[ For a moment there's a break in his response. The dim light of his room shines unnaturally off his pinky and the creak of his elbow fills the silence of the room but it's not that that feels the loudest. It's the hollow place in his chest. It's not tangible, but he knows something is wrong. ]
Something is gone. I don't know what but it's a memory. Maybe more. It's hard to explain.
[ Great. Though it's a good thing in hindsight; he'd rather that people he knows (friends, if you want to get specific), aren't undergoing strange side effects. ]
( since their first meeting, wanda has since moved out into a different motel, where she currently resides with her roommate(s). reaching cassian's place, though, is not too difficult and it doesn't take her long; it's all kind of close by anyway, especially now that she feels comfortable riding her motorcycle with ease.
she hears C4T chirping inside, so that's all the confirmation she needs to know that she's in the right room. )
Cassian?
( and opens the door anyway, without knocking or waiting for him. )
[ Cassian had had the option to leave the motel they had met in but had ultimately ended up staying. Balcony deal aside he'd gotten in good with the staff and it was a familiar place to turn to in an unfamiliar place. He had plans to leave eventually. Find an apartment that was a little less transient in feel, but for now the shitty motel room would do.
When she arrives, she'll find that it hasn't change much since she'd first seen it several weeks ago.
He's pulling on a long-sleeved shirt as she enters, gaze finding hers as soon as his head emerges from the fabric. ]
Yours didn't follow you?
[ While he's curious to know if hers is as insistent as his he also wants to know if he has to keep his blaster close. ]
( wanda is too busy getting down on her haunches to pet the top of C4T, who comes to spritz the space around her, and stops when she catches herself and how odd the behaviour is. she likes the bot, so—
[ Whether he realizes it or not he watches Wanda with some faint amusement as she stoops down to greet C4T. It's been weeks now spent with the broken droid so he's well aware of the extent of its sentient nature - but that hasn't stopped him from giving it the same level of care he would have B2EMO.
Whatever faint quirk at the corner of his lip that might have been there drops as he raises his eyebrow at her. ]
That you can see.
[ He's teasing. Teasing as much as he can in a less than ideal situation. But after a moment he'll hold up his left hand for her to see that his pinky is indeed plastic. It's not for long before he crosses his arms, tucking it out of sight. As much as he claims that it doesn't bother him, he'd still rather not look at it. ]
Is there anyone else you know turning into plastic?
( standing back up, leaving C4T to go on about purifying the air, wanda looks at cassian properly. he seems alright, for the most part, even if a little of a frazzled sentiment seems to radiate from him in waves; he's definitely more worried about his current plastic-predicament than he's letting on.
lips thinning into a line as he presents his hand, she can see that his pinky does looks very much not like his other fingers. she had taken a step forward, wanting to take a closer look, but he didn't much seem in favor of the idea, unspoken as it was.
wanda shakes her head. )
You're the first one who has mentioned that to me.
[ "Purifying" the air definitely a generous description of what it is C4T is doing but that's neither here nor there at this point. C4T is want to do what it's want to do which is apparently being incredibly difficult to fix.
Hiding his plastic pinky has less to do with him not wanting to see it (or so he claims), he doesn't make a motion to step back when Wanda steps forward. If she asked, he'd let her get a closer look - but tucking it away is also his way of protecting her in case she does feel any discomfort towards that sort of thing.
That brief glimpse doesn't seem enough to deter her however. The mention of his elbow causes him to shift his arms and there's a discernible plastic squeak. ]
That's what it feels like. My joints are stiff. It's hard to move my arm.
( her question doesn't seem to encourage him to want to show her the horrors of his current plasticization, so wanda stops stepping closer. it's a bit of a helpless stance, hands tucked inside her pockets to help provide no indication of wanting to get further into his space.
wanda isn't the type to force herself on others, especially when they're uncomfortable. )
[ It's just stiffness. But stiffness, as he's learned, can lead to a soreness in his bones that refuses to leave. And that may as well be a different sort of pain.
They seem to be at an impasse. Her, reading his body language as one thing, and him reading hers as another. Uncertainty? Wariness? A desire to help but being unsure about what to do next? ]
If you have any experience with this kind of thing, I wouldn't mind knowing.
