fossilised | Snowblind Body Shenanigans

This is an open post for anyone set in Norfinbury. It's a random scenario where @Admin has (for mysterious meme reasons) decided to give Al his body back. This isn't game canon, obviously, I just wanted to play about with Al in his body as it will never happen in game. Action and network responses are welcome, as well as fudging the locations of characters.

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[Al has become used to his periods of unconsciousness during the night now. He still can't think of them as sleep, not without dreams or his real body to rest in, but they're at least predictable. Usually he wakes quickly and without any grogginess that would come from real sleep, but today everything has changed.

He wakes up slowly that morning.

As soon as he wakes up, he knows everything is different. He can feel the wooden flooring under his back, rough and splintered, and hear the thud of his heart beating in his ears. He lifts one stick thin arm in amazement to stare at it, almost uncomprehending as he looks at his fingers splayed out in front of his eyes. This must be a dream. It has to be a dream, his first one in years, but... God, it feels so real.

He's in a state of shock as he pulls up to unsteady feet and scoops up his tablet automatically. He can barely keep hold of it, his fingers have none of his usual dexterity and his hands are trembling violently. It's this trembling that causes his fingers to slip and activate the video feed. The camera is at a strange angle, but it shows the upper half of a teenage boy in an extreme state of emaciation. His ribs are protruding and his stomach is concave. He has long blond hair that hangs down over one eye, the other one is wide and staring in surprise.

His legs seem ready to fold almost at once, but he forces himself to walk to the door and open it. The sunlight on the snow almost blinds him, and the wind causes goosebumps to raise on his skin immediately. He sets one bare foot in the snow and gasps, a delighted and amazed sound.]

Wow, it's so cold...

[He laughs softly, unable to stop the sheer wonder bubbling out of him. Is this real? Can it truly be so?]

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[Al's knees nearly give way twice just on the walk inside the house, but he somehow manages to get sat down on the sofa before he falls on his face.]

Hm?

[He glances up for a second, just after pulling the shirt over his head and causing long and brittle strands of hair to snap off with even that minor tugging.]

I'm really not sure, this-- I wasn't like this yesterday.

[How does he explain his body situation to Hiro?]

I just woke up this way and my-- armour-- is missing.

[Hiro's not sure if he could begin to try understand if Al did explain. From the way Al talks, it's as if previously the armor itself was his body. Then again, the size of Al now certainly wouldn't match up with the armor in him being able to use and wear it properly. So it's all the more confusing, but for now he focuses on attempting to help as best he can, letting Al dress as he joins him at the sofa next to the scrawnier teen.]

I did wonder. I can usually always hear the clanking from the armor. I haven't seen you without it until now. But the armor isn't here now at all? That is weird.....

[Maybe less so if he knew the truth behind it. But all the same. It's concerning. Al can't manage much at all in this condition. Can barely manage to stand or walk far at all.]

[If there was one thing Al had never considered, it would be that he still had to conceal this situation from people when he actually had his body back. But he can't bring himself to tell Hiro the truth, because it would lead to the Truth, and neither one of them wanted that.]

R-Right, I'm not supposed to take it off, that's why you haven't seen me without it before. It's part of my training, so--

[AHEM.]

But it's just not here today.

Training for what? I mean, I guess that would be hard to lug around otherwise besides wearing it, but....

[But it would barely manage to fit Al or Hiro in that particular armor, from what Hiro recalls of 'Al' supposedly being about two feet taller than himself. Still, perhaps that's not the important thing to focus on here but rather, in getting Al better situated in the meantime. He pauses before glancing to the backpacks.]

Want something to eat? You look like you could use it. Don't tell me you've been letting Mochi get even fatter giving him all your food.

[It's an attempt to lighten things, at least. Whether it might actually work, he's not sure, but even so.]

[It's a poor joke, but Al still laughs all the same. The idea that he could have got this thin just by giving Mochi his rations is pretty amusing.]

I guess I should have kept some back for myself, huh? But how could I say no when he gave me those big eyes?

[He is glancing around even now looking for the cat. To touch his fur would be the height of luxury now.]

Easily. If you've lived with it for years like I have, anyway. I guess not everyone around here is used to demanding pets and saying no to them though.

[Still, Hiro rummages through his bag and finds some of the Cheerios still in the box he'd found and hands it over to Al. They've been pretty good on sharing between the group where necessary to make sure nobody goes entirely without. It's all they can do, really. Especially regarding essentials like food and water. Even with Mochi as well. Hiro straightens and shifts to sit next to the other as he has another piece of his gum.]

[The Cheerios are dry and so stale that they're hard as rock, but Al still holds them in his hand as if they were precious gems.

It's only a moment before he has them tipped into his mouth, and-- god. Oh God. The texture of them, the flavour, the way they make his mouth suddenly flood with saliva... all of it is magnificent and overwhelming and awe-inspiring.]

Wow.

[He can't help the breathy exhale, too enamoured to even consider hiding how amazing this is for him.]

I know, I think they're probably past their date, sorry.

[But that's when he glances over and sees how delighted Al is. Over some dry, off brand cereal. Which is perplexing for Hiro, the teen unaware of how amazing such a meal might be for one that hasn't eaten or hasn't tasted anything in years even if he did try or pretend to shove food down through his helmet of the armor.

To him, there have certainly been a million better meals, they just don't have the variety in food to exactly be picky in Norfinbury. As much as he prefers the wings and gummi bears.]

You okay?

Y-Yeah.

[He knows he should be trying to be more circumspect, but it's just impossible right now. His eyes are brimming with sudden tears, though the expression on his face clearly labels them as tears of joy.]

They're just really good.

[That's convincing, right?]

....Old, stale cereal? I wouldn't say this is anything to sob over. I know they aren't that great but really.

[He wouldn't say they were that good. Or quite absolutely that terrible to constitute tears. But then, he's never actually seen Al as a human. Or knows the whole story. Maybe he just cries really easily all the time for some reason? Hiro's feet dangle a little as he swings them and keeps munching himself, passing more over to Al.]

Don't let me get to the point of feeding Mochi with it if you like it so much.

Snowblind Body Shenanigans

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