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The rat hoard is much more socially friendly than Em thought they would be. Though, of course, the snacks help. A few are overeager, staticky NUZZLES gifted in exchange for snacks, but it's all friendly. Something he himself is super used to.[break][break]

His head flops to the side to watch the rat mountain grow, still laughing at how ridiculous the sight is. "Yeah! They totally do!" One rattata tumbles away from the pack, and crawls on Emerson instead. Apparently more intent on receiving a chin scratch than a treat.[break][break]

Em's eyes light up at the suggestion, face brightening with an extra dose of enthusiasm given his tipsiness. "Oh, yeah you should! They're the best. Especially the electric ones." The purple mouse on his chest nips his finger for the offense. "Owie."

It's as if his mind is working on a lag, because he's still processing the fact the camera not on his head. The chip bag in the water. The detachment, and the surrealness of it.[break][break]

If the camera isn't on his head, it's... he pauses, then turns to the body he seems to be separated from. His, body. The cam light still blinks bright red. Phew.[break][break]

This was going to turn out some weird footage. Wait, could they even be seen on camera? Actually, did it even matter? Once again, Em feels that odd tug. The unspoken sense that maybe it would be better to just leave all this behind. It was a hassle to worry about. What was the point if he could just drift on through to somewhere else?.[break][break]

As tumult began to unfold around him, he stood (floated?) there, tugging against the burning desire to just ditch his corporeal form altogether.[break][break]

Somebody's in my body![break][break]

"Huh?" Dewy, glazed eyes blink, and his head turns on a slow swivel toward memphis evren, then follows his line of sight toward what had been left behind. Again, that dose of apathy holds him still, as he watches memphis evren fail to reach his own body and angelo vestri attempt to ward of an influx of ghosties seeking a host.[break][break]

So much squabbling over the right to one of those warm bodies.[break][break]

It isn't until he registers that this could happen to him next that he snaps out of his stupor, and the babbling panic sets in.[break][break]

"H-hey! Didn't we bring something..? Uh...a-a tag! Thing! Who had it? Was it me? Did I hold it?" Emerson begins to pat himself down before remembering that that's not going to do him a lick of good if he's not in his body. And so the race back to it begins as he tears away from the temptation locking him in place. How does he even get back in to begin with?[break][break]

Maybe it's like hacking a computer. Or...or something.

[attr="class","ooc"] angelo vestri memphis evren | shania twain voice: let’s go girls [break]
+ feel a throbbing temptation to pass through the border to the afterlife.[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

If they were anywhere near a window, he’d point out toward the lot where his obnoxious van sat parked. In all of its Geek Squad-esque glory. Instead, his head tilted, and he reached up to push a stray lock of red behind his ear. “I do a lot of IT consulting and repair. Among other things, but, ummm yeah. Mostly that.”[break][break]

Probably boring, right? She looked adventurous. Totally different vibes than him.[break][break]

Emerson was pretty sure he had all of the flavor and flair of vanilla bean ice cream.[break][break]

“Preference?” he asked as he lifted a hand to flag the bartender. He definitely wasn’t going to repeat the specialty, he knew that much. The sugary sweet still lingered on his tongue, cloying and a little overwhelming. “Sounds good to me.” Finally, he was able to offer her a steadier smile that didn’t reek of social anxiety.[break][break]

It only helped that the mention of his hometown seemed to land well with her. “It is pretty scenic, huh?” the thought of it was almost enough to make him feel homesick. Just for a moment. A small huff of laughter followed her skepticism. “I just…wanted to get away.” He shrugged. “Not from the place, but, well…expectations, I guess.” that was a universal sort of feeling, right?

