004✖; (audio @ hot.damn | August 2nd; during Sanguis Moon)

[circumitus]

[...Well, it looks like there's supposed to be video, but the screen is black.

[Audio-wise, you're privy to just a bunch of thrashing for a few seconds, catching a frantic and frustrated "god-DAMMIT" and "fuck fuck fuck" and "just move, you useless piece of shit!" It's a voice and string of expletives that should be familiar to some who know Rey. In general it sounds disconcerting, with an identifiable amount of metal clanging and other hefty objects hurling about (cue stock cat scream) -- before a heavy thud shakes the screen. The feed drags across what looks to be pavement and some scattered rubbish.]

Got you! Fucking finally...

[The video moves, but the feed remains a blur as Rey hadn't intended to select facetime before things got out of control -- by "things" meaning... her own body. Only a few details can be made out in the bleary visual quality, and that's a patch of red-orange scales and some sharp, gritting teeth.]

Need... help. [Despite her exhaustion made clear in the fraught audio and her labored breaths, it's speaking those words in particular that strains her the most.]

Have to come here. Level Three.

Legs're gone. Can't walk.

[Both the audio and visual then cuts abruptly. As you can tell, Rey is having a bad time this Sanguis cycle.]

Comments

[circumitus]

ok t'

[She tries to add more but a jerky movement hits send preemptively and she just gives up. Rey will just be in a park scrolling through her device, trying to find any information she can about her scaly counterparts and how the fuck they work. Quietly grumbling to herself, she's got some dirt cakes in her hair and a dark smudge on her face that she hasn't noticed yet. It's not like she checks mirrors on a regular basis.]

-->action

[terribletwos]

Roxas doesn't know for sure where she is, but she mentioned Level 3 so it shouldn't be too hard to spot a trapped snake-person. Not to mention that he knows how Rey smells by now (as weird as that is to think about) so his Sanguis tracking abilities are in full control. So much so that when he does finally happen across Rey, there's a predatory gleam to his blue eyes and his posture is stiffer than usual.

But it quickly fades once he recognizes her and there's a quick wave of those dual tails, as he goes over to her and offers a hand.

"I guess you weren't ready for this change."

[circumitus]

Indeed it is not. Between the Sanguis sense of smell and the populated streets of Level 3, finding Rey hardly required detailed directions to her location. Hell, tracking her down would only be made easier with word of an angry snake hobo on the streets.

What more, just whenever Rey thinks she's got the hang of her new form, her body proves her wrong in a variety of ways. Learning how to balance herself on a whole tail was like trying to figure out how to walk all over again... on one leg, with no crutch, and multiple new muscles and joints to account for.

She looks about as well as anyone can expect from someone who woke up legless and hungover in a dumpster, but she's since had time to clean her act up. Hints of a cut lip remain, however, as she turns her head up towards a familiar voice and makes a face.

"Can't imagine what'd give you that idea," she retorts flatly. At the moment she's sitting on her tail, coiled up like a tight rope beneath her.

[terribletwos]

Roxas frowns at that cut. "What happened to your face?" He tries to pull her more upright, seemingly unbothered by the extra weight. Though if need be, he could also flap his wings for more leverage.

[circumitus]

The mention of her face has Rey touching her mouth with her clawed hand, just remembering her episode earlier.

"Ah. Kept falling face-first into things at the start. No worries." Luckily she's a fast healer.

She accepts Roxas' help, sitting (or standing?) with a straighter posture. It's easier when she's not moving; she can just... try to focus on staying in one place.

[terribletwos]

"Well, I can try a Cure if you want it." A quick hand-holding after should freshen him up enough that it shouldn't be a problem.

"Maybe it helps to think of it as one big foot."

[circumitus]

She eyes him warily at first. "Cure... You mean that sparkly shit you did back at the forest?"

An instant healing method is definitely handier than having to wait for a few hours to days.

"Ugh." Rey makes a face at the suggestion. "Yeah, tried that. Just feel disoriented thinking about a big literal foot long."

[terribletwos]

Roxas nods quickly. "Yeah, it will probably make you feel better faster than moonlacing."

He smirks at her exaggerated face. "I'll bet. I'm glad I haven't had to deal with being a snake yet. I wonder if helps to think about it like swimming. Not the fast kicking part. But the part when you just want to push yourself forward so you hold your legs together and move them quickly as one." That's almost like having one foot, right? Though Sora would probably be able to explain it better since he's had an actual fin before.

[circumitus]

"Sure, but you'll need to Moonlace later to get back the energy you used."

Having her own abilities, Rey is too familiar with what happens when her reserves run dry. On the plus side, that doesn't mean she has to be involved in that part of the deal, in Roxas' case.

