Bad Cop's (and Good Cop's) Ask Blog

Ask us some questions. We'll usually answer them.

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

▫️ Welcome to our ask blog! We started this blog as a way for Bad to more comfortably socialize, and to meet new people and hopefully make some new friends! Be sure to look through the rest of this post to get an idea of what to expect here! And please don’t let Bad intimidate you, I promise he’s not as grouchy as he seems. We can't wait to hear from you!

▪️ Thought I'd toss this up here for the newbies. I have a very blunt, direct way of both speaking and typing, and I guess especially over text it makes me sound angry or grumpy when I'm actually not. I'm usually in a fairly good mood, so uh. Yeah. Don't let that scare you off. I'm happy to answer your questions.

RULES:

✮ No NSFW or otherwise suggestive asks, please. We haven't had any problems with this yet but bear in mind that if this gets abused, anon will get turned off.

✮ No shippy or suggestive rp starters. Mun is very much an adult and is also very much aware most of the active fandom these days are minors.

✮ Rude asks will not get answered either. This blog is run by an actual human being, not AI. If it's something you wouldn't want someone to say to you, then don't say it to us either.

SETTING:

It's the year 2016. Two years have passed since Business' attempts at Kragling the world. Master Builders are no longer outlawed, and the Super Secret Police have found a new purpose.

CHARACTERS:

✮ Liam "Bad Cop" Copp ✮ Garrett "Good Cop" Copp ✮ Frank ✮ AJ ✮ Ace ✮ Ma Copp (guest appearances) ✮ Pa Copp (guest appearances) ✮ Benny (guest appearances)

Asks will be answered by Good Cop and Bad Cop by default. If you want your ask to be answered by the robots, or by Ma and Pa or Benny when they're available, please be sure to specify that in your question.

TIPS FOR INTERACTION:

✮ Feel free to send in asks that may prompt a drawn response. Mun is trying to practice art but tends to be a bit short on ideas. Just be prepared to wait a while for your ask to be answered as art takes mun a while.

✮ If you want to interact but can't quite think of anything to ask, keep an eye out for ask prompt lists to be reblogged. They will always be tagged with "ask prompts" so you can check for them if you missed one coming up on your dash. It is perfectly okay to send in prompts from older lists! Just be sure to name which list your prompts came from so mun knows which questions to answer.

✮ You can also look through the lore tag to see if there's anything you'd like to know more about. The cast don't always answer everything in-depth so you can always ask for more details.

LINKS:

The TAKOS Tuesday That Never Was

Answered Asks | Lore | Short Stories | Art | Bad Cop's Apology

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

because why not?

"Why not" is usually answer enough for me, but if you were hoping to catch us off guard and freak us out, I'm sorry to disappoint but this isn't our first time being women. And Liam's more annoyed at your insistence than anything.

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

BOOM.

girl bomb! you and everyone in your general vicinity is now a girl! like, twenty something year olds girls. hah!

...

[sighs]

Why.

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t answer. She didn’t want to. Instead, she let herself be absorbed by rearranging her satchel to accommodate the empty bottles. The glasses clinked and rattled as she messed with them, creating an erratic chime. It didn’t soothe Avi as much as she had hoped. So, when the glass had been sorted to her taste, she pulled out a new concoction. And with her back turned to Liam, she drank it whole. Slowly, she shrank down, and as she did, Avi allowed herself to go into her full kestrel form. She grew smaller and smaller, until she could be no bigger than Lily. Having achieved her desired outcome, Avi curled around her satchel and puffed up her feathers. Liam could faintly hear her whimpering, and what can only be assumed to be crying.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam sighs and moves to sit next to her. He reaches over and gently pets her head.]

Come on you, no beating yourself up. Everybody's okay.

[emmetverse]

The bug felt the floor around it, slowly and carefully moving away from the two of them. Buddy backed off down the hallway as it approached the door. It seemed to decide that the doorway was too narrow, and instead clambered up the wall next to it, then slipped out that way. It paused half-in-half-out, feeling around the doorframe and the door itself. It then dissapeared up towards the ceiling.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi chirped, and Liam could hear the disbelief in her tone. After a handful more sad clicks and coos, she lifted her head and laid it over his leg. Much rustling followed, as she adjusted body to lie on top of her satchel.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam raises an eyebrow at her. They can't just sit here, especially not when Buddy's still so freaked out and they have no idea how many other people may or may not have been turned into giant bugs as well. He picks her up and follows the wood louse out into the hallway to find Buddy again.]

[emmetverse]

Buddy's just off to one side of the door, pressing himself against the wall in an attempt to 'hide'. The bug is cautiously making its way along the ceiling in the opposite direction, curiously feeling the lights overhead and trying (and failing) to avoid them.

Angry buzzing is still coming from behind one of the closed doors, and a little, round head poked out of the doorway, watching the woodlouse curiously for a moment before spotting the people and ducking away.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi, at first, did not mind being picked up. That was, until, she realized that would mean leaving her satchel behind. She screeched and wiggled furiously, reaching down for the strap of her precious bag. With much struggling, Avi managed to securely clasp the leather satchel in her claws. The satchel dangled awkwardly in her grasp, just barely above the floor. Avi was satisfied by this, so she stopped being a nuisance and started being sad again.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam takes the satchel from her and slings it over his shoulder without missing a beat. He quickly scans the hallway. Woodlouse is minding its own business and out of the way, Buddy is... at least not attacking anything. Good enough for now. He sets off to investigate the buzzing noise.]

[emmetverse]

It seemed to be coming from Threes' and Joey's room. The handle rattled from the other side.

Buddy ducked into the kitchen behind them, most likely to sit under what was left of the table. Anything to be where the bugs weren't.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi hangs limp and open-clawed in Liam’s arms, not really having any way to distract herself with the satchel gone. She jostled her wings, pushing up her feathers so she could stress-preen.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam walks over to the door and puts his hand on the handle, slowly opening it. The buzzing on the other side certainly doesn't sound happy, but then, he wouldn't be either if he was trapped in a small space. It shouldn't be too much trouble to shoo it outside.]

[emmetverse]

The door was heavy, and it seemed to be due to the bug standing on it in order to reach the handle. It peered around the edge of the door at them. It hopped off of the door so it wouldn't get squished against the wall, stumbling on the rug. Its little hooked feet struggled with the fluffiness.

The wasp was also oversized, the top of its antennae reaching Liam's chin. It was missing one of its front legs and the corresponding wing was crumpled. It clicked lightly as it watched them, then turned, and tried to use its jaws to pick up a piece of paper from the floor. It was about as unsuccessful as expected

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi plucked away at herself, pulling out damaged or misshapen feathers that floated to the ground below. She’s never really had any luck with her back half, and considering her current position it’s not likely she would be able to reach. So her preen came to an end around her front legs. Having now exhausted all methods of distraction, she decided to observe and mope. She had already guessed that whatever was in here would be a once-emmet as well, so the wasp didn’t surprise her. And judging by its appearance, she figured it wasn’t a reach to say it’s Threes. What is he doing? Wait-he’s trying to grab that paper! Avi squirmed her way out of Liam’s grasp, and flew down onto the fluffy rug to investigate the paper.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam loosens his hold when Avi starts squirming, letting her jump down. He's also curious about the paper Threes pointed out, and leans down to pick it up. He rolls his eyes when he sees who it's from.]

Hmph. She can stew a little longer. You doing okay, Threes?

[emmetverse]

He stepped closer and pressed his forehead against Liam's leg. A soft, humming sound came from him - one that could be best described as purring.

Another creature emerged from under the bed. A bright orange, very fluffy caterpillar, with darker stripes. It was about the length of an arm and absolutely featureless from above thanks to its fluff. It inched its way over to the group.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi huffed, thoroughly annoyed by The Artificer’s note. Why couldn’t that metal freak just leave them alone? She trotted over to the bed, intending to turn around when she reached a post. The caterpillar changed that plan. It was smaller than Avi herself, and she took interest in the fluffy thing. So she followed alongside it as it inched along, chirping at it in an attempt to be encouraging.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam smiles and pets his head.]

Glad to hear it, buddy. So we've got two of you figured out now, Buddy's unchanged... Wonder who the wood louse is?

[emmetverse]

Threes sat enjoying the headpats for a few seconds before leaning away and shaking himself off. He chirped a couple of times and headbutted Liam again, a little rougher this time.

