there'll be oats in the water

[singmod]

JULY 2024 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — THE AURORA: REDUX: A storm finally arrives, and with it — Enola extends her hand to help the Interlopers once more, granting them new abilities.

PROMPT TWO — PENSIVE LOOKOUT: With the Forest Talker efforts focused on sabotaging hunting efforts, Interlopers can attempt to explore the Pensive Lookout Tower, where they can uncover secrets from the diary of Sam Bouchard — the former firewatch worker of the summer of 2014.

PROMPT THREE — A PEEK INSIDE: A group of Interlopers get their hands on one of the Forest Talkers in search of answers — and get a little more than they bargained for.

THE AURORA: REDUX

WHEN: Mid-month, for three days.
WHERE: Everywhere.
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural/extreme weather; lightning storms; potentially disturbing dreams; dreams of being trapped in ice; dreams of animal death; dreams of the death of loved ones.


July brings warmer weather. The fog has lifted, and the daylight returned — but an odd kind of pressure lingers in the air, the kind that feels similar with oncoming storms but something still feels off about it all. Measurements and readings are erratic, with them often making little sense. It’s hard to predict just what might be coming, but sure enough something is coming.

Hold on a little longer, Enola told you. A storm is coming.

It comes quickly, the gathering of storm clouds. At first, it looks as if a kind of snowstorm is moving in, but there’s something else at play here. Within the grey, cloudy skies, there is a tell-tale sound of an Aurora mixed within those clouds.

And with it, in amongst the dark, the swirling colours. Greens, pinks and purples weaving through the clouds, almost mesmerising to watch. The air is alive with sound: static noise, cracks and pops: a storm and the Aurora mixed into one. For those who’ve been here long enough, it’s a worrying, unnerving sight. The storm rumbles with the low roar of distant thunder, growing ever closer. The electronics of the world begin to come alive, and in the static of it all — you begin to hear Enola’s voice even clearer than before.

After so much darkness, now there is so much light. A lightning storm — aurora colours mingling with the grey clouds, punctured with crackles of lightning. Something powerful and strange — flash forking across the skies, followed by booms of thunder.

The storm lasts three days, and even though her voice is soft — you hear it over all the noise, nestled gently in your ear.

“You're still here. It means something. This isn’t the end, I refuse to let it be the end. It can’t win. You won’t go into the Dark.” Enola tells you. ”I will make you more than what you are, more than what was stolen from you. This place will not be your end. I have to try. We have to try. Together. I showed some of you, once. I’ll show you again.”

She tells you to sleep. For some, they recognise this and realise what may end up happening. For others it feels like going out on a limb. But you sleep, and perhaps a dream may come to you.

COLD FUSION: The colours of the Aurora dance around you in your dreamscape. You dream of a great hall of ice: as if it had been carved into some great ridge of it. You walk through it, marvelling at the beauty of it — a blue gloom, echoing with each of your footsteps. But as you take one particular step, the ground cracks and collapses beneath you, sending you into dark, frozen waters. In seconds, the water freezes around you, encompassing you in thick ice, your entire body trapped within it. The coldness burns you, and you are stuck there — frozen in agony. The pain is immeasurable, your entire body crushed and searing from the ice. There is no escape, no reprieve.

A voice speaks to you, perhaps it is the voice of a stranger, perhaps it is the voice of someone you know: Do you know how you survive the cold?’ They ask you. You do not know, and you wait for the answer: ‘You become colder than it.

Your eyes close. You believe those words, you do. You must become colder than the cold itself. And so you will. Your breathing slows, your heart slows and the cold… it stops hurting, it doesn’t burn. The ice around you begins the crack.

When you awaken the first thing you realise is despite the temperature, you are completely cosy and warmed. You do not feel the slightest chill. It is perhaps only once you are around other than you truly notice the difference to you — you are cold to the touch, lacking the heat you once had. An understanding comes: you are at one with the cold, it will not beat you, it will not cause you agony. Winter is at peace within you: perfect Cold Fusion.

