012614nullbalish

Balish steps through the tentacled portal, almost happy with himself that the device worked, if not the situation. He puts a heavy foot through, leaning forward only to be met with a gush and he puts his weight forward, completely exiting back into the game. He glances down at the mess, mouth agape.

Rilset lays on the ground, and if it weren't for the mess, it'd look like he was slumbering peacefully. His pants have been ripped off just under the bulge, and the blood stained pieces are scattered about. His thighs and one of his hands are completely bandaged. Maroon and candy red lay in cooled, sticky piles all around him. Some smaller splatters of mostly maroon lead off in a different directi on behind the astrolabe.

 Balish pauses, mouth twisting before forming a hard line. Well, he can't be angry at them for making up, but that's... a LOT of genetic material, and no bucket to be found. Besides, Nullar doesn't seem the type to bone and go. He glances at the splatters, following slowly, trying to keep himself from shaking.

 Nullar sits in one of the rooms in the very far back corner, knees curled to her chest, one of her husktops in front of her shining an eery blue light on her face. Her face looks like it's been hit by a meat tenderizer, frankly. She tried to clean up, but her lip is split and swollen, her eyes black and blue, her nose in awful shape, and one of her signature 4x fangs missing. She cringes when she h ears footsteps and tries to look for somewhere to hide, realizing suddenly she kinda cornered herself in there.

Balish balks once he sees Nullar, taking a step back and creating a wall by grasping his other elbow, muttering shyly. "O-oh, Nullar, SORRY, I did not wish to INTRUDE on..." He trails off, eyes widening when he sees the condition she's in. "W-what's going ON?"

 Nullar looks up at him, half to her feet and ready to bolt. Buuuut, he's kinda blocking the doorway. She lets her head fall into her hands, tugging on her hair in frustration. "T'NAC A LRIG HCTAC A KAERB!," she shouts, too loud, her voice hoarse.

Balish shutters at her tone, taking a step back, "Y-you're HURT, what HAPPENED? Rilset was... That was... What's GOING ON." Balish's eyes widen further than Nullar has seen, making him look almost his age, "Is EVERYONE okay? Is Maenam OKAY? Are YOU okay?"

 Nullar slides back along the wall to pull her knees back to her chest, continuing to hide her face. "Go away Balish, Maenam's fine."

 Balish tenses again, stepping forward. "If Maenam is FINE what happened? You look like I..." Balish stops, biting into his hand, letting the sentance drop. He swallows loudly, and lowers his hand. "You LOOK injured."