The caterpillar squeaked in response, lifting its head to try and see her. It waved its front legs at her face.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi nuzzled her head into the caterpillar’s front legs, maneuvering herself in such a way that it could ride on her back if it chose to climb up. She chittered lightly, nudging the caterpillar’s tummy with her beak to help it get an idea of her intentions.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

Oof- okay okay you're right, that was a bit offensive, I'm sorry. Also I'm guessing that was Joey doing the purring. Um... Avi, be careful not to let Brick's spines touch you, he might be venomous... Last thing we need is your Pater coming for our head because you broke out into a serious case of hives.

[emmetverse]

He clicked softly - something like a laugh - and turned to look at Avi and Brick, too.

Brick clambered up and on. The tiny legs weren't made for moving fast. At least, not in the way he was trying to use them. He held on well, though. This was a cat who enjoyed the odd shoulder ride.

Threes turned away and trotted towards the door. He peered up and down the hall before heading out, towards the main room.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi puffed up her feathers as Brick climbed up onto her, hoping they would deflect any spines the caterpillar has. Once she was sure he was up, Avi raised her wings slightly to help him stay in place. With a few warning chirps, Avi jogged after Threes.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam follows them out of Threes' room. He moves to check Void's room next, to see if any of the others have been transformed as well.]

Try to avoid the kitchen if you can, Threes. Buddy's in there and he's not doing so well right now.

[emmetverse]

Threes paused in step and looked back. He didn't make any sound, but he seemed to acknowledge, and continued into the living room.

Void's door was closed, as usual. It didn't sound like there was anything strange on the other side.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi marched along with her fluffy buddy, continuing her stride past Threes when he stops. She goes all the way over to the door dividing the living room and kitchen, attempting to push it closed using her head. She didn’t want Buddy to freak out further.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam knocks on the door and waits to see if there's any response.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

say yesstrogen to estrogen!!!

No thanks.

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

look at it and ponder, Liam. look at it and ponder

I think maybe I'll just find someone else to give it to. I have no need of it.

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t answer. She didn’t want to. Instead, she let herself be absorbed by rearranging her satchel to accommodate the empty bottles. The glasses clinked and rattled as she messed with them, creating an erratic chime. It didn’t soothe Avi as much as she had hoped. So, when the glass had been sorted to her taste, she pulled out a new concoction. And with her back turned to Liam, she drank it whole. Slowly, she shrank down, and as she did, Avi allowed herself to go into her full kestrel form. She grew smaller and smaller, until she could be no bigger than Lily. Having achieved her desired outcome, Avi curled around her satchel and puffed up her feathers. Liam could faintly hear her whimpering, and what can only be assumed to be crying.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam sighs and moves to sit next to her. He reaches over and gently pets her head.]

Come on you, no beating yourself up. Everybody's okay.

[emmetverse]

The bug felt the floor around it, slowly and carefully moving away from the two of them. Buddy backed off down the hallway as it approached the door. It seemed to decide that the doorway was too narrow, and instead clambered up the wall next to it, then slipped out that way. It paused half-in-half-out, feeling around the doorframe and the door itself. It then dissapeared up towards the ceiling.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi chirped, and Liam could hear the disbelief in her tone. After a handful more sad clicks and coos, she lifted her head and laid it over his leg. Much rustling followed, as she adjusted body to lie on top of her satchel.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam raises an eyebrow at her. They can't just sit here, especially not when Buddy's still so freaked out and they have no idea how many other people may or may not have been turned into giant bugs as well. He picks her up and follows the wood louse out into the hallway to find Buddy again.]

[emmetverse]

Buddy's just off to one side of the door, pressing himself against the wall in an attempt to 'hide'. The bug is cautiously making its way along the ceiling in the opposite direction, curiously feeling the lights overhead and trying (and failing) to avoid them.

Angry buzzing is still coming from behind one of the closed doors, and a little, round head poked out of the doorway, watching the woodlouse curiously for a moment before spotting the people and ducking away.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi, at first, did not mind being picked up. That was, until, she realized that would mean leaving her satchel behind. She screeched and wiggled furiously, reaching down for the strap of her precious bag. With much struggling, Avi managed to securely clasp the leather satchel in her claws. The satchel dangled awkwardly in her grasp, just barely above the floor. Avi was satisfied by this, so she stopped being a nuisance and started being sad again.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam takes the satchel from her and slings it over his shoulder without missing a beat. He quickly scans the hallway. Woodlouse is minding its own business and out of the way, Buddy is... at least not attacking anything. Good enough for now. He sets off to investigate the buzzing noise.]

[emmetverse]

It seemed to be coming from Threes' and Joey's room. The handle rattled from the other side.

Buddy ducked into the kitchen behind them, most likely to sit under what was left of the table. Anything to be where the bugs weren't.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi hangs limp and open-clawed in Liam’s arms, not really having any way to distract herself with the satchel gone. She jostled her wings, pushing up her feathers so she could stress-preen.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam walks over to the door and puts his hand on the handle, slowly opening it. The buzzing on the other side certainly doesn't sound happy, but then, he wouldn't be either if he was trapped in a small space. It shouldn't be too much trouble to shoo it outside.]

[emmetverse]

The door was heavy, and it seemed to be due to the bug standing on it in order to reach the handle. It peered around the edge of the door at them. It hopped off of the door so it wouldn't get squished against the wall, stumbling on the rug. Its little hooked feet struggled with the fluffiness.

The wasp was also oversized, the top of its antennae reaching Liam's chin. It was missing one of its front legs and the corresponding wing was crumpled. It clicked lightly as it watched them, then turned, and tried to use its jaws to pick up a piece of paper from the floor. It was about as unsuccessful as expected

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi plucked away at herself, pulling out damaged or misshapen feathers that floated to the ground below. She’s never really had any luck with her back half, and considering her current position it’s not likely she would be able to reach. So her preen came to an end around her front legs. Having now exhausted all methods of distraction, she decided to observe and mope. She had already guessed that whatever was in here would be a once-emmet as well, so the wasp didn’t surprise her. And judging by its appearance, she figured it wasn’t a reach to say it’s Threes. What is he doing? Wait-he’s trying to grab that paper! Avi squirmed her way out of Liam’s grasp, and flew down onto the fluffy rug to investigate the paper.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam loosens his hold when Avi starts squirming, letting her jump down. He's also curious about the paper Threes pointed out, and leans down to pick it up. He rolls his eyes when he sees who it's from.]

Hmph. She can stew a little longer. You doing okay, Threes?

[emmetverse]

He stepped closer and pressed his forehead against Liam's leg. A soft, humming sound came from him - one that could be best described as purring.

Another creature emerged from under the bed. A bright orange, very fluffy caterpillar, with darker stripes. It was about the length of an arm and absolutely featureless from above thanks to its fluff. It inched its way over to the group.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi huffed, thoroughly annoyed by The Artificer’s note. Why couldn’t that metal freak just leave them alone? She trotted over to the bed, intending to turn around when she reached a post. The caterpillar changed that plan. It was smaller than Avi herself, and she took interest in the fluffy thing. So she followed alongside it as it inched along, chirping at it in an attempt to be encouraging.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam smiles and pets his head.]

Glad to hear it, buddy. So we've got two of you figured out now, Buddy's unchanged... Wonder who the wood louse is?

[emmetverse]

Threes sat enjoying the headpats for a few seconds before leaning away and shaking himself off. He chirped a couple of times and headbutted Liam again, a little rougher this time.

The caterpillar squeaked in response, lifting its head to try and see her. It waved its front legs at her face.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi nuzzled her head into the caterpillar’s front legs, maneuvering herself in such a way that it could ride on her back if it chose to climb up. She chittered lightly, nudging the caterpillar’s tummy with her beak to help it get an idea of her intentions.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

Oof- okay okay you're right, that was a bit offensive, I'm sorry. Also I'm guessing that was Joey doing the purring. Um... Avi, be careful not to let Brick's spines touch you, he might be venomous... Last thing we need is your Pater coming for our head because you broke out into a serious case of hives.

[emmetverse]

He clicked softly - something like a laugh - and turned to look at Avi and Brick, too.

Brick clambered up and on. The tiny legs weren't made for moving fast. At least, not in the way he was trying to use them. He held on well, though. This was a cat who enjoyed the odd shoulder ride.

Threes turned away and trotted towards the door. He peered up and down the hall before heading out, towards the main room.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi puffed up her feathers as Brick climbed up onto her, hoping they would deflect any spines the caterpillar has. Once she was sure he was up, Avi raised her wings slightly to help him stay in place. With a few warning chirps, Avi jogged after Threes.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam follows them out of Threes' room. He moves to check Void's room next, to see if any of the others have been transformed as well.]

