neverstudied | Victory Road IC Inbox

Hey, at least none of us've gotten arrested in the last few days. That's gotta count for something.

[It may not be the best thing to say, but it gives Venkman an opportunity to make a dumb comment, and that's better than nothing.]

Maybe in a few weeks we'll get ambushed by one of this world's gods. That'd be fun.

[But only if Ray's awake to see it. He rolls his shoulders to take the brunt of Ray's weight; the Meowth, jostled, wriggles free of his arm and climbs up Ray's shoulders and onto Egon's.]

I've actually been doing some reading on these so called "legendaries" in this dimension. Did you know that there is a Pokémon that supposedly existed before the universe existed and shaped the world to its whim? It's considered a mythical Pokémon as opposed to a legendary, elevating its status further.

[At least this gives him something else to talk about and get his mind off of Ray, but he can't help but think about those books that he gave him for Valentine's Day. He tries to push it out of his mind.

He idly scratches under the Meowth's chin with his free hand.]

Time and space then followed, created by two other different Pokémon. Though, there is talk about another Pokémon that was banished for its crimes. Like a version of Satan, if you will.

Huh. I heard bits and pieces about the legendaries- from other people when I was still traveling alone, and from, uh. Ray.

[Venkman winces a little bit as his own words- Egon's clearly trying to distract them both from the fact that Ray apparently fell into a coma without either of them noticing for hours, and he has to run his fucking mouth and screw it up. He tries to salvage it, at least:]

Like Satan, huh? Did he tempt some lady with an apple, too?

[Egon doesn't seem to react to the Ray comment. Or maybe he just chooses not to.]

Don't be ridiculous. The concept of gender did not exist at that point in time. [A pause.] Nor did apples. However, an interesting thing to note is that Giratina--the Pokémon analogous to Satan--supposedly lost its legs upon being banished to its current dimension. One could make a comparison to how the snake lost its legs after God punished it in the Garden of Eden.

[He falls quiet for a moment, still scritching the Meowth's head.]

Have you decided on a name for this cat?

Hey, fair enough. Gozer didn't need a gender, some people don't need a gender, old eldritch gods from other dimensions full of monsters don't need a gender.

I'm sure they had some kind of fruit way back when this universe was new, though. Even if it wasn't an apple. What else did they eat?

... Do gods need to eat? Like, in general. I'm sure there's some that gotta, but some of 'em can probably get by without. And some probably eat just because they want to.

[These are important questions. And he's definitely not just coming up with them to help keep their minds off the dead weight in their arms.

The kitten mewls into Egon's ear and nibbles at his fingers.]

I've got a couple ideas in mind. Why?

Probably not unless they wanted to. I haven't exactly looked into the history of the local flora and fauna--the people here seem to be horrible record keepers beyond mythos and legends on various Pokémon. I'm pretty sure the recent surge in science has been a result of this lack of information.

[This is fine. This is fine! They can just keep occupying themselves with idle questions until they make it to their hotel room. Venkman's plan seems to be working, at least--Egon seems to be significantly calmer than earlier.

The other option would've been him just repeating physics equations to himself, and, really, would Venkman want that?

Egon seems to pause a little longer than necessary before answering.]

I was merely asking. You could follow the naming trend and call her Nermal.

How recent's the scientific uprising, here? Do you think it's correlated to people from other dimensions showing up?

[And then Venkman just. Stops. Stares at Egon for a long, quiet moment.

With one fluid motion, he sweeps Ray's unconscious body off his dragging feet and into his arms in a bridal-carry, and just. Starts walking away.]

Ok, goodbye, Egon. Nice knowing you.

[... After a few seconds, he returns to Egon's side, shifts Ray's weight onto on arm, and picks up his kitten from Egon's shoulder by the scruff of her neck.]

I'm taking my baby with me.

[He sets the Meowth down in Ray's lap and goes back to carrying his unconscious boyfriend away in both arms. Bye.]

Edited 2019-02-20 06:30 (UTC)

[Spengler opens his mouth to answer Venkman's question when he promptly just. Leaves. He blinks, watching Venkman walk away for a moment, a vaguely puzzled expression on his face. He opens his mouth again when Peter picks up the Meowth by the scruff of her neck, and then shakes his head, putting his hands in his pockets.]

It was merely a suggestion.

[About a half-hour later, Egon knocks on the hotel room to make sure that Peter actually...y'know, got back safe. He takes a small step back. In his hands, he carries a large paper bag filled with bagels and some...electronics, for some reason, and two coffees.

When Peter opens the door, Egon inclines his head towards him.]

Took the liberty of picking up some supplies. How's Ray doing?

[Venkman immediately leans up to kiss Egon on the cheek, grinning.]

God, there you are. I was startin' to worry that you thought I was seriously abandoning you or something.

[He grips Egon's shoulder for a moment, squeezing a little tighter than necessary, like he's trying to reassure himself that at least one of his partners is still with him. He takes one of the coffees and the bag from Egon's arms, talking as he does so. The Meowth, meanwhile, bounds up to Egon's feet, little tail sticking straight up as it mews in excitement.]

