endlessairship | toxic spa room (sfw)

Entry tags:

room,
sfw

toxic spa room (sfw)

*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.*

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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?

*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.*

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…

*killa stands staring blankly down at his dripping feet, the despair of the situation weighing him into the muck. if that's true, then... the ache in his heart he feels when he thinks about gon's betrayal... the proof that he loves him... if that's with him, then...*

...we have to get back to them.

And how do you think we manage that? There is nothing for miles it seems. Far as I know, if we find a way, you’ll just leave me here. Leave me stranded then go and spread the truth of what I am.

Pitou sighs, reflecting on the self she is in the toxic wasteland. A hateful violent creature, obsessed with Gon, loyal to the king. You’d probably do that even if we both escaped. Simply because it seems we both hate each other.

Would we not be better off here, fighting eternally while our bodies go live a “healthy” life without us?

would you really be okay with that? with never seeing gon again?

*killua clenches his fists, slime oozing out between his knuckles.*

even if i'm angry with him for what he did -- i can't just leave him. *he looks back up at her through globby tears, his brow firm with resolve.* i bet you feel the same way, too.

I’m not okay with it! But what are we supposed to do? Pitou asked. Her fury and irritation turning upset. Goopy tears pricked at her eyes.

If he didn’t choose either of us, what do we do? Our own BODIES didn’t even want us!

We both trusted him and he betrayed it. This wasn’t the first time he had chosen someone else other than me. Her most hated memory of Bisky coming in and stealing him away. He went with her without complaint.

She hung her head, with a slight nod. But you are right. I still don’t want to leave him. Think it means something that our feelings for him were brought with us?

Edited 2023-09-07 00:17 (UTC)

there... were more?

*her words crash against him like an ocean wave against a stone, threatening to send it to the depths. he wishes he could say he's surprised, but after all gon's confessed already, how could he be? his hurt feelings boil and bubble until they pop, his eyes squeezing shut around oozing tears.*

e-even despite everything he's done... we still... love him. *he gulps, his throat clogged with muck.* the us we left behind... they won't be happy losing him either.

Pitou looked at him with narrowed eyes. She hated him. Even before knowing he took Killua from her, she wasn’t fond of Killua. She was beginning to understand why.

”We are birds of a feather. Caring deeply for someone that has hurt both of us.” She sighed.

We…will need to have a discussion about him or with him when we get out of here.

She stood up. Getting out of here will be the hard part. If we were intended to be removed, I’d imagine it’s going to try and keep us removed. I’d guess our own bodies may even try to reject us.

it may be up to them entirely.

*killua tries to wipe his eyes, but the slime on his arms just mixes with the tears running down his face, making a sticky mess that he has to shake himself out of. he gives a shuddering sigh, trying to imagine the him left behind in the sauna, drained of all the pain he's feeling now.*

we have to hope they realize what they've lost... and want it back, even though it hurts.

Pitou stood quietly a moment. Wondering if she would feel like she would want the pain that was taken, to return. Would she jump at that chance? She couldn’t be sure.

