(As per the results of the "Dani's laptop is back in action let's see a WIP" poll, here is a preview of the scene that I think will likely END Grand Tour Part 2. You can read Grand Tour Part I for a refresher HERE. Enjoy! :)
The door shut behind him, the hefty thunk of the wood against the stone reverberating as the metal bits clanked. He leant against it with a heavy sigh, sinking to the ground. His feet slid forward on the stone floor, coming to a stop at the edge of the rug. He almost slid down the rest of the way. Almost. Sitting against the door in fetal position sounded really, really nice.
But that was too close. It was too close to the King and the Queen and the other Prince. Too close to everything that had happened that day (it had only been a DAY?!?!), and so he pushed himself off the door and got up, making his way right to the exposed balcony. He grabbed the stone railing, wrapping his fingers around it so hard his knuckles grew white. It was solid. It was there. It was outside, and the breeze was cool (as the winds of Otouno were wont to be, which was quite refreshing for a summer sprite like him), and he could breath again.
He squeezed the railing. Looked up at the sky. The stars were peeking out, bright pinpricks of light in the darkness above him. He lifted his hands off the railing. Below him, the two sconces that burnt brightly outside the perimeter went out with a poof, the flames twirling upwards and wrapping themselves around his palms. He squished his fists shut, extinguishing them, then did the same to the sconces above him.
Now he could really see the stars.
With a satisfied nod, Blaise got to work.
Hoping onto the railing, he felt the wall around the frame of the balcony entrance until the smooth stone gave way to wood. Curling a finger under it, he pushed. With a soft whoosh, material furled out, blowing out and over the balcony, the ends fluttering as the wind blew through, streaking the dark with oranges and yellows and whites.
He jumped down, quickly grabbing the fluttering bottoms and tying them onto little metal hooks, embedded within the stone and near flush with it. He made his way all across the small balcony until it was completely shrouded by the drapes, naught but a triangular break revealing the tops of the evergreen trees and the hundreds of stars in the sky above him.
Hands on his hips, he surveyed his work briefly. With a satisfied nod, he turned back into his room and dragged the plush, round ottoman across it, shoving it towards the left side of the balcony. He kicked the rug below it. It rolled out, coming to a stop halfway across the balcony.
Back into the room he went, tossing pillows and quilts and all manner of comfortable things out onto the balcony. The small, round portico became more soft comforts than stone in no time at all. It was only then that Blaise threw off his formal wear, more than happy to be rid of the weight of all the fancy regalia. He loosened the ties on his shirt and practically threw himself into his makeshift nest, pulling his legs up and finally let himself collapse, shivering as the events of the day finally caught up to him.
The temperature around him began to drop. Huddling into himself tighter, he buried his face in his knees, counting in his head. Below him, the next round of guards walked by, armour clanking as they complained about the cold, the warm lantern light faintly illuminating the stonework.
“Bli-mey it’s chilly!”
“It’s Outono! Province’s always chilly.”
“But not like this. Look. You can see frost creeping up the walls.”
“No you can’t.”
“Sure I can! Look!”
A squeak. A grunt.
“There’s nothing there.”
“What?”
“See for yourself!”
Another squeak.
“Blimey! It’s gone! But I swear, there was something there! Really, I—”
“—you need a break. We’re swapping you out next round.”
“Huh.” More squeaking as the guard scratched their head. “Maybe you’re right…”
The squeaking turned to clanking as they walked, the sound lost in the distance as the glow from the lantern turned a corner and disappeared.
Blaise shivered again. He lifted his head from his knees, watching as a frosty trail did indeed creep over the balcony. It curved around the bend of the railing, trailing down the walls and pooling on the floor in front of him, little wisps of dry ice drifting off the top. It shifted, then; it moved upward, a head of slightly frosty dark hair forming, two big blue eyes staring up at him.
He blinked. His brain seemed to stop for a moment, taking a bit too long to catch up.
The eyebrows drew down, the eyes frowning. The rest of her face popped out of the frost, arms following suit. Folding them in front of her, she rested her chin on her hands and blinked at him, head tilted, concern on her features.
“Bad day?”
“Terrible.”
“Oh dear.”
The rest of the frost swirled as she pushed off the floor, clinging to her tightly as she stood up, taking form. She plucked a thick quilt off the ground and carefully made her way to his side, draping it around him.
“Thank you.”
“Of course. Mind if I—”
“Please do.”