I tucked him into the bed. Been watching him- no change yet. Checked his vitals as best as I could, too- heart sounds fine, pulse is steady, breathing rate's normal. Doppel's here- they were in the hallway waiting for me to let 'em in. Set the eggs up with Bond- [He inclines his head to the sofa, where Bond sits atop the eggs, preening.] - and yeah, I made sure to check whose eggs belonged to who so we don't get 'em mixed up.

... He's still not waking up. I mean, you could probably guess that for yourself, but. Y'know.

Of course not. I also wanted to pick up some equipment in case we needed to perform further tests, and I could not achieve that if I had both my hands full. [A beat.] And bagels. Because their presence in this universe indicates that at least one Jewish person who knew how to cook bagels has crossed over into this dimension.

[He reaches up to grip Peter's hand and squeezes it--maybe a little harder than usual. His expression remains the same, however. When he sees the Meowth running towards him, he lets go and kneels down to scratch between her ears.

As Venkman speaks, he goes to pick up the Meowth and hold her with one arm, letting her nest in the crook of his elbow. He wanders over to the bedroom to poke his head in, frowning lightly.]

We could try and do brain scans, see what his brain function looks like. Make sure that-- [He cuts himself off.] He's...not possessed. Ray was always rather vulnerable to possessor-types.

What, you don't think bagels coulda happened spontaneously over here?

[He sets the bag down on a table, digging through it and frowning at some of the wires and electronic bits.]

Egie, I did tell ya to save electric shock for a last resort, right?

[The Meowth squirms happily in her second dad's arms, purring and kneading his arm. Venkman follows Egon to the bedroom, his coffee in one hand and a bagel wrapped in a napkin in the other.]

Jesus. I hope he's not possessed. I know you haven't been through that too much- at least, not the version of you from my dimension- but that shit doesn't feel too great. ... I kinda doubt it, though- most ghosts that'd want to possess someone wouldn't just knock their host unconscious. Not really much use in taking over someone's body if you're just gonna take a nap.

[He knows Egon was probably going to say something else, and he's ignoring that as best as he can.]

Well, they could have. But I like my theory better.

[He begins petting the Meowth, running his fingers through her fur and idly wiping off the stray cat hairs on his jacket. He then picks her up and places her on the nearby desk, kneeling down to dig through the drawers.]

I'm not giving him any electric shocks. Yet. [He pulls open the bottom drawer and digs out the device he rigged up during that one week when they all swapped bodies. It's become a tangle of wires in the process of being shoved into the back drawer, and Egon places it gently on the table surface, trying to untangle the mess. It sort of looks like what would happen if a robot puked on a colander.] We just need to get a solid scan, then we can come with a plan on how to deal with this.

[He hopes.]

I don't like that "yet", Egon.

[The Meowth appears surprised to find herself relocated, and sits on the edge of the desk, peering down as Egon searches. She hops into an open drawer and clambers inside the desk. It's fine.

Venkman, meanwhile, leans against the edge of the desk, nervously nibbling at the edge of his bagel as he watches Egon work.]

[Venkman is uncharacteristically quiet, so Egon decides to say something he knows Venkman won't be able to resist making a comment about. Relieve the tension.]

If it turns out he is possessed, we'll have to figure out a way to replicate the effects of the psychoreactive slime I encountered back in my dimension. That seemed to be one of the more effective ways of ejecting a possessor from its target.

[He untangles a few of the wires and reconnects a few loose ends. He then leans down to plug it into an outlet and the neural wavelength detector begins to hum quietly. Egon taps his fingers against the desk surface, clearly hesitating about something.]

[Venkman sees through the ploy instantly, but that doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate it, or that he won't take the bait.]

Hey, it'll be a nice way to wake up- like morning sex, but weird and scientific. And he'll get to have his own memories with the slime, instead of just knowing that the other version of himself slept with it.

[You literally asked for this, Egon.

Luckily, Venkman keeps his voice low enough that the newborn Meowth doesn't hear it- not that she's paying attention, because the inside of the desk is way more interesting.

He notices the hesitation and tilts his head, curious.]

What's up? Not sure it'll still work, or...?

[The corners of his mouth twitch into a slight frown, but he can't really complain, given the fact he said that purposely for Venkman to make a crude joke about.

He hesitates to respond.]

It's not that. [He lets out a sigh, continuing to fiddle with the wires, though it's clear that he's not really working to fix anything. He appears to be struggling to verbalize just what he's thinking about without making Venkman overly worried.] I am merely...apprehensive of what we might find. Or won't find.

[...And, apparently, not paying attention, he closes the drawer that the Meowth is in.]

I... yeah, I get that.

[Oh don't worry, Egon. Venkman surpassed "overly worried" a long time ago. No matter how flippant he tries to act, he's like, steps away from a full-fledged panicked meltdown. The only things keeping him together at this point are the fact that he doesn't want to freak Egon out even more in a feedback loop of growing apprehension, and the kitten.

... Wait, speaking of the kitten-]

Hey!