Try to avoid the kitchen if you can, Threes. Buddy's in there and he's not doing so well right now.

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

Liam, I've got something for you, if you wanna *hands over estrogen and walks away*

I'm. Honestly not sure what I'm supposed to do with this...?

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t answer. She didn’t want to. Instead, she let herself be absorbed by rearranging her satchel to accommodate the empty bottles. The glasses clinked and rattled as she messed with them, creating an erratic chime. It didn’t soothe Avi as much as she had hoped. So, when the glass had been sorted to her taste, she pulled out a new concoction. And with her back turned to Liam, she drank it whole. Slowly, she shrank down, and as she did, Avi allowed herself to go into her full kestrel form. She grew smaller and smaller, until she could be no bigger than Lily. Having achieved her desired outcome, Avi curled around her satchel and puffed up her feathers. Liam could faintly hear her whimpering, and what can only be assumed to be crying.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam sighs and moves to sit next to her. He reaches over and gently pets her head.]

Come on you, no beating yourself up. Everybody's okay.

[emmetverse]

The bug felt the floor around it, slowly and carefully moving away from the two of them. Buddy backed off down the hallway as it approached the door. It seemed to decide that the doorway was too narrow, and instead clambered up the wall next to it, then slipped out that way. It paused half-in-half-out, feeling around the doorframe and the door itself. It then dissapeared up towards the ceiling.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi chirped, and Liam could hear the disbelief in her tone. After a handful more sad clicks and coos, she lifted her head and laid it over his leg. Much rustling followed, as she adjusted body to lie on top of her satchel.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam raises an eyebrow at her. They can't just sit here, especially not when Buddy's still so freaked out and they have no idea how many other people may or may not have been turned into giant bugs as well. He picks her up and follows the wood louse out into the hallway to find Buddy again.]

[emmetverse]

Buddy's just off to one side of the door, pressing himself against the wall in an attempt to 'hide'. The bug is cautiously making its way along the ceiling in the opposite direction, curiously feeling the lights overhead and trying (and failing) to avoid them.

Angry buzzing is still coming from behind one of the closed doors, and a little, round head poked out of the doorway, watching the woodlouse curiously for a moment before spotting the people and ducking away.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi, at first, did not mind being picked up. That was, until, she realized that would mean leaving her satchel behind. She screeched and wiggled furiously, reaching down for the strap of her precious bag. With much struggling, Avi managed to securely clasp the leather satchel in her claws. The satchel dangled awkwardly in her grasp, just barely above the floor. Avi was satisfied by this, so she stopped being a nuisance and started being sad again.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam takes the satchel from her and slings it over his shoulder without missing a beat. He quickly scans the hallway. Woodlouse is minding its own business and out of the way, Buddy is... at least not attacking anything. Good enough for now. He sets off to investigate the buzzing noise.]

[emmetverse]

It seemed to be coming from Threes' and Joey's room. The handle rattled from the other side.

Buddy ducked into the kitchen behind them, most likely to sit under what was left of the table. Anything to be where the bugs weren't.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi hangs limp and open-clawed in Liam’s arms, not really having any way to distract herself with the satchel gone. She jostled her wings, pushing up her feathers so she could stress-preen.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam walks over to the door and puts his hand on the handle, slowly opening it. The buzzing on the other side certainly doesn't sound happy, but then, he wouldn't be either if he was trapped in a small space. It shouldn't be too much trouble to shoo it outside.]

[emmetverse]

The door was heavy, and it seemed to be due to the bug standing on it in order to reach the handle. It peered around the edge of the door at them. It hopped off of the door so it wouldn't get squished against the wall, stumbling on the rug. Its little hooked feet struggled with the fluffiness.

The wasp was also oversized, the top of its antennae reaching Liam's chin. It was missing one of its front legs and the corresponding wing was crumpled. It clicked lightly as it watched them, then turned, and tried to use its jaws to pick up a piece of paper from the floor. It was about as unsuccessful as expected

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi plucked away at herself, pulling out damaged or misshapen feathers that floated to the ground below. She’s never really had any luck with her back half, and considering her current position it’s not likely she would be able to reach. So her preen came to an end around her front legs. Having now exhausted all methods of distraction, she decided to observe and mope. She had already guessed that whatever was in here would be a once-emmet as well, so the wasp didn’t surprise her. And judging by its appearance, she figured it wasn’t a reach to say it’s Threes. What is he doing? Wait-he’s trying to grab that paper! Avi squirmed her way out of Liam’s grasp, and flew down onto the fluffy rug to investigate the paper.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam loosens his hold when Avi starts squirming, letting her jump down. He's also curious about the paper Threes pointed out, and leans down to pick it up. He rolls his eyes when he sees who it's from.]

Hmph. She can stew a little longer. You doing okay, Threes?

[emmetverse]

He stepped closer and pressed his forehead against Liam's leg. A soft, humming sound came from him - one that could be best described as purring.

Another creature emerged from under the bed. A bright orange, very fluffy caterpillar, with darker stripes. It was about the length of an arm and absolutely featureless from above thanks to its fluff. It inched its way over to the group.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi huffed, thoroughly annoyed by The Artificer’s note. Why couldn’t that metal freak just leave them alone? She trotted over to the bed, intending to turn around when she reached a post. The caterpillar changed that plan. It was smaller than Avi herself, and she took interest in the fluffy thing. So she followed alongside it as it inched along, chirping at it in an attempt to be encouraging.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam smiles and pets his head.]

Glad to hear it, buddy. So we've got two of you figured out now, Buddy's unchanged... Wonder who the wood louse is?

[emmetverse]

Threes sat enjoying the headpats for a few seconds before leaning away and shaking himself off. He chirped a couple of times and headbutted Liam again, a little rougher this time.

The caterpillar squeaked in response, lifting its head to try and see her. It waved its front legs at her face.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi nuzzled her head into the caterpillar’s front legs, maneuvering herself in such a way that it could ride on her back if it chose to climb up. She chittered lightly, nudging the caterpillar’s tummy with her beak to help it get an idea of her intentions.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

Oof- okay okay you're right, that was a bit offensive, I'm sorry. Also I'm guessing that was Joey doing the purring. Um... Avi, be careful not to let Brick's spines touch you, he might be venomous... Last thing we need is your Pater coming for our head because you broke out into a serious case of hives.

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t answer. She didn’t want to. Instead, she let herself be absorbed by rearranging her satchel to accommodate the empty bottles. The glasses clinked and rattled as she messed with them, creating an erratic chime. It didn’t soothe Avi as much as she had hoped. So, when the glass had been sorted to her taste, she pulled out a new concoction. And with her back turned to Liam, she drank it whole. Slowly, she shrank down, and as she did, Avi allowed herself to go into her full kestrel form. She grew smaller and smaller, until she could be no bigger than Lily. Having achieved her desired outcome, Avi curled around her satchel and puffed up her feathers. Liam could faintly hear her whimpering, and what can only be assumed to be crying.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam sighs and moves to sit next to her. He reaches over and gently pets her head.]

Come on you, no beating yourself up. Everybody's okay.

[emmetverse]

The bug felt the floor around it, slowly and carefully moving away from the two of them. Buddy backed off down the hallway as it approached the door. It seemed to decide that the doorway was too narrow, and instead clambered up the wall next to it, then slipped out that way. It paused half-in-half-out, feeling around the doorframe and the door itself. It then dissapeared up towards the ceiling.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi chirped, and Liam could hear the disbelief in her tone. After a handful more sad clicks and coos, she lifted her head and laid it over his leg. Much rustling followed, as she adjusted body to lie on top of her satchel.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam raises an eyebrow at her. They can't just sit here, especially not when Buddy's still so freaked out and they have no idea how many other people may or may not have been turned into giant bugs as well. He picks her up and follows the wood louse out into the hallway to find Buddy again.]

[emmetverse]

Buddy's just off to one side of the door, pressing himself against the wall in an attempt to 'hide'. The bug is cautiously making its way along the ceiling in the opposite direction, curiously feeling the lights overhead and trying (and failing) to avoid them.

