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[XALA] had no idea how much time had passed since then and now, but even in the act of opening his eyes he was reminded what he had experienced was not a dream, a hallucination or a intricate daydream. As even the act of opening his eyes came with something of a delay between intent, action and his body coming to some form of conclusion that resembles the original intent. You can think of it as something of a lagging effect, that his eyelid felt open, the muscles had done the thing. But the time his now malleable and gooey flesh and muscles can complete the process was much behind. Even as he lifted his arms from his side, he could see and feel the very flesh on his bones drag behind whatever it was that managed to keep up moving in time with him.

He didn't wanna sound ungrateful, this was a damn sight better then melting into complete goo, but his body wasn't going to let him forget: He is FUCKED.

After getting used to this sensation and in fairness: His body starting to lag less and less with each action, like the elasticity returning to his body, he only then gave thought to his surroundings. Was he still in the back of the van? Well he canne be, first of all he had somehow made it onto a mattress, a mattress? Well actually it was something of a little settee reckoned, but he was in a car it felt like, a camper perhaps? Yeah, that would explain the kitchen-y side he was currently resting the weight of his body, what weight remained anyways, as he clambered himself to the exit.

His eyes adjusted to the brightness of the day, not that it was sunny clear skies or owt, but he must've been a puddle in the darkness for a long time till now. Did he even still have eyes during that whole time? Questions [XALA] did not want to ponder in his head. He seemed to be in some countryside of some kind? On top of a grassy hill thingy overlooking a pond. At the edge of it he could see a Monster in a green parka, hoisting a fishing line into the river. Th Monster themselves was covered head to toe in white fur, yet was of no discernable Monster, their eyes pointed upwards and he carried a snout not unlike a lizard, maybe a gator? They had the jaws of a gator for sure. [XALA] wasn't to know, but he beheld a Kobold, which came in many different forms, from Dragon-like to very Dog-like with minor features of the other. This was something more in the direct middle, a fluffy Dragon-like thing, a form kind of unique to itself. What should've given this away was the cigarette this Monster was smoking, which gave off a pale blue flame at the end, courtesy of the Kobold's breath of course.

-So you're awake then. The Monster asks, turning his head to the side to catch a look at [XALA]. And uuhhh, no longer a puddle of bones from the looks of it.

[XALA] is a little taken a back by the casualness of the Monster's tone.

-Did you take me in? [XALA] asks.

-Well, I didn't bring you here if that's what you're asking. Replies the Kobold. The one's who did deliver you to me, perhaps they thought you'd want some normalcy after what you went through. Oh I should also say: The name is Took.

-Oh errr... [XALA]. He replies meekly

-Oh a Human named [XALA]? Surprising, were all the Pauls and Johns taken?

Took's attempt to lighten the mood feel on unwilling ears, [XALA] looks up and attempts to acclimate to the mood:

-Well this is my first time talking to a Kobold, so if they were going for Normalcy it's not working out.

Took turns to the former Human with a sour look.

-Fuck off mate, I'm the most normal thing in this village, least I'm identifiable as a Monster. You fit more in with the others. Labelled under "Whatever the fuck you are."

Clearly a little miffed by the comment, Took turns back to fishing, no longer establishing eye contact. [XALA] similarly is burned by the comment, as he looks at his still rubbery little hand and sighs. Yeah I guess he has no place deciding what's normal or not, Human habits die hard, but it's time to unlearn them I guess.

[XALA] turns to the Monster again.

-But thank you for letting me... Heal? [XALA] says with uncertainty. But where are we?

Took sighs a little before turning to [XALA] again.

-You were a puddle not even a few moments ago, let's just keep things simple with "At my camper van." Explains Took. I'm just catching my dinner but someone should be along with yours shortly.

[XALA] decides to just sit in one of the free foldable chairs while they wait. The sensation is odd, he slumps onto the chair and his body kind of collects into a puddle at the base of the seat, his legs hoist up to the sides of his head for a moment, before everything just... Sags to how a body would typically fall in a seat like this. They noticed some bottles of Tequila Beer in a cooler bag next to him next to them, as they go to reach for them his arm flops to the floor, stretching to way longer then should be possible. So no reaching out for things I guess, [XALA] tries to improvise a solution to this situation and maybe if he wills his arm, like ESP or something it'll just do it! He shuts his eyes and thinks real hard and after a while... Well after a while he succeeds! He opens his eye to see protruding out of the arm that's slumped on the floor is another skeletal hand which has grabbed the bottle. As if reacting to [XALA]'s shock of seeing this, the entire arm retracts back to typical shape and length. After just staring at the bottle now grasped in his hand, a small tendril of muscle and bone peers out of a fold of skin underneath his fingers and quickly strikes the bottle cap, opening the bottle for him. I mean, like that's cool but also: Oh my fucking god???? [XALA] quickly downs the beer, cos holy shit he has never needed it more.

He tries to relax, with a sense of awareness, theorising maybe his current form is a result of concentration and relaxing will revert him to Puddle Mode. Active relaxing, relaxing with awareness, or whatever you want to call the fact he's not actually relaxing while trying to stay idle. What I'm getting at here is he is trying to remain still to regain a sense of composure after everything that's happened to him thus far. No such luck however, as something that can only be described as a cartoon alien comes literally hovering towards the camper van... Yeah, maybe the active relaxing wasn't the move. It implies there's a sense of normalcy. Understanding and comprehension that can be captured in time and maintained, but in reality it is dawning on [XALA] his life is probably this now.

