Mirror Gem: The Muse's gem is embedded on a mirror, if someone else tries to take it out, it will break. The only way to get them out is to break the gem, ironic, isn't it?
-Bubble was waiting for Lav at her place, they were planning on having a sleepover! She was making some cookies and had everything ready to make hot chocolate for both of them. She sat on her bed, grabbing her phone from her nightstand and messaged her brother.-
Cookies are in the oven!
I was thinking we should get some ice cr
.
.
.
-She spaced out, sorta. As if she blinked for a little too long and fell asleep. Her vision shifted, leaving her dizzy. She then noticed she wasn't sitting down on her bed, she was standing up in front of a window, surrounded by what seemed to be infinite darkness.-
-She approached the window, touching it with her hands, it was cold. Almost as if it was..-
A mirror?
-Oh no.-
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-The text under her name signaled that she was still writing, not able to send that last message.-
//closed rp!! @purple-steven
He glanced at his phone, seeing her still typing but not thinking much of it as he was getting ready for the sleepover. He was probably just gonna go in pyjamas, but he was still deciding if there was any gifts that he forgot about or anything he wanted to bring along.
Eh... Seemed like he got mostly everything. Anything else he could probably run back for.
He started making his way down, looking down at the phone again.
Uh... Hm. What kind of essay is she writing?? Strange.
It didn't take too long for him to get there, knocking on the door.
-She tried really hard to not panic. Lav was on his way, they'll figure this out, he probably just has to take out her gem and everything should be fine. Yeah, that must be it.-
-So she sat down, fidgeting with her hands to keep herself occupied.-
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-Bubble immediately shot up tbe moment she heard Lav, putting her hands on the glass and screaming for him to come in. Tried to look around, but could only look at her own ceiling.-
LAV!?
LAV!!! LAV COME IN QUICKLY!!
-Her screams sounded somewhat muffled, but Lav could definitely understand it loud and clear.-
He almost immediately dropped everything he was holding, that... Sounded very urgent. He rammed himself into the door, barging in and... Probably breaking it. He'll fix it later.
BUBS?! Bu...
He looked around... Everything seemed okay? Untouched, even. Eerie.
Where are you?? Are- are you okay??
-Yeah that lock is 100% broken. Oh well.-
On the bed!! I'm in the mirror!!
-She yelled, just standing in front of the window, waiting for Lav to find the mirror and pick her up.-
IN the mirror??
He went over to the bed, staring into it.
Huh. Strange. Haven't seen a curse like this in... A while.
He remembers when he was trapped in a mirror! It was a lot more extreme though with an evil doppelganger and all that, so in comparison this doesn't seem so bad.
You alright if I pick you up?
Yeah! I don't mind..
-She scrathed the back of her head. Yeah, she remembers that. curse as well. Not exactly a pleasant memory.-
Uh, can you check on the cookies? Actually, bring me over to check on them.
-No burnt cookies in this home.-
Oh, uh-
He picked her up, taking her to the kitchen and opening the oven.
Let me know if you steam up.
-She took a look at them before the glass got steamed.-
They need at least 10 more minutes. Also, I can't see now.
He closed the oven again, turning her around before vigorously wiping the glass with his shirt, trying to remove it as best he could.
That better?
Yup, better.
-She sighed, stepping back a bit and looking around.-
Can you.. check if my gem is on the back? Maybe you can get me out and we can have... a normal sleepover.
Oh, uh, yeah.
He turned the mirror around, seeing the gem embedded into it with its intricate design and what not.
It's... there. I'm gonna try 'n take it out, alright?
-She suddenly had a bad feeling about this. But she pushed through.-
Mmhm, let's just, get this over with.
He clasped his hand around her gem, gently beginning to tug, although it felt... Almost brittle...
...Bubs, uh, it might... Break.
It felt like too much force might break... Something, and it's hard to tell whether it's the gem that'll break or if it's the mirror. It felt as though it might chip, a kind of delicacy that made him hesitant.
What? Aren't diamonds supposed to be like, super hard to break or something???
Yeah, but like- I dunno, it feels like something's gonna break. Like the mirror might shatter, or the gem will like- like... I dunno, it just- it feels weird. It might just be a weak mirror? I'm not sure.
He still kept his hand on it, but he felt a bit of fear at pulling it out. If something happened... Well, it just wouldn't be a great start to a sleepover, and there would be a bit of despair to work through first.
D'ya want me to still go through with it...?
Well, I mean. Worst case scenario the cookies get burned.
