⛌ bluff ⛌

[SHIVERS]

You're overwhelmed to say the least,
but the sooner you can get answers, the sooner this can all be over.
Hopefully they can give some info, drunk or not.

You can't stand being seen like This.




You try - unsuccessfully - to put that worry away.



Time to push through it.








ARC:\SPEECH "FROM THE WAY YOU'RE TALKING..."
ARC:\SPEECH "YOU WENT TO THE MUSEUM?"
ARC:\SPEECH "WHAT HAPPENED?"
ARC:\SPEECH "WERE YOU SOMETHING ELSE BEFORE THIS?"
ARC:\SPEECH "WHAT EXHIBIT DID YOU LOOK AT?"

The bug puts their claws up.

"Sloooow down.
I don't read that fast. Chill."

They stare into your screen, following the lines.



You feel uncomfortably vulnerable,
having someone stare directly Into your face.
You try to remain still regardless.



"Okay, yeah, I went there.
Weird shit happened, got turned into-



...y'know what I'm not gettin' into that.
Just know it was worse than yours, alright?

Bein' a computer's not so bad.



Besides, I changed back,
so it'd probably work for you, too."




You jerk forward, leaning in close.

ARC:\SPEECH "HOW DID YOU CHANGE BACK!"

The bug flinches.



"Easy, easy there."
They look genuinely nervous.
You pull back.

You probably look more intimidating like this than you realize.







You hate that feeling.



ARC:\SPEECH "...SORRY."

"I went back to the museum the uh...
think it was the morning after it happened."

ARC:\SPEECH "AND?"

"And





that's it!"
They shrug, laughing.

"I don't remember aaaaaaanything else at all,
sorry!
Just when I left, I was me again.
...Mostly.

Like 99.999999%, if I had to...

 


 . . . "


They squint up at nothing.




"...what's the word...?"









The bug hardly moves.











ARC:\SPEECH " . . . "



ARC:\SPEECH "IF WE COULD GET BACK TO--"

"Quantify."
They snap their claws.
"That's it."

They take another drink.



ARC:\SPEECH "...IF WE COULD GET BACK TO WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT."

"Mhmn. Yeah."

ARC:\SPEECH "YOU DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT HOW YOU CHANGED BACK?"

"Nnope.
Went there
like
blacked out?
Came to.

Bam." They gesture their arms wide.
"Me again."










ARC:\SPEECH "WHAT EXHIBIT DID YOU LOOK AT?"

"Uhhmm... art?
Somethin'?
Something with art."

The bug stretches, laying back down on the steps.

ARC:\SPEECH "IT MIGHT HELP ME IF YOU TELL ME EVERYTHING."

"Don't rememberrrr."
Their head tilts back.

ARC:\SPEECH "WHAT ABOUT WHAT YOU TURNED INTO?"

"Nnope, none of That stuff."







ARC:\TR_TH *THIS WOULD BE MUCH EASIER IF THEY WEREN'T DRUNK.*

They shrug, speaking in response to your /thought./
"Tough's luck, bubp." The bug hiccups. "Uogh..."

ARC:\SPEECH "I REALLY HATE THAT YOU CAN SEE THOSE."

"How come?
What's 'TR...TH'?
How's it Different?"

ARC:\SPEECH " . . . "

"...Well, you got your secrets,
I got mine.

And I got..." They curl up on the steps.





"To gooooo to bed."

Their eyes close.




ARC:\SPEECH "WAIT, WAIT."

The bug looks up at you again, groaning.
"C'mon, I'm Tired."

ARC:\SPEECH "THESE ARE MY FRONT STEPS, YOU-"
ARC:\SPEECH "WHAT IF I DON'T GET TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN?"
ARC:\SPEECH "WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS?"

"I won't explode, it's Fiiiine.
What're you all Worried about ME for, anyway?"

ARC:\SPEECH "I ONLY-"
ARC:\SPEECH "I DON'T-"











ARC:\TR_TH *DONT WANT TO BE BY MYSELF*






ARC:\TR_TH *AGAIN*



You try to push the visible thought down with more lines of text.

ARC:\SPEECH "DON'T"
ARC:\SPEECH "READ"
ARC:\SPEECH "T"
ARC:\SPEECH "H"
ARC:\SPEECH "A"
ARC:\SPEECH "T"
ARC:\SPEECH "."
ARC:\SPEECH "PLEASE."



"Read what?"
The corvice snickers quietly.




Your head hangs down.





They reach up to lightly pat your shoulder.

"Worrying tooooo much, c'mputer.
Gotta... quit that.
O-kay?"

They point at you,
before their arm goes limp on the steps.




