Iskaulit Mingle - Problems with Psychics

[notzubats]

Who: Anyone on the Iskaulit!
Broadcast: If you'd like?!
Action: Iskaulit!
When: Today, as Sora's augment glitch starts.

[It's your average day on the Iskaulit. Absolutely nothing seems out of place initially, but without any warning- you might find yourself or your friends experiencing some problems. What's up on that?

In other words, it's an Iskaulit mingle with a twist! Come on in everyone! You don't need to interact with Sora to have it effect you, so feel free to start your own threadstarter! Or talk to Sora, that's cool too. ]

Comments

[exothermia]

[He may not know what Wrath's HUD is, but he can put together the pieces of what she's describing. It's not quite how he would have put it himself. Then again, he's so used to it that he's never felt the need to find new words for a fundamental part of his being.

He reaches out and catches Wrath's other hand.]

Magnetic fields. That's what you're feeling. You've got my mutation.

[pain_train]

[She stares at him. That doesn't make any sense. She's not a special person like him or Charles. But he said his powers were missing, so maybe it makes sense that they'd have to go somewhere. But to her? And...]

... You feel like this all the time?

[Her voice comes out rather small. Because she feels rather small in perspective, now. This is overwhelming and... Indescribable. Her normal habit of calling things cool or awesome really doesn't cut it.]

[exothermia]

[He tries to think, past the words and numbers dotting his vision, about how this must feel from the outside. The closest comparison he has is the time he swapped his powers with Charles. Being able to hear everyone's thoughts, even without trying, had been nearly overwhelming. He had no capacity to block anything out then... and it was an entirely different form of power from what Erik had.]

I do, but I've had over fifty years to get used to it. Train myself in it. For you... it's a new sense.

If you have magnetic abilities, then I must have something from you. Whatever's happening with my eyes. Everything looks wrong, the colours.

[pain_train]

[Focus, Wrath. You're not the only one having problems.

And that does help to realize, actually. She can put her own distress in and the endless list of questions in a mental box to deal with a bit later. Her people are always her top priority, and Erik has long since become one of her people.

Though she grips his hand a little more tightly because that makes her feel better too. Touch is a grounding thing.

So of Erik does have something from her, then it's an obvious step to assume that's where her HUD has gone. Maybe other things she hadn't noticed because there are too many distractions.]

Then you probably have the HUD that I normally get from my AR eye. It's a general tactical display. And maybe you're seeing the extended visual spectrum too.

[Explanation is good, but she's trying to remember how the hell to turn it off, which is a weird question since she never turns it off herself, and her eye is wired directly into her nervous system.]

[exothermia]

I am certainly seeing... something. [He doesn't want to mention that Wrath looks nothing like herself, this way. He knows enough by voice and touch that this is her, and her explanation... helps, somewhat. But it's just so out-there that it's hard to get a grasp on it.]

I'm a bit surprised that you're levitating. That usually takes more conscious thought for me. [Who knows how powers work when they're suddenly rammed into people with no experience, though.]

[pain_train]

Um. Try... um. Blinking fast three times. That might switch off the HUD? [Maybe? She hopes. If he can even switch it off. Because she knows she still has all of her artificial parts. She can feel them. This is so weird.] But it's like... not neuro-wired to you so I don't--like what the fuck even, Erik.

[Coherency failing momentarily, here.]

The floor felt weird, and like it was pushing me away? [When levitating, she was basically equidistant from the walls and floor and ceiling.] Um. It's everywhere. I just--it's everywhere. This is really confusing. [Help.]

[exothermia]

[He feels like he's been blinking non-stop since it happened, but... he gives it a try. Sadly, nothing happens. He lets out a breath, shaking his head.]

Of course it's everywhere. We're on a metal spaceship. If you were out on the planet, it probably wouldn't be so overwhelming for you.

The floor isn't the one pushing you away. You're the one pushing back against the floor. Think about drawing the centre of yourself towards that surface. Like your body is attracted to it.

[pain_train]

[The head shake, she knows how to interpret at least.] Damn. I'm sorry. Like... I guess it must be really disorienting if you're not used to having a combat HUD. I've had one... as long as I can remember.

[But okay. Erik's powers. Yes, that makes sense.] Okay.

