Purple haze

[will_be_god]

Who: Cyrus and whoever
What: A terrible memory from the sky
Where: Somewhere between the town and the school
When: July 3rd, when the freaky purple things are overheard

There were only a few pieces left. Just a few p worth of hardware and his work would be complete. And for that, Cyrus decided to walk to the town to pick them up. He rarely left the campus, but it was a short walk and he'd been neglecting his physical form lately, what with all the work on the robots.

It was what others would call a fairly nice day. The weather was optimal for the environment, and the heat was seasonal but not oppressive. The sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds, and the--

He stopped mid-step. Something had darted across the sky, something that triggered a sudden impact in his mind.

No, it was gone. He kept walking, his thoughts picking at something faded.

Another dart, no, two of them.

And another, in a cluster this time, long enough for him to uncover that memory.

He'd seen those before, twice. Once when he had stood atop the world, a chain's width from bringing it to an end, a new beginning.

And the other when he was pulled into hell by a furious god. A hell from which he had emerged eons later, scattered, physically broken, unable to communicate, and mentally shut away.

With every purple jag ripping the sky, he slowed down a bit more, until finally he came to a complete stop, on his feet but unobservant of anything around him. Anybody could come by. Anything could happen. But his consciousness was consumed with the Distortion World.

Comments

[jonny_talbain]

It had been a while since Jon had seen Cyrus around. He'd been busy with his own things, especially now that Riwane was back. And of course, Blaze had given him pause by suggesting that Cyrus was a megalomaniacal potential destroyer of universes, much as Jedah had been.

Still. These holes in the sky weren't normal, and Cyrus looked as though he'd kind of... checked out, mentally.

The Werewolf approached him.

"Oi. Cyrus. You alright, chap?"

[will_be_god]

There was some distant noise. Something--someone--was present with him.

He couldn't be in the Distortion World. He knew that logically. But logic had no place there.

[jonny_talbain]

"Bloody hell."

The look on Cyrus' face wasn't something Jon had expected to find there. Not by a long shot.

"Oi. Cyrus. Snap out of it, eh?" he said, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder and giving him a gentle shake. "Earth to Cyrus. Come on down."

[will_be_god]

Jon's voice. Cyrus had a faint trust in him, high praise for him. But the sound was only echoing, distant against the theoretical walls of the world.

He screamed out, but only in his head.

[jonny_talbain]

Jon tried clicking his fingers in front of the other man's face. If nothing else, that should be annoying enough to spur a reaction, right?

"Oi. Hey. Cyrus? Do you need to get inside? I can help you, if you've need of assistance?"

Maybe the flashes and tears in the sky had scared him into a catatonic state? Jon had dealt with stranger stuff, but maybe it was too much for Cyrus to handle? He placed a hand on the blue haired man's shoulder and pushed gently, trying to lead him back up the path towards an indoor environment where the sky wasn't visible.

[will_be_god]

Though Cyrus remained unmoving, his Crobat popped forth and wrapped its lower wings around its trainer's shoulders to guide him to wherever Jon led. Despite its admiration and loyalty for Cyrus being on par to that demonstrated by the man's own officers, it had a far more generous view of most people than he did. Though it didn't hurt that it was far more able to do damage to those it deemed deserved it than its human counterpart.

[jonny_talbain]

"Ah, lovely. Someone I can talk to." Jon said, nodding a greeting to the Crobat. Between them, they were able to at least get him started moving towards a nearby building.

"Have you ever seen this happen to him before? You can answer me in your native tongue. I can understand Pokémon." Jon said to the Bat Pokémon.

[will_be_god]

/Before yess/ the bat hissed, looking at its trainer with a concern that would no doubt be chastised if the man saw it. /That shadowy world...he lost his mind there. He could not speak, he could not function.../

[jonny_talbain]

"A shadowy world..."

Well, it was something to work with.

"Let's get him inside. Steady on, Cyrus. Mind the steps."

He and the Bat managed to get the man into the building and Jon closed the door, careful not to make too much noise.

"But he's not been this way since being in another world? He's not on any medications or anything?" Jon wasn't sure what kind of medication you would be put on for bouts of standing catatonia, but one never knew.

[will_be_god]

/He consumes no such things/ The tone in Crobat's voice was as though it was stating the obvious. /his mind must be unaltered...lest he be lost like this.../

[jonny_talbain]

Jon grunted in response. No, of course, Cyrus wouldn't be on medication.

He turned on a light in the room and went around drawing the blinds. Maybe he'd snap out of it if he couldn't see the sky?

"I'll have to admit I'm no authority on what to do when someone is in this sort of a state." Jon said to the Crobat. "I'm not... ah. Medically minded."

[will_be_god]

The darkness seemed to stimulate something in Cyrus. His eyes fixed again, and he sighed, though it didn't do much for his overall movement.

/He seems to be rousing.../ Crobat observed, a slightly optimistic tone to its voice.

[jonny_talbain]

"Perfect." Jon replied, walking over to face Cyrus. He placed a hand on the other man's shoulder.

"Oi. You alright, chap? Coming around, then?" he asked, loudly enough to be heard, hopefully, through whatever mental fog Cyrus was experiencing.

[will_be_god]

A familiar voice.

"Ugh..." was all he could manage.

[jonny_talbain]

Well, that was better than nothing.

"He's definitely coming back to us." Jon said to the Crobat. "I appreciate the assistance."

[will_be_god]

Cyrus took a deep breath, seeming to finally notice Jon. "...that place..." he murmured, heavily and slowly.

[jonny_talbain]

"You're not there. You're at Smash Academy, inside." Jon assured him. "You're safe."

[will_be_god]

"N--no..." That usually cool, emotionless voice stuttered and stammered. "No, I...no, it's always..."

[jonny_talbain]

Jon had never heard anything like that from the other man. It was... bizarre.

"You're alright, Cyrus. I'm not pulling your leg. All's well in here. No need to be anxious."

...he was starting to wonder what it might take to really grab the Ethics professor's attention. It's a shame that Cyrus wasn't able to understand Pokémon language. He'd try and have Crobat help.

[will_be_god]

Though Crobat did what it could, keeping its lower wings in a soft touch on its trainer's shoulders.

/It's always with him. Though he denies emotion...he cannot rid himself of it. He must endure suffering to save this world, but that other world has left him raw.../

Its language was odd, with strong traces of Cyrus in it, but switching in and out of a more casual pattern. /Please, realign him on his path. To see him like this is...awful./

[jonny_talbain]

Jon could only assume that the Crobat cared for it's trainer deeply, as Riwane cared for him. Knowing that bond as he did, he empathized with the bat Pokémon. "I'll do what I can."

"Take your time, chum. Come back around in your own time, alright? I'll stay here with you. Nothing's going to happen. Just relax."