poly_chromatic | Video -- And the Moon Shall Turn to Blood

Entry tags:

mad men - michael ginsberg

Video -- And the Moon Shall Turn to Blood

[The room is dimly lit, only one light in the room casting flickering shadows from the furniture onto the walls. At first, it's difficult to tell what the video could possibly be recording, since there doesn't appear to be anyone in the room.

Several moments later, however, when the door opens and a ~~NPC~~ man walks in, it becomes obvious that this is someone's apartment. And there's something moving in the shadows in the corner, something that slowly seems to be taking form where previously, there was nothing there at all. It appears to be a form, a form that seems to be made up of shadows itself, except that it's slightly darker than the shadows around it.

Slowly, it begins to move, spreading from the corner, taking on the distinct shape of a man, and then the shadow is moving more quickly. By the time it reaches the ~~NPC~~ man who's headed for the light switch to illuminate the place, it's taken on an almost solid form. Swiftly, the shadow wraps itself around the man, enveloping him, not giving him time to cry out. Within seconds, it's as though the shadow form has absorbed the man entirely, and the man slumps to the floor, seemingly lifeless.

The shadow's form is stronger now, sharper around the edges, and perhaps recognizable to those who have met him before. With no backward glances at the man lying on the floor, the shadow seems to float across the room, then out the door into the dark streets, looking for its next victim.]

[[OOC: Ginsberg is essentially a shadow monster, capable of attacking and draining the life from people, but it's not a permanent state -- he shifts back and forth, and when he's in the light, looks perfectly normal and corporeal. When he's in shadow, however... this is what you get. Feel free to run into him on the streets, or see this particularly pleasant attack on video.]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Maybe more than one. [ Tact isn't always Tosh's strong suit.

She's sure now that he's human, or started out that way, and probably possessed by something. Though what she's going to do about that is anyone's guess. ]

Um...I can't let you wander the streets anymore. But if you're cooperative, maybe we can figure out a way to help you.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm cooperative. I don't want to... I don't want to hurt anyone.

[Nope, he can't even look back at the person he attacked. He just stares at her instead.]

I can't go back in the dark. I become a monster in the dark.

Right. Then we just stay where it's light.

[ And she holds her breath and hopes this doesn't turn out to be a trick, because she has no way of defending herself. ]

Where do you live? No offense, but I'm not taking you back to mine.

I'm still staying at the Welcome Center, but if I go back there... there're so many people there, and I don't know if I can...

[A shudder, and then he seems to realize something.]

If this is a curse, it'll be over at midnight, right? It's already past eleven, isn't it? Maybe this will all be gone soon.

No, that probably isn't a good idea.

I don't know, I've only just got here. I don't know anything about the curses, honestly. Nothing like this has ever happened to you, then?

[ She doesn't fancy the thought of standing there pointing a torch at him all night. ]

I've never become a monster before. I mean, there've been other curses, and they've always ended at midnight. Nothing this serious, but... I... I could just go somewhere it's light, and wait till midnight.

[Although if he has to go back through anywhere dark again on his way to seek out a safe place, well, that could prove dangerous.]

Oh no, not by yourself. If this is just a curse like you think, then we can just...stand under a streetlight for a while and see what happens. And if it isn't, then I'll figure something else out.

[ There have to be ways to extract an alien that's taken possession of a human without killing the host, right? ]

Okay. Yeah. We can wait.

[He'd make his way towards a streetlight now, but he figures he should stay in the light from her flashlight just to be safe.]

I'm scared.

[It doesn't seem to bother him to admit it, but it was probably obvious from the way he was shaking, anyway.]

[ Tosh is a little scared too, out here with a possessed stranger and no weapons or backup. But she's Torchwood, she can do this. And his fear reassures her a little, motivates her to be braver. So she gives him a reassuring smile and takes hold of his arm with her free hand, while they move toward a pool of light down the street. ]

You'll be all right. I won't let you hurt anyone else, and you can't exactly hurt yourself. I'm Toshiko, by the way.

I don't want to hurt you, either. I just want this to be over.

