[How weird it is, you wonder, that so much of the end of the world becomes routine. The thought comes to you as you were going to fill you and your party's waterskins. Here you are, pumping water up from a well while Suzy and Petronillé work on making food. Stars, if you close your eyes and hum, you could imagine yourself back in Wolworth!]
[But you didn’t do that, and wouldn’t any time soon! Not unless you wanted to become some mindless scion to these dictatorial asshats! No. Once you were all rested up, you’d be headed back into the labyrinth. Just one more canteen to fill, then it’s back to the others.]
“Hey uh, Alex.” [You turn at hearing the familiar voice of Aurola. She was holding a canteen which, you assume, was empty.] “How’s things?”
“Eh, could be better, could be worse. You?” [You shrug, and reach out a hand.] “Here, let me.”
“Thanks.” [She hands you the canteen, and you start filling it up.] “Kinda ass, honestly.”
“I can’t imagine why.” [You groan.] “Students giving you trouble?”
“Kinda.” [You hand back the canteen.] “It’s. . . Related to what. . . You, and I, talked about.”
[You feel a certain ghost stir in the back of your head, you nod.] “Well, if you’re up for it, uh, walk ‘n talk?”
“Sure, sounds good.”
[The two of you start casually sauntering across the yard back to your party.] “So! What’s on your mind? Or uh, in?”
“Don’t push it.” [La warns with a huff.] “. . . ‘Been, thinking about, stuff.”
“Head stuff?”
“Yeah, sure, let’s call it that.” [She tugs on her chainmail shirt.] “That, and uh, home stuff.”
[You cross your arms.] “And you wanna talk to me about that? Not like, Ark?”
“Well I did but she’s like, y’know.” [She waves her hands around vaugely.] “My superior.”
“You know that whatever kinda military you were in is long gone, right?” [You lean in close to her, squinting.]
“Well, yes, but she also has. . .”
“Opinions?”
“Yeah, call it that.” [She groans.] “Would probably tell me to move on and forget about it, I dunno.”
[You nod in understanding. Ark might be right about just moving on, but that’s not something everyone can do-] (And thus, she is her superior! As it should be.)
[Wh-! You bump shoulders with someone and whip around to glare at them, expecting a student. But, no, just another person trying to get by. Your expression softens and you appolagise, turning back to keep walking. You close your eyes and concentrate hard, ripping out the mint vine as you do.]
“Uh, you good?”
“Y-yeah! Yeah.” [You shake your head.] “Bad timing is all. Another mind reader trying to creep into my head.”
“Cowards.” [La spits.] “They should try that in person and see what happens.”
[You and Aurola get back and deliver the waterskins to your party, before making a few excuses so you and Aurola can talk in private. Not too private, that is. It was more that you and Aurola were against the wall while the rest of the party spread themselves in an arc around you two, like a human shield. Heh.]
“You got good friends, y’know.” [La notes as she sits down.]
“Heh, they’re alright.” [You sit with a cheeky grin.] “So! What’s up.”
“. . . . . . . Might as well rip the bandaid off.” [La mumbles the words under her breath, before throwing her head back with a sigh.] “I think someone fucked with my head a long, long time ago.”
[Well!] “That’s a helluva realization. Elaborate?”
“I’ve. . .” [She takes a moment to breathe, before lowering her head and her voice.] “There’s, a voice. In my head. Or a uh, a force, feeling, something that just. . . . . . Taunts, me.”
“Riiiight.” [You nod, slowly.] “Just one? What does, what does it feel like?”
“Cold.” [La’s reply is instant.] “Ruthless, guilty, confused and. . . Pro- protective? Or, or maybe afraid.”
|M-mmhm! Sounds like’a lot and uhm, y-yeah! You march into the greenhouse and pick a pepper from a plant and eat it. . . So uhm. . . Sadness! They’re like, emotions, feelings, specific ones too! Bonded sadness stick to one big one. Nihil was feeling worthless, Mal was being homesick, and Saudade are a kind’a longing. Was this a sadness? It might be.|
[You wouldn’t be surprised. It’s just one voice, after all. But you had to be sure.| “Maybe. . .”
