curse / BORN

even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms, and the moon is full and bright. scorned by gray.

[wolfsonged]

( PEDRO PASCAL, CIS MAN, HE/HIM ) — Look who it is! If you take a look at our database, you’ll find that RAUL LOPEZ is a FORTY-SEVEN year old PHLEBOTOMIST that has been in Chicago for THIRTY YEARS. According to government files, they’re a MUTANT on LEVEL THREE with the power of WEREWOLF PHYSIOLOGY. That must be why they’re LOYAL and RECLUSIVE. If you ask me, they remind me of TATTERED FLANNELS, THE PALE, SICKLY LIGHT OF A FULL MOON, AND MOURNFUL WOLFSONG. They are affiliated with THE MERCER FAMILY.​​

background.

( tw: mentions of violence )

from the beginning, raul’s family had been regarded as strange. staunchly pro-muant, they boasted a very high rate of mutation within their lineage. even the family name—lopez—had come from the lupine shapes their forefathers had taken to defend against those that would threaten them for their differences. for all the stories, significant mutation hadn’t graced the family in over a century... until raul’s came to fruition. like distant ancestors, he was able to take the form of a vicious, wolf-like beast. unlike said ancestors, the art of controlling that transformation had been lost.

without that knowledge of control, his burdensome beast couldn’t differentiate between friend and foe—every living creature in sight was prey to be cut down by fang and claw. the result of that left him isolated in his community, and more importantly... in his own family. they were as lost as he was, poring over texts that had been passed down among them with little success. failing that, he was chained in a shed whenever the monster within reared its head—a lonely and painful existence.

but the worst was yet to come. by the nature of the problem, it was notoriously hard to keep secret. the nights he was caged were punctured with the wailings of a frantic, rabid beast... and it was only a matter of time before others became wise to the situation. taking up arms against his family, they demanded that such a horrible abomination be killed. after a long many days of negotiation, it was settled that he would be sent away, instead. but where?

relatives in america—human, but sympathetic—agreed to take him in as their own. well aware of his plight, they tried to offer a more comfortable hideyhole in their basement; instead of chains, a reinforced and padlocked door. a few years later, these relatives reached out to another mutant family that owned farmland nearby, hopeful that they could help. from then on, he was allowed to undergo his transformations far from danger. while far from glamorous, hope in finding a better solution had died long ago, and as far arrangements went... this one worked out well. raul resigned himself to a life of fighting against himself.

until he received a strange package from back home... one that held an old, encoded book. although tattered and unfinished, his family was hopeful that it might hold the answers to his problems. it took professional help to finally decode it, but they had been right—within were the instructions to create concoctions that would influence the change. one could force it ( unhelpful and ignored ) and the other could put a stop to it in its entirety. there was only one problem... it was disgusting.

the dosage alone was staggering and required blood—both animal and human—in order to work. the mercer family could help supply the former, but the latter was much more complicated. refusing to fall to evil for his own personal gain, raul put himself through a medical education instead. it may have stung to take from the stores at work, but it was a much better fate than trying to take what he needed by force.

quick facts.

his mutation isn’t new to his family, just rare to be as severe as raul’s. most people in his family have minor mutations like enhanced senses or strength. there hasn’t been a full “werewolf” in his family for many generations.

he still locks himself up every month even if all he does is sleep fitfully. he isn’t about to take any unnecessary risks, especially not in such a big city.

oscillates between wearing plaid flannel and floral patterned button downs. range!

not straight... ;)

he has some wolf-like features even while fully human. ( longer canines, slightly pointed ears, etc )

possible connections.

coworkers: anyone who works in the hospital even! he’s casually friendly and easy to talk to even if he doesn’t consider himself friend material. 

neighbors: he’s neighborly enough, even if he doesn’t let himself get too close to people. but there are probably noise complaints every so often... 

anything?: maybe someone is in his yoga class, who knows?

[jules-douglas]

raul.

