"Is the glare necessary?" I question the mage, keeping an eyebrow raised as I return the stare. Her continued pouting is far from a coherent answer, as is her huff. "I didn't keep you waiting for that long."
I don't actually know the exact time, but there's no way it was that long of a wait, right? It's still morning, or at least early enough to be considered it.
"Hmph." That pout of hers only intensifies, eyes narrowing in a glare. This bloody woman.
"Come on, I'm sure your time was well spent relaxing at least, no? Anna is a wonderful host after all."
"Flattery won't get me to help you, Zeke." The old lady pipes up, a soft chuckle slipping from her lips, before she resides a cup to it anyhow. I can still see the corners of her lips curled up into a small smile, as hidden as it may be. "Nor will it help you, either."
"I'm not sure what you mean Anna, I'm just being honest." I reply in turn. Lucy's repeated, disgruntled huff is amusing at least.
It's hard to tell if she's genuinely irked, or just playing along for fun. Part of the game I suppose.
"How long do we gotta wait anyways?" She finally speaks up, her voice a low mumble. I'm surprised it's taken this long for her to ask
"As long as she needs." I respond, with an answer she clearly doesn't enjoy, her pout deepening into a frown. Ah, perhaps she is actually annoyed, I wonder why.
'Don't think too hard, you'll end up hurting your head and achieve nothing.'
As lovely as ever, good morning to you too. Sleep well?
'Could've been better without your mental prattling, though it was good enough besides.'
Good enough huh? Sounds like you're in a good mood.
'Blow it out your ass.'
His aggravated grumbling is also amusing, and I have to stifle the encroaching grin. It's only fair to rib one another.
The rooms been silent for a good while, though. Relaxed on one side and twitchy on the other, hardly leads to a good mix. It gives time to look over Lucy, her twitching fingers hastily tapping against the wooden table, shuffling in her seat as she does so. The glare she gives the table seems far from friendly, as if she's trying to bore a hole into the thing with irritation alone.
She really wants to get going, doesn't she? I can't help but wonder why, and what she could be thinking. A sense of apprehension stirs in my chest, a small bundle of nerves, but the worry's still there
'Try not to piss her off too much, will you?'
I haven't done anything too bad, honest!
'You realize I can go through your memories to check, right?'
You'll have to go through the ones involving hugs, and all thoughts that come with it, but I can't exactly stop you from telling that. He's silent for a good while, but his presence eventually recedes into the back of my mind.
With his retreat, silence takes over my mind once more. The lack of noise is a noise within itself, and it's far from a pleasant one. Surely there's somethin- oh, right!
"Hey, Anna?" I call out to the woman, shifting my sight over to her.
"Hm?"
"Have you talked to Lucy about that thing?" I stumble over my words as I speak, the spark in my head going dim. Son of a bitch, what was she trying to do again? Regardless, it gets Lucy's attention at least, I can see her stare at me with a furrowed glare, just out of the corner of my eye.
"You might need to be a bit more specific than that, Zeke." She responds with a quiet voice, and a rather amused look on her face, resting her chin in the palm of a hand. God fucking dammit, I wish I could remember the more minute details.
"You know, the thing with the crystals and stuff. You asked for my help with it before, that stuff." I try my best to explain, rummaging through my brain for something a little more coherent than that. As shitty an explanation as it is, it seems to be enough for her, recognition flashing in her eyes.
"Ah, that's what you're talking about. I did in fact have a chat with little miss Lucy here, I believe it was when she was last over here, so not too long ago at all. It's quite nice to speak to another about magical matters, it's an experience I've missed." There's a small, warm looking smile on her face, slouching further into her hand. Lucy herself looks rather proud of that, a smug little smile settling on her face as she sits upright.
"I'm glad I can help ya Anna! It's nice to work with someone for a change."
"Oh? I assume that you mostly work alone too, then?"
"Yup! I ain't the only person who works with magic in Wreathwood, but it's a little scattered about, and we tend to keep to ourselves. And that's not even considering the Templars that reside there too, they're not exactly the type of group for a casual chat, ya know?"