He held the quilt up, gesturing to the space beside him. With a soft smile, she sunk down, scooting until she was right up against his side. He dropped the quilt over her and rested his head on her shoulder, the rest of the tension leaving his body instantly. Her arm slunk around him, the cool embrace comforting.
She wrapped him up in a hug, cradling him close to her side. Resting her head on top of his (the simmer going out with a hiss), she squeezed him.
“How’d you know I—?”
She laughed. A quite laugh, gentle as the night before them. “I came over to gossip, actually. I heard a rather delightful rumour this evening, and figured I’d go right to the person I knew closest to the source. I was hoping you’d be out here…” her face fell. The chipper node left her voice. “…but I wasn’t expecting this.” She squeezed again. “Would you like to talk about it?”
“Goddess above, yes.”
“Well. In that case, I’m listening.”
“Trees, Winter.”
“I’m sorry?”
Blaise shot up. “She turns them into TREES.”
Winter looked him over, her face twisted into a mix of confusion and disgust. “Turns who into trees?”
“The people that go against her. Against us, I guess.” He slumped, falling back against the ottoman. “At least, that’s how she explained it to us. Every single person in their court who has gone against them in some way, shape, or form, has gone to the garden and never come out. They frame it as an after supper walk. It’s a whole thing," Blaise sighed.
He waved his hand halfheartedly. “They invite the dissenter to dinner, they feast, have a good time, laugh…and the whole time I sat there knowing full well that this was not ending the way he thought it was. Dessert comes out. They sit and then the offer of a walk is made and of course, you don’t say no to them."
Flashing the castle a dark look, he turned to Winter, an angry pout on his face as he got into it. "So off you go on this walk, right? Into the garden and farther back, where the topiaries and shrubbery are. And as they get deeper and deeper into the hedges, the King drops the ruse and the Queen starts the spell and then boom! Freshly planted tree. That was a person.”
“Good heavens.”
“They don’t do this to everyone, apparently. Only the people in their circles who think they can step a single toe out of line. Ruffians, criminals, dissenters—everyone else gets dungeon, or banishment, or, you know. Regular punishments. Well. The King's idea of a regular punishment.” Blaise sniffed. He rubbed his nose. Steam wafted off his cheeks.
“You know, I always thought something was off with those trees.”
“I never suspected! I mean, who does that, right? Lady above, Winter. We've gone for WALKS back there, you and I!" he winced. "I’m sorry about that."
“You didn’t know. It’s okay.”
“It doesn’t feel okay. None of this feels okay!” He was growing passionate now. His hair had lit up once more and he was speaking with his hands, incensed as he went on. “I am so tired of all of this!” he waved at the castle behind him, eyes shinning with unshod tears as he confessed. “Ever since we came of age and I quit warlock training it’s just. Everything SUCKS. I’m learning things that I don’t want to learn, and mom and dad and Pyros all seem FINE with the way things are and I’m just. I’m NOT. It’s fucked up!” Blaise paused, blinking at the lack of censorship. “See?! Even magic agrees with me!”
“And I'm so glad it did. If you don’t mind me asking…” Winter tucked the quilt tighter around herself, snuggling up to Blaise. Perching her chin on his shoulder, she blinked up at him. “What did they say about it? the tree thing, that is."
Blaise sighed, throwing an arm around her and bringing her in tight. He frowned in thought, feeling about behind him until the soft material of the quilt tickled his fingers. He threw it back around himself, drawing it tighter and bringing the two of them closer. “Father said that we have to do things to remind the people closest to us who’s in power. He said that if any single court member gets ideas, they should be dealt with swiftly and severely.”
“So Lord Neo was found guilty.”
“Big time. Almost four hundred acres in almost as many years, can you believe it? And now he’s a tree. Along with who knows how many other lords and ladies and barons and viscounts and so on and so forth.” Blaise sighed. “Then mother said that they should not be made an example of. They should simply disappear. And the next day, when all the other members of court learn that their fellow courtier is gone without a trace, replaced like they were nothing…it scares them more than any form of public punishment could. Because if it can happen to anyone as swiftly and speedily as it did Lord Neo…it can happen to them.”
“I hate to ask because I fear I already know the answer, but I’m going to anyway. What did your brother think of all this?”
“He seemed as shocked and appalled as I was at first. Did as I did—repeated the lesson back to them, least we become the next shrubs in the garden—and we went back in the castle and retired for the night. Well, Their Majesties did. Us Highnesses had a little study session, as it were.”