MOON TOUCHED: The colours of the Aurora dance around you in your dreamscape. You dream of running through the silent woods at night. The moon is full above you, the air is calm and still. Hunger draws you forward, everything is so sharp and vivid in your senses, even in this dreamscape. You hear the crispness of the snow beneath your feet, smell the scent of the pines on the air, feel how warm you are against the coldness around you.

The snuffling of a rabbit catches your attention, and you swiftly leap after it, jaws opening and closing around its neck as you capture it. You bite down hard, feeling the crunch of its bones as they break, the sweet coppery taste of blood filling your mouth and nose. You lift your head towards the stars, blood on your tongue. You realise you are not a person at all, but a beast on all fours: a wolf, content and filling your belly with meat.

You wonder, for a brief moment: were you ever a person at all?

You do not know the answer to the question. You do not seem to worry about such a thing but there’s a flash of warning on the air. Something you cannot quite place, but you know that you should not forget it.

When you awaken, you feel… different, somehow. Everything seems a little sharper, as if the world around you had been dull, or behind some pane of frosted glass. With it comes a strange balance of calmness and chaos, tameness and wildness, fear and bravery. You find yourself looking for the moon in the skies and when you finally find it, it hits you — this is what it means to be Moon Touched.

INTERLOPER’S SACRIFICE: The colours of the Aurora dance around you in your dreamscape and then fade into nothing. You dream of kneeling in a darkened, charred wood. You are not alone. In this dreamscape, you dream of a loss, or a time you have never felt more helpless in your life. Perhaps it is when someone you knew died before you, or you stood as someone was sick and injured and you were unable to do a thing. As you kneel, they are there with you: sick or dying or even dead in your arms. You cannot do anything but hold them, and the helplessness is overwhelming.

You look up and a woman in furs stands before you, her expression solemn. Enola herself. There are tears in her eyes, as if she shares the very pain you do: the loss, the grief, the hopelessness, the powerlessness. She approaches you and lowers herself to kneel in front of you and your companion, bracing your shoulders for a long, lingering moment. There are no words, none from neither of you.

Enola shifts slightly, leans forwards. She kisses your forehead, much like when a parent kisses their child: sweet and tender.

And then you feel it, as if you are set alight: an agonising pain that encompasses you whole — so painful you cannot even open your mouth to scream. You feel yourself growing weak, the corners of your vision blurring into black. It feels as if you might die from the pain, and you want for it to stop but it doesn’t.

Enola pulls away and you gasp, slumping in exhaustion, but still alive, somehow. You stare at her, sweating and clamouring for breath, and she offers you a sad smile. Never again. you feel the words inside of you. This time, it will be different. Better.

When you awaken, you can still feel the kiss upon your forehead — enough to make your fingers reach up to touch it, your entire body tingling a little. A small voice in the back of your mind whispers, reminding you as you find yourself looking down at your hands: never again. Never again, you tell yourself and the comprehension comes to you: you have chosen. This is what it means to be: this is your sacrifice. The Interloper’s Sacrifice.

NOTHING: The colours of the Aurora dance around you in your dreamscape, but only for a moment. The edges of your vision begin the blur with black, slowly closing in until everything goes dark and you fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. You awaken, and although you feel rested, as if the dreamless darkness has helped you feel a little more ready to take on the day — nothing else about you has changed.

PENSIVE LOOKOUT

WHEN: The month of July.
WHERE: Pensive Lookout Tower, Lakeside.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of survival; possible fall injuries/treacherous climbs; themes of terror; themes of diminished sanity; themes of starvation.

