othellovonryan

I'll do it. [Wylan volunteers easily, without hesitation. He needs this to work in order to maintain his relationships.] Whatever the cost. I'll do it every morning if I need to.

[Wylan pauses to turn toward Donnie.] Please. I love him.

....

[Honestly, he expected at least a little trepidation, but he supposes love IS like that.]

All right.

So how it works is I'll need you focused on the jealousy. The deeper dive will bring me to a mindscape of your current, active mental state. So if you're happy, I go into a happy room, if you're afraid, its a room of your fears, stuff like that. So to get rid of your jealousy, you'll need to be focusing on all the stuff that makes you jealous here and I'll find a room based on that.

The first time will be the tricky part because I'll need to identify the parts of the room that are producing the jealousy emotions, but as long you focus on the same thoughts each morning, it should bring me to the same room, and I can destroy the jealousy items pretty quickly until you go through some big character development that alters it.

Some limitations, I can only do a dive once a day, so if I end up in the wrong room, we'll need another Egg.

Probably Crow and T- [He pauses.] Crow. Maybe Aloy if we're desperate. [He does not know Tryse's deal with Minnow, but he knows there's Something.]

Or we just pass that day.

Also if I have another reason to do the dive, I'll warn you ahead of time and either we get Crow, or pass that day, but most of the time, we should be good. Okay?

[Wylan nods along as he listens. Focus on the jealousy. Make sure to get it right. Can only be done once a day, so Wylan needs to make it count. He pales, but otherwise looks resolute.]

Should I sit down? Or is it better standing?

Definitely sitting, we will both be zonked out in the real world.

Also we should probably discuss trade, though you are definitely giving the 'will pay any price' vibe.

Which I would suggest not having all the time, and you're lucky I'm notoriously bad at not undercharging.

[Wylan nods as he looks around for a place to sit down.]

I would. Pay any price. If I could give my voice, or my knowledge of plants and chemistry, I would, willingly.

[Oh wait, this is what Donnie meant.]

I don't have much beside some beginning tinctures.

Edited 2023-07-10 20:53 (UTC)

[There are definitely couches, some comfortable chairs, and actual pillowfort that needs some straightening out, but turtles just never take it down.]

Are you a singer?

[He does grab another bowl, Just In Case. (Hopefully not, he hates the smell.)]

[Hm.]

I can take stock of what tinctures you have, in case you cover a function Tryse doesn't. Chemistry isn't likely to have anything surprising, at least nothing applicable here since any differences are likely to be world specific, and unlikely to be adaptive enough for a new understanding.

But plants may have something. Flora can develop in vastly different ways due to the environment of the world and that may help understand some of the stranger plants here.

We can start with that. If it proves truly unprofitable, we can renegotiate later.

I'm a trained singer, yes.

[Wylan nods.] Back in my room I have a supply of the usual flora plus the moonflowers that have appeared. I'm working on sleep tinctures for those who struggle to sleep. I've yet to find toxic flora yet.

Do you need them now or after the removal of the jealousy?

I'd love to hear it sometimes, I adore music.

Ah, the moonflowers. So you can touch them?

We can organize something with those, at least for a while. I can't touch them, but they could be quite useful.

Maybe the sleep ones, it depends on the side effects. I don't like feeling...fuzzy. And I was also suggesting an exchange in knowledge. I'm a scientist. Which I know is a generic title because then people ask 'what kind of science,' and my answer is simply 'yes.'

You can bring them later. This is a daily thing, so its only fitting the price will be done in pieces anyway. Its like a subscription fee.

I play piano and flute much better than I sing.

Moonflowers. I can bring those over and my notes on the sleep-causing flora.

[Wylan finally smiles and finds one of the couches to sit on.] Thank you Donnie.

Instruments are also good.

Only in a sealed container. It affects magic users.

You're welcome.

[Sitting down, legs crossed, which isn't necessary, it just helps him.]

Now.

Give me your hand and focus on those feelings. I'm going to stop pulling them away, but hopefully I'll have us in your mindscape before your body reacts.

[But hands him the bowl anyway.]

[Wylan reaches out his hand and focuses on being told that Jesper has multiple partners, how absolutely stricken he was learning of such a thing, how he felt as if he stood in front of his father's door, about to depart for Belendt, long enough to be forgotten ringing in his ears.

The nausea starts up and Wylan grabs for the bowl with his other hand, not allowing any other feeling but that intense jealousy to touch his soul.]

[Donnie has stopped pulling, but he is monitoring his feelings. Making sure there is a lot of jealousy and]

[Yes, that should do.]

[Which is when he pulls them into Wylan's mindscape.]

