2023-08-17: Eyesolation
- Log: 2023-08-17 Eyesolation
- Cast: Orpheus Zevon, Kaworu Nagisa
- Where: Tsutsujidai, Kamesan Park
- OOC - IC Date: August 17, 2023 (UC 0097)
- Summary: After the DecuFes '97 Crossdressing and Cosplay Pageant, Orpheus has to deal with a certain issue. Kaworu does his best to help.
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
"Ha...Ha...Ha..."
There's exasperated breaths that escape his lips as the event finishes and with it, Oz takes a moment to exit stage left...Or whichever part of the stage was least crowded as he stepped away. Even with the tissue provided by Kaworu, it was becoming aware he was still bleeding out from the eye. Surely there were those that were intended to check-in with him. One instance being Max who had been requested by Gridman to watch over Oz. He finds that the moment that his eyes are drawn away from the young man that his trail vanishes just as quickly. There's at least one person willing to help him, attempting to point him in the right direction. It was at least one issue dealt with...
Though there's one person such a thing wasn't possible to use that trick upon. At least the one he knew closest. Even now Kaworu can see as Oz stays in the back stage there's still a pained look before a nudging of his head urges him to the changing room. The moment the both are inside, the door isn't locked, but there's clear checking to make sure no one's immediately on the other side walking by. Once they were clear...Orpheus finds himself not looking at his friend but into the mirror on the wall. "I stepped out of the stage a few minutes ago...Geass should be deactivate soon..."
He says those words and yet, it feels like he's explaining to Kaworu and more to himself. As though trying to reassure that this was fine. Even if there was this spontaneous occurrence, even if there was this side-effect, as soon as his Geass settled it'd just be fine.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Orpheus vanishing into the night after an apparent panic attack/breakdown is not likely to dissuade Max from tracking him down, however good at stealth he doesn't realize Orpheus is. Fortunately, Kaworu was able to convince him that he'd handle it, and went after Orpheus himself.
He doesn't need to go far, at least. Orpheus is hidden backstage, and when Kaworu approaches him, they head to the changing room, where Kaworu discreetly shuts the door behind them and maintains a vigil there. Other people will need to use it, so he can't simply lock the door, but... this way he'll be right there if anyone comes by.
"Is this new?" he wonders quietly, unsmiling. No need to explain what he means. Tears of blood aren't normal for Lilim--even ones with the Power of Kings.
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
"First time..." It's the immediate response he gives as he says the words, continuing to apply his focus to the mirror still. "It feels...More sensitive..." The eye is clearly the same as it ever had been in appearance, but still seems to...Drain? Another tissue taken as he dabs at it. "If I'm not thinking on the person constantly...I'm seeing..."
Orpheus stays silent once again as he finds himself lost in the mirror. In his eyes, his Geass is cast upon himself and the appearance feels as though it can change intermittently. "...Yeah, this is new...But it should be over soon...We're near the last minute or so."
There's no actual appropriate time limit that has ever been established. A general five minutes would be what it'd take inorder for the Geass to activate on its own, and now it should have been coming to a close. Orpheus looks at the nearby clock, it's four minutes going on five. "Alright...Let's take this a second..." He slowly starts to shut his eyes, waiting and from there the clock hits a good six minutes...Seven minutes from that time before he finally opens his eyes again and with it...That crimson eye still shines brilliantly.
"...Kaworu...It's..."
His voice seems somewhat aimless. Not completely sure whether to reassure him, to give him a command to assist in some way...Or to simply ask for help. This was new territory. He's heard of this phenomenon before, but never had he experienced it himself. But something he had seen or heard of at least on some level back at the directory.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
For a time, Kaworu watches over Orpheus as he continues to clean the blood from his face. Four minutes pass; five; six, seven; and yet the wings of Geass do not fade from Orpheus's eye.
"Out of control," he says quietly, finishing Orpheus's statement. "Or so it appears." This is not his purview, after all. But from what he too has heard of rampant Geasses, this seems to fit the description.
Now, at last, he walks over to Orpheus, gently resting hands on his shoulders. "We should move somewhere more isolated. People will inevitably come here to change into ordinary clothing." He offers his hand. "I'll guide us to Kamesan Park. It should be empty at this hour."
If they're lucky, the Geass will have faded by then after all, and it's not out of control. Either way, they'll be able to make it to the park without getting caught or disturbed, Kaworu stopping and making detours every so often. He'll take Orpheus to the gazebo and sit with him there.
"How are you feeling now?" he wonders, watching him with concern. "There's someone I can contact about this if need be." Orpheus already knows her, even.
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
For a time, Kaworu receives no answer. There was still time to confirm that it wasn't the case. That what had been said wasn't the truth. "No...Not yet..." It's a sense that lingers as he looks at the clock again. "If we wait longer we'll know for sure...It'll not be able to activate again after that..."
Kaworu insists that they leave, that they take their time to go and yet...For the next few minutes he waits patiently. Not moving as he stares into the mirror, his breathing calmed, patient, though still a level of strain showing. In fact, even in the mirror the expression that shows on his face...He can't tell if it's his own, or the mask that's being shown to himself. Another six minutes end up passing and ultimately.
