Remove ads

Infernal Conundrum: [Exalted/Worm] - Part 2: Hell is Other Exalts

Reader mode
Remove ads
Interlude 2.E: Of Browbeating and Bandages
  • Threadmarks
    • [Putting this up since it's one of mine, but tw: allusion to suicide.]

    Interlude 2.E: Of Browbeating and Bandages
    ​
    Emma Barnes opened her eyes and was confused to be presented with the alien topography of a strange ceiling. Working her tongue against the cottony roof of her mouth, she glared up at the speckled squares of the institutional-patterned panel-roofing. Her eyes felt vaguely gummy from sleep, and she still couldn't manage to get rid of that awful, cottony dry-mouth. She knew she'd been doing something important before...however she'd gotten here. Something...she frowned, looking around to try and puzzle out where she was and how she'd gotten there. She yelped and scrabbled half-way up the bed's metal headboard and wall as she caught sight of the frizz-haired girl standing at the side of her...hospital bed? Why...why was she in...Oh.

    Emma's face fell as she finally got a hold of the recent past. Right. The hospital. She'd run into a stream of fire ants. Because they were swarming the locker. Taylor's locker. The one she'd helped trap her in. The one she might've...Taking slow, deep breaths, Emma tried to calm her racing heart. After a few moments, she looked up to the girl at the bedside, then around for a doctor, a nurse, her family, anyone. "I...um. Who," she started but was cut off by the girl.

    "-am I? Panacea. Healed you."

    "Where is,"

    "Your family? The doctors? Your victim?" The freckled healer's glare intensified to the almost murderous as her voice lowered to a hateful hiss by the last word, and Emma felt a pit opening beneath her, vertigo sending her slumping back onto the bed.

    Her victim. She...Panacea knew about Taylor. Oh...oh, God. Was I too late? "I-is she," she started, only to be cut off again.

    Panacea's eyes narrowed, and she bit off the words, like just speaking with Emma was making her feel tarnished somehow. "Dead? No. No thanks what-so-fucking-ever to you, she survived the sick goddamned stunt you and your two friends put her through. You almost didn't. Her dad almost didn't survive finding out about it. Or that she got kidnapped right after."

    Emma closed her eyes, grimacing as the cold thought of having nearly taken Taylor's other parent away from her stole her breath. She hadn't...she didn't mean for it to come to that. She...but Panacea wasn't done speaking yet.

    "The only reason either he or you survived is because you got lucky. Lucky I was there. It's self-evident you've been through puberty, so I know I don't have to explain how potentially lethal that fucked up little trick you pulled on her was. That was the kind of sick nonsense I'd expect from the Slaughterhouse Goddamned Nine, not a teenager. So I want you to understand the full fucking weight of what I'm about to tell you, because I have never said it to a single human being before, and I hope I damned well never have to explain it again.
    "I have healed super-villains before. I have healed people that were basically monsters in human skin at Endbringer battles, because when it comes down to it, even the worst criminal's survival is justified when they're fighting the Endbringers."
    "So when I tell you that I have never been ashamed of having healed someone until today? Until I found out I'd healed the person who did what you did to her? Until you, I had never been ashamed of having healed anyone. So when I tell you not to come back here? That if you decide to have some sort of cry for fucking help or whatever the hell it is, that I won't be healing you? Know that I am entirely and utterly fucking serious.
    "And if you decide not to act out or off yourself? Then you'd better damned well figure out something to justify your continued existence, because if I'm honest? Whoever I would've healed if I hadn't had to heal you? I'm pretty sure, short of Jack fucking Slash, they couldn't possibly have deserved it less than you did. So don't even think of wasting my time a-goddamned-gain." Her shoulders heaving, the girl, who gave the absurd impression--one that should have been funny, but was somehow only more shocking for its incongruity--of a mouse on the warpath, stalked out of the room.

