A Long Journey: Sylas's Recovery Thread (Join with Permission)

He glared up at her, his left eyes flickering a bit before resettling in it's normal fashion. "Help. Me. Up."

"No." She said back instantly, firing a light measure of energy at him, glaring. "You're not leaving this bed, let alone this room."

He gasped softly at the spark, falling back onto the bed, glaring up murderously at her. "I will go through you if I have to. Help me up."

"You can't go through me." She said, and her tone was like that of a mother. "You're not going anywhere. I can work most of the equipment in here and I am more than capable of finding an anesthetic."

He let out a few angry huffs, before finally settling against the bed, running his hand through his hair. "Where did she learn this?"

"Where did who learn what?" Kazuko's voice tinged the edges of the woman's words as she looked back at him, watching, waiting.

"Where did you learn that Inker had Lenore?" He cupped his hand over his eye, leaning his head back and letting out a long sigh. Asuka's death still rang tender inside him, if only because he felt that he could've stopped it. If anything else, he had to save Lenore. He had to rescue his friend's orphan from the monsters that held her.

"I saw it. From afar, granted, and Death wouldn't let me pursue him on my own." She shook her head, "He's already left now, anyway, and I don't know how to find him."

His left eyes momentarily looked like that of Asura's, before he hid his eyes under his hand. "I can find him. I'll burn him out, if I have to."

"Lay down." She said again, commanding, setting a hand on his. The skin flashed paler as it began to glow maroon, her eyes narrowing, "I will drain you both if I have to."

His teeth gritted, but he settled onto the bed, keeping his eyes hidden. "Alright... Alright... Damn it all, I hate just sitting here..."

"You were not given that choice." She said, stepping back, folding her arms across her chest as she wandering about the room. "There's a lot going on, nowadays. Glaucon is on the wind, Nebun has not... recently turned up. Inker, you already know; Archangel is... well, having multiple identity crises..."

"And we're stuck in a hospital bed unable to do anything." Viator's voice rang through the room moments before he flickered back into existence.

Sylas looked over to him before sighing. "Please, just don't antagonize her..."

"I am not easily antagonized," She said, looking back at the men with a brow raised, "Kazuko is the one you have to worry about there. Tsukiko just goes mad or gets her feelings hurt. Screams like a banshee when she's been emotionally wounded."

"So, what? You're the frigid middle ground? Nothing but cold hard reason?" Viator chuckled softly and sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Greeeeat."

"You just have a death wish, don't you?" Sylas sighed, rubbing his eyes again.

Her eyebrow raised further but she didn't seem irritated at him, ever patient. "I am middle ground for no one; I am a being entirely apart from the other two. We merely share... a body."

"Right, well, is there a point that this meeting keeps dragging on?" Viator chuckled, only to suddenly start to flicker.

Sylas let out a concentrated breath before opening his eyes, loosening the chokehold his soul had briefly held on Viator's. "Shut it. Now. Mariko, what else has been going on?"

She shrugged, only to look back at him, "Darek and Kazuko are working on a way to try to keep a persistant eye on the Kishins and eggs, but it is currently not productive. We do not know what to think of the big one's disappearances, but we do not think that it bodes well." Her eyes drifted out the window as she thought, "If the pair of you were in better shape, I would offer to wield you."

Viator flickered again before looking at the box. "We'll get back in the fight. One way or another."

Sylas pursed his lips, simply nodding in agreement.

Some time later...
---
Sylas held the device that Inker had offered him so long ago. His other side flickered beside him, eyes catching Sylas's. "You've figured it out, haven't you?" He nodded, sending a visible burst of his soul energy into the cube. The device expanded, and then imploded, absorbing into him. He groaned, visibly in pain. The lights in the room dimmed ominously, the shadows they cast taking on many ominous shapes. Voices whispered from nowhere, secrets from another world spoken in a language few could understand. Viator flickered as well, then groaned in pain as well, some of his dark red soul energy mixing with Sylas's white, his leg starting to regrow from the stump.

Sylas would hear a slow clapping. "Y'know, you weren't supposed to EAT the thing. You realize you'll probably suffer side effects? Not the pleasant, powerboosting side effects, but the eldritch, 'honey, I grew a tenticle today' kind of side effects." Out of the shadows stepped.... Inker. "So, hows hospital food been treatin ya?"

Sylas immediately pushed up, looking at his still missing right arm. He shot Inker a glance, rolling his shoulder. "It would appear that you have a small defect, Inker..." Viator rolled his arms as well, wiggling ten fingers towards Sylas. "Sounds like a you problem."

"Sounds like a '50% chance of you being screwed' problem, actually." Inker said dryly. "Because you just, y'know, absorbed a highly volatile power source. Which is bad." He cleared his throat. "Anyways, down to business. Remember what I talked to you about last time? The gathering of catalysts?"

"I heard tentacles," a strangely melodic, enchanting and echoing voice said seconds before the pale woman appeared, hair floating and eyes seeming to glow. "Should I make a hentai joke or just stand back and watch the boys play?"

Viator appeared by the woman's side, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You know you'd enjoy the tentacle. Maybe put on a school uniform? Short skirt and everything?" He said happily and with a wink, his spirit kissing her on the cheek. Sylas looked over to her, and then back to Inker. "Talk to me when I have an arm. In other words, give me a week."