#she cares about cullee rights

[trenchgardens-ooc-ooc-ooc-ooc]

you guys all have to look at her again. her name is borrel and she is cloun... rodeo cloun so pretty aourugh... woamen... perety... eiuiri... i am jsut a dogg....

[botgalhs]

Part of a trade between myself and @queen-sarcasm15. For my part, a fic about a point in their headcanon for Kankri’s timeline where there was no game. Their version of Kankri’s culler, Tanith, took him to a party where he ended up snapping and ranting about how culling is awful and so is she.

Hope you enjoy it, friend~

On the best of days, a crowd of Trolls would have made him uncomfortable at the most. Perhaps irritated if they were a particularly ornery or loud. But tonight... tonight they were polite and soft spoken, but there were still too many and each word they spoke was too much. Even the sound of a clinking glass made him want to... Well, he didn't know what exactly, but it made him want to do something.

His whole abdomen ached under his shirt, the corset having been laced just a couple notches tighter than normal under some typically generic excuse of hers. Only serving to make everything that much more uncomfortable and him just that much more miserable.

Beside him, his culler laughed at the joke some other highblood had made. Or, he supposed that was what had happened. He wasn't paying much attention. Mostly he was just trying to wallow on through the event without doing anything to get his culler angry. How many times had she emphasized just how big this gathering was? How she had fussed over both his appearance and her own to look the absolute best for the gathering. All the growled warnings towards him from behind her too bright smile for the sake of keeping up appearances in front of all of these other Trolls.

And, of course, it didn't help that he was starving. He'd already eaten his one allotted meal for the day. All he was allowed at this entire party was water. This wasn't the first time he had ever gone without more than a few bites of food for the engagement. Even so, though, tonight just felt... Wrong. Too tense. Even the Troll talking to his culler was just getting on his nerves too much. Like he was just... waiting for something. One more thing happening. One more tiny push to his already frayed set of nerves...

“So, Tanith.” He only really heard the phrase because at that moment his culler's claw jabbed him in the shoulder through his shirt and he started to attention. He gritted his teeth because even that little poke was just only further pushing his sense of taut-ness in this whole situation. She must have noticed his attention was drifting. She didn't like him losing focus. Made him look less attentive and her less of a good culler, or so she said.

“Yes?” Her voice grated on Kankri even more. Too honey sweet tones that she only really saved for when she was talking with people.

“I have to ask. How do you keep your little one so in line? My neighbor, Arnult has a cullee and he can barely get her to keep still. She's a little wild thing who can't seem to listen to any directions. But yours seems to be a little paragon of good behavior.” “What can I say? I know how to deal with wigglers,” she smiled and stroked Kankri's shoulder. “You can't just let them run oinkbeast-wild and let them do whatever they please. Discipline is necessary. Good, solid discipline, and letting them know just who's in charge.”

“Indeed.” The strange blueblood put his big, heavy hand on Kankri's head, and the feeling of tense, withheld pressure started to spike again. Oh god, get your hand away. Just stop touching him already or he was just going to... “Aren't you such a fine little man? Get such a wonderful culler who takes such good care of you. Teaches you how to act nice and proper.” He kept ruffling Kankri's hair and the mutantblood tensed his hands at his sides into fists.

“And isn't he just,” his culler cooed, smiling as she allowed Kankri to stand there and accept the hand ruffling his hair and rubbing his head. “He's such a kind, compliant little thing. It's any culler's dream to care for such a well behaved young one.”

“Such a lucky thing he is,” the Blue smiled.

That was it. Just that one little phrase. Kankri just felt something inside him, he didn't know what, just... snap. A tiny, quiet little sound in his heart. But one that made his whole body freeze up as he clenched his teeth.

“...bullshit.” The Troll quirked an eyebrow, looking at him curiously.

“Sorry, what was that, lad? Couldn't quite hear yo-”

“I SAID IT'S FUCKING BULLSHIT!!!” He snapped out loud, and the Troll backed off a pace, removing his hand from the boy's head and staring at him. Along with what seemed to be a good half of the whole party... And his culler.

