It's a skin condition! I swear! [Open]

"So this is...normal, in a sense?"

He smiles just a little at that and then watches her proceed to shuck the sweater, ducking instinctively in case it became a projectile. He then tilts his head and glances over her, part out of curiousity and part out of concern.

"I am sorry...for earlier. I do not mix well with people. Not since..."

He cuts off there. He doesn't go there. The Memory should be put to rest. He shakes his head and then frowns again. His thinking is visible. His mind is trying to piece things together, trying to find a logical solution for her situation.

"Forgive me...but I am terribly unfamiliar with your situation. I'm trying...to figure out if something stressed you out? Perhaps that affected it? I'm...not too familiar with this at all. I lived an isolated life...in a sense."

"I wouldn't doubt you've never seen anyone like me. Neither have I. Neither has anyone in my family. Congratulations by the way, you're the..." She counts on her fingers "Eleventh person in all of Vytal who's seen my scales."

"Well...you were the...hrmm...eighth to see what happens when..the Memory resurfaces. And I think of those you're probably the fifth to actually have seen my...natural...eye colour. They were like this...several years ago."

He shrugs at that and smiles, just a little. He's calming down, the blue eyes starting to fade, tendrils of black snaking in slowly and his initial burst of Frenzy seems to be dying down. Since Indigo is calming, so too is he. That at least was something good.

"They're...genuine scales, yes? I would ask to touch but that seems inappropriate. It is something different. And puzzling. But I don't see any reason to hold it against you. I don't see why others would. To me they're no different than my scars. You don't shun me for the scars. Why would I care for the scales?"

"Besides...up until a few years ago the cities were something new to me. Lived at the edges with my...family. My father moved us there when he quit being a Hunter. After...she....was born. Most people here don't appreciate the world outside walls. So why should anyone judge others based on appearance alone? They don't even know the world they live in, nevermind who they live with."

Surprisingly zen observations from the boy who was generally cold, apathetic, grim in his outlook and unstable during the initiation. Something to shock any who heard it. He shrugs and points at the cloak, mainly at one of the bladed scale points and smiles.

"Why do you think I chose...those...as part of my approach? People are afraid of what they don't understand. It's a stupid approach."

Shem shuffles through the hallways of the dorms. Hands in his pockets and only the Huginn half of Gleipnir on his back. 3 days has passed since the degeneration has begun. His skin still pale, his green eyes still a lighter green, his hair still light brown with a single streak of gray going to his bangs. 

Why are you doing this to me, Ragnarok? Why?
It's part of the process, Shem, you and I both know its supposed to happen. 

"When I was little, a group of faunus extremists attacked me when they saw my scales. They called me an abomination, a freak of nature." A tear slid down her face. "I've hid them since then."

They were doing so well at that point. But for a moment his aura flares up again, slivers of blue visible in the blackness of his eyes as the Frenzy surfaces for a brief moment. He did not like seeing her this way. He did not like this at all. This was probably the first human being he'd actually...started...to open up to in over five years. So she was important in that sense.

"Never again. If anyone here were to try that..."

He left that threat hanging. There was little doubt he wouldn't do something. He'd already proven himself to be somewhat...feral...when the Frenzy took hold. Yet he pauses a moment. Again, something seemed off. What was with this day?

He tilts his head, looking around with those half-wild eyes.

"Indigo..."

Indigo takes in a shaky breath, more tears beginning to fall from her cheeks. "And now I don't know what to do... I can't hide all of these!" She wipes her face with her hands.

The thing about Frenzy is that he starts going a bit toward the feral side. He was already sound in the field of battle. And right about now he heard someone shouting...he heard the pain. He was already on edge and this was beginning to get to him.

"Shh. Don't cry...we'll figure something. Promise."

He moves to wipe the tears, looking at her with those now, once again predominantly blue eyes. There is genuine concern there. Genuine concern that is something...more than his confused emotions are allowing him to show. She was something to him. But he wasn't sure what.

"Bandages. We can cover them in bandages and say you got some late bruises from a class or something. I personally think they're...fascinating. But it's your choice."

Something else was near though. The Frenzy was beginning to kick in. He was trying to control it. Looking about again he puts a finger to his lips.

"Someone is near. If need be, use the cloak and scarf. I'll be fine."

Indigo sniffed. "Wait. I know who that is... And something's wrong..." She looked at the wall as if trying to see through it.

