[The Mimikyu that's been brought into the Pokéclinic isn't difficult for Akira to find once he goes looking for her. Her disguise rag looks very small, crumpled up in one corner of her cot, but the skirt of her true form is skittering over the length of it in long, squirming, constantly shifting shapes, stark against white sheets. Right now, it looks like it's made up more of static noise than shadows, the dark expanse of it flickering and jittering in erratic patterns. Her arms are wrapped around her disguise, her indistinct, shivering claws focused on holding the significant tear that's been opened in it closed.
The tear is near the neck of her disguise, and though she's doing everything she can to keep whatever's beneath hidden, apparently a swath of the fabric has been burned away, considering the black, charred marks surrounding the tear—and through the gaps between her arms, something can be glimpsed churning under there, threatening to spill out completely if she lets up even for a moment.
It was her team—Siffrin, Akechi, and Technus—that brought her in, following an apparently rough battle against Spiritomb. That was some time ago—and the team had done what they could, giving her berries to heal her burn and restore her energy—but the pain apparently still lingers with her like a curse, judging by the way she's curled in on herself, twitching and making the occasional quiet, tortured sound as she tries desperately to pull her disguise back together.
When she (belatedly) senses Akira's approach, she tenses and hisses like a cornered cat—but after a moment, she seems to recognize him.]
Oh... It's you.
[He'd mentioned patients before, when they spoke over the Grumpearl, didn't he? She'd figured that he was some sort of doctor. She'd also figured that he was a bit too interested in examining her, so she remains on edge.]
Be—before you say it... The 'fit stays on. If you have to look me over, you can just—work around it... Got it?
[It's such a curious reaction, even from the first few moments he's able to observe. There's clearly an extensive amount of injury that needs treatment, and yet the Mimikyu's focus seems to be on hiding? Why? Unless--]
Oh! Don't worry!
[Raising his hands just enough to show there's no intent of harm, Akira steps closer to the bed, fairly confident that he understands.]
As long as you're well enough to speak, I won't need to cut anything out of the way! You won't have to replace it!
[Whether it's due to Slowking's influence or his own way of life, he seems rather unfazed by the more immediate problem of just what might be escaping from that cloth-- or more accurately, hasn't quite registered the danger it poses at all. What need is there to avoid her or look away, when a far corner of the bedsheet can be pulled over and offered as something to hold over the tear?]
We can save that spot for once we're sure you haven't damaged anything else, if you'd like, but I'm afraid if I can't thoroughly study your anatomy, I'll need some assistance.
[It's not difficult to see that with the torn area off limits, his attention's been drawn to the sprawling shapes and how much they stand out from the rest of her form.]
You weren't doing this when we spoke earlier. Has this happened under stress before, or did it begin when you were injured? Do they hurt?
[And at that, are they energy or part of her body? And what do they feel like? Given an opportunity like this with a new Ghost type, he has to at least try to touch it...]
PLS FORGIVE ME FOR HOW LATE THIS IS..i was fighting demons
[The words thoroughly study prompt Shoka to shrink in on herself and withdraw those crawling shadows back under her shroud (not entirely on purpose, it seems, judging by the jerky, uncooperative way they move, rolling in only partway before unfurling back out), but she says nothing to argue. She needs to be a good patient—promised she would be, when her team went through the effort of bringing her here—even if every instinct ingrained in her Pokémon form is screaming at her to run and hide (and even if every instinct of her own also tells her to brush it off, defend herself, pretend that everything is fine).
Akira's question apparently takes her off guard.]
H-huh? "They"...? [She looks, and finally notices what he must be looking at. It should have been obvious to her right away; her tendrils are all over the place.] What, my—feet?
[They look nothing like feet, but that's technically what those most visible shadows are: her lower body, like the foot of a snail. They've just lost their usual cohesion in this moment, rendered shapeless under stress.]
Yeah, no. They don't hurt. They just—freak out like this sometimes... [Usually when she's freaking out, too.] They kinda have a mind of their own. The... The only part really bugging me is... Where I got hit.
[The spot conveniently marked by the char-encircled tear in her disguise; the spot she's still trying very hard to keep concealed.]
[Then it's a natural response after all? That's a relief. But more importantly--]
So your body's the type without a fixed form!
[While that certainly makes the goal of providing treatment without removing the cloth more complicated, he can't help but find himself excited by the challenge, eagerly looking back to the tear.]
If it is only this burn after all, I'd really like to get started. It's good that you've already treated the condition itself to prevent it worsening. I'll just need to check the severity to see what we're dealing with.
[Now if only he could see through the cloth to have finished the examination already. Instead, he reaches towards Shoka's hands-- a request for her to move them away without pushing them aside himself.]
Once the remaining wound's treated as well, I'll have you put back together in no time.
