[he's just kind of drunkenly lifting them and furling them out for Styx to get at as he wants to, as soon as he feels the external urging from him and as long as Styx isn't touching the inner layer he's actively hiding in. absolutely 110% more easily cooperative with this than Minuet has been to date, even if he's uncoordinated and the conversation is ornery]
"It's fine either way" is a strange way to say "it bothers me."
[...he would retort but he trails off into wordless grumbling at having to figure out how to maneuver infinity new limbs for a bit. why can he not just lie in a useless heap and only be petted forever, like, one time. why must he also take care of the body's exercises for it. it is actively harder to move anything once he starts thinking instead of just letting the wings react on their own.
he finally sorts out the one Styx is indicating and stretches it to full span, though, feeling the resultant alien feedback of stiffness and cramp. oh, yikes.]
Yeah, did it a few times when I last did this. S'fine.
[it is not fine, it's actually something he's been mulling over and debating on how to deal with among other things like "fuck having to keep the wings on lockdown if they're not part of the actual terrible weapon part"]
[Styx soothing down Minuet's fears of human presentation is NOT directly a him problem and should not be, but he can probably be somewhat more proactive about the physical one on hand right now, given Minuet has apparently infinite feathers and they do not have infinite time]
Hand.
I'm going to share something with you. Nothing overly intrusive. Just about the wings.
[the face feathers are WELL HIDDEN thank you very much
a bunch more curl over, though. usually Minuet will just put out like one fine tendril, but with Charon operating and unpracticed it ends up being a few dozen of them wrapping up Styx's whole arm like a fluffy octopus. it also still takes him a bit to press open that point of connection.
Styx can feel him instantly when he does, as out of sorts as a housecat dropped into a snowfield, stressed and concerned and bone-weary and pitilessly sharp. resentful about how much he personally cares about the situation, in a way that does not diminish the level of the actual care. worrying about a thousand different things and people. as unable to switch that off and not do something about a problem in front of him as Styx is unable to take grass for granted. building an answer to it in real time for Styx, in bright quicksilver lines, as fast as the unfamiliar body's senses will feed him the information he needs.]
[Styx, for his part, was bracing for the expected sharing and there's probably something like the vaguest sense of him shoving emotions far into the background, out of immediate reach. he's not practiced at it, but it's clearly been something he's worked on, barest of barriers.
more immediately felt is probably his own stress and concern and worry, backed by frustration and bolstered by faint irritation. basically, what he feels seems completely opposite of how he presents with his scowls and harsher words. but for the moment, he's focused on the task at hand, a little surprised by the amount of wings that ended up around his arm, and determinedly picking out the information as best as he can.]
[we don't have time to unpack all thaaaaat but Charon is perhaps glad for one of them being able to maintain distance. he himself has had no practice at it at all, and even if he had he'd still be shit at trying to shield when he is literally the one facilitating a connection to somebody else.
what he shoves at Styx when he's completed it is, well, a body map. a wing map. not really tracking exact wings themselves, since they feel mutable and able to shift form and placement, but...trouble spots, a ranking from highest to lowest priority to pay attention to. obviously all the wings need attention and exercise, but he's pointing him exactly at where the worst of them are, where they've been so folded in and locked away that outside intervention is needed before Minuet can really maneuver them to work out further issues on his own.]
[all right. making... note of all that. jesus, so many wings and he's immediately adjusting so he's focusing on the more problem areas. getting their feathers sorted and then trying to gently, oh so gently with calloused and rough hands, manually manipulating those wings into movement.]
[the nice thing is this barely even counts as powering through pain in an unhealthy way because 1) it's good for someone else and 2) all of it is so weird he can mostly treat it like a very tactile intellectual exercise instead of really living in it and freaking out more.
which is to say, he doesn't really react like Styx is hurting him, though sometimes a wing ruffles involuntarily if the cramp is very bad and he'll tell him to either stop for a second or work it through. once it's loose enough to move he makes Styx help flex it creakily out to its full span as best as he can. it's easy to get into a rhythm about it.]
[meanwhile, this is probably the quietest Styx has ever been and his own anxiety ratcheting up along with some other negative emotions that are getting shoved to the obscure background because not now. but he wasn't lying about thinking he's not great at being nice or gentle and even knowing Vash's wings aren't bird bone hollow like Perci's doesn't help making him feel like one wrong move might fuck things up instead of make them better.
but it's fine. he's fine. just 100% focusing on doing it right, listening to the cues, etc.]
--y'can turn off the mental stuff. Got a good general idea where the worst is.
[well, thank God for that because Styx trying so damn hard to keep down whatever emotions threatened to come up at that thought, though maybe hints of the embarrassment and even bit of shame for any of it getting picked up on get through, who knows. just gotta work on that some more, clearly. he's not saying shit about it.