Angry buzzing is still coming from behind one of the closed doors, and a little, round head poked out of the doorway, watching the woodlouse curiously for a moment before spotting the people and ducking away.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi, at first, did not mind being picked up. That was, until, she realized that would mean leaving her satchel behind. She screeched and wiggled furiously, reaching down for the strap of her precious bag. With much struggling, Avi managed to securely clasp the leather satchel in her claws. The satchel dangled awkwardly in her grasp, just barely above the floor. Avi was satisfied by this, so she stopped being a nuisance and started being sad again.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam takes the satchel from her and slings it over his shoulder without missing a beat. He quickly scans the hallway. Woodlouse is minding its own business and out of the way, Buddy is... at least not attacking anything. Good enough for now. He sets off to investigate the buzzing noise.]

[emmetverse]

It seemed to be coming from Threes' and Joey's room. The handle rattled from the other side.

Buddy ducked into the kitchen behind them, most likely to sit under what was left of the table. Anything to be where the bugs weren't.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi hangs limp and open-clawed in Liam’s arms, not really having any way to distract herself with the satchel gone. She jostled her wings, pushing up her feathers so she could stress-preen.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam walks over to the door and puts his hand on the handle, slowly opening it. The buzzing on the other side certainly doesn't sound happy, but then, he wouldn't be either if he was trapped in a small space. It shouldn't be too much trouble to shoo it outside.]

[emmetverse]

The door was heavy, and it seemed to be due to the bug standing on it in order to reach the handle. It peered around the edge of the door at them. It hopped off of the door so it wouldn't get squished against the wall, stumbling on the rug. Its little hooked feet struggled with the fluffiness.

The wasp was also oversized, the top of its antennae reaching Liam's chin. It was missing one of its front legs and the corresponding wing was crumpled. It clicked lightly as it watched them, then turned, and tried to use its jaws to pick up a piece of paper from the floor. It was about as unsuccessful as expected

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi plucked away at herself, pulling out damaged or misshapen feathers that floated to the ground below. She’s never really had any luck with her back half, and considering her current position it’s not likely she would be able to reach. So her preen came to an end around her front legs. Having now exhausted all methods of distraction, she decided to observe and mope. She had already guessed that whatever was in here would be a once-emmet as well, so the wasp didn’t surprise her. And judging by its appearance, she figured it wasn’t a reach to say it’s Threes. What is he doing? Wait-he’s trying to grab that paper! Avi squirmed her way out of Liam’s grasp, and flew down onto the fluffy rug to investigate the paper.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam loosens his hold when Avi starts squirming, letting her jump down. He's also curious about the paper Threes pointed out, and leans down to pick it up. He rolls his eyes when he sees who it's from.]

Hmph. She can stew a little longer. You doing okay, Threes?

[emmetverse]

He stepped closer and pressed his forehead against Liam's leg. A soft, humming sound came from him - one that could be best described as purring.

Another creature emerged from under the bed. A bright orange, very fluffy caterpillar, with darker stripes. It was about the length of an arm and absolutely featureless from above thanks to its fluff. It inched its way over to the group.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi huffed, thoroughly annoyed by The Artificer’s note. Why couldn’t that metal freak just leave them alone? She trotted over to the bed, intending to turn around when she reached a post. The caterpillar changed that plan. It was smaller than Avi herself, and she took interest in the fluffy thing. So she followed alongside it as it inched along, chirping at it in an attempt to be encouraging.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam smiles and pets his head.]

Glad to hear it, buddy. So we've got two of you figured out now, Buddy's unchanged... Wonder who the wood louse is?

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t answer. She didn’t want to. Instead, she let herself be absorbed by rearranging her satchel to accommodate the empty bottles. The glasses clinked and rattled as she messed with them, creating an erratic chime. It didn’t soothe Avi as much as she had hoped. So, when the glass had been sorted to her taste, she pulled out a new concoction. And with her back turned to Liam, she drank it whole. Slowly, she shrank down, and as she did, Avi allowed herself to go into her full kestrel form. She grew smaller and smaller, until she could be no bigger than Lily. Having achieved her desired outcome, Avi curled around her satchel and puffed up her feathers. Liam could faintly hear her whimpering, and what can only be assumed to be crying.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam sighs and moves to sit next to her. He reaches over and gently pets her head.]

Come on you, no beating yourself up. Everybody's okay.

[emmetverse]

The bug felt the floor around it, slowly and carefully moving away from the two of them. Buddy backed off down the hallway as it approached the door. It seemed to decide that the doorway was too narrow, and instead clambered up the wall next to it, then slipped out that way. It paused half-in-half-out, feeling around the doorframe and the door itself. It then dissapeared up towards the ceiling.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi chirped, and Liam could hear the disbelief in her tone. After a handful more sad clicks and coos, she lifted her head and laid it over his leg. Much rustling followed, as she adjusted body to lie on top of her satchel.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam raises an eyebrow at her. They can't just sit here, especially not when Buddy's still so freaked out and they have no idea how many other people may or may not have been turned into giant bugs as well. He picks her up and follows the wood louse out into the hallway to find Buddy again.]

[emmetverse]

Buddy's just off to one side of the door, pressing himself against the wall in an attempt to 'hide'. The bug is cautiously making its way along the ceiling in the opposite direction, curiously feeling the lights overhead and trying (and failing) to avoid them.

Angry buzzing is still coming from behind one of the closed doors, and a little, round head poked out of the doorway, watching the woodlouse curiously for a moment before spotting the people and ducking away.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi, at first, did not mind being picked up. That was, until, she realized that would mean leaving her satchel behind. She screeched and wiggled furiously, reaching down for the strap of her precious bag. With much struggling, Avi managed to securely clasp the leather satchel in her claws. The satchel dangled awkwardly in her grasp, just barely above the floor. Avi was satisfied by this, so she stopped being a nuisance and started being sad again.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam takes the satchel from her and slings it over his shoulder without missing a beat. He quickly scans the hallway. Woodlouse is minding its own business and out of the way, Buddy is... at least not attacking anything. Good enough for now. He sets off to investigate the buzzing noise.]

[emmetverse]

It seemed to be coming from Threes' and Joey's room. The handle rattled from the other side.

Buddy ducked into the kitchen behind them, most likely to sit under what was left of the table. Anything to be where the bugs weren't.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi hangs limp and open-clawed in Liam’s arms, not really having any way to distract herself with the satchel gone. She jostled her wings, pushing up her feathers so she could stress-preen.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam walks over to the door and puts his hand on the handle, slowly opening it. The buzzing on the other side certainly doesn't sound happy, but then, he wouldn't be either if he was trapped in a small space. It shouldn't be too much trouble to shoo it outside.]

[emmetverse]

The door was heavy, and it seemed to be due to the bug standing on it in order to reach the handle. It peered around the edge of the door at them. It hopped off of the door so it wouldn't get squished against the wall, stumbling on the rug. Its little hooked feet struggled with the fluffiness.

The wasp was also oversized, the top of its antennae reaching Liam's chin. It was missing one of its front legs and the corresponding wing was crumpled. It clicked lightly as it watched them, then turned, and tried to use its jaws to pick up a piece of paper from the floor. It was about as unsuccessful as expected

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi plucked away at herself, pulling out damaged or misshapen feathers that floated to the ground below. She’s never really had any luck with her back half, and considering her current position it’s not likely she would be able to reach. So her preen came to an end around her front legs. Having now exhausted all methods of distraction, she decided to observe and mope. She had already guessed that whatever was in here would be a once-emmet as well, so the wasp didn’t surprise her. And judging by its appearance, she figured it wasn’t a reach to say it’s Threes. What is he doing? Wait-he’s trying to grab that paper! Avi squirmed her way out of Liam’s grasp, and flew down onto the fluffy rug to investigate the paper.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam loosens his hold when Avi starts squirming, letting her jump down. He's also curious about the paper Threes pointed out, and leans down to pick it up. He rolls his eyes when he sees who it's from.]

Hmph. She can stew a little longer. You doing okay, Threes?

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t answer. She didn’t want to. Instead, she let herself be absorbed by rearranging her satchel to accommodate the empty bottles. The glasses clinked and rattled as she messed with them, creating an erratic chime. It didn’t soothe Avi as much as she had hoped. So, when the glass had been sorted to her taste, she pulled out a new concoction. And with her back turned to Liam, she drank it whole. Slowly, she shrank down, and as she did, Avi allowed herself to go into her full kestrel form. She grew smaller and smaller, until she could be no bigger than Lily. Having achieved her desired outcome, Avi curled around her satchel and puffed up her feathers. Liam could faintly hear her whimpering, and what can only be assumed to be crying.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam sighs and moves to sit next to her. He reaches over and gently pets her head.]