[She closes her eyes and visualizes. Concentrates. And yes, descends back down to the floor. She feels the pressure against her feet with no small amount of relief. Whew. She smiles at Erik, pleased with herself.] You're really amazing though, you know that?

[exothermia]

[He squints a little, in some vain hope that might lower the intensity of information assaulting his eyeballs.]

It's... very strange. Like staring point blank at a computer.

[As she descends, he relaxes slightly. Levitation wasn't an easy skill for him to pick up originally, but it's one of the simplest to explain.]

Like I said - I've had a long time to practice. I wasn't always good at it.

[pain_train]

It... kind of is? I literally have a targeting computer that lives in my eye. And before I had to have my eye replaced, I was constantly plugged into one using my ports. Try to just... look past the stuff that doesn't make sense. Like when you're looking into the distance and letting everything close fall away. It's... really overwhelming the first time you get plugged in. I'm sorry.

[Erik's actually taking it pretty well, all things considered. He's not screaming. Or crying.]

Practice helps with anything, I guess. But like you... you have this whole other sense. Like there's a level of the world that you can see and touch and no one else can. That's really special. [And humbling. She gives his hand a little squeeze.]

[exothermia]

[It seems like an impossible request, given how very full his immediate vision is. With a grunt, he looks to the left of Wrath, down the corridor instead. He tries to adjust his focus.]

Yes... that's what it is to me. Another sense. Losing or gaining it affects me in the same way as losing sight or hearing.

[pain_train]

Oh no. [Okay, now she feels really bad for accidentally stealing his powers somehow. Shit. The lack of her HUD isn't something that bothers her that much so far... it's just weird. Like half the world is missing, but she knows she can still get aorund just fine.] That's really bad. Maybe there's a way I can give you your powers back? [It's overwhelming and scary, but she also thinks that maybe with some time, she could really learn some cool stuff... but that wouldn't be fair to Erik. Hopefully it's a very temporary thing.]

[exothermia]

[He grasps then that he's worried her, and he shakes his head.]

It's fine. I've had my powers removed countless times; I'm used to the feeling. And I went nearly ten years without them once.

Everything here tends to be temporary, so we may just need to wait it out.

[pain_train]

[She half-laughs.] I don't know if that makes it better or worse. [On one hand, you know you're going to survive. On the other, you know just how much it's going to suck all the way through. Not unlike her relationship with physical pain, perhaps.]

I could try to teach you to see through walls while we wait. [Let's find a positive thing to do!]

[exothermia]

[He has no words about how harrowing the solitary confinement was, and just how many times he hallucinated the feel of metal around him when there just wasn't any. Drawing his gaze back to Wrath properly, he tries ignoring the HUD's interference for images he understands.]

You can do that?

[pain_train]

Well, kind of? It depends on what the walls are made out of. But like. You can see heat signatures, and depending on the setup, other things on that spectrum? So you can like see people behind walls.

[exothermia]

Heat signatures... I think maybe that's what I'm seeing now. [It would explain why Wrath is lit up so much brighter than everything else.]

[pain_train]

If I look really bright, like in yellows and whites overlaid on the normal color scheme, probably. It's a... useful function for a lot of reasons. Um. But probably not so much here.

[exothermia]

It's like staring at the sun.

[pain_train]

Um. At least you can tell people they look hot?

[NOT HELPING, WRATH.]

[exothermia]

I don't routinely do that and I won't be starting now.

[pain_train]

Trying new things can be fun?

[Still not helping. Other than trying to distract them both from how fucking weird everything is.]

We should go find a window. Looking out into space is cool. And there's not all that heat out there.

[exothermia]

All right. You'll have to lead, though.

[pain_train]

Okay!

[She's still got a hold on his hand - she hadn't relinquished it - so it's easy to change her grip a little bit and lead him toward the exterior of the ship. She knows the way anyway, but she can also feel it now, less and less metal in front of them as they move outward.

It's... weird. But she's starting to like it. And it's better to not get use to it, though, since she knows this will go away.]

You might be able to see the radio waves and stuff out the window...

[exothermia]

[He turns to look... and he does see something, though it's hard to make sense of what it is. It does look a bit like waves, lines upon lines of them.]

Do you really see this constantly? [He's certain he's getting a headache.]