[Backdated to 9/9] @silent | open

[callada]

IMPORTANT: I need someone with medical training to meet me at the shoreline near the river. I've found what looks to be my own dead body.

Please hurry.

[Attached is a photo, lit dimly by his lantern, of what does indeed look like his recognizeable corpse floating in the water, hooked through the cheek and attached to a discarded fishing pole lying some feet away on the pebbles.

This is of course in reference to this exploration thread.]

Comments

[paletteswap]

That's horrifying.

Is it solid? Could it be a hallucination like when we were in the forest before?

[callada]

Solid enough to pull the hook out of the mouth and haul it up on shore.

[NONE OF WHICH HE ENJOYED DOING...]

What gets me is I swear its eyes follow me when I move.

[paletteswap]

Are you certain it's dead?

[callada]

Should be dead. Looks dead. Except for the eyes moving. And I think the makeup is moving too. Not just washing off but changing.

[paletteswap]

Has anyone come to assist? Should I come find you? That doesn't sound like it's something you should be alone with.

[callada]

Had a couple people say they'll be here soon. But if you want to come, I won't stop you.

[paletteswap]

I'll be there shortly, it doesn't seem wise to be alone with whatever that is.

[callada]

Sure

[While he doesn't feel unsafe, he welcomes anyone who wants to come figure out what it really is. If it wasn't for the little changes here and there to the makeup, and the clear fact that it's watching him, he would assume it's his previous body, and that on revival he was somehow given a new one. That perhaps the forest spirits had tossed this one into the water.

Which is not ideal but neither is this entire place so when Kuai finds him, he'll just be sitting on the beach with a cigarette, his lantern, and the corpse, still half in the water, its legs swaying with the movement of the lake. It does not look at Kuai as he walks up, as it is seemingly intent on watching Rosinante only.]

[paletteswap]

[That definitely looks like a very dead Rosinante.]

That is even more horrifying seeing it in person.

[He's trying to rationalize this corpse of someone he's talking to, his train of thought somewhat following Rosinante's.]

Could it be because you died previously? There is a... copy of you somehow?

[callada]

I wondered that too. Like this is a discarded body from that death, or maybe my original body. It's not completely dead, but who knows how death works here. We're all dead already, technically. Watch, though.

[He adjusts the lantern to better highlight the body's face. It doesn't seem to react to the light - no shrinking pupils or blinking eyes, though its gaze tracks his hand as it moves. But slowly, ever so slowly, the pattern of makeup on the face changes. It's smudged and runny, making the eyes look more horrible with the remnants of black eyeliner circling them, but the colors elsewhere shift, gold to blue to purple over long stretches of seconds, and the design changes too - never crisp and clear as if freshly applied, but it still manages to hint at starbursts and hearts and irregular patterns of spots.]

If it's a discarded body, why would the makeup change like it's alive too?

[Hopefully Kuai can at least confirm he's not imagining that part.]

[paletteswap]

It's looking at you.

[ Which is far more disturbing than the makeup. How can it be looking at him if it's dead? Unless it isn't.]

Have you tried talking to it? Maybe it's a forest spirit that can shapeshift and is trying to imitate you?

[In which case it might parrot back whatever Rosinante says. He's not sure if that's better or worse than a duplicate corpse. Probably worse because they'd have to be on alert to make sure the people they were speaking to weren't spirits in disguise.]

[callada]

[More viscerally disturbing, he'd certainly agree. He's trying to ignore the way those dead eyes follow his movements. Something about the suggestion of talking to it makes him visibly cringe, speaking of disturbing.]

What would I even say to it? "Hello"?

[He doesn't even like looking at it in the first place, but it's not a bad suggestion. As if bracing himself for something far worse than a slightly undead corpse, he swallows, then gives it a shot.]

What are you?

[Maybe that's too rhetorical. Too accusatory. Either way, it doesn't reply, but it does grin a little wider.]

[paletteswap]

[He's not sure what he's expecting it to do, and if it did start speaking that may make the whole situation worse.]

I think it can hear you. This probably isn't a corpse, some sorcery is animating it.

[Which is disturbing and he doesn't know what to do about it.]

What do you want to do with it? It's.. yours I suppose.

[Though neither of them seem to want to touch it.]

[callada]

Well...

