MUSHI DISASTER

[dontpokethat]

Who: Anyone and everyone; it’s a mingle-style log!
What: A sudden spike in the mushi population brings some trouble to the carnival.
When: Around day 87-90
Where: All around the carnival
Warnings: Illness, potentially some minor body horror, and so on



[Following the recent disappearance of Ginko and Tanyuu’s mushi repellent, there will be a sudden increase in the number of mushi in the carnival this week.

This is a mingle-style log, so just post a toplevel, tag out, and have fun with mushi disasters! Event information and questions are here.]

Comments

[anti_nonsense]

[So the leaves aren't a normal thing for him... That must mean they're another effect caused by those things.]

I know. You're talking about those creepy spirit things, right? I've been seeing them all over the place lately. [She doesn't look pleased about that.]

[dontpokethat]

So you can see them? [Well, that's something of a relief. Explaining mushi is always easier when the person he's talking to can actually see them.]

Sorry about that. We're, uh... working on resolving that.

[anti_nonsense]

Yeah. [Come to think of it... looking past those plant bits, his appearance seems to match a description she heard recently.] You must be that expert I've been hearing about.

[There are a number of things she'd like to know, and a few complaints she'd like to direct at him, seeing as this is all his responsibility, as far as she's concerned. But there is one question that's been bothering her most of all.] How come some people can see them and others can't?

[dontpokethat]

Probably. Tanyuu and I are about the closest thing here, anyway.

[He's... honestly fully ready to take those complaints. But this, he can talk about even more easily.] That's because of their nature. Mushi aren't made of physical matter the way most living things are; their bodies consist mostly of life force. Some people can see that life force, and others can't; that's the main factor determining whether an individual person can see them.

[anti_nonsense]

I suppose that clarifies some things, but then... what, it's up to random chance whether someone happens to have that ability or not? [Rita's never experienced anything like this before, being able to see things that others can't... Did she always have that ability?]

[dontpokethat]

It might as well be, anyway. Some mushi masters have looked into it, but nobody's found any defining factor that can be consistently linked to one's ability to see mushi.

[anti_nonsense]

I see... hmph. [She was hoping there'd be a better explanation... and surely there is some rhyme or reason to it, something that people just haven't discovered yet... but they're not about to figure that out now, so it's best to leave it at that.]

More importantly... these things have been making people sick, right? How are they doing that?

[It might be possible to tell, from her pale complexion and dark circles under her eyes, that she's not exactly asking for a friend.]

[dontpokethat]

How? Well... much the same way bacteria can make people sick, really - though it's not exactly the same, of course, given their connection to life force. They attach to their host's body and feed off of them, or they alter the body's conditions to better match how they need to live.

...If you want a more specific answer, I'll need to know what symptoms you've been experiencing.

[anti_nonsense]

So they really are like parasites... [She flinches a bit at the directness of his last statement, but quickly realizes how obvious it probably is that she's been affected in some way. It's probably best to stop beating around the bush and come out with it.]

... Fatigue, mostly. Felt kind of feverish for a bit, and figured I was coming down with something... but instead of any new symptoms, the fatigue just keeps getting worse.

[dontpokethat]

So just gradually worsening fatigue, then? Well, there are a few possibilities for that...

[He leans over a little, peering over her shoulder to see if there might be a mizukagami following her. Of course, that angle isn't enough for him to actually see the tamashi-ka on her back.]

I might need to examine you, to see if you've picked something up.

[anti_nonsense]

[Rita gives a distinctly displeased look at that, but relents after a moment of thought. If her health is on the line, she can't afford to be stubborn.] Fine. I guess I've got no choice.

You got someplace better than here? [She's not about to get examined right here in public, after all.]

[dontpokethat]

How's the medical tent sound? If Zecora's there, she's probably got some treatments prepared already.

[anti_nonsense]

It'll do. [Actually, it's probably the best place for this. Rita just doesn't have much enthusiasm to spare.]

[Without delay, she starts walking in the direction of the tent, but her balance wavers as she walks. It's not clear if she'll actually make it there without toppling over.]