528/Motherly Instructions

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Motherly Instructions
Date of Scene: 02 September 2014
Location: The Citadel - Ward 17 <CW>
Synopsis: A child is summoned for the sake of making certain details clear about the current situation regarding D.
Cast of Characters: 22, 476


Medusa Gorgon (22) has posed:
    Sometimes she can't help but wonder just what is going on through her child's head. Parts of her plays with the idea of vivisection, to study Crona's brain further... but that's when she reminds herself that she put many years of work into Crona. The child is an investment, after all. And useful in their own way even as they work on becoming a kishin. The most horrible danger unleashed upon the world.

    So why did it take so long? Sure, the mission wasn't easy, especially since Crona and Ragnarok do not have a lot of knowledge in tracking down targets. And well, she saw little use in calling them back for the other plan. The plan that Crona ought to know about now that they are back. Even so, Medusa takes her time to inspect the head brought back to her. "It's quite the ugly one, isn't it...?" she muses, not minding the dark blood that runs down her hand and past her bracelet. She needed this one two weeks ago, really. A heavy sigh leaves the witch as she closes her eyes. "I guess it will have to do..." The small troll head is put down in the piece of cloth spread across her desk. "Did the others prove a lot of trouble?"

    Amber eyes turn towards Crona, and Medusa watches the child intently.

Crona (476) has posed:
    Poor Crona really cannot fathom the intricacies of their mother's plans. This is probably just as well; if they could, they'd likely have to be as twisted as she is, and could the Multiverse really deal with two Medusas? Crona sure couldn't. The pink-haired child looks deeply embarrassed at the disappointment she expresses, and one hand rubs meekly at the other elbow.

    "It used to be invisible." Crona mumbles, faintly. "It took us ages to figure out how to stab them. Screaming just made them... blow up."

    Ragnarok oozes out of Crona's back at this explanation, and noogies the poor kid. "Oh, it took US ages, did it Crona?! What did YOU do, huh? Just WHINED all the time. Ooooh, how can I fight something I can't see, I just can't deal with this, wah wah waaaah!!"

Medusa Gorgon (22) has posed:
    It would most likely be disturbing if the child displayed the same cunning and mental capacities as their mother, and well... it does appear that not everybody in the Confederacy is as comfortable with the witch as they used to be when she was just a nurse to them. Then again, most of them probably have it far easier than Crona does. Especially in situations like these.

    Excuses, excuses, excuses.

    Medusa narrows her eyes. "That is the very reason why I asked you to go after these trolls, Crona. Their spinal fluids are very versatile," the woman says calmly, clearly not paying much attention nor seemingly caring about the abuse that Ragnarok unleashes upon his miserable meister. "Perhaps you could benefit from some more lessons..." What kind of lessons? She doesn't say.

    Either way, she hoists up the piece of cloth with the head in it and carries it over to her work bench. "Come over here and hold the head while I gather the samples." The order is at least calm. "I can talk while I work."

    Talk? About what?

    For now the witch takes off her white medical coat, tossing it aside as she picks up a pair of gloves that she puts on while pulling out various equipment from the drawers of her work desk. A chisel, some large syringes, a sharp knife and a scalpel, some tweezers... No, this doesn't bode well, does it?

Crona (476) has posed:
    Poor Crona's life is pain. You'd think they might get used to it, but no.

    Ragnarok relents enough to let the poor kid do as ordered, shoulders slumped, they move to grasp the severed head and whimper faintly. Medusa doesn't really have to elaborate more on the kind of lessons that she is likely to impart in her offspring. Crona is not the sharpest tool in the box (that would probably be some sort of scalpel) but they have learned to recognize the pattern enough that they know it won't be anything good.

    As the variety of tools are brought out, Crona flinches, and looks away. They really don't want to see what else is inside the head, but... in the end, they probably aren't going to have very much choice in the matter at all! But, there's the chance of talking, and, well...

    Crona still has a LITTLE bit of hope left in them.

    "Did, did you want to talk about my birthday?"

Medusa Gorgon (22) has posed:
    It's a good thing that Ragnarok knows better than to interfere with her business, then again... he's been through enough to know not to speak up against Medusa considering what she's done with him in the past. His current state is proof enough just how twisted the witch can be.