[Wylan is just about to start losing his breakfast into the bowl when he feels them fall deep into somewhere in his head. He can see himself at the door to his father's office, not knocking, but not leaving. He's being sent away, long enough to be forgotten so his 'proper heir' is the only one known.

And then there's a fight on a boat. A much larger man with his hands around Wylan's throat, trying to make him permanently disappear.

The real Wylan sucks in a breath as he watches as the colors wash and blur until it's another more current version, facing Jesper and Jesper tells him that he'd been forgotten. It's hard to watch from the outside as the other version of himself gets up out of bed, upset and vomiting into a vase.]

[Ah, so more of a Claudine then a Tryse mindscape, good to know.]

[Also Dear Fucking Lord.]

[That certainly explains the intensity of the rest.]

[Oh hey, Jesper.]

[Of course, before he can even make a comment, there's the vomitting and then Donnie has to put a hand over his own mouth and close his eyes and try to calm his own body's reaction, ugh ugh why does he have to be a sympaethic vomitter-]

[And then there's a future Wylan stepping into frame, a Wylan borne from worries and jealousy alike. He stands beside Jesper, but Jesper rejects him for a shadowy amalgamation of love interests. Wylan's feet begin to sink into the inky black swamp beneath him. Wylan calls out, desperate, but his mouth makes no noise, no matter how hard he tries. Jesper turns ever so slightly to observe him before saying, 'Be forgotten.'

The Wylan in the mud sinks faster than ever, still silently crying out for help before he disappears entirely, just as his father always wanted.

The real Wylan takes a step back, as if the mud could swallow him whole as well, but he can't hide the beginnings of tears on his cheeks. That hasn't happened. That could never-- Jesper loves him. ]

[Okay.]

[Okay, swallow down the bile, horror is a nice distraction and]

[He grabs Wylan's arm.]

Okay.

Okay, you absolutely should have mentioned it was Jesper. That is definitely going to keep the price low because enabling the charming of our love interests is kind of a thing between us.

Take a breath. We're in the mindscape, so this is where we're going to remain.

[Wylan is still watching the spot where another version of him disappeared forever beneath the inky black when Donnie grabs his arm. It still doesn't shake him from what he just saw. Jesper. Repeating the words of his father. Yes, it's a mindscape, but it's haunting and it hurts. The tears continue down the sides of his face unabated.]

Okay.

[He is going to put his hands on his shoulder and turn him around. Pushes him to the nearest wall.]

Just stand here and try to breathe while I investigate.

[Right. Breathing. Wylan squats down to try and control his hiccupping breathing, tries to shut the images out of his eyes, but all he can see is Jesper telling him to be forgotten. Why would Jesper want to send him away? Is it truly all the other relationships? Does Jesper not have room for him any more?

Does Jesper not want him any more?

Before he realizes it, more jealousy snakes out from his corner of the mindscape.]

[Donnie takes the look around. Jesper himself needs to be fine. Maybe alter his wording. Okay, there is a lot of mud, he's gonna try to reach into the mud.]

[Unless he's got movement behind him-]

[Behind Donnie emerges two figures, tall and brawny and from Wylan's memories. They both let out low growls, which startles Wylan into turning around. No. No. No. As soon as they begin to charge, he climbs to his feet and cries out to Donnie,] Donnie!

[That distracts one of them to turn and catch Wylan by his throat.]

You were meant to be forgotten. [is snarled right up at Wylan while the other bulky fighter means to attack Donnie.]

[One second, Donnie is kneeling by the mud.]

[The next, he's near the ceiling, a small purple rod extending out into a full titanium bo staff, a hammer forming at the end of it to small into the back of the figure that had been trying to get the jump on him and he uses the momentum to send a kick towards the one grabbing at Wylan.]

[Wylan had been kicking in the one man's grip-- Prior, he realizes, which makes the other man Miggson when suddenly both of them are collapsing down on top of him in a giant dog pile with Wylan on the bottom. It reminds him of the inky mud and he tries to claw his way out of the human pile of limbs but he's not strong enough. Prior curls one bicep around Wylan's throat again and pulls up tight.

Wylan can only make choked sounds of need. Help him Donnie, please.]

[Its a mental construct.]

[Probably don't murder.]

[Drugging is probably fine though.]

[A syringe appears from the metal plating on his back and he grabs it to stick it into Prior, prattling on the chemical compounds for one hell of a sedative.]

[You know, just to make sure it takes since Wylan should recognize at least some of it.]

[All of a sudden, Prior releases him and Wylan is left coughing into the mud. He barely squeezes out of the pile of men as the chorus of compounds fill his ears. Donnie's right, Wylan recognizes quite a few of them and he's grateful no one's getting murdered, even it it's just a mental construct.

Wylan continues to cough a little longer before he sits back in the mud.]

Does that happen a lot?

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