ofmisfortune | ♝ i . c. i n b o x

[ Following Vincent’s text to Echo, he had been expecting her.

The room is dark, save for the daylight that filters between tears in the window curtain. It illuminates his golden hair - though it appears far messier than usual, and partially stuck to his face. In fact, his entire demeanor is out of sorts, as he sits, hunched over, at the edge of his bed. ]

Echo.

[ A simple greeting, but strain can be heard in his voice. Indeed, he does not appear to have been exaggerating, when he said he was ill. Some sweat is visible on his skin, having affected him enough that his shirt is open and partially hangs from his shoulders. The discoloration under his eyes is prominent, and he may have even lost some weight these past few weeks. ]

I believe that I’ll need you to stay with me today. [ Peering up at her from beneath that messy fringe, he… almost looks glad that she came. ]

Edited (THERE omg) 2025-09-15 08:26 (UTC)

[Forgive her if she's skeptical of any authenticity on his part, but she's dealt with him long enough to know it's rarely the case. Still, she can also see that he doesn't look well, and in spite of everything she actually has a conscience.]

I see. What shall I do first?

[He gives the orders, she follows them. That was the original set up.]

[ Lids falling to close, Vincent takes a steadying breath to get his thoughts in order. ]

Dampen a washcloth for me. The first aid kit should stored next to the towels; I will need that, as well.

[ A rack beneath the sink stores these supplies, and he’s never bothered moving them, so it should be easy enough to find, he thinks.

In the meanwhile, he will begin to remove his shirt. Jaw clenched, he stiffly peels his arms from the confines of its sleeves. Without much sense, he balls it up to grasp between his hands, as he slumps to rest his elbows atop his knees.

Visible on his back now, there are two bony growths protruding on either side of his spine. Their sharpened points appear to have just pierced through the flesh there, muscle stretched, skin inflamed, and wet with serosanguineous drainage. ]

[Without another word, Echo goes to collect the requested items. She runs the cloth under the sink until it seems damp enough to be of use for a good while.

By the time she's done, Vincent has finished removing his shirt. Echo freezes for a moment when she notices the unusual feature on his back. Her eyes are a bit wider than usual, otherwise her expression is its typical default.

She soon takes another step or two and hands him the towel while placing the first aid kit on his bed.]

What else?

[ Dropping his shirt to the floor, he favors taking the wet cloth. Perhaps a little too eagerly. ]

Please place the medication bottle and sick bag on the stand. I will then need you to help me clean my back.

[ The idea of even touching his back brings him dread, and that might just seep into his words. But, for now, he wipes down his face and neck.

While she does as he’s instructed, he will additionally pull back some of his hair, to gingerly press at a temple. It seems that he is experiencing something similar there; the beginnings of horns. ]

[He gives the orders, she follows them. Once she's placed the items, she hesitates for a moment.]

What am I to do about—

[Echo awkwardly trails off. Figuring out how he wanted her to wash his back was one thing, but with those unusual growths on it, she really didn't know what he expected.

She wasn't supposed to try to get them off, was she? She'd probably need her swords for that...]

[ There’s a lingering moment of silence, as Vincent weighs his options. Pressing the cool cloth to the other side of his head, his sigh drawls into a hiss. ]

Tempting as it is to remove them, I don’t entirely know what corruption has in store for me… [ For all he knows, he might require his wings to function, at some point. For now, they’ll need to stay, even if removing them could lessen his pain in the long term. ] Just… clean them. We will wrap it.

Yes.

[She remembers seeing wings on him when she first encountered him in Kelesis, though she was compromised at the time.

Echo pulls some antiseptic wipes out of the first aid kit. Then she kneels behind him on his bed and starts running the cloth down his back. It's awkward when she gets to the growths, but given that they're the source of a lot of the fluids, she takes her time making sure it's all clean. If the solution on the wipes is bothering him, she isn't letting that affect how quickly or efficiently she does this.

So long as nothing else comes up, once that's done she shoves the wipes back into the packet they came from, wrinkling her nose. This was probably far from the grossest thing she'd had to handle around him, but it was still icky. She'll fish the bandages from the kit next unless she hears otherwise.]

[ The muscle around the new growth is tender enough to labor his breathing, but it doesn’t compare to the sensation of alcohol on the open and new flesh. Hunching over, he digs a hand into his hair, incapable of keeping himself from hissing in pain.

If he’s to be honest with himself, he’s relieved that Echo doesn’t hesitate, fuss, or spare him any pity. It’s been quite enough, playing nice and pretending that everything is getting better - he’s been far out of his comfort zone, and he’s exhausted by it.

With a shaky hand, he reaches out to grab the box of gauze pads, holding it up for his valet to take. ]

Pad— them with these, first.

[ Staring down at the floor between his knees, he muses that this is almost cathartic, in a way. ]

Yes.

[She swiftly takes the pads and positions them on top of the bones as best as she can. So long as he manages to stay still, she can probably wrap the bandages around him fairly easily at this point.

That part is, unsurprisingly, pretty weird. Echo keeps draping her arms around him from behind to complete each loop. Well, this sure is an interesting turn of events, isn't it?

She secures the pads first, but it's still a bit tricky to complete it without brushing him with her clothes or nearly losing the roll of wrappings in her sleeve. She quietly finishes and secures the who bandage.

...She really hopes he can still move his back. Echo didn't try to squeeze tightly or anything, but she didn't exactly check, either.]