[The Meowth squeaks in alarm as she becomes trapped in gay baby jail. Venkman sets his coffee and bagel down and goes to reopen the drawer, freeing the kitten. He picks her up and holds her in his arms, glaring at Egon with mock-anger.]

What'd Tarantula ever do to you, huh?

Huh? I--

[He blinks, watching as Venkman picks up the cat, his hands hovering over the device.

Thank God the cat is here. They probably would've lost their minds like, ten times over if not for her.]

Tarantula? Why would you name it after an arachnid when it is clearly a mammal?

Oh, right. That's another bust you don't remember- see, we met a cat named Tarantula, she's a warlock's familiar. She and her master saved our asses a couple times... She's a black cat, pretty smart, knows how to type in English and play chess. Figured, hey, might as well name some of these lil monsters after people and things back home, and that's probably a cat worth honoring.

... Plus, I noticed you seemed to like this little kitten a lot. I know you're not awfully big on mammals, figured naming her after a species you normally like might help you accept it better.

[Venkman holds the Meowth out so it's eye level to Egon's face. Tarantula licks him on the nose.]

[Egon stares right back into that cat's cute eyes with the intensity and sobriety of a professor at MIT. At least, until she licks him on the nose. He blinks, a surprised expression forming on his face as he gently scratches her forehead with one finger.]

...Hm. I suppose so, yes. There may be scientific merit in studying a creature like this. [He sounds...almost ashamed to be liking a mammal to this degree?] Does this mean you'll be teaching her how to play chess?

[Spengler clears his throat before picking up the device and bringing it over to Ray. Gingerly, he places it over his head before glancing back at Venkman.]

Are you ready?

[Venkman smiles, laughing a little at the look on Egon's face. Tarantula mews again, her sharp little fangs glinting as she stares up at Egon with her big ol' eyes full of love. She wriggles a little in Venkman's grasp, and bats at Egon's finger.]

Scientific merit, huh?

Well, she's no magical familiar, so I dunno if she can even figure chess out. ... And- by the way- I'd rather not get her started on complex logic puzzles and quantum physics anytime soon, since she's only at the ripe old age of one hour old. So don't get any ideas.

[Venkman sobers up again when Egon stands and sets up the device. He holds Tarantula close to his chest and pets her idly as Ray gets hooked up.]

Ready as I can be.

You haven't asked her to play chess yet.

[Egon nods towards Venkman, then switches the device on. It starts whirring quietly, lights and indicators flashing every so often as Ray continues to slumber. Across the room on the desk, the neural wavelength detector has been hooked up to some sort of small printer that spits out a string of ticker tape with incomprehensible symbols and numbers. Egon makes his way back to the desk, picking up the ticker tape and peering down at it, intensely focused. Occasionally, he'll make a quiet "hmm" or "oh" as he interprets...whatever data this is.

His eyebrows furrow deeply and his mouth twists to the side.]

Hmm. His neural activity is positively explosive. His brain functions are essentially the same as if Ray were completely awake--even the frontal cortex, which is usually not active during sleeping cycles, seems to be functioning at full capacity. [He looks sharply up at Venkman.] Do you know what this means?

She's one hour old, She doesn't even know what chess is yet. She doesn't know what anything is.

[He peers over Egon's shoulder as he examines the data- Venkman may not understand a word of it, but he can tell that something about it is weird, judging by Egon's reactions. Then Egon speaks up-]

So... he's got brain waves that make more sense for someone who's awake- is this an I-Have-No-Mouth type of situation, where he's actually awake and can hear everything we say and do and just- can't interact with us? ... Jesus Christ, that'd suck.

[He looks over at Ray's unconscious body.]

Hey, Ray, if you can hear us, uh. Do something with your brain waves.

Edited 2019-02-21 05:00 (UTC)

[Egon frowns, running his fingers along the ticker tape and studying it closely. He then looks up and shakes his head.]

I don't believe he is currently aware of his surroundings. There seemed to be no change in his neural patterns. However, given that his neural patterns appear to be erratic to begin with, I wouldn't be able to confidently confirm or deny this.

[...Thanks, Egon. He scratches his chin, then presses a button on the "printer" to stop it from filling the room with paper. It hangs off of the desk and lies on the floor like ribbons.]

It's odd--even in cases of possession, the possessor leaves a very strong and unique reading that can be differentiated from its host. However, this...is just Ray functioning as a normal, healthy human being. Except that he's...in a non-responsive state.

[A pause.]

That's probably bad.

[As an aside, to Tarantula:] "Probably", he says...

[Tarantula appears unphased.]

Egon, I think everything about this little situation can be neatly labeled as "real bad" at the least.

[Venkman groans, and sits down on the edge of the bed beside Ray. He leans forward and puts his head in his hands- Tarantula hops free of his arms and lands squarely on Ray's chest.]

What're we gonna do, Egon? You've- you've gotta have some idea in that big brain of yours, right?

[His voice is a little shakier than he likes, and he tries to steady it- and himself.]

Sure, this is- another dimension's rules we're playin' by, but- there's gotta be something.

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