[The berries her team brought along for the quest had cured the burn and restored her energy, but none of her teammates had any healing moves or professional medical opinions to offer. And she promised, so she should let Akira do his thing.
Even so, when he reaches for her, she stiffens again, gripping the fabric of her disguise tight in her ghostly fists. The edges of her form fray and crackle.]
W—wait! Just—... [Just back off, she wants to say, and slash at him with her claws... But after taking a moment to govern herself, she deflates with a slow, shaky sigh.] Just... try not to look—too close, okay? If you do, I—don't know what'll happen... To you, I mean.
[If he's going to go through with this, the least she can do is warn him first.]
Is that a threat or a curse? As long as I get to [learn more about-- no,] help you, first, I don't mind! I wouldn't be much of a doctor if anything like that could make me give up on my patients.
[Still, he seems willing to take things slow if that's what this one wants. Even with most of the Mimikyu's resistance gone, he's rather gentle as he tries to lift an edge of the burnt fabric just enough to allow some light through. It really would be easier if he still had his magic...
...
As things are, regardless of how clearly or how long he's allowed to observe, or even the extent of the injury, there's only one conclusion to be made.]
Hmm. I'm great at reconstruction, so your body shape won't be any issue! But it would mean waiting quite a bit longer before I can repair your costume. If you don't mind healing over a few days, I'd like to try a new medicine I've been working on. It should treat any pain right away and speed up the natural regenerative abilities most Pokemon seem to already have.
[Veering away from a chance to operate isn't like him. Really, to even mention another option at all... He doesn't quite get it, himself. Yet there's certainty in his actions as he locates the items he'll need from a small bag he'd brought along. No reason to limit his patient to what the clinic approves of supplies.]
[That did sound like a threat, didn't it?] N-neither? I'm just... I'm just—not supposed to be seen, okay? By anyone, ever! Or else...
[Or else... What? She wouldn't be able to describe what would happen even if she wanted to. She just senses it, deep in the core of her being: it would be something terrible, so she can't let it—
Wait. Ah! His hand—?! It's touching the charred fabric of her disguise, peeling it gently away. As light grazes over the wound in her shroud, revealing a brief (strange, nauseating) glimpse of the roiling shadows beneath, she flinches with an undignified squeak—and receives a searing wave of pain in reward.]
Agh—!
[Her hands seem to be having trouble staying in a consistent shape; their outlines tremble and squirm, struggling to keep the exposed part of her form hidden. Dizzied and a bit nauseous, she has to strain to understand what Akira's saying. He's talking about—medicine? Experimental, mad science-y medicine, it sounds like. At this point, she'd take it regardless. After all, what's the worst that could happen? She drops dead? Been there, done that! Treating the pain right away sounds fantastic...
But having her disguise repaired somehow sounds even better.]
You... You can fix it? My costume...
[It's all she can focus on as soon as he says it. She needs that done now. She'd do it herself, of course, but her hands have failed to cooperate and she doesn't have enough fabric anyway. If he can, then... Maybe she can let him see. It's only one part of her that will be visible, so... Maybe it will be fine?]
[Not supposed to be seen? He needs to know why. He just needs to. And yet rather than press for more answers,]
Sure can!
[Akira nods as he pulls out a small bottle of a bright pink liquid, followed by a set of.. completely regular sewing supplies? While surely not appropriate for sutures, they aren't exactly random, the thread and fabrics matching the colouration of Pokemon with clothing-like parts. In the moment, the same grey as the Mimikyu's disguise likely stands out the most.]
I'm familiar with inorganic patients, so I'm actually pretty good at repairing the sorts of objects they're born from, too. I can have it patched back up without leaving any new seams at all!
[After treatment, of course. He'll hand the medicine over once he's opened it.]
Drink this. It's okay, it only tastes like sitrus berries. I'd like to reduce the pain before we begin, to give you an easier time keeping still.
[Hope creeps into Shoka's eyes as she watches Akira's face, then his hands, bringing out an assortment of items just to help her. He's a creep, but... He doesn't seem to be lying. He seems honest to a fault, in fact. Anyway, she is incredibly done with this, and it's his funeral, right?
Her voice is small.] Ff... Fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you...
[But she's apparently still going to delay the inevitable for as long as possible. There's a long, reluctant pause before she dares to reach for the bottle, letting one hand fall away from her disguise just long enough to pull it closer (there's another split-second glimpse of what lies underneath: something dark and shapeless, squirming amoeba-like). Instead of picking up the bottle to drink from it, she has to drag her entire body over it, bringing it beneath the ragged cloth of her costume.
It seems that the process of drinking is taking place under there, because after a few soundless moments, she pulls herself away from the bottle and shrinks back, leaving it sitting empty on the cot.
