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 Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:23 am
It was a beautiful morning, and Sid was amazed to find he'd somehow managed to drag himself out of bed in time to appreciate it. He hadn't planned for it, more like his internal clock had set an alarm without his knowledge or consent. Maybe it was the drinking and writing until he passed out, but he had a sinking feeling it had more to do with getting old.
He picked his way slowly towards the cafeteria, careful to avoid puddles. He didn't remember hearing any rain the night before, but given the overcast sky above he'd likely get a chance to see more soon enough. The threat of a little water wasn't enough to make him hurry. He tried to keep his mind from wandering as he walked, occupying himself with counting the number of puddles he passed along the way. He splashed his cane through one as he passed, the closest thing to a whimiscal jump that he could risk.
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:30 am
He hadn't gone far when the old man was greeted by a rather disturbing sight. Sprawled out in the mud face down was a rather perplexing looking creature, a wheelchair with it's wheel still spinning lay on it's side nearby. Judging by the deep trenches cut into the mud, it looked as though the wheelchair had come rolling down the hill only to be snagged by the mud and abruptly halted enough to send the creature that had been riding it flying face first into the mud. Suprisingly enough, it didn't seem to be moving beyond a few twitching tentacle tips.
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:35 am
Sid approached the mess as he would any accident- slowly, with a lot of gawking along the way. He stopped just out of reach of the tentacles, or what he hoped was just out of reach. A thoughtful look was given to his cane... but the tip was already overdue for a thorough cleaning without poking mutant fish creatures. So, then, what did you say to something lying in the mud like that?
"Hey... You okay?"
Of course, something stupid. He mentally berratted himself for it, but it was something. If there was no response, he could maybe slip past- or step over it. Maybe.
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:45 am
Billy finally lifted his head from the mud, His brows furrowed, "Me... me chair..." He stammered, glancing around for it. His expression was bleary, but after a few blinks he seemed to come back into coherency, "How long ha' I been..." A tentacle raised to prod at the strange metal collar around his neck. He turned his head to glare at who had addressed him, his limbs shifting in an attempt to hold himself up, although with his weak, squishy, floppy octopus limbs, he still couldn't support himself very well. Oh god, it was a *normie*. He opened his mouth to growl as such, frustrated by his situation, but the little red light on the collar flickered, and that machine-driven buzzing of fluids being injected into him could be heard and his expression sagged. "...bugger..." He slurred.
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:50 am
Sid hadn't paid much attention to the collar, at least not until it flickered and made that interesting noise. That explained something, even if he wasn't exactly sure what. While Billy sagged, Sid glanced past him to the path ahead. No, he couldn't get by without risking steeping on him, and he didn't quite have the flexibility left to step over. He sighed.
"Alright... Do you want me to help you up?" he asked, immediately regretting it. He'd been meaning to do laundry soon anyway.
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:27 pm
"Fell... th'mud... rain was niiice earlier...." The octopus man babbled wearily. His head and shoulders were bobbing, wobblign as though he was having even more trouble holding his head up out of the mud. His various limbs were all strewn about, but quivered and coiled as he shifted and attempted to push himself upright.
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:34 pm
"Uh, right." Sid stood back, giving the guy a chance to get up of his own accord, maybe spare his clothes a little. The more he took in the movement of the tentacles- and all the mud covering them- the less he felt inclined to try and be of service. Besides, he didn't know how he could manage while still keeping weight off his bad leg, so really it would be foolish to even try... It didn't make him callous, it made him practical, or so he told himself.
"Think you can make it up?"
He slipped a cigarette from the box tucked under his sleeve, unaware that as long as he was watching the gesture was right up there with grabbing a bag of popcorn for the show.
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:37 pm
Clumsily, the drugged octopus flopped onto his side, twisting to try to see where his chair was laying on it's side. He gave a slow, slurred groan, clenching his eyes shut, "If'n... y'kin' right.... m'chair.... y'god damn ingratefull-" he cut off, shuddering as the little red lights flashed again.
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:46 pm
He put the unlit cigarette in his mouth, an eyebrow arching over the new activity from the collar. "Right, of course," he said around the cig. "Stupid of me to not think of that." He cast a wary glance over to Billy before he moved to set the chair straight. He managed easily enough, even using one arm.
"There." When he turned back to Billy, his conscience caught up with him. He sighed to himself, though it could have been interpreted a lot of different ways, and offered his free hand. If he took it, he took it. If he didn't, he didn't.
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:49 pm
Billy swayed. The ground was heaving, rolling, twirling under him. No wonder he couldn't stand! Or had his legs gone to rubber? No, that's right... he had no legs. Or rather, he had too many legs. He felt silly for having forgotten. He raised a tentacle to coil it around the old man's wrist with a groan, happy to have someone who was on "solid ground".
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:54 pm
He winced, but such were the perils of building character. Then again, he'd always thought the worst he ever have to do is help little old ladies across the street or maybe keep himself from grabbing change from Jerry's kids donation jars. Knowing there were drugged octopi in his future would have kept him from ever thinking about that stupid resolution.
"Got it?" he asked.
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 4:29 am
The octopus clung to the crippled old man, a bit of black liquid dribbling down from the courner of his mouth as he wrapped a second tentacle around Sid's arm in an attempt to help himself up. "T'ings... won' stop movin'..." He murmured gruffly, clenching his eyes closed in an attempt to ignore the seasickening movement. His chair seemed to close and yet endlessly far away.
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:54 am
"In that case you'll wanna stay still," Sid said. He took a very careful step back, even if movement was that much more difficult with all the added weight. It could always be worse, he told himself. He could be drugged with eight arms... as opposed to just drugs.
"Just a little further."
People talked of sudden bursts of strength to pull cars off their loved one. Sid was experiencing one just to get Billy off him. He stepped back until he was right next to the chair. "Okay, here."
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:12 am
His various limbs snaked and wormed their way up over the muddy chair, the spiny fin along his skull and between his shoulderblades fanning anxiously as he slid back into place. "Feckin'... bloody..." He panted, but the recent injection was tugging at the edges of his mind like soft pillows pressed over his face, blocking his air passages. He weased, his brows furrowing as he tried to concentrate on where he was. Keep yerself grounded, boy. "Ssssorry..." He managed, mutated lavender eyes twitching over the mud that had gotten on the old man's clothing. "Got.... gotcha muddy..."
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:18 am
Sid pulled at his Led Zeppelin t-shirt, which was probably salvagable. A little mud wouldn't affect the genuinely distressed condition of his jeans much. "It's cool," he said. He let his shirt go and wipied his hand off on his pants, adding another streak of mud. "I've been in worse."
He didn't bother elaborating. A long winded story about it would probably be lost. Worse, he realized he still had the unlit cigarette in his mouth. He took it out to find the filter was a little crushed from gritting his teeth, but it was still good.
"You mind if I smoke?"
Because goddamnit he needed it now.
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