The Old Hunting Lodge is located in the southern-most area of Lakeside, and its surrounding area is generally considered no-go territory with the presence of the Forest Talkers. As June turned into July, the Forest Talker’s presence in the wilds of Lakeside has begun to grow again — but their efforts appear to be focused on sabotaging the efforts of Interlopers, Methuselah and Young Bill in hunting fresh game. If anything, it could mean that with attentions drawn away — perhaps the braver sorts of the Interlopers can explore the area a little more fully.

There’s little in terms of buildings of interest in this area. The wilderness is thick and deep here. Perhaps the odd ransacked cabin once belonging to a local may be stumbled across — its contents picked clean, presumably by the Forest Talkers. Many of these buildings will be completely inhabitable due to the damage done — with some cabins being razed to the ground.

However, on higher ground, with a good hike to access it, stands a watch tower.

These lookout towers could mean a number of things: a chance to access supplies that may have otherwise been forgotten about due to the hike to get up there, a better view of the surrounding area, and the possibility of a radio — given the sign of a radio transmitter that can be found blinking a feeble red on Aurora nights.

With the snow on the ground it’s a little more treacherous, but given the circumstances, anything’s worth a shot, right? Those who attempt the hike may fall foul to slips and trips along the steep slow to reach the tower, and should take care in the ascent. Even with the warmth of July, it’s difficult. One might hope this might make the place a decent outpost, if you think about it. Somewhere hard to reach, and with such a vantage point.

Reaching the tower and climbing it to its interior will it largely intact but a mess. Someone has lived here for some time. Interlopers will find no food here, but some useful tools that belonged to the lookout: binoculars, maps, a compass, an alidade. There is even a radio sat upon a desk, and with it — a journal.

The journal, Interlopers will find, belonged to a man named Sam Bouchard — the firewatcher for the season during the previous year, detailing the months of his arrival and ending in November last year. It is unknown what happened to Sam, but his journal will perhaps offer some insight and even some information.

A PEEK INSIDE

WHEN: The month of July.
WHERE: The Gas Station, Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of kidnapping; imprisonment; self-starvation; blood/minor injuries; psychological torment, supernatural abilities.

The Forest Talkers have a long history in the Northern Territories, long before Interlopers started arriving in Milton. Champions of nature, they have sought to put an end to the industries and tourism-related expansions in the Lakeside area, first peacefully and then… not-so-peacefully. But with the events known as the ‘The Flare’ last year, Forest Talkers have been… acting peculiarly, disturbingly, aggressively.

There are plenty of questions to be asked. But the Forest Talkers are difficult to communicate with. Previous attempts have ended up in aggression or being ignored entirely. And now, even with the events of the previous month coming to an end — game remains difficult to find, and Forest Talkers are keen on sabotaging any attempts of hunting made by Interlopers, Young Bill or Methuselah. And more importantly: what is the yawning grave?

It starts as mutterings between tired and disgruntled Interlopers. They need answers, and there’s got to be a way in trying to get some. They’re hungry and exhausted and so many of their numbers are now dead. Those mutterings grow, and soon enough a plan is put into place. A small group of Interlopers embark into Lakeside and wait.

Soon enough, it bears fruit. A man is captured, bound and blindfolded — quietly and secretly brought back to Milton to be held up in the unused Gas Station to be questioned. It is not the leader, but surely one of them is better than no one at all. He is injured, but not enough to kill him. It will prove challenging in trying to get answers out of him, but soon enough the Interlopers will get him to talk.

News of the Forest Talker in their midst will inevitably spread, as most things do in small communities. Secrets are hard to guard. It won’t be just those behind the kidnapping who might end up coming across the man being held in the Gas Station.

Anyone who goes to investigate will find the man sat on the floor in quiet contemplation. Attempts of conversation will be met with long, silent stares — holding your gaze for an uncomfortably long time. He will spurn any gestures of kindness: spit on the floor at Interloper’s feet, refuse any food offered — as if the man has chosen to starve himself in protest. He says nothing, at first.