"Mhm, I'm well aware." Anna's lips press together, ever so slightly, but she recovers her composure quickly. "They do enjoy keeping to themselves, not to mention the group's within them."
"I know, right? At least they don't bother me too much, I even got to sit in the infirmary at one point while they patched up Zeke!" I cough into a hand as she finishes before looking away from the two, the feel of Anna's gaze burning into the side of my face.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"It wasn't really that big of a deal." I say dismissively, waving my head as I do so. "Just an incident, nothing more."
Not to mention the parasite that came along soon after, isn't that right?
…Huh, no response, I expected something from him. I wonder if somethings wrong, he didn't seem any different from usual. I'll ask him about it later, assuming he's willing to chat."
"Must've been quite the incident." She trails off at the end, an amused chuckle slipping past her lips. I keep silent, Lucy's less than polite giggling only helps aggravate the light burning in my cheeks. At least she seems less annoyed, hopefully that's a good thing. "That aside, perhaps we could chat about our… prefered leanings, when it comes to magical arts. Assuming you do, of course, you have both talent and time after all."
"Aw, thanks Miss Anna!" She lets out a small giggle, her lips widened into a grin, with her head held high. I guess she has her pride in her magic, though that's not too much of a surprise. She can be rather persistent with it, after all, I wonder if she knows that her zeal pushes further into aggression more than anything. Though she does have some limits, from what I've seen at least. "I got a fair bit of experience when it comes to healing, and all that comes with it, including the less alive ones!'
I remember my experiences with her well, her eagerness to yank that bloody arrow out of my leg. She probably enjoyed the sight a bit too much, fucking weird woman. I wonder if she still carries that vial around, I sure hope not.
"Ah, I see. When I was younger, there was a far greater demand for it, with far less capable and interested individuals, myself included. I did learn more about it later on, of course, though I haven't had to use the more exhausting forms of it in a long, long time." It's odd to hear her talk about her past, though not unwelcoming. I've never wanted to pry too far into it.
I can make a guess as to why she learnt it later on, though. To heal when she once hurt, in some way to make up for the past. If that's the case, then I can understand the feeling, and the weight that may lay in her heart.
I just need to keep working on myself, for her.
"-ould have a chat about it between the two of us sometime? To share the knowledge between each other and stuff!" I zone back into the conversation while Lucy speaks, shaking my head clear of my thoughts. There's an excited smile on her face, her tone of voice reflecting it.
"I'd love to, dear." Anna's answer is a simple one, and the smile on her face is warm. There's a cheer from the other, one that makes the woman chuckle. "Though, we needn't keep it solely to healing magic, should you have other ideas."
"I do!" The gleam in her eyes is an unnerving one, at least to myself judging by Anna's bemused snickering, Lucy's hands trembling with excitement as she clutches the table beneath.
And so they continue to chat between each other, seemingly oblivious to the world around, lost in conversation. It's hard to understand them as they continue to talk, their words melting together into an indecipherable blob of mush, at least I got the start of the conversation, I guess?. I can't exactly add much into the conversation at hand, and sitting here just makes me feel like a third wheel, but it's nice to see Anna enjoying herself with someone else, and Lucy, well, being more in her element and less unnerving.
A small squeal of metal pulls me out of my thoughts, swiveling my neck around to look over to the source. The child quietly steps over to us, my lips curling into a smile as she lets out a squeaking yawn, the palm of her hand kneading into an eye. Her scarf rests on her shoulders, undone and
"Good morning kid, rest well?"
"Mmmmhm." It's a slow, groggy answer, another yawn slipping past her lips. I hold out a hand to her as she approaches, which she eagerly presses her head into. I ruffle her hair, as is normal, her ears twitching as I do so. "M'sorry if I took too long."
"It's alright Mabel, I'll wait as long as you need." And with that, Lucy will wait in turn, she has the time to spare after all. That answer seems reassuring enough, from what I can notice. The purring itself might be hard to hear over the other two, but the smile on her face can't be mistaken. She shuffles out of my hand, taking up a seat beside me. She's silent for a moment, her eyes slowly blinking as she looks between the two. I don't think they've actually realized she's here, truthfully.