    The knife is taken first, and Medusa leans over the head even as Crona holds it in place as they were told. Such a good child. Several seconds pass as she studies the head to find the best place to do the incission, though she arches an eyebrow when Crona speaks up. "Hmmm...?" What's this all about? Medusa turns her head to /stare/ down at the young meister. "What about it?" Still, she can't imagine where on earth Crona picked up that idea from. There has been mention of birthdays in the Confederacy and multiverse at large. She herself sees no reason to celebrate her own birthday, as there's little point in it once you survive your first century. The fact that a witch lives well past five hundred doesn't happen all the time. But still, why should Crona be concerned about their birthday?

    For that matter, she can't really recall what date it was exactly. Somewhere in September... what year was it? How old is Crona now exactly? It hardly matters.

    Instead the witch turns her focus back on the troll head and turns the topic to what she /does/ care about. Her right hand drives the knife into the forehead of the troll, cutting through the skin which she carefully begins peeling back to expose the skull. "D has joined the Confederacy." That is something Crona ought to know, considering the dealings the two have had in the past. And since she might actually need Crona for certain tasks.

Crona (476) has posed:
    Just the noises that the skull makes are enough to make poor Crona flinch, and close their eyes. Though the kid holds the morbid piece of material very still, their lips quiver and they can't hide the disgust and revulsion which flows through them. Its silly, really. Crona ought to be used to blood, guts and gore by now - they've been responsible for enough of it! - But somehow, the ... 'events' which occur under the influence of the Black Blood never seem so starkly real compared to what happens in Medusa's laboratories.

    "N-nothing..."

    Miserable little whine at the casual dismissal of their birthday. In their mind, there was still the chance - slight as it might be - that they would wake up to a warm hug and a present of some sort (maybe a new dress? Crona sure would like one of those) and then they could go out and eat ice cream and maybe go to the petting zoo, that would have been a fun day!

    Why Crona tortures themselves with these fantasies of a life which they will never have is anybody's guess. It might even be a mercy that the subject of conversation quickly moves on to something that Crona just hadn't seen coming.

    Except that it also makes them jerk their hands forwards in shock, and if Medusa isn't expecting that... there'll probably be troll brain matter all over that knife. "WHAT?!" Crona exclaims, "But... but why?! Mister D is... he's a /good person/."

Medusa Gorgon (22) has posed:
    In contrast to Crona it doesn't appear that Medusa is disturbed by the blood and the gore, her attention on what she is doing. And once enough skil has been peeled back, she reaches for the chisel and a mallet, starting to cut the bone open, sending a jarring vibration into the head that ought to travel up Crona's thin arms.

    It's pathetic how Crona still recoils from these things when they really ought to know by now. How many times has she had Crona help her out with these things? Well, at least they know better than to deny or pull away at this point. Bone splinters fly into the wall as she works, and finally she seems to crack the bone properly so she can give one hard slam with the chisel... and the skull is open. Whew.

    When Crona jerks their hands though, just as she's about to collect the brain matter and the fluids within... Medusa's eyes go serpentine, pupils turning into thin slits. It should be a clear warning sign, especially when the witch turns her focus onto the child. Some seconds pass by, a small eternity in itself... and then Medusa speaks, her voice calmer than the look in her eyes should suggest. "If you cannot hold your hands still, perhaps Ragnarok should steady them," she merely suggests.

    Back to work.

    The syringe is taken, and the long needle is uncapped as she sticks it into the brain and drives it further down. "D... has had a change of heart. He has sworn his allegiance to the field marshal himself, and he is currently depending on us to oversee that he does not stray. Due to him being a dhampir he does have certain needs, however. I will require you to be alert and able to assist immediately should those needs arise." Surely Crona knows about vampires and dhampirs, right? "D is being way too stubborn about things," Medusa states even as she begins drawing up some sinister looking fluid into the large syringe. Easy does it...

Crona (476) has posed:
    "But, but that doesn't make any sense..."

    Poor Crona feels as though the world has fallen out from underneath them. At least Ragnarok is there to be a reassuring, horrible presence. Strong hands grasp over Crona's, though the Demon Sword is smart enough not to dare say a damn thing at this moment.

    Crona actually seems like they might be getting angry! Pink hair flies around madly as they shake their head back and forth, eyes screwed shut tight, "You're LYING!"

    The accusation comes pretty hard, and there's even tears in Crona's eyes as they spit it out. "Why would you lie about something like this? D... D doesn't want to work with people like, you."

