cancry | [Open] Dr. Medic's Sleepaway Funtimes Camp

[Open] Dr. Medic's Sleepaway Funtimes Camp

I. So girl keep telling me [network post]

[About three hours after the whole post-Esmeeting kerfuffle, every phone included in the Executor group chat suddenly blares loudly with an incoming post that appears to have every possible alert and priority notice the person writing it could find attached to it.]

ANYONE WHO ATE ANYTHING AT ESME'S HOUSE REPORT TO MEDIC IMMEDIATELY YOU ARE POISONED

[Well, you can't accuse her of burying the lede.]

i'm in my lab in invidia [The exact address and coordinates of the lab are attached along with the message, including a helpful photo of a scribbled map just in case anyone is really bad with directions.] if you ate ANY of the food esme served or if you're feeling sick, come here so i can treat you
if you find someone unconscious or unable to move on their own, BRING THEM HERE
if you don't have anyone around and think you need help getting here, reply to this message immediately

i threw up, so i tested some of the leftovers i took home
and that food is very, very poisoned
(also, if you brought leftovers home, don't eat them)

II. pick me up whenever i'm feeling down [in-person log]

[True to her word, Medic is ready and waiting in her lab the second anyone arrives.]

[The living room of the apartment she commandeered has been turned into a makeshift hospital. She's dragged cushions and mattresses in, laying them out on the floor and covering them with clean sheets and blankets to make sickbeds. Next to every bed is a glass of water and a bowl for, uh. Any stomach issues you might have to deal with.]

[Anyone healthy who walks in the door will be cheerfully pressganged into nursing duty.]

[The beds are set up facing the living room's lone TV, but well... this is Invidia. Guess who's probably on every channel.]

[You might have better luck with putting on a movie, but no one actually saw this coming, which means your available selection consists exclusively of stuff Medic brought with her from the Limbo library when she came down to Invidia. By which we mean exactly one film.]

[Whether having to see Esme's face is better or worse than watching Brutal Instinct again is a choice you're going to have to make amongst yourselves.]

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It's a pretty short clip, it looks like it might have been a cut or a first take, since there's some things a little off. The lighting's not super great and when the girls do speak, Alice's energy is a little low and Esme seems distracted. Kotori, however, is firing on all cylinders and even in this short clip it's easy to see why she's the fan favourite.

A Specter in a snazzy suit is posing the the girls a question, apparently in the middle of an interview, as the girls sit there politely and wait their turn to answer. He starts off;

"Now– since we're coming up to the final count, are you girls feeling the pressure yet? Kotori looks set to pull ahead, but things could still turn around. How do you feel about your chances?"

The girls all share a bemused look for a moment and then start speaking – this was clearly an unexpected question because they all talk over each other for a moment, and then crack up and hastily try and organize themselves to see who'll speak first. Eventually, it's Alice who starts.

"Um, honestly, I wouldn't really say I'm worried – because it sort of feels like, I'll be really happy– no matter who ends up winning, it'll feel like a win for me too? Because I'll be so happy whoever wins."

Esme, who's been nodding along, cuts in. "No, no, she's totally right. Even though it's technically like, a competition? It really doesn't feel that way. It just doesn't feel like we're competing because we just have so much fun and I'm– seriously, however it shakes out, even if I'm in last place I won't be mad. Which is crazy because I am the world's sorest loser, usually."

There's a ripple of good-natured laughter and then finally, Kotori speaks up. Even on an informal take like this, there's an immediate vibe that makes her hard to dislike.

"Honestly, they said it best! We've been working our behinds off every day together and the girls are always so, so sweet. Alice'll drop everything to help you with your lines if you're slipping and Esme's always making sure we're looking after ourselves, she'll bring us food, get us water, whatever – she makes the cutest lunches and she won't take no for an answer. I seriously love both of them."

"Aww, honey...!"
"We love you too!"

There's some extremely wholesome giggling and handholding for a moment before Kotori wraps things up.

"So, yeah! There's no losers here, basically. Whoever wins, we all win. That's just how we feel about it."

The video ends.

Oh... Hm, hard to tell if they're actually close or if it's just for the camera, but I can see why they might have all been competing.

Did she really hate the competition that much?

[Hm hm hm, okay clicking around, anything incriminating in the recyle??]

...I wonder what does happen if one dies here.

[You know. Of poison. Or maybe being stabbed.]

[ Stayed tuned and find out :) ]

There's just one file in the recycling bin.

Going by the thumbnail, it looks to have been shot on the same set as the previous video – probably on the same day. The girls are still sat in their chairs from earlier, but the starting image is a little worrying – it's Kotori hunched over a bit, covering her mouth with a handkerchief, while Esme rubs her back.

Play it?

Ah- another video. [Hm! Don't like this! Play...that beautiful poison footage...?]

The video starts mid-sentence, with Esme apparently addressing Kotori.

"–n't think she's feeling okay... she's been looking a little shaky for a while now."

Kotori retches into her handkerchief. It's an unpleasant noise and Esme winces sympathetically, leaning in a bit more to give her a side-on hug. "Oh, no, honey. Is it really bad?"

"I'm–" Kotori retches again, from much deeper in her stomach this time and after a moment, she drags her handkerchief away from her mouth and, without even looking, she drops it into the garbage can stashed behind their seats. She clears her throat a few times and then forces herself to sit up straight. "I'll be fine. I have to be."

Esme's brow furrows as she looks at her, at once concerned and a little dismayed. "Are you sure? That sounded really bad."