"What are they talking about?" She suddenly asks with the tilt of her head, an utterly confused look on her face. God, it's such a cute sight, I can't help but smile just a little further.
"I have no idea, kid." I respond with a shrug, I don't even make the attempt to tune into that conversation. She lets out a giggle, that lovely smile of hers widening. She's silent for a while,shuffling about in her seat. Oddly enough, her eyes seem rather focused on Lucy of all people, her attention glued to the woman. "What's on your mind, kid?"
"Huh?" She shakes her head and blinks, her focus shifting over to me. She looks confused, at least for a moment, but she seems to snap to her senses. Embarrassment replaces confusion, an awkward smile accompanies a dusting of pink from her cheeks. "It's nothing."
"Are you sure, kid?" I make sure to keep my voice low, leaning close and whispering to her. I'm glad that the other two aren't paying too much attention to us. "You don't have to tell me, but I'll help however I can."
She shuff- no, she squirms in her seat, the pink in her cheeks intensifying. Shit, part of me thinks that this is adorable, but the other feels more worried than anything. A strange feeling.
"It's dumb." She mumbles, her eyes looking down and away. I can't help but chuckle a little, resting a hand on her head, ruffling gently.
"Maybe to you, but I'm not gonna judge you for it." She's silent for a good while, the girl wringing her hands wringing her hands together.
"Can I have long hair?" She finally answers, looking up to me as she does so.
Wat?
"Long hair?" I try to keep my voice as level as I can, I don't want her to think that I'm doubting her, after all. It's just a strange request, does she really just want long hair?
"Mhm." She confirms with a nod, a determined sheen in her eyes. God, that's adorable. "I wanna have long hair, they always kept my hair short, so, I wanna have it long for once."
Huh, guess that quashes my confusion. Alright then, her asking for it is reason enough alone, to spite them only sweetens it.
If only I could stop remembering the other fox, it'd help smoothen that out for me. But I can manage it for her.
"Sure thing kid." I give her another quick ruffle of her hair before pulling away. She blinks, slowly and deliberately.
"Really?" She seems very confused, her brow furrowed and head tilted.
"Of course, it's your hair after all, I'm not going to force you to keep it short. You belong to you, Mabel, no one else." I speak honestly and calmly, even as I feel the swell of indignation in my chest, anger rising alongside it. I stomach that feeling though, pushing it down into the pits of my gut.
Not around her, keep the anger down. There might be a piece of paper in my bag with her name on it saying so, but she's a slave to no one, not anymore, least of all to me. I force my attention back into the real world, and back to the kid. She still looks a bit flustered, though not nearly as much as before. Actually, now that she mentions it.
"Your hair's already a little bit longer, and you have plenty of time." It's not a drastic change or anything, and I wouldn't have noticed it until I deliberately looked for it, but it's there.
"Really?" She sounds skeptical at the thought, but she quickly brings her hands to her head despite it, feeling around her hair and tugging occasionally. She seems satisfied enough, judging by the delighted smile on her face.
Hey, the room's a fair bit quieter than I remember. I look over to the two, only to be greeted by a warm smile, and a cocky grin.
"I guess you're ready then Lucy?"
"Don't let me rush ya, Fuzzy~." Her grin only widens as she speaks. Pfeh, she's enjoying this too much.
"That's a yes." I ignore the woman's cackling and stand upright, flattening my cloak as I do so. "Thanks for everything, Anna, we'll be back later."
"I trust you will, Zeke, do try not to get into trouble, will you?"
"Hey, I try my best, it just comes to me." I'm not going to make any promises, can't break it if I don't make it. She only chuckles at that, that warm smile still on her face, ever so patient. "Do you need anything from there? Anything at all?"
"I'm quite alright Zeke, but thank you for asking." She says with a nod, which I give back in turn. I really, really wish I could help her more.
"Come ooooon, I wanna go!" Anna's a patient woman, Lucy less so.
"Do you have everything?"
"Of course, do you?" She jabs an accusatory finger towards me, eyebrows narrowing. I quickly pat myself down, a hand running over my back as I mentally check it all. Got my cloak, my bag and everything within, though the coin is the only notable thing. My sword's strapped around my waist, mana crystal planted in a pocket.