[ The entire process is uncomfortable. Setting the pads atop the growths wasn’t much worse than the fabric of his shirt rubbing against them - but the added pressure of the wrappings securing them in place is different. It earns a groan from him, knuckles white as they press against his mouth.

Each press of her body has Vincent drawing a deep and unsteady breath, but he won’t stop her. It isn’t until Echo has sat back that he shifts. With his movement comes a labored pant, hands ensuring that the bandages are secure as he moves to sit up.

Despite his pained face, he reaches back to take her hand and give an appreciative squeeze. ]

Good.

[ It is with some effort that he leans over to grab his pillow, so that he may shift his body into it, forehead buried against the fabric to rest. ]

Just a moment.

Edited 2025-09-18 13:01 (UTC)

[What...just happened? Echo dislikes him randomly touching her, and she certainly scowls as he does it. But something about that was different. Like he wasn't touching her for the sake of touching her. All is most definitely not right.]

Yes.

[Echo folds her legs under herself and sits on them on the mattress. She stares at Vincent if only because there's not much else to look at. She's wondering what exactly is going on with him, and trying to remember what exactly she'd seen in Kelesis. Those feelings she had there were really overwhelming, though. She might not remember it quite accurately.]

[ Echo is correct, all is certainly not right.

Weakened by the shifts in his corruption, Vincent can feel his body dying more now than ever. Pain leaves him burning from the inside out, the sort of agony that feels as though it will ever end.

It would crush Gilbert to see him like this, and he couldn’t trust anyone else. In this moment, it feels like Echo is all that he has. ]

I need something to eat. Savory biscuits, or bread… water. Ice.

[Echo quickly gets off of the bed and stands in Vincent's line of vision. It's like she's a soldier at attention, only without any feeling at all.]

Is there anything in here, or do I need to go to the dining hall?

[ Weakly, he shakes his head against the pillow. ]

You’ll need to go to the dining hall.

[ Peering up at her from beneath his heavy blond lashes, he finds himself wondering if she’s been experiencing ill effects at all. She seems completely unaffected... Though, she’s always been stronger than him.

Sighing, his lids fall. ]

Go ahead.

[She's not strong enough to lug him around easily when he falls asleep in the middle of the floor...]

Yes.

[And off she goes. As much as she wouldn't mind taking her own sweet time to delay getting back, he truly isn't doing well. It's certainly not something she'd wish on him. ...usually...

Echo manages to find both a few biscuits and a respectable chunk of the bread, then gets some ice water. She gets back in the amount of time that would probably be expected. Once she stands by his bed, she holds the tray toward him.]

[ In Echo’s absence, he has managed to lay himself down on his stomach. Upon hearing her enter, he blearily raises his head.

Vincent reaches to take one of the crackers, taking a nibble off of it, to start. He eyes the ice water, noting that he hadn’t been specific enough about keeping the two separated- but he doesn’t have the energy to complain about it. He simply takes the glass, to sip - and then, hold against his temple. ]

You seem - [ Ugh, he can’t tell if his body appreciates the nourishment or plans to reject it. ] - unaffected by all of this. Are you not uncomfortable.

[She's just going to let him do his thing until he gives her another order.]

I've experienced discomfort, though at present it has not been to this degree.

[Maybe if she still let him molest her on a daily basis he could have noticed where she was developing an exoskeleton. Then there were the intense emotions she could pick up around her sometimes which she found quite painful.]

There have also been changes to my body, but they are not currently visible.

[ Vincent leaves the glass against his head as he closes his eyes. Listening to her speak. At first, he only hums in acknowledgment, before moving it to hold against the horn nib at the other side. ]

What are they?

My skin is hardening gradually. I am also..."feeling" more. I recall you saw me in Kelesis when it was at its worst.

[Though whether the physical attributes are the same remains to be seen ~~almost like someone is very indecisive...~~.]

It is not physical, but still quite painful...

[She pauses, having been watching him move the water around his forehead.]

Did you need something for your head?

[ Vincent up at her once more, intrigued. ]

Yes… I suppose that it is.

[ He might envy her, for being capable of avoiding those emotions for so long, despite all that she’d experienced.

His perfect little doll has become a real girl, after all. ]

Ah… [ And she continues to surprise him. ] If you could grab that medicine you’d set aside, I’ll take double what it recommends.

["Avoiding" them. Keep telling yourself that, Vincent. Tools weren't supposed to be allowed to feel anything.]

Yes.

[She picks up the bottle and reads the label. Hopefully it's not one of those super long ones because Echo's going to read the entire thing. Once she's at the end, she opens the bottle and shakes four pills onto the tray.]

This is double.

[ Though he could probably use the medicine sooner rather than later, he finds himself amused enough by this behavior that he allows it. Just to see if she would, in fact, read the entire thing. He keeps himself busy by finishing his cracker, and a corner of his lips is just barely quirked up into a smirk as he beholds the pills on the tray. ]

… Perhaps triple.

[She shakes out two more. She's your dealer now, Vincent.]

[ Oh, sweet Echo, you’re his fix.

Exhaling in something of approval, Vincent scoops up the pills to take, washing them down with some water. He vaguely winces as he reaches to set the glass on the nightstand. ]

Tell me - [ Resting his cheek atop the pillow, his mismatched eyes drift tiredly. ] - what are you learning from these new emotions? Are they all painful to you?

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