toxic spa room (sfw)

[devil_or_angle]

*a new door has opened, this time leading to a fancy, futuristic spa straight out of a sci-fi movie. past a waiting room filled with comfy chairs looms a sauna with a sign touting its advanced restorative properties, which, unbeknownst to those who enter, will zap out whatever they consider their most toxic traits and send them to a goopy hellscape.

killua is the first to enter, gawking as his clothes are replaced with a fluffy bathrobe, cinched around his waist by a tie. intrigued, he ventures further in, drawn toward the large sauna in the center of the space. the sign beside it catches his eye, and though he's wary of what the airship might think is "restorative," he decides that after nearly dying and coming back to life, he could use a little relaxation.

he heaves open the thick metal door and steps inside, finding the room comfortably warm and filled with a strange but pleasant, sanitized smell. he sits down on the bench toward the back of it, breathing it in and wondering when, if at all, he'll notice its effects.*

Comments

[galacticgroovin]

Pitou traced her finger along the walls of the hall as she walked. Her gaze locked on the windows, looking down to a ground she may never touch again. It gave her a melancholic feeling.

She stopped her stride when her finger brushed a new surface. She turned her head to see a door. Unmarked and unlabeled. She couldn’t not open it. Any time a new door arrived she had to satiate her curiosity.

She opened the door and stepped in. Her eyes scanning the new room fascinated by how clean and bright it was. “So this is a spa?” She wondered. As the door closed behind her, she realized her clothes had been exchanged for a soft fluffy bathrobe.

She made her way around the room, seeing what it had to offer before arriving at the sauna door, reading the sign. She was never certain how being sweaty in a room would be good for a human to relax. She wasn’t fond of being sweaty herself. Regardless she stepped inside.

Before she found a spot to sit her eyes quickly locked onto the white haired boy within. Her tail curled around her leg. Hello again, Killua. It’s been a while.

[devil_or_angle]

*killua's hair raises in alarm as the door to the sauna cracks open, signaling that he's not alone in the room. he hadn't heard a thing through the thick metal walls, making him all the more anxious as it pushes open to reveal the intruder -- pitou. his heart drops to his stomach, throbbing so hard it makes him feel queasy.*

...pitou.

*the last time he'd run into her, he hadn't known of the affair she'd conducted with gon behind his back. they've broken up since, but now that gon has officially proven impossible to pin down, who knows if they might get back together. this makes him even more wary of her than usual, his shoulders tense despite the calming heat of the sauna.*

[galacticgroovin]

Pitou’s ears laid back against her hair, feeling the boys unease. She was unsure why he seemed so tense at her entry. “Did Alluka tell him about what happened?” She worried.

She sat quietly in a seat across from him, her hands on her lap. Have you been well since we last met? She asked, hoping to ease his tension.

I haven’t done much since then. It’s been rather boring for me as of late..

[devil_or_angle]

*killua gives a bitter snort.*

can't say the same for me.

*between almost dying and drugging himself with a potent sex poison, life on the airship has been anything but uneventful. he doesn't really want to tell her about either of those incidents, though, and definitely doesn't want to mention gon's role in them. pursing his lips shut and glancing around the sauna instead. small talk will have to suffice.*

this is a weird one, huh?

[galacticgroovin]

I suppose it is, for the airship at least. It’s very..regular I guess? She lightly swings her feet in front of her. Trying to think of a conversation topic. But of the handful of times they’ve interacted, not much stood out. The only thing they had in common was Gon. Who now belonged to the boy in front of her.

Her tail bristled at this thought and she tried to push it away from her mind. “Maybe I should ask about Alluka?” She wondered.

Has Alluka been well? I noticed you’ve been having her stay in her room. Why is that?

[devil_or_angle]

*pitou's bristling tail adds to the static in the sauna, and killua once again struggles to respond, his muscles aching with the tension between them. he doesn't really want to tell her anything about alluka either, even if they're just friends, but in the interest of keeping the subject away from gon, he begins to grumble,*

she's --

*he's cut short by the deafening crack of electricity, lighting up the sauna in a brilliant explosion that blinds them both. for an instant that stretches on like a sickening eternity, he feels the distinct sensation of being torn from his own body, splitting fiber by agonizing fiber, until everything goes black.*

[galacticgroovin]

Pitou saw only black. Darkness that seemed to last forever. It only seemed to end when she felt a pounding in her head. She slowly opened her eyes to see everything looked like sludge and slime. Her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet. What? What the hell is this?!