         “hmm…” with that little tidbit of information given to him, raul’s flustered mind completely shuts off. it’s work mode again. he has a problem he wants to understand! “i don’t suppose they’re giving you iron supplements, are they?” there’s no way he should be so exhausted he can faint on command… the human ( or mutant, in this case ) body isn’t built for that! “you might need a bit more than tlc, but i’ll do my best.” @wolfsonged

“Yeah, I get iron supplements,” Jules says, smiling not so much at the conversation but at Raul’s approach to it. His earnestness is very charming. “I think this is the part where you conclude that the years of ‘mistreatment’ at Kappa left my already flimsy constitution absolutely paper thin. But if you know any good steakhouses for me to get some extra iron in…” He’s given up on actually flirting, but the insinuations are just habitual.

[wolfsonged]

raul nods, considering the information he's been given. "i'm no general practictionar," he admits, shrugging. "i'm not a psychologist, either. i couldn't begin to touch on what you've been through, let alone how it might present itself now." he knows it's not meant to be serious, but... it is a serious subject, regardless of how jules feels about it. "but i can point you in the direction of a decent steak. you ever been to outback?"

[wolfsonged]

"not a rush, no," he grunts, trying not to put all of his weight into pulling himself up. raul doesn't want to accidentally pull her down with him—he may be exhausted and feel like he's made of lead, but he's overestimated his strength before. "just figured it'd be nice to move somewhere a little more comfortable." thankfully, he doesn't have any injuries, either. just a few bruises. moving is a struggle, but it isn't impossible. "is that okay with you?"

[wolfsonged]

𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐭.

“You’re welcome,” she replies, though Raul’s thanks are unnecessary for her. Regarding him curiously, Kinevart then laughs softly through her nose. “You are a very strange person, Raul. Most people are desperate to be helped, and held, and looked after. You, I have to bully into it. Is it hard for you to believe the world can be kind, sometimes; or that you might be deserving of its kindness?”

Kinevart, though quite cynical about humanity, is overall an optimist about the kindness of the world. There are many flora and fauna who live in happy symbiosis, eating for necessity, perpetuating the life cycle. Raul resists help in a way quite unnatural to her mind. Carrion won’t resist the maggots that writhe in its flesh any more than a flower resists the bee that touches its stamen, because these are occurrences necessary for growth and life. “I have heard that humans are social creatures.” She adds. “The first sign of civilisation being a healed femur, because you look after one another even when there is no practical ‘benefit’ to it. It is simply… what people do. I am trying to learn to let people in. I hope you can do the same.” She really is trying; when Samson had offered to help with the child Kinevart felt confused and even offended, but in this society, it is simply how people are.

         raul almost sinks back down to the floor. not quite out of despair, not quite out of exhaustion. it’s been a long, long time since he’s had anyone present while he’s in this state, after being chained up in the dark. royal can keep the beast in line as a bear, even help pick him back up in the morning, but that’s not the same thing. he still doesn’t know how to be vulnerable, especially not like this. all of her points make perfect sense, their logic ( although it is more than logic ) impossible to fault, and yet... how do you convince yourself, after so long, that maybe being a hopeless burden isn’t all there is to life? he’s more than just some old dog—people are much, much more difficult to teach new tricks.

         “i hope i can, too,” he mumbles, after a long moment. it always feels like a long uphill climb, and that he’s only managed to wedge his way up a couple of feet. but then, what in his life hasn’t felt like that at one point or another? but then, like all vulnerable moments, raul has to deflect from it. too much will just overwhelm him. “can you help me up?”

[wolfsonged]

𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐭.

She watches carefully as he sits up, but does not interfere. Raul moves slowly, but he can support himself. “You say that a lot: you don’t have to.” Kinevart smiles gently. “And I say this back a lot: I want to, anyway. There is no danger, since you bind yourself so effectively. And what happens when you are alone, on these mornings? You wake, you lie there, hungry and in pain…? Why face it alone, if you don’t have to?”

Due to her work, which relies on people wanting her to help them, Kinevart hasn’t encountered many people that humbly hate to be an inconvenience or ask anything of anyone. It’s a totally alien thought to her, because it is so ingrained in her to look after people. Of course she helps if she can, so long as someone is pure. It doesn’t occur to her that there might be other options, caring is simply what she does and the more vulnerable someone seems, the more eagerly she wants to help.