 "I fell down some stairs," she snarks, and despite her best efforts it sounds like she's starting to cry again. "Balish please just leave me alone, I don't need you rubbing this shit in my face now too."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Balish shakes his head. "What STAIRS? And what about... THAT mess?" He asks, gesturing backwards. His tone is light, free from the more growling tone usually haunting his voice. "Nullar, I KNOW you don't... I KNOW, okay, but you're HURT, so just PLEASE, just the ONCE..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Nullar finally looks up at him, but keeps most of her face covered. Apparently she's a little insecure about how she looks right about now. "He's INSANE, Balish. I thought I was bad, but he's-- he's AWFUL," she says, between little hiccuping gasps. "Too far, way too far. He's fucking crazy! He made me EAT HIM, Balish!"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(113,5,160);">Balish steps closer, kneeling infront of her and reaching out but hovering his handa fw inches away, before lowing it. "Nullar, I NEED you to EXPLAIN. Who is HE? And EAT him? I don't UNDERSTAND..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Nullar visibly flinches when he gets closer, baring her teeth at him from behind her hands. Her teeth and tongue are covered in blood. "I don't want to talk about this with you. I don't want to talk about it with ENOYNA!!"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(113,5,160);">Balish shakes, pulling his hand back and crossing it tightly across his chest. "N-nullar, WHO did this. Why are you HURT." There is no more wavering in his tone, rather keeping steady and soothing, and his oddly wide eyes seem to be filled with concern. "You don't NEED to talk to it with ME, just a NAME and an ACT. You haven't been this hurt since..." He shakes his head, banishing a few dusty thou <span style="color:rgb(113,5,160);">ghts.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Don't," Nullar spits, her tone full of venom. "I don't want you pale, I d-don't w-want," she continues, but breaks off tearfully, hugging her knees to her chest. "Just st-stop, I'll deal with it. I shouldn't've put myself in that situation, I should've known he was still mad. It's my fault."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "This IS NOT pale, Nullar, this is JUST a team mate TRYING to help, just THINK of it like THAT, it may HELP..." Balish gnaws on his lip, settling back on his heels and covering his legs with his arms. "Just a HINT..." He begs, voice a soft whisper.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Nullar looks at him suspiciously, but it's obvious she wants comfort. "That's why I bandaged him up, you know," she says quietly, bitterly, "'We can't afford to lose any more teammates'," her voice a hoarse, feminine mock of Balish's own.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "B-bandaged HIM up..? Rilset DID this to you?" His expression is crossed with confusion. "W-why?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> She waves one of her hands around in a frantic little motion. "I don't know. Because he hates me, B-because he has fucked up ideas about what sex are, I was trying to get his-- his genetic material and he told me no and said that our race doesn't deserve to carry on and--" she breaks off into a shuddering gasp, "And he's *crazy*, Balish."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Crazy, YES, that sounds like... You tried to get his genetic material... What ABOUT sex? Nullar, WHAT happened while I was gone?" He leans forward, digging his nails into his elbows.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "He said no one would care," Nullar mumbles, staring at her own knees. "That no one would try to stop him. He was right. He was right about everything." She seems oblivious to his attempts to steer the conversation.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "No, no, NO. How can you SAY that? How could HE? Nullar EVERYONE cares about you, we don't AGREE but that means NOTHING. WHATEVER Rilset has DONE, he's WRONG." Balish doesn't hesitate this time, reaching out and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You need to TELL me, PLEASE tell me."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "He said I was pathetic," she says, shrinking away from his hand like it'll burn her. When he does come into contact, though, he can tell she's trembling. "He said I'm acting the same way for you black like he was acting for me r-red and I'm just too stupid to see it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He shakes his head. "Don't THINK that, NEVER think that, you are NOT pathetic, you are the witty, grounded MEMBER of our TEAM, a staple, you are NOT PATHETIC." He cracks a halfhearted smile, continueing, "REMEMBER how you took that squid, CUT right into him while I was just SCRABBLING around?" He pauses, shaking his head. "You do NOT act like him, you pursue me like any NORMAL troll, you do NOT ac <span style="color:rgb(113,5,160);">t like he does."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Nullar looks at him when he speaks, tears in her eyes, and leans in toward him and his hand a little. "That's... very kind of you to say that," she says stiffly, obviously not believing him. "I don't know why everyone's acting like me... being with Jack is such a huge betrayal. If anyone can convince him or sway him or alter his behavior at all wouldn't it be his m-- his partner,"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He shakes his head. "I just WORRY, don't think it is ANYTHING but. I don't TRUST him, yes, but you can make your OWN choices. Your HOSTILITY is just... CONFUSING." He says, shaking his head. "It's NORMAL, don't get me WRONG, I'm just in a... PLACE right now.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "My hostility," she repeats dully, wiping at her eyes, cringing when she touches her tender nose. "Balish I just always thought-- such a stupid thought- I just always... thought we'd end up together. In some form or fashion. And it... it wasn't possible on Alternia, so... so I got my hopes up here, and then-- and it's not possible here. I can't make you even hate me, apparently." She's not crying  <span style="color:rgb(170,0,0);">anymore but she is still shaking, a dead monotone creeping into her voice.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Balish shakes his head, pushing closer and wrapping around her. "D-don't give up HOPE." He manages to squeeze out. "You're BETTER than that, you KNOW that, I KNOW that. NO MATTER what HAPPENS, no MATTER what odds we are at, I care about you, do you HEAR me? When you are being INSUFFERABLE, when you are being ANNOYING, when you are being BRILLIANT."