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enodia_ic2023-07-09 01:01 am
mxpotatohead) wrote in enodia_ic2023-07-09 01:01 am
Entry tags:
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Who: Vidalia LaRoux & Zira Bailey
When: End of May, shortly after the station reopened.
Where: Mew ânâ Brew bathroom.
What: Zee finds a body part, Vidalia assures her itâs not because of a murder.
Warnings: Mild body horror that is Vidaliaâs entire existence.
When: End of May, shortly after the station reopened.
Where: Mew ânâ Brew bathroom.
What: Zee finds a body part, Vidalia assures her itâs not because of a murder.
Warnings: Mild body horror that is Vidaliaâs entire existence.
Three whole days into working at Enodia, Vidalia still found absolutely everything she was tasked to do thrilling. Here with other Liminals, where people did dangerous and important research, kneeling on the floor of the Mew ânâ Brew bathroom with her arm shoved all the way down a toilet bowl made her feel like sheâd been transported to a bold new frontier.
âAlright, youâre just gettinâ in the way,â she grunted to her left hand, which sheâd only just finished regrowing. Without a second thought, Vidalia popped off her left forearm and chucked it behind her toward the sinks. As her arm hit the floor or sinks or something back there with a wet little thud, she fished a new prosthetic out of her backpack and popped it on. Perfect! Just another normal day!!
-at least until Zira rounded the corner and let out a shriek at the sight of a disembodied forearm on the floor.
She had managed to keep ahold of the cat in her arms, but the sight must have caused a tightening in her grip as the loud howl of protest came from her furry charge.
"No, bad kitty. That is not food!" she cried as the cat shimmied out of her arms and landed on the floor right in front of the arm.
Vidalia whipped around at the shriek, ready to fight with just a wrench in one hand and a toilet snake stuck on her other arm.
"Oh no no no no no!" she shouted as she hurried toward the door, waving her wrench out ahead of her. "It's fine! He can have it!"
Zee looked up at the other woman, pausing in her attempt to herd Sir Pounce-a-lot III away from the stray body part. Her mouth was a small 'o' of surprise as she took in Vidalia and more importantly: the prosthetic where her arm should have been. Her gaze did a quick ping-pong between the woman and Sir Pounce-a-lot III's latest toy, and the dots connected themselves.
So that solved the mystery of whose arm it was on the floor and how it had come to be there. No need to call Medical or report to others in Security after all.
"Is this a liminal thing?" she asked, rather redundantly.
"Uhhh..." Suddenly, Vidalia felt very awkward. Like, about to get in trouble awkward, even if she couldn't quite pinpoint the rule she'd broken. Maybe she should've read the employee handbook a little more closely. She scratched the back of her head with her wrench, wrinkling her nose as she tried to formulate the correct words for this situation. "Well, it's definitely not a murder."
"Okay great, because I'm technically not on shift right now for Security and that would be very bad for everyone here." Zee rambled a little, trying to diffuse the situation with a disarming smile. At least Sir Pounce-a-lot III seemed to have lost interest in the errant body part, she thought, and pulled the cat away.
The word Security sent another pang of panic through Vidalia's chestâwas she gonna be on a List now? Had she been branded a Troublemaker?? But she was smilingâokay, cool, then Vidalia could smile too.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry kitty," she reached out to pet the cat with her toilet snake hand, scaring both the cat and herself with the sight of it. "I used to just pop 'em off and leave 'em when I worked in the sewer, I guess I'm kinda used to it."
Zee nodded in understanding. She didn't quite know what else to say but then a question was blurted out before she could think, "Do you need it back?" Or was it like lizards and their tails? She didn't know but somehow adding the follow-up question and likening her to an animal was probably only going to make things worse.
"Naw, ain't nothin' like that. Check this out." Vidalia shoved her wrench in the pocket of her coveralls and stuck out her right hand. All four fingers were short and stubby, closer to the size of the thumb. "These babies got pulled clean off Sunday night and they're almost back to fightin' weight. Thought I was gonna have to replace the hand altogether for a sec there."
Zee could only stare. It was like the scene in Deadpool but instead of CGI, it was happening right there in front of her. To say that she was both amazed and horrified would have been understating things. It was only for a short moment but she quickly realized that she was staring. "Sorry, I don't know why liminal things still shock me sometimes. You would think I'm new to all this but I'm not." As if on cue, her entire body started glowing softly in a shade of blue.
Vidalia's eyes grew huge, a low "whooooaaaaa" escaping her lips at the sight. She'd never seen anything like it beforeâexcept for maybe in fireflies, and she didn't see too many blue fireflies around. Not without rift help, at least. "Did you do that on purpose? Like can you do that on, you know, on demand?"
"Usually," Zee admitted and took a breath, concentrating. The blue shifted, going warmer to a bright violet - one of the harder colors to maintain. "It can be pretty but it's mostly a party trick to be honest. It's not nearly as handy as what you can do."