But after some time, he will look into an Interloper’s eyes and utter something. A word. A phrase. It may be a name, or a place. It may be a specific thing an Interloper has read, or been spoken to by someone. Something that holds meaning to the Interloper. It may be the name of a loved one from home, or the last words ever spoken to you by a friend. Something the man shouldn’t know.

Whatever it is that he speaks to you, it is not something that will fill you with hope or fondness to remember — but quite the opposite. A reminder of something painful, of a loss, or some other thing that caused you misery. As if he had reached right inside your mind and plucked some painful part of your past from you and spoken it to the wind.

The Forest Talker smiles, and will say nothing else. The damage has already been done.

FAQs

THE AURORA: REDUX

1. The next three Aurora Feats are unlocked! Please see the following page for more information.

2. Aurora Feats are completely optional.

3. Interlopers will only receive ONE Aurora Feat. The only time this is available is this month. After July, players will have to wait for the next Feat round for another chance at an Aurora Feat.

4. This Aurora/storm will last a full three days, darkening the skies almost to night.

PENSIVE LOOKOUT

1. Interlopers who dwell in the lookout for the next Aurora will find the radio works, albeit poorly. They will be able to pick up the same broken morse code message.

2. There are no signs of blood/injury that befell Sam in the lookout. It appears he made good on what he wrote on in his journal and attempted to leave to get to Silverpoint.

A PEEK INSIDE

1. While only a small number was involved in the kidnapping itself, anyone can discover the fact there's a Forest Talker being held in Milton.

2. In terms of appearance, the Forest Talker is very much your typical average white guy. Bearded, weathered by the cold, someone who's lived several years without much in the way of comforts or luxuries.

PLOTTING POST

Comments

[sputnik]

"That's why I'm not so sure that trying to even... form a community here is going to work. Not in the long term. And next time something like this happens.... it could be even more devastating than it already has been. Perhaps we should all be focusing on trying to escape, instead. While we still can."

It's becoming ever more clear that trying to make a life here and make things safe is an unreachable task. How can any of them find any semblance of control, security, in a place that doesn't even follow the laws of nature and science?

"I suppose to better understand their brains. If we know how things work, think, function... we can help treat what's wrong. It's supposed to help humankind, ultimately." He sighs. "But unfortunately, humans will always use things to their advantage. When I was being studied like one of those mice, it wasn't for my benefit. It was to try and make me into a weapon that could be used in things like war. For gain.

Maybe.... that's what's happening here, too. Maybe that's why this place is giving people abilities."

[meadqueen]

“It's true that we cannot go on this way, holding votes no one wishes to adhere to.” It had been disillusioning knowing that people had robbed the caches despite the vote while she is not doing all she can to protect the village due to the will of the group. “But I do not think being more lax is a solution that we can survive for any length of time. We need codes to live by or people will do whatever they wish.”

She’s still afraid of what people who want revenge from Midsummer might do.

“A weapon?” Randvi tilts her head. “Because of the…?” Because of the creature. “I would expect someone doing such to exert more direct control.”

[sputnik]

It's a problem to be sure, and news of of this "trial" has certainly jarred Konstantin — it's very dangerous to have a group of people in a tumultuous environment without any sort of codes, as she says. "It seems very precarious right now. Do you think you and Lyanna will be safe? I can come visit you often. It might help if people see that you have someone over frequently."

To the question, he nods grimly. "I think that's what they were building up to — direct control. So much about it is an unknown even to the scientists of my time. But they were learning more about it, and I think... very close to being able to control it."

[meadqueen]

"I think groups of people from the same place are what we need to worry about. Much of the negative response I saw was between factions that had split before any of them had even arrived in this place."

If all of her efforts to keep people alive in this place are negated by Saxon infighting she's going to be very put out about it.

"However, that is not to say that I would not appreciate your visit! You're my friend, and Lyanna might feel more comfortable socializing with another woman present."

She's young, and Konstantin likely translates to her as someone of higher rank.