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(170,0,0);">Nullar tenses in his arms, trying to make all of the conflicting info she was just handed make sense. "I-- you-- don't make shitty hope puns Balish, goddamnit," she yells, struggling a litte, hands on her chest to push him away. "B-besides I-- I guess I'm kissmeses with Rilset now," she continues, and starts crying again, slumping into him.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(113,5,160);">"You don't HAVE to be if that's NOT what YOU WANT. Whatever Rilset DID was wrong, he HURT you, that means NOTHING but how TWISTED he is." Balish doesn't let go at her pushes, but relaxes his grip, allowing her to struggle or pull out if she tried hard enough <span style="color:rgb(113,5,160);">.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(170,0,0);">Nullar grabs big tufts of his shirt and hides her forehead into his shoulder, careful not to squish her, ah, malleable nose. "He kissed me and then he choked me and m-made me go on my knees. And... and I was surprised but actually kind of into that, I g-guess," she breaks off, embarrassed, glad her face is hidden.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Balish shakes his head, stroking her hair. "Nullar, did he FORCE you into it." He whispers, body feeling rigid, despite the tenderness of the embrace.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Null enjoys the hand in her hair much more than she ought. "What, sex," she asks dismissively. "No, th-that I would know how to handle. If he'd actually tried to fuck me I think I'd b-be a little less... upset."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "That sounds stupid, I'm sorry."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "You have NOTHING to be worried about, Nullar, you don't SOUND STUPID, but I do not UNDERSTAND. He TRIED to force you into a Quadrant?" Balish speaks slowly and clearly, despite the clear tightness of his body.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Nullar shook her head, but it took her a while to work up the nerve to speak. "He... he bit off a chunk of his hand and kept his hand over my face until I swallowed it," she said, gagging visibly at the memory. "Then he tried to m-make me say some crazy town shit, and- and I-- and I wouldn't so, he... so he started hi-- so we started fighting."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Balish nods. "He ATTACKED you, he FORCED his beliefs ONTO you, and you RESISTED, that's OKAY, there is NOTHING wrong with that. Nullar, you FOUGHT him, you did not WANT what he was GIVING, that does NOT mean you have ANYTHING with him."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "He asked me if it was good for me, too," she snarls. "He said he could understand now wh-why I wanted a kissmesis so bad, and asked if I was up for another round before he passed out."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "It was NOT, you did NOT, is this CORRECT?" His chest is rising and lowering at a steady rythme, almost too regulated to be normal.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Null shook her head. "It was-- it was way too far, Balish. If-- if you weren't around, maybe I could see being black with him, but," she admitted, hiding her face even further, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But that was way, way too far."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He strokes her hair. "Shh, Nullar, he's ASLEEP, he can't do ANYTHING to you anymore. You are NOT okay with WHAT he did to you, you do NOT see him WITH you, correct?" Balish moves his hands, placing them on her shoulders, and attempting to pull back a little.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> She tries to keep hiding her face, but when she feels him pull back she practically leaps back herself, covering her face with her hands again. "What if he's the best I can get, Maybe I'm th-throwing away a good thing because I'm a little wimp who can't t-take a beating," she mumbles.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "NO, this isn't NORMAL, Nullar, you KNOW you can do BETTER, you KNOW he's not RIGHT for you..." Balish pauses, chewing on his lip. "LISTEN, I KNOW what I've SAID, I KNOW I hurt you, I KNOW I'm TRASH and don't DESERVE to TALK," Balish's nose begins to bleed, and he pauses, wiping it away with his hand. "No, you should NEVER settle, NEVER think you are LESS than you ARE."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Maybe I can teach him, too, like Jack," Nullar insists, lowering her hands finally to look at him. She notices him wipe at his nose, but doesn't think anything of it. "Wouldn't it be convenient for everyone," she adds, bitter once again. Her face gets hard, and she bares her teeth at him again. "And shut up about that other shit, B-Balish. You may be an arrogant, selfish twat with little to no ab <span style="color:rgb(170,0,0);">ility to consider how his actions affect other people, but you're not *trash*. I wouldn't've even met you if you were. Or, I wouldn't be alive, at least."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He shakes his head. "You KNOW they tried to BURN down my HIVE once you left. If I hadn't been WANDERING around, I would've NEVER caught the fire and STOPPED it. We got LUCKY. Do you REALLY think you can CHANGE him, without... THIS happening again, Nullar? Jackie I will ASSUME you can change, but Rilset? No, not Rilset." He shakes his head, keeping his eyes closed since the moment they pulled away.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Did they," Nullar asked quietly. "I'm... I'm sorry, I never even asked. I... I didn't want to talk about it." She kind of hates how she sounds like a broken record, but she doesn't comment on it. "I wasn't trying to make him this angry, Balish. I just... wanted him to be his own person. I don't deserve adulation."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He shakes his head, keeping his eyes clamped, a few rolling dots of purple flecking out of his nose. "It was NOT your fault, it's their's. Just like THIS. You told someone to STAND on their OWN, and they DECIDED to take ADVANTAGE of your KINDNESS and..." He grits his teeth, and one nose seems to let go, blood trickling out in a small waterfall. "YOU are NOT at FAULT, you didn't DESERVE that, and h <span style="color:rgb(113,5,160);">e will PAY."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Balish I can-- I can take care of myself," she insists stubbornly, though she doesn't look too sure about it. She pulls a white cloth out of her captchalogue that's only a little tinted with maroon blood, leaning forward to press it on his nose. "So what happened to you, then," she asks curtly, her tone no-nonsense enough for him to hopefully realize he wasn't getting out of an explanation. She'd rather f <span style="color:rgb(170,0,0);">ocus on anyone's problems but her own.