Author of the Absence

Independent RP for a fandomless Original Character, Mute Hallows

[vhsmeme]

* talk about your muse!

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[muteauthor]

I had the dumbest saddest thought...

Due to Death rejecting him, Mute is effectively immune to Rui's curse

But Rui isn't immune to Mute's Gift

They can kiss but unless Mute manages to vent ALL his stored Horror, they can't directly look each other in the eye.

Also quick reminder: Mute's curse is his immortality, being rejected by Death completely. Storing Horror in his eyes safely and venting it on others is his "Gift", an ability he was literally born with. No one knows why, they probably suspected his mother did something terrible, but it's definitely not an actual curse.

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"Of course; there's no rush. The Portans Monstrum can go literally anywhere in the world, but...it only yields to the authority of an Elder Sign. I would need to get you and your doctor your own if you want to ride the train," Mute admits, "and two extra Elder Signs....it's not a difficult thing to arrange, but it does need to be arranged."

Seeing Jiro perk up encourages him a bit as well. He sits up and turns from side to side. The bones are still moving, but not as much as they were previously. Still not ready to leave yet, lest he be stabbed again.

"Sometimes I forget my exact age as well, but I remember my age when events happened and fortunately for me those are now in history books for me to peruse at my leisure. For example," he eases himself back down onto the bed, "For a time I did not recall my own age, but I have always remembered that I was 18 when I was called upon as a scribe to send writs home to the next of kin for the men who died at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Less than a hundred that time, not bad." He sighs. "I was one of a dozen scribes just the previous year for Camden." The silence felt heavy. "....over a thousand casualties."

He stares at the ceiling for a moment, "I haven't told Emma about my involvement in the American Revolution; she knows I was a scribe for the Continental Army, but I've never given her details."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"I'll have to discuss with Yuri at some point. I've no doubt he'd be interested as well." Jiro wasn't that knowledgeable about American History, but he knew that America had its fair share of conflicts. "It's hard to imagine casualties on such a large scale, but it a harsh reality. I can't say I'm familiar with conflicts in America, but the Revolution was just one of several, yes?" He would probably have to do his own research later. "So how did you wind up working for the Asylum and when did they collaborate with Darkwick? I wasn't aware such an alliance, although tenuous, existed."

[muteauthor]

"It was the American Revolution, the war upon which our nation was founded. The state of medicine in those days was...." Mute is silent for a moment that feels as though it drags on while he tries to conjure the right word, "it was a sad state of affairs, Kirisaki."

And then a number of misunderstandings, reasonable ones he supposes, but gross in nature all the same. "I should clarify....I don't work for the asylum. We have...an agreement, more or less. As for Darkwick..." He sighs, "we don't work together. Our collaborations in the past were tentative, at best. The first one was almost....fifty years ago , they followed some leads that didn't make sense even by their standards, and they ended up in Arkham. Typical startup, really. I got the first group home safely, and the second, and they started to get lazy." He groans, "I forget exactly, their last staff member arrived... seven years ago? She was solid, but she was Lost in Time and Space and still hasn't returned."

He shrugs, "It's only a matter of time; she'll be back eventually. She's lost, not dead."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

The ghoul turns the conversation over in his mind. There was a good possibility that the brief partnership between the two institutions were likely documented somewhere. Even if it ended on bad terms, there would be something to gain from the knowledge shared in the past. "The decline over time makes sense. As things stand right now, Darkwick has been relying on ghouls to complete more dangerous tasks. As such, there are less and less human graduates that know how to handle these sorts of missions." He thinks back to the assembly at the beginning of the year, where the chancellor spoke of some prophecy where ghouls will be the saviors of Darkwick. They were clearly trying to put all of their eggs in one basket with that line of thinking. "She was the one you mentioned before, right? The reason the chancellor isn't quite willing to cooperate?"

[muteauthor]

Trusting ghouls to complete dangerous tasks? That tracks, all things considered. "Darkwick disliked the way we 'employed regular humans to delve into dangerous tasks' as though we make the Investigators do any of the dangerous things they do..." Mute sighs, "Investigation needs to be an organic thing. That is how Investigators come to the best conclusions, make the most breakthroughs. I usually only intervene if they're being truly stupid." So not infrequently.

The thought of the lost staff member only brings a brief exasperated huff to his lips, "yes, I was openly accused of sabotaging her. I thought she was rather one of the more talented Investigators they've sent, but as I have always told them from the start....entering dimensional portals or doing battle with the forces beyond human comprehension always carries a slight risk of being sucked into the void and being Lost in Time and Space." He shrugs. "It is not my fault she rolled the dice and came up short. It happens, and it is no one's fault. But they stopped officially sending people to Arkham after that." He pauses, "Horikoshi did not have permission to be in Arkham. He came to us on his own. I don't know what he witnessed at this...Clash of yours that led him to us, but it did. There was something he desperately wanted to know, and I cannot tell you if he found it or not."

[askruimizuki]

Mute walks cautiously through the garden of Obscuary; Horikoshi was definitely avoiding him at this point, and this would be where someone who didn't want to be found would hide, right? He brushes past a carnivorous plant that snaps and hisses at him instinctively, prompting a small frown. Anomalous plants act like animals, too, do they?

He spies a bright shock of golden hair among the plants and waves, "Excuse me, sir? Mind if I ask you a few questions? I'm looking for someone...."

@muteauthor

Anomalous plants were interesting. That was for sure…. Rui was standing by a patch of flowers- beautiful and pale like the moonlight. Their own stems practically choking out some purple looking flowers beneath them. He had not planted those white flowers here. So they must have moved. A sigh worked out from the reaper’s lips. He’d have to remove the white ones and place them in some sort of containment. This was the second time they came over to attack various other flowers- wondering what the cause could have even been.

It wasn’t as if the flowers, in particular, were violent. Just to- well…

Rui’s mind was deep in thought before hearing a voice call out. Jumping slightly at the noise before his head whipped around to see an unfamiliar face. “Looking for someone?” Well… Obscuary was pretty secluded.

The flowers could wait just a moment. “Ask away! Oh, and careful where you step. Some of the plants here can be pretty territorial.”

@muteauthor

[muteauthor]

Territorial wasn't the word Mute would have used to describe them. They felt the same as any other animal he'd ever interacted with since Death openly turned its back on him. He reaches towards a plant and it recoils, hissing feebly and almost trembling. "I don't think it'll be a concern. Like most animals, they don't seem to like me." An understatement, but good enough of an explanation for now.

Mute steps towards Rui, "I'm looking for a Sinostra third year by the name of Tatsuya Horikoshi. He's avoiding me and I thought he might be hiding out here. He is rapidly becoming a threat to both himself and those around him." He takes a small card from his pocket and frowns at a glowing number, turning it to face Rui and offering it for him to peruse.

The ID contains a photo of Horikoshi as well as basic information and his stats. Athletics, Lore, Stamina, Sanity.....his Sanity score is a now throbbing painfully red looking 1. His other stats are relatively healthy though his Lore score has been gradually dropping alongside his stamina. Mute doesn't want to know right now what that means.

"If his Sanity reaches zero before I find him, it could go very poorly."

[askruimizuki]

The name…. Didn’t sound familiar. And the picture presented also didn’t ring a bell. Rui offered up an apologetic smile. “Sorry- haven’t seen anyone like that around here.” Then again, no one ventured out towards this way, to begin with.

Eyes would flicker across the ID again, lips pursing into a small frown. “It does look like they need some help, though.” A glance to the garden. Then the rickety new but old appearing mansion. Then back to the newcomer. “Where did you last see him?” Maybe he could offer some help.