[ It's a little bit of a weary question. Some of his colleagues at work had been the nosier sorts and had insisted on seeing. That had been irritating, but this isn't. Cassian knows when someone is trying to help but doesn't know where to begin. ]
( does wanda have some kind of experience in this? she absolutely doesn't. she's not a doctor, a medic, or someone barely qualified to know for a fact how much of the human body works. even if they've established a point of trust, cassian and herself, it's still difficult for her to try and feel like she'll do more good than harm in a situation like this.
he's obviously also frustrated by the circumstances that he's in, regardless of whether wanda can help or not.
she shrugs, crossing her arms now. )
I don't really know about this kind of thing.
( —but maybe she can be useful in a different way. )
Have you checked the network for similar cases? ( also, ) Are you sure your mannequin's gone?
[ Despite establishing that they're friends, there's still little that they've shared between them about their lives before arriving here. Or rather, Cassian knows what little she's told him: Wanda had lived a difficult life, one marred by war and as a result had been a little lacking of friends and companionship and has her seeking out quiet in a noisy world.
So there's nothing to say that she didn't know a thing or two about flesh turned plastic. At least, he can hope that's the case. And a little hope is hardly foolish.
He lets out a rough breath as he turns on his heel to sit on the edge of his bed. ]
Yes. If there's any one else experiencing the same thing, they aren't posting about it. At least not yet. [ As for her other question - ] It pops up when it feels like it.
( when cassian turns to sit on the edge of his bed, wanda hardly hesitates to follow, not feeling that general sense of awkwardness that used to govern around their interactions before their opening up in the car some many nights ago. there's ease in the way she breathes around him, the way she hovers, still standing, near him as cassian sits.
a light cinch of her brow at the mention of the mannequin showing up here and there only comes forth because that much has been a constant annoyance, even to herself.
they seem to be okay for now.
C4T whirs closer to cassian's feet; wanda stands, arms still crossed, her gaze fixed on him, thoughts whirling as she comes to a decision. )
I could stay with you for a while. If you're turning into plastic, maybe your mannequin...
(is turning human? it's a crazy conclusion, but this place has proven that there's a lot of 'normal' in the crazy. for now, she glances around, over to his kitchenette. )
[ Who would have thought that all it had taken to dispel some of the guarded awkward air between them was an impromptu street race on their way back into the city? It's hard to say if Cassian is even aware of that. As observant as he is about the world around him, there's plenty about himself that he chooses to gloss over. But, if the room he leaves for her to sit beside him is any indication, on some subconscious level he's quietly made room for her his own bubble. To get a little bit closer than he might prefer to let others otherwise. ]
Not yet. I haven't had much of an appetite.
[ Briefly a thought flits across his mind in tandem with Wanda's trailed off thought: Are other parts of him that he can't see also changing too? It's a thought he's quick to squash.
C4T arrives at this feet, letting out a little whir and babble of Japanese that's something along the lines of sensing a less than optimal percentage of clean air in Cassian's general vicinity - which is promptly followed by a burp of dust. As the dust settles he watches it with an almost weary affectionate expression before looking back towards Wanda addressing her offer. ]
You don't have any where else to be? Other friends to check on?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Something is gone.
I don't know what but it's a memory. Maybe more.
It's hard to explain.
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maybe you're just under a lot of stress.
( it is hard to explain!! )
do you
feel okay ?
outside of that missing feeling.
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[ Except he had. And the guilt gnaws at him in a way that feels like it could eat him alive. ]
My pinky is plastic. I think my elbow is too.
You?
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( none of these things have happened to her, obviously. )
are you in your apartment ?
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[ Great. Though it's a good thing in hindsight; he'd rather that people he knows (friends, if you want to get specific), aren't undergoing strange side effects. ]
Yes.
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she struggles to word the following, )
do you
would you
can i go there ?
to see you
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What?
[ - in between her texts only to realize what she had been trying to get at. And then it takes another beat for him to reply. ]
Not to see C4T?
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turning into plastic sounds like a problem that you might want a second opinion on.
( huff! )
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I said okay?
It would be good to see you.
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( whatever, cassian. )
don't turn into more plastic.
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she hears C4T chirping inside, so that's all the confirmation she needs to know that she's in the right room. )
Cassian?
( and opens the door anyway, without knocking or waiting for him. )
—hey, C4T.
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When she arrives, she'll find that it hasn't change much since she'd first seen it several weeks ago.