“Kankri, what have we said about language?” She spoke as pleasantly as possible, putting a hand on his shoulder, ever so subtly digging the tips of her claws into him through his shirt. “Now why don't you just calm-”

“NO! I'm not going to just 'calm down'! Why should I?! Just to make sure you keep looking good in front of everyone!?” He turned on the strange Blue, pulling away from his culler's hand and glaring at him. A hot, angry fire burning in his eyes. “Tell me, do you think I'm lucky that I live under someone else's control my whole life? Do you think any cullee is lucky that they have to spend all of their days with little to no autonomy, either kept under lock and key or ignored until their culler needs some trophy to show off when they need to prove how noble and giving they are?!” He squared himself, positively livid and outraged and he was not going to take this! “You don't care about anything except for what you want! How people think of you! Never mind what you're really like behind that slimy, smarmy mask of being such a benevolent and kind culler!!!” He jabbed a finger at her, fangs bared and eyes blazing. “You are NOT a good culler! You're not even a good person! You're a selfish, lying, self serving person who should never have been allowed to take care of other people! Using other people, using me to get you wherever you want to go and never considering anything but looking good to people! The things you've said about cullees. The things you've said about me! The things you've done to me!!!”

“Come on, now, Kankri.” Her smile was strained, and she stepped closer to him with all the air of a predator stalking on closer to its' prey. “Let's be calm about this. We can go and find a nice, calm, quiet place where you can relax-”

“You mean someplace you can get me away from these people and stop telling them for what you are?! No! I'm not going anywhere! I'm not letting you silence me again! You can't keep controlling me like this! You can't-!” He yowled when his culler suddenly yanked him up against herself. Holding him against her body with one arm while her free hand took the syringe that was drawn from her sylladex.

“I think someone needs to calm down a bit. And have a nice, long rest,” she hissed. Kankri struggled and kicked against her, but even that couldn't stop the sudden, sharp prick he could feel as the needle was jabbed into his neck. He kept weakly hitting at her, struggling to not give in. But already he felt himself growing hazy and his mind fogged up with the effects of the contents of the syringe.

“Goodness, Tanith. Is everything alright?” Another guest approached slowly as Kankri's struggles died out, and he slumped against his culler and his eyes started to slip closed.

“Oh, yes. Don't worry about us, dear. Everything is going to be just fine. He just needed to have a little poke of something to help him relax. He'll be alright.” She managed a soft, warm sounding chuckle, stroking her charge's hair as he drifted off completely. “We'll just have to do a bit of... adjustment...”

And then he didn't hear anything but silence.

–

The first thing Kankri managed to register as he awoke was a slight sense of confusion. That, and the fact that it seemed far too bright. With a slight undercurrent of soreness and pain.

“Well, well. Look at who's awake.” The voice made him flinch, and he tried to force his eyes open a bit more. Only to find that he was face to face with his culler. The older Troll smiled decidedly wickedly down at him, showing off her too white, pointed fangs. Kankri cringed, not liking just how close she was. “And how are we feeling, little one? Better? Go on, speak up.”

Kankri squinted his eyes, and tried to murmur out a response. But nothing came out. Confused, he tried again. But nothing happened. Just a slight hiss of air and maybe some uncertain mumbling. But that was it. Something cold started brewing in the bottom of his gut, but he didn't know what. All he knew was that he was groggy and couldn't talk. And now his culler was grinning wider than ever. She leaned in closer so her mouth was near his ear and hissed cold breath against the shell as she spoke.

“That's right, you little brat. You caused quite the scene with how you were screaming your lungs out at the party, didn't you? Making me look bad, and ruining such a nice party with such important people at it just so you could be a brat,” she hissed at him. “Well guess what, you'll never be doing that again. In fact, you won't be doing any talking ever again. Because of course no one would pay any mind to a little mutant freak like you. Just another cullee throwing an immature temper tantrum in public.”

No... He was starting to realize what was going on as he got to be more awake. And what she was saying to him was chilling him to his very core. No no. This couldn't happen. This wasn't happening. She didn't really do this... did she?

“Well, don't you worry. I'm still going to take care of you. Only now, you've lost your speaking privileges. Permanently. Gave your vocal chords the snip, so no more chatty little mutant trying to be an ungrateful party spoiler. From now on. You'll be just as cullees always should be. Quiet. Obedient. Never speaking, not just when not spoken to, but EVER.”