[muteauthor]

"Well," Mute glances about, "I caught a glimpse of him on campus some...twenty minutes ago? I saw him heading in the general direction of Obscuary. I thought he might have tried to hide from me here." He pockets the ID with a frown. "The ID is supposed to track locations in addition to stats, but it's only been telling me he's on Darkwick's campus lately and your campus is....sprawling."

He admires the garden for a moment, "I don't know why he would think this place would deter me, though. It's beautiful here. A bit like the Unvisited Isle. Or Innsmouth."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"Of course; there's no rush. The Portans Monstrum can go literally anywhere in the world, but...it only yields to the authority of an Elder Sign. I would need to get you and your doctor your own if you want to ride the train," Mute admits, "and two extra Elder Signs....it's not a difficult thing to arrange, but it does need to be arranged."

Seeing Jiro perk up encourages him a bit as well. He sits up and turns from side to side. The bones are still moving, but not as much as they were previously. Still not ready to leave yet, lest he be stabbed again.

"Sometimes I forget my exact age as well, but I remember my age when events happened and fortunately for me those are now in history books for me to peruse at my leisure. For example," he eases himself back down onto the bed, "For a time I did not recall my own age, but I have always remembered that I was 18 when I was called upon as a scribe to send writs home to the next of kin for the men who died at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Less than a hundred that time, not bad." He sighs. "I was one of a dozen scribes just the previous year for Camden." The silence felt heavy. "....over a thousand casualties."

He stares at the ceiling for a moment, "I haven't told Emma about my involvement in the American Revolution; she knows I was a scribe for the Continental Army, but I've never given her details."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"I'll have to discuss with Yuri at some point. I've no doubt he'd be interested as well." Jiro wasn't that knowledgeable about American History, but he knew that America had its fair share of conflicts. "It's hard to imagine casualties on such a large scale, but it a harsh reality. I can't say I'm familiar with conflicts in America, but the Revolution was just one of several, yes?" He would probably have to do his own research later. "So how did you wind up working for the Asylum and when did they collaborate with Darkwick? I wasn't aware such an alliance, although tenuous, existed."

[muteauthor]

"It was the American Revolution, the war upon which our nation was founded. The state of medicine in those days was...." Mute is silent for a moment that feels as though it drags on while he tries to conjure the right word, "it was a sad state of affairs, Kirisaki."

And then a number of misunderstandings, reasonable ones he supposes, but gross in nature all the same. "I should clarify....I don't work for the asylum. We have...an agreement, more or less. As for Darkwick..." He sighs, "we don't work together. Our collaborations in the past were tentative, at best. The first one was almost....fifty years ago , they followed some leads that didn't make sense even by their standards, and they ended up in Arkham. Typical startup, really. I got the first group home safely, and the second, and they started to get lazy." He groans, "I forget exactly, their last staff member arrived... seven years ago? She was solid, but she was Lost in Time and Space and still hasn't returned."

He shrugs, "It's only a matter of time; she'll be back eventually. She's lost, not dead."

[muteauthor]

Someone: how does Mute speak Japanese so well?

Mute, sipping tea: I don't. It's a side effect of having lived in Arkham for 200 years; you become imbued with the very energy of all the dimensional rifts and every language just sounds like regular speaking and you communicate effortlessly with anyone and anything that has communication capabilities. Even anomalies. If they communicate in a form that could be considered speech, you can understand them.

.....I wonder if this is what Horikoshi is struggling with. Or if it is simply adding on to his already failing mental health. The campus cats might be speaking to him. He only spent a few months in Arkham, but he definitely ventured into several rifts; it's hard to avoid them.

......

.............

.................this is going to be a problem.

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"Of course; there's no rush. The Portans Monstrum can go literally anywhere in the world, but...it only yields to the authority of an Elder Sign. I would need to get you and your doctor your own if you want to ride the train," Mute admits, "and two extra Elder Signs....it's not a difficult thing to arrange, but it does need to be arranged."

Seeing Jiro perk up encourages him a bit as well. He sits up and turns from side to side. The bones are still moving, but not as much as they were previously. Still not ready to leave yet, lest he be stabbed again.

"Sometimes I forget my exact age as well, but I remember my age when events happened and fortunately for me those are now in history books for me to peruse at my leisure. For example," he eases himself back down onto the bed, "For a time I did not recall my own age, but I have always remembered that I was 18 when I was called upon as a scribe to send writs home to the next of kin for the men who died at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Less than a hundred that time, not bad." He sighs. "I was one of a dozen scribes just the previous year for Camden." The silence felt heavy. "....over a thousand casualties."

He stares at the ceiling for a moment, "I haven't told Emma about my involvement in the American Revolution; she knows I was a scribe for the Continental Army, but I've never given her details."

[askruimizuki]

Mute walks cautiously through the garden of Obscuary; Horikoshi was definitely avoiding him at this point, and this would be where someone who didn't want to be found would hide, right? He brushes past a carnivorous plant that snaps and hisses at him instinctively, prompting a small frown. Anomalous plants act like animals, too, do they?

He spies a bright shock of golden hair among the plants and waves, "Excuse me, sir? Mind if I ask you a few questions? I'm looking for someone...."

@muteauthor

Anomalous plants were interesting. That was for sure…. Rui was standing by a patch of flowers- beautiful and pale like the moonlight. Their own stems practically choking out some purple looking flowers beneath them. He had not planted those white flowers here. So they must have moved. A sigh worked out from the reaper’s lips. He’d have to remove the white ones and place them in some sort of containment. This was the second time they came over to attack various other flowers- wondering what the cause could have even been.

It wasn’t as if the flowers, in particular, were violent. Just to- well…

Rui’s mind was deep in thought before hearing a voice call out. Jumping slightly at the noise before his head whipped around to see an unfamiliar face. “Looking for someone?” Well… Obscuary was pretty secluded.

The flowers could wait just a moment. “Ask away! Oh, and careful where you step. Some of the plants here can be pretty territorial.”

@muteauthor

[muteauthor]

Territorial wasn't the word Mute would have used to describe them. They felt the same as any other animal he'd ever interacted with since Death openly turned its back on him. He reaches towards a plant and it recoils, hissing feebly and almost trembling. "I don't think it'll be a concern. Like most animals, they don't seem to like me." An understatement, but good enough of an explanation for now.

Mute steps towards Rui, "I'm looking for a Sinostra third year by the name of Tatsuya Horikoshi. He's avoiding me and I thought he might be hiding out here. He is rapidly becoming a threat to both himself and those around him." He takes a small card from his pocket and frowns at a glowing number, turning it to face Rui and offering it for him to peruse.

The ID contains a photo of Horikoshi as well as basic information and his stats. Athletics, Lore, Stamina, Sanity.....his Sanity score is a now throbbing painfully red looking 1. His other stats are relatively healthy though his Lore score has been gradually dropping alongside his stamina. Mute doesn't want to know right now what that means.

"If his Sanity reaches zero before I find him, it could go very poorly."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"You're an intelligent sort, aren't you." A comment, an observation, not a judgement. "Not the information, the energy from events witnessed. Horror is a quantifiable energy, after all. That was one of the first things I learned in Arkham, many years ago, and I can store it away without being affected....to a certain point." His reserves aren't full yet, but the stabbing certainly didn't help his numbers.

Other Investigators' abilities, though.....Mute sighs, and crosses his legs at the ankle, uncrossing them, crossing them the other way, "No, I don't believe so. I was born with this ability. I have seen Investigators with abilities-magicians, witches, cultists, bards, even a vampire or two...but nothing like my ability. Most Investigators are, primarily, simply humans who came seeking answers for the things they've seen and all answers can be found in Arkham. For better or worse." He looks at Jiro, watching the man's face for a moment.

