's kind of caught off-guard. But this will make it a lot easier than having to raise her voice, so she's nooot complaining.]

Neither will you.

[She glances at him, standing over her.]

But I'm betting you already know . . .

[What he has to do, that is.]

[asea]

I don't feel anything.

[He plainly speaks the truth, and it doesn't occur to him that this is the result of his being so cold that he doesn't get it. Simply a matter-of-fact that, for whatever reason, he doesn't feel the temperature much.

In fact, he doesn't even know what to say after that. Not out of a need to be silent, but out of a lacking train of thought – a train of thought he's lost and can't put himself back on the track of.

His gaze falls to the side in the midst of the climbing confusion.]