-Is she joking about her dying? Yep, she is.-
Also! I'm pretty sure the mirror broke when I took Lapis out of the mirror so, yeah.
Okay, okay... Okay. I'm gonna do it.
...he still hasn't done it.
...But- what if it hurts?? Can I like?? Knock you out??? Or something???? Make it hurt less????? I don't want you to be in pain????
I've been tortured before it's probably fine!-
-She probably shouldn't have saod that. Oh well, she'll play it out.-
Also I don't think you can knock me out.
W- Well- I mean, I know that, but like- this is different! I didn't mean it! At all then!
Yes you did.
He groaned at the sudden voice in his head, annoyed at the comment, before looking at the pink diamond gem before taking a deep breath.
AH FUCK IT. I'M DOING IT. I'M GOING FOR IT. I AM ABOUT. TO DO IT.
He started pulling again, slowly increasing the force and squinting at the mirror in fear of anything breaking.
Lav we both know that wasn't y-
-The gem cracked the moment Lav began to use some force, Bubble glitched inside the mirror, sucking though her teeth.-
He stopped pulling the moment he heard the crack, looking down at it and sucking in his teeth too.
Oooh... That's... That doesn't look too good. Where's the- the uh, where do you keep your fountain water?
Ī̸͇̪̫̼̬ͅ ̴̡͈͓̳̆̀ḋ̶̤͛̈́́́͠on't keep̸͉̞̫͔͐͒͘̕͘ ̸̥̼̅ā̷̫͈͍̫̂-̸͇̫͇̜̄̿͋̋̚ͅä̴̖̰̪̟̜̪́n̷̩̮̼̹̑ÿ̶̪́͗̓͝.̵̛̼͇̏͛
-She was hugging herself, fingers digging onto her arms, feeling herself slowly dying but not quite at the same time. She forgot how agonizing this feels.-
He hastily grabbed a flask from his gem, fumbling around a little, putting the mirror on the bed and opening it before pouring as much as he could on her gem.
Right, well- maybe let's have some backups for the future, yeah? Are- are you alright?
-The gem healed, and she let out a sigh, didn't notice she was holding her breath.-
I'm okay, thanks. And, I don't keep any since I can heal people by myself..
-She sat down on the floor, the window following her.-
Well- Well yeah, I know that, but in situations like this- I feel like I shouldn't need to explain this, just- at least keep? A bottle of some kind in your house for emergencies?
He sighed as well, taking the mirror back and sitting on the floor with her.
...What do we do now then? I don't... think there's many options left.
Yeah, okay.
-She covered her face with her hands, looking at Lav.-
I dunno, I don't know how long it'll take for me to come back and-
Ughh- Why did this have to happen right now?!
-She protested, groaning.-
...how about this: we'll wait until the cookies are done, I'll... Shatter... You, and uh... I'll wait until you come back. Not in an unhealthy guilt-ridden way, more in a... Waiting for a friend to come home kinda way. 's not like we have anything better to do, so we can do it when you're back!!
He smiled warmly, albeit a tad uncomfortable at the mention of shattering her. He doesn't want to do this, but it might be the quickest way.
I'll make sure to make it as... Uh... Fast, as possible, if I can help it. You can take your time coming back as well, yeah?
-She tried to smile back. She hated the fact that Lav had to be the one that has to do this. She nodded.-
The cookies should be about to be ready, let's.. let's take a look at them.
-She was so excited about this sleepover... You could hear her holding back a sob, she feels so powerless, can't even have a nice moment with her brother..-
He turned the mirror away from his face so Bubble couldn't see it, leading him to the oven, silently sighing and rubbing his forehead. This... even though it is somewhat unavoidable... He already knows he's gonna be in a bit of a state. But he probably won't be as bad as he normally is. Hopefully...
He opened the oven again, putting her a bit further away than last time, hoping to prevent any huge steaming-up.
-She looked at the cookies. Yeah, they're good.-
They're good, you can take them out, there's mittens on the table..
-You can hear how stressed she is.-
He put them on, placing her on the table and grabbing them, keeping them out to cool. He picked her back up, looking at her, somewhat pitifully, but moreso out of sadness that it happened to her. He would've much rather taken her place in this scenario.
Are you ready?
-She looked at him, then looked down and nodded. Just wanted this to be over already.-
He was ready to go, grasping the gem again, just trying to get a grip on it, preparing for it to be taken out...
...until his hand went for a nearby knife in the kitchen, his own eyes wide, the blade driving into the gem as hard as he could, just to crack it. He looked horrified at his own actions, trying to resist, yet feeling no resistance whatsoever.
