Network | video | Warning

[wewillwewill]

Who: Elidibus, OTA
Username: ceasetherain
Warnings: ghosts, body horror to wasting away, spirals, Dogtown, death



[Elidibus is centered in the video with the background of a living room indicating he's probably at home. Although he's inside, it might be noticed he is wearing a couple of layers to his visible clothing. Other than this, he seems as composed as ever.]

Good afternoon. I am reaching out to you all to pass a warning. I spoke with the apparition who has been appearing to many of us. Their name is Bryn Fletcher, who has appeared in reports of incidents a year prior.

[There is a pause and a glance to something offscreen. But rather than pursue whatever distracted him, Elidibus returns his gaze forward while continuing to speak.]

He wishes to pass on a warning. A great threat is building. Bryn claimed to have witnessed what I must presume was a twisting of reality. Perhaps literally. He spoke of how all was twisted into spirals and that all within were dying.

[There is a small frown and a shift, as if Elidibus were uncomfortable speaking a warning in such vague terms or upon such a small amount of information as he was able to get.]

Bryn claims the center of this is the house in Dogtown. That, by his words, it will devour everyone.

[There. A promise fulfilled and even then some. Reaching in the direction he looked before, Elidibus retrieves a cup of some warm beverage and sips. ]

Pray feel free to ask what questions you have. Though I fear there may be little I can speak on with any accuracy.

Comments

[unnecessaryflourishes]

[There's a raised eyebrow at Elidibus' comment, but no question. That he will save for later, and so there is simply a nod.]

I will see what I can do

---

It does, of course, take some time before Emet-Selch arrives. As Elidibus had not implied the matter was urgent, he had taken Elidibus at his word and made sure to see to what else had required his attention first. Including making sure to pick up the chowder in question. There is, admittedly, a bit of a blink to see Elidibus not holed up with his collection (to say nothing of the clothes he's wearing), but Emet-Selch makes no immediate effort to address either as he closes the door behind him.

"It did."

He sets down the bag holding the containers of chowder on a nearby table, as he speaks, before setting about removing them and the associated utensils.

"Though you had something you wished for advice on?"

It's a gentle nudge, mostly, though one that suggests that Emet-Selch certainly doesn't mind getting immediately to whatever it is that happens to be on Elidibus' mind.

[wewillwewill]

There isn't really any need to waste time. After a check of the phone- again handled gingerly- for new messages on the network, Elidibus sets it aside and gets out of his blanket. None of it has really been helping. The sensations are purely internal. But it did stand to reason that he should make sure the chill left him unaware of actual cold and compound the matter.

Well that's what he's telling himself. And it is reasonable to try to nurse it in some way.

He comes to retrieve his soup and speaks.

"My encounter with Bryn came with a cost. One I am unsure so soon after that I would recover from."

Left unsaid, he used some of his restored power (thanks to that arm and other established methods) to facilitate his communication with the apparition. But it's probably obvious considering what he's about to ask for.

"I would like your opinion on my condition, if you can spare the energy for it. Regardless of our limits, your clarity of sight in such matters surpasses my own."

And it certainly does, especially right now.

[unnecessaryflourishes]

The gingerness with which Elidibus handles his phone is very much noted. Emet-Selch is, admittedly, not entirely sure what to make of it, especially with no further clues, but it is unusual enough to catch his attention. Especially given what Elidibus has already told him, as well as his own knowledge of the sorts of effects things in this world can have on one's body even when it is not an outcome one might prefer.

Still, he is willing to let it wait until Elidibus has come to claim his soup before he passes any further judgment. Not least of all for the fact that he has striven to at least not jump to too many conclusions over the course of his life.

(There is part of him that is not surprised that Elidibus' encounter with the spirit in question has come with a cost. He may only be truly familiar with the dead of their own world, but even then not all of those creatures that lingered after death were particularly friendly.)

"I have enough to spare for such a thing."

He picks up his own soup as he speaks.

"Though I would first know more of the nature of the condition and its effects."

So as to better be able to tell what he might be looking for, of course.

[wewillwewill]

Everything is handled 'gingerly'. That is to say carefully, with focus beyond what he normally ever would need. And... he returns to his blanket.

"Of course," Elidibus says. The soup is set down near the mug of coffee. His hands are held open and are regarded thoughtfully before looking to Emet-Selch again. As if talking about nothing more alarming than reading a book, he begins to explain.