Blaise chuckled, eyes crinkling briefly. “Pyros was fascinated, of course. And I couldn’t believe that they were people. So we went and did a bit of field work and confirmed it—every single tree, every single shrub in the centre of the garden is—or I guess, was—a person. And I told him what I told you.”
“That it was frosted up.”
“Exactly. And his reply?”
“Needs must be met? What’s done must be done? It is what it is?”
“Exactly. He said that in order for us to keep our power, for our reign to stand strong, sacrifices must be made, etcetera, etcetera. Then he mentioned how he was fascinated at the implications—then it became, what else can we do? What other transformation magic could we put to use? Are they sentient in there? Are they asleep? Are they in stasis? Did they manage to make the choice to go to Rosehaven before being petrified? Did they get that choice? Would Rosehaven claim them?” Blaise sighed. “I was only thinking one thing.”
“Can it be undone.”
“Exactly. Like…there’s people trees in my backyard, Winter. People trees!”
“I know, Blaise. I know.”
“I’m just…so…tired.” His hair went out, then. He rested his head on her shoulder once more, looking up at the sky though the space in the drapery. A shooting star went by. “I wish they’d make their choice. I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep sitting here, being taught how they rule, afraid to speak up about how I’d do things differently, because they haven’t even named a successor. Or successors.”
“Your brother wouldn't share.”
“Yes he would.”
“No he wouldn’t.”
“I disagree.”
“Really?”
The season sounded genuinely shocked. Blaise frowned. “I know we’ve had our differences recently, but…he’s my brother, Winter. My twin. I can’t imagine he’d hurt me.”
“I understand. Well, I sympathize. Seeing as how I don’t have a twin of my own. But…I love my sisters. I really do. Despite all our differences I adore them, and I couldn't fathom not having them around or being around them.” She paused for a moment. “Within good reason, of course, I mean. I have my limits and sometimes one needs time to one’s self.”
Blaise chuckled.
“Sorry I can’t empathize more.”
“It’s all right, Winter.”
“I just. Well. You know how I feel about Pyros.”
Blaise chuckled again. “Yeah, I know. You can't stand his—”
“I can’t stand his ass.”
“Exactly. That.”
“I just. He’s so smarmy! And always has to be the smartest person in the room. And I dislike the way he treats you when you’re here. I dislike the way they all treat you.”
“I love your passion.”
Winter flushed, looking away. “Sorry. I just…” she held up a hand, eyes closed as she searched for words. “You deserve…” so much more than this, she thought, eyes flicking to the castle and back to him. “You deserve to be happy. And…I don’t like that you aren’t happy, here. Where you should be happy.”
“Well. I’m happy right now. Right here,” he pointed down at the balcony floor, covered in pillows and blankets and shrouded by the sheer curtains. “With you. I’m glad you’re here with me.”
Winter smiled. The ice that had manifested in her hair during her impassioned rant slid out, landing in a melted heap on the carpet below them. Her eyes were warm as she looked at him, really looked at him.
“You know…my offer still stands.”
“Hmm?”
“Remember what I asked you during your quarterly check in a while back?”
“If I’d sneak out with you?”
“Yes! Would you still do that?”
Blaise looked at her. Then back at the castle beyond the balcony. Then back at her.
“Goddess of the Springs, would I ever.”
“Oh, brilliant!” she got up, a spring in her step, and folded her hands together, pressing them against her cheek. “Let’s go.”
“Go?”
“Yes! Let’s sneak out together.”
“Out?”
“Yes!”
“Right now?”
She nodded, excitement growing.
Blaise looked thoughtful. He straightened up, the quilt falling behind him. “Where would we go?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere!” she twirled, a slight flurry blowing around her, the wind ruffling the drapes as she faced him once more, snowflakes drifting out into the open air behind her. “Away from here. Beyond these walls.”
“Beyond the walls? Out there out there?”
“Yes! Exactly! I’ll have you back before curfew,” she teased, tongue poking out as she bit back a laugh. “I promise. And you know I’m true to my word.”
“That I do. And that you are.”
“Exactly! So! Come with me.” She stuck out her hand. “Please?”
Something filled Blaise’s chest.
He wasn’t sure what, exactly, it was…but it was warm and bright and filling, and for the first time that day, an earnest smile spread across his face and the future didn’t seem so bleak.