    Emma curled more tightly in upon herself. She squeezed her eyes more tightly shut. She didn't want to cry. Didn't want to be this weak. She wasn't, like, the same weakling she'd been. She couldn't be. She...if she was this weak, then all of it...everything, every last petty act of oppression, and that, even, every desecrated memory, every betrayal of trust, all of it had been for nothing. For no damn reason.

    ooo

    Making her way down the hall, Amy Dallon seethed inside her mind. She felt guilty for telling the girl off, and she felt worse for what she'd done to her. Still, people had worse periods sometimes than other times. If Bitchface McGee back there had worse cramps for her next few, well, it wasn't like Panacea could or would do that, now was it? And, more importantly, maybe knowing that was in store for the bitch would keep Vicky from losing her temper with the girl and doing something everyone involved would regret.

    Now if only she didn't feel like she'd been a complete and total bitch in the process. She sighed. She probably shouldn't have stormed off without remembering to tell her that she was being released but...fuck it. The doctors or nurses would. Probably. She couldn't bring herself to care what happened to someone who could do that sort of thing to someone else. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be her problem anymore.

    ooo

    Part 1 of possibly 2 of Emma's Interlude. It's short, but that's in part how much trouble their respective voices gave me. Angry canon Amy is not a fun headspace to put myself in, especially because it's a familiar one in a lot of respects.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Thief of Words said:
    "So when I tell you that I have never been ashamed of having healed someone until today? Until I found out I'd healed the person who did what you did to her? Until you, I had never been ashamed of having healed anyone. So when I tell you not to come back here? That if you decide to have some sort of cry for fucking help or whatever the hell it is? I won't be healing you.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Well now. I see that Emma managed to burn through Amy's burn out/apathy, though not in a pleasant (for anyone) way.

    Thief of Words said:
    Didn't want to be this weak. She...if she was this weak, then all of it...everything, every last petty act of oppression, and that, even. All of it had been for nothing. For no damn reason.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    And she still needs a lot of help to break through her willful denial. Hm.

    A short, but interesting, Interlude.
     
    I like it, too many damn times people want to justify the sick crap Emma pulled. Emma is trash and regardless of what happened to her, its a fact that worse has happened to others especially in the Worm universe and while they may have gone to pieces they didn't pull sick stunts like this.
     
    landcollector said:
    Well now. I see that Emma managed to burn through Amy's burn out/apathy, though not in a pleasant (for anyone) way.


    And she still needs a lot of help to break through her willful denial. Hm.

    A short, but interesting, Interlude.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Only part-way through. Part of that was that it's three-months prior to canon, so she's had less time to spiral, including not having been tempted to let the heart-surgery patient go back in for surgery despite the risks. Still, that and the shock of having had someone ask to be her friend, even (she thought) hit on her and bring up the notion of rest or helping her, not wanting to be friends with her as a celebrity or to get closer to Vicky, but just because she wants to be Amy Dallon's (not Vicky's Sister, not Panacea, but Amy Dallon's) friend? And then to find out that she healed the person that put said potential-friend through one hell of a wringer, the person that triggered her? To Amy, she basically healed the moral equivalent of the thugs that almost killed Vicky and caused her own trigger event. Not as bad, because well, Vicky trumps everything for Amy, but it still felt bad enough to cut through a few dozen layers of apathy and give her a shock to her system. Because funnily enough, for all that they're not blood and for all that their personality conflicts caused them both to go through a hell of a lot in canon, Amy is still Carol's daughter. She's always had her adoptive mother's temper at the unrighteous...it's why she hated canon Taylor on first sight. That and an unhealthy dose of projection.

    Shadowcub said:
    I like it, too many damn times people want to justify the sick crap Emma pulled. Emma is trash and regardless of what happened to her, its a fact that worse has happened to others especially in the Worm universe and while they may have gone to pieces they didn't pull sick stunts like this.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    There's no justifying it. Explaining? Okay. But an explanation is not an excuse. Honestly, at this point, not even this Emma would believe she could justify what she did. At this point, she's not sure she even would deserve to try. Much less sure whether she'd want to. She was aware there were going to be consequences when she told Madison to call it in if she failed. She just...honestly, she didn't expect to survive to face them. Not....not really. Not and fail to save Taylor from what she'd done to her.
     
