Chapter 11

Finally the dust seemed to settle and Virgil let himself relax, laying back against the soft grass where he had landed. This seemed to signify to the other three sides that they could relax as well. Romans silently sat up and hugged his knees as he watched the remains of his castle with saddened eyes. Logan and Patton glanced at each other and then to Virgil, then to Roman and back at each other.

"Everyone ok?" It was Virgil who had broken the silence but he hadn't moved or even opened his eyes.

Patton and Logan had voiced they were ok but Roman just stayed silent. He only sat, staring at the rubble with a heartbroken look in his eyes. The fatherly side shuffled over to the prince and set a hand on his shoulder.

"At least now you can make it bigger, better and even more beautiful." Patton said, looking over the broken stones.

Roman only gave a silent nod but they could see the new ideas forming in his creative mind as he gave Patton a small, grateful smile. He then spoke in a soft, sad tone that sounded as if he was trying his best to be positive but his heart was still hurting.

"I suppose I've always wanted a bit more renaissance appeal in the design."

"Perhaps a proper blueprint design would help." Logan offered.

Roman nodded, sending the logical side a grateful smile before the creative sides eyes fell on the anxious side still laying on his back. As if feeling the creative sides eyes on him, Virgil spoke up.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm gonna go take a shower and then a nap." Virgil said as he sat up and raised himself to a stand, stretching his arms above his head before tucking his hands into his hoodie pockets.

"That sounds nice." Patton agreed, standing as well.

"A shower would be very pleasant." Logan nodded, dusting himself off as he stood.

The prince nodded and stood as we, attempting to send Virgil a smile only for the anxious side to avoid his eyes as he turned his back on the creative side and the group headed back towards the door out of the realm

—

After a few hours where the sides had changed, napped, and gotten themselves cleaned up, they found themselves in the common room. Patton had gone and made some warm drinks for each of the sides; coffee for Logan, hot chocolate for Roman and Patton and black tea for Virgil.

"I went and checked on Thomas after we got back. He's doing ok and asked that we come up and explain everything to him when we're ready." Patton explained.

"There's a lot to explain." Logan nodded. "The question is if we, or more specifically Virgil and Roman want to explain everything twice or not seeing as I would like to know before we go up and talk to Thomas"

"I don't mind." Virgil shrugged.

"I'm sure I have plenty to answer for." Roman nodded, trying to catch Virgil's eyes only for it to be in vain yet again as the anxious side watched the other two sides.

"Well you can start with explaining what that black smoke was?" Patton asked, meeting Virgil's eyes with curiosity.

"Yeah." He nodded. "That was anxiety."

"But you're Anxiety."

"Yeah and while I am basically made out of anxiety like how you guys are, I'm more the one that controls its effect on Thomas." At the curious looks he was receiving, Virgil decided to try explaining more. "Think about how we get affected when we go into each other's rooms. When everyone was in my room last time, it wasn't me affecting you, it was the smoke form of anxiety. But when it's in my room, it's more like air than smoke."

"And it's reason for being in Roman's realm?" Logan asked.

"When he made a copy of me, I think the copy figured out it could control anxiety like I can. I don't think he knew how much that could hurt him until it was too late."

At the sides' curious looks, Virgil continued.

"Anxiety can be destructive. At least too much can. Since none of you can use it, it causes you to go into overdrive like Logan had explained after everyone went into my room." Nods from the sides at his explanation. "Since I am Anxiety, I can use the smoke and control it to help me and protect Thomas since it doesn't affect me the same way as it affects you guys. For me, it can be used as a booster, like a power up, it can be used how I want but instead of pushing me into overdrive, it can cause me to break down and self-destruct."

"Like how it did to the copy." Logan deduced.

As understanding struck the sides, Patton raised his hands to his mouth, his eyes widening in shock. Virgil gave him a look that asked that he please don't make a fuss about it. The fatherly side gave a begrudging nod. Roman had turned to look over at his door, a look of self loathing on his face but Virgil didn't look at him, instead turning to talk to Logan.

"When I found them, Roman and my copy were in the office." Virgil then went along explaining everything to them about the scene he found and how his copy had gone and already absorbed enough smoke to start tearing him apart from the inside. It hadn't taken much for Virgil to convince him what he had already known was real and it was too late.

"That was why your cage broke so easily, Roman."

The prince turned to him in surprise at how Virgil was looking at him, finally meeting his eyes, almost like he was looking through him. The look in the anxious sides eyes wasn't anything like the look his Virgil had given him. But that wasn't really his Virgil. That wasn't even Virgil. Virgil was sitting right in front of him with a thunderstorm in his eyes.

"It deteriorated the bars. The short bit of time that anxiety had coated those bars was enough to start breaking the metal down."

"If it can do that much damage to metal bars…" Patton let the rest of the fact linger in the air around them.

"My copy was me." Virgil nodded, turning his gaze from Romans. "But it was an imitation, his body wasn't built to handle anxiety like mine can. I'm made out of anxiety but my copy was made out of creativity."

"But the two of you were able to practically read each other's minds in the castle before-" Roman had to cut himself off, his voice cracking slightly at the memory.

"He was me enough that we were able to understand each other." Virgil explained, his tone holding a bit of sympathy under the disappointment.

Logan and Patton glanced at each other as a heavy silence spread through the room. It was clear that obviously not everything was ok with the two sides. Roman had done something terrible and there was no telling right now if he was going to get forgiveness from the anxious side.

"Virgil, I-" Roman tried.

"Thomas is summoning us. We've kept him waiting long enough." Virgil cut him off, his voice raised slightly with a factual tone as he set down his now empty mug, tucking his hands into his hoodie pockets and phasing up.

Roman lowered his outstretched hand, his shoulders slumping at the way Virgil had dismissed him. Patton reached out and set a hand on the prince's shoulder as Logan adjusted his glasses and phased up as well.

"He just needs time. What happened really hurt him in a different way than you're hurting. You both just need time to heal and then talk." He explained. "Be patient. Don't push him."

The creative side gave Patton a watery smile and a nod, turning his head toward where Virgil had been standing only seconds ago. Of course, he knew exactly why Virgil was avoiding him. The anxious side was obviously very upset with him and he knew that he had to wait for Virgil to be ready to trust him again but Roman just wished he would do something that wasn't staying avoiding him. The silence between them hurt more than if Virgil would be more angry with him. He wished Virgil would yell at him or scold him. He just wished that Virgil would say something.

With a small bit of encouragement from Patton, the two phased up to meet with Thomas.