She's 5 ft 4 in (i hc the matsuno bros to be 5 ft 7 in, so shes 3 inches shorter than them ^^)
Her outfits come in different colors! Her shirt and socks can be either black or white, and her dress can be blue, red, purple, pink, yellow, green, or black! :) (also her shirt can be short sleeve or long sleeve, and her socks can be thigh high, knee high, or ankle high!)
Initially did not intend for her to have connections to the moon (part of her last name 'Tsuki' means moon, the bunny charm on her phone) but in the middle of making this ref i was like 'eh why not'
Dekapan is the one that created her, so hes kind of like her weird dad
She has a big crush on Ichimatsu, but to be honest she has a crush on all of the Matsuno bros hehe
She moved away from Akatsuka to go to college, but moved back to do some of her studying and assignments back home (also she was feeling very homesick)
A running gag is that her major changes each time she talks about it (in the beach episode she says her major is photography, in the super detergent episode she says her major is painting, continues ad nauseam)
Her favorite season is winter! (fall is second, spring is third, summer is fourth)
I'm mainly refering to her with she/her pronouns right now, but she also uses they/them and it/its!
Her relationships with the characters:
Osomatsu: He just loooves hanging out with her lolol whenever they all hang out in a group Osomatsu is the first to try and take a spot next to her. They're usually on the same wavelength, always able to connect with each other, but sometimes Ai can get pretty fed up with whatever antics he tries to pull. He always ends up getting nervous whenever they have one of their deep one-on-one talks.
Karamatsu: Ai loves his "painfulness", but she sometimes has her limits lol. Usually tries to help him write songs, and they like to sing together. They're both very supportive of each other, playing off of each other's energy.
Choromatsu: He tries to be so polite and formal in front of her despite knowing her since they were kids. Ai tries to get him to loosen up, and he's gotten a bit better at being himself in front of her.
Ichimatsu: They're in loooooove, they wanna kiiiiiiss~ ehehe, but besides that they both connect with the fact that they love their quiet time, and also cats. Ai is very understanding and patient, and that both comforts ichimatsu and freaks him the hell out.
Jyushimatsu: Ai cannot keep up with him, but she tries. At least he helps her stay active! They just both like making each other happy, whether that means going out to play baseball, or staying inside and doing some paper craft (with Ichimatsu's assistance)
Todomatsu: Besties :3 they message each other a lot, and Todomatsu is always lowkey asking her out to do things with him. Usually though, either just the two of them go out or Totty's older brothers end up tagging along. They mutually vent to each other sometimes just to let out some frustration, and they trust each other enough to keep secrets between them.
Totoko: Good friends, though they don't always see eye to eye. But thats mostly because of confusion on Ai's part at the antics Totoko tries to pull. She thinks its really cool that Totoko is an idol, and Totoko always insists that Ai could be one too, but they both dont want her to be one for different reasons (Totoko thinks that Ai would be more popular than her, and Ai doesn't like the idea of singing in front of big crowds)
Iyami: She thinks he's skeevy as hell, not much else to say. Always finds a way to get angry at him, even if he hasnt done anything wrong (at the moment)
Chibita: Also good friends, they both admire each other for what they do. She always leaves a big tip whenever she eats at his oden stand to show her appreciation (and to hopefully make up for the sextuplets' tab they have yet to pay)
Matsuyo and Matsuzo: They love her, don't know what their sons did to deserve such a nice friend who is also a girl (kind of). They simultaneously hope that she could maybe start dating one of their sons, and also think that she could do so much better lol Ai is always bringing them gifts and helps around the house, she almost gave them a heart attack when they came home to a squeaky clean kitchen after Ai and the sextuplets had made dinner together for them ^^
Dekapan and Dayon: Her creator and his weird maid/friend/lover? They're basically her weird estranged dads. They barely interact, except for rare moments when she needs emergency maintenance
This one comes after this one. So read that first!
--
It was in your best interest to take the long way home from the school today, despite it adding about twenty minutes to your walk. You once told Marq that it was the scenic route when they first moved in, to which he responded that there wasn’t much to see when it all looked the same. It was just to kill time after all. Who cares if it was the same trees and the same hives you’d seen every day of your life before and for the rest of it. It wasn’t like there was anything waiting for you at your hive. Well, certainly not anyone you wanted to speak with anyway.