    Last edited:
    Harsh. Though I'm still of the 'pinion that if all dis anger would have existed with the actors keyed up to it it would of done something in canon.

    Also epic down point for a demon visit.
     
    Thief of Words said:
    There's no justifying it. Explaining? Okay. But an explanation is not an excuse. Honestly, at this point, not even this Emma would believe she could justify what she did. At this point, she's not sure she even would deserve to try. Much less sure whether she'd want to. She was aware there were going to be consequences when she told Madison to call it in if she failed. She just...honestly, she didn't expect to survive to face them. Not....not really. Not and fail to save Taylor from what she'd done to her.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Indeed. Explaining it lies basically in her insecurity and fear.

    Actually, from what was inferred, the tampon locker plan IS basically an Emma plan. Sophia is too direct. Madison is too passive. She was so hard up for Sophia's approval(because, in part her personality was inherently mismatched to what Sophia was looking for) that she speculated upon what Sophia would like to see, and then planned and carried it out.

    Which says a lot about her as a person really, because Sophia would have just beaten Taylor up a few times...you know, if she noticed at all.
    Understandable, but not really any more forgivable for that.

    Thief of Words said:
    Because funnily enough, for all that they're not blood and for all that their personality conflicts caused them both to go through a hell of a lot in canon, Amy is still Carol's daughter. She's always had her adoptive mother's temper at the unrighteous...it's why she hated canon Taylor on first sight. That and an unhealthy dose of projection.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Victoria too. They're kinda judgemental people, which I suppose is how they formed New Wave to begin with.
     
    veekie said:
    Indeed. Explaining it lies basically in her insecurity and fear.

    Actually, from what was inferred, the tampon locker plan IS basically an Emma plan. Sophia is too direct. Madison is too passive. She was so hard up for Sophia's approval(because, in part her personality was inherently mismatched to what Sophia was looking for) that she speculated upon what Sophia would like to see, and then planned and carried it out.

    Which says a lot about her as a person really, because Sophia would have just beaten Taylor up a few times...you know, if she noticed at all.
    Understandable, but not really any more forgivable for that.


    Victoria too. They're kinda judgemental people, which I suppose is how they formed New Wave to begin with.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Most of New Wave try to be nice people to the degree they're able. The Pelhams apparently mostly succeeded at it. Carol...Carol is too much of a traumatized hardass to pull off nice. Vicky has her mother's temper and (it's implied) a fairly active agent. Plus some major league insecurities held-over from being the last member of her family to get superpowers. Her aura? She was (to her own mind) the least noteworthy, the least important person in her whole family. Honestly, if she hadn't triggered, she'd probably be sitting on near-Amy-grade self-esteem issues.
     
    Frakir's brother said:
    Wow, you made Amy just as bitchy as canon. Great job, love it!
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I strive to be canon-compliant where there isn't logical cause for divergence. It's why I reread bits of Worm (usually a chapter or five) between updates: to get a feel for the characters and voices involved.

    As for Amy...she's one of my favorite characters and she got a hell of a raw deal. She is also, for most of her appearances, a prickly little misanthrope having to spend all her time in "customer service" mode and interacting with the public, because celebrity cape with a major reputation who most people just see this beatific figure when it occurs to them to think of her. I mean, we're talking "probably gets compared favorably to Mother Theresa or Princess Di" on the "did someone say living saint?" scale of public perception of moral rectitude in the States.
     
    Last edited:
    I'm confused at when this happened. If it happened after Taylor met Amy why is Emma still both in the hospital and alive. She should be dead or to recovered for Amy to get involved if she waited for the full 5 days in the chrysalis. If it happened before then why is Amy taking it personally?
     
    cyberswordsmen said:
    I'm confused at when this happened. If it happened after Taylor met Amy why is Emma still both in the hospital and alive. She should be dead or to recovered for Amy to get involved if she waited for the full 5 days in the chrysalis. If it happened before then why is Amy taking it personally?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Hm. Point. Sorta forgot about the time frame. Mandatory checkup at the Rig after being taken into custody? Could work since talking with Amy was pretty high on the Agenda for Arc 3, could be happening then. Would need to make the requisite edits though.

