Welcome to Gaia! ::

Upon returning to the island, Sasha felt amazing. There had just been something so powerfully freeing about completely cutting ties to her past - something she'd done in more ways than one.

Her hair was now clipped to swing just above her shoulders in a tart little bob. Sasha felt lighter and brighter for having lost the mounds of hair she'd had. Even her clothes had changed drastically in the past two days. Instead of ungodly-patterned dresses, she was now clad in a pair of slim, sleek trousers, low heels, and a tunic-like shirt that came to hem just above her hips.

Sasha had shed her skin, so to speak. She felt refreshed, confident and even.. beautiful. Mature.

Life was good. She couldn't wait to see Jerry.

Humming brightly, Sasha flung open the door as best she could. Her arms were full of bags - new clothes, gifts for Rin, Jerry and the doctor - and the belongings she'd salvaged from the storage unit.

"Jerry!"

The room was dark. Sasha paused.

"Jerry?"

The first thing that tipped Sasha off was the fact that the lights were off while Jerry was in the room. While he'd gotten somewhat better about his anxieties regarding the dark, he was by no means over the terrible affliction.

Sasha used her shoulder to turn the light switch on, dropping various bags along the way as she moved further into the room.

Sasha gave a horrified shriek at the sight of him.

Sasha wasn't sure what the <********> was going on, but the sight of Jerry crusted in gore - sitting on their bed - had Sasha's stomach churning. There was a definite metallic scent that wafted throughout the room.

It was disgusting.

"What.. Jerry, wh.. what happened?" Her voice trembled; she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

It took Sasha a long moment to realize exactly what Jerry was talking about. It was almost as if he didn't realize the state he was in. It was terrifying.

Sasha couldn't help the way she stumbled back one footstep, two - her eyes frantically taking inventory of his form. He seemed to be all in one piece. She held up her hands, fighting the urge to vomit.

"No, Jerry. W-what happened to you."

Sasha clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes growing wide as Jerry crumpled to the floor before her. The urge to run for help was growing, spreading throughout her chest until it clenched in her throat, choking and cold. A cold sweat congealed on her brow, and Sasha quickly fanned herself with her hands after giving a panicked, shaky exhale.

The stutter, the laugh. She felt like she would pass out.

He'd been so happy when she'd left just two days ago, smiling and content.

Clenching her jaw, Sasha fought the urge to yuck. It was sour and burning on the back of her tongue.

"Shh, shh," she forced out. "Let's just.. let's.. oh God. Lean forward, Jerry." First things first. The jacket needed to come off; it was beyond repair. Maybe her gentle touches would soothe him in ways that her words couldn't. He seemed so distant. The Jerry she first met. They'd come so far from that. There had been hiccups along the way, but this was no hiccup. This was... this was terrible.

Sasha wanted to murder the ones responsible for this.

"Lean forward, s-sweetheart, Jerry, please."

Oh God. Oh God. She wanted to kiss him, hold him close, but covered in gore like he was... "Come on." It couldn't be healthy to sit as he had been, painted in the crimson bits and pieces of something - or someone - that had once been living. She didn't know what to do.

Getting him to the showers somehow seemed like the best place to start.

Jerry's fragmented words were only bringing more questions to mind as opposed to providing answers to the questions that currently tore at her. He was so scattered and disjointed, and Sasha didn't want to pressure him for answers. She could sense his fragility. The stuttering was blatant proof, even more so than the sobbing, the gasping, the weak mumbles. She couldn't follow his train of speaking, not in the least. It was all she could do to keep her voice at least somewhat level.

"I'll play for you, Jerry. I promise. I promise. I can. Only for you, Jerry. Please.. I just.. you're a mess. Lets.. we can get you cleaned up, first. We'll start there. A-and then I'll.. I'll play for you."

If he didn't move, she'd have to explore other options. She might even have to explore other options now. Her bed was a Godforsaken mess. Even if she did get him cleaned up, where could they go?

"I won't leave you again," Sasha whispered harshly, brushing her thumb against the scar that marked his chin. "I promise. You just have to.. help me. I'm here now, Jerry."

Pleasepleaseplease.

<Sasha. Who did this?.>

I don't know, Nona, I don't know and I don't know what to do, and he's not moving and oh, God the blood, God.

<You cannot panic, little dove. He is mess enough for a hundred boils. Your Nona is here. Calm your nerves, my sweet.>

Sasha inhaled. Exhaled. The metallic stench was harsh in her nose. Putrid, wretched.

"Jerry. C-can you stand?"

Sasha stilled, all emotion leeching from her face as she slowly straightened. A chill shimmied its way down her spine. The bile that had rapidly been encroaching on the back of her throat subsided, replaced with a thick knot that made it difficult to swallow.

Rep took her flute? And he.. had something to do with Jerry's current state of mind? Sasha could only assume. If Rep had been the cause of this ordeal, it meant that he'd tampered with two very important things. Two things that belonged to Sasha.

She blinked slowly, moving away from Jerry with a deceptive calm. Sasha wanted answers, and she wasn't really getting any from Jerry while using the tactics she'd been attempting. Her gentle words and soothing touches only seemed to encourage tears, and there was a dull leaded weight of rage that was slowly spreading in her gut.

Keep calm. Keep calm.

"Jerry. Stand up." She rifled through his bag of clothes, procuring for him one clean pair of underclothes, one of his undershirts and one of the jumpsuit-things he'd taken to wearing. Her voice was soft, mellow, void of emotion.

"You're going to get up."

Her complexion was pale as she turned to face him.

"You're going to take a shower."

Sasha lifted a brow as she gazed down at him, unreadable.

"You're going to come back here."

She pointed to the floor with an index finger.

"And then, Jerry. You are going to tell me exactly what happened."

"It'll be fine," Sasha repeated the words he mumbled, "I'll be here when you get back."

She paused.

"I promise."