Oh no... Oh god no, why? Why was this happening? Why were people letting this happen? Someone must have heard him speaking, right? They must have heard something he said and understood him? They couldn't just ignore him like that, leave him with her. And yet, here he was. Lying in a hospital bed, no voice, and with her grinning wickedly as she gloated over her victory.

“But hey, cheer up, little cherry,” she snickered at him with her 'nickname'. “Not like anyone would have ever listened to you anyway.”

[nemodraws]

Birthday Fic

For @botgalhs, sorry for it being so late!! They sat apart on her couch, as always. Polar opposites. Him, boiling hot and cold at the prospect of physical intimacy. Her, freezing cold and needy and desperate for touch and praise and approval. But she could never ask for touch from him, he'd leave and she’d be more cut off. So, their legs touched and they looked at each other and they talked. “I mean, who would get it in their mind to do that shit?” Meenah’s shirt was off, her fingers just barely brushing the frayed ends of where her gills used to be. Or would've been. “I can't breathe underwater, I can barely-” her voice broke off in a gasp and her fingers gave an involuntary twitch when she prodded to hard. Blinking hard, Meenah's words came in stutters before she found her verbal footing again, “I can barely touch the gills now.” Kankri, who had been surprisingly silent while she talked, “I am not sure where your ancestor got that idea, to shear off the filaments in your gills.” His lips twisted in a light frown and he sat up more, just barely reaching towards her torso, “May I?” Sitting up so fast her vision went fuzzy, Meenah nodded her head, “Yeah, course you can.” Her torso tensed as his hand came closer to her gills. And then the warm pads of his fingers brushed over her gill slits and she exhaled, relaxing into his touch. Slowly, he rubbed her side, maintaining eye contact with her. Making sure he didn't hurt her, “I'm going to preface this with the fact that I am not trying to coopt your tragedy, I'm sure that doing that would most certainly offend. But, I do believe I can relate to the idea and notion of a controlling lusus figure.” A slight breath in preparation that didn't really give her a chance to reply, “As I hope is obvious, I would be considered a lowblood in the eyes of Beforian society, which also meant that on Beforus itself I was culled. Meaning that a cooler blood than I possessed took me in and took the place of my would-be yet in truth nonexistent lusus. I happened to be taken under the care of one Quinne Pierot, a purple blood. Same caste, actually, as our very own Kurloz Makara.” He frowned slightly when he said the name, “But that really isn't important in this matter. What is, is the fact of her blood color. I'm sure that I do not have to remind you that the purple blooded caste has a high tendency towards the vein of manipulation we call Chucklevoodoos.” His hand flinched, but gracefully had avoided driving into Meenah's gills, “It shouldn't come as a surprise, that as her cullee I was subjected to pampering behavior and controlling behavior. But what I wish to be, but ultimately doubt that it is, a surprise to you. Is that i was also subjected to a great deal of manipulation. Though, I suppose the reason of my lack of a will to wish that prior knowledge is due to our...more red tinged romance.” Truthfully he had no idea really where this arrangement between them. They had started out as kismeisises, unsurprisingly given their conflicting natures. Though after a particularly nasty brawl, Aranea had intervened between them and took the role of auspice, thus pushing them into ashen territory. At her insistence, Kankri and Meenah were made to spend (what Aranea had called, at least) ‘quality time’ together. And here they were. Straddling the line somewhere between true flush and pale. But it worked for them. So they worked. Quandaries about the nature of their relationship aside, Kankri continued on, “Nevertheless, now you know, or at least, were reminded. But it is true, I was subjected to near constant control, or at the very least, an overpowering presence in my mind. Which led to my tendency to not be able to talk over trollain for long or very late into the morning. Almost everything I did was controlled. When I woke up, what I wore, what I ate, how much I ate, what I would do, where