"My assistant, Emma...used to be a police officer. She came to investigate some leads in a string of mysterious deaths. When she came to the end of her journey she attempted to return to her daily life, but..." He wasn't entirely certain if Emma would be grateful to have everything aired like this, but this man was a doctor, right? "She contracted a curse while she was in Arkham. Nothing life threatening, fortunately, but just because the Joyeux curse does not physically harm its hosts doesn't mean it can't destroy lives."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"I like to think I am, at the very least, a man of science. I pursue what knowledge I can reasonably attain for the sake of progress. While this topic isn't exactly medical, it's something that could come up during my tenure with Darkwick." He thinks for a moment. "Though of course, I would be lying if I said I wasn't fulfilling my own curiosities as I go." This wide variety of investigators in Arkham... it seemed similar to what Darkwick was trying to pursue with the ghouls - the only difference being the investigators, for the most part, seemed to have a choice. Ghouls were more or less enlisted the moment Darkwick discovers they devoured their demons. "If I may ask, what is the Joyeaux curse? I'm not sure if I've heard of it. Then again, it may just have a different name in this country."

[muteauthor]

"Mm..." Mute turns his head back to stare at the ceiling, then turns onto his side, "the Joyeaux curse causes inappropriate expressions of joy. Laughing at someone's pain, giggling in response to someone's tale of trauma, howling with hysteria during a catastrophe...it has no bearing on how the host feels, it simply conjures the expression of joy. Depending on the situation, the severity ranges. Emma had to return to Arkham following an incident with a hostage situation that nearly resulted in four deaths."

He traces circles on the mattress idly, "her curse was a side effect of encountering a certain entity in....I forget, Celeano? The Plateau of Leng? One of those. She came away uninjured, but...." He trails off, "such is the risk of interacting with anything otherworldly in Arkham. Or connected to it."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Jiro closes his eyes as he recalls what he can of curses. "I've never heard of a curse like that before," he admits. "But it sounds like a nightmare." He could only imagine how ostracized she became and how lonely her life must have become. To think something usually associated with joy could torment someone so. "It don't hear of many curses driving people to madness. At least around here. We have a ghoul that takes the life force of everything he touches, and another that has an insatiable hunger for anomalies. Most of what we deal with has more physical repercussions than mental - aside from the mental anguish of dealing with those curses of course." He leans back in his chair. "It seems ours are two separate worlds, yet they overlap."

[muteauthor]

"How peculiar...." Mute considers the subject, "Old Ones are not a part of our world, but the soul and mind might wander over in the form of dreams and fantasies, leaving them the most easily accessible to Them. To this degree, Their curses are the worst possible thing. If it affected people physically, as your described curses so,they might not be overlooked. But if it affects mental stability..."

He trails off, and says nothing for a very long moment. "The first expert I found on The Old Ones asked me how many curses I was under, citing irregular thoughts as a symptom. Such as expressing an attachment to the same sex." Mute yawns dismissively, "I was not affected by any curses when he uttered these words to me in 1785."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Jiro gives Mute a knowing smile. As a fellow man of logic and intellect he understood how ridiculous such notions were - and how even more ridiculous it was that such notions persisted in some. "It still boggles me how same-sex attraction was was considered 'sexual deviation' in the DSM of all things until fairly recently. If I recall correctly, it wasn't completely removed until the DSM-V was published in 2013." He waves his hand dismissively. "I'm sorry. That was a bit of a tangent." "Imagine how much more progress there could be in curing curses if more attention was paid to mental health? My study in anomalous medicine sometimes crosses over into other fields, but they rarely touch on the mental end of things. As a result, a worrying degree of unnecessary suffering for the victims."

[muteauthor]

"Kindly take a trip back to 1783 and share your kind words with my fiancee," Mute jokes, lips quirking up in the beginnings of a smirk, "she had some rather interesting opinions on that." Florence wasn't exactly unusual in her opinions at the time, though, sadly.

"I believe it has to do with focus. Your school is better suited to deal with curses which carry a physical component so that is all they treat. In Arkham we treat all sorts, but we are better suited to treating curses with a mental component. Anywhere else, an asylum might have closed or renamed itself by now...but the Arkham Asylum persists, and it maintains hallowed ground." He tilts his head, "it's a highly treasured commodity for lot grounds in Arkham. Demons can't enter."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

The Arkham Asylum is famous institution, even in Darkwick. It's a name that has come up more than once in Jiro's study of anomalous medicine. Not necessarily as an exact point of reference, but as an anecdote for the sort of work they were expected to do. A way to teach them that curses can and will come from many sources, and much like the patients housed there, each curse is its own unique case. "That brings to mind a sort of 'chicken-or-the-egg' question. In my mind at least. Are the curses around here just physical by nature - necessitating the focus on physical ailments - or is it the lack of focus on mental health care that leads our institution away from mental cases? It's not something I expect you to have an answer for. Just something on my mind." He leans back in his chair, propping his feet up on the desk, but angling himself so his face dan still be clearly seen. They'll be here for awhile, so he may as well get comfortable. "It's a question I ask due to our lack of psychiatric care in these facilities. There's really no therapy. Just medication." He frowns, looking up at the ceiling. "I've had my share of traumatic experiences - other students have as well. I think the only reason I'm doing as well as I am is due to the fact my attending physician is also my partner. In my observations, the students that maintain some level of comradery seem to fare better."

[muteauthor]

"Part of the problem is that improperly treated or regarded physical symptoms can also have mental stability drawbacks," Mute knows the conversation is serious but he can't recall the last time he had such an in depth conversation about his own studies on curses and mental health and the connections between the two. "I have, over my years, even discovered a few patients for whom their physical ailments took over their lives so much that they created their own curses. The mental anguish they felt from having their symptoms never being fully treated took on a life of its own and became a curse."

He racks his brain for a moment, "I believe it was the....Ricket Curse, after the condition of the first patient who...effectively invented it. It's well treated in Arkham, but imagine simply randomly coming down with Rickets as an adult but also not having it. How insane you must feel. The two are indelibly connected." Mute listens to Jiro and his heart aches.

Jiro's partner is his doctor, are they? How wonderful. He cannot claim any such thing. "....I have been in Arkham longer than anyone, though some families are much the same. And of course the anomalies, and ghosts, and...creatures remain. I do my best for the Investigators. My assistant has only been by my side some...fifteen years now? Something like that..."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Jiro is absolutely fascinated by this new information, so much so he whips out a random notepad from a desk drawer and hastily begins taking notes. "Curses created from the mental anguish of dealing with horrific physical maladies. It's almost like the reverse of psychosomatic effects, but with farther-reaching consequences. It's a shame we don't have any case-studies on phenomena." Or maybe there were records in Darkwick, but he wasn't far enough along in his studies to have learned about them. Ever the advocate for self-study, he'd take a trip to the campus library later to find out for himself. The way this conversation was going, he felt like he was doing an interview for a class project. But the amount of information available to him right now was too tantalizing to pass up. "Your assistant - feel free to say so if it's none of my business - but do you have a close working relationship? Fifteen years is a long time to work together." A part of Jiro hoped this long-suffering man had some kind of refuge. It might not be nearly the same as him and Yuri, but any kind of close kinship is a port in the proverbial storm.

[muteauthor]

Mute laughs, "You should visit Arkham sometime; I have a feeling you would love the Miskatonic University. Most of the tomes we find are stored there when they aren't being used by Investigators or stolen somehow by the curator of the Magick Shoppe to be sold." He has never understood how the Shopkeep does that, or even what the man is. If he is a man.