“Maybe. . . ?”
“Maybe. . . Maybe I should take a look.” [You stretch your arms.] “If you want, of course.”
[La inhales sharply, holding you in her gaze for a few seconds, before slowly exhaling.] “That’s. . . Probably a good idea. . . Just, give me a minute.”
“Take your time.” [You nod.] “Don’t wanna rush anything, after all.”
|. . . Uhm. . . Can, can I say hi?|
[Sure! Want me to let her know you want to first?]
|Mmhm!|
“Y’mind if Jasmine says hi? They’re another headmate of ours.” [You try to smile in a reassuring way.] “Lil’ kid, you’d like them.”
[La’s face scrunches up in confusion, but shrugs.] “Uh, alright? I don’t see why not.”
[Alright, you can come out.]
|You peek around from behind Alex’s up at the big lady. She was really scary before! But uhm, but she’s really nice though, you think. She’s been kinda nice, and been helping a lotta people and stopping bullies and stuff. So, she’s gotta be okay, right? You wave, shyly.| “Hi.”
“Uh, hey kid.” |She waves back.| “You said they’re a kid, right? Uh, how does that. . ?”
“The technical term is ‘little’, but yes.” [You nod. Go on, Jasmine, she won’t bite.] “He’s the embodiment of our wild emotions and uh, inner child? That.”
“Huh.” |She looks back at you again.| “You doing alright, kiddo? None of these blo- these bad guys giving you trouble?”
“N’uh uh.” |You shake your head.| “They’re kinda scary but ‘Al and ‘Oz and ‘Alt and Buggy keep me safe.”
“Buggy?”
“Nihil.” [You chuckle.] “Our sadness. It and Jas are pretty good friends, actually.”
“I like buggy.” |You look up at Ms. Aurola with a smile.| “It uhm, it lives in our well and uhm, helps get water and lets me talk to it! And! And sometimes is really really small! Like, like it could fit in my hand ‘n stuff!”
“Cute.” [La relaxes.] “Wouldn’t think that, honestly, with the sadness I’ve seen.”
“‘S cuz they’re bats!”
“Language.”
“BATTY BATTY BATS!!!” |You giggle.|
[Aurola joins in and laughs, but just for a moment. She takes a deep breath in, and out, then turns back to you.] “Alright, alright. I think- I think I’m good, ready, now.”
“Alright.” [You start taking your gloves off.] “Just keep breathing and relax, alright?”
“Uhm, c’n I help?” |You look up at ‘Al.|
“I dunno, can he, La?”
“Uh, it won’t be dangerous for them, will it?”
“Shouldn’t be.”
“A-alright, alright. Go on then.”
“Yay!!”
[La holds out her right, shaking, hand. You move slowly, and put your own hand out for hers to rest on. You can put your hand in hers, Jas!]
|M’kay! You hold Ms. Aurola's hand. And uhm, you breath in, out, and try to relax.|
[You’re standing in a fog. A thick fog that seemed grey and endless. Breathing in, you smelled sorrow, an old sorrow. There was moisture in the air, and a texture to the sounds that left you on edge. You’re standing on the branch of a giant birch tree, and you spotted patterns on the bark that. . . They almost look like eyes.]
|’S kinda scary, but. . . ‘S also kinda cool? And weird! Look, the eye patterns are around your feet but like, over there they disappear! Uhm, there’s weird sounds too, you think? Oh! There’s lamps everywhere too!!!|
[Hey Lil’ Buck, piggyback? I can get us higher up.]
|Yay! ‘Al kneels down and you scamper up, resting on their shoulders. Okay! Ready!|
[Cool. You reach out a hand and coax vines from higher in the tree to trail down, and down, and down, until you can grasp it. The vine wraps around your arm, and starts lifting you high up into the tree.]
|. . . Uhm, why do you got, have, vine powers? I forgot.|
[It’s my ~Style~ kiddo. You like working with roses, so it probably rubbed off on you. You’ll need to check your memory when this is all over. As you get higher to the top, sounds with more clarity reach your ears. Water. Running water, waterfall. Water ran along the trunk of the tree, which itself had paintings decorating it. Many were blurred, and many more were covered in black feathers.]
