cold_dry_pieces | |[ 005 ]|

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[He turns on the video accidentally, careless in his distraction. The feed doesn't last long and is difficult to make out, a jumble of apparently unrelated images-- a fragment of his face, lips firmly set in a frown; a flash of a speckled white ceiling, and an incongruous expanse of... colored feathers. And that's it, because he manages to get it on the voice setting. He clears his throat, tone strained when he does speak.]

I'm not-- [he begins, but pauses. There's a strange rustling in the background.]

Is it normal for curses to present in the middle of the day?

[ooc; Powerswitched with

holymadonna annnd just managed to accidentally sprout wings :3 apologies if I screw up the canon cause idk it at all ♥♥♥ also delayed comments for a while sob. ilu]

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[This is why she was feeling so... human. All has been so quiet.]

Do you hear... voices, Doctor Cooper?

You know what's wrong?

[There is a long silence.]

You have them. Please, whatever you do, don't activate them beyond 40%. No matter what they say, don't listen to them. I will be there soon to assist you. ~~If you continue like this the thirst will begin.~~

I have no idea what I did to make this happen.

[He doesn't scare easily, but this-- being literally out of his own control-- makes him nervous, and it shows.]

What do I have?

You have... something that is mine.

I'm in my office.

Don't move, I will be there soon.

[He doesn't bother to answer over the Network; just waits. He's disinclined to go anywhere like this if he can help it, anyway. Part of him would like to test-drive whatever abilities he's gained, but he can't be certain how much of that is his own desire and how much is due to whatever has happened to him.

Hearing voices is an obvious mark of delusion; and for all that he can't claim to be sane, Brian takes a certain twisted pride in the practicality of his mental issues. To hear a voice goading you on is to externalize your own urges; it's something he's never done and something he isn't sure how to deal with. At first it had been nearly subconscious-- by the time he'd realized he must be cursed, he'd been listening without intending to all morning, and then suddenly somehow he'd lost control of things. He has no idea how to regain it; he hopes it's something Dr. Sahl can explain, if she really understands what's going on.

So he's trying to be patient, sitting on a work table since he can't manage a chair in this condition. Everything on it has been swept onto the ground; the wings are hunched up, feathers bristling slightly in his frustration. The door is shut but not locked.]

[ Lilith would have enjoyed the peace she's feeling, but her new human limits make her easily tired by the double shift and she's unable to stop worrying about the fate of the Nanomachines. Rudy Cooper. It has to be someone she knows and someone she'll have to share her secret with. She hopes his will is enough to resist their lies and temptation. She hopes he doesn't get hungry.

She walks towards his office as is a normal day under the usual circumstances. She doesn't want to arise suspicion from everyone else. Lilith stops and knocks at the door while inwardly she is still debating what she will say to him. ]

May I come in?

It's open,

[he calls out. Normally he'd get the door, but under the circumstances he can probably be forgiven for not going out of his way. Not quite stable at the best of times, he's feeling particularly unbalanced now and not putting up his best act of normality.

It doesn't feel bad; just strange. Normality is abnormal for him, but this feels truly inhuman. He can't shake the sense that it's full of potential; he's predatory by nature to begin with. Perhaps it's that long practice at keeping himself in check that's delayed the manifestation of the curse's effects. But of course, he won't be sharing that speculation.]

[ Lilith opens the door and locks once she steps in. She stares at him for several minutes. To be in presence of a Krsnik, when you're not one yourself, can be terrifying but she has been in the presence of 01, 02 and 03 before she became 04. ]

The first thing you must do is impose your will over theirs. Relax, Doctor Cooper and silence them. Deactivate command. The wings will be gone afterwards.

[He's silent for as long as she is, stock still. Normally he isn't an imposing figure. Normally, he makes an effort to be as unremarkable as possible-- charming, helpful, but certainly not threatening. Whatever is in him now suggests there's no need for such a show of innocence. He likes the idea; and unlike most people, feels no guilt for the fact, which makes her command chafe a bit. The borrowed pinions twitch, betraying his restlessness-- not quite mantling like a bird, but nonetheless evidently ill at ease.]

What are they?

[Knowing that they are something foreign-- something that should belong to his colleague, a fact which piques his interest-- does make him feel less out of control. Still-- most people are tempted by power. He's no different in that respect; he's not entirely sure he wants to silence them, so he stalls instead with the question.]

Krsnik Nanomachine 04.

[Lilith keeps her eyes focused on him with an unwavering gaze. She walks to the desk, reaching for a paper knife to offer him.]

If you cut yourself, you would regenerate. But every power has a price.

[His eyebrows arch at that, and though he takes the knife he doesn't immediately do anything with it, turning the blade over in his hands absently.]

So I've heard.

[He shifts a bit; at the least he looks a little more relaxed, a little less wild. Nanomachines, eh? He'd had no idea. He musters something of his usual demeanor, trying to seem concerned and curious for Lilith's sake. After all, this is a major revelation; someone more inclined to sympathy would certainly feel for her, coming to know the burden she bears. The voices don't stop whispering.]

What's the price for yours?

It's nothing you have to pay, Doctor Cooper. That's why you should deactivate them with a command. The voices will become more bearable.

[Lilith presses her index finger to her lips. She is worried about Rudy, but she's also worried that they will take control and try to destroy the City.]

[He tilts his head, considering the comment.]

Just... tell them to stop? What, aloud?

Repeat after me: "Deactivate Krsnik Nanomachine, back to 0%. Acknowledged."

[He doesn't flinch or hesitate, though something of his wariness is still evident in his pose. At least he can infer something about his current condition from the proposed solution.]

Deactivate Krsnik Nanomachine, back to 0%. Acknowledged.

[Honestly, it's a little disappointing to give up the wings. But a relief that her suggestion works, and he does feel more himself. Less likely to lose control, more able to pick out the impulses that aren't really his as they occur.]

[ Since he's unused to the nanomachines, he would have to voice the command. Her will is usually enough to keep them at bay. ]

How are you feeling?

Strange.

[It's an honest answer. He places the paper knife aside and pushes off his seat. If nothing else it's nice to have his balance back to normal, lacking the feathery appendages. He gives her a look of some concern, largely feigned.]

Nanomachines... I had no idea, Dr. Sahl.

I would appreciate if this remains a secret between us, Doctor Cooper.

[ Lilith comments with an easy smile. She's relieved that he no longer presents the Krsnik features. ]

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