It's difficult to imagine the violence that this creature is apparently capable of, since her only experience with it has been feeling it curling into the warmth of her palm like a well-fed kitten. "It will not happen here."

[sputnik]

Konstantin nods thoughtfully — he'll definitely remember that. Clearly, he needs to take more notice of those groups here. He's been isolating himself a lot, and much of it is by necessity, but... maybe it's time to change that.(He's also still worried about two women living alone together, especially given Randvi's recent injury, and he'll certainly be coming by more often.)

When Randvi calls him friend, it gives him a moment's pause; it's the first time anyone's really used that word towards him here, apart from Vasiliy. Someone sees him as a friend.

"Then I'll be sure to bring enough grouse for you both, the next time I come. We're raising chicks now, so hopefully we'll be able to keep a steady supply." He smiles, then pauses for a moment as he reflects on the creature.

"Thankfully, it's very weak here, so maybe it won't catch the wrong kind of attention." His smile turns to a bit of a wince. "However, apparently it has been sneaking out here and there, when I didn't know about it..."

[meadqueen]

Randvi gasps, though privately she is a bit jealous that she hadn't seen it herself. She's been so curious!

“What a naughty little thing. Were there any problems?”

It's dangerous, she knows, and also he could die without it.

[sputnik]

"So far, it hasn't tried to harm anyone, that I know of." If it had, surely he would have found out from them after, right...? No longer having access to the alien's memories when it's outside of his body has been a mercy, but in times like this, more of a stress. He can't keep up with its activity, feels even more helpless to control the entity.

"But I didn't expect it to want to run around on its own. I don't know if it's looking for more food, or if it's... bored, maybe." He gives a scoff through his nostrils, and pats the pack hanging from his shoulder. "I've been keeping blood with me, these days. If I can keep it fed more through the day... maybe it'll stay put."

Routinely give it snacks, so to speak...

[meadqueen]

It really is like a small child, isn't it? She can understand why Konstantin is stressed, but she's also a bit amused despite herself. Who would think a creature such as this would have the capacity to be stubborn?

“I’m sure smaller feedings throughout the day are healthier for you as well.” It can't be good for him, consuming so much blood.

[sputnik]

"It's definitely... easier, sipping on the stuff a little at a time, instead of so much all at once," he admits — and it's such a strange thing to admit to, aloud. He doesn't even discuss this too much with Vasiliy. It's a lingering source of discomfort and shame, no matter how much he tries to accept this as his reality now. But Randvi is a safe space to talk about it, and so after a moment, he opens up some more of his concerns.

"I do worry that maybe it... wants to hunt. To act out those instincts. Maybe that's why it's leaving me, even though it's so cold out. Like a cat that needs to stalk something to feel satisfied."

[meadqueen]

Randvi had forgotten that in their own world, the creature did not routinely eat this way, staying inside while Konstantin consumed blood for it.

“That's a good point. Or it could simply wish to indulge itself and roam, like a horse too long in the pen.”

[sputnik]

Konstantin sighs, running a hand up over his face. "Like it's feeling cooped up." He can see that, honestly; the thing used to exit him nightly, and now it's been locked away inside of him for weeks and weeks at a time. God...

"Maybe I will have to arrange something with Vasya where he can let it wander around, and watch it hunt sometimes. Let it catch and eat its own prey. I just really didn't want to encourage that habit here...."

He's so stressed about this!

[meadqueen]

“Hm. Perhaps encouraging it to hunt smaller prey on occasion will prevent it from instinctively hunting larger ones if it escapes unexpectedly.”

That is what they do with the wolf Mouse back home.

[sputnik]

That's... actually a really good idea. Konstantin, a City Boy, has no experience with such matters as hunting, but what she says makes a lot of sense. He turns attentively to Randvi, wholly open to accepting any help that she can offer.

"Normalise smaller prey... Maybe that would stop it from ever needing to grow larger, too." He nods thoughtfully, before giving a little laugh.