I would go (if she decided that I could even go anywhere at all), and when I went to sleep.” His eyes had dropped from Meenah's and were now glaring slightly out the window. “Again, which is why I was so reckless during the start of the game. Which is why I have so many scars,” At the mention, his hand automatically went to his chest, “which is why I dislike Porrim's constant mothering and I can't stand to be alone with the Makara of our session. The two of them remind me too much of..of Quinne. And I do hope to inform you that the mere fact that you have never been soft or gentle with me as opposed to anyone else is, quite honestly, a large part of how I came to the decision to break my vow for our...relationship.” There was a break of silence. Kankri waiting for Meenah to talk and Meenah wondering how hard it'd be to find Quinne and beat the living shit out of her. Clearing her throat, Meenah nodded her head, “All understandable, Kan. Can't say I exactly blame you for wanting P-Mar to stop doing...what she does.” Shifting closer on the couch, Meenah sighed out softly, “I know what Chucklevoodoos do, Kankri, or would it be too morbid for me to tell you?” He blanched, fake paling as he shook his head, “Not to morbid, don't worry. The only thing that worries me is that you know what Chucklevoodoos do and since you are not a part of the purple class you know them second hand.” A tired chuckle and Meenah rubbed at her temple, “Yeah, I know them second hand. Hard naut to, when your ancestor is the empress and you're a rowdy wriggler who once tagged the side of the palace with spray paint. But, that was back before I was chosen to become the next Empress. I, try not to think about what coulda happened to me had I not ran off to the moon. Cause if ya look at where I was going, it wasn't to a good place. Ya see, since I was such a rowdy beach my ancestor- y’know the Empress- found it a great idea to get one of her advisors, purple blood by the name of Sabyli Perema, to dive right down into my mind and fuck me up. Puppetted me around the glubbing throne room, nebber had a minute to myshellf if people were over and I needed to be a perchfect host. So, I’m shore that if I had been left to my own ancestor’s devices and stayed on that damed planet, I’d be in a wave worse place.” The amount of fish puns she used had kept increasing as she got more and more agitated. The glow of her spots kept fluctuating from neon to barely existent, causing Kankri to raise his eyebrow and half reach out. In response, Meenah leaned into his hand, sinking into it and exhaling loudly before continuing, “So, that was a bitch to deal with. Espeshelly with the inability to swim and the corsets and the pressure and engagements and-” She was cut off by Kankri making a strangled sound. “Engagements? Who were you engaged to?” His paled out eyes were widened in concern, his thumb gently rubbing her cheekbone. A half-humorous laugh, “Cronus, if you could believe. It made sense, I guess, at the tide. His ancestor was a military general, so he had a big name to live up to. He was rich and powerful and so was I, so ole fishtits thought it great to pair us up together.” Kankri frowned slightly and tugged some pillows and blankets over, pulling Meenah onto the makeshift pile and holding her close. His warm hands moved to pet her hair and rub at her horns until her tensed shoulders slumped and a purr started up. “Think of the bright side, Meenah. It’s not that your issues don’t matter, because they do. But the causes of your issues are long away now, on another planet and in another time. You’re safe here, I won’t let anything be done to you. You’re going to be okay and you’re going to be happy and I will not let anything bad happen Meenah.” She just purred louder and nodded her head, shifting closer and wrapping around him, “Yeah, yeah. Same for me, Kan, you’re gonna be safe. Won’t let Kurloz near you, won’t let him ever get in your bright little brain. I’ll make you safe, make sure you’re safe until you’re content and happy.” Her own hands moved through Kankri’s hair, touching his horns lightly (but mostly focusing on massaging his scalp) until his eyes went half lidded. “I love you, Meenah.” He mumbled out, shifting to get more comfortable like he was going to sleep. “I love you too, Kankri.” Meenah smiled at him, hugging him closer and tucking her head into the crook of his neck.