[There's a moment of that odd feeling again, something close to excitement that he can't quite place before his desire to keep learning shoves it back aside.]
Hmm.. Well, serious burns can take around a month to fully heal, if not more. Pokemon tend to recover faster than humans or youkai, but it may still vary between species. Since we're only accelerating your own capabilities as a Mimikyu, I can't say for certain when the effects will become noticeable.
[While he may have claimed the process should be done in only a few days, that could still be up to a week. Longer if the shifting form causes any wounds to reopen. It's really not ideal-- just the best he can currently offer without direct contact.
... But maybe that wasn't the question? Then as he begins cutting the spare fabric to the right size and shape,]
Don't worry. Even if the treatment takes a while, the pain should go away pretty soon. Maybe another minute or so? Oh, but let me know if it doesn't, or if anything feels different.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action (backdated to June 15th)
The tear is near the neck of her disguise, and though she's doing everything she can to keep whatever's beneath hidden, apparently a swath of the fabric has been burned away, considering the black, charred marks surrounding the tear—and through the gaps between her arms, something can be glimpsed churning under there, threatening to spill out completely if she lets up even for a moment.
It was her team—Siffrin, Akechi, and Technus—that brought her in, following an apparently rough battle against Spiritomb. That was some time ago—and the team had done what they could, giving her berries to heal her burn and restore her energy—but the pain apparently still lingers with her like a curse, judging by the way she's curled in on herself, twitching and making the occasional quiet, tortured sound as she tries desperately to pull her disguise back together.
When she (belatedly) senses Akira's approach, she tenses and hisses like a cornered cat—but after a moment, she seems to recognize him.]
Oh... It's you.
[He'd mentioned patients before, when they spoke over the Grumpearl, didn't he? She'd figured that he was some sort of doctor. She'd also figured that he was a bit too interested in examining her, so she remains on edge.]
Be—before you say it... The 'fit stays on. If you have to look me over, you can just—work around it... Got it?
no subject
Oh! Don't worry!
[Raising his hands just enough to show there's no intent of harm, Akira steps closer to the bed, fairly confident that he understands.]
As long as you're well enough to speak, I won't need to cut anything out of the way! You won't have to replace it!
[Whether it's due to Slowking's influence or his own way of life, he seems rather unfazed by the more immediate problem of just what might be escaping from that cloth-- or more accurately, hasn't quite registered the danger it poses at all. What need is there to avoid her or look away, when a far corner of the bedsheet can be pulled over and offered as something to hold over the tear?]
We can save that spot for once we're sure you haven't damaged anything else, if you'd like, but I'm afraid if I can't thoroughly study your anatomy, I'll need some assistance.
[It's not difficult to see that with the torn area off limits, his attention's been drawn to the sprawling shapes and how much they stand out from the rest of her form.]
You weren't doing this when we spoke earlier. Has this happened under stress before, or did it begin when you were injured? Do they hurt?
[And at that, are they energy or part of her body? And what do they feel like? Given an opportunity like this with a new Ghost type, he has to at least try to touch it...]
PLS FORGIVE ME FOR HOW LATE THIS IS..i was fighting demons
Akira's question apparently takes her off guard.]
H-huh? "They"...? [She looks, and finally notices what he must be looking at. It should have been obvious to her right away; her tendrils are all over the place.] What, my—feet?
[They look nothing like feet, but that's technically what those most visible shadows are: her lower body, like the foot of a snail. They've just lost their usual cohesion in this moment, rendered shapeless under stress.]
Yeah, no. They don't hurt. They just—freak out like this sometimes... [Usually when she's freaking out, too.] They kinda have a mind of their own. The... The only part really bugging me is... Where I got hit.
[The spot conveniently marked by the char-encircled tear in her disguise; the spot she's still trying very hard to keep concealed.]
Shocker...
no subject
So your body's the type without a fixed form!
[While that certainly makes the goal of providing treatment without removing the cloth more complicated, he can't help but find himself excited by the challenge, eagerly looking back to the tear.]
If it is only this burn after all, I'd really like to get started. It's good that you've already treated the condition itself to prevent it worsening. I'll just need to check the severity to see what we're dealing with.
[Now if only he could see through the cloth to have finished the examination already. Instead, he reaches towards Shoka's hands-- a request for her to move them away without pushing them aside himself.]
Once the remaining wound's treated as well, I'll have you put back together in no time.
no subject
[The berries her team brought along for the quest had cured the burn and restored her energy, but none of her teammates had any healing moves or professional medical opinions to offer. And she promised, so she should let Akira do his thing.
Even so, when he reaches for her, she stiffens again, gripping the fabric of her disguise tight in her ghostly fists. The edges of her form fray and crackle.]