Come on you, no beating yourself up. Everybody's okay.

[emmetverse]

The bug felt the floor around it, slowly and carefully moving away from the two of them. Buddy backed off down the hallway as it approached the door. It seemed to decide that the doorway was too narrow, and instead clambered up the wall next to it, then slipped out that way. It paused half-in-half-out, feeling around the doorframe and the door itself. It then dissapeared up towards the ceiling.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi chirped, and Liam could hear the disbelief in her tone. After a handful more sad clicks and coos, she lifted her head and laid it over his leg. Much rustling followed, as she adjusted body to lie on top of her satchel.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam raises an eyebrow at her. They can't just sit here, especially not when Buddy's still so freaked out and they have no idea how many other people may or may not have been turned into giant bugs as well. He picks her up and follows the wood louse out into the hallway to find Buddy again.]

[emmetverse]

Buddy's just off to one side of the door, pressing himself against the wall in an attempt to 'hide'. The bug is cautiously making its way along the ceiling in the opposite direction, curiously feeling the lights overhead and trying (and failing) to avoid them.

Angry buzzing is still coming from behind one of the closed doors, and a little, round head poked out of the doorway, watching the woodlouse curiously for a moment before spotting the people and ducking away.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi, at first, did not mind being picked up. That was, until, she realized that would mean leaving her satchel behind. She screeched and wiggled furiously, reaching down for the strap of her precious bag. With much struggling, Avi managed to securely clasp the leather satchel in her claws. The satchel dangled awkwardly in her grasp, just barely above the floor. Avi was satisfied by this, so she stopped being a nuisance and started being sad again.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam takes the satchel from her and slings it over his shoulder without missing a beat. He quickly scans the hallway. Woodlouse is minding its own business and out of the way, Buddy is... at least not attacking anything. Good enough for now. He sets off to investigate the buzzing noise.]

[emmetverse]

It seemed to be coming from Threes' and Joey's room. The handle rattled from the other side.

Buddy ducked into the kitchen behind them, most likely to sit under what was left of the table. Anything to be where the bugs weren't.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi hangs limp and open-clawed in Liam’s arms, not really having any way to distract herself with the satchel gone. She jostled her wings, pushing up her feathers so she could stress-preen.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam walks over to the door and puts his hand on the handle, slowly opening it. The buzzing on the other side certainly doesn't sound happy, but then, he wouldn't be either if he was trapped in a small space. It shouldn't be too much trouble to shoo it outside.]

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t answer. She didn’t want to. Instead, she let herself be absorbed by rearranging her satchel to accommodate the empty bottles. The glasses clinked and rattled as she messed with them, creating an erratic chime. It didn’t soothe Avi as much as she had hoped. So, when the glass had been sorted to her taste, she pulled out a new concoction. And with her back turned to Liam, she drank it whole. Slowly, she shrank down, and as she did, Avi allowed herself to go into her full kestrel form. She grew smaller and smaller, until she could be no bigger than Lily. Having achieved her desired outcome, Avi curled around her satchel and puffed up her feathers. Liam could faintly hear her whimpering, and what can only be assumed to be crying.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam sighs and moves to sit next to her. He reaches over and gently pets her head.]

Come on you, no beating yourself up. Everybody's okay.

[emmetverse]

The bug felt the floor around it, slowly and carefully moving away from the two of them. Buddy backed off down the hallway as it approached the door. It seemed to decide that the doorway was too narrow, and instead clambered up the wall next to it, then slipped out that way. It paused half-in-half-out, feeling around the doorframe and the door itself. It then dissapeared up towards the ceiling.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi chirped, and Liam could hear the disbelief in her tone. After a handful more sad clicks and coos, she lifted her head and laid it over his leg. Much rustling followed, as she adjusted body to lie on top of her satchel.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam raises an eyebrow at her. They can't just sit here, especially not when Buddy's still so freaked out and they have no idea how many other people may or may not have been turned into giant bugs as well. He picks her up and follows the wood louse out into the hallway to find Buddy again.]

[emmetverse]

Buddy's just off to one side of the door, pressing himself against the wall in an attempt to 'hide'. The bug is cautiously making its way along the ceiling in the opposite direction, curiously feeling the lights overhead and trying (and failing) to avoid them.

Angry buzzing is still coming from behind one of the closed doors, and a little, round head poked out of the doorway, watching the woodlouse curiously for a moment before spotting the people and ducking away.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi, at first, did not mind being picked up. That was, until, she realized that would mean leaving her satchel behind. She screeched and wiggled furiously, reaching down for the strap of her precious bag. With much struggling, Avi managed to securely clasp the leather satchel in her claws. The satchel dangled awkwardly in her grasp, just barely above the floor. Avi was satisfied by this, so she stopped being a nuisance and started being sad again.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam takes the satchel from her and slings it over his shoulder without missing a beat. He quickly scans the hallway. Woodlouse is minding its own business and out of the way, Buddy is... at least not attacking anything. Good enough for now. He sets off to investigate the buzzing noise.]

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t answer. She didn’t want to. Instead, she let herself be absorbed by rearranging her satchel to accommodate the empty bottles. The glasses clinked and rattled as she messed with them, creating an erratic chime. It didn’t soothe Avi as much as she had hoped. So, when the glass had been sorted to her taste, she pulled out a new concoction. And with her back turned to Liam, she drank it whole. Slowly, she shrank down, and as she did, Avi allowed herself to go into her full kestrel form. She grew smaller and smaller, until she could be no bigger than Lily. Having achieved her desired outcome, Avi curled around her satchel and puffed up her feathers. Liam could faintly hear her whimpering, and what can only be assumed to be crying.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam sighs and moves to sit next to her. He reaches over and gently pets her head.]

Come on you, no beating yourself up. Everybody's okay.

[emmetverse]

The bug felt the floor around it, slowly and carefully moving away from the two of them. Buddy backed off down the hallway as it approached the door. It seemed to decide that the doorway was too narrow, and instead clambered up the wall next to it, then slipped out that way. It paused half-in-half-out, feeling around the doorframe and the door itself. It then dissapeared up towards the ceiling.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi chirped, and Liam could hear the disbelief in her tone. After a handful more sad clicks and coos, she lifted her head and laid it over his leg. Much rustling followed, as she adjusted body to lie on top of her satchel.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam raises an eyebrow at her. They can't just sit here, especially not when Buddy's still so freaked out and they have no idea how many other people may or may not have been turned into giant bugs as well. He picks her up and follows the wood louse out into the hallway to find Buddy again.]

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t answer. She didn’t want to. Instead, she let herself be absorbed by rearranging her satchel to accommodate the empty bottles. The glasses clinked and rattled as she messed with them, creating an erratic chime. It didn’t soothe Avi as much as she had hoped. So, when the glass had been sorted to her taste, she pulled out a new concoction. And with her back turned to Liam, she drank it whole. Slowly, she shrank down, and as she did, Avi allowed herself to go into her full kestrel form. She grew smaller and smaller, until she could be no bigger than Lily. Having achieved her desired outcome, Avi curled around her satchel and puffed up her feathers. Liam could faintly hear her whimpering, and what can only be assumed to be crying.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam sighs and moves to sit next to her. He reaches over and gently pets her head.]

Come on you, no beating yourself up. Everybody's okay.

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

The point where you start seeing things????? I’m booking you an AA appointment this is getting ridiculous.

[emmetverse]

□ ive been halucijating sober for twenty years sweehteart i domt need acogolic anonymus

[enthusiasticaviator]

Ok. So, uh, do you have a valid gov. ID? I’m gonna buy you some Prozac and hope it does something.

[emmetverse]

□ i tginj im legallly dead in 2 diffrent universes

[enthusiasticaviator]

How am I not surprised?

[Avi let out a long, exasperated sigh]

What exactly are you even seeing? I imagine it’s worse than the average run-of-the-mill sleep paralysis demon?

[emmetverse]

□ big buge

[enthusiasticaviator]

Big bug. Ok. Would you like me to do something about it? Or do you have it handled?

[emmetverse]

□ id lkie ti sypp seeinh ggiabtbygs lkikd tue oneb tha plolked mybey oyt tgatfd be gtreat

[enthusiasticaviator]

You would like to stop seeing the giant bugs. That’s manageable. What kind of bug is it? Can you even tell?