Just around the bend, you will no doubt be met with Gracious standing at your front door. You grip your phone tightly in your hand. It is time to delete your messages. Don’t cry yet, Sonny. You’re in the dark. He will be kinder if you are in the dark. You hope.
You swallow, it’s thick and sticks to the sides of your throat as it ping pongs down, burying your sorrow in your gut.
You raise your phone to your face.
>It’s the Marauder Sonny. It was too close, she couldn’t run the risk of being caught by him<
>Veylin will come back for you. She gave us her word.<
Those were the last two you received, presumably once they’d already made their escape. The long rambling apologies from Theo and your very forceful instruction to him to go with them you’d deleted as soon as the conversation was over. They only hurt you to read. How could he think you’d let him stay behind? How could he even think that was an option?
With a shaky sigh you delete the rest of the messages, along with any other ones that mentioned Veylin by name. Just like that, all of her promises to get you out too were gone in the wind. Isn’t it for the best? There is no life for mutants in greater Alternia, and you’ve always known that, Soniel.
Then why do you feel the need to collapse in a heap of tears on the floor? Things have been happening to you for your entire life, this is just another thing that happened to you.
You round the corner and see him, standing perfectly still outside of your hive. He seems a bit agitated.
Put on a happy face. He can’t see you look so mopy! Besides, his anger is good news. It means that they got out. That Theo gets a chance to be happy. He deserves that.
Once you get close enough, you give an enthusiastic wave.
“Hey there, Ivey!” Your voice bubbles forth with excitement that you didn't think yourself capable of presently.
“Soniel.” His voice is steady, betrayed only by the way his lip curls around your name.
You stop directly in front of him, keeping the same distance you normally would when having a conversation with him. You are in the dark. Keep smiling. Fear joins the sorrow in your gut.
“We were worried about you! You just disappeared in the middle of the school day.” You fiddle with your phone in your hands, not willing to break eye contact with Redivi. “Then, uh, Ducky wasn’t answering his phone.”
“Curious.”
“Right!” You swallow. Don’t show your nerves. He can sense that, can’t he? “Is everything okay?”
He is silent for a moment, it feels like you’re being assessed.
“You have not heard from him today?” He finally asks after an eternity of silence.
You shrug your shoulders, it’s so easy to make it seem careless. The whimsy expected of Sonny when nothing is wrong. Everything is fine. She said she’ll come back for you. She said she would take you with them. Something came up. There’s no room for mutants in the general population. Your smile wavers.
“Not since he texted me to have a good night at work!” This was definitely not a good night. “You know he’s always a sleepy head in the early evenings. Hardly even registers when I give him goodbye kisses!” And that last one really was a goodbye kiss.
You want to cry, you should be able to seek comfort from Redivi. Why do you want to? Why can’t you reconcile that he is the villain of this story?
“Interesting.” Redivi’s gaze becomes scrutinizing. It feels as though he sees right through you. He knows, he must know that you’re lying to him. You tighten your grip on your phone.
“What of Marqez? Hirsch?” He tilts his head. “Our newest friend, Veylin?”
That one catches you by surprise, you just about swallow your tongue. He takes note of that with a quiet ‘hmm’. Your poker face is reaching its absolute limit.
“Veylin?” You let your fear manifest as confusion washing over your features. “The, uhm, the cerulean that came to visit?” Maybe the fact that you didn’t use a nickname will lend to your innocence.
“Yes, Veylin.”
“We didn’t.. Uh. We don’t talk like that. I hardly know her.” He does not seem convinced.
Redivi narrows his eyes in response.
“Did something happen? Is Ducky okay?” The urgency you speak with is a nice touch, but he remains still. Unmoved by your performance.
“It appears that Veylin has taken them.”
“Out..Out of Thorezille?” You feel as though you’ve responded a little too quickly, dial it back. Do you look shocked enough? You force your voice to crack. “You can get them back, right?”
“That is what I am hoping for.” His gaze lingers on your hands, your phone. “In the meantime, we are worried she may try to abduct you as well.”
She better! She promised.
“We would like you to stay with us while this is all sorted out.”
Your stomach drops.
“At… At your hive?”
“Just to be safe.”
You nod slowly.
“Collect what you need, I will give you your privacy.”
You continue to nod, perhaps looking a bit shellshocked, as you walk past him and into your abandoned hive.
i cannot like anything in moderation. if something catches my interest then i am unhealthily obsessed with it for a ridiculous amount of time. i will never be a casual lover of anything. i’m all in, all the time.