"It's so pretty. I bet no one ever loses you in a crowd." Vidalia watched the color change with delight, resisting the urge to clap if only because her hands weren't exactly equipped for it at the moment. She also kind of wanted to touch the color, but even Vidalia knew that was usually something you had to ask about first. Look at all that restraint!! "Oh! And Halloween!! Are you ever an alien or genie or-or-or a lava lamp??"
"No, no but sounds interesting, yes." Zee answered, ticking each one off matter-of-factly. Thankful that the initial awkwardness was past, Halloween costumes sounded like a safe and wonderful segue. "What cool costumes have you been or want to do? I bet you have cool options too."
With the ability to pop off limbs and stick any old thing in their place, Vidalia did have a lot of options beyond just a pirate, or Lieutenant Dan. "I mean, I've been a giant spider, and one time I was a biplane with BIG huge wings instead of arms," she recounted, though trick-or-treating in that costume had been a bit of a pain. "But what I really want to be is an onion. Just curl up in a ball in an onion suit, stick me on a skateboard and push me along."
Zee didn't hide her surprise. An onion. "Really?" It wasn't something she would have guessed in a million years but even with an interaction as short as theirs was, she could tell that they had very different vibes. "Well maybe this is the year. If you can't find anyone to help with that, I know someone with telekinesis for that truly authentic experience."
"Yeah, like my name!" Vidalia squeaked, bouncing up on the balls of her feet. "No one ever wants to roll me around all night, but maybe this is my year. What are Halloweens like arâ" She was ready to dig into the topic of Halloween, to really get a good idea of what she can expect from a station full of experienced Liminals in costumes, but she was interrupted. A crackle of static exploded from the walkie talkie by the toilet she'd been about to snake.
"You have to get back to work huh?" Zee noted with a smirk. "If you need a break after all the hard work, you're in the perfect spot. Would you...like me to put your arm away then?"
Vidalia wrinkled her nose in disappointment. Man, she had responsibilities to return to. "Oh, you can throw it away... I think." It might be compost. Probably not recycling. "I have another hand in my bag that kitties love and I can't wait to try it here."
"Right ok. I will wrap it up and put it in the trash then?" Never would she have thought that she would have had to figure out how to dispose of someone's forearm. Would she have to mark it as 'NOT EVIDENCE OF MURDER' in bright sharpie just in case? Maybe, Zee thought. "I'll figure it out," she declared, forcing a smile.
"Thank yooouuu, I'll get things fixed up in here toot sweet," Vidalia sang out and reached one stubby finger to scritch the cat's nose. "And I'll really try not to feed any more of me to the furry staff."
"Okay, um, good luck then." Zee wished. "How do you like your coffee? I can have one ready for you to go."
Vidalia hopped backward to the toilet stall with a big thumbs up, shouting, "With as much cream 'n' sugar as you're legally allowed to give me!"
âAlright, youâre just gettinâ in the way,â she grunted to her left hand, which sheâd only just finished regrowing. Without a second thought, Vidalia popped off her left forearm and chucked it behind her toward the sinks. As her arm hit the floor or sinks or something back there with a wet little thud, she fished a new prosthetic out of her backpack and popped it on. Perfect! Just another normal day!!
-at least until Zira rounded the corner and let out a shriek at the sight of a disembodied forearm on the floor.
She had managed to keep ahold of the cat in her arms, but the sight must have caused a tightening in her grip as the loud howl of protest came from her furry charge.
"No, bad kitty. That is not food!" she cried as the cat shimmied out of her arms and landed on the floor right in front of the arm.
Vidalia whipped around at the shriek, ready to fight with just a wrench in one hand and a toilet snake stuck on her other arm.
"Oh no no no no no!" she shouted as she hurried toward the door, waving her wrench out ahead of her. "It's fine! He can have it!"
Zee looked up at the other woman, pausing in her attempt to herd Sir Pounce-a-lot III away from the stray body part. Her mouth was a small 'o' of surprise as she took in Vidalia and more importantly: the prosthetic where her arm should have been. Her gaze did a quick ping-pong between the woman and Sir Pounce-a-lot III's latest toy, and the dots connected themselves.
So that solved the mystery of whose arm it was on the floor and how it had come to be there. No need to call Medical or report to others in Security after all.
"Is this a liminal thing?" she asked, rather redundantly.
"Uhhh..." Suddenly, Vidalia felt very awkward. Like, about to get in trouble awkward, even if she couldn't quite pinpoint the rule she'd broken. Maybe she should've read the employee handbook a little more closely. She scratched the back of her head with her wrench, wrinkling her nose as she tried to formulate the correct words for this situation. "Well, it's definitely not a murder."