    Ugh. Two weeks and I fuck up my own time frame.
     
    Last edited:
    Thief of Words said:
    Hm. Point. Sorta forgot about the time frame. Mandatory checkup at the Rig after being taken into custody? Could work since talking with Amy was pretty high on the Agenda for Arc 3, could be happening then. Would need to make the requisite edits though.

    Ugh. Two weeks and I fuck up my own time frame.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    It would probably make more sense to just have the timeframe be:
    1) Taylor triggers, Emma gets dogpiled by fire ants, Chrysalis forms
    2) Amy heals Emma, Chrysalis gets moved, Chrysalis gets taken (by Coil?)
    3) Roughly five-to-seven days later, Taylor emerges from Chrysalis. Befriends Taylor that night/the following day
    4) Some time after that, Amy makes the connection between what Emma did and who she did it to, and decides to pay Emma (who still hasn't checked out of the hospital yet) a visit, to wake her and give her a piece of her mind.

    EDIT: Does the PRT even know Taylor has bug control yet?
     
    SaltyWaffles said:
    It would probably make more sense to just have the timeframe be:
    1) Taylor triggers, Emma gets dogpiled by fire ants, Chrysalis forms
    2) Amy heals Emma, Chrysalis gets moved, Chrysalis gets taken (by Coil?)
    3) Roughly five-to-seven days later, Taylor emerges from Chrysalis. Befriends Taylor that night/the following day
    4) Some time after that, Amy makes the connection between what Emma did and who she did it to, and decides to pay Emma (who still hasn't checked out of the hospital yet) a visit, to wake her and give her a piece of her mind.

    EDIT: Does the PRT even know Taylor has bug control yet?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I'm not sure Taylor knew - she's deliberately used the senses but I don't think she's even tried for control.
     
    SaltyWaffles said:
    It would probably make more sense to just have the timeframe be:
    1) Taylor triggers, Emma gets dogpiled by fire ants, Chrysalis forms
    2) Amy heals Emma, Chrysalis gets moved, Chrysalis gets taken (by Coil?)
    3) Roughly five-to-seven days later, Taylor emerges from Chrysalis. Befriends Taylor that night/the following day
    4) Some time after that, Amy makes the connection between what Emma did and who she did it to, and decides to pay Emma (who still hasn't checked out of the hospital yet) a visit, to wake her and give her a piece of her mind.

    EDIT: Does the PRT even know Taylor has bug control yet?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    That fits more what I was going for. At this point (as of her interlude), Emma is cooperating, held by her own recognizance. She's still under observation by both hospital and PRT employees, as the current going theory after discovering Madison's disappearance (and the shoe-shaped holes she left in her front lawn...and the divots she left in the asphalt) is that there is a possible mass trigger going on here and that Emma is potentially a parahuman.
     
    Last edited:
    Well, no. This isn't going to be a trio-bashing/Emma-bashing story. We (and for that matter, they) have more important things to concern ourselves with.
     
    One more story update (a second Emma interlude snippet) and then we're off to Thread 2 and Arc 3.

    Purchases will be applied, and training will tick forward by 1/X days. There will also be the opportunity to spend further uncommitted XP on instant purchases.

    The index post for thread 2 will have an updated character sheet.

    Speaking of XP, +2xp all told for the two-part Emma interlude, and another +2xp. Thank y'all for being patient with me during this time of unemployment and delays.
     
    Last edited:
    Thief of Words said:
    One more story update (a second Emma interlude snippet) and then we're off to Thread 2 and Arc 3.

    Purchases will be applied, and training will tick forward by 1/X days. There will also be the opportunity to spend further uncommitted XP on instant purchases.

    The index post for thread 2 will have an updated character sheet.

    Speaking of XP, +2xp all told for the two-part Emma interlude, and another +2xp for the 4-update interlude overall. Thank y'all for being patient with me during this time of unemployment.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Why start a new thread? This one is fine.
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top