[His tablet buzzes, and he looks away long enough to pull it out of his coat pocket and have a look. Others who are interested want to investigate also. Good.]

Nothing just yet. Seems you're not the only one willing to investigate. I'll let a few people have a look and if we can't find anything I might try to have it cremated, unless it proves itself more alive than it looks.

[paletteswap]

[ He keeps watching it, as it keeps watching Rosinante. This is about a hundred kinds of unsettling.]

Very well. Should we pull it out of the water?

[ He's willing to do that, but the idea of carrying this anywhere is unsettling. ]

[callada]

Sure. Mind grabbing the legs?

[They only need to get it above the waterline. Enough for him to be able to safely look it over without contacting the lake itself. Otherwise, he'll risk becoming just like this thing, only probably with less eye and mouth motion.

An exaggeration, since it isn't that deep here, but he's spent his whole life cautious around water and that's definitely not changing today. So without waiting for confirmation, he stands, then reaches for those cold, clammy arms. If nothing else, by being closer to the center of mass, he can carry more of the weight. It's a good excuse.]

[paletteswap]

[He nods, steeling himself for carrying this... corpse he supposes. At this point he'd be happier if it was a corpse, as every other possibility is somehow more disturbing. He walks to the shoreline hefting the thing's legs out of the water, frowning at the lack of shoes. Rosinante is definitely wearing those, so if this is some sort of copy it's missing some pieces.

It's not moving, and it doesn't react to being touched, but it's still watching Rosinante. What is this thing?]

Let's put it down over there, far enough where it won't be swept away by the lake. I wonder what the significance is to the lack of shoes.

Were you wearing shoes when you died?

[callada]

[Every moment spent touching this thing creeps him out, and he's glad to move it the bare minimum distance and then set it right back down. He wipes his hands off on his pants, as if that's helpful in any way, and pretends not to notice its widening grin as it stares up at him.]

Yeah, of course. So it's not that, but I dunno why it's missing them either. Whatever this thing is, it got the rest of the clothing right.

[Sweater and pants, anyway. The hat must have washed away, if it ever had one. Why the lack of shoes? He takes his off if he's in his room at the Inn, or anywhere else that their removal is requested, but how does that translate to the state of this strange duplicate?]

Some people here know a thing or two about magic. Maybe it's a common thing when you're making a copy of someone. Hell if I know.

[paletteswap]

[This thing is unsettling and he's more than happy to set it down and then back away.]

Replicate everything about a person except their shoes? An odd sort of magic.

It doesn't seem to be breathing, but it is definitely watching you. If you get out of sight does it move to follow?

[Is it going to attack Rosinante? Why is it watching him? Is it studying his movements to be a better duplicate?]

[callada]

I haven't tried yet. Stay there. Let me know what it does.

[He gathers up his lantern and begins to walk away, looking over his shoulder as he does so in case it gets up and follows immediately. But it doesn't, so he turns to look where he's going as he continues - not that that helps in any way when he inevitably trips and plows his face into the dirt.

But he shakes the dirt out of his hair and grabs his hat from where it fell, then stands and continues onward. It's hard to truly be out of sight without leaving for a building or the trees, as the points of lantern light are visible at quite a distance here on the beach, but he stops when he's gone a fair distance and calls back:]

Anything?

[From Kuai's point of view, nothing much has changed, as the body continues to stare off into the distance in Rosinante's direction.]

[paletteswap]

It's tracking you but it's not moving its head. Maybe it only has control of the eyes and the rest will come later.

[He kneels next to it, picking up one of the arms and letting it drop. Still as floppy as it was when they carried it though it felt about the right mass to be Rosinante's corpse. He waved a hand in front of its eyes to see if it would react.

Nothing.]

I'm not sure it can see me. It seems intent on you.

[callada]

Mm.

[Almost reluctantly, he makes his way back to Kuai, stumbling slightly along the way.]

At least it seems harmless. Thanks for coming to look, though. I'm not sure I'll be able to make sense of it but I don't think I'll be fishing again soon.

[Though it's not a bad idea to do so at some point, just... not again today.]

[paletteswap]

I apologize for not being of more assistance. This sort of magic is unfamiliar to me. Maybe someone else will recognize what this is.

[Enjoy your new pet doppleganger Rosi.]