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Test 4.
KNOWLEDGE Compared to the frigid chamber you've just left, the cavern you enter now is warm. It isn't difficult to see why; while there's still a fair amount of space in here, it's far smaller, and there's a source of heat and light in here - a small fire going near a corner of the room, tucked away behind the wall and difficult to see as you enter, but fairly obvious once you're inside, the light from the flames bouncing off the corner of the chamber and making it decidely easier to see. There thankfully aren't any more of Froslass' "sculptures" in here; there is, however, a person. Candice is in the corner near the fire, pressed back against the wall and watching you as you enter; it's likely obvious from the start that there's something wrong with her, though it's difficult to say what just from looking at her. Her eyes aren't fixed in the same sort of dull, blank stare that the people affected by Team Galactic tend to display, but at the same time, they look viscerally wrong - it's alert but it's empty and almost completely unfocused, as though she's taking in information and she's processing it, but she's not actually seeing any of it. It's unsettling, but she's still watching you, and she's holding something close to her chest as she does so; she's got the thick, blue sweater untied from around her waist, and she's holding it bundled in her arms like she's trying to protect it. Her eyes don't come into focus, even as she addresses you. "I told you that you aren't welcome here. You need to leave. Now." Her gaze darts as she speaks, like she's trying to take in as much as she can, even if she doesn't seem to be registering any of it properly; her expression is hard. Cold. What happens now is up to you. |
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[It's good when things come together]
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It's okay. That's a good sign.
[You're doing good, Jane Doe]
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Or maybe we'll just instill a lifelong fear in her, we don't know]
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That said, though, Candice will kind of...start waking up properly after a bit; her eyes open slowly in an odd, fluttering motion, and she seems to be trying to figure out what the hell she should be focusing on overall. It takes her a moment to register that she's in some cave she doesn't recognize, surrounded by people she doesn't know, and she sure as hell is being held by some sort of tremendous abomination, and she just...
Well, she lets out a weird, almost animalistic little cry before struggling a bit because oh god oh god what is any of this- ]
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[ Tch.
Zelda makes a noise of disapproval at this rapid manhandling in general here, having been too small to stop that earlier and reaches out to make a bracing motion on Candice's arm and speaking softly and slowly, ]
Candice. ... Candice, we are not going to harm you.
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[He had thought she'd stay unconscious much longer than this! Even though...she moved to wake up a moment ago, he judged it'd be better to keep her in the ghost's hands. Apparently not the best decision.
To Candice:]
Calm down! It's okay.
[Go straight to the point:]
We found you passed out in here and we're going to take you back to Snowpoint.
[Not the entire truth right off the bat, but the priority is to calm her down]
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[He really hopes she didn't forget language. That'll make explaining a lot more difficult]
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Tone is the relevant thing, Michael.
[ Just like with animals. ]
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[She doesn't even finish whatever that was supposed to be, looking back and forth between Zelda and Kiryu, her eyes wide; it's...likely worth noting that she's definitely not blank-slated like the other "perfected" people were, her gaze is alert, but she's seeming pretty damn alarmed.
She isn't trying to pull away from the bracing at her arm, though, that's...kind of nice, maybe? She's got no argument with that much.]
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... I mean Zelda's eyes are still bloodshot, but. ]
Hello. Don't worry about Jane there, she's just helping support you. Don't worry, I'm here for you.
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[The sooner Candice is back at Snowpoint, the better. There's warmth thanks to Morag's Torchic, there's transportation thanks to Jane Doe, and there's a calming presence thanks to Zelda and, to a lesser extent, Kiryu. Things should be fine]
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Haun haunt, ter ter, ter-ter-ter...
[Jane Doe rocks Candice a little and starts to sing a song? It's possible she is a mom ghost.]
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you know what
that is admittedly just so goddamn surreal that she's just going to
stop
and stare
because this sure is happening]
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[The rocking will stop because Michael told her to stop, but nobody has told her to stop singing or holding yet.]
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[Normally, it would be better for a person to carry her, but with that thin ice out there they can't risk it. Rin glances over at Michael.]
After we're done here and if you're fine with it, I can show Jane how to carry her to help minimize the chance of a fall, if Candice moves unexpectedly.
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Tell Jane to stop rocking her like that! [Rin hisses this, so as to not add more screaming into the mix.] I know she means well, but between that and Kiryu's yelling, they're only going to frighten her more. If she can't understand us, we need to show her she's safe with our actions.
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What course of action do you suggest we take, Rin? We likely shouldn't crowd her too much, and she might not respond well to everyone talking at once...
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[It'd be nice if Candice can walk on her own. It was only her memories that were erased, and muscle memory is still very much a thing, but it's hard to say how long she's been like this or if Uxie counted regular exercise as a part of taking care of her.]
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[..........]
Rin, I only sort of know how to make rational adult humans feel safe.
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So long as she doesn't start screaming again or act alarmed, it should be fine if Jane keeps holding her. The singing might even be helping.
[Candice seems captivated enough by it for now.]
Just try and respond to her emotions. If she looks scared, then you know you need to dial it back. So long as it doesn't look like she's going to hurt herself or others though, you should let her move freely.
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