"Swimming, huh?" Her tail does a quizzical flip, the tip almost forming a question mark. Not that Rey is looking at it, though. "Hadn't really thought of it that way."

[terribletwos]

Roxas shrugs. "We could hold hands or something afterward. But in the meantime, you'll feel a lot better."

"I didn't really think of it either until I started thinking about how I've seen other snake Moonblessed move around. It doesn't look that much different." He smirks at the oddly responsive tail. "I've seen one do that before."

[circumitus]

...

If it had been most people, the suggestion of holding hands as an appropriate solution would've gotten shut down without a second thought. As it is... Well, they'll cross that bridge when they get there.

"Could give it a try. Have gotten somewhat used to it by now. Barring the occasional blunder..."

You know, like falling flat on her face and getting scrapes and bruises and dirt all over.

She shrugs, beyond caring about her dignity at this point. "Anyway, go ahead and do your thing, if you want."

[terribletwos]

"Right!" Roxas nods sharply and then materializes both his Keyblades, holding them vertically above his head, in what has to be a very weird image given their surroundings, but hey this is how dual Keyblades work. "Heal!"

[circumitus]

It doesn't require much for Rey to mend; she's already resilient as hell and her injuries are hardly as dramatic as they were during their trip to the forest.

Still, the effort is appreciated, even if she doesn't entirely seem like it sometimes. Once the spell is cast, she takes a moment to touch her face where she'd cut herself over some glass.

"Seemed to do the trick," she confirms. Nice.

[terribletwos]

"Cure usually does a lot when I have enough Chroma for it. It's a powerful spell." Not that he knows too much about its origins or how it's so strong. "But that's why it takes a lot more out of you to use it."

[circumitus]

"Ah," is all Rey says at first, lowering her hand from where her facial wounds had been to give Roxas a look. His mention of it 'taking a lot out' begs the question: "Seems to be a trend with healing. You going to be okay?"

She'd hate to cause trouble for someone over something as trifling as glass, which was annoying at worst. There are better things to put that energy than a few irritating scratches.

[terribletwos]

"As long as we don't have to do any unexpected fighting, it should be fine."

He seems to be all right, other than maybe breathing a bit more heavily than earlier. Like he had finished a short sprint.

[circumitus]

She just snorts at that.

"Not planning on rushing into any frays anytime soon. But... if you need to sit down..." Because he looks like he really needs to.

With that, she shifts her tail from under her, swinging around towards Roxas to offer him a 'cushion' to rest for a while. Her lower half, while thick, is more of a bean bag than a chair, but her scales are soft enough that she hasn't had any discomfort sitting on herself sometimes.

Plus, the physical contact might help.

sorry for the unexpected hiatus

[terribletwos]

"I'll be okay. I'm used to running on low sometimes." It has pretty much been his default until he discovered the miracle of moonlacing in his dragon form.

He smiles, though, at the tail offer and lowers himself onto it. "This is definitely different than what usually comes to mind when I think of sitting down."

that's okay! i was distracted by elder scrolls hell so i fell behind on tags, too. 😭

[circumitus]

"Mn, same." Rey doesn't need to ask why anyone else would frequently be running short on Chroma; it's a regular state of being for her.

She just shrugs at Roxas' comment. "Don't exactly carry around a folding chair."

Besides, her tail might arguably be more comfortable than any lawn chair.

[terribletwos]

Roxas laughs. "This is way better than a folding chair!" Not everyone gets to sit on a friendly snake tail. "Those are always kind of hard anyway."

[circumitus]

Not everyone is allowed to sit on a friendly snake tail. Rey isn't always friendly, especially during Sanguis... but Roxas seems like a good kid and it'd be shitty to be an asshole.

"Does wonders for breaking your fall, too. If your reflexes are good enough." Rey's had to land on her own tail after losing her own balance on more than one occasion.

sorry i kinda vanished this month

[terribletwos]

"How does a snake fall?" Does she mean out of something? It's not like a snake can trip like most people.

it's cool, dude!

[circumitus]

"Very carefully." Actually, it's not that hard. Rey just waves her hand dismissively. "Snakes don't have arms, and crawling around like they do when you've got a human half is, well, hard. So, lots of trial and error. Lots of falling on your face."

Honestly, she has to wonder if this is what it's like for infants learning their first steps. Except it's so, so much worse.

[terribletwos]

"At least you don't have to worry about falling very far. It probably would be a lot worse if you were half horse or something." He figures Rey could probably catch herself on her palms most of the time.

Not that he's had any experience with his lower half being different than the top. All of his partial transformations have always involved him being bipedal at least.

[circumitus]

At that, Rey pauses, scratching the back of her head before realizing she has claws.

"Mn, not sure about that. Konoha makes it look easy. Though she was born that way, so..."

It would be bad for a legitimate centaur to fall on their face all the time.