Nehl felt as though her body was being torn in half, starting right at the center of her mind. Narathix lives there, or at least part of Her does as it was explained to Nehl. But now, as it stands, there is a stranger in there!
Now, prior to this Nehl thought that she'd had a pretty good handle on sharing a part of her mind with a God, but the presence of Diollea was proving to test her resolve.
For starters, He was heavy in the same way His light made it difficult for Him to be looked at in the waking world, the energy He expelled was nearly impossible to withstand, and if Nehl had to put a number to it she would say He took up 10x as much space as Narathix did. In short, she had never felt as powerless and vulernable as she did right now in all of her mortal and immortal life. There is nowhere to escape to when what you want to escape is taking place in the back of your mind, oh yeah and also you're unconscious.
Nehl could only watch the two Gods settle their differences. If all goes well, this would be her last hurt. Right?
The scene that was painted for this discussion was supremely dull and starkly contradictory to the feelings stirring inside of her. There was no doubt in her that this was entirely for her sake, and Diolleas doing. Narathix never had much tact.
It looked like an office space, a small room with a long table that sat between Diollea and Narathix. If Nehl didn't know any better, she would mistake this meeting for a business transaction in some fashion.
Diollea, as Nehl perceived Him, was as large as He always is, and He took up a considerable portion of her field of view. He sat with his arms folded over his chest, and though she couldn't see his face she could tell he was staring daggers directly into Her. The short curls on his head seemed to emulate his feelings, they licked out as if they were angry flames. Almost like the beams of light from the sun itself, like when a child draws it.
Compared to him Narathix was small, and She looked kind of afraid. Sunk back into Her seat, wringing Her tail in Her hands. She had the appearance of a plulean, only modified with a mouth with which to speak. Nehl always wondered why She would need that in a mindscape of all places, but She did she guesses. Her plumage presented as a bouquet of all different sorts of flowers, from the top of Her head down to the tip of Her tail. Nehl always joked that it looked like the floral section of a craft store.
Yes, if she didn't know any better, this would just be a perfectly mortal Cardali and a perfectly mortal Plulean having a casual business conversation. She couldn't help but wonder what it would have looked like if her wellbeing were not being cared after.
When Diollea spoke, she could hear it all over her head and she felt it in her core. She could admit to herself that He was absolutely terrifying, and she could sort of kind of see why Squish presented the way that he did. Imagine having to tell this guy you've failed whatever task he gave you. Probably not ideal.
"Who do you think you are?" Despite the projection, Nehl still recognized it the calm voice He usually used. It calmed her nerves, but not by much.
He did not wait for a response, he unfolded his arms and placed His hands on the table. "I need to know what gives you the right." Nehl needed to know, too.
"It was only a small favor." Cat that ate the canary indeed; Narathix shrunk back from whatever sour face the response elicited from Diollea. Nehl didn't need to see it.
Ever the diplomat, Diollea adjusted His posture so that it no longer looked like He was going to eat Her. He sat back and crossed His left leg over His right.
"I only needed her help to find Cruxis. He wasn't answering me, you know, she knows her way around the colonies better than I do..." She trailed off, trying to look around Diollea to get a glance at Nehl. Diollea purposefully shifted in a way that block Her.
"And this excuses your behavior?"
"I never did anything but observe!"
Nehl was ready to object, but before she could interject Diollea held a hand up, a motion that seemed to shut Narathix up as well.
"Certainly you know me better than to imply that I would make any form of baseless accusation." His voice held steady, but Nehl could feel His agitation rising. He turned briefly and gave her a sort of apologetic smile that mostly confused her.
Then he seemed to pull something seemingly out of thin air. It kind of looked like a little ball of light. Nehl's voice lodged itself in her throat, she wanted to ask, but she already knew what it was.
Before long, one of the little balls of light started to project into the air. It was a memory.
And suddenly she understood why it was an apologetic smile. She could feel it all.
-
Nehl felt like he was moving in slow motion when she woke up, she could still smell the smoke and ash from the forest that burned down around her an indeterminate amount of time ago. She would have worried about the smoke filling her lungs if not for the burning feeling that radiated from her chest.
To distract herself from the pain, she tried to blink the grogginess from her eyes, Gods it'd felt like she'd been asleep for eons. If not for the fresh smell of burned plant life she might have believed that she did.