[emmetverse]

□mny bg msnh bug ms my byg m hrlk hrkp h rko hekp

[enthusiasticaviator]

Alright, alright! I’m on my way. Depending on the bug, I’ll kill or eat it. I really hope it’s that first option…

[emmetverse]

□ do btoth :(

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi walks into the kitchen, carrying a clearly just bought bottle of Raid.]

Ok, now where’s this bug you were talking about? …Buddy. Buddy what does it mean if I can see it too?

[emmetverse]

The kitchen is trashed. Cupboard doors are broken off their hinges. Buddy is weilding a table leg, splintered into a spike at the end, pointed at the large spotted isopod that's backed itself into the corner of the ceiling. It chittered lowly.

He refused to take his eyes off of the thing. He didn't look well at all - both physically and mentally.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi surveyed the damage-both to the kitchen, and Buddy. This is not at all the situation she expected to walk in on, and somehow simultaneously exactly what she thought it would be. Slowly, she came up to Buddy’s side, Raid drawn and ready. Avi looked up to face the segmented monstrosity. And to her own personal horror, it looked absolutely delicious. Damn her stupid bird brain!]

B-Buddy, I’m gonna need ya to stay right where ya are, ok? When I spray at dat thing, it’s probably gonna try ta run. You gotta k-keep it from doin’ dat, ok?

[emmetverse]

He silently raised the makeshift spear, holding it at the ready.

The bug chittered again. The strange clicking sound wasn't meant to be heard at human levels. Its compound eyes saw little and its feelers tapped around rapidly to try and figure out where it was.

[enthusiasticaviator]

Steady…….

[Avi lined up the deadly spray to splatter right between its feelers, where she assumed the mouth would be. She steadied herself, and waited for the waving appendages to spread enough for a clear shot. There!]

Buddy, now!

[Avi unleashed the full fury of insecticide onto the massive isopod. She made sure to sweep with her shot, covering the most amount of area possible on its freakishly large body.]

[emmetverse]

It screamed. The gentle chattering became pained, drawn out screeches. It scrambled in a random direction, its feet clicking against the hard wall.

Buddy stabbed upwards at it. It landed expertly in between the armoured segments, slipping down into its flesh. Its feet lost grip on the wall and it landed on its side. Those fourteen, thin, translucent legs flailed in the air. It had no idea how to flip itself back over. It made a sound that could only be described as whimpering.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi squeezed her eyes shut, spraying towards the clacking on the walls. Its cries were guttural in a way that shriveled her insides into sorrowful mush. She thought she was stronger, but she couldn’t stand to watch it struggle. Skies above, this was so much easier when the bugs were small! When it crashed down onto the ground, Avi forced herself to watch the squirming mass of legs and shell. It terrified her. She ran into what remained of the kitchen, and grabbed a knife. Raid in one hand, knife in the other, she trudged over to put the poor thing out of its misery.]

K-keep it s-still, Buddy. I-I don’t want dis ta t-take longer den it h-has ta. …Oh, I’m so, so sorry…

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam comes charging in when he hears the commotion. He freezes in the doorway as he tries to comprehend the sight before him, but only for a moment.]

STOP.

Buddy, come over here. Avi, put the knife and the Raid down.

[emmetverse]

Buddy froze, his hands still white-knuckled on the table leg. He stood, shaking from head to toe, for a few long, long seconds. Finally, he let it go, and backed up towards Liam.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi jumped, the knife and Raid clattering to the ground. She slammed against the nearby wall, and hastily used the stable surface to right herself. Her hands flew up, fledging visibly all over her body.]

Dey’re gone! Dey’re gone! S-skies above, Liam! I was jus’ tryin ta put it out! It’s sufferin’!

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Garrett takes over before Liam can explode and gently nudges Buddy behind them.]

Let's all just calm down here and consider the situation, okay? We can also see the giant bug, as far as we know giant bugs don't exist naturally around here, and Arty has been on a chaos spree lately. This might not actually be a bug at all but someone we know.

[emmetverse]

He let himself be pushed back. He didn't want to be anywhere near it.

The bug's legs kept twitching. Its body curled in on itself as its muscles spasmed.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi panted, trying and failing to calm herself as Garrett gave his explanation. She looked at him, then back over to the bug. Garrett, then the bug. She went white as a ghost. Avi sputtered back towards the kitchen, hurriedly searching herself for what remained of a teleportation concoction. She had to go, she had to get her satchel NOW.]

Oh shit, oh shit, shit!

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Garrett turns his attention to Buddy. They know Avi won't be long, and there is nothing they can immediately do to help the possibly transfigured person, but they can at least make sure their friend is unharmed and calming down.]

Are you all right? You're not hurt or anything?

[emmetverse]

He looked unharmed. At least, physically. There were no injuries worse than small cuts from the ruined furniture. He didn't seem alright, though. Every muscle was tensed and ready to fight or flight. His breathing ran faster than his heartbeat. His eye was fixed on that bug like he was waiting for it to get back up and attack. The body language was much more like the Buddy they'd rescued from Undar the Void than the person they knew now.

[enthusiasticaviator]

C’mon, c’mon! Where is-ah! Aha!

[Clumsily, she pulled the concoction out of her pocket. It jostled from her grip, and she nearly dropped it, but she managed to get a handle over the warm glass. Without a moment’s hesitation, she chugged the remainder and disappeared.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam takes over again and stretches out his wings to block the kitchen from view. He then puts his hands on Buddy's shoulders and guides him away. They don't go too far- he wants to be on hand in case they can help with... whoever that is writhing on the floor (and they both feel awful that they can't do anything to ease their suffering)- but hopefully far enough that Buddy will relax.]

[emmetverse]

Buddy kept his vision fixed on where the bug had been. His breath finally slowed as they moved into the hallway. It was quiet out here. A faint buzzing came intermittently from behind a door further down. He finally looked to Liam. His expression wobbled; terrified. He burst into sobs.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi burst back on the scene like a woman on fire, and raced towards the seizing what she can only imagine is a roly-poly. Medical remedies and ointments were slathered and poured on with reckless abandon. She dropped liquid in its eyes, and lotion on its feelers. Avi brought the most hardcore concoctions she had. These were the kind that could bring a man from the brink with a single drop, and she was dosing this bug by the bottle.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam relaxes slightly when he hears Avi return and get to work. Good, that should be one problem taken care of. He gently rubs Buddy's arms, not sure if a hug will just make things worse. "Restraining" him might not be the best idea when he's this scared out of his mind.]

You're safe, Buddy. You're not alone. You don't have to face them alone.

[emmetverse]

The convulsing calmed bit by bit until it was motionless. It laid on its side, entirely still, other than its feelers twitching slightly every now and again. The potion healed its flesh around the table leg before slowly pushing it out. It landed on the kitchen tile with a thunk, stained in pale blue blood.

Buddy kept quiet. He cried so silently - a habit developed after years of hiding. He forced himself to nod, to acknowledge what Liam said. Not alone. Not alone.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Tears ran down Avi’s face. She just…didn’t know what to do. There was no way to gauge just how badly the Raid had got it, or if her concoctions could undo the harm. Out the corner of her eye, she watched the pale blood pool into the grout between the tiles. She had orchestrated that. She would’ve killed it. Without a word, she crawled over to the pillbug’s side. Avi dug her hands underneath its side, and pulled. The least she could do was flip it back onto its feet.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam decides to take a chance and slowly steps closer, loosely wrapping his arms around Buddy in a hug. He starts humming softly, trying to give Buddy something to help pull him back to the present. They're reasonably certain he didn't have anyone to sing him lullabies on Undar.]

[emmetverse]

It was easy enough to flip. It ended up only coming up to Avi's stomach - most of its size was in the length. And despite that size, it wasn't that heavy. The flat base with legs curled up underneath helped to stop it from rolling back over afterwards. Its mouthpiece shifted a little. Its antennae felt the floor in front of it with slow, careful movements.

Buddy buried his face into Liam's shoulder. His breaths shook as he forced them to slow down. It sounded almost painful. He wrapped his arms around Liam in return. He held his own wrists for fear of squeezing too tightly.

".. 'M sorry.."

[enthusiasticaviator]

[The pillbug could feel weight settling on its side and back. Avi wrapped an arm around the bug. She watched its antenna tap around on the ground. Her face was blank, asides for her red, puffy eyes. Avi grew still, and let her mind drift away.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

If there's anyone who should be apologizing, it's Arty for starting this mess in the first place. Take all the time you need, okay?

