Permanent Catch-All

[tethered_roamer]

WHO: Cole Harrison
WHAT: All things
WHEN: Anytime
WHERE: All over the place
WARNINGS: Will be in the headers as needed.

Comments

Locked to <user name=othellovonryan> - Post-Bleeding Macaque, Pre-Heart Game

[tethered_roamer]

Cole considered leaving things alone, but he really couldn't. This whole situation hit way too close to home and he just couldn't not bring things up. He needed to talk to this Donnie kid before they had to do whatever this heart game thing would be. But he didn't want to drag this out in front of everyone, so he waited until he could get the turtle alone and approached him.

"Hey...can I talk to you for a bit? In the kitchen?"

Re: Locked to <user name=othellovonryan> - Post-Bleeding Macaque, Pre-Heart Game

[othellovonryan]

Donnie has been working on trying to fix the problem. At least his part of it. It did seem likely he would need to do surgery again, just with a magical healer on standby. One who could heal without healing scars behind. Its likely the only way to truly remove the block. Without that, the Heart Game fixes may get complicated.

He hasn't been sleeping. He's using Autumn Power for all its worth. Going over the MRI's. Keeping an eye on Macaque and Korone, making sure everything is fine.

Its fine. This is fine. He fucked up. Its the least he could do.

The guilt has not abated in the least. It only goes when he feels overwhelmed and all his feelings become static.

He looks up from his tablet and the scans. Confused. "....okay." He turns off the tablet and stands up.

Re: Locked to <user name=othellovonryan> - Post-Bleeding Macaque, Pre-Heart Game

[tethered_roamer]

Cole nods and leads the way to the kitchen, where there's already water heating on the stove. "Do you mind cocoa?" he asks, pulling down a cup for himself and reaching for a second. He's not angry, and doesn't want to come off like he is. He's agitated, nervous, worried. But not angry.

"When did you eat last?"

Re: Locked to <user name=othellovonryan> - Post-Bleeding Macaque, Pre-Heart Game

[othellovonryan]

"Hot cocoa...will be fine. Hot drinks are usually acceptable," he said. He's forced himself to be able to drink coffee through worst stints, so most hot drinks go over okay. They're less harsh in their taste.

He's tapping at his thighs, unsure why he's here, until the question comes.

Ah.

"Omega, health stats," he said aloud, head tilting as he listens to the voice in his goggles. He grimaces. Then with the resigned air of someone whose gotten in trouble many times trying to give a not honest answer, "31 hours."

Locked to <user name=noodleboi> - Pre-Heart Game Comfort

[tethered_roamer]

It's supposed to be a calm day. Nothing is happening, The tree is up, the gifts wrapped under it. The smell of coffee brewing and sausage frying fills the house. Everyone is safe, here, and excited. So why is he so uneasy?

Cole walks into the kitchen, looking for a distraction. Raoul and Xeo don't seem to need any help cooking, especially with Dion hovering nearby with helpful crepe videos on the internet. It's sweet seeing them working together, and he trust Alexei to keep them from setting the kitchen ablaze. So he fixes a cup of coffee and goes back to the living room. Mac and Tobias are huddled together at Tobias' laptop, doing whatever hunters do outside of fighting monsters. Funny, in a house full of them. Though speaking of monster hunters, Jaden was nearby, adding to his ongoing comic book while Ferrety sat on his head and watched. It still felt weird and uncomfortable, knowing a kid like him was a weapon to hunt monsters but...here he could at least be more than a tool. And the little black ferret had a kid to be around now, even if it was a bigger kid.

Something still feels so off though.

Drip

He wanders down the hall to the bedrooms. Keegan is in the communal bedroom with his headphones on, relaxing on his bunk and hopefully causing no trouble...but Cole won't check on him. The DJ rubs him the wrong way, but he's Xeo's son so treating him like anyone else is fine. The master bedroom, Cathy is reading some book. She reads a lot, and maybe one day he'll ask about what she's reading. Beside her, Jerry the kobold sharpens his shiv, looking completely at ease. They're a cute pair, and seeing Jerry actually bonding has been nice.

Drip.

Back into the hall, and were those stairs always there? Frost's safehouse has just one floor. Cole walks up. It's just more rooms, one for Gabriel, Aspen, and Frost himself. They all seem content, though there something more off in the big bear Lost's room. Cole still can't put it together though.

Drip drip

Right, Smokey's room is up here too, so he should check her water bottle. It only takes a minute to grab from the hutch and refill with fresh water. He's glad to have her. She's a good rabbit.