[botgalhs]

By the request of one @ultramagicanus, a fic request inspired by the shared love of the horror game, Mad Father, that we have. Wherein Quinne, Kankri’s culler, makes it a habit of hers to kill her cullees and make them into her own personal puppets. And Kankri has had that fact dangled over his head his entire life.

Hope you enjoy this tea party fic in the midst of all that, friend~

In the near dead silence, the delicate click of china against the wooden table sounds as if a boulder had dropped into the room, smashing up the floorboards and making a ruckus loud enough to wake the dead (though ever so thankful was he that it did not, this whole situation frayed his nerves enough as it was).

Kankri kept his teacup and saucer in his hands, though only rarely did he bring it to his lips. The smell of the brew was something fragrant and floral, and with the utter upset in his stomach he felt as if he might throw up if he let too much of it pass his lips. There were enough things sickening him at this very table. The silence of the room like an echo chamber that pounded at his brain and at his eyes until he was certain he could feel his own pulse in his fingertips.

The too many staring eyes occupying the seats at the table (God how in his much earlier youth had he ever once thought them charming???). And, most of all, the woman sitting right across from him at the table, sipping easily away at her beverage.

“Is something wrong, Kanny dear?” Just the suddenness and the Loudness of her compared to the room set his teeth on edge. “You’ve hardly touched your tea.”

“… I’m not feeling very well,” Kankri replied softly. It wasn’t a lie exactly. “Could I please have some water instead?” Asking to be excused would be an… unwise choice. If anything, at least asking for another drink would free him from having to endure the too taxing scent of what she’d made.

“Oh? You don’t like it? And I went so far as to make something of such high quality, only for my cullee to say he dislikes it.” His culler sighed across the table. She, Quinne, allowed her expression to form something akin to unhappiness. Base emotions like anger were beneath her, so she said, no matter how much he knew that was nothing but a giant lie. She could get very angry indeed…

“I…” Kankri tried to find the words, but he stopped himself when another cup was shoved beneath his nose. To his own unmitigated horror, it was the THING occupying the seat to his left that has moved. Shoving a cup of tea up under his nose. God he was going to be sick. He didn’t even have to look up to know that Quinne had left her seat, so now he could hear her voice behind him.

“Come now, my Kanny. Just look at Tieene. Offering you some more tea. Ever so polite, as you should be.” Another arm came from his left now, this one with a plate of small cookies. “And now Pulane is offering you some sweets. You can have one if you’d like today. A special treat for tea time, hm? Just make sure you don’t get too greedy now.” It was only by supreme force of will that Kankri didn’t let himself turn around to see his culler standing behind him and (quite literally) pulling the strings.

“I, um… I really don’t feel like cookies. They’re… not good for a growing cullee like me.” The whole situation felt like a trap. A noose around his neck growing tighter with each word he spoke. Hopefully at least she might not be so hard on him if he used the very words she herself did.

For a long moment of silence, he sat half terrified, gripping tight to his teacup. But then, at last, he felt a tingle of relief when all she did was laugh in her soft, subdued sort of way.

“Good boy, I’ve taught you ever so well. My Kanny remembers all I’ve told him for the sake of his own good.” Some force took hold in the back of his head, a subtle brush of suggestion, and he turned to the side. Just enough that Quinne could stoop over and press a light kiss to his lips. He didn’t resist. He didn’t close his eyes. He even kissed back as he stared into the flickering purple glow of her eyes. She was there only a moment longer before she stood again, smiling her gentle smile down to him. Eyes still flickering.

“My sweet little Kanny. I can’t wait until you’re at your peak of perfection.” She eyed him critically, regarding him with a slightly tilted head. “Another two sweeps, perhaps. Maybe three. Can’t rush perfection.” She allowed herself a subdued giggle. As if she’d just made a joke. “You’ll make a most wonderful marionette someday, my dear. I look forward to it.”

She patted him on the head, taking the tea from his pliant fingers.

“Here. I’ll bring you some water instead, so we can all enjoy some refreshment. I won’t be a moment.” She turned gracefully on her heel and made for the kitchen, footsteps clicking smartly against the wooden floor. “Don’t you go anywhere now.”

In a matter of moments, she was gone from the room, and Kankri celebrated the subtle release of his mind by shooting his hands up to his mouth to muffle the sound of his own gagging.

He was going to be sick, he couldn’t take it anymore. All these lifeless things, these life sized puppets that people praised his culler for her excellent craftsmanship in making… No one else knew the truth. He did, though. He’d known for a long, long time.

These THINGS. These poor souls who had lost their lives because their insane culler wanted to ‘preserve their beauty’ forever. Defacing their corpses and looping strings through flesh made into porcelain, eyes made to glass that stared blankly at a place that they had in life called home…

Just as would happen to him.

She was not subtle about it. She wanted this fate for him more than anything. Her prized mutant, the culmination of her ideals. The still growing crown jewel to her collection. Like a beefgrub tender watching over and caring for their stock until the peak time for slaughter.