"I'll take any tricks you might know for keeping wild things manageable. It sounds like you know about this sort of thing."

[meadqueen]

“It grows?” Randvi asks, intrigued. That would answer the question of how something so small managed to pose a danger to humans outside of its host.

The request prompts a long-suffering expression. “At home, my warchief keeps bringing home orphaned animals. I have more experience than I'd like.”

[sputnik]

"Before this place it would, at least. Vasya said it's been staying pretty small when it comes out here, but... I don't know if that will last." A pause of thought. "It adapts extremely well to whatever environment it's in, so... we've been hoping that the cold will keep it small. That it won't want to spend more energy than it has to."

Another pause at that, and then he can't help giving another soft laugh at that. Someone who keeps bringing home orphaned animals, huh? Sounds kind of familiar.

"Then you really are the master of this sort of thing. Maybe with your help, I'll be able to teach it some manners before I let Sveta properly take a look."

[meadqueen]

Randvi chuckles as well. “Bribe it with small prey and the use of my power and we will have a little gentleman before too long.”

[sputnik]

Despite the layer of something light-hearted he keeps up (needs to keep up), and has been trying to keep up for months now, the past few weeks have been.... strange, eye-opening. Kieren's... attack, and then disappearance. A recent conversation with Bigby Wolf. All of Konstantin's fears culminating into something realistic — his situation is hopeless. Talking about the creature like this, like it's something that can be... tamed, controlled, lived with.. how long can that really last? It's a bloodthirsty, dangerous alien entity.

He tries to keep smiling, but something falters.

"....I know it's wishful thinking. The truth is that if Kieren really has left... I should follow right in his footsteps."

[meadqueen]

“Neither of you should leave!” Randvi is passionate about this and not just because it annoys her that Kieren is not trying to make amends. “The beast that haunts us wants us divided, lost, hopeless! That's why we are put into these terrible situations. We will take care of each other and we will outlive that accursed thing, and there are no other options.”

[sputnik]

Konstantin blinks down at her, feeling that tightening sensation of guilt squeeze harder. He hates this. This helplessness. He hates the fact that no matter what he chooses to do, it can't be considered a good, safe, choice. If he keeps isolating himself from others here, he can't help them. But if he gets closer to them....

Will he end up like Kieren? Doing what he'd done? Of course he will — he already knows he will. He'd be a fool to pretend otherwise.

"There are some of us here who are just as... dangerous as that thing. And I don't want to risk hurting anyone. Hurting you." He frowns, deeply. Talks of visiting her and Lyanna, trying to look over them.. what if the creature were to come out around them? How could he ever actually chance that?

"What if this thing were to decide to emerge right now, as I stand here talking to you? What if I woke up tomorrow and discovered it had killed you?"

[meadqueen]

It does hurt to hear him so afraid, but Randvi can't imagine that isolating himself will do any good.

“He is less dangerous than that creature, and so are you. I am not discounting the danger that the creature may pose, but the Darkwalker cannot be fought. It kills with a glance. The threat posed by interlopers with dangerous aspects can never be fully erased, but can be mitigated through proper planning.”

That's likely important anyway, since the creature is apparently emerging on its own now.

“Has it killed yet, here? Are there ways to reduce the threat? If it did emerge now, what would you have me do? No one is ever safe, especially here, but we can live together, Konstantin. If you isolate yourself I worry that you might be the Darkwalker’s next target. Not only would I miss you, but who knows what your creature would do?”

[sputnik]

It's a strange threshold, and he doesn't know whether he should cross it or not. But how much longer can he keep.. pretending, being light-hearted about things, laughing them off, hiding the darkest parts of it all from others? Randvi called him her friend. Says she would worry about him if he disappeared, even miss him, and it makes his heart tighten immediately. There are people here he's gotten attached to, whether he intended to or not.