"That is...if you can get away for a time. I can get you on and off the Portans Monstrum if you so need." He's eager, too eager. He hasn't met a man he could speak to as an equal scholatically in....well, it's been since Then, hasn't it?

The prod into his and Emma's relationship was something he should have seen coming. ".....Fifteen years is a drop in the ocean, Kirisaki. And Emma....she tries, and I applaud her efforts, but I could not say we are as close as she hopes we should be. She understands some of my eccentricities, as she likes to call them, but I have not told her everything or shared with her all I know and experience. Suffice to say, I live and work out of the asylum for a reason."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"You're an intelligent sort, aren't you." A comment, an observation, not a judgement. "Not the information, the energy from events witnessed. Horror is a quantifiable energy, after all. That was one of the first things I learned in Arkham, many years ago, and I can store it away without being affected....to a certain point." His reserves aren't full yet, but the stabbing certainly didn't help his numbers.

Other Investigators' abilities, though.....Mute sighs, and crosses his legs at the ankle, uncrossing them, crossing them the other way, "No, I don't believe so. I was born with this ability. I have seen Investigators with abilities-magicians, witches, cultists, bards, even a vampire or two...but nothing like my ability. Most Investigators are, primarily, simply humans who came seeking answers for the things they've seen and all answers can be found in Arkham. For better or worse." He looks at Jiro, watching the man's face for a moment.

"My assistant, Emma...used to be a police officer. She came to investigate some leads in a string of mysterious deaths. When she came to the end of her journey she attempted to return to her daily life, but..." He wasn't entirely certain if Emma would be grateful to have everything aired like this, but this man was a doctor, right? "She contracted a curse while she was in Arkham. Nothing life threatening, fortunately, but just because the Joyeux curse does not physically harm its hosts doesn't mean it can't destroy lives."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"I like to think I am, at the very least, a man of science. I pursue what knowledge I can reasonably attain for the sake of progress. While this topic isn't exactly medical, it's something that could come up during my tenure with Darkwick." He thinks for a moment. "Though of course, I would be lying if I said I wasn't fulfilling my own curiosities as I go." This wide variety of investigators in Arkham... it seemed similar to what Darkwick was trying to pursue with the ghouls - the only difference being the investigators, for the most part, seemed to have a choice. Ghouls were more or less enlisted the moment Darkwick discovers they devoured their demons. "If I may ask, what is the Joyeaux curse? I'm not sure if I've heard of it. Then again, it may just have a different name in this country."

[muteauthor]

"Mm..." Mute turns his head back to stare at the ceiling, then turns onto his side, "the Joyeaux curse causes inappropriate expressions of joy. Laughing at someone's pain, giggling in response to someone's tale of trauma, howling with hysteria during a catastrophe...it has no bearing on how the host feels, it simply conjures the expression of joy. Depending on the situation, the severity ranges. Emma had to return to Arkham following an incident with a hostage situation that nearly resulted in four deaths."

He traces circles on the mattress idly, "her curse was a side effect of encountering a certain entity in....I forget, Celeano? The Plateau of Leng? One of those. She came away uninjured, but...." He trails off, "such is the risk of interacting with anything otherworldly in Arkham. Or connected to it."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Jiro closes his eyes as he recalls what he can of curses. "I've never heard of a curse like that before," he admits. "But it sounds like a nightmare." He could only imagine how ostracized she became and how lonely her life must have become. To think something usually associated with joy could torment someone so. "It don't hear of many curses driving people to madness. At least around here. We have a ghoul that takes the life force of everything he touches, and another that has an insatiable hunger for anomalies. Most of what we deal with has more physical repercussions than mental - aside from the mental anguish of dealing with those curses of course." He leans back in his chair. "It seems ours are two separate worlds, yet they overlap."

[muteauthor]

"How peculiar...." Mute considers the subject, "Old Ones are not a part of our world, but the soul and mind might wander over in the form of dreams and fantasies, leaving them the most easily accessible to Them. To this degree, Their curses are the worst possible thing. If it affected people physically, as your described curses so,they might not be overlooked. But if it affects mental stability..."

He trails off, and says nothing for a very long moment. "The first expert I found on The Old Ones asked me how many curses I was under, citing irregular thoughts as a symptom. Such as expressing an attachment to the same sex." Mute yawns dismissively, "I was not affected by any curses when he uttered these words to me in 1785."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Jiro gives Mute a knowing smile. As a fellow man of logic and intellect he understood how ridiculous such notions were - and how even more ridiculous it was that such notions persisted in some. "It still boggles me how same-sex attraction was was considered 'sexual deviation' in the DSM of all things until fairly recently. If I recall correctly, it wasn't completely removed until the DSM-V was published in 2013." He waves his hand dismissively. "I'm sorry. That was a bit of a tangent." "Imagine how much more progress there could be in curing curses if more attention was paid to mental health? My study in anomalous medicine sometimes crosses over into other fields, but they rarely touch on the mental end of things. As a result, a worrying degree of unnecessary suffering for the victims."

[muteauthor]

"Kindly take a trip back to 1783 and share your kind words with my fiancee," Mute jokes, lips quirking up in the beginnings of a smirk, "she had some rather interesting opinions on that." Florence wasn't exactly unusual in her opinions at the time, though, sadly.

"I believe it has to do with focus. Your school is better suited to deal with curses which carry a physical component so that is all they treat. In Arkham we treat all sorts, but we are better suited to treating curses with a mental component. Anywhere else, an asylum might have closed or renamed itself by now...but the Arkham Asylum persists, and it maintains hallowed ground." He tilts his head, "it's a highly treasured commodity for lot grounds in Arkham. Demons can't enter."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

The Arkham Asylum is famous institution, even in Darkwick. It's a name that has come up more than once in Jiro's study of anomalous medicine. Not necessarily as an exact point of reference, but as an anecdote for the sort of work they were expected to do. A way to teach them that curses can and will come from many sources, and much like the patients housed there, each curse is its own unique case. "That brings to mind a sort of 'chicken-or-the-egg' question. In my mind at least. Are the curses around here just physical by nature - necessitating the focus on physical ailments - or is it the lack of focus on mental health care that leads our institution away from mental cases? It's not something I expect you to have an answer for. Just something on my mind." He leans back in his chair, propping his feet up on the desk, but angling himself so his face dan still be clearly seen. They'll be here for awhile, so he may as well get comfortable. "It's a question I ask due to our lack of psychiatric care in these facilities. There's really no therapy. Just medication." He frowns, looking up at the ceiling. "I've had my share of traumatic experiences - other students have as well. I think the only reason I'm doing as well as I am is due to the fact my attending physician is also my partner. In my observations, the students that maintain some level of comradery seem to fare better."

[muteauthor]

"Part of the problem is that improperly treated or regarded physical symptoms can also have mental stability drawbacks," Mute knows the conversation is serious but he can't recall the last time he had such an in depth conversation about his own studies on curses and mental health and the connections between the two. "I have, over my years, even discovered a few patients for whom their physical ailments took over their lives so much that they created their own curses. The mental anguish they felt from having their symptoms never being fully treated took on a life of its own and became a curse."

He racks his brain for a moment, "I believe it was the....Ricket Curse, after the condition of the first patient who...effectively invented it. It's well treated in Arkham, but imagine simply randomly coming down with Rickets as an adult but also not having it. How insane you must feel. The two are indelibly connected." Mute listens to Jiro and his heart aches.