You don't respond.





The corvice's eyes gradually begin to close.

















You rub the side of your head.






ARC:\SPEECH "...WHAT CABIN ARE YOU IN?"

"Leven." They yank a key out of their pocket, displaying it proudly,
for some reason.
A number '11' keychain dangles from it.
"The one in the waaaaay Back."










ARC:\SPEECH " . . . "



ARC:\SPEECH "IF YOU'RE BACK TO NORMAL,"

ARC:\SPEECH "THEN WHY HAVEN'T YOU LEFT?"



The bug's yellow-green eyes are barely open.



"Couldn't.
...Screwed!

Screwed, liiike I... said.

You're welcome..."
They roll to their side, looking uncomfortable on the hard steps.
"...t'... try..."




ARC:\SPEECH "WHAT?"





ARC:\SPEECH "HEY..."





They stop moving entirely,
only the rise and fall of their breath is left.




Fast asleep.







ARC:\SPEECH " . . . "



































The night fills with quiet once more.
















Your claws hold your screen.





You wish you could breathe.

































Back to it.





You hesitantly tug the collar of their shirt down an inch or two,
just enough to inspect their neck.

No marks.

Nothing out of the ordinary.





ARC:\TR_TH *...WHAT NOW?*
ARC:\TR_TH *ITS TOO COLD TO LEAVE THEM OUTSIDE*


You spot the cabin key.
Still in their claw.


After retrieving it,
you stand and reach your arms under their back and legs,
trying to lift them.






You can't even get them fully off the steps before your limbs crackle,
sparks flying.

You nearly drop them as your power flickers.






ARC:\TR_TH *BAD IDEA BAD IDEA*
ARC:\TR_TH *BAD IDEA BAD IDEA*







ARC:\TR_TH *THEN*



ARC:\TR_TH *ONLY ONE OTHER OPTION*


Reluctantly, you open your door.





This time, being as careful as possible,
you put your claws under their shoulders.

You manage to drag them inside without your power cutting out.


You push the door shut with your foot once they're in.





You feel particularly drained, in a way you've never felt before.

It's a wispy, faint feeling.
You don't like it.





You toss the bed's thick comforter onto the floor and drag the bug onto it,
putting an extra pillow under their head for good measure.
You place their key next to their head, hoping they'll find it when they wake up.









ARC:\TR_TH *...ONE LAST THING*



You ignore the fading feeling and make your way into the joint restroom.

You make absolutely sure to lock both doors,
including the one your neighbor would use to get in.









A sense of dread fills you as you approach the mirror.


You
examine yourself.




Your head is the same as it was before.
Blue screen, visible lines of text, wood paneling, knobs on the front.
Normal computer monitor.
Normal head.

ARC:\TR_TH *NORMAL, NORMAL, NORMAL*
ARC:\TR_TH *ALL NORMAL*
ARC:\TR_TH *VERY NORMAL. 'NORMAL.' YES. SURE*

At your neck, you notice a few buttons.
It's difficult to see them properly in the old mirror,
but you think one reads 'KB' and one reads 'CS'.

ARC:\TR_TH *NEVER TOUCHING THOSE.*



You turn to the side.

Your clothes are now noticeably baggy.
There must not be much to you under-



Something moves.


You swivel in surprise.

It moves with you.









You look behind you.






You still have a tail.
A new one.


It's a long, thick power cord, by the looks of it,
and it seems to be moving about of its own accord; weakly lashing side-to-side on occasion.

It moves a little more like a feline tail than your old one did.

You don't know if this is better or worse than not having one at all.




You grab it.

You can Feel it.
Just as your claws and head also have a sense of touch.

You can't fathom why,
but you're grateful for it.
You don't want to think about being fully numb.




As you let go of your tail, your eyes follow downwards.

Firstly: You aren't wearing shoes anymore.
You don't have a clue what happened to them.

Secondly: Your paws are gone,
replaced by simplistic-looking, three-pronged metal claws.
Two claws are pointed forward, while the back one almost serves as a heel.
They'd look a little like avian talons if they weren't so... squared.
Not to mention, you have no range of motion in the claws themselves,
only the heel.

You pull your pant-leg up, finding a ball joint there.



Rolling up your sleeve, you find similar along your simplistic mechanical arm.

ARC:\TR_TH *AT LEAST MY FINGERS HAVE SOME MOTION TO THEM.*


You wish they weren't hard plastic, though.
You're worried they may be brittle.







You find yourself unable to stall any longer.

ARC:\TR_TH *MOMENT OF TRUTH*







You



lift your shirt up,
looking at your torso.








It's about what you were expecting.