Having seen the ferocity of Raul when he transforms, he only seems all the more vulnerable to her now in the morning light. There is something wild and hungry in him that he cannot fight, but that he must try to defeat anyway each month and inevitably fail. Kinevart can’t bear the thought of him doing it alone, and doesn’t even like to think that he has probably been doing it alone for years already.

         there’s no argument he can conjure up that would dismiss her point... and frankly, raul doesn’t want to try. he’s used to being a burden for his condition ( or rather, trying desperately not to be one ) but not to accepting others’ help. he knows he can be something of a hypocrite, begging others not to make his mistakes, but... old habits die hard. all he’s ever known is that he’s dangerous and that the vast majority of people don’t deserve to be exposed to that.

         “you’re right,” he says, releasing a breath in a long sigh. “you’re right.” he can admit that, at least. as much as he tries to convince himself otherwise, raul is desperate for affection, for company, for... help. sometimes he even gets it, but most times he doesn’t even allow anyone to try. he would rather chain himself in a storage container or tear himself to pieces in an old basement than put another person at risk. “thank you.”

[wolfsonged]

𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧.

Jules laughs at the immediate firmness with which Raul asks him to not demonstrate his fainting skills. “Distressingly, I can. On any given day it’s actually harder for me to stay conscious than not, it’s why I nap so much. But I’m sure under your tender ministrations we can change that.” He bats his eyelashes. Raul’s utter unwillingness to even acknowledge Jules’ flirting only makes him worse.

         “hmm...” with that little tidbit of information given to him, raul’s flustered mind completely shuts off. it’s work mode again. he has a problem he wants to understand! “i don’t suppose they’re giving you iron supplements, are they?” there’s no way he should be so exhausted he can faint on command... the human ( or mutant, in this case ) body isn’t built for that! “you might need a bit more than tlc, but i’ll do my best.”

[wolfsonged]

𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐭.

It makes her happy to see him eat so heartily, and even to have the energy for a small joke. It is times like this when she feels the most like herself; nurturing is in the silver of her blood, it is an instinct. Kinevart doesn’t really think about it, and consequently can sometimes behave patronisingly or inappropriately; she wipes gently about Raul’s mouth with the edge of a gentle thumb much as a mother would clean the mouth of her child when they finish feeding.

“I am glad. I had some help from a very kind butcher with cooking the meat; I cannot really eat meat, nor do I have an oven, so I wouldn’t have known where to begin.“ She never had cooked food in the forest, and she and Lucy see no reason to change now. Tutting fretfully over the concrete floor on which Raul’s head rests, Kinevart adds: “Next time I will bring a pillow, if it is always difficult for you to move after.“ It doesn’t occur to Kinevart that she might not come next time.

         he’s about to mumble something appreciative when kinevart hits him with those two little words. next time. next time? raul is surprised to hear her say something like that—would be surprised even thinking it. she wasn’t, after all, able to make him any less dangerous... so any time she did would be fraught with risk. he likes to think he’s made a good cage for himself, but random chance is always laying in wait to change that. it was something he never would have dreamed asking of someone for pain relief. which he had appreciated. still appreciates. but...

         “you don’t have to—” slowly, he starts to work himself up to a sitting position. very slowly. it’s not pained this time ( not like it usually is ) but after going through so much trauma, his muscles are still weak. “you don’t have to worry about next time. i don’t want you to put yourself in any more danger than you have already.” not when she’s got more than herself to worry about! although, of course, that’s more than enough to make him reconsider. he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but there’s worse to be said when it comes to orphaning someone in the process.

[wolfsonged]

𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐭.

“I want to stay.” Kinevart says, and she means it. It is hard to explain to those with different abilities, but she truly does want to help those in pain; it feels as beneficial to her as it does to them. Today, Raul needs her help far more than anyone that might go to her shop. “Thank you for trusting me to be here,” she offers, because after all they don’t know one another very well yet, and it must be difficult to ask anyone to be present for his transformation.