    By the end of that sentence, it is as though Crona has remembered who they are talking to. Medusa is a horrible monster, and they have just raised their voice to her for the first time in... in... maybe forever! She'd ALREADY been pondering some sort of horrible lesson, and...

    Oh dear.

Medusa Gorgon (22) has posed:
    ... how curious.

    Even as the child shakes their head, denies the information that Medusa is giving them, the witch herself finishes drawing up the first sample of fluids with the syringe. Her movements halt however as the accusation is given. True, she lies about many things, but this? How sad that people somehow reject the truth. It happens all the time though, and she's pretty used to it. Which might be why she's still so perfectly calm as she finishes capping the syringe after removing the needle. When will Crona learn to stop crying? It's so annoying.

    Around the time when Crona realizes their blunder is when Medusa puts the syringe down and turns to peer down at her child. Those slit pupils are focused on the smaller form in front of her, and she raises her right hand, blood from the troll still there on the glove even as she reaches out... and touches it to Crona's left cheek. The stench should be even worse now. It lingers there briefly, blood running down the side of Crona's face. Slowly the witch leans down, bringing her head to the meister's right ear, and when she speaks, her voice is low, a mere whisper meant for her poor disillusioned offspring.

    "When mother cares for somebody very much and wants them near, then mother does whatever it takes, no matter how much it will hurt and twist them..." Somehow, the whisper is everything but soothing. The next words however are more clear.

    "Vector Plate."

    The black arrow appears underneath Crona's feet, pointing away from Medusa and into the wall on the other side of the office, even as Medusa withdraws her hand, staring coldly at her child.

Crona (476) has posed:
    The troll's blood oozes down the side of Crona's face, and their pupils shrink down to almost nothing. Their left eyelid twitches. It takes them back to the last act of murder that they conducted on behalf of their mother. The hapless creature had been mostly peaceful; it just wanted to be left alone, but, no. Medusa wanted pieces of it, so Crona had hacked it to death, and...

    "WAH!"

    Brought back to reality by the sudden, hard crunch of brickwork underneath Crona's head. It isn't a serious injury, but what's more devastating is the fact that the teenager doesn't get back up. They just sort of, flop there. Kneeling on the ground with a little black blood trickling from a small scrape on their head, mixing with - and rapidly absorbing - the troll's own.

    Tears well up in Crona's eyes, and they sniffle sadly. She ALWAYS wins. That's the terrible truth of it. In the end, no matter who you are, no matter what you want, Medusa will win. What makes it all the worse is a fear, unfounded, but gnawing inside, that they might in some way be responsible for all this.

    "Y-you're, horrible."

    Crona's voice is tiny, and almost immediately, Ragnarok is intervening. "HEY! Don't talk to your mother that way Crona! She just wants what's best for you!" He flails his hands around quickly, "Teenagers, right Medusa? Ungrateful brats, the lot of them. WELL! We better get going, Crona's chores aren't going to do themselves, right? Ha ha ha, come on Crona, get up, we've got to go home. Crona. CRONA."

    And they DO start to get up at last, staring dead-eyed at the floor, and the little trickle of black blood that decorates it, as they do.

Medusa Gorgon (22) has posed:
    Even as Crona crashes into the wall Medusa is already walking calmly over, peering at the frail form where it lies. Her eyes remain cold even as her slippered feet bring her closer and closer, all until she stops next to Crona. And crouches down. "What kind of way is that to talk to your mother...?" she asks softly, reaching out again to brush her gloved fingers against the black blood. that runs down Crona's hair.

    Ragnarok's comment is ignored for now, and Medusa rests her left hand on the floor as she leans over the child. "You know what he asked me?" Who else would she be talking about but D? "He wondered if I had other children besides you..." For now she won't let Crona get fully up, one hand moving to rest on their shoulder even as she brushes her lips near Crona's ear again. "You're my only. My treasure. Which is why I expect so much from you. And why those comments... hurt so much coming from you. My own flesh and blood..."

Crona (476) has posed:
    Restraining Crona to the ground doesn't take much effort. The pink-haired kid doesn't even try to fight it, they just sort of... flop into Medusa's hands. The words are heard, but they are still just staring at the blood on the floor. Blood. They're bleeding, and it is because Medusa hurt them. Its hardly the first time that Medusa has hurt Crona, but somehow... it feels all the more deep for how, sudden it was.

