[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]

[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.]