|Raven feathers? You found one once, they’re really cool!|
[Thanks, Jasmine. Honestly, with the fog, lanterns, and waterfall, this was a really pretty headspace. You feel a slight warmth at that little comment, heh. The vine twists around a branch, which brings you closer to the trunk.]
|We there yet?|
[Soon, Jas. You grip the vine and start leaping higher and higher up the trunk of the tree until the branches and brambles start to thin. You’re just a few more leaps away from the top, away from the source of this waterfall. You brace yourself, and-]
[Something slams into you, sending you through the branches. Someone leaps at you and pins you to the ground, making you gasp in pain as your hand is crushed in an iron grip! Where- S-stars!! You grab a vine, what, t-the lights are gone, something--]
|HELP HELP HELP YOU’RE FALLING YOU’RE FALLING ALEX HELP HELP HELP--|
[JAS!!! Y-you dive!!]
|You think you land on something?!? N-no you’re still falling but you’re not and something has you a-and you’re scared and scared scared wanna go home H-HELP!! S-soft, soft, up, d-down, i-it’s scary SCARY!!!|
[Something grabbed Jasmine! It was a blur, a mass of darkness that left black feathers in its wake! You see it now, flying around, and up! S-stars! You feel, your body’s still being pinned! You open your mouth and tell the others not to, not to i-interfere. You, words, but you can’t make them out! Chase, chase the thing, Jas JASMINE!!!]
|M-M’OKAY! Y-you’re shaking shivering shaking shivering breathing breathing fast-- breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe shaking shaking a-and aaa-ana-and--- S-stable, not falling, n-not falling, not dizzy a-and being picked up and-- A-AL HELP!!! G-going up up up- Y-you’re scared scared, t-taken, taken away n-nonono!!|
{Safe, make safe now. Protect. Intruder. Protect from prickling thorns, prickling roses, danger.}
|T-thorns?!? N-nono!!! No!!! N-not danger not--|
{All danger. All danger. Raven protects, little Aura, little Moon, make safe for little light. Little Buck, little light, smells of mint. . . Yes, friend, protect.}
[What is blinding going on in here?!? The, the thing’s taken Jasmine to a landing high up, and settled. Jas? You okay?!]
{Vines of mint. Vines of choking, killing. Kill before killed, kill for light, little light. Nothing, must, harm.}
[Jaaaaas!!! You’re almost there!!]
|N-NO! NO!! I-it’s, it’sgonna hurt you it’s gonna-- gg-gonna k- g-go! Away!!! Go away go away!!|
[But I need to-]
{Make. Go. Away.}
|N-NO!! ALEX! LEAVE!!!!!!!|
|. . . . N-nausea wave--|
{Gone. . . ? Stranger, gone. All safe, you return.}
|Yyjy-youu d-don’t, don’t feel the best but, b-body, you feel your body, relax. P-pain, you hurt, n-not being hurt anymore. Pressure, releasing. You take, a deep breath. . . The big, big bird lands in front of you again.|
|Someone’s asking if you’re okay. You nod, and tell them it’s, s-scared, and, you need’a talk, to, it. Another breath. O-okay, u-uhm. . . H-hi. . .|
{. . .}
|. . . Uhm, who. . . Who’re you?|
{Raven.}
|O-oh! Uhm, I know a raven! My friend uhm, uhm, Ky-ros! ‘S really shaky ‘n scared ‘n stuff, but looks like’a bird and uhm. . . S-stuff.|
{. . .}
|. . . Why uhm. . . Why’d you attack ‘Al?|
{‘Al? Invader?}
|U-uh, yeah?|
{Stranger. Smells of mint. Many smell of mint, many dangers. They are dangers, dangers to light, little light, little Moon, little Aura, little Buck.}
|Little buck- me? B-but they’re a friend! Promise!!|
{Trust. . . ? No, cannot trust.}
|I guess I get that. . . But uhm, who’s, who’s Moon? Aura?|
{Lights. Little lights. Little Aura. Aurola. Sister, other, host, hunter. Little Moon. . . She smelled of mint, but never hurt. Little Buck, feels the same. Pictures, memories, all broken, all gone? Gone, gone. . . Why?}
|You. . . You don’t remember her?|
{Gone, gone, gone. . .}
|. . . B-but. . . Mint? She smelled like mint?|