How can he risk putting them in extreme danger? Doing what poor Kieren did? He's quiet as he listens, truly listens. The young woman's become a source of wisdom, a shoulder he can lean on about things, and he sincerely wants to hear what she has to say. Much of it reminds him of what Bigby had said, regarding managing and planning for those 'dangerous aspects' that some of their population come with. But what if it isn't enough?

Konstantin runs a hand over his mouth and jaw again, quiet, before he finally replies. Showing weakness, opening up honestly about this, is difficult.

"I understand what you're saying. And you're right, I just— I don't know what to do. What decision is the best one, the most responsible one." He shakes his head softly. "And I don't know what to tell people to do, if they see it. How to prepare them. I didn't think it would try to hurt you, because you've helped it, but... that was before it started coming out on its own. Now I don't know what to think. Maybe it's seeking more food — maybe it would try to feed from you."

It's a horrible thought.

[meadqueen]

Randvi nods slowly. Konstantin is listening to her, taking her seriously, and she needs to listen to him, too.

“Do you know what it’s done so far, when it emerges here? Are there common factors that you can prepare for? These past months have been so strange. Could it be emerging when you are under stress?”

He will likely never be fully at ease while a risk remains, but they can at least attempt to manage it. Konstantin deserves to have a life here as much as any other.

[sputnik]

"It's mostly come out at night, around Vasya. He gives it some extra food, and lets it explore. It hasn't tried to hurt him yet, because I think it... understands that it needs him."

It's intelligent, disconcertingly so.

"But as for the other times it's emerged... You're right, these past months have been strange — maybe it's sensed sickness in me, or something odd in the air. I think it's been afraid of a lot of things here. That's why I feel so at unease about this. Our situation here is so unpredictable, and... its behaviour in response feels just as unpredictable."

He gives a soft sigh, hating this lack of control.

"Maybe the only thing to do is try to prepare people for what to do if it does come out. How to defend themselves. I think with your abilities, you could stop it from hurting you if you had to."

Hurting it will hurt him, but that's a consequence he's more than willing to take.

[meadqueen]

It comes out at night around someone else, hmmmm? This is a line of inquiry that Randvi will pursue at a later date when the topic of conversation is less fraught.

“Would you be willing to let it out in a controlled environment, around some people you trust? If there are people it trusts to feed or protect it, then if it is emerging because it is hungry or distressed it might seek out those people before causing problems for others.”

Randvi looks at him, serious. “If it would not harm you I would kill it now and be done with it. I admire your courage: I think being forced to live as you do would kill me. But I am willing to help you care for it if you'll let me.”

[sputnik]

Konstantin falls silent, listening to the younger woman's words, taken aback by all of them. Because they continue to make sense, in a way that's so uncomfortable to touch upon and accept — involving things he's never allowed himself to even consider. He's agonised over every second of knowing that the creature's been around Vasiliy; even if it hasn't harmed him, what if it does, someday? And even that aside, it must be... disgusting, terrifying for the EMT to witness. Konstantin hates the thought of it, of being seen like that.

...But it makes sense, what she's saying. He knows from experience even before here that the alien is capable of forming attachments to people, even of protecting them, like it had done for Tatiana. What she's proposing could be potentially life-saving. It could stop the thing from going on some kind of killing spree. It could go to people it knows and feels safe around, and be contained until it's able to be returned to his body again.

He thinks for a long moment, eyes wide, a rare display of anxiety in the cosmonaut. He finds himself stunned all over again by Randvi's determination to help him. It's incredibly brave, and he should be able to be brave in response, but he's... afraid.

"Before here, it.... formed a connection with someone. A doctor who was helping me. She was kind to me. To it. It trusted her, and... it even defended her."

He glances downwards for a moment, brow knit. What happened, to Tanya? Is she safe now? Is she even still alive?

"So what you're saying is... very possible, I think." Another pause, as he looks back up to Randvi, meeting her eyes. "I don't want to ask you to do this for me, but... I trust you."