[emmetverse]

The woodlouse twisted around a little. Its feelers tapped against Avi's legs as it tried to figure out who, exactly, she was. It chittered softly and took a couple of steps forwards, promptly bumping into a chair. It felt around a little before trying again. And crashing again.

He nodded, his face still pressed against Liam's shoulder. "Ok." He sniffed, and pulled away. "I'm ok. I-I'm... I don't understand."

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t move. She stared blankly at the woodlouse’s head, watching but not really seeing. Her mind had gone somewhere entirely, deep down within herself where only she could find. Avi’s body moved with the bug. If it were to scuttle too far, she’d simply fall off.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

We're reasonably certain the Artificer is responsible for the sudden appearance of a giant arthropod in the kitchen. And of course she never takes two seconds to really consider how her antics might affect others... We don't blame you for reacting the way you did. If you're okay now, we're going to check on Avi and make sure she's not beating herself up over it either.

[emmetverse]

Buddy shook his head quickly, grabbing Liam by the arms a little too tight. "No! It- it'll eat you! What are you thinking?!"

The bug felt around again, its antennae tapping against everything around it. Once it thought it found a clear area, it turned, took another few tiny steps forwards, and crashed straight into the doorframe.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi dragged along with it, motionless. Well, until it bumped into the doorframe. The sudden hit pulled her out of her own mind, if only just. She blinked, taking in the current situation. With sluggish movement, Avi placed her hand in front of one of its feelers.]

You…don’t really see well, do you?

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

Hey, hey, it's okay... We've got our gun with us. We'll be just fine. And if it is going to eat us, then someone should rescue Avi, right?

[emmetverse]

He stared for a moment. Then slowly, slowly nodded, and finally let go.

The feelers carefully felt up Avi's hand and arm. It backed up, chittering softly.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi watched as it felt her arm. She didn’t mind, really, because it was very tickly. The bug could feel the fledge on her arms, and as it backed away it could feel the keratin scales build up on her hands. Avi pursued the little bug, chirping back at its chittering.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam gives Buddy's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then pulls out their pistol and slowly makes his way into the kitchen to check on Avi and the probably-a-person-in-bug-form.]

[emmetverse]

It tried to go forwards again, this time managing to stop just before it hit Avi. It felt around her stomach area for a moment. Then up towards her shoulders. Its legs followed, attempting to climb her as if she was a wall.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[As the bug felt up her stomach and around her torso, it could feel a thick plume of feathers peeking out of her clothing. But notably, it couldn’t feel the lukewarm metal chain around her neck, or anywhere on her upper torso. Avi leaned into the pillbug, wrapping it up in a big hug as it tried to climb her. Not that the task would be easy. Her shoulders would always get farther away every time it felt them. Almost like she was growing.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[She doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger, but they can see she does seem to be transforming. Did she lose her necklace? Liam sighs and plucks a small feather from a wing and skirts around the pair to where he can reach to tuck it behind her ear. They don't need her turning into a predator right now. Do kestrels even eat bugs...? They can't risk it. Once she's taken care of, Liam puts a hand on the louse's shell.]

I don't suppose you can tell us who you are, or you probably would have by now. Can you at least understand us?

[emmetverse]

It pulled away when it was hugged, clearly alarmed by the sudden pressure. Its back few legs pulled it back on to the floor. It turned its head section towards Liam's hand, its feelers touching it gently, and then up his arm too. One of them poked his face. Its mouthpiece clicked softly.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Upon further survey of the room, Liam would be able to see Avi’s satchel, with various empty bottles scattered around. And laid haphazardly on top of the satchel was her necklace. It must’ve fallen off in her frenzy to save the bug. Avi cooed happily, both from all the little feet tickling her and the sight of Liam. After the introduction of this new feather, Avi slowly came back to herself. Her form grew smaller, all the way back to the more humanoid version of her bird self. Strangely, she didn’t continue back to her human form. Instead, Avi made her way over to her satchel. She slid her necklace back on, and started retrieving all her empty bottles.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam just smiles a little and rubs its shell. Doesn't seem like it can, but at least it's harmless. He turns to Avi.]

Are you okay?

[emmetverse]

□ akt wfat point witg seeing things do yuo call a doctor

[enthusiasticaviator]

The point where you start seeing things????? I’m booking you an AA appointment this is getting ridiculous.

[emmetverse]

□ ive been halucijating sober for twenty years sweehteart i domt need acogolic anonymus

[enthusiasticaviator]

Ok. So, uh, do you have a valid gov. ID? I’m gonna buy you some Prozac and hope it does something.

[emmetverse]

□ i tginj im legallly dead in 2 diffrent universes

[enthusiasticaviator]

How am I not surprised?

[Avi let out a long, exasperated sigh]

What exactly are you even seeing? I imagine it’s worse than the average run-of-the-mill sleep paralysis demon?

[emmetverse]

□ big buge

[enthusiasticaviator]

Big bug. Ok. Would you like me to do something about it? Or do you have it handled?

[emmetverse]

□ id lkie ti sypp seeinh ggiabtbygs lkikd tue oneb tha plolked mybey oyt tgatfd be gtreat

[enthusiasticaviator]

You would like to stop seeing the giant bugs. That’s manageable. What kind of bug is it? Can you even tell?

[emmetverse]

□mny bg msnh bug ms my byg m hrlk hrkp h rko hekp

[enthusiasticaviator]

Alright, alright! I’m on my way. Depending on the bug, I’ll kill or eat it. I really hope it’s that first option…

[emmetverse]

□ do btoth :(

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi walks into the kitchen, carrying a clearly just bought bottle of Raid.]

Ok, now where’s this bug you were talking about? …Buddy. Buddy what does it mean if I can see it too?

[emmetverse]

The kitchen is trashed. Cupboard doors are broken off their hinges. Buddy is weilding a table leg, splintered into a spike at the end, pointed at the large spotted isopod that's backed itself into the corner of the ceiling. It chittered lowly.

He refused to take his eyes off of the thing. He didn't look well at all - both physically and mentally.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi surveyed the damage-both to the kitchen, and Buddy. This is not at all the situation she expected to walk in on, and somehow simultaneously exactly what she thought it would be. Slowly, she came up to Buddy’s side, Raid drawn and ready. Avi looked up to face the segmented monstrosity. And to her own personal horror, it looked absolutely delicious. Damn her stupid bird brain!]

B-Buddy, I’m gonna need ya to stay right where ya are, ok? When I spray at dat thing, it’s probably gonna try ta run. You gotta k-keep it from doin’ dat, ok?

[emmetverse]

He silently raised the makeshift spear, holding it at the ready.

The bug chittered again. The strange clicking sound wasn't meant to be heard at human levels. Its compound eyes saw little and its feelers tapped around rapidly to try and figure out where it was.

[enthusiasticaviator]

Steady…….

[Avi lined up the deadly spray to splatter right between its feelers, where she assumed the mouth would be. She steadied herself, and waited for the waving appendages to spread enough for a clear shot. There!]

Buddy, now!

[Avi unleashed the full fury of insecticide onto the massive isopod. She made sure to sweep with her shot, covering the most amount of area possible on its freakishly large body.]

[emmetverse]

It screamed. The gentle chattering became pained, drawn out screeches. It scrambled in a random direction, its feet clicking against the hard wall.

Buddy stabbed upwards at it. It landed expertly in between the armoured segments, slipping down into its flesh. Its feet lost grip on the wall and it landed on its side. Those fourteen, thin, translucent legs flailed in the air. It had no idea how to flip itself back over. It made a sound that could only be described as whimpering.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi squeezed her eyes shut, spraying towards the clacking on the walls. Its cries were guttural in a way that shriveled her insides into sorrowful mush. She thought she was stronger, but she couldn’t stand to watch it struggle. Skies above, this was so much easier when the bugs were small! When it crashed down onto the ground, Avi forced herself to watch the squirming mass of legs and shell. It terrified her. She ran into what remained of the kitchen, and grabbed a knife. Raid in one hand, knife in the other, she trudged over to put the poor thing out of its misery.]

K-keep it s-still, Buddy. I-I don’t want dis ta t-take longer den it h-has ta. …Oh, I’m so, so sorry…

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam comes charging in when he hears the commotion. He freezes in the doorway as he tries to comprehend the sight before him, but only for a moment.]

STOP.

Buddy, come over here. Avi, put the knife and the Raid down.