Jiro's partner is his doctor, are they? How wonderful. He cannot claim any such thing. "....I have been in Arkham longer than anyone, though some families are much the same. And of course the anomalies, and ghosts, and...creatures remain. I do my best for the Investigators. My assistant has only been by my side some...fifteen years now? Something like that..."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"You're an intelligent sort, aren't you." A comment, an observation, not a judgement. "Not the information, the energy from events witnessed. Horror is a quantifiable energy, after all. That was one of the first things I learned in Arkham, many years ago, and I can store it away without being affected....to a certain point." His reserves aren't full yet, but the stabbing certainly didn't help his numbers.

Other Investigators' abilities, though.....Mute sighs, and crosses his legs at the ankle, uncrossing them, crossing them the other way, "No, I don't believe so. I was born with this ability. I have seen Investigators with abilities-magicians, witches, cultists, bards, even a vampire or two...but nothing like my ability. Most Investigators are, primarily, simply humans who came seeking answers for the things they've seen and all answers can be found in Arkham. For better or worse." He looks at Jiro, watching the man's face for a moment.

"My assistant, Emma...used to be a police officer. She came to investigate some leads in a string of mysterious deaths. When she came to the end of her journey she attempted to return to her daily life, but..." He wasn't entirely certain if Emma would be grateful to have everything aired like this, but this man was a doctor, right? "She contracted a curse while she was in Arkham. Nothing life threatening, fortunately, but just because the Joyeux curse does not physically harm its hosts doesn't mean it can't destroy lives."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"I like to think I am, at the very least, a man of science. I pursue what knowledge I can reasonably attain for the sake of progress. While this topic isn't exactly medical, it's something that could come up during my tenure with Darkwick." He thinks for a moment. "Though of course, I would be lying if I said I wasn't fulfilling my own curiosities as I go." This wide variety of investigators in Arkham... it seemed similar to what Darkwick was trying to pursue with the ghouls - the only difference being the investigators, for the most part, seemed to have a choice. Ghouls were more or less enlisted the moment Darkwick discovers they devoured their demons. "If I may ask, what is the Joyeaux curse? I'm not sure if I've heard of it. Then again, it may just have a different name in this country."

[muteauthor]

"Mm..." Mute turns his head back to stare at the ceiling, then turns onto his side, "the Joyeaux curse causes inappropriate expressions of joy. Laughing at someone's pain, giggling in response to someone's tale of trauma, howling with hysteria during a catastrophe...it has no bearing on how the host feels, it simply conjures the expression of joy. Depending on the situation, the severity ranges. Emma had to return to Arkham following an incident with a hostage situation that nearly resulted in four deaths."

He traces circles on the mattress idly, "her curse was a side effect of encountering a certain entity in....I forget, Celeano? The Plateau of Leng? One of those. She came away uninjured, but...." He trails off, "such is the risk of interacting with anything otherworldly in Arkham. Or connected to it."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Jiro closes his eyes as he recalls what he can of curses. "I've never heard of a curse like that before," he admits. "But it sounds like a nightmare." He could only imagine how ostracized she became and how lonely her life must have become. To think something usually associated with joy could torment someone so. "It don't hear of many curses driving people to madness. At least around here. We have a ghoul that takes the life force of everything he touches, and another that has an insatiable hunger for anomalies. Most of what we deal with has more physical repercussions than mental - aside from the mental anguish of dealing with those curses of course." He leans back in his chair. "It seems ours are two separate worlds, yet they overlap."

[muteauthor]

"How peculiar...." Mute considers the subject, "Old Ones are not a part of our world, but the soul and mind might wander over in the form of dreams and fantasies, leaving them the most easily accessible to Them. To this degree, Their curses are the worst possible thing. If it affected people physically, as your described curses so,they might not be overlooked. But if it affects mental stability..."

He trails off, and says nothing for a very long moment. "The first expert I found on The Old Ones asked me how many curses I was under, citing irregular thoughts as a symptom. Such as expressing an attachment to the same sex." Mute yawns dismissively, "I was not affected by any curses when he uttered these words to me in 1785."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Jiro gives Mute a knowing smile. As a fellow man of logic and intellect he understood how ridiculous such notions were - and how even more ridiculous it was that such notions persisted in some. "It still boggles me how same-sex attraction was was considered 'sexual deviation' in the DSM of all things until fairly recently. If I recall correctly, it wasn't completely removed until the DSM-V was published in 2013." He waves his hand dismissively. "I'm sorry. That was a bit of a tangent." "Imagine how much more progress there could be in curing curses if more attention was paid to mental health? My study in anomalous medicine sometimes crosses over into other fields, but they rarely touch on the mental end of things. As a result, a worrying degree of unnecessary suffering for the victims."

[muteauthor]

"Kindly take a trip back to 1783 and share your kind words with my fiancee," Mute jokes, lips quirking up in the beginnings of a smirk, "she had some rather interesting opinions on that." Florence wasn't exactly unusual in her opinions at the time, though, sadly.

"I believe it has to do with focus. Your school is better suited to deal with curses which carry a physical component so that is all they treat. In Arkham we treat all sorts, but we are better suited to treating curses with a mental component. Anywhere else, an asylum might have closed or renamed itself by now...but the Arkham Asylum persists, and it maintains hallowed ground." He tilts his head, "it's a highly treasured commodity for lot grounds in Arkham. Demons can't enter."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"You're an intelligent sort, aren't you." A comment, an observation, not a judgement. "Not the information, the energy from events witnessed. Horror is a quantifiable energy, after all. That was one of the first things I learned in Arkham, many years ago, and I can store it away without being affected....to a certain point." His reserves aren't full yet, but the stabbing certainly didn't help his numbers.

Other Investigators' abilities, though.....Mute sighs, and crosses his legs at the ankle, uncrossing them, crossing them the other way, "No, I don't believe so. I was born with this ability. I have seen Investigators with abilities-magicians, witches, cultists, bards, even a vampire or two...but nothing like my ability. Most Investigators are, primarily, simply humans who came seeking answers for the things they've seen and all answers can be found in Arkham. For better or worse." He looks at Jiro, watching the man's face for a moment.

"My assistant, Emma...used to be a police officer. She came to investigate some leads in a string of mysterious deaths. When she came to the end of her journey she attempted to return to her daily life, but..." He wasn't entirely certain if Emma would be grateful to have everything aired like this, but this man was a doctor, right? "She contracted a curse while she was in Arkham. Nothing life threatening, fortunately, but just because the Joyeux curse does not physically harm its hosts doesn't mean it can't destroy lives."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"I like to think I am, at the very least, a man of science. I pursue what knowledge I can reasonably attain for the sake of progress. While this topic isn't exactly medical, it's something that could come up during my tenure with Darkwick." He thinks for a moment. "Though of course, I would be lying if I said I wasn't fulfilling my own curiosities as I go." This wide variety of investigators in Arkham... it seemed similar to what Darkwick was trying to pursue with the ghouls - the only difference being the investigators, for the most part, seemed to have a choice. Ghouls were more or less enlisted the moment Darkwick discovers they devoured their demons. "If I may ask, what is the Joyeaux curse? I'm not sure if I've heard of it. Then again, it may just have a different name in this country."

[muteauthor]

"Mm..." Mute turns his head back to stare at the ceiling, then turns onto his side, "the Joyeaux curse causes inappropriate expressions of joy. Laughing at someone's pain, giggling in response to someone's tale of trauma, howling with hysteria during a catastrophe...it has no bearing on how the host feels, it simply conjures the expression of joy. Depending on the situation, the severity ranges. Emma had to return to Arkham following an incident with a hostage situation that nearly resulted in four deaths."