The Thing, carrying what looks like a takeaway container, is something of anthropomorphic shape, but all the typical proportions are... Off. Their forearms are a little more orb-like, matching the size of their hands somewhat, this goes for their legs too. Their head seems a little bigger then it oughta be too, but it matches what appears to be a ring, which encompasses their entire body in a slanted diagonal fashion. Actually yeah, Saturn is an apt comparison, like someone saw a cartoon of the planet and made a Gijinka out of it. They had the same texture and colour to their skin like seeing Saturn from a telescope, which you could notice because they seemed to be naked sans for curtains they seemed to wear around their waist, not that it covered anything, and not that there was anything to cover in the first place. They floated past [XALA] to announce themselves to Took.

-I'm here with the puddles' meal! Well I guess we have to call it something else now. The Alien announced.

-You could try his name: [XALA]. Responds Took.

-Hahahah oh man that's such a Earthen name. [XALA] [XALA] [XALA] that's so fun to say. Were all the Pauls and Johns taken?

-Yeah, uuhh what are you doing here anyways? I thought the whole point was to not expose him to, too much at once?

-That's true, but we decided to better ease him into it, he should see once of us first, which reminds me.

The Alien turns and hands [XALA] the takeaway container and then holds an A-pose for about 10 profoundly silent seconds, before turning back to Took.

-Well that's done! The Alien announces. I'll see you both tomorrow.

They then float away into the distance, but not before twisting back around for one last wave. [XALA] awkwardly waves back as he slowly turns to his container. Thankfully, its contents were familiar; 5 chicken strips covered in a white Cajun sauce on top of a pile of chips. Oh fuck me, that's peng. [XALA] didn't know if it was just the familiarity in stressful times or if this actually was the best Cajun sauce he's ever had, either way fucking hell. Least his taste buds still worked like this. While chowing down, he glared at the Kobold waiting on the explanation he feels he is owed. Took turns his back to go back to fishing, but does offer something to the former Human:

-If you must know yeah, she was what you would call an Alien, as in from another planet. There's a whole city of them nearby like an entire Alien community. Well even then it's weird, they're not like Gazzokus from planet Regus Seven or owt. It's just from the Milky Way, Like Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, the weird one that spins on the Y axis, whatever we called that. They could be from anywhere in space but it's just the one's I learnt in school. Which feels weird don't it? I mean I'm not clever or anything but I'm sure some of those planets are just gas right?

Took after his explanation grabs another ciggy from his coat pocket and breathes his blue fire on the tip as he puts it in his mouth and continues:

-I guess what I'm getting at is God Knows What They Are, but they seem like Monsters like me you know? That's about as much as I can hack understanding it tbh. They're good eggs but their being here is like a big secret y'know? But I guess being a puddle is unusual enough that they took pity on you.

[XALA] keeps picking away at his dinner slowly as he can feel himself calm down and relax a little, almost feeling a little comfort.

-So was it them that found me? Like Puddle Mode me? Asks [XALA]

-I think you were found and passed around a little by Monsters not really knowing what to make of you, which I guess lands you here in "Miscellaneous County."

[XALA] let's this knowledge sit for a little while, it dawns on him he's never thought to ask the obvious question until now:

-So what puts you in the "Miscellaneous" category if you're just a Monster?

Took gives a heavy sigh, blowing blue tinted cigarette smoke everywhere.

-Well it's hard to put into words, by all intents and purposes I'm just a Kobold on the outside and the inside. It's my uuhhh history that's fucked up? That's my being a puddle, my history is a puddle, like I don't have one.

[XALA] is hearing the words being said right now but is failing to connect these abstracts to any tangible concepts.... Like what the fuck is he on about?

-So... Allriiiigghhtt. [XALA] begins as if stalling for time to understand things. Are you saying you have like amnesia?

-Well imagine that, but there is literally nothing to remember. Explains Took.

-If you canne remember owt, then how do you know it's gone?

-Yeah, no that's sound logic. But logic doesn't matter, I just know. It's not forgotten memories, nothing is missing, there's just no space for it. That's all I got, even if I know that's gobbldygook.

[XALA] has already stopped dedicating brain space to this, it's just another list of things to stop trying to comprehend because it is futile.

-I mean think about it. Continues Took. If I'm completely unremarkable like in body and spirit, then this is the only thing why the Aliens took responsibility for me. It's as if I'm not meant to exist or my placement on this timeline was erased. If Im not fucked up physically, I could be temporally you know?

[XALA] is actually surprised how much that makes sense, it's actually comforting that they have something in common like that. Something being wrong that can only be conceived by extraterrestrials. [XALA] is glad it's not just him, he can't imagine how it must've felt for Took for it to actually just be him for all this time.

-How did you get your name then? [XALA] asks, the thought having just come to him.

Took kind of hoists his head backwards, towards his own parka. [XALA] hadn't given it much analysis till now but now he can see there are some crude patterns painted all over it, with something looking like a target, painted in while with an attempted black outline. The word "Switz" is plastered all over it.

-The Parka is all I had on me, so it was either that or the name on the tag in the collar. Took explains. Just had Took on it so I guess that was my name? Or Switz, but I like Took better somehow. It's the closest thing I get to a memory.

[XALA] sighs to themselves, hey! They can still do that I guess. But he sighs, he and Took really are in the same boat of just being somewhere, stripped from heir normal and just... Lost, being lost. He finished his take out, puts the container in the wheelie bin nearby the camper van and walks on over to Took. He notices a spare fishing rod nearby and picks it up, he succeeds, even if a little grossness with flesh crawling around the rod for extra grip. He looks towards Took.

-Do you think you could teach me how to use this thing?