"Shit..." It's the sound of defeat as much as anything else. With reluctance he's taking something to put around his eye for the time being. Sunglasses, a gauze, anything that can be used to conceal it as he ultimately arrives with Kaworu to the park. In truth, while his expression was never too joyful, this, this expression is surely one of defeat.
"If it's someone from the directory, you know that's not happening." It's the assumption he has to make. After all, he imagines anyone he can contact on this type of subject was one that needed to be addressed by the directorate and those affiliated with them.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu is willing to wait. They can only wait so long, though. The other contestants, the judges, the MC, and the audience might be partying, but eventually someone will come back here. Cascade only barely missed seeing Orpheus, the two of them changing places in the changing room at just the right time.
He'll help Orpheus find something to cover his eye with, too. But eventually, they'll make it to the park. It's quiet and peaceful, at least.
Kaworu smiles faintly at Orpheus's objection. "I wouldn't bring you to someone currently with the Directorate. They are a former member, but they left before you were brought there. They have more expertise on the Power of Kings than anyone else I know who isn't in the Directorate." His smile fades. "Still, I won't force you. We can discuss what to do next on our own. I don't know if I could reach them right away, regardless."
He pauses then. "I was watching from backstage. It seemed as though your Geass activated when you were pondering Ranka's question about what about yourself you might change."
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
"Former member...So someone else who made it out of that hell... Besides the two of us? How'd you end up meeting someone like that in your position?"
It's an understandable question given everything, though if Kaworu chooses not to answer rather than have him attempt to deflect in some form he'll just continue along. At this point he tills the shades a bit and with it...The glow is still there. "I've heard that certain lost states could continue working with little side-effects. When I reached this state I figured there wouldn't be too much issue. Simply just use it to retain my appearance with no more time-limit problems. Though it seems it won't be that easy. "
He pulls out his phone, but rather than turn on the screen he leaves it dark so that his reflection might appear off it. "It feels like if it's in use, if I'm not focusing hard enough it could shift. What's worse..."
There's a low sigh. "The time limit before was probably the brain's way not to overuse it. But now...It'll likely be on me."
That's the immediate conclusion he's come to at the moment. Also one that surely leaves him a tad discontent. It feels like he's still trying to dodge questions with his own conjecture. Both to needing help, and with the question. At the very least though... "If you choose to call someone, I won't stop you. I doubt they'll be able to do anything useful..."
At the very least he seemed more willing to discuss assistance then talk of that question.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"They and I were already well-acquainted. It was just a matter of reuniting with them afterwards... not unlike how you and I had," Kaworu replies, smiling a bit again. "I don't know if they can do anything for you. I don't know if this process can be reversed. But at the very least, they might be able to advise you on what to do now."
He steps over to one side and seats himself on one of the rounded gazebo seats. He watches him as he observes his reflection in the darkened phone's surface. "Probably," he agrees, on the time limit... and on it now being Orpheus's responsibility to moderate his now runaway Geass. "I suspect it will have a psychological effect on you. There are few who aren't affected by the Power of Kings."
Orpheus gives him roundabout permission to reach out. Kaworu, in response, retrieves his own phone and calls a certain number... but there's no response, at least just yet. He considers his phone for a moment, then tucks it away. "When I reach them, I'll let you know," he tells Orpheus. "For now..." His gaze flicks to the temporary covering over the blond's eye. "...we should find something more fitting to contain your power."
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
"Already acquainted..." There's a questioning look that's given as that mention of it is made. He knows this one was younger than him, and they had already been together from such a young age. He can only assume that he means in the time since the two were separated that perhaps another like Orpheus had ended up in a similar state. If that was the case, it was a nice thought to think about. Still, he speaks of reversing the effects and well...
"There won't be." He's not going to have Kaworu hold out any expectation for that. At least a non-realistic level of it. "Once you reach this point, it's simply a matter of adapting. If you can't adapt, the power will simply overwhelm you. That's always how it is. Always how it's been." Even now he can recall the older kids of the directorate. Those who in some way or another had found themselves incapable of holding back their power. Letting their abilities impact them in ways that simply brought about their own destruction in one form or another. It was simple enough at that point that Orpheus was going to have to do the same.
At this point, he ends up pulling the sunglasses away, simply keeping his eye shut.
"It's fine, if there's one thing I'm sure of it's that at the very least I'm able to keep my psyche in check..." For him after all, attempting to constantly stay composed (more like stoic) was how that was accomplished. "I'll be fine for the time being..." How true that would end up being is questionable. Though it's Orpheus and one way or another he'd make himself fine if he needed to be.
"I remember that there were ways that the Directorate was able to mitigate the effects of the runaway state. For some it was probably as simple as an something to ignore direct eye-contact...For others..." There wasn't exactly a way that they could be assisted at all frankly. Or at least it simply wasn't worth it to aid any further.
"For the time being, we should assume that keeping direct eye-contact will at least be the first thing to avoid using it involuntarily. The problem I'm more concerned about is..."