He traces circles on the mattress idly, "her curse was a side effect of encountering a certain entity in....I forget, Celeano? The Plateau of Leng? One of those. She came away uninjured, but...." He trails off, "such is the risk of interacting with anything otherworldly in Arkham. Or connected to it."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Jiro closes his eyes as he recalls what he can of curses. "I've never heard of a curse like that before," he admits. "But it sounds like a nightmare." He could only imagine how ostracized she became and how lonely her life must have become. To think something usually associated with joy could torment someone so. "It don't hear of many curses driving people to madness. At least around here. We have a ghoul that takes the life force of everything he touches, and another that has an insatiable hunger for anomalies. Most of what we deal with has more physical repercussions than mental - aside from the mental anguish of dealing with those curses of course." He leans back in his chair. "It seems ours are two separate worlds, yet they overlap."

[muteauthor]

"How peculiar...." Mute considers the subject, "Old Ones are not a part of our world, but the soul and mind might wander over in the form of dreams and fantasies, leaving them the most easily accessible to Them. To this degree, Their curses are the worst possible thing. If it affected people physically, as your described curses so,they might not be overlooked. But if it affects mental stability..."

He trails off, and says nothing for a very long moment. "The first expert I found on The Old Ones asked me how many curses I was under, citing irregular thoughts as a symptom. Such as expressing an attachment to the same sex." Mute yawns dismissively, "I was not affected by any curses when he uttered these words to me in 1785."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"You're an intelligent sort, aren't you." A comment, an observation, not a judgement. "Not the information, the energy from events witnessed. Horror is a quantifiable energy, after all. That was one of the first things I learned in Arkham, many years ago, and I can store it away without being affected....to a certain point." His reserves aren't full yet, but the stabbing certainly didn't help his numbers.

Other Investigators' abilities, though.....Mute sighs, and crosses his legs at the ankle, uncrossing them, crossing them the other way, "No, I don't believe so. I was born with this ability. I have seen Investigators with abilities-magicians, witches, cultists, bards, even a vampire or two...but nothing like my ability. Most Investigators are, primarily, simply humans who came seeking answers for the things they've seen and all answers can be found in Arkham. For better or worse." He looks at Jiro, watching the man's face for a moment.

"My assistant, Emma...used to be a police officer. She came to investigate some leads in a string of mysterious deaths. When she came to the end of her journey she attempted to return to her daily life, but..." He wasn't entirely certain if Emma would be grateful to have everything aired like this, but this man was a doctor, right? "She contracted a curse while she was in Arkham. Nothing life threatening, fortunately, but just because the Joyeux curse does not physically harm its hosts doesn't mean it can't destroy lives."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"I like to think I am, at the very least, a man of science. I pursue what knowledge I can reasonably attain for the sake of progress. While this topic isn't exactly medical, it's something that could come up during my tenure with Darkwick." He thinks for a moment. "Though of course, I would be lying if I said I wasn't fulfilling my own curiosities as I go." This wide variety of investigators in Arkham... it seemed similar to what Darkwick was trying to pursue with the ghouls - the only difference being the investigators, for the most part, seemed to have a choice. Ghouls were more or less enlisted the moment Darkwick discovers they devoured their demons. "If I may ask, what is the Joyeaux curse? I'm not sure if I've heard of it. Then again, it may just have a different name in this country."

[muteauthor]

"Mm..." Mute turns his head back to stare at the ceiling, then turns onto his side, "the Joyeaux curse causes inappropriate expressions of joy. Laughing at someone's pain, giggling in response to someone's tale of trauma, howling with hysteria during a catastrophe...it has no bearing on how the host feels, it simply conjures the expression of joy. Depending on the situation, the severity ranges. Emma had to return to Arkham following an incident with a hostage situation that nearly resulted in four deaths."

He traces circles on the mattress idly, "her curse was a side effect of encountering a certain entity in....I forget, Celeano? The Plateau of Leng? One of those. She came away uninjured, but...." He trails off, "such is the risk of interacting with anything otherworldly in Arkham. Or connected to it."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"You're an intelligent sort, aren't you." A comment, an observation, not a judgement. "Not the information, the energy from events witnessed. Horror is a quantifiable energy, after all. That was one of the first things I learned in Arkham, many years ago, and I can store it away without being affected....to a certain point." His reserves aren't full yet, but the stabbing certainly didn't help his numbers.

Other Investigators' abilities, though.....Mute sighs, and crosses his legs at the ankle, uncrossing them, crossing them the other way, "No, I don't believe so. I was born with this ability. I have seen Investigators with abilities-magicians, witches, cultists, bards, even a vampire or two...but nothing like my ability. Most Investigators are, primarily, simply humans who came seeking answers for the things they've seen and all answers can be found in Arkham. For better or worse." He looks at Jiro, watching the man's face for a moment.

"My assistant, Emma...used to be a police officer. She came to investigate some leads in a string of mysterious deaths. When she came to the end of her journey she attempted to return to her daily life, but..." He wasn't entirely certain if Emma would be grateful to have everything aired like this, but this man was a doctor, right? "She contracted a curse while she was in Arkham. Nothing life threatening, fortunately, but just because the Joyeux curse does not physically harm its hosts doesn't mean it can't destroy lives."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"Cornelius doing something for Arkham, what impressive news. I was so certain his grudge against us was rather great," Mute almost jokes. "The last time a Darkwick staff member visited Arkham, we lost them and he swore he would never forgive me." His smile is small, about as great as he can overtly manage at the moment.

And there it is. The question has been brought up. He removes his sunglasses and wipes them on his shirt, cautiously avoiding looking up at Jiro, lest he make accidental eye contact. "It's a long strange story, dating back almost two hundred and fifty years. And one could even argue what I possess is not necessarily immortality as one might imagine it, so much as it is a complete and utter rejection from Death itself. No part of me can die, not my cells, not my blood, not my organs, nothing. Death will not take me under any capacity." He glances up, weary green eyes searching Jiro's form curiously before he replaces the sunglasses. "It's a punishment."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"I'm confident they'll take action now that student lives are in danger. If we wasn't on campus, that might be a different matter entirely." He listens to Mute's tale, considering the weight of his words. There are those that fear death and seek immortality, but what they don't realize is there is no end to their suffering. "A grave punishment indeed. I can scarcely imagine such a long life. Even the concept of eternity is difficult to grasp. You have my condolences."

[muteauthor]

"I didn't set out seeking Immortality, personally," Mute remarks, hopping down from the bed and stretching; his chest is sore and his bones still shift slightly when he turns to the side. That's...uncomfortable. "I sought knowledge. Knowing how to break the rules and laws of the universe and everything in it was more important to me than the wrongness of it all. I never intended to use it at first, but when the opportunity presented itself, I didn't hesitate."

The pain will go away soon, he's certain of that, but the blood stains will persist as always. "I deserved this punishment. But I appreciate your sympathies."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

In recent days, Jiro had been distracted by his own past mistakes. The solutions he sought were far different it seemed, but they both paid a heavy price for their hubris. "The pursuit of knowledge is often noble, but we risk crossing a fine line. The price we pay for crossing that line cannot be understated. Given the sorts of things we study here, the professors take great pains reminding us of that fact." The ghoul puts the final touches on the report before signing the document and turning it towards Mute. "If you could please sign here. The signature confirms that you were the patient I treated and - from a purely medical standpoint - the issue has been resolved. Feel free to look it over first. I've no reason to hide any of it from you. Just standard procedure."

[muteauthor]

"Yes, I've tried to impart those lessons on Investigators now, as there was no one to tell me the same things when I needed them most back in..." What year was it again? Mute hums and tries to do a fair bit of mental math in a pinch. "1788? 1790? I forget....I could have used the wisdom I impart to kids these days..."