"Bryn... is a man trapped. If I were to hazard an analogy, it would be similar to a place completely devoid of aether. Thus, unable to sustain life. He will likely die soon if no one is able to rescue him from his fate."

This is needed background story. Elidibus is no doubt thinking of ideas but... he accepts it may not be possible. The warning was important.

"Yet he seems capable of reaching toward us who are from other worlds and reality. To facilitate the connection, I permitted him to make contact and used what limited resources at my discretion to further strengthen it."

One hand touches a shoulder- the one he allowed Bryn to touch. "Contact chilled the skin. And the further I endured it, the more the world seemed to fade. I know not whether he was drawing life from my existence or I was being drawn into his current plight." For a moment Elidibus's expression becomes wry. "Even now, what little sense of color remains to me is muted at best. All else is tones of gray."

Yet there's no physical signs of this. His gaze is as bright blue as ever.

"Most of my upper arm and hands have no feeling. An unending chill lingers through my body." The blanket, the soup and coffee are all glanced at. "None of these bring relief from its ache."

[unnecessaryflourishes]

Elidibus' return to his blanket is, at least, nothing that Emet-Selch would be inclined to fault him for. Not under normal circumstances anyway - he has never been fond of the cold himself - and the only reason he even finds it so much as concerning now is for the relative warmth of the apartment to begin with. But it is not so much of a concern that he feels it necessary to speak on it, and so he falls silent as Elidibus begins his explanation.

An explanation that draws a look of concern the more Elidibus speaks, especially given the physical effects that Elidibus describes. True, Emet-Selch cannot fault Elidibus the desire to help, and it is certainly far from the first time there have been lingering effects after some manner of encounter in this world. But even so, this particular set of effects seems far more dire than might typical.

"Should he truly exist in a space without aether, or other means to sustain life, it would not be surprising that he might unconsciously draw on other sources to stabilize his own existence. Though such methods would not be enough to sustain him indefinitely."

Thus offering all the more reason to attempt a rescue. And soon, at that.

"As for the effects you are currently experiencing..."

Emet-Selch's voice trails off for a moment, as he refocuses his sight to attune more to the aetherial as opposed to the physical - and it takes scarcely a moment to see where the problem lies.

"There is an imbalance of aether. Your own yet remains, though it is being strongly affected by what appears to be ice aether that is heavily polarized to the astral."

Another pause, as he once more sets his sight back on the physical world around them.

"It is balancing to your own aetherial alignment, albeit slowly. Barring any repeat attempts at contact with Bryn, it will not worsen further."

[wewillwewill]

The warmth is in overabundance in comparison to the need. But despite the urge to indulge in a little extra effort to get warm, it was probably a pragmatic enough. Try different things to see if it dispelled the chill, but also make sure there was enough warmth in the home when he could not discern changes in temperature so readily. How ignomous to get a cold. If ghosts can indeed get colds.

But mostly, it is that chill and numbness which aches to be curtailed driving him to try.

With a faint smile, Elidibus nods his appreciation. "I'm glad to have it confirmed this is only a temporary inconvenience." He possibly had some power to do the inspection himself. But at the speed and efficiency Emet-Selch could? Not without leaving himself vulnerable for a while. And he would rather have some crumb of power to react to danger than none at all.

But of course this is going to lead to considering whether he might be drawn to further contact with Bryn.

"...I'm inclined to do what I can where it concerns any rescue attempts. Though I doubt I would have to act alone in that respect."

[unnecessaryflourishes]

For all his experience in dealing with the aetherial realm and those who might inhabit it, even Emet-Selch cannot say with any certainty whether or not a spirit should happen to be capable of catching a cold. Though certainly at least some of the physical effects happen to be similar in Elidibus' case, for all that it is no real illness at fault. But there is an answer all the same, and that will do.

(Nor will he fault Elidibus for having asked. He is not suffering the same affliction as Elidibus and he knows very well that it is better to have the capacity to react to danger should it become necessary to than to not.)

The question of Bryn, on the other hand, prompts a moment of consideration from Emet-Selch.

"I should rather have made the attempt and failed than not. Though I cannot say that any further attempts to make direct contact would be advisable. Not least of all for the effect it might have on your aether."