If that’s the case, I have a feeling we may be stuck here..in the meantime, we should figure out what we are made from. What toxicity did they consider us to be? Did it include certain memories?

~~~~~~~

Meanwhile outside of the toxicity chamber in the sauna Pitou felt calm. More relaxed than ever. Is this why people like saunas? It feels magical.

Like all my worries just..left with the steam. She sighs happily. All of its seeping from my pores. Have you ever been in a sauna before, Killua? She asks looking towards him.

*as soon as the flash recedes, killua knows something has changed. his anxiety from before has faded, but left in its wake is... nothing. he feels strangely bereft, staring blankly down at his fists as they squeeze the fluffy bathrobe draped over his knees.*

...never.

It’s strange. I never thought I would feel like this. I haven’t felt this care free since I was younger. Pitou stretched her arms over her head but remembered the bathrobe again. Quickly adjusting it so she wasn’t indecent.

She did hum in question. You don’t see very pleased. Maybe you need to take some more time with the detox.

As she said this, she was trying to ignore some nagging sense in her instincts. Something was missing. But she couldn’t figure out what it would be.

*killua glances up as the cat woman babbles on, not saying anything of interest. catching her eye, he feels a strange tug at his hollowed gut, like he should feel something, seeing her there. but again, all he's left with is cold indifference. he turns his attention instead to the mystery of the detox itself, brow furrowing.*

what was that flash just then...? did something happen to us?

The flash? Pitou asked. She hadn’t thought much of it. She had thought it may have been part of the procedure.

At the question if something happened to them, her instincts continued to scream in her head. It felt like ice picks were being driven through her ears.

I don’t know..it was there and gone again just as fast as it came. I know I feel lighter. Like my own person. Yet I can’t place my finger on it..

I forget what I was worried or upset about to begin with. Maybe rather than a regular steam..maybe the flash was some kind of hypnosis? Like memory erasure? She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to calm the headache she felt.

*killua slowly stands up, examining the walls of the sauna for any indication of how the detox works. there are some vents on the ceiling along with the light fixture that had suddenly flashed at them, now dimmed to a warm, calming glow. her mention of hypnosis suddenly catches his attention and he stops, dark eyes widening.*

could it be...

*he's reminded of how illumi stole his memories to make him forget about alluka long ago, and locks his gaze on pitou again, trying to spark his memories. did she mean something to him, before the flash? was she a friend, an enemy? his gaze narrows, sifting through the quicksand of his mind until his thoughts settle on a single person.*

...gon.

*they're connected not to each other, but to another person -- how could he have forgotten? but for some reason, even this connection sparks nothing in him, feeling equally apathetic toward the thought of the dark haired boy who used to be his light.*

Pitou watches him move around the room. Unsure what of what his intention could be. Watching him closely her head continued to pound so she turned away.

She heard him say a single word. “Gone? What’s gone?” But that didn’t feel right. It cycled in her head more and more. “No..not gone…gon.”

Gon? She isn’t sure what to make of it. She felt nothing at the mention of the name. Her head continued to hurt, but her eyes began to drip with tears.

She didn’t notice them, thinking they were just sweat dripping down her skin.

*gon. the name echoes around his skull, bouncing off the walls of his empty heart. somehow he knows this name, this person, meant something to him before that flash. but now, he's just another person he happened to meet. it feels wrong in a way that is beyond his comprehension, a queasy feeling coming over him as he turns to look at the cat woman again and finds tears running down her face.*

you're crying.

No I’m..She raised her hand to her face but could immediately feel a difference between the tears and sweat.

She looked at her hand but could now continuously feel the tears running down her cheeks. Why am I crying…?

She stood up from the seat and started to pace. Maybe because my head hurts..you mentioned that name..it made my head hurt worse.

Maybe the heat is getting to me.

*even more confounded now, killua watches her pace around the room. it seems she's in the same predicament as him, unable to experience her own feelings anymore -- or at least, the ones revolving around gon. what is her connection to him? for that matter, what's his? he tries to envision his face, his scent, but it's as if the memories have just slipped away from him, not important enough to remember anymore. gon. gon, his best friend. gon, his...*

i think... he might be my boyfriend.

*stunned by his own realization, he looks down at his fists, frustrated tears beginning to prick at his own eyes.*

then why can't i feel anything?

Edited 2023-09-09 03:46 (UTC)

Pitou stares at him. “Why? Why are we struggling to remember? What is it we forgot?”

When Killua says boyfriend, pitou feels her heat spike. She didn’t know why but looking at him saying that made her feel irritated.

Did this room…did it make us forget or did it take something? What is forgotten is still in there. A brain is a brain…”What is Gon to me?”

it's like... i remember, but it's hazy...

*boyfriend. boyfriend. as he repeats the word in his head, he gets flashes -- carnal, muscle memories of gon's body slammed against his, gon kissing him, thrusting inside of him. such images should fill him with passion, but all he feels is a dull ache.*

...and i don't feel any of the feelings associated with the memories.

*this emptiness reminds him of what his brother always impressed to him -- that he can only feel joy from killing. is that really the person he wants to be?*

I remember gon…I think…She remembers a cloudy night. A tall man with long white hair. A boy with raven hair. He screamed, flowing with nen.

Another vague memory comes to mind. Her arrival on the airship. The short boy in green who greeted her.

She grips her arm tightly, as if trying to grab the memory itself and remember. Yet it slips through her fingers. Who? Why do my eyes cry without knowing why? I feel nothing towards him..

”Come to think of it, I feel too relaxed..I’ve never been this calm around Killua.” I think we need to get out of this steam. Get some cool air.

Edited 2023-09-09 04:43 (UTC)

yeah. let's get out of here.

*killua crosses the sauna and pushes open the door, stepping out into the lobby. the stillness that felt serene before is eerie now, filling him, paradoxically, with a sense of loss. some important part of himself was left behind inside that sauna, and he needs to get it back. he turns to read the sign again, scrutinizing it with a furrowed brow.*

detoxification... could it be... it removed our toxic feelings? but how would it even determine that...

*is friendship toxic? his brother certainly would say so... but there was more to it than that.*

Edited 2023-09-09 16:24 (UTC)

Remove toxic feelings? Pitou asked as she follows him out. She wiped her eyes to get the tears away and take a close look at the sign.

She looked around the emptiness of the lobby. Feeling a similar eeriness as Killua. As if it was a semblance of her own mind. Empty and blank.

If what you’re saying is right..it may not go off one defined meaning. Perhaps what we lost..is something we hated? Something we didn’t want to think about?

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