No way to escape. No way to ask for help. Not without Quinne being there, watching his every move like a raptorbeast. Being there. Reminding him of his inevitable fate.

“I’m back, Kanny.” Quinne announced her return with her honeyed tones an an extended glass of water. Kankri forced a smile, choking down his sense of nausea. Avoiding looking at the empty faces around him.

If this went on any longer, this tension that ate away at his every thought and his very soul, he wasn’t sure how much longer that simply rolling over and dying wouldn’t be the better solution.

[botgalhs]

Sightless

A friend requested a fic based off an AU I have where Quinne used chucklevoodoos to make Kankri sleepwalk to go outside in the day and blind himself by staring into the sun. This fic takes place in the aftermath where some of his online friends, after several weeks of internet silence, decide to figure out where he lives and check on him.

Meenah stood with her hands pressed into her hips, body cocked at an angle while she stood with two of her friends. Or, 'friends' if she would use the term so lightly as she considered one of them. She knew and kinda liked Porrim, but she didn't really know much (or care much) about Latula.

All this fuss over one culled kid. The guy was a weirdo, that was for sure. He hardly knew anything popular that all trolls their age should. He typed all weird and formal and almost didn't seem capable of holding a normal conversation. And not only that, apparently he had only certain times he could get online, because of his being culled. So now, when no one's heard from him in a few weeks, some of the ones who tolerated him the most in their friend group got worried about him. And so, here she was. Having been asked (and paid) by Porrim to help her figure out how to get to Kankri's culler's hive.

“Wooow, this place is huge,” Latula whistled. Meenah just snorted. A Purple Blood's place was no match for the royal palace, obviously. Her lower blood was showing with such a simple statement like that.

“So, this is the hive he lives in?” Porrim asked, looking to Meenah for assurance. The sea dweller heiress rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, this is it. The Monastic's hive, also hive sweet hive to one Kankri Vantas. Now can we get on with this? I've got shit to do today.” Meenah strode past the other two and raised a hand to knock. However, before she could do so, the door was already swinging inwards, and she was left with her fist stopping awkwardly in the air just before it hit the body of the troll in front of her. Three pairs of eyes traveled upwards, to the face of the troll in front of them.

Tall, soft looking, and skin darkened with what was obviously a long time in adulthood, a pair of purple eyes looked kindly down at the three girls on her stoop.

“Greetings to you three, young ones. You must be my little Kankri's friends. He talks about all of you ever so much.” She looked specifically to Meenah and smiled as she gave a brief, slight curtsy. “And my heiress, a very lovely evening, I hope it serves you well.” She smoothed her skirts after the gesture and brushed aside a lock of hair from her face. “And you two, you must be... ah, Jade and Teal, so you must be Latula and Porrim, correct? It's interesting seeing my cullee's friends in person.”

“Um, yes, it's very nice to meet you, too,” Porrim said quickly. “Um, you said in your messages that Kankri hasn't been well enough to talk to people right now, is he okay? I don't think you ever said just what was wrong with him.”

“...” There was a long moment of silence, where the Monastic's face was cool and neutral, before she stepped back and to the side, opening up the doorway into her home. “... I believe it would be best for you to see for yourself.” The three girls looked at each other, but then slowly made their way into the house. They followed the Purple Blood up the stairs, trailing after her gracefully moving figure. Until, after a good bit of climbing and going through several rooms, the girls finally reached a nondescript door, just like the rest. “Now, I will warn you before you go in, my Kankri is a bit... sensitive, right now, so I'll ask that we keep this message brief. So that we avoid upsetting him. He's so fragile normally, but this has taken its' toll on him even further. So he'll be very emotional about things, please don't hold it against him.”

She opened the door without so much as a knock, and stepped into the block.

“Kanny, we have guests. Why don't you sit up and greet them properly?”

A small, thin troll had laid curled up on his side on his respite platform, on top of the white sheets that seemed to make him look all the smaller. At the sound of her voice, though, he sat up, his baggy black clothes shifting around him as he sat himself up in a slow, sluggish sort of way.

It was when he looked their way that a shock went through all three of them, and Porrim's hands flew up to her mouth to cover up her gasp.