[simply they can just never talk about it more and keep dying! that seems like a feasible path to take!
for now -- yeah, they are cooperating to get the job done, to make sure at least all the fully locked-up wings are in better shape for Minuet to come back to. does Styx stop it at that or decide he wants to also get at the ones that are at like 70-80% fucky instead of only the 90-100% fucky ones?]
he's gonna keep at it until Charon decides he's had enough, really. might not be the most comfortable, but probably it feels better after they get unstuck?]
but actually at some point into working on some of the less terrible ones he stops being responsive. like the wings still nudge up and fluff when Styx touches them, but he's stopped responding to instructions and everything seems to have relaxed out some again.
that's. hm. that's fine. guess stretches will have to stop there except for smaller wings. time for just finger combing and preening whatever feathers he hasn't gotten to yet.
Charon needs naps anyway. so it's fine. he can nap and Styx will wake him up after a little while.]
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featherduster) wrote2023-06-15 02:30 pm
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
I hear it's good for you.
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
[focusing on fussing at trickier to get at wings now. very busy. gosh.]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
"It's fine either way" is a strange way to say "it bothers me."
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
[prodding a larger wing he's already gone through.]
Stretch 'em when they're done. Straighten and bend.
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
he finally sorts out the one Styx is indicating and stretches it to full span, though, feeling the resultant alien feedback of stiffness and cramp. oh, yikes.]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
he is keeping an eye on the movement, though.]
You good?
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
The less they've been out the more difficult 'stretch and bend' is. You're going to have to help some.
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
Yeah, did it a few times when I last did this. S'fine.
[it is not fine, it's actually something he's been mulling over and debating on how to deal with among other things like "fuck having to keep the wings on lockdown if they're not part of the actual terrible weapon part"]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
Hand.
I'm going to share something with you. Nothing overly intrusive. Just about the wings.
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
holding out his hand, palm up, but not sticking it near the face feathers or anything like that]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
a bunch more curl over, though. usually Minuet will just put out like one fine tendril, but with Charon operating and unpracticed it ends up being a few dozen of them wrapping up Styx's whole arm like a fluffy octopus. it also still takes him a bit to press open that point of connection.
Styx can feel him instantly when he does, as out of sorts as a housecat dropped into a snowfield, stressed and concerned and bone-weary and pitilessly sharp. resentful about how much he personally cares about the situation, in a way that does not diminish the level of the actual care. worrying about a thousand different things and people. as unable to switch that off and not do something about a problem in front of him as Styx is unable to take grass for granted. building an answer to it in real time for Styx, in bright quicksilver lines, as fast as the unfamiliar body's senses will feed him the information he needs.]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
more immediately felt is probably his own stress and concern and worry, backed by frustration and bolstered by faint irritation. basically, what he feels seems completely opposite of how he presents with his scowls and harsher words. but for the moment, he's focused on the task at hand, a little surprised by the amount of wings that ended up around his arm, and determinedly picking out the information as best as he can.]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
what he shoves at Styx when he's completed it is, well, a body map. a wing map. not really tracking exact wings themselves, since they feel mutable and able to shift form and placement, but...trouble spots, a ranking from highest to lowest priority to pay attention to. obviously all the wings need attention and exercise, but he's pointing him exactly at where the worst of them are, where they've been so folded in and locked away that outside intervention is needed before Minuet can really maneuver them to work out further issues on his own.]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
which is to say, he doesn't really react like Styx is hurting him, though sometimes a wing ruffles involuntarily if the cramp is very bad and he'll tell him to either stop for a second or work it through. once it's loose enough to move he makes Styx help flex it creakily out to its full span as best as he can. it's easy to get into a rhythm about it.]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
but it's fine. he's fine. just 100% focusing on doing it right, listening to the cues, etc.]
--y'can turn off the mental stuff. Got a good general idea where the worst is.
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
You're fine as you are, you know. Sometimes trying counts for more than getting it right the first time.
it's sincere.
but he draws back. the door closes. the feathers clinging to Styx's arm unravel all at once]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
just continuing his work.]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
for now -- yeah, they are cooperating to get the job done, to make sure at least all the fully locked-up wings are in better shape for Minuet to come back to. does Styx stop it at that or decide he wants to also get at the ones that are at like 70-80% fucky instead of only the 90-100% fucky ones?]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
he's gonna keep at it until Charon decides he's had enough, really. might not be the most comfortable, but probably it feels better after they get unstuck?]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
but actually at some point into working on some of the less terrible ones he stops being responsive. like the wings still nudge up and fluff when Styx touches them, but he's stopped responding to instructions and everything seems to have relaxed out some again.
oops. Styx made him fall asleep]
Re: Day 25, at some point during shepswap
well,,,
that's. hm. that's fine. guess stretches will have to stop there except for smaller wings. time for just finger combing and preening whatever feathers he hasn't gotten to yet.
Charon needs naps anyway. so it's fine. he can nap and Styx will wake him up after a little while.]