He holds at his eye again. There's no bleeding still, but it's apparent there's still discomfort. Seems perhaps that even if no one was being inflicted with his power, the fact that it was still on was enough to cause some level of duress.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Orpheus says bluntly that there is no reversing a runaway Geass, and Kaworu nods in acceptance. He hadn't wanted to extinguish Orpheus's hope, but if he already knows and accepts that for himself, there's no point in sayng otherwise.
He doesn't speak in more detail of his 'acquaintance,' though. Even though this one is someone Orpheus already knows, Kaworu knows how dearly this one holds their secrets.
He also doesn't comment on Orpheus holding himself in check. Given how this came about in the first place, Kaworu isn't confident he can. Still, he isn't going to argue with him on the matter and undermine him psychologically.
Finding something to cover Orpheus's eye with seems like a good next step. "I'm sure the school has eyepatches you can use. We could return and find one for you," he says. His eyebrows lift a bit in the center as Orpheus clutches his eye. "Does it pain you?" he wonders gently. He doesn't suggest a hospital, though. There aren't any doctors who can do anything about this, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
"An eye-patch will raise too many questions..." After the whole spectacle that played out before, he didn't want those at the school to pick up on the issue, and even more than that, if those in the Black Knights saw the patch they might question his ability to pilot, and if they didn't, it'd be a question of why did he need such a thing if he was taking it off otherwise.
Still, Orpheus takes a moment to move his hand away from the eye, again no blood, but it's apparent there's a tinge of pain. A small breath is taken in and with it a soft exhale. Even if Kaworu isn't confident about it, perhaps Oz and his confidence would be enough. In a way, one could argue that keeping his heart as it was all these years might have been a strength in and of itself...Perhaps...Still, he seems insistent that it won't be an issue.
"Perhaps it's time..." There's a thought that gets contemplated as he speaks up, "The only reason I bothered attending Ashford was to keep up with the other ones I'd been working with. I'd be graduating soon regardless so perhaps it's time that I inform the student body that I'll be transferring out." In his mind, such a choice, a choice that isolated him further from those that he was starting to get closer to was fine. It simply meant more time working with the Byakuen, more time to allocate to missions. It all seemed like perfectly reasonable things to just move along. After all, those who took on the power of the King ended up alone, right? Simply this was the path that he'd be taken upon.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu doesn't respond at first. Although he's quite good at evading questions and avoiding telling the truth, he isn't good at telling lies. If Orpheus thinks that an eyepatch would raise too many questions, he doesn't have a good story to suggest he tell others to explain it away.
When Orpheus suggests his alternate plan, though, Kaworu replies, "I think that suddenly transferring out would raise more questions than an eyepatch. But I suppose if you're no longer in school, only those who decide to chase after your shadow will be in a position to ask them."
He pauses. "I think Gridman would probably be one of them. He does care about you as a friend, you know."
Although 'Yuta Hibiki' might have been introduced as preferring to go by Gridman at the start of the pageant, Orpheus may or may not remember that part.
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
"I think Gridman would probably be one of them. He does care about you as a friend, you know."
He imagines that would be the case for the most part, that said... "If he chose to chase me, he wouldn't get far. He's not part of the school, and even with GUTs Alliance, it's not like I'm that involved. The people who would be looking after me...I assume you'd have no problem telling them the case...I left school. I didn't tell you what I'd be doing afterwards, and that I told you to tell them goodbye..."
It was the fact of the matter, Orpheus had made himself sparse, inconsequential to school life. His presence whether there or not wouldn't matter. To those that he had outside of school, Kaworu was close enough to handle any lingering issues. With that said, he does realize that in the fit of pain there had been a misnaming. It was...Something that he chews on for a moment as he speaks up again.
"Let Gridman know I didn't intend to intentionally call him by that name. That I enjoyed his company..." Silence follows as he thinks for a moment and starts reaching for his headband. He takes it off and brings it to Kaworu. "That one seems like the sentimental type. Let him know that this is something I picked up when I was back in Europe when I was little. It's something I've had for a long time...I'm not sure if it's something too worthwhile, but something he can at least take as a thank you for his kindness up to this point."
At this point, it ends up being his bangs that end up going over his eye. Just enough where his gaze is concealed just enough, though still ticking out a tad where his beauty mark was still exposed. "If you have an issue with doing something like this, let me know and I'll prepare a note for you to prepare."
Honestly, the way he talks about this goodbye, it almost makes it feel like it really was rather easy to part ways if it was necessary.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"...If that's what you wish," Kaworu replies, but there's no mistaking the despondent shadow on his expression. He accepts that this is what Orpheus is choosing for himself, and accepts the task that he's implicitly laying upon him. But that doesn't mean he has to like it.
In that way, he nods when Orpheus gives him that request--both the explanation, and the headband. He looks down at the strip of his cloth once it's in his palm. His fingers soon close around it, and he meets Orpheus's eye anew.
He doesn't think Euliya would be happy to see Orpheus treat himself as so disconnected from his own life. But Orpheus already made his decision to live for revenge. Kaworu knows there's nothing he could say to dissuade him, and so he doesn't disrespect him by trying.
"There's no need. I'll pass the message along for you," he says quietly.