SHIT- Shi- shh- nonono- stop- st- STOP IT-
He tried putting the blade in further, at least to shatter the gem, yet it came out almost as effortlessly as he jammed it in.
-She closed her eyes, waiting for Lav to do it, at least until she heard the clatter when he took the knife.-
Lav? What's going o-
-She screamed when she felt her gem cracking, her entire body tensing up as she glitched. She tried looking around for him.-
L̷͈̠͝av̷̛̜̱̚?!̸̲̓̕
I can't-
He keeps trying to stop, and the futility of it felt all too familiar, his breathing speeding up and becoming more hectic and panicky. His hands squeezed the knife even tighter, putting Bubble face down on the table for an easier strike, stabbing right at the edge of the gem, causing a rather large chip and a crack following the facet of the diamond.
I can't stop it- I'm- I'M sorry, I can't- I'm TRYING-
He felt like he was pulling himself away, but nothing was happening, locked inside his own body. He knew this wasn't something he could prevent. But he kept trying anyways.
The thought that he could, potentially, break free, even for a moment, made him believe he shouldn't stop fighting against it.
Bubble- bubble, I'm trying, PLEASE- believe me, please-
He doesn't want her to think he's doing this. Please don't think he's doing this.
-It hurt, it burned, her body would not stop glitching, she wailed in pain, her body on the ground, everything going black the moment Lav put the mirror on the table.-
P̸̧̪͕̞̈́̀̀͂̍͜Ḻ̷̩̂͛̑̌̂̚͜EÄ̸̧̢͉̗̟̱̔̃̚S̴̢̤̣̞̐͗̏͆E̵̢̠͔̻͑͐͒!̵̧̲̝̪͉̲͆͑͝!̷̢̘̮̂̋̅̅̽ ̵͚̔̊͗̄̓͜
!!̵̧̲̝̪͉̲͆͑͝TI̶̡̳̱͓̭͆̊͘͝I̴̢̲̿̒̀̔̕͜ ̴̱͙͚́̔́͒͑́̏S̸̨͖̜̚̕Ţ̸̹̯̬̗͖̲̉͠R̷̰̰͚͇͖̼̲͑̎Ṵ̷̈́Ḩ̸̲̤̥͖̤̤͛
-A high pitched scream came from her the moment he chipped a piece off, he could hear her glitched sobs and cries loud and clear.-
Each strike towards the gem was calculated - it hadn't mattered whether the knife was dull or sharp, if it struck the right point, the diamond chipped, following the facet lines. Each blow made the gem smaller. Each chip resulted in a piece separated from Bubble, separated from the being, torn apart and spread out across a kitchen table.
He could not bare to look, yet he couldn't avert his gaze. He didn't want to watch but he wouldn't close his eyes. He kept pulling against an omnipotent force. It didn't matter how determined he was to pull away, or how desperately he wanted it to end, it just kept going.
The screams brought back memories. Several of them. Ones he thought he had moved on from. Ones he thought he had left behind. The same people, one inflicting pain and one suffering from it. A similar force. And the same twinge of enjoyment that he remembers having from the curse slowly creeping up in the back of his mind. He wanted it all to end. Let him end it. Let him finish the job.
He remembers the confusion of not feeling his own body, not being able to move it, the fear of knowing that he was not the one in control. The fear of not knowing WHO was in control. The fear of enjoying it. The fear of being remembered as pain. The fear of being remembered as fear.
Being remembered as the source of it all.
Forever being recognised as the one to blame.
All he can do is plead. A constant plea, a plea to forgive him, a plea to BELIEVE him. Know that he doesn't want any of this to happen. He didn't mean for any of it to happen. Don't cast him out again. Don't remember him as the monster he always constantly is.
Please- PLEASE- Plea- PLease, i'm s- Sorry, i can't-
There's now sobs in his voice. Bubble cannot see his face, but you can hear the sobs and tears and pleas and the fear in his own voice.
Forgive him. Please, forgive him. Please don't put him back. Don't leave him alone again.
All his fears once left behind come flooding back, like they always do.
-At one point the screaming stopped, only a hint of glitched mumbling and sobbing. She felt her body convulsing and deforming and struggling to keep itself stable. Her body was somehow a mix of flesh and light inside that mirror, which made everything far more painful than it should've been.-
-She struggled, hugging her knees as her body kept glitching, everything was dark. She could only hear Lav apologizing but she didn't have the energy to tell him that she forgave him. It's always been like this, and she knows it's not his fault.. it almost never is.-
-At one point she began feeling cold, and felt like the air was not enough for her lungs. The sobbing died down as she spaced out, dying slowly.-
-It's familiar, she remembers the first time she died because she didn't have her gem. God, she wishes this was as quick as that time..-
...