"Okay great, because I'm technically not on shift right now for Security and that would be very bad for everyone here." Zee rambled a little, trying to diffuse the situation with a disarming smile. At least Sir Pounce-a-lot III seemed to have lost interest in the errant body part, she thought, and pulled the cat away.
The word Security sent another pang of panic through Vidalia's chestâwas she gonna be on a List now? Had she been branded a Troublemaker?? But she was smilingâokay, cool, then Vidalia could smile too.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry kitty," she reached out to pet the cat with her toilet snake hand, scaring both the cat and herself with the sight of it. "I used to just pop 'em off and leave 'em when I worked in the sewer, I guess I'm kinda used to it."
Zee nodded in understanding. She didn't quite know what else to say but then a question was blurted out before she could think, "Do you need it back?" Or was it like lizards and their tails? She didn't know but somehow adding the follow-up question and likening her to an animal was probably only going to make things worse.
"Naw, ain't nothin' like that. Check this out." Vidalia shoved her wrench in the pocket of her coveralls and stuck out her right hand. All four fingers were short and stubby, closer to the size of the thumb. "These babies got pulled clean off Sunday night and they're almost back to fightin' weight. Thought I was gonna have to replace the hand altogether for a sec there."
Zee could only stare. It was like the scene in Deadpool but instead of CGI, it was happening right there in front of her. To say that she was both amazed and horrified would have been understating things. It was only for a short moment but she quickly realized that she was staring. "Sorry, I don't know why liminal things still shock me sometimes. You would think I'm new to all this but I'm not." As if on cue, her entire body started glowing softly in a shade of blue.
Vidalia's eyes grew huge, a low "whooooaaaaa" escaping her lips at the sight. She'd never seen anything like it beforeâexcept for maybe in fireflies, and she didn't see too many blue fireflies around. Not without rift help, at least. "Did you do that on purpose? Like can you do that on, you know, on demand?"
"Usually," Zee admitted and took a breath, concentrating. The blue shifted, going warmer to a bright violet - one of the harder colors to maintain. "It can be pretty but it's mostly a party trick to be honest. It's not nearly as handy as what you can do."
"It's so pretty. I bet no one ever loses you in a crowd." Vidalia watched the color change with delight, resisting the urge to clap if only because her hands weren't exactly equipped for it at the moment. She also kind of wanted to touch the color, but even Vidalia knew that was usually something you had to ask about first. Look at all that restraint!! "Oh! And Halloween!! Are you ever an alien or genie or-or-or a lava lamp??"
"No, no but sounds interesting, yes." Zee answered, ticking each one off matter-of-factly. Thankful that the initial awkwardness was past, Halloween costumes sounded like a safe and wonderful segue. "What cool costumes have you been or want to do? I bet you have cool options too."
With the ability to pop off limbs and stick any old thing in their place, Vidalia did have a lot of options beyond just a pirate, or Lieutenant Dan. "I mean, I've been a giant spider, and one time I was a biplane with BIG huge wings instead of arms," she recounted, though trick-or-treating in that costume had been a bit of a pain. "But what I really want to be is an onion. Just curl up in a ball in an onion suit, stick me on a skateboard and push me along."
Zee didn't hide her surprise. An onion. "Really?" It wasn't something she would have guessed in a million years but even with an interaction as short as theirs was, she could tell that they had very different vibes. "Well maybe this is the year. If you can't find anyone to help with that, I know someone with telekinesis for that truly authentic experience."
"Yeah, like my name!" Vidalia squeaked, bouncing up on the balls of her feet. "No one ever wants to roll me around all night, but maybe this is my year. What are Halloweens like arâ" She was ready to dig into the topic of Halloween, to really get a good idea of what she can expect from a station full of experienced Liminals in costumes, but she was interrupted. A crackle of static exploded from the walkie talkie by the toilet she'd been about to snake.
"You have to get back to work huh?" Zee noted with a smirk. "If you need a break after all the hard work, you're in the perfect spot. Would you...like me to put your arm away then?"
Vidalia wrinkled her nose in disappointment. Man, she had responsibilities to return to. "Oh, you can throw it away... I think." It might be compost. Probably not recycling. "I have another hand in my bag that kitties love and I can't wait to try it here."
"Right ok. I will wrap it up and put it in the trash then?" Never would she have thought that she would have had to figure out how to dispose of someone's forearm. Would she have to mark it as 'NOT EVIDENCE OF MURDER' in bright sharpie just in case? Maybe, Zee thought. "I'll figure it out," she declared, forcing a smile.
"Thank yooouuu, I'll get things fixed up in here toot sweet," Vidalia sang out and reached one stubby finger to scritch the cat's nose. "And I'll really try not to feed any more of me to the furry staff."
"Okay, um, good luck then." Zee wished. "How do you like your coffee? I can have one ready for you to go."
Vidalia hopped backward to the toilet stall with a big thumbs up, shouting, "With as much cream 'n' sugar as you're legally allowed to give me!"