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] thalia black | bar crawl / burning maw [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-minccino"]

He shivers, violently so. But angelo vestri ’s reply draws a sputtery laugh from the redhead all the same. Trying to shake off the moppishly soaked feeling, his long hair splats across his face. But the sensation begins…to dull? “Uuuhhh y-yeah that. But also, I dunno.” Emerson looks down at his hands, turning them back and forth. “Weird like…I’m only feeling the sensation because logically I know that’s what I’m supposed to be feeling.”[break][break]

There’s this other feeling too. Like he should leave. But not just to get out of the borderlands itself, but to..cross over?[break][break]

Or maybe he’s just frozen.[break][break]

“Oh he was saying somethin’ like about how souls can detach from bodies and, uhhhh…tests and cascades of truth?” he stops short when he sees memphis evren , and lifts a hand. “Hey! You pass your test, weary traveler dude?” It’s only when Memphis goes to grab the floating chip back that Em realizes he lost it. “Oh—shoot!” His hands fly up to the cam corder…and pass straight through. “Ummmm, what…?”[break][break]

He turns back to Angelo, “Is the light still blinking?” but Angelo’s looking beyond him, and so is Memphis. And for good reason.[break][break]

“Uh, yeah—same question.” He points lamely at the archivist in reference as he balks at the duplicates clustered near to one another. That strange sensation returns, urging him to tug further away from that corporeal version of himself. Okay, so feeling funny was putting it lightly.[break][break]

And the dorito bag is still floating in the pool, yikes. What a trivial thought in the middle of all this.

[attr="class","ooc"] angelo vestri memphis evren | shania twain voice: let’s go girls [break]
+ the beginning of feel a throbbing temptation to pass through the border to the afterlife.[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

[attr="class","icon"]

“This isn’t even all of ‘em,” he manages through his fit of laughter.[break][break]

He stoops down next to James, but his coordination and balance finally give out and he topples back in a sprawl on the carpet.[break][break]

“Oof”

But that’s nothing compared to the little rats clambering all over James with sudden enthusiasm to get to the offered snacks.[break][break]

“They like you! Or the food..same difference.”

[attr="class","icon"]

Ah! Another porygon! “I wonder how it managed to get in here..”[break][break]

He gave a brief nod. “Looks like it!” Emerson chirped in response as he gathered his own up into his arms, scratching it under the chin as praise for a job well done. “It was probably nesting, or…something to that effect.”[break][break]

Making itself comfortable despite causing the systems to go haywire. Em nodded though, and released the porygon-z from his hold once again. “Absolutely. Glitch, once more please.” The digital bird drifted away again, floating along the rows of servers.[break][break]

“Oh, I would have your department run some more tests as well, though, if you like. Just for that extra peace of mind.” After all, this is mostly just quick diagnostic work.[break][break]

He smiled lightly, “I Think you’ll find it’s cleared up relatively quick, though. Without that little guy camping out.”

“Hmm, yeah…just a sec,” he reaches up to fiddle with the toggle button until it zooms in as far as it will go. Not that it turns up much in the way of results.[break][break]

Emerson squints at the waterfall as they near it—making out the faint shadow on the other side. Guess the only way in was through. His nose immediately wrinkles in distaste at the idea. angelo vestri ’s on it, though. Which makes sense because he’s, like, way more qualified for these sorts of things.[break][break]

With no choice but to play follow the leader, he tried to psych himself up. A serious expression ill-fit on his face as slaps at his cheeks light with both hands to rally the willpower to step into chilled water. Only…to freeze in place as memphis evren speaks. He shifts to the side slowly, palms still pressed to his face, wide-eyed.[break][break]

“That’s some freaky, ominous shit, my guy,” he intones with an air of wariness. No, no. The last time he was here, he watched a group mate get possessed… or something. So how bad could a waterfall be?[break][break]

With that in mind, he steels himself—only pausing one last time when he realizes his camera might not be waterproof. “Um, er..”[break][break]

He doesn’t think about, y’know, just momentarily taking the head piece off. That would be too easy. Fumbling through his bag, Em notes the lack of forethought. No ziplock bag…nary a roll of plastic wrap. All he’s got is an empty cool ranch doritos bag from earlier.[break][break]

It crinkles as he pulls it over the cam piece (still recording) and mentally labels the move as sheer ingenuity. Even if it immediately slips off from the sheer force of the cascading water.[break][break]

“Feels kinda weird, doesn’t it?” His teeth are chattering. Long, wet hair making him look like a drowned toy furfrou. But that was maybe the least of it.

[attr="class","ooc"] angelo vestri memphis evren | shania twain voice: let’s go girls [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]