-Her body kept glitching and convulsing as Lav kept chipping parts off but.. she wasn't there anymore. She died with her eyes open as her body laid on the darkness.-
At that point, the gem shattered, and the knife clattered to the floor. There was no blood, but he felt... dirty. Everything felt stained, and there was a pit of misery and paranoia that overwhelmed him.
It's hard to believe he was so happy and so excited only 10 minutes prior.
He felt as though he had to prepare himself. They're all going to hate him soon. They're all going to turn on him, it's going to happen again, just like last time. They'll pretend to forgive him. They're all going to pretend. It'll be when he least expects it. Why would they forgive him anyways? He wouldn't even forgive himself, considering his track record.
His innocence is hard to believe. Both from an outside perspective, and to his own.
He put the gem together, all the shards and chippings clumped to one piece, in case it'll bond together. Even if it doesn't, he can at least watch them disappear and wait for her to come back. The mirror was picked up, turned around so Lav could get a glimpse of his face, before being thrown into the bin, never to be seen or touched ever again.
There was no Ender. He wasn't there. He had left him alone for the majority of the day. He thought, maybe these thoughts were him. Maybe it was his fault.
But it wasn't. Why wasn't it his fault?
He'll stay in this house until she does. He'll eat. Clean. He'll stick by his promise,
constantly thinking,
constantly scared.
The cookies stayed on the tray. Untouched. Waiting.
-She'll never get used to dying. It's such an exasperating experience, being conscious but at the same time not, almost like a lucid dream that she can't quite grasp her mind about it. It feels too short but too long at the same time. She tried to take her time but also rush it a little bit.-
-She's worried about Lav, but she doesn't want to worry him too much.-
-She ended up taking around 5 hours to come back. Her body appeared on her bed after an hour, and the shattered gem disappeared, reforming in the 4 remaining hours. It seems that her body was literally just taken out of the mirror, only the gem had to be properly reformed.-
-She woke up the moment her gem finished reforming, gasping awake.-
He was still shaken up by the whole thing, sat nearby, before seeing her shoot up, almost immediately hugging her. No words were exchanged. She could feel him shaking.
-She was a little disoriented at first, but she still hugged back.-
I know it wasn't your fault ok?
-She mumbled, nuzzling him and squeezing him a little. She knows him, she knows how he's been handling this.-
...you know? You- you believe me? You promise?
He appreciated the nuzzle. His voice was quiet, although it doesn't seem like he's been crying an awful lot. This time, it all seemed to be rather internalised.
-She separated from the hug, looking at him in the eyes, smiling.-
I promise okay? I believe you.
-She kissed his cheek (/p) and then went back to hugging.-
Jesus, I'm- I'm sorry, Bubs, I'm... I'm so sorry...
He hid his face in her shoulder, not really wanting to look at her. This isn't how this was supposed to go. Whenever he's around, there's trouble. It's... A loop which he can never break free from. And it's horrible to realise that every single time.
-She brushed her hands through his hair, shushing him.-
Shh.. It's okay, it wasn't your fault... We're okay now, everything's okay..
-She kept him close.-
...i saved the cookies for you.
He didn't want to keep lingering on about this... Or how he felt. He's hoping it'll fade. It always does. This comfort might make him open up too much, and he's not sure if he'll be able to close himself back up again.
Aw.. thanks...
-She kept passing her hands on his hair, smiling a bit. To be honest, she feels the same, maybe it's better to let it all fade away right now. She wants to have fun with him, and lingering on what just happened isn't exactly her definition of "having fun"-
I... Uh... I tried one though... They're well nice, heh...
He smiled a little... Hopefully cheering Bubs up a bit, not really reciprocating the hug anymore, instead just leaning against her.
-She let go of his hair, patting his head.-
Thanks.. I love you, okay? (/p)
-She was smiling back, looking around for a moment.-
Say.. How about we go get some ice cream before watching movies? I could use some fresh air.
-Also she wanted him to get some air as well.-
Yeah, wouldn't mind that really.
He smiled, getting up from his rest and stretching. Honestly, if you told anyone he was sobbing his eyes out like 10 minutes ago, they probably wouldn't believe him.
Dya have any good ice cream in your fridge?
...god, he's a good actor sometimes.
Actually, I don't have ice cream in my fridge. We have to go get some.