It took only one look at him to see what was wrong with him. With the angry, harsh red burns that showed from beneath his eyelids stood out so clearly from his light gray skin. He blinked unseeingly, head tilted just a bit too high for him to be facing the trio of visitors.

“He has a sleepwalking problem, poor thing,” the Monastic murmured just loud enough for the girls to hear her. “Then one day he started sleepwalking, took him right out onto the balcony and... well, I think you can see what happened after that.” Even Meenah was no exception to the general feeling of discomfort as she watched Kankri sitting there, now moving his head around searchingly. The sense of unease growing as his sightless eyes scanned over all of them as if he were still trying to see.

“Quinne? Are you still there?” He spoke at last, unseeing eyes narrowed searchingly, voice soft and even sounding a bit scared.

“Yes, Kanny, I'm still here.” The Monastic, or Quinne as he called her, strode forward and stood next to the bed, guiding him to the edge to sit there. She motioned for the three to approach, and they did as she beckoned. “Little one, some of your friends from online came to pay you a visit, they were concerned about you. Isn't that so generous of them to give their time to come here?” Her hands went around his shoulders, gently running her fingers over the slight shape of them. “This is the heiress, Meenah. And the two others...” She looked up meaningfully, and the other two got the hint.

“Porrim,” said Jade girl said quickly. “And this is Latula. It's... nice to meet you in person, Kankri.” The blind mutant seemed to finally find the proper direction to look, thanks to her voice, and opened his mouth. However, with a soft, subtle squeeze from his culler to his shoulders, his lips closed again, and he nodded before murmuring softly.

“Nice to meet you too.”

Ever the bold one, no matter the situation, Latula finally managed to gather up her nerve.

“Hey, man, uh... sorry for busting in like this, but you just vanished, you know? No trace at all. We're just glad you're okay... Well, you know, you're not okay okay, with all... all that, but... you know?” She shrugged, which she only realized after how foolish that gesture was after she did it, given he couldn't see her make the motion.

Quinne slowly, steadily tapped her finger on her culler's shoulder, until Kankri finally answered, still looking at Latula with those eerie, flat red eyes.

“I... appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. It's just been hard, adjusting and all. I'm perfectly fine, though; my culler is taking care of me.” Quinne's smile seemed to soften a bit, and she removed a hand from his body to ruffle his hair instead.

“Oh, Kanny, you know I'd do anything I could for you to be safe. I wish I could have prevented this whole mess, but of course I'll be taking care of you even more now that you're like this.” She tapped his cheek with just the barest tip of her claw in a small gesture of affection. Still, that didn't stop him from flinching noticeably at the touch, and something flickered in her for just a moment. Not really the face or her eyes, just... something odd and slightly unnerving. “...Well now, girls, I think you'd best be on your way.” She stood up gracefully from the bed, not without some protest from the girls.

“Wha-? But we just got here!” Latula protested.

“And now you're leaving here.” Without waiting for another word, Quinne was already ushering her towards Kankri's door. “You've seen him, he's just fine. So I'm sure you can tell all your friends he's suffered an awfully traumatic injury, and will no longer be able to keep up communications with you all, much as he regrets it.”

“But- but-!”

“Come along, dear. I'll see you three out. Sorry that you came all this way, but that's how it is.” Quinne stood there, barring them from pushing back into the room past her as she spoke once more in cheery tones. “Say goodbye to your friends, Kankri.” There was something of a finality in her tone, and Kankri felt his chest shudder to hear it. He opened his mouth as quickly as possible, perhaps hoping he could get out one last request. A cry for help. Anything.

“Good-” the door snapped closed before he could finish, leaving the 'bye' he had been about to say uselessly murmured to his block. He sat there on his bed, facing the direction the door had closed, recognizing the sound but no longer able to see the image, no matter how hard he tried to see past the nothingness that was now his vision. Listening to the muted protests and responses of three of his friends. Whose voices he had heard for the first time since meeting them through a chat room what seemed like a long time ago.

And who, to his knowledge, he'd likely never hear again.

It wasn't until the voices had faded away, and he was left again in heavy, oppressive silence that he finally let himself flop back into the respite platform. And sucked in quick, sharp breaths as he attempted to keep himself from crying.