She had talked with length with Lucy about what sort of food ought to be brought, because neither of the Sarkis’ eat a particularly normal human diet, but Lucy was sure that something high protein would be good after a very tiring transformation. Eating very little meat, Kinevart’s first trip to a butcher had been confusing and a little stressful but the butcher man was very kind and even agreed to cook the meat for her when she was obviously totally clueless, so she could come back later to collect it. Kinevart used it to make a beef sandwich, on hearty seeded bread, with some other things she had had at home (onion, tomato, salad leaves), and this she now brings out of her bag, unwrapping it and holding it carefully to Raul’s lips.

        i want to stay. and she means it—obviously, raul can’t imagine she would stay for any other reason. he’s made it clear that she has no obligation to him, and that he appreciates everything she’s done already... even if he still hasn’t found the answers he’s been looking for. more than that, she thanks him for the opportunity. he doesn’t think anyone else would do that. but then, they’ve known this burden for much longer. it’s not shocking, anymore. “thank you,” he mumbles, shedding her own appreciation. it’s not warranted, he doesn’t think.

         the scent of meat reaches his nose even before she puts the sandwich closer to his face, and with that he manages to find a shred of strength to pull his shoulders up. a hand, still shaking, comes close behind. he would have liked to savor the meal she had been so thoughtful to bring, but truth be told, he’s too hungry to do anything more than gulp it down as fast as physically possible. when he does finish, still a little messier than he would have liked, he rests his head back down on the concrete. “i think that’s the best sandwich i’ve ever had,” he says, a small attempt at humor.

[wolfsonged]

𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐭.

“No. No trouble.” Kinevart promises quietly, still stroking his hair back in slow, repetitive motions and filtering out the aches and pains. It is hard to resist the desire to take it all at once, but she doesn’t want to shock his system, and in any case: full healing is not always the best thing. It is good for the body to remember how to look after itself, rather than to rely on magical healing. “Are you hungry?”

He certainly had been last night, though Kinevart doesn’t know how much of the wolf carries through into the morning.

         normally, raul would question this. no trouble? that sounds like an impossibility. but... there’s nothing around him that could be taken any other way. he’s unharmed, barely in pain. more importantly, she’s unharmed. given her vulnerable position, he can’t think for a moment she would be anywhere near him in any other case. “good to know,” he manages instead, trying to recall anything from the night before. he doesn’t blame kinevart, but... why didn’t it work? why wasn’t he able to clear his head? he forces himself to set these questions aside for a later date. the last thing he needs to do is drive off the one person willing to try and help him, even if just out of his own mess.

         “starving,” he mumbles, too exhausted even to nod. it’s true, though. his stomach always cramps something horrible the next morning, like he’s never eaten a single bite in his entire life. sometimes he can’t even keep it down the first time. “but i can...” he squeezes his eyes shut a little tighter, trying to focus on the moment. if he can’t open them, he can at least do that. “i can manage. later. if you don’t want to stay.”

[wolfsonged]

𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐭.

In the end, Kinevart does doze off a few times, fitfully and sporadically, though she wakes often. It is hard to watch Raul, the wolf, try to chew through his bindings, but there is nothing to do but watch. She is somewhere between sleeping and waking when her name is called: the voice is ragged, but very human. A glance at the screen reveals Raul, the man, lying on the floor of the storage container.

“I’m here,“ she calls back, standing to begin the work of unlocking the container. The door opens, a bar of cool morning sunlight falling across Raul, and Kinevart enters quickly, crossing to kneel by his head. “Good morning,“ she says gently, smoothing hair back from his head and beginning to draw out some of the pain he feels. Not all at once, not too quickly, because that can be disorienting. She does not explain or apologise yet, because he will know, and because all things come in time. Now the transformation is passed, there is no urgency bar the healer’s need that Kinevart feels to draw out any pain she encounters.

         the door to his container has only opened a precious few times this early in the morning. normally, he lays here for hours, completely incapacitated, and is only able to free himself when his strength begins to return. that can be hours after he’s returned to his human shape. but it’s also what raul has done for so long. he doesn’t normally dare to allow anyone near him when he’s not... but je\s glad he has. hearing another voice, gentle and kind, is a balm to his battered soul. “morning,” he mumbles, resting his head back against the floor, letting his eyes fall shut. her hand gently resting against his head, the pain slowly receding from his joints... it’s rare that he’s at this level of peace.

         “thank you,” he continues, more of a breath than a statement. he’s still too dizzy and weak to keep his eyes open, let alone focused. “i wasn’t trouble, was i?” judging by where he is, raul is assuming she hasn’t had to deal with much more than noise... but without the actual memories, he has no way of knowing but to ask. it’s always possible that he had torn himself up and she had already healed him pre-awakening, after all.

[wolfsonged]

𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐭.