    How can she call Crona her treasure after that? For once, the pink-haired child isn't even crying, their eyes do meet Medusa's, though, and their voice sounds very subdued as Ragnarok slides back inside their body. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry. I'll try harder... Mother."

Medusa Gorgon (22) has posed:
    Medusa's slender frame might not be enough to keep most people petrified, but the intense look in her eyes, the way she carries herself. A person who knows true power. Not just because of her magic. Because there are many other ways to be strong. And sometimes the best way to use people is by manipulation.

    The gloved hand moves to stroke Crona's cheek again, this time almost tenderly. Somehow her fingers don't seem quite relaxed enough.

    Eyes meet eyes, and Medusa smiles softly. "I'm not angry, Crona. I never am..." Her voice is soft again as she speaks, and she closes her eyes. "Next time, do not not make me spill precious samples again. Let's get back to work, I still have to gather more of the samples before I head off to Castlevania." There is always much work to do. With that the witch stands up, and she even pulls Crona up by their arm before she heads back towards the desk.

    "About your birthday..." she suddenly says, as if the topic seems bothersome.

Crona (476) has posed:
    Crona doesn't know what to say. There've been many times in the past that they could have sworn Medusa WAS angry, but... she so rarely shows even basic affection. It is so tempting to believe that Medusa DOESN'T hate Crona. That they hurt their child because they care about them. But it is the word 'treasure' that Crona fixates on. Like a statue, or a lamp, or a favored chair. Not like a person.

    Meekly, the pink-haired teenager lets themself be dragged to the desk, to hold the grizzly trophy steady. Their eyes widen at the question of their birthday, though...

    "Can, we go to the zoo?" The kid blurts, "I've never actually, been to one before... one where you can, touch the animals, I... I'd like that..."

Medusa Gorgon (22) has posed:
    Back at the desk the witch picks up the scalpel, starting to cut out various parts of the troll brain and putting them into a jar next to her. At least it's far easier to get out with Crona steadying the head, so she can cut stuff correctly. And even if she's watching her hands work, she does notice the expression on Crona's face. "A petting zoo...?" she questions, narrowing her eyes. "I will consider it." No promises. Though really, Crona wants that? It's not like she didn't get the child many bunnies to practice on when they were younger... "Why would you like that?"

    Nearly done, Medusa pulls out some more pieces of the brain, putting those parts into their own jar. These ought to work well indeed. Even if she has no direct use for them at the moment, they should still be able to stored well enough until a rainy day.

Crona (476) has posed:
    "I like the idea of touching something without having to... hurt it...."

    The admission is given very quietly, and the pink-haired child is rendered quiet as Medusa carefully sets about her task. Compared even to the earlier behavior, Crona's manner is... subdued. It feels like all the energy has been sucked right out of the poor kid. They are going to take a while to assimilate all this...

Medusa Gorgon (22) has posed:
    Now there's a problem.

    "Crona." Medusa sighs slightly as she turns her head towards Crona, leaning down to brush a soft kiss at the top of their head. "Hurting things is what you are meant to do." It's said simply, as if she was just stating the most obvious fact in the world. Then Medusa pulls back and starts taking off her gloves. Samples have been collected, and now she just needs to put them away. "Get rid of the rest of the head, Crona. Have Ragnarok eat if if he wants." Who knows? He just might. "I might require your aid with blood transfusions in the near future and on short notice," Medusa states, all before she points to one of the cabinets. "O negative blood is stored in that cooler there, transfusion sets in the drawer next to it. If I call for you, stop by here and grab three bags and at least two transfusion sets. Is that understood?"

Crona (476) has posed:
    "... I understand, Lady Medusa ..."

    Crona sounds wrung-out, and they feel it, too. It isn't entirely clear whether they mean that they understand they are meant to hurt people, or understand the commands as they have been relayed. Possibly both. Whatever the case, Ragnarok greedily emerges to lay claim to the leftovers.

    NOMSH NOMSH NOMSH NOMSH

    Crona starts to walk towards the exit, as though they are in a daydream, as Ragnarok belches. "Well! That was a good meeting, Crona! Sure, your stupid mouth almost got us both in trouble, but look at the bright side, I got to eat! And because you were such an idiot, I'm going to eat your pudding tonight too!"

    Normally Crona would at least feign some sort of objection to the bullying Weapon, but... not right now. They just can't seem to summon the will.

    And one more step is taken towards a new Kishin.