{Mint, yes. Mint, a guide, a calling. Callings to kill, hunt, guard, survive. Callings to help, Moon said, callings to kill, to help, to heal. Callings for Raven, she called.}
|T-that’s. . . . You, you felt, scared, a-and had a weird feeling of uhum, deja vu! It was. . . It was. . . When ‘Oz was being controlled, told to, grab, ‘Frin. . .|
|You’re being talked to again, you tell them to wait. Uhm, you. . . Y-you wanna help! You wanna help big Raven and Aura! Uhm, but you gotta be nice! Okay?|
{Nice. . . ?}
|YEAH! BE NICE! Uhm, I gotta go though, I’m feeling kinda dizzy ‘n stuff ‘n our friends are worried.|
{. . . Little Buck, safe? You are safe?}
|Uh-huh! Promise! Our friends’r super safe!|
{. . . Trust. Will trust.}
|Okay! You’re gonna go now, okay?|
{Go. Stay safe.}
|You promise! With a held breath, you let go of Au|rolas hand and she stumbles off of you. There's waves of unease and nausea, hand to your head, feeling sick. There's- there's voices, there's words, words? Who, who's and-- =poking, prodding and, it-- songs, in twine with, ravens and= Who, are, you.
“Just keep breathing, buddy. Juuuust like that.” Isabeau was talking to you. His hand was on your back? “In for two, out for three. In for three, out for four.”
You keep breathing and o(pen your eyes, then, shake your head.) “Urgh. . . I Feel like crab.”
“You look like it.” (Isabeau was kneeling next to you, concern written on his face.) “What in Change happened in there?”
“Oh, uh, well. . .” (You blink, taking a second to find the right memory. A lemon? Yuck, you reluctantly take a bite out of it.)
(Aurola was rubbing her head, face a mix of emotions that would take multiple lifetimes to decrypt. Would she remember what happened? Maybe not, probably not. You'll explain it all to her later. Right now, Petronillé was helping her out, making jokes, grounding her, talking to her. . .)
(You finish processing the memory— eating the lemon —and think. It doesn't take that long to think, but it's a good thing you did. You look back up at Isabeau and give a slight smile.) “Honestly? Probably not my place to say.”
The four burst through the door five minutes later into the living room which was empty save for an arguing Aura and Alex.
“I’m not leavin—“ Alex stopped when he saw them. His mouth dropped open and Aura turned, shock flashing across her own features before her training set in.
“Get them on the table, now.”
Raven and Draike did so as she started checking them over, Raven not letting go of Dark’s hand. They were dangerously pale, their eyes — eye, Raven corrected — barely open. Raven looked at Aura, desperate for her to say that it was all going to be okay. She didn’t. She started cutting away the material from their trouser leg, revealing the shattered knee underneath. Their shin was covered in blood and there were flecks of what looked like bone under the torn flesh of their knee; Aura touched it lightly and Dark howled.
“I can’t do this like this. But we can’t wait. They’ve already lost too much blood.” she said, pulling back. “And I’m out of sedatives. Rose and Severn went out to get more but they won’t be back soon enough. We’ll have to give them something to bite down on and hope for the best.”
Draike‘s jaw set, pulling off his belt and pushing it between Dark’s teeth. “Here.”
Aura hesitated. “Draike, hold their shoulders. The last thing we want is them moving and making it worse.”
Draike’s expression was grim but set as he walked round the table and placed his hands firmly on Dark’s shoulders, his only show of weakness a whispered, “Sorry, mate,” as he did so.
Aura took a deep breath and got to work, forcing herself to ignore the choked cries next to her. Dark thrashed weakly against Draike’s grip but he refused to let up, his hold unwavering. Raven gripped Dark’s hand tightly, concentrating on the low pulse beating in their wrist, her thoughts racing. Alex watched on in silence, wrist pressed to his mouth in horror.