Finally she sat up and looked around the assess the damage around her. If there was anything alive here, then it was doing a damn good job at hiding itself from her -- It was all gone. The entire generation forest in smolders. Before she was able to really take it all in and process it, a booming presence seemed to take over all of her senses.
“Forgive me, it has been quite sometime since I’d even seen one of yours in the flesh.. Let alone put one together.”
Immediately, Nehl recognized her as the Goddess that the planet she sat on was named for. The planet she’d just finished letting down big time. Guilt started to grip at her, and it had claws.
“You can make it right Nehl! You can help me fix all this damage caused by your people!” Nehl remembered this day crystal clear, but she did not remember the anger that started to pool itself in her gut, or the resentment that joined it the more urgent She sounded.
-
“Nothing?” Diolleas voice snapped Nehl out of reliving the memory, the pain was gone but the resentment did not go anywhere. It must be how she feels now. She didn’t feel bad about accepting Diollea’s help anymore, that is for certain. “You took advantage of her guilt from day one.” Nartahix said nothing, seeming to focus Her attention on the other memories that floated in the air. “You’re a predator, you’re vindictive.”
“No it wasn’t supposed to sound like that.”
“No?”
“No!”
He leaned onto the table again and swiped at the balls of light, it appeared to Nehl like He was shuffling through for something very specific. Maybe she should have been more concerned about his ability to recall her memories, but she was still reeling from the guilt pushed upon her by Narathix to focus on that. She never noticed how much She played into it.
Narathix really was using her has nothing more than a puppet, and she felt sort of ashamed having let herself be toyed with so easily.
“No?” Ye repeats and Nehl could feel the resentment burning in her chest quickly be replaced with anger. His anger.
From her perspective, it looked as though he was giving Her an opportunity to better explain Herself, but He was getting increasingly angry. It was almost unbearable.
Narathix looked at him, hopeless, looking for a way out of the mess that she’d made. Irritated, Diollea clicked His tongue and pulled out the memory he’d been looking for, letting it project itself as he did the last one. Strangely, this one was new to Nehl.
-
Nehl was laying flat on her back, staring up at the night sky lit up by the stars and bioluminescent plant life. She had been laying in this position for so long, she couldn’t put a time to it but it certainly has been the calmest she’s been in a very long time.
“What do you think you’re doing? Hm?” Nehl was shaken from her bliss by the voice that boomed from within her. “Do you think he’s just going to fall back into your lap? Do you even care about the pain he must be in? The pain that I’m in?”
She was right. How could she just be sitting back relaxing while her family suffered in this way? Guilt started to settle in her stomach. So what if she’d already had plans to hitch a ride back to the colonies, here she was doing nothing when she could have been making a plan or figuring out where she’s gonna go from there. She should not be relaxing right now.
“How could I have brought back someone so useless and selfish?”
Nehl imagined the unpleasant expression Narathix might have had as She spat this venom out to her. She winced as a migraine began to throb, she noted that yes she’d been feeling a lot of those lately. Tears formed in her eyes. How could she have been so selfish?
-
Nehl was crying when Diollea broke the memory again, he was standing with His hands slammed onto the table. It took her a moment to get her breath between her own grief and His anger.
“You are nothing but a pest. Do you know that? Do you understand?”
Narathix flinched away from Him. “I was upset! I made it go away. I helped her forget it happened..”
“You hid it from her to curry her favor.” If this wasn’t some weird mindscape table it would have splintered under His grasp.
“She was so sad.. I needed her to be happy.. She would be more effecient if she was happy. So I made it go away. She was happy again.”
That was likely not what he had wanted to hear from her. In an instant the table between them was gone, and it kind of looked like the room around them was beginning to buckle. Nehl did not have the time to quantify the betrayal of Narathix having hid a memory from her before Diolleas anger flooded out any other emotion she could possibly feel. It burned red hot and she briefly wondered if it was possible to lose consciousness from her subconscious. Gods, she wished that she could.
As Diolleas closed the space between the two of them, Nehl could pick up the bits of fear that came from Narathix. She looked so small compared to Him. He was so angry.
“Worst than a parasite, I would say.” He seized Her, digging his nails deep wherever He grabbed Her from, Nehl would speculate that from the way She screamed when He did. Lords above, did she scream.
“I am very good at handling parasites. Don’t you worry about it.”
Nehl would have to take his word for it because that is when His anger overtook her and everything went black.