She caught a glimpse of her hand which now matched the green slime of the environment. She tried to rub it off but it remained.

What is this? Where am I? Her thoughts were a flood with possibilities, and her mind screamed one. Killua! That little brat is trying to get me out of the way permanently! Keep me away from what is rightfully mine!

But what about my king? I need to return to him as well..

[devil_or_angle]

*killua's body aches all over, his limbs weak and trembling with the effort to push him up out of the foul, sticky sludge he's found himself ensnared in. his throat feels clogged with phlegm down to his lungs themselves, every coughing, hacking breath a struggle as he forces his eyes open and finds himself in some sort of viscous wasteland. every surface, including his own skin, is coated in what appears to be green slime, thick and dripping.*

what the...

*killua shudders as he drags himself to his feet, trying to shake the slime off his body and finding that he may in fact be composed of it. beginning to panic, he thinks back to what he was doing before he found himself in this mess, recalling the spa room and the sauna he'd stepped into. was this the airship's doing? no, it must have been pitou. everything was fine until she showed up... anger bubbling in his gooey chest, he cries:*

pitou!

[galacticgroovin]

Pitou could hear her name shouted in the vast expanse of goo. But it sounded like it came from all around her. She knew the voice. It made her growl.

That’s Killuas voice. If he’s in here, he must be planning to finish me off. He wont get the chance.

She began to sprint, bounding on all fours trying to find the boy. Her ears couldn’t pinpoint him. Everything smelled the same.

Face me brat! I’ll take back what is mine! She shouted out in fury! She wanted nothing more than to rip his throat out with her teeth. Maybe give his head as a prize to the king then reclaim Gon. Ensuring he doesn’t leave again.

[devil_or_angle]

*killua is similarly disoriented by his surroundings, the lack of distinctive smells or sights making it impossible to navigate the swampy space. he has to rely on his ears, which pick up a distant squelching and then a furious shriek from pitou. he whirls around in the muck, finally spotting her, bounding toward him on all fours like a cat. as frail as he feels, he braces himself to fight her, taking on a battle stance.*

what the hell do you mean?!

[galacticgroovin]

Upon spotting Killua, Pitou bounded closer before skidding to a stop in the slime. Her back arched with tail standing straight, hair on end. Only forty feet separated them.

She growled as he claws dig into the terrain. You know what I mean, Killua! She spat out his name like it was poison in her mouth.

You took Gon from me. The only good thing I had! She prowled around him. The only one who showed me any care. The only one who showed me affection.

She grinned, bearing her sharp teeth. I’ve killed you once, I can do it again. I will rip and tear your flesh. Gon will be all for me. And when I find a way off this cursed thing, I will present your head to my king!

[devil_or_angle]

*killua's heart drops as the answer he'd been fearing spits from her tongue, his stance faltering for a moment before his shoulders seize up in defiance.*

i took him from you? *he can't even find it in him to laugh, tone biting with bitterness as he shouts back,* i had him first!

*he doesn't move to attack her, however, frozen to the spot by his brother's command -- never fight an enemy greater than yourself. but he can't really assess how powerful she is with his nen bogged down by all the slime, unable to seep from his pores. did she say she'd killed him before? what did that mean?*

[galacticgroovin]

Then why did he come to me? Pitou hisses in response. She rises to her full height and continues to prowl around him.

He wanted me! But then you, you decided to take him away. You found out he wanted me, so you forced him to break away from me, didn’t you? She accuses.

She eyed him cautiously. She never sensed much nen coming from him before. But now it was like it was hidden. As if not even there. Her own nen strength felt off.

And all that time, you pretended to act as friendly as you could manage. Acting as though you were innocent!

[devil_or_angle]

*killua's heart, already submerged, sinks deep into the pit of tar at his core.*

b-because...

*he'd gone to her because he's too beautiful, too brilliant and whole to be with someone as broken as him. he'd gone to her because he wasn't enough. these thoughts bubble up in his heart's stead, choking him until a desperate protest breaks through.*

n-no! i didn't -- i didn't know you two had been together until he'd already broken it off...

*...and then immediately got with someone else. killua's eyes are dull, globs of slime building at their corners and threatening to leak over.*

[galacticgroovin]

Pitou creeps forward, inching closer to the boy. I don’t believe you. I know you humans. It’s in your very nature to lie, steal and cheat till you get what you want!