Drip drip

Breakfast should be done soon, so he goes back downstairs, socks squelching in the soaked carpet as he walks over to sit beside Toby. They should do something about the floor soon. But where did Tobias go? Ferrety and Jaden are gone too. Mac continues working on the computer, unbothered. Those pictures on the wall behind him are waterlogged and the frames are cracked though. Going to need to apologize to Frost for the damage...but wait, why is it damaged?

Drip drip groooooan

He loosing up, seeing a bulge in the ceiling, water dripping from a spreading crack. The ceiling splits and water pours in, drenching him and Toby. The water soaks the carpet more, quickly reaching their ankles. Another groan behind them, another splitting bulge, this time in the wall. It breaks, more water pouring into the room, flooding the floor. Toby looks at it and shrugs. Mac doesn't even do that. Cole jumps up and opens the front door to let the water out, but more pours in and he closes the door with some effort. The water is knee-high.

He wades to the kitchen, seeing Xeo try to leave, but Dion stops him and insists that things will be fine as soon as they're done. They need to go though, so Cole returns to Toby and grabs his arm. Mac closes the laptop and walks into the kitchen for coffee and Keegon soon joins them, frowning at the water and at Dion. Cole asks if he can't do anything about this and Keegan says he definitely can, then he watches over and takes Xeo's hand before disappearing with him. The water is up to his and Toby's chests now, but no one else seems bothered...probably because they'll be fine. They always are, every time this happens. They never get hurtl

He pulls Toby with him, mostly swimming down the hall. The stairs are gone, and the master bedroom is blocked where a bookshelf tipped over. Hope Jerry and Cathy aren't still there, trapped. The water is up to their necks though and there's only one option now, so Cole swims to the window and opens it. Holding tight to Toby, they swim out and up to grab the rain gutter so they can both pull themselves up. But it's pouring out here and Toby slips. Cole reaches out and catches his sleeve, but they both know he's not that strong-

Cole's eyes snapped open and he sucked in a breath, eyes darting around his room. No Toby, no water, and this wasn't his room, it was Mk's at Red Son's house. His nest. That's right. Most importantly, the nest was dry. As he laid there quietly calming himself, he realized that the nighttime sounds of a lived in house were missing. Not loud noises, just the ambience. It was literally too quiet and he didn't like that. He needed to wake MK.

Rolling over, he reached out to gently shake the hero, but froze when he realized there was no need. MK was already awake.

[noodleboi]

MK was awake. He didn't hear Cole tossing and turning in his nightmare. He hadn't felt it. The Monkie Kid had curled up on himself and wrapped his arms his chest. He was crying in the nest. The silence bubble was around them, blocking the sounds of the house from getting in or his sobs from getting out. His mouth was open as he just let it out. It was like drowning. MK tried to keep his head above the water. To push down the feelings and stay on whatever little raft he could make for himself.

Here he could let it out. Just sob and cry and no let anyone hear. They all had so much to deal with already. So much weird and suffering. They didn't need to hear his. They didn't need to know. He would just let it out, cry himself to sleep, and get up tomorrow to do it again. He'd been up for three days straight and kept busy. Then he used caffeine to stay awake a little longer, and now he was here. He felt movement and jolted. He rolled over, eyes wide, and stared at Cole.

Cole who was awake.

Cole who saw him crying. His lip trembled as he just stared, the silence around them hung heavy. MK didn't turn it off.

[tethered_roamer]

Cole stared at him, despite his hood covering most of his face. How long had MK been crying and how had he slept through it? A power probably. It was still so quiet.

Taking in one more breath, he wrapped both of his arms around the hero and pressed close, willing himself to gradually relax. MK was carrying so much weight lately. And he was trying not to bother anyone again. So Cole tried to make this message as clear as he could without words.

I'm here. I've got you.

It was all that he wanted to say right now. There was no point in anything else yet.

Backdated - Pre Heart Game [Locked to <user name="dadbeatdad">]

[tethered_roamer]

Cole needed to step away. There was too much unease, too many conflicting feeling in the air of that house. Too much stress. He wasn't in a good place either and it was a slippery slope for him if he didn't. So he'd just left to walk. No destination in mind, no goals, just movement. But the problem with changelings in his state going alone with no goals was that it was easy to wind up anywhere because things tended to blend together with his inner thoughts, leading to further distraction.