W—wait! Just—... [Just back off, she wants to say, and slash at him with her claws... But after taking a moment to govern herself, she deflates with a slow, shaky sigh.] Just... try not to look—too close, okay? If you do, I—don't know what'll happen... To you, I mean.
[If he's going to go through with this, the least she can do is warn him first.]
no subject
[Well, she is a ghost type, so maybe...]
Is that a threat or a curse? As long as I get to [learn more about-- no,] help you, first, I don't mind! I wouldn't be much of a doctor if anything like that could make me give up on my patients.
[Still, he seems willing to take things slow if that's what this one wants. Even with most of the Mimikyu's resistance gone, he's rather gentle as he tries to lift an edge of the burnt fabric just enough to allow some light through. It really would be easier if he still had his magic...
...
As things are, regardless of how clearly or how long he's allowed to observe, or even the extent of the injury, there's only one conclusion to be made.]
Hmm. I'm great at reconstruction, so your body shape won't be any issue! But it would mean waiting quite a bit longer before I can repair your costume. If you don't mind healing over a few days, I'd like to try a new medicine I've been working on. It should treat any pain right away and speed up the natural regenerative abilities most Pokemon seem to already have.
[Veering away from a chance to operate isn't like him. Really, to even mention another option at all... He doesn't quite get it, himself. Yet there's certainty in his actions as he locates the items he'll need from a small bag he'd brought along. No reason to limit his patient to what the clinic
approves ofsupplies.]no subject
[Or else... What? She wouldn't be able to describe what would happen even if she wanted to. She just senses it, deep in the core of her being: it would be something terrible, so she can't let it—
Wait. Ah! His hand—?! It's touching the charred fabric of her disguise, peeling it gently away. As light grazes over the wound in her shroud, revealing a brief (strange, nauseating) glimpse of the roiling shadows beneath, she flinches with an undignified squeak—and receives a searing wave of pain in reward.]
Agh—!
[Her hands seem to be having trouble staying in a consistent shape; their outlines tremble and squirm, struggling to keep the exposed part of her form hidden. Dizzied and a bit nauseous, she has to strain to understand what Akira's saying. He's talking about—medicine? Experimental, mad science-y medicine, it sounds like. At this point, she'd take it regardless. After all, what's the worst that could happen? She drops dead? Been there, done that! Treating the pain right away sounds fantastic...
But having her disguise repaired somehow sounds even better.]
You... You can fix it? My costume...
[It's all she can focus on as soon as he says it. She needs that done now. She'd do it herself, of course, but her hands have failed to cooperate and she doesn't have enough fabric anyway. If he can, then... Maybe she can let him see. It's only one part of her that will be visible, so... Maybe it will be fine?]
no subject
Sure can!
[Akira nods as he pulls out a small bottle of a bright pink liquid, followed by a set of.. completely regular sewing supplies? While surely not appropriate for sutures, they aren't exactly random, the thread and fabrics matching the colouration of Pokemon with clothing-like parts. In the moment, the same grey as the Mimikyu's disguise likely stands out the most.]
I'm familiar with inorganic patients, so I'm actually pretty good at repairing the sorts of objects they're born from, too. I can have it patched back up without leaving any new seams at all!
[After treatment, of course. He'll hand the medicine over once he's opened it.]
Drink this. It's okay, it only tastes like sitrus berries. I'd like to reduce the pain before we begin, to give you an easier time keeping still.
no subject
Her voice is small.] Ff... Fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you...
[But she's apparently still going to delay the inevitable for as long as possible. There's a long, reluctant pause before she dares to reach for the bottle, letting one hand fall away from her disguise just long enough to pull it closer (there's another split-second glimpse of what lies underneath: something dark and shapeless, squirming amoeba-like). Instead of picking up the bottle to drink from it, she has to drag her entire body over it, bringing it beneath the ragged cloth of her costume.
It seems that the process of drinking is taking place under there, because after a few soundless moments, she pulls herself away from the bottle and shrinks back, leaving it sitting empty on the cot.
Akira's right; it didn't taste too bad.]
So... How long does it take to kick in?
no subject
Hmm.. Well, serious burns can take around a month to fully heal, if not more. Pokemon tend to recover faster than humans or youkai, but it may still vary between species. Since we're only accelerating your own capabilities as a Mimikyu, I can't say for certain when the effects will become noticeable.
[While he may have claimed the process should be done in only a few days, that could still be up to a week. Longer if the shifting form causes any wounds to reopen. It's really not ideal-- just the best he can currently offer without direct contact.
... But maybe that wasn't the question? Then as he begins cutting the spare fabric to the right size and shape,]
Don't worry. Even if the treatment takes a while, the pain should go away pretty soon. Maybe another minute or so? Oh, but let me know if it doesn't, or if anything feels different.