OPEN STARTER: THE FIRST SEAL (0/3)
Their human body is a strange, inconvenient machine; prone to a multiplicity of sensations, many of them unpleasant; fallible in unaccountable ways; and bound to space and time in a way they aren’t accustomed to. Gravity is wildly annoying, as is inertia. Raphae–no, Hyeon-Seo for now–feels the pull of it causing undue stress to the new flesh of their body.
They move strangely through the room, as if they aren’t yet used to moving at all; as if they expect to push off from the ground and simply float away unencumbered. But they don’t. They simply take a step that moves them a minute distance forward, then, after a frustrated pause, they take another one. This is how they propel themself into the nightclub, eyes locked on the dance floor. There is so much to look at now. Perception in a body is a confrontation. Everything is so much closer, so much more tangible than it once was. Hyeon-seo often finds their attention trapped by each new stimulus, barely able to be dragged away from one before it settles stubbornly onto another.
It's a distraction, and a vulnerability. They spend so long caught on the details of the approach; the movement of a body through space; the reflection of light off of fabric and skin; the subtle displacement o f air; each of these is noted, observed and carefully catalogued before they finally register exactly WHO is approaching them.
“Hello,” they offer, poorly attempting to keep their tone neutral. There's an odd, song-like quality to their voice, and they take great care in shaping each syllable, still learning how to communicate through language and sound. “It has been a very long time. How are you?”