[emmetverse]

Buddy froze, his hands still white-knuckled on the table leg. He stood, shaking from head to toe, for a few long, long seconds. Finally, he let it go, and backed up towards Liam.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi jumped, the knife and Raid clattering to the ground. She slammed against the nearby wall, and hastily used the stable surface to right herself. Her hands flew up, fledging visibly all over her body.]

Dey’re gone! Dey’re gone! S-skies above, Liam! I was jus’ tryin ta put it out! It’s sufferin’!

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Garrett takes over before Liam can explode and gently nudges Buddy behind them.]

Let's all just calm down here and consider the situation, okay? We can also see the giant bug, as far as we know giant bugs don't exist naturally around here, and Arty has been on a chaos spree lately. This might not actually be a bug at all but someone we know.

[emmetverse]

He let himself be pushed back. He didn't want to be anywhere near it.

The bug's legs kept twitching. Its body curled in on itself as its muscles spasmed.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi panted, trying and failing to calm herself as Garrett gave his explanation. She looked at him, then back over to the bug. Garrett, then the bug. She went white as a ghost. Avi sputtered back towards the kitchen, hurriedly searching herself for what remained of a teleportation concoction. She had to go, she had to get her satchel NOW.]

Oh shit, oh shit, shit!

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Garrett turns his attention to Buddy. They know Avi won't be long, and there is nothing they can immediately do to help the possibly transfigured person, but they can at least make sure their friend is unharmed and calming down.]

Are you all right? You're not hurt or anything?

[emmetverse]

He looked unharmed. At least, physically. There were no injuries worse than small cuts from the ruined furniture. He didn't seem alright, though. Every muscle was tensed and ready to fight or flight. His breathing ran faster than his heartbeat. His eye was fixed on that bug like he was waiting for it to get back up and attack. The body language was much more like the Buddy they'd rescued from Undar the Void than the person they knew now.

[enthusiasticaviator]

C’mon, c’mon! Where is-ah! Aha!

[Clumsily, she pulled the concoction out of her pocket. It jostled from her grip, and she nearly dropped it, but she managed to get a handle over the warm glass. Without a moment’s hesitation, she chugged the remainder and disappeared.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam takes over again and stretches out his wings to block the kitchen from view. He then puts his hands on Buddy's shoulders and guides him away. They don't go too far- he wants to be on hand in case they can help with... whoever that is writhing on the floor (and they both feel awful that they can't do anything to ease their suffering)- but hopefully far enough that Buddy will relax.]

[emmetverse]

Buddy kept his vision fixed on where the bug had been. His breath finally slowed as they moved into the hallway. It was quiet out here. A faint buzzing came intermittently from behind a door further down. He finally looked to Liam. His expression wobbled; terrified. He burst into sobs.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi burst back on the scene like a woman on fire, and raced towards the seizing what she can only imagine is a roly-poly. Medical remedies and ointments were slathered and poured on with reckless abandon. She dropped liquid in its eyes, and lotion on its feelers. Avi brought the most hardcore concoctions she had. These were the kind that could bring a man from the brink with a single drop, and she was dosing this bug by the bottle.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam relaxes slightly when he hears Avi return and get to work. Good, that should be one problem taken care of. He gently rubs Buddy's arms, not sure if a hug will just make things worse. "Restraining" him might not be the best idea when he's this scared out of his mind.]

You're safe, Buddy. You're not alone. You don't have to face them alone.

[emmetverse]

The convulsing calmed bit by bit until it was motionless. It laid on its side, entirely still, other than its feelers twitching slightly every now and again. The potion healed its flesh around the table leg before slowly pushing it out. It landed on the kitchen tile with a thunk, stained in pale blue blood.

Buddy kept quiet. He cried so silently - a habit developed after years of hiding. He forced himself to nod, to acknowledge what Liam said. Not alone. Not alone.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Tears ran down Avi’s face. She just…didn’t know what to do. There was no way to gauge just how badly the Raid had got it, or if her concoctions could undo the harm. Out the corner of her eye, she watched the pale blood pool into the grout between the tiles. She had orchestrated that. She would’ve killed it. Without a word, she crawled over to the pillbug’s side. Avi dug her hands underneath its side, and pulled. The least she could do was flip it back onto its feet.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam decides to take a chance and slowly steps closer, loosely wrapping his arms around Buddy in a hug. He starts humming softly, trying to give Buddy something to help pull him back to the present. They're reasonably certain he didn't have anyone to sing him lullabies on Undar.]

[emmetverse]

It was easy enough to flip. It ended up only coming up to Avi's stomach - most of its size was in the length. And despite that size, it wasn't that heavy. The flat base with legs curled up underneath helped to stop it from rolling back over afterwards. Its mouthpiece shifted a little. Its antennae felt the floor in front of it with slow, careful movements.

Buddy buried his face into Liam's shoulder. His breaths shook as he forced them to slow down. It sounded almost painful. He wrapped his arms around Liam in return. He held his own wrists for fear of squeezing too tightly.

".. 'M sorry.."

[enthusiasticaviator]

[The pillbug could feel weight settling on its side and back. Avi wrapped an arm around the bug. She watched its antenna tap around on the ground. Her face was blank, asides for her red, puffy eyes. Avi grew still, and let her mind drift away.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

If there's anyone who should be apologizing, it's Arty for starting this mess in the first place. Take all the time you need, okay?

[emmetverse]

The woodlouse twisted around a little. Its feelers tapped against Avi's legs as it tried to figure out who, exactly, she was. It chittered softly and took a couple of steps forwards, promptly bumping into a chair. It felt around a little before trying again. And crashing again.

He nodded, his face still pressed against Liam's shoulder. "Ok." He sniffed, and pulled away. "I'm ok. I-I'm... I don't understand."

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi didn’t move. She stared blankly at the woodlouse’s head, watching but not really seeing. Her mind had gone somewhere entirely, deep down within herself where only she could find. Avi’s body moved with the bug. If it were to scuttle too far, she’d simply fall off.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

We're reasonably certain the Artificer is responsible for the sudden appearance of a giant arthropod in the kitchen. And of course she never takes two seconds to really consider how her antics might affect others... We don't blame you for reacting the way you did. If you're okay now, we're going to check on Avi and make sure she's not beating herself up over it either.

[emmetverse]

Buddy shook his head quickly, grabbing Liam by the arms a little too tight. "No! It- it'll eat you! What are you thinking?!"

The bug felt around again, its antennae tapping against everything around it. Once it thought it found a clear area, it turned, took another few tiny steps forwards, and crashed straight into the doorframe.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi dragged along with it, motionless. Well, until it bumped into the doorframe. The sudden hit pulled her out of her own mind, if only just. She blinked, taking in the current situation. With sluggish movement, Avi placed her hand in front of one of its feelers.]

You…don’t really see well, do you?

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

Hey, hey, it's okay... We've got our gun with us. We'll be just fine. And if it is going to eat us, then someone should rescue Avi, right?

[emmetverse]

He stared for a moment. Then slowly, slowly nodded, and finally let go.

The feelers carefully felt up Avi's hand and arm. It backed up, chittering softly.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[Avi watched as it felt her arm. She didn’t mind, really, because it was very tickly. The bug could feel the fledge on her arms, and as it backed away it could feel the keratin scales build up on her hands. Avi pursued the little bug, chirping back at its chittering.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[Liam gives Buddy's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then pulls out their pistol and slowly makes his way into the kitchen to check on Avi and the probably-a-person-in-bug-form.]

[emmetverse]

It tried to go forwards again, this time managing to stop just before it hit Avi. It felt around her stomach area for a moment. Then up towards her shoulders. Its legs followed, attempting to climb her as if she was a wall.

[enthusiasticaviator]

[As the bug felt up her stomach and around her torso, it could feel a thick plume of feathers peeking out of her clothing. But notably, it couldn’t feel the lukewarm metal chain around her neck, or anywhere on her upper torso. Avi leaned into the pillbug, wrapping it up in a big hug as it tried to climb her. Not that the task would be easy. Her shoulders would always get farther away every time it felt them. Almost like she was growing.]

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

[She doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger, but they can see she does seem to be transforming. Did she lose her necklace? Liam sighs and plucks a small feather from a wing and skirts around the pair to where he can reach to tuck it behind her ear. They don't need her turning into a predator right now. Do kestrels even eat bugs...? They can't risk it. Once she's taken care of, Liam puts a hand on the louse's shell.]

I don't suppose you can tell us who you are, or you probably would have by now. Can you at least understand us?