Kotori just shakes her head and sucks in a big breath. She doesn't say anything, but she very much gives the feeling of just wanting to get this over with. The crew, including Esme and Alice, all exchange worried looks, but with Kotori looking so resolute, the only thing to do is keep rolling.

The same host from earlier steps up again, with a repeat of that earlier question. "Alright then, since we're coming up to the final count, are you girls feeling the pressure yet? Kotori, it looks like you're pulling ahead. What are your thoughts on the vote?"

Kotori sucks in another breath and stands herself up out of her chair. She opens her mouth to answer and a flood of pneuma begins to explode out of her throat.

She gives a strangled cry of shock, and presses both hands to her mouth to try and make it stop, but the stream is so violent that it just spills out from around her fingers. She retches violently, clutching her stomach as she doubles up, trying to make sense of what's happening to her and a horrible gurgling scream comes out from behind her fingers. At the angle the camera's at, it's hard to spot exactly what is happening but it looks as though her stomach is rapidly contracting, like a burst balloon draining of water.

Kotori presses both hands to her mouth so hard it has to hurt, but the flow won't stop. Her eyes roll back into her head as pneuma starts to spurt out of her eye sockets and she staggers back, knocking over her chair as she goes.

It feels like it lasts forever.

But then, finally, it stops. The flood slows to a trickle and then to a mere dribble. Kotori sways on the spot, and her chest heaves like she's trying to pull in a breath – but it doesn't even sound like she's getting any air into her lungs. If she even has any lungs left.

Kotori overbalances and collapses to the floor, in a mess of pneuma. For a frozen moment, everyone just stares – including Esme, who looks, against all odds, genuinely horrified.

And then just as the screaming starts, the video cuts off.

...

[At some point, Phoenix's hand had latched on to Chiron's arm with clearly no intent of letting go, a shaking grip the only indication of how he actually felt about this.]

Can you find a way to copy this onto something we can take with us? If there's anything--any sign Esme caused this, we'll need it.

[Oh, do not fucking worry, Chiron's got a hand over Phoenix's. It, uh, it'll be...okay...

He won't say, at least just yet, that it certainly looked even worse than it sounded. But. Y'know. Thinking it.] Gods above.

I...I can try. It is, of course- [he clears his throat] Of course, extremely plausible that it was Esme, but I must point out that she appeared just as shocked as anyone. I would be so bold as to suggest it's not an act on her part.

It could be that she hadn't perfected whatever she used, that she was expecting milder symptoms and not...

[Screaming trainwreck, goes unsaid.

Is there any kind of cable or wire to plug into a phone port? Did someone leave their charger lying around that can also USB plug in?]

No. She's an excellent actress in tone, though I can't speak to her appearance. But at this point it goes without saying that she must have been responsible--such unexpected results would shock anyone, especially the one who brought it about in the first place.

[The resolve to kill and no stomach to see it through.]

We were well out of her sight before the symptoms started in the others, I might point out. She could do the same again and not have to witness the results.

[Bing bong downloading thanks crymod!]

Between the poison evidence Medic has and this, that might be enough to get people to do some very simple addition. But it also might not be enough, given how much they love her.

[He rises from the seat he took to computer fuck around.] I imagine the studio is drenched in it.

It did seem that way. There's a terribly sharp metallic smell to it, difficult to miss.

...It won't hurt to take a visual look.

We're not showing this to the children. I'm wary to show it to the general populace, but it might be what's needed. This is...

They don't need to know the details.

No, of course not. We'll have to be cautious with when and how we show this to anyone as it is, and we'll make sure most of the others are kept away from it.

[His hand still hadn't left Chiron's arm, though the angry shaking had subsided for the most part.]

Still, you have a point...this and Medic's evidence is circumstantial at best, we'll need to find something truly substantial to make the populace question their darling.

Provoke her with the memory of her dearly departed companions? Although, it was only the one girl. We didn't see what happened to the other, though it would hardly shock me if she was offed in a similar manner, simply elsewhere.

[He pockets the phone and turns to Phoenix, taking him firmly by the arms.]

Are you going to be alright?

What-? I'm fine.

[He wasn't, because as bad as it had looked imagining it based on sound alone was almost worse.]

I was about to ask the same of you.

I'll be fine.

[...Fuck it, it's hug time.]

-?!

[error 404 please reboot your phoenix]

[Awkwardly, he put his arms around Chiron in turn for lack of knowing what else to do.]

...It'll be alright. None of us were seriously hurt, and we know better than to fall for a trap like that again. All that's left is to break her power at its base and see this finished.

This is as much for your benefit as mine, just so there's no confusion.

You continue to labor under the delusion that I require more help than I do, and then wonder why we inevitably come to arguing.

[It was said about as light as anything could be right now, and at least he wasn't throwing Chiron physically out the door.]

Still can't keep me from caring, I'm afraid.

[Fine, fine, he'll let go.] I'll take a look around, and then we can figure out the next step from here. If you want help on that end as well.

I do. I think it would be best if the pair of us cooperated on this while the others keep her occupied on a front involving less subterfuge.

All right. Stay close.

[Meantime how bout we go back into the studio and see what the not blind eyes can see. Just for shiggles.]

If you insist. Keep a sharp eye out and I'll handle the rest; if there's more to be discovered, we'll find it.

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[Open] Dr. Medic's Sleepaway Funtimes Camp

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big cw: emetophobia, body horror, eye trauma

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