[Being in the light still hurts his eyes more than it would normally, as the shadowy monster inside of him fights against it, but, for now, at least, it seems to be contained.]

Toshiko. Hi. I'm Ginsberg. This is a really shitty way to meet someone. I'm sorry.

I won't let you do that either.

[ She keeps a close eye on him, watching for any changes or hints that he's thinking of attacking. ]

There are worse ways. At least you're alive, and not trying to kill me at the moment. That's a positive.

That's very optimistic. I wish I could think like that.

[He squints against the dim light, responding like the minor glow from the street lamp is searing sunlight. It hurts, and his mind tells him to seek out shadows. He glances longingly at the darkness.]

Have you ever seen a monster like me before?

I feel very motivated to stay alive.

[ Which means she will kill him if she has to, but it would be better all around if it didn't come to that. ]

I've seen a lot worse than you. [ Suddenly she's all solemnity. ] Some of them were even human. Anyway, I don't think you're actually a monster. I think you're just possessed by one.

Sometimes humans are worse monsters than the actual monsters. I think. Where I come from, there isn't anything supernatural, there's just people. And they're bad enough. But...

[Another longing glance at the darkness.]

Back home, it wouldn't be possible for me to be possessed, either. At least, I don't think so.

Oh, I bet you'd be surprised at what's there that you just don't notice. Most people where I come from don't believe in things like monsters and aliens either.

[ She's going to steer clear of the humans being worse monsters topic because, yeah. Sometimes they really are. ]

The chances are pretty small. Unless you live in a really active place, I'd think. Where are you from?

Brooklyn. Most people can guess that from my voice. They say it's annoying, I say it's a regional accent, the argument goes on. Where're you from?

[Talking seems to help, somehow. He seems to be calming down, at least.]

Huh. You're the third person from New York, and the second from Brooklyn, that I've met since I got here.

[ The more he calms down, the more she does as well, and she shoots him a little grin. ]

London. Most people guess that from my voice. Though I've been living in Cardiff for a few years. Do you still live in Brooklyn?

Yeah, I still live in Brooklyn. Always have. Except when I was a little kid, but I mean, ever since I was five, I've lived in Brooklyn. I guess that's kinda boring, huh?

Oh, I don't think so. Loads of people don't ever really leave where they're from. I lived mostly in London myself except when I was very small. Only moved to Cardiff for the job. Anyway, it isn't as though Brooklyn is some little village in the middle of nowhere, right?

No, it's definitely not a little village in the middle of nowhere. It's...

[A long pause, and then a frown.]

I think it's midnight.

[ Tosh stops and looks around, as if somehow expecting the city to look different now that midnight has come. It doesn't, but he does, she realizes. ]

And I think you're at somewhat less risk of becoming incorporeal again.

[ The torch stays aimed at him, just in case. ]

[Well now, that's worthy of a grin. A tentative one, but a grin nonetheless.]

I could just about hug you right now. I won't, because that'd be weird, since we just met, and also since I was just a monster, but... thanks. For the light. And for helping me be not a monster. I should probably go home and just... I want to forget about... anyway...

[ Tosh has done weirder and far more dangerous things than hug a complete stranger who may or may not still attempt to murder her. So she does, just a quick one, because he looks like he could use it and she definitely could. ]

If I was at home, this would be what we'd call a resounding success, and we'd probably have Indian take-away and drinks and laugh about all the ways it could have gone wrong and didn't. So I think a celebratory hug isn't too much to ask.

Maybe you oughtn't be alone for a bit though, yeah? Have you got a flatmate or a friendly neighbor?

I... there're people... I've been staying at the Welcome Center. There's always someone there.

[He's grateful for the hug, though. Unspeakably so.]

At home, I think someone would've shot me now. So thanks for not shooting me. I really never thought I'd have to say that. Wow.

Mostly I didn't shoot you because I seem to have left my gun back in Cardiff. So probably I'm not the person you really want to thank. Though I don't normally shoot people unless it's in self defense.

[ 'Self defense' has a very broad definition at Torchwood, but he doesn't need to know that. ]

Look, I'm going to give you my number, all right? So if you can't find anyone around the Welcome Center, you can just call me.

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