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((This happens immediately after Understanding Madness.))

It wasn't entirely sure how it made it... well, not home. Instead, it headed for Riley's dorm, which was slightly closer. It hoped she was home. Otherwise she'd probably find it later, slumped against her door. It would be fine, naturally, but it didn't want to frighten her.

In its vaguely addled state, the thought of texting her simply didn't occur to it. Indeed, to Malodore, it seemed that it left the classroom building and sort of appeared in front of Riley's door, as if it had teleported, with only the vaguest memory of outside in the form of a few smears of color.

Mia cara, it called out, mentally, and slowly folded up into a puddle of plague doctor.

It was aware of her gathering it up, of the sudden wave of concern and care that emanated from her - and yet, it could not quite manage the focus to speak until it was settled. Until then, it drifted somewhere in a haze, swamped by her emotions and its own weariness.

Her question, at last, drew its focus back to a single point, and it opened its eyes again. "Ah... I gave a good portion of my FEAR to Professor Red," it said, wryly. "For Jericho's sake. It seems portions of his FEAR had remained with her, and she needed to... gather them up. Push them out, and return them to him. It seemed... worth it..." Its head lolled to one side, and then it shifted, trying to lay more normally.

"Do you have a pumpkin pill or something FEAR-rich, mia cara?" it managed. The way the room was spinning really was quite irritating, as was the way its thoughts kept fragmenting.

"Just one should be suff... suffic... enough," it said, opening its beak and extending its tongue slightly.

Say ahhh.

Malodore obediently swallowed the pill, then sighed in relief as a sudden warmth ran through its body, a warmth that made the room stop spinning and its thoughts coalesce into blessed coherency once more. "Ahhh... much, much better, grazie mille." It tilted its head to one side and leaned against her. It still felt weak, but no longer reeling. It would take time to regenerate its proper FEAR, but it did not regret doing so.

"I am sorry to have frightened you, but your room was closest. And I wanted to tell you what I had done, in case it affects Jericho. I hope it does - for the better, at least."

"I happened to meet Professor Red in one of the classrooms," it explained, allowing its eyes to slip closed. "We spoke, as her... ah, state is relevant to both my interests and my studies with Infermiera Cricket, and she came to show me that some of Jericho's FEAR had clung to her. She could, however, use FEAR that I offered to her to purge herself, thus causing that FEAR to return to its proper place. I agreed, of course."

It shook its head slightly at the question about Jericho's whereabouts. "He was not. I assume he is well - perhaps it is a bit like regenerating without the dissipation being a factor. It might be worth sending him a message, however... I will have to prevail upon you to do that." Truth be told, it did not want to move. Riley would be more eloquent, anyway.

It opened its beak in a smile. "Si, you did... and so did I." It lifted its head just a little bit to nuzzle at the nearest tentacle before relaxing back into the pillows. Riley did have a lovely comfortable bed, though as always it was a bit worried about tearing up the mattress with its bladed feathers.

"Red has... given me much to think about. About the nature of Insanity. About... choices." It shifted a bit, vaguely uncomfortable. "I am so used to thinking of it as something wholly malignant, wholly damaging - it was visited upon you without your consent. But Red wields it as we do FEAR... and she will not be parted from it. It is her choice. It is not a choice I would make. But the fact that she would make such a choice is something I cannot help but respect, even as it makes me uneasy..."

It nodded, slowly. "Not something that I can understand, not innately - I do not hunger for power beyond the desire for power over my own destiny. I leave power over others to you, mia cara." It tilted its head towards hers again, fondly. "Perhaps if it is chosen consciously, it is different - but I have come to realize that if one chooses that path, well. Who am I to declare it anathema? I will not emulate those I fled in the Casa Cirurgien, shutting away new paths because I do not understand them. And yet... in a strange way, I feel I understand them now, a little. It is so tempting to want to shut out fear by closing oneself in, ignoring or strangling away anything that cannot be understood at once..."

It shook its head. "Such strange paths my mind has taken, lately. I do not regret these new thoughts, but they set me off-balance. I had become so used to the idea that the world was thus, and now I find it is not so."

I like it when your mind takes you on strange paths. Riley murmured, a thick, seductive tone layered onto her thoughts. Usually it leads you back to me.

Her phone distracted her, and she took it, reading the message. It looks like Jericho isn't having a crisis concerning whatever has happened. Perhaps he has not registered a change - it might be subtle. But he's feeling well. I'm sure that is a good sign.

She put the phone away, and returned to cuddling the plague doctor.

My mind has been taking me down strange paths, as well. New ones. They lead places I would never have guessed. Her hand reached out, grasping its own and squeezing it firmly. Though, not too far from you, always.

Sosiqui