Shem stands up using Huginn as a crutch. "This...is getting out of hand. I need to find her....Indigo...where are you?" He said to himself between heavy breaths. He begins to walk but stumbles and slams his side against the hallway walls before falling back down on his side. "In....digo........help...."

Drake moves, making use of that bit of a speed boost that the Frenzy gives, moving toward the door to open it quickly. He is unarmed but his stance is still a low crouch. Were Indigo to look she would see his aura...the blades, the talons. He was at the very cusp of Frenzy.

"Who's there? Who's...? Oh hells."

He quickly moves to grab Shem, to drag him in with some effort. It takes some effort to make the aural claws dissipate, a clear indicator of the point he is at.

Indigo watched as Drake pulled a boy into the room. "Shem!" She runs over to his side, horror in her eyes as she sees the state he is in. "No... You idiot! I told you to come to me at the first sign of trouble!"

Shem looks up to Indigo, his iris' red, showing that ragnarok is in control at the moment. "Hey....girl...Indigo......help....us....please..." Shem's eyes go back to green before that close as Shem passes out.

The response of course to Ragnarok's...tone is a growl. Blue eyes glare at the red for a brief moment, no sign of any fear there. Then when Shem passes out he shakes his head, trying to calm himself. Indigo was already upset...this would make it worse...

"I'm sorry...I don't know what..." He's obviously struggling with the words, frustrated and he looks at Indigo apologetically before moving to help her. She was worried about him. Part of him did not like that. Jealousy...another emotion...

Mao was snapped out of his half-daydreaming by a loud thud. He had been waiting for the two to leave his room, but they were taking quite a while. He looked over at the door to find it open. Huh, did they finally leave? He peeked his head in the doorway only to find that another person was now in his room who he recognized as the person he had tied up in the cafe. I don't even know what's going on anymore. Mao just watched silently for now.

Indigo pats Shem on his face, trying to wake him up. No good. She feels his pulse and lets out a sigh as she feels blood flowing. "We have to help him. Help me prop him against the wall." She says, turning to drake. As she works she feels an itching sensation on her wrists and neck.

He nods, controlling his temper, trying to stop himself from growling as he bodily lifted Shen, pushing him up against the wall. His eyes were still that deep blue, partially dilated, a clear indicator he was at the very edge of Frenzy.

Jealousy clearly wasn't helping. He keeps himself near to Indigo, trying to calm himself, watching her carefully, paying attention to the 'other' scales she mentioned. The ones that were not normal as though he was trying to resort to his strategic approach once more...

"Listen carefully. When I come back, if I'm not me, I want you to knock me out. Do whatever you can, okay?" The familiar sound of water rushing through pipes can be faintly heard. She turns to "Shem" Her voice stern and serious "Ragnarok. Listen here. You let me in. No tricks." The scales spread over the tops of her hands and creeped further up her neck.

"Shem" lightly nods as his eyes opens with a red auratic glow.

"W-what?"

Now for a sound no one else ever heard. That worried, uncertain, almost afraid tone. Something Drake had never displayed before now. Indigo's request clearly had him shaken and thrown off guard and now he stood there, looking at her, trembling as his mind raced at that one request. Frenzy.

"I....I..."

He watches, helpless and hopes for the best rather than the worse. Or he might snap next.

Indigo cracks her knuckles preparing for the worst. Indigo kneels down and places her hands on Shem's forehead and chest. She exhales as the rushing sound grows steadily louder. A weak wind begins to circle around the two.

"Be careful Indigo" Shem whispers just loud enough so Indigo can hear him.

Meanwhile Drake is stood there. Motionless. His brain is reaching the point where he's halfway between losing it and just collapsing and going completely catatonic. He could not hurt her. He could not let the beasts kill her again. He could not do nothing again.

The Memory is there. Haunting him. Tormenting him. And he stands there, lost, cornered, his aura flickering as he crouches , then holds his hand. He didn't know what to do...

The sound grows louder and louder, reaching the level of a chainsaw before abruptly stopping. Indigo and Shem open their eyes simultaneously, glowing purple and red respectively. The wind ceases and the room goes quiet.

((The following takes place inside Shem's aura))

Indigo floats down into a vast room. Her scales still taking over most of her head and all over her body.

"Well... That's new." She stepped forward her feet making no sound as she walked. Where's Shem?