It was in exiting one such distraction, a random alley, that he bumped into someone unexpectedly. Someone that, after stumbling back with an apology on his tongue, he recognized from a memorable introduction over the network. "Lucifer? Sorry...I didn't see you sooner."

Re: Backdated - Pre Heart Game [Locked to <user name="dadbeatdad">]

[dadbeatdad]

Lucifer had been on a walk of his own, though not nearly with such dire thoughts on his mind. Sure, the occasional thing came up but mostly he was looking for a job. Something to entertain himself until Charlie and him could open their hotel. He made a small noise as Cole bumped right into him and he stumbled back. His hat fell down on his face and he had to adjust it back up.

"Oh Cole. Hello. Distracted, here you? Or are you simply walking around with your eyes closed? No judgment either way. Simply curious."

Re: Backdated - Pre Heart Game [Locked to <user name="dadbeatdad">]

[tethered_roamer]

"I guess distracted, yeah." It still blew Cole away how different this Lucifer was from the one he'd met briefly. Truly two different kinds of people. "Just taking a walk, but my mind wandered. You're alright, right?"

Not that he thought for a minute that he'd actually hurt the king of hell, but the man was nearly as short as he was and it was only polite to make sure.

Time for Another Talk [Locked to <user name="castaside">]

[tethered_roamer]

Since exiting the simulation, Cole had been keeping a bit more distance from other people. Not outright avoidance, but noticeable. Mostly because a lot of that time was often spent in the yard with Ash and his two Pokemon, or up in the treehouse reading some comics he'd gotten from using a dandelion. One was his favorite from back when he was a child, but the other was one he'd never seen, but was a gift from a close friend.

The addition of a baby Sentret to the house, a shy little thing that seemed to need constant care for now, was helping immensely with some of his own insecurities. A bit. But today wasn't a watch the Pokemon play day, it was a "quietly read the hand-drawn comic that was a gift" day. Also known as either relaxation or "Try to get his sense of self restabilized" day. Both were true and a convenient excuse to not address the shadow-monkey shaped bundle of fear that lived rent-free in his mind for the foreseeable future...and to try not to worry his friends and boyfriend, all of whom were currently still settling back into their own norms. He didn't want to drag them down with something he had to handle himself. So he read, letting the little sci-fi world consume literally all of his attention.

Re: Time for Another Talk [Locked to <user name="castaside">]

[castaside]

Macaque gave Cole some space. Then he gave him a little more space. But all this space isn't conducive to the discussions they clearly need to have, which seem to be multiplying. So Macaque makes his way to the treehouse, by way of the actual ladder so that he can knock on the wall all civilized-like. See what he's been brought to?

"Just seeing if you need anything." Well... not just. But as a line, it works.

Re: Time for Another Talk [Locked to <user name="castaside">]

[tethered_roamer]

Cole doesn't so much as look up until Macaque speaks, jumping a little as he looks up. "No, I've got everything for now."

Macaque he had definitely been avoiding the most. He checked on how Macaque was feeling, how he was recovering, then he mad himself scarce. Because he doesn't want to talk about what happened. He honestly can't see the benefit...but then, Cole clearly couldn't see him coming even when it was obvious right now.

"Did you need something? Are you okay?" He's been asking so much lately.

June 15th - Locked to <user name="noodleboi">

[tethered_roamer]

Things were ready for the test. A test Cole wasn't confident would go well, at least not the more ideal way. But it should still be for the better even despite the immediate downsides that would happen from the less ideal outcome. Either way, he had a plan, so now he just needed MK here.

Not that it would be hard to do that, he just needed to send a text really. A little note to meet him in his room to talk. Just a talk. Not a lie since talking was the goal overall, he just was testing a new way to talk.

The pets had been cared for, the chores were done, and Cole had prepped cocoa and nostalgia bread to help keep the comfort as high as possible. All that was left to do was wait.

Re: June 15th - Locked to <user name="noodleboi">

[noodleboi]

MK texted back he was on the way. Cole wanted to talk. That was okay. He was not gonna let himself spiral. Whatever Cole wanted to talk about, he could do it. He wasn't going to be the problem. He didn't shadow portal though. Instead he rode his cloud and opened the door. He headed into Cole's room and smiled softly.

"Hey. I'm here. What's up? Everything okay?"

Re: June 15th - Locked to <user name="noodleboi">

[tethered_roamer]

"Nothing's wrong. I just was hoping you'll try a new way to talk through what's going on with you," Cole said. "I had an idea...and even if it doesn't go great this time, it's hopefully going to help us both."

