The mind's take on locked-in syndrome

Dec 25, 2010 14:04

[It wasn't as though Schuldig expected anything good for Christmas. For one, it's Mayfield; anyone with the barest flicker of intelligence (which would be to say, Ken) could recognize the town's pattern for making life miserable. For another, even if the real Santa had come to visit the town, 'naughty' isn't even near a strong enough word for him. ( Read more... )

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Comments 55

rulethegame December 25 2010, 19:08:44 UTC
[Yeah, he wasn't stupid enough to open his present without first seeing what happened to the other people who'd gotten one as well, and although he's admittedly a little curious as to what he wound up getting, he's sure as hell not opening it now. So it's a completely unaffected Joshua that's wandering around the streets, observing with casual detachment the chaos going on before bumping into Schuldig.

One look at the guy's face tells him all he needs to know.]

I'm guessing you made Santa's naughty list, hee hee. [He tilts his head.] What's that sound . . .?

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have_your_lives December 25 2010, 19:12:54 UTC
[Schuldig gives Joshua a blank, rather miserable look; he's not all that good at reading lips, since he's always had plenty of other ways of reading people, so he's got no idea what the boy just said to him. He reaches up to tap an ear, however, in order to indicate that he can't hear.]

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rulethegame December 26 2010, 03:27:35 UTC
[His eyes widen slightly.]

Ah. Took your hearing, did they? What did you ask for, I wonder?

[Well, the fact that Schuldig hasn't tried to talk to him via other means answers his next question. He pats his pockets absently, wishing he had his cellphone on him, before making a gesture that clearly says wait here and ducking into the nearest open house. Privacy, what privacy, that's for little people.]

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have_your_lives December 26 2010, 03:31:03 UTC
[Schuldig actually follows him for a few steps before stopping and waiting, not entirely patiently. The isolation being imposed on him is bad enough that he's desperate for company, any company. It's both a reassurance and, more importantly, a distraction.]

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doesntpoop December 25 2010, 19:37:13 UTC
[Spots you when you're on your way to Nagi. What's the gun for...?]

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have_your_lives December 25 2010, 19:51:13 UTC
[Partially for self-defense; Schuldig is incredibly vulnerable without his telepathy, his hearing, or even the ability to call for help, and he's well aware of it. And he's certainly got no shortage of enemies. But more than that...? He'll probably wind up killing himself soon, being unaware that there's a bomb that could take care of it for him and willing to take the risk that it might return him to normal.

He may glance at Dahlia briefly, but as he can't communicate, he doesn't make much effort to acknowledge her.]

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doesntpoop December 30 2010, 00:35:38 UTC
[Oh, he looks upset. Hmmm....what for?]

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bittermayfly December 25 2010, 19:48:05 UTC
[Nagi's at home, of course, his own letter from Santa nearby for Schuldig to read. Even with no speech, he can probably pick up on his teammate's body language and the like.]

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have_your_lives December 25 2010, 19:54:40 UTC
[Schuldig lets himself in without knocking - Ken will probably kill him if he finds Schuldig wandering around his house, but that really wouldn't bother the telepath much at this point - and prowls around until he spots Nagi.

If Nagi is reading body language, then Schuldig's is visibly, vastly altered from its usual. Whereas normally Schuldig's movements are self-assured in a languid way, he's twitchy now, almost shaking at times, clearly in a state of high inner turmoil. The gun's presence is hardly reassuring in light of that.]

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bittermayfly December 25 2010, 20:00:14 UTC
[Nagi's wary of what the letter means, but he hasn't found out the effects yet. Seeing Schuldig so upset makes his eyes get huge and he blinks several times. That gun's really not helpful.]

What's going on?

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have_your_lives December 25 2010, 20:28:31 UTC
[Schuldig can't hear, but he can certainly guess the nature of Nagi's inquiry. He taps his ear, again giving a fairly universal "can't hear" sign.]

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sting_like_a December 25 2010, 19:53:43 UTC
[Hey, Schuldig, there's a dragon horse hanging out in front of Nagi's house, and she's not happy to see you.]

Grunk! [If he could hear her, it would be pretty obvious that she is not happy to see him... but the way she's snarling should be a helpful indicator of that, too.]

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have_your_lives December 25 2010, 19:56:58 UTC
[Schuldig stops dead when he sees the creature, staring at it for a few moments. He can't hear the snarl, but he can certainly see it and put two and two together. He waves the gun at her in what is no doubt meant to be a warning, but the gesture is almost an afterthought, as though he doesn't really care one way or the other if she attacks him. Which is more or less the case.

Miakis' hearing is probably enhanced as an animal; she may be able to hear the ticking in Schuldig's stomach already.]

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sting_like_a December 25 2010, 20:04:07 UTC
[Miakis takes a step back at the sight of the gun, but she still looks like she's ready to attack at a moment's notice. But dragon horses, indeed, have excellent hearing, and the ticking sound coming from his belly gives her pause.

She tilts her head at him, blinking.] Griiiink...? [Did Santa do something weird to him, too?]

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have_your_lives December 25 2010, 20:25:22 UTC
[He can sense the shift in the creature's demeanor, even if he can't hear the audible cues. Whether that decides him or Schuldig just doesn't care, he makes a vague, irritated gesture with the gun hand - it rather clearly expresses the sentiment of 'fuck this' - and moves to go past Miakis, toward the door of the house. He needs to see Nagi.]

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