-She smiled, that's what she was trying to text him earlier.-
Oh, yeah, sure, let's get going then!!
He was up and ready!! Let us go and internalise this and never mention it again!!! Let's get ICE CREAM!!!
-Yeah! Let's bottle this up and get ICE CREAM-
Hey, wanna race to the store? Winner gets two thirds of the cookies.
-She smiled. You wanna take the challenge, Lav?-
OKAYTHREETWOONEGO!
He's already shapeshifted and sprinting away on all fours. DOG LAV GO!!!!
Oh you-
-She snickered, taking the quickest route and jumping off the window and floating at the last second before hitting the ground, gem jumping and floating to go as fast as she could.-
LMAO LMAO LMAO HIS HEADSTART REALLY HELPED HIM OUT HERE. He is SPRINTING away, giggling his head off, just running as fast as he can. He's contemplating switching to something else, like a cheetah or something, but that felt a tad mean. Maybe if bubs overtakes him.
-Oh and she did overtake him, since she was floating, each time she impulsed herself she just kept going faster and faster. That and she summoned a big shield in front of Lav for good measure. She grinned, giggling to herself.-
Bye!!
-She exclaimed as she passed by his side.-
Oh this will not STAND.
He shapeshifted into a cheetah, putting ALL his energy into running as fast as he could. Any obstacles thrown into his path were either dodged or jumped over, until the shield that Lav wasn't expecting to form in front of him, which he promptly ran face first into.
Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.
YOU LITTLE-
He was giggling, no hard feelings, but he was giggling and looking competitive with a slightly evil smile. Alright then. FORGET shapeshifting. Let's Spiderman this thing.
He summoned two whips, and started to wrap them on high places, before swinging himself across and letting momentum fling himself further. Every time, he would let go and summon a new whip, starting to just soar through the sky the more he got into the rhythm. He's getting close, but he's still behind. He's catching up...
-She heard him, laughing her ass off as she kept on her pace. She got her revenge from him taking off before her.-
HA!
-She turned around when he began summoning the whips. She blinked, she didn't know he could use his whips like that!-
Hey that's so cool!!
-She's. genuinely amazed.-
The amazement caught him off guard, and he flung himself closer towards her, giggling himself.
You think? I haven't done it in a while. Tires me out, but... Weirdly enough, I think I've gotten a tad more resilient.
He might do it more often. Might be a good escape tactic other than shapeshifting.
Yeah! I didn't know you could do that with your whips!
-She giggled along, before she spotted the store, looking back at Lav, her tone changing to a more competitive one.-
Too bad I'm winning anyways.
-She took a last gem jump, before summoning a shield below her feet and sort of surfing on the boardwalk, decelerating as she got near the store.-
Awh, whAT-?
He paused when he noticed her beat him, in absolute DESPAIR!! Although the pause did him no good, considering he wasn't really looking where his whips were tied on, and he lost the momentum. Seemed he latched himself onto a particularly weak branch of a nearby tree, snapping with his weight suddenly pulling himself all the way down instead of being flung forward, causing him to land face first into the floor with a giggle and a groan. It hurt, but he could imagine that it was probably fuckin hilarious to watch.
?!
-Okay, it was pretty hilarious. But she got worried first, rushing to him, they can laugh about this after she heals him.-
You okay?
He was laughing his head off whilst groaning, a weird mix of emotions flowing through him. That was HILARIOUS. He knows it was hilarious. But his face just huRTS. His nose looks a bit wonky. Probably broken.
Yeah! Yeah, I just- HAHAHA I PROBABLY LOOKED SO DUMB.
He can't stop laughing.
Oh- oh my god my face hurts so much ha- HAHA-
-Bubble smiled, then snickered, and then she was laughing her ass off alongside him. She was still going towards him just. slower because yeah- it looked so stupid and seeing his nose broken somehow made it funnier.-
You idiot- Pfff- hAHAHA-
-She kneeled beside him and kissed his forehead, still giggling.-
Once he was kissed, his nose cracked back into place, sending him REELING. He covered his nose as if it had been hit again, laughing and groaning a little still.
Oh my GOD- HAHA- Oh my god my FACE- my noOOSE-
oh my god he's crying. He hasn't laughed like this in a while. He's struggling to breathe. This is great.
-She just couldn't stop laughing, ended up sitting down beside him on the ground, holding her stomach.-
My- hAHAHA- My stomach hurtsss-
-She's trying her best to stop, but each time she looks at Lav she just can't help but to burst out laughing. She loves this. This is so stupid.-