He examines the report and looks it over; everything seems to be in order, more or less. His immortality and healing factor isn't mentioned, but to be fair...it wasn't exactly relevant to his treatment. He just needed the knife removed, after all. "I don't mind paying the price, myself, but my friends have rightfully held a grudge. If they could still be called my friends." Come to think, Horikoshi...had been speaking to one of his friends in town, hadn't he? They didn't come by Arkham often, but they did come by. They didn't like to be in the same town as him most of the time.

He scribbles his signature on the page, frowning at how strange it's become over the years. He misses quills.

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

His eyes widen at the calculation. Sure, he had said earlier that he was hundreds of years old by this point, but the time difference was still a bit staggering. "So long as there's no regrets, I suppose." He gathers the paperwork together, but is distracted by a ping from his phone. "I suppose I'll be waiting here for my house's advisor. I've been told to stay put and the other students will be notified via Wickhive as to not alert Horikoshi." He looks over the directions he's been given once more. "I haven't seen anything in regards to keeping you here, so I suppose that means you're free to leave if you wish. You can also stay if you like. I don't mind."

[muteauthor]

There was shock evident on Jiro's face from his admission of his age; he supposed the reality of his age only just hit the ghoul despite the vague assurance of it earlier. Mute watches him for a moment, "I was born in 1763. I forget not everyone knows things about me outside of Arkham. I have a bit of a reputation there..."

He stretches again, and stops-his ribs are still moving. "I still need a few hours for full recovery, and I am suspecting Horikoshi might have met with one of my friends, leading to his violent reaction to the sight of me. The Crown of Madness can cause paranoia, but there needs to be something to inspire that paranoia in the first place...." Mute eases himself back onto the bed with a weary sigh, "I hope you do not mind if I keep you company a while longer. I can answer any further questions if you like. Knowledge is important for avoiding mistakes...."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"That's a relief in a way. The paranoia is still a problem, but the fact it has a source is... preferable to the alternative." The name Arkham sounds familiar to him. Something he had read about once. Then it dawns on him. Lovecraft. "I'm not sure if you'll know the answer to this, but I'll give it a shot. You and I both know about the various 'Old Gods' and their worshippers, but most humans on the outside only see this as a work of fiction. Was the published works of Lovecraft a sort of coverup?"

[muteauthor]

"I simply wish the paranoia was not fueled by my former friend's feelings of betrayal and his desire to hurt me, but we can't change how people view trauma." Everything was his fault, after all. He can accept that.

Mute leans back on the bed and briefly considers laying down again, "Lovecraft? Ah, Howard....you know it's funny, we never expected it to be viewed as such. He wrote about Arkham, and the things there-he was never a full-blown Investigator, man was too easily frightened for that, but he spoke to many an Investigator to gather their stories. He simply wrote about us. About the town. About what we faced in Arkham on a daily basis." He shrugs, "But the truth of the matter is so far beyond what any person would ever experience anywhere else, it must be fiction, yes? These things cannot exist. Humans scarcely handle the idea of life beyond death, to say nothing of the powers beyond which judge and manage our sad tiny little existences, dwarfing our souls like a child with a magnifying glass overlooking an anthill."

He lays down on the bed, sighing as the weight is taken off of his aching ribs. "Did someone tell you there was a coverup of Arkham? I know there has been talk of conspiracies due to the way we have had to restrict the airspace over the town...."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Surprise returns to his features as Mute answers his question. It was so unusual for the actual truth of the supernatural world to be presented to the public. "We were, but I would guess they either didn't know or they didn't want to put their hypocrisy in full view of the students. Darkwick tries so hard to cover everything up. but for what? Because the humans can't handle it? What you've just revealed to me proves otherwise."

[muteauthor]

Mute adjusts, folding his hands behind his head casually, "Humans can't handle it. We are not designed with such things in mind, we can only handle so much, no matter how much further we want to go. Some can stretch a little further than others, but we all have our limits." He sighs, watching the ceiling, "my limits....my personal limits are not so much greater than anyone else's, to be perfectly honest. I simply have ways of skirting the issue."

He taps his dark-lensed glasses, "I have a unique ability that sort of...it doesn't negate the Horror I experience, perhaps mitigate would be the right word. Stores it."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"Cornelius doing something for Arkham, what impressive news. I was so certain his grudge against us was rather great," Mute almost jokes. "The last time a Darkwick staff member visited Arkham, we lost them and he swore he would never forgive me." His smile is small, about as great as he can overtly manage at the moment.

And there it is. The question has been brought up. He removes his sunglasses and wipes them on his shirt, cautiously avoiding looking up at Jiro, lest he make accidental eye contact. "It's a long strange story, dating back almost two hundred and fifty years. And one could even argue what I possess is not necessarily immortality as one might imagine it, so much as it is a complete and utter rejection from Death itself. No part of me can die, not my cells, not my blood, not my organs, nothing. Death will not take me under any capacity." He glances up, weary green eyes searching Jiro's form curiously before he replaces the sunglasses. "It's a punishment."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"I'm confident they'll take action now that student lives are in danger. If we wasn't on campus, that might be a different matter entirely." He listens to Mute's tale, considering the weight of his words. There are those that fear death and seek immortality, but what they don't realize is there is no end to their suffering. "A grave punishment indeed. I can scarcely imagine such a long life. Even the concept of eternity is difficult to grasp. You have my condolences."

[muteauthor]

"I didn't set out seeking Immortality, personally," Mute remarks, hopping down from the bed and stretching; his chest is sore and his bones still shift slightly when he turns to the side. That's...uncomfortable. "I sought knowledge. Knowing how to break the rules and laws of the universe and everything in it was more important to me than the wrongness of it all. I never intended to use it at first, but when the opportunity presented itself, I didn't hesitate."

The pain will go away soon, he's certain of that, but the blood stains will persist as always. "I deserved this punishment. But I appreciate your sympathies."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

In recent days, Jiro had been distracted by his own past mistakes. The solutions he sought were far different it seemed, but they both paid a heavy price for their hubris. "The pursuit of knowledge is often noble, but we risk crossing a fine line. The price we pay for crossing that line cannot be understated. Given the sorts of things we study here, the professors take great pains reminding us of that fact." The ghoul puts the final touches on the report before signing the document and turning it towards Mute. "If you could please sign here. The signature confirms that you were the patient I treated and - from a purely medical standpoint - the issue has been resolved. Feel free to look it over first. I've no reason to hide any of it from you. Just standard procedure."

[muteauthor]

"Yes, I've tried to impart those lessons on Investigators now, as there was no one to tell me the same things when I needed them most back in..." What year was it again? Mute hums and tries to do a fair bit of mental math in a pinch. "1788? 1790? I forget....I could have used the wisdom I impart to kids these days..."

He examines the report and looks it over; everything seems to be in order, more or less. His immortality and healing factor isn't mentioned, but to be fair...it wasn't exactly relevant to his treatment. He just needed the knife removed, after all. "I don't mind paying the price, myself, but my friends have rightfully held a grudge. If they could still be called my friends." Come to think, Horikoshi...had been speaking to one of his friends in town, hadn't he? They didn't come by Arkham often, but they did come by. They didn't like to be in the same town as him most of the time.

He scribbles his signature on the page, frowning at how strange it's become over the years. He misses quills.

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

His eyes widen at the calculation. Sure, he had said earlier that he was hundreds of years old by this point, but the time difference was still a bit staggering. "So long as there's no regrets, I suppose." He gathers the paperwork together, but is distracted by a ping from his phone. "I suppose I'll be waiting here for my house's advisor. I've been told to stay put and the other students will be notified via Wickhive as to not alert Horikoshi." He looks over the directions he's been given once more. "I haven't seen anything in regards to keeping you here, so I suppose that means you're free to leave if you wish. You can also stay if you like. I don't mind."