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> His eyes flash open, catching her wrist, eyes tinted with a hazy purple. "You CAN, but if it HAPPENS again..." Balish glances at where they meet, hand in wrist, and drops it with the same quick motion, followed by a violent bloodspurt. "DAMN." He hisses, holding the back of his hand it the flowing mess.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Nullar narrows her eyes at him, and in one of her patently intelligent moves, she stubbornly moves closer to him, waving the cloth in his face. "Hey, dipshit. Hands aren't absorbent."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He coughs, glow fading. "It's no big DEAL, it's not going to KILL me." He pauses, thinking for a moment, then snatches the cloth. "I... THANK you." He mutters, holding it to his nose.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "And if I said that about Rilset," Nullar prodded, looking entirely unimpressed with his attempt to dodge the conversation.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He pauses, grinding his teeth. "If it HAPPENS again, I'm GOING to turn him into a BLOOD SPLATTER, but you seem to know what you are DOING, doing this DANCE with Jackie as well. Just... If he TRIES anything, you NEED a defensive measure, something to STOP him in his TRACTS."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Nullar's eyes go wide with fear, attention successfully diverted from his nose bleed. "Oh, no. Nononono. I have a great plan. My plan is to avoid him forever, and then get the fuck off of this team," she says, heart pounding in her chest at the thought of 'it' happening again. "And if I can tangle him up in some of my plants while I do my world quest all of the fucking better."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "At least I won't have to watch my, my b-back all of the time," she says tremulously.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He nods. "THAT is a good plan, you're SMART enough to AVOID him, but STILL, in case of an EMERGANCY... Balish sighs, pulling a small vial from his inventory. "HERE, take this LITTLE AMOUNT. It's POISON, you should know what to do with it, it SHOULD help to stop him, just in CASE, and if you NEED ME..." He nods toward her computer.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Nullar takes it, giving it a precursory glance before putting it in her captchalogue.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Don't... don't start sounding pale, Balish," Nullar says, but it's more of a pleading whine than a command.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(113,5,160);">"Do NOT get that on your hands, of in ANY oriface, it's from the Laughsassins. REAL dangerous stuff."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(170,0,0);">Nullar nods, leaning back against the wall with her knees to her chest again. "I'll be careful with it. Hopefully I won't have to use it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(113,5,160);">He nods, then gives his head a shake, pulling up. "It also wouldn't HURT to socialize MORE, you know. You can TALK to everyone ELSE, even if it's just in passing."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(170,0,0);">"I've been talking to people," she says defensively. "Gathering genetic material and schooling the humans on quadrants."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "It's funny supposedly everyone hates me but no one will say shit to my face except Rilset."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Er, to my... keyboard."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He blinks. "It SOUNDS like no one actually HATES you, and that IDEA was simply PLANTED into your head."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Libby hates me," she points out stubbornly, playing with the fabric of her pants. "She said I betrayed everyone."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He shakes his head. "Libby can NOT trust you, not after what Jackie did to her." Balish twists the base of his shirt, biting his lips.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Well I think it goes without saying I can't trust her after what she's done, either," she mumbles. "And he's been nice to me. Really nice. If everyone would just play along a little bit and treat him like a real person maybe he wouldn't be killing people so much."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He shakes his head. "I MADE that mistake before, BESIDES, Jackie and I are on too different PATHS now, that is clear enough."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Well, he does want to kill you," she acknowledges. "But besides that and a little creepy stuff regarding Libby his goals don't seem too different from ours, to be honest."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Nullar, PLEASE, don't. I can't HANDLE this right now." He takes a step back. "I will SPEAK to Maenam, I will SPEAK to Libby, but I make NO promises. Nullar, don't forget he STARTED the ring with Seriad. Now, I'll SEE you around, okay?" His eyes are no longer squinting, back to being the oddly wide. He offers the cloth back, stained with purple.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Nullar takes it, and seems alarmed about something. She hugs it close, not seeming to notice she's getting purple onto her own clothes. She stares hard at her knees, trying not to cry. "MMHMM," she says, too loud.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "N-Nullar?" He pauses his movement, trying not to run back. He glances around, and sighs, walking back and settling down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "No TALKING, just..." He breaths. "I'll be HERE for you."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> Null lets out a grateful hiccup, leaning into him and balling her fists into her eyes as she tries not to cry and tries not to feel shitty for being that easy to read. "I'll p-probably pass out soon, adrenaline's gotta... w-w-wear off ev-ventually," she reassures him.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> He nods. "Do you NEED sopor? I still HAVE some, if you wish to RUB it on your eyes and forhead. EVEN that little amount HELPS, trust me."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(170,0,0);">Nullar shakes her head no. She doesn't want to be THAT out of it should anyone stumble on her while she's sleeping. "Just... shhh," she says, and adds a last minute, "Dick," at the end.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> "Bitch." He whispers, softly patting her head.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(170,0,0);">Null's spends a few moments shifting around uncomortably, but her lashes begin to flutter fairly quickly and she falls into a light, troubled sleep.