A mix of hard plastic and metal in a boxy format,
with the two bulkiest points being where your upper torso had been -
which looks to be the 'computer' portion of your body,
looking most like the TOLA from before -
and your 'hips', which are now a rather large set of several metal joints in a hard plastic shell.

Connecting the two points, a thick, clear plastic tube surrounds several cords in various colors, and a length of metal with many interlocking joints,
dull spikes protruding from each one; very much resembling a spine,
unnervingly.

All in all, you surmise that your new chest and spine are likely to be particularly vulnerable, along with your screen.
Not too much has changed, then.






Though, a thought is nagging you



one you can't seem to put away.





Namely, that:

There's no room to fit you - the Real you, your body -
in this one.
Not anywhere.





It isn't a suit.






















You let your shirt fall back into place.

You don't want to look anymore.







You unlock both doors, hurrying back to your cabin.
Once there, you toss off your jacket and slip your pajamas on.

The stranger is still sound asleep.



ARC:\TR_TH *...NONE OF THE BODY THINGS MATTER.*

ARC:\TR_TH *LIKE THEY SAID. ILL GET IT BACK*
ARC:\TR_TH *ITLL BE FINE*





That wispy feeling is stronger than ever.
You hardly feel present at all.





You flick the light off,
annoyed at just how bright your blue screen is in the dark room.

You crawl into bed,
feeling physically out-of-place Immediately upon lying against the bed.
The blankets catch on your body many times before you succeed in pulling them over you.

You can't properly care.







You're in bed.







ARC:\TR_TH * . . . *
ARC:\TR_TH *...HOW DO I SLEEP*


ARC:\TR_TH *DO I SLEEP...?*


You barely get the thought out.


TOLA:\SYS [REST MODE: ON]

TOLA:\SYS [GOOD NIGHT !]





Your screen flicks off.



Lights out.





















































 

⛌ DAY TWO ⛌

TOLA:\SYS [REST MODE: OFF]

 

▶ Logo Rhythmic IV
Reginald J. Lewis

TOLA:\SYS [GOOD MORNING !]



ARC:\


You start up.







You move your body,
only to find it stuck on something.


Your head turns,
finding that


your tail is plugged into the outlet by the wall.









You yank it out,
feeling an odd tingling sensation shoot through you as a result.
It lasts only a second or two.

You shake it off.






ARC:\TR_TH *NOT A DREAM*








ARC:\TR_TH *STELLAR.*












You check the time,
finding a sticky note on the alarm clock in the process.

You peel it off and read it.

my bad for last night
thanks for setting me up
I'm in cabin 11 if you want
to actually talk today.
also stuff got dropped in
your mailbox. prob coupons
   - Mikki



You set the note aside.

The time is     9:49 AM




You pull yourself out of bed and open your mailbox,
retrieving everything inside.

There's quite a haul this time:

Two free meal tickets to Bo's Bar & Restaurant.
Three 'Gimme Points' coupons, assumedly for the mini mart.
Four gold coins; arcade tokens, probably.
And, of course, one free ticket to the Whipsaw Oddity Museum.


















Options.

The front desk, museum, pool, and mini mart are all open,
while the bar doesn't open until Noon, and the arcade isn't open until 2PM.



'Mikki' mentioned that going back to the museum,
specifically the morning after being changed, is what turned them back.
You're reluctant to go back at all after what happened,
but it'd be worth it to change back and get this over with.
That is, if you can trust what they said while drunk and half asleep.

You could go talk with them in cabin #11.
They are the only solid resource for information that you've found, so far.
Though,
you hadn't had the chance to talk to the person in cabin #8 yet.
Either one could be a good option.

You had the thought before to talk to Olive at the front desk,
seeing as she did say she was, sort of, a doctor.
...You have no idea how much medical training would help right now, though,
and she might not be able to see you as This, anyway.

The mini mart is open.
You have those points, whatever they are.
That
is an option?
Maybe if you run out of others, first.

Just the same, the pool is still open.
You still doubt Computer and Water will mix well.



You could also
try for your car.
It's still in the parking lot across the street, assuming nothing happened to it.
Mikki said they weren't able to leave, but you don't really know Why,
and don't know that that would happen to You.
It might be worth not risking the museum again, and simply cutting your losses.
You could probably find someone elsewhere that could figure out whatever turned you into this.

Maybe?
You don't know.
It's an option.





Part of you is hesitant to leave the cabin at all, though.
Knowing it's highly likely that at least someone is going to see you this way.

Technically, you could simply wait until it's dark again.
Less people,
less eyes.

That's a lot of daylight to waste, though.








Too many options.
Your processor's running too fast.