He's pulling on a long-sleeved shirt as she enters, gaze finding hers as soon as his head emerges from the fabric. ]
Yours didn't follow you?
[ While he's curious to know if hers is as insistent as his he also wants to know if he has to keep his blaster close. ]
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( wanda is too busy getting down on her haunches to pet the top of C4T, who comes to spritz the space around her, and stops when she catches herself and how odd the behaviour is. she likes the bot, so—
she glances up at him.
for now, they are mannequin-free. )
You look human still.
( plastic-free. )
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Whatever faint quirk at the corner of his lip that might have been there drops as he raises his eyebrow at her. ]
That you can see.
[ He's teasing. Teasing as much as he can in a less than ideal situation. But after a moment he'll hold up his left hand for her to see that his pinky is indeed plastic. It's not for long before he crosses his arms, tucking it out of sight. As much as he claims that it doesn't bother him, he'd still rather not look at it. ]
Is there anyone else you know turning into plastic?
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lips thinning into a line as he presents his hand, she can see that his pinky does looks very much not like his other fingers. she had taken a step forward, wanting to take a closer look, but he didn't much seem in favor of the idea, unspoken as it was.
wanda shakes her head. )
You're the first one who has mentioned that to me.
( still, she's stubborn— )
You said you think your elbow is plastic, too?
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Hiding his plastic pinky has less to do with him not wanting to see it (or so he claims), he doesn't make a motion to step back when Wanda steps forward. If she asked, he'd let her get a closer look - but tucking it away is also his way of protecting her in case she does feel any discomfort towards that sort of thing.
That brief glimpse doesn't seem enough to deter her however. The mention of his elbow causes him to shift his arms and there's a discernible plastic squeak. ]
That's what it feels like. My joints are stiff. It's hard to move my arm.
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wanda isn't the type to force herself on others, especially when they're uncomfortable. )
Does it — hurt?
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[ It's just stiffness. But stiffness, as he's learned, can lead to a soreness in his bones that refuses to leave. And that may as well be a different sort of pain.
They seem to be at an impasse. Her, reading his body language as one thing, and him reading hers as another. Uncertainty? Wariness? A desire to help but being unsure about what to do next? ]
If you have any experience with this kind of thing, I wouldn't mind knowing.
[ It's a little bit of a weary question. Some of his colleagues at work had been the nosier sorts and had insisted on seeing. That had been irritating, but this isn't. Cassian knows when someone is trying to help but doesn't know where to begin. ]
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he's obviously also frustrated by the circumstances that he's in, regardless of whether wanda can help or not.
she shrugs, crossing her arms now. )
I don't really know about this kind of thing.
( —but maybe she can be useful in a different way. )
Have you checked the network for similar cases? ( also, ) Are you sure your mannequin's gone?
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So there's nothing to say that she didn't know a thing or two about flesh turned plastic. At least, he can hope that's the case. And a little hope is hardly foolish.
He lets out a rough breath as he turns on his heel to sit on the edge of his bed. ]
Yes. If there's any one else experiencing the same thing, they aren't posting about it. At least not yet. [ As for her other question - ] It pops up when it feels like it.
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a light cinch of her brow at the mention of the mannequin showing up here and there only comes forth because that much has been a constant annoyance, even to herself.
they seem to be okay for now.
C4T whirs closer to cassian's feet; wanda stands, arms still crossed, her gaze fixed on him, thoughts whirling as she comes to a decision. )
I could stay with you for a while. If you're turning into plastic, maybe your mannequin...
( is turning human? it's a crazy conclusion, but this place has proven that there's a lot of 'normal' in the crazy. for now, she glances around, over to his kitchenette. )
Have you eaten yet?
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Not yet. I haven't had much of an appetite.
[ Briefly a thought flits across his mind in tandem with Wanda's trailed off thought: Are other parts of him that he can't see also changing too? It's a thought he's quick to squash.
C4T arrives at this feet, letting out a little whir and babble of Japanese that's something along the lines of sensing a less than optimal percentage of clean air in Cassian's general vicinity - which is promptly followed by a burp of dust. As the dust settles he watches it with an almost weary affectionate expression before looking back towards Wanda addressing her offer. ]
You don't have any where else to be? Other friends to check on?
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🎀 !!