This sentence gives her pause. “But what if Gon is just like those humans? Did he never want me? Did he just want to use me for his own gain?”

She shook her head viciously, slime flying from her hair. It doesn’t matter if you’re lying or not. I just want you gone!

[devil_or_angle]

*killua's lips twist in a pout, unable not to think of gon when she says all humans do is lie and cheat. hadn't gon done just that? to both of them? it seems she might have thought the same thing, given her quick change of subject. stewing in his hurt feelings, all he can retort is:*

it's not like i want to be here! where the hell even are we?

[galacticgroovin]

Pitou blinked at him. She prepared to call him a liar when she remembered the Killua she killed. “He didn’t take me to some different place. He had turned his nen into electricity..”

She clenched her teeth. “Killing him now won’t do me any favors if I don’t know where I am.” She let out an annoyed Tsk and took a step back. Neither of us asked to be here. She mumbled under her breath. Turning away slightly.

She returned her focus to him. If you’re asking me, you mean to tell me you didn’t cause…whatever this is?

[devil_or_angle]

*relieved to see her backing down somewhat, he lowers his voice in turn.*

of course i didn't. and i guess that means... you didn't, either.

*he clutches his arms to his body, wincing when he comes in contact with the slime that is now him.*

it's like... we weren't just warped to this place, we became a part of it...

[galacticgroovin]

_Pitou looked at the ground and her shoes. They almost seemed to be fused together. She lifted her left leg, which separated from the ground with a wet pop. It seemed to drip without end.

She frowned and tried to rub the slime off of her arm again. When nothing changed she came to another possibility. As absurd as I’d like to call that, it may not be that far off. Not so much in became part of it..but we are it.

She took a claw on her right hand and swiftly cut off a finger from her left. She didn’t feel it. Even as the finger splattered on the ground. Within moments she watched the goo around her hand move and replace the finger in seconds.

Are we..made of this slime?

[devil_or_angle]

*killua's eyes stretch in shock as pitou lances off one of her own fingers, shuddering as it immediately begins to melt into the sludge on the ground like it was always part of it.*

seems like it...

*he takes a squelching step back, away from the reabsorbed finger, before it becomes part of him, too. looking around at the waste of their surroundings, he slowly recalls,*

didn't that sauna say... that it would detoxify us?

[galacticgroovin]

It did..Pitou paced trying to make sense of what Killua could be implying. Her tail, rather than remaining lifted behind her, seemed to be weighed down and dragged in the sludge.

Detox..to remove toxins…if they were to be collected..are we the toxin?

[devil_or_angle]

*he didn't think that sinking feeling could get any worse than it already was, but when pitou voices aloud what he's already dreading he feels like he could just melt into the ground like her finger did and reconstitute as part of the swamp. with increasing horror, he realizes there's no other explanation. they must be the toxins the sauna was meant to remove.*

does that mean... the rest of us are still back there in the sauna?

[galacticgroovin]

Pitou groaned. The situation was growing more confusing and irritating by the second. It’s either that or it pulled us completely into…whatever this place is. That’s if this isn’t some shared hallucination.

How can we be classified as toxins? We are a part of our body. Not some..foreign material.

She knelt down and prodded the ground. “A toxin is something foreign, dangerous or unwanted.” She thinks, pressing a glob between her fingers. “I’ve felt completely hostile and ready to kill since I’ve arrived. I haven’t had a desire to do that for quite a while.”

Brat, I need you to think a moment. If there was something you wanted to change or remove of yourself, what might it be?

[devil_or_angle]

*just as pitou is putting together the pieces, they start falling into place in his own head. if they can think of themselves as the embodiments of their own "toxicity," it's no wonder they wanted to bite each other's heads off. he curls and uncurls his fists at his sides, watching the slime between his fingers stretch and break and rejoin again.*

my... bitterness. the jealousy that makes me... hate you.

*now that he's dwelling on it, he realizes he can't feel anything else at all.*

[galacticgroovin]

Pitou scratches at her chin. It only confirmed her suspicions. Here she was admitting the things she’s done and what she is, as well as the open hatred and violence she had been suppressing.

If that’s the case..we are what got removed. We are the toxin…She growled and punched her fist to the sludge. Rather than feel despair she felt angrier.

Our bodies are probably still sitting in the sauna, getting along better than ever…