He moved to sit on the bed, the tray of snacks between him and where MK was meant to sit so there was almost no chance of accidental contact. He motioned for MK to close the door, if he was willing to try.

Touch therapy

[tethered_roamer]

Cole had been doing some thinking since the last time they had tried to touch. MK's touch aversion was worse than his, and figuring out how to help him through it has been a challenge. But he had finally gotten an idea, one that he was confident would give a good start in progress and hopefully give MK some actual hope.

Today he was sitting on the couch, a controller in his lap and a game in his console. It was one MK had picked up awhile ago. Before the library, the coma...the death. But one they hadn't had a chance to play together.

"Cheese popcorn tonight?" he called into the kitchen.

Re: Touch therapy

[noodleboi]

"Sure thing! Cheese popcorn it is!" Mk called back. He was putting together the snacks. They had some candy, popcorn, and drinks. He was glad they could try this. He hadn't wanted to play video games since the cursed game. But watching someone else play sounded like a fun idea. He could do that. He wasn't aware of Cole's other plans. Still, he's feeling better than he was just a few days ago.

"Alright. Got all the snacks," MK and a couple clones bring out the food and drinks. They set them on the coffee table and the clones poof. He sat next to Cole and smiled.

"Ready when you are."

Re: Touch therapy

[tethered_roamer]

The smile made Cole respond in kind. He missed the smiles. "I also had an idea, if you want to try," he offered. "Since this is horror night, I thought that maybe you can hold me if you get scared. Like we do with movies." Did with movies...but he didn't want to say it like that. He wanted to try and keep things normal.

"My hands need to stay on the controller, so maybe between that, you having control of us touching, and that you like to hold me when things are scary...it might be easier."

Post-Psuedo Therapy

[tethered_roamer]

When Macaque gets home, earlier than Cole was planning for, nothing seems out of the ordinary. The Pokemon and Smokey are napping together near her hutch, Ash is in the backyard sunning herself, and Cole seems to be gone. But so is the door that leads out to Ash's much larger hutch. Actually, the whole hutch seems to have vanished and either the giant rabbit hasn't noticed or doesn't care.

It's a big thing to be out of place, but also seems to be the only thing?

Re: Post-Psuedo Therapy

[castaside]

Macaque, being just a hint on edge after all that's happened lately, notices the absence immediately and his heart rate skyrockets. What the hell is going on now?

His first instinct, of course, is to look for Cole. He tries not to appear too panicky about it, to limited success.

"Cole?" Please let him answer.

Re: Post-Psuedo Therapy

[tethered_roamer]

Thankfully, Cole's just finished his meeting and the door reappears. Macaque will easily hear Cole's heartbeat and another as they say their goodbyes. Then the door opening and closing. Cole frowns, looking Macaque at his room. "Macaque? You're back early, is something up?"

Macaque checking in isn't weird, he just wasn't expecting him to be here now.

October 5th - Locked to <user name="melodymania">

[tethered_roamer]

As basically usual, the weather was nice and mild so Cole had decided to just spend it in the yard. MK was doing the after work nap with Wukong and Macaque with his other found family, and today wasn't a therapy day so he wasn't going to see Lucifer.

So pet day it was, him leaning against Cyn while Cocoa explored the yard in her new and long, Furret body. Ash lounged nearby as unconcerned as a horse-sized rabbit is justified in being.

So it was a peaceful day.

Re: October 5th - Locked to <user name="melodymania">

[kingofcorruption]

It was a nice day to go for a walk and Max wanted to check in with Cole. See how the Lost was doing and chat with him, if possible. He walked down the sidewalk and up to the fence around the yard. He knocked on the wood of the fence and waved with a light smile on his face.

"Long time no see, Cole. May I come in?"

Re: October 5th - Locked to <user name="melodymania">

[tethered_roamer]

If Cole's day was a soundtrack, this would be the point where the ominous theme of an approaching threat would start up. But he did manage to squash that unease with some serious effort. Max was now here as an official offworlder apparently, which meant his presence didn't mean things were wrong more than anyone else stopping by. And with his only counter being 'Is the world ending?' as a potential no to the question, there just wasn't a good reason to say no.

Technically, given how things had been recently, things were more likely to be fine than almost anyone else coming by. If he was being honest.

"If you want to," he said finally, once his nerves were settled. "Just be mindful of Ash." Though, the battle rabbit seemed surprisingly at ease about the new face being allowed into the yard.