[muteauthor]

There was shock evident on Jiro's face from his admission of his age; he supposed the reality of his age only just hit the ghoul despite the vague assurance of it earlier. Mute watches him for a moment, "I was born in 1763. I forget not everyone knows things about me outside of Arkham. I have a bit of a reputation there..."

He stretches again, and stops-his ribs are still moving. "I still need a few hours for full recovery, and I am suspecting Horikoshi might have met with one of my friends, leading to his violent reaction to the sight of me. The Crown of Madness can cause paranoia, but there needs to be something to inspire that paranoia in the first place...." Mute eases himself back onto the bed with a weary sigh, "I hope you do not mind if I keep you company a while longer. I can answer any further questions if you like. Knowledge is important for avoiding mistakes...."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"That's a relief in a way. The paranoia is still a problem, but the fact it has a source is... preferable to the alternative." The name Arkham sounds familiar to him. Something he had read about once. Then it dawns on him. Lovecraft. "I'm not sure if you'll know the answer to this, but I'll give it a shot. You and I both know about the various 'Old Gods' and their worshippers, but most humans on the outside only see this as a work of fiction. Was the published works of Lovecraft a sort of coverup?"

[muteauthor]

"I simply wish the paranoia was not fueled by my former friend's feelings of betrayal and his desire to hurt me, but we can't change how people view trauma." Everything was his fault, after all. He can accept that.

Mute leans back on the bed and briefly considers laying down again, "Lovecraft? Ah, Howard....you know it's funny, we never expected it to be viewed as such. He wrote about Arkham, and the things there-he was never a full-blown Investigator, man was too easily frightened for that, but he spoke to many an Investigator to gather their stories. He simply wrote about us. About the town. About what we faced in Arkham on a daily basis." He shrugs, "But the truth of the matter is so far beyond what any person would ever experience anywhere else, it must be fiction, yes? These things cannot exist. Humans scarcely handle the idea of life beyond death, to say nothing of the powers beyond which judge and manage our sad tiny little existences, dwarfing our souls like a child with a magnifying glass overlooking an anthill."

He lays down on the bed, sighing as the weight is taken off of his aching ribs. "Did someone tell you there was a coverup of Arkham? I know there has been talk of conspiracies due to the way we have had to restrict the airspace over the town...."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Mute returns to Mortkranken only a day and some change later. He keeps himself angled away from Jiro initially, leaning heavily against the door, "Sorry to bother you, I seem to find myself in a state I cannot correct myself." With heaving wet breaths, he turns to face Jiro, and indicates a knife sticking out of his chest. "I had an incident, and I lack the strength to pull this out." It wasn't so much of a pain as it seemed, and with the knife removed his body could heal immediately, but with it in he couldn't go many places and his breathing was inhibited and his ribs ached. "Could I ask for your help?"

@muteauthor

The shock is plain in Jiro's eyes. It's not every day a patient just walks in the door with a knife embedded in their chest. "Since you're only asking me to pull this out, am I correct in the assumption you won't simply bleed out in my office?" He didn't know much about Mute. There wasn't even a file for him. But he has seen all kinds in his field of work. It wouldn't shock him if he could somehow survive the ordeal.

[muteauthor]

"Cornelius doing something for Arkham, what impressive news. I was so certain his grudge against us was rather great," Mute almost jokes. "The last time a Darkwick staff member visited Arkham, we lost them and he swore he would never forgive me." His smile is small, about as great as he can overtly manage at the moment.

And there it is. The question has been brought up. He removes his sunglasses and wipes them on his shirt, cautiously avoiding looking up at Jiro, lest he make accidental eye contact. "It's a long strange story, dating back almost two hundred and fifty years. And one could even argue what I possess is not necessarily immortality as one might imagine it, so much as it is a complete and utter rejection from Death itself. No part of me can die, not my cells, not my blood, not my organs, nothing. Death will not take me under any capacity." He glances up, weary green eyes searching Jiro's form curiously before he replaces the sunglasses. "It's a punishment."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

"I'm confident they'll take action now that student lives are in danger. If we wasn't on campus, that might be a different matter entirely." He listens to Mute's tale, considering the weight of his words. There are those that fear death and seek immortality, but what they don't realize is there is no end to their suffering. "A grave punishment indeed. I can scarcely imagine such a long life. Even the concept of eternity is difficult to grasp. You have my condolences."

[muteauthor]

"I didn't set out seeking Immortality, personally," Mute remarks, hopping down from the bed and stretching; his chest is sore and his bones still shift slightly when he turns to the side. That's...uncomfortable. "I sought knowledge. Knowing how to break the rules and laws of the universe and everything in it was more important to me than the wrongness of it all. I never intended to use it at first, but when the opportunity presented itself, I didn't hesitate."

The pain will go away soon, he's certain of that, but the blood stains will persist as always. "I deserved this punishment. But I appreciate your sympathies."

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

In recent days, Jiro had been distracted by his own past mistakes. The solutions he sought were far different it seemed, but they both paid a heavy price for their hubris. "The pursuit of knowledge is often noble, but we risk crossing a fine line. The price we pay for crossing that line cannot be understated. Given the sorts of things we study here, the professors take great pains reminding us of that fact." The ghoul puts the final touches on the report before signing the document and turning it towards Mute. "If you could please sign here. The signature confirms that you were the patient I treated and - from a purely medical standpoint - the issue has been resolved. Feel free to look it over first. I've no reason to hide any of it from you. Just standard procedure."

[muteauthor]

"Yes, I've tried to impart those lessons on Investigators now, as there was no one to tell me the same things when I needed them most back in..." What year was it again? Mute hums and tries to do a fair bit of mental math in a pinch. "1788? 1790? I forget....I could have used the wisdom I impart to kids these days..."

He examines the report and looks it over; everything seems to be in order, more or less. His immortality and healing factor isn't mentioned, but to be fair...it wasn't exactly relevant to his treatment. He just needed the knife removed, after all. "I don't mind paying the price, myself, but my friends have rightfully held a grudge. If they could still be called my friends." Come to think, Horikoshi...had been speaking to one of his friends in town, hadn't he? They didn't come by Arkham often, but they did come by. They didn't like to be in the same town as him most of the time.

He scribbles his signature on the page, frowning at how strange it's become over the years. He misses quills.

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

His eyes widen at the calculation. Sure, he had said earlier that he was hundreds of years old by this point, but the time difference was still a bit staggering. "So long as there's no regrets, I suppose." He gathers the paperwork together, but is distracted by a ping from his phone. "I suppose I'll be waiting here for my house's advisor. I've been told to stay put and the other students will be notified via Wickhive as to not alert Horikoshi." He looks over the directions he's been given once more. "I haven't seen anything in regards to keeping you here, so I suppose that means you're free to leave if you wish. You can also stay if you like. I don't mind."

[muteauthor]

There was shock evident on Jiro's face from his admission of his age; he supposed the reality of his age only just hit the ghoul despite the vague assurance of it earlier. Mute watches him for a moment, "I was born in 1763. I forget not everyone knows things about me outside of Arkham. I have a bit of a reputation there..."

He stretches again, and stops-his ribs are still moving. "I still need a few hours for full recovery, and I am suspecting Horikoshi might have met with one of my friends, leading to his violent reaction to the sight of me. The Crown of Madness can cause paranoia, but there needs to be something to inspire that paranoia in the first place...." Mute eases himself back onto the bed with a weary sigh, "I hope you do not mind if I keep you company a while longer. I can answer any further questions if you like. Knowledge is important for avoiding mistakes...."