Kinevart reaches out with her senses, trying to detect some evil, some impure wrongness through the doors. There is nothing. The hairs on the back of her neck stand up, prey instinct thoroughly alert, but she can rationalise her way out of the urge to flee because she knows Raul took every precaution to keep himself restrained.

There is nothing wrong with him, then. He is not evil, as a wolf. Just hungry. Were there not thick metal doors between them Kinevart would likely feel very differently, but as it is, she feels terribly sad for Raul. He must spend the night in there, alone, gnawing on a hunger that cannot be appeased. Even if that hunger is vicious, he can no more be blamed for that viciousness than a tiger that kills for food. It is clear that he is fully a wolf, the human part of his mind buried too far to be reached, so there is no point talking through the container. Instead Kinevart turns and seats herself on the ground, the phone on her lap so that she can watch and make sure nothing goes wrong. It is not a nice thing to watch; she feels like a voyeur, though there is no pleasure in watching Raul like this. It will be a long night and Kinevart thinks she will sleep little.

         the night is long and painful for him ( likely for them both ) with only sunrise bringing an end to his fitful thrashing. unfortunately, the transformation back is equally as painful and taxing on his body, leaving him sweaty, weak, and disoriented. slowly blinking open his eyes, raul is pleased to see that he seems to still be in his storage container—and more importantly, in his restraints. that means, at least, that the most he’ll have to deal with is the usual aches and pains. caged animals tend to try and gnaw themselves out, when possible.  

         slowly, his sluggish mind begins to piece together the time before the transformation. kinevart had been going to... oh. it hadn’t worked. but raul is too tired for disappointment. he would much rather call out for the company, instead. “kinevart?” he manages little more than a rasp, his throat ragged from howling himself hoarse.

[wolfsonged]

𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧.

“Mhm, definitely no shortage of people waiting to catch me,” Jules rolls his eyes, somewhere between good natured and bitter. Obviously if someone catches him when he passes out that’s a good thing, but there’s been a lot of hovering lately in general. “But don’t worry, I’ll try and keep it together while you’re around, Raul. Would hate to embarrass myself in front of you. Unless you find the frail emasculated thing appealing in which case I can and will faint on command.”

         raul can pick up on the bitterness, but doesn’t comment on it. it only makes sense that after being in kappa ( and hovered around ) he wouldn’t find it an ideal arrangement to be forced back into. “don’t worry, i went to medical school. you’d have to do a lot more than faint for me to consider getting any embarrassment involved.” that said, he doesn’t want julian to faint. not among the things he would consider attractive! not that it matters. “can you really faint on command? don’t show me.”

[wolfsonged]

𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐭.

Kinevart averts her gaze from the screen for a few moments when she sees Raul begin to apply the shackles to himself. It feels too intimate, like she ought not to witness that part. He is still human, and this part is not for her eyes.

When the change comes, it is a terrible thing to witness, even with one step removed viewing it through a screen. Kinevart has never thought of transformation as something awful: for her it is seamless. As easy and pleasant as slipping into a cool pool of water in the hot summer sun, she slips into her unicorn skin and out with nothing more than a stretch. But this part she does force herself to watch, even if it feels too intimate, because it must also be so terribly lonely. “Raul?” she calls, fingers pressed gently to the sealed container door, voice raised a little so it can penetrate the metal. She is not sure what humanity will be left in him when it is done, but keeps one eye on the screen to see if he reacts.

         by the time he’s able to lift his head again, his face fits perfectly against the well-reinforced muzzle—to the point where it hurts, a necessary precaution. if he’s able to move his mouth at all, he’s going to end up breaking his jaw trying to get out. not exactly the most fun thing to wake up to. but those are thoughts that belongs to a slumbering part of him. the wolf doesn’t care about ripping itself apart in frustration. it wants to get out of the restraints latched around it and devour whatever he finds on the other side of the warehouse door. he strains against his metal prison, a horrid, strangled growl rumbling through his chest. his name means nothing to him now. all that matters is replacing the massive amount of energy he’s lost in his transformation.

[wolfsonged]

𝐢𝐳𝐞.

   ‘  you fancy me, i get it ━━ don’t make threats you aren’t able to make good on, cunt.  ’  leaning slightly closer into the man’s space, they hold their eye contact ━━ before speaking out a command.  ‘  why don’t you, get down on all fours n’ lick it clean. i don’t wanna see you up ‘til it’s all dry. now, get to it.  ’  stepping back, they give an encouraging nod at the puddle of tea. if luck were to be on their side, there wouldn’t be anything preventing the command taking root. 

         fancy him... as if anyone in the sensible world would fancy someone so unpleasant! even so, raul is all but defenseless against ize’s barrage of mind control, dropping to his knees like a dog to a block of cheese. unfortunately for the antagonist in question, the beast within isn’t so eager to take such degrading orders... even before he drops to his knees, wolfish features begin to erupt from raul’s flesh. stop hovers on the tip of his tongue, but as it’s occupied... he’s powerless to do anything but watch events unfold.

[wolfsonged]

𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧.

“You can be kind of mean you know, Raul,” Jules says, totally ignoring the question. Of course he has fun being an attention seeking little asshole! It relieves the boredom he is so often victim to. Also, he is often irritable because he is often in pain or discomfort and he likes to hide that behind a thin veneer of barbed humour, but he doesn’t expect any sympathy for that. It’s his problem to deal with. “Oh, man, I am a fainter. I’m starting to really think we’ll never work out. Of course, that usually happens when I’m losing blood, not gaining it, and it’s not one of the things I do for attention. Fucking embarrassing actually. Thirty two years old and can’t stand on my own two feet half the time. I hate fainting, but can’t blame someone for wanting you to swoop in and catch ‘em, you know?”

         raul snorts, narrowly resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “i’ve heard that before.” but... not for a long time. he’s become far too accommodating for his own good, and most times, for the good of anyone else, too. if letting go and accepting reality wouldn’t have had such a bloody ending, he would have ended his inconvenience to others in a heartbeat. unfortunately, reality is rarely as black and white or good and evil. whatever he does, suffering will occur. inconvenience will occur. pain will occur. winning is something for board games.

         he shakes his head. “you haven’t fainted yet. you’ve got a needle in you and everything.” not that he blames anyone for fainting at the sight of blood. he’s been the same way in his life... if for different reasons. does it matter? “but don’t worry, if it ever happened, you’d have plenty of people swooping in to catch you.” as anyone would, in his presence. as if he was going to let someone get hurt on his watch!

[wolfsonged]

𝐢𝐳𝐞.

  ‘  apologize for sucking up what little oxygen is left in here.  ’  it’s busier than usual inside the bistro, which also makes it noisier ━━ WHICH ALSO makes them all the more annoyed ! all he wants is the quiet & comfort their specific area offers.  ‘ i didn’t actually. YOU just haven’t a sense of spatial awareness. the problem IS YOU.  ’  still patting himself down, they throw a glare over to the unfortunate patron.  ‘  why’re you just standing here like a space cadet for ? start drying up what’s left on the floor, genius.  ’

          this time in his cycle, ize’s attitude is more than he can handle. annoyance? fine. justified, even. but this level of disrespect is many times more than what a simple accident is worth. “listen here you spoiled, snot-nosed brat. i apologized for your shirt. i’ll even clean up my mess. but if you say another word to my face like that, i’ll be using your face to do it. am i making myself clear? go and find someone else to take your bad attitude out on.”

[wolfsonged]

𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐭.

“I will.“ Kinevart almost says that nothing will happen that she can’t handle; but of course it is hard to make that promise, and perhaps it is more reassuring for him to know that she will call for help if necessary, rather than brushing off the possibility that it might become necessary. “Be safe, Raul.” she says softly before he departs. To ‘lock himself down’, a phrase that aches in her. No one should have to be locked down, by their own hand or that of another. It is necessary, for this, but it hurts Kinevart that it is so.

          without the energy to share in more conversation, short or not, raul only gives a final nod before he heads into his storage unit. it’s sparse by design, with only one wall holding a set of industrial strength ( and well maintained ) chains, complete with shackles. the kind built specifically for mutants of his caliber... and horribly uncomfortable to hook himself into. but hook himself he does, and shortly afterwards, after the sun has dipped low behind the horizon, the change begins. it’s an excruciating process of bones breaking and reshaping, skin stretching to its limit, muscles and sinew ripping itself apart only to knit itself back together anew—the only thing keeping him from screaming out ( if not in agony, than in despair ) is the fact that his jaw is muzzled shut.