I can feel the dagger press into my thigh. By all means, I should leave it here, at least until I get a sheath for it.
Yet it stays, trying to get rid of it brings this paranoia about. I might as well keep it on me, just in case.
"Fairly sure." If I forget something then so be it.
"Finally, let's go!" She stands, quickly muttering some thanks to Anna before lurching over to the door, tearing it open and throwing herself into the wind.
Alright then.
I feel Mabel nudge herself into my side, a hand instinctively resting on her head, holding her close.
I stop as we approach the door frame, looking over to the remaining lady.
"You'll tell me if you need anything, right?" A question with an obvious answer, though I still want to ask it anyways, just in case.
"Naturally, now move along, won't want to keep her waiting, would you?" That smile on her face still remains, though it seems more weary than before.
"If you're sure." I give her a nod before guiding the both of us outside, closing the door shut behind us.
Alright, let's get this over with. Hopefully it turns out well
….
Thankfully, the walk itself is a peaceful one. There's not many humans strolling about, and those that do keep to themselves. I'm not sure why there's so little, I expected there to be far more as we inch ever closer to the inn.
Even Lucy herself seems a bit quieter than usual too, other than a few friendly jabs, she's kept to herself after leaving Anna's. Whether or not it's all related isn't clear, though, it could just be her being herself. Keeping some pace with her is easy enough, even if she skips ahead of us more often than not.
"Are you doing alright kid?" I pipe up, gently ruffling her hair while I look down to her. Her being quiet is less unusual, though I worry regardless.
"Mhm!" She responds, ears twitching as she pushes herself into my hand. I didn't expect her to sound so perky, but it sets my heart at ease.
"Excited?" I can't exactly forget what I promised so quickly, after all.
"Mmhm, I really hope she says yes." Now she seems a little less perky, her hands wringing together nervously. I can't help but feel somewhat… melancholic, I suppose. Weird to have that emotion for things that I can't remember, but I can't help but wonder. Would I have acted the same as a kid? Was I even given that opportunity?
"So do I." All that aside, if it makes her happy, then that's all I need. I slip a finger behind her ear, scratching softly. Her purring is a wonderous sound, one that always soothes my heart.
"Fiiiinally!" Lucy's cheer brings me out of my thoughts, head swiveling to look up to her. Huh, I didn't realize we were so close, can't complain.
Even now, though, something seems off about it. During most of the hours I've been here, there's been some sort of noise from the patrons, however muted it may be. Hearing it so silent is slightly off putting.
Seems that Lucy's already headed in, given the front doors' wild flailing. Maybe I'm overthinking it.
I guide the both of us up the steps and inside, giving the insides a quick look over.
There's uh, no one here either, talking solely about the customers anyhow. Lucy's already waltzed up to the front of the bar, chatting away with the old woman that stands in place. Lyn's here at least, her fiery red hair is rather hard to miss, though her backs turned to us.
"Morning Lyn!" I call out to her with a wave. That gets her attention, her hair a wave of fire as she turns around to face us.
"Morning to you too Zeke! How've you been?" She says, saundering up to ud with a friendly grin in her face, and a pep in her step.
"I've been well myself, you?"
"Can't complain, especially when it's a slow day."
"So I've noticed." Hm, she certainly doesn't seem too bothered by it. Maybe it's just normal then, wouldn't be the first time I've panicked over nothing
"Looks like you've got something planned with your lady friend, anything interesting~?" A shiver runs up my spine at the mere thought.
"Ich, nothing like what you're insinuating, Lyn." My reaction must've been amusing real to her, given her incessant giggling. She stood after a while, her eyes looking down to my side. I feel Mabel's grip on my tighten, though only a little bit.
"Hey hun, how are you today?" Her voice is a soft coo as she bends down, just that little bit, a warm and motherly smile on her face. Mabel shuffles beside me for a moment, her cheek pressing against me.
"M'okay, thank you Miss." She responds, her voice a low squeak.
"Awh, what a little sweetheart!" Her adoration seems to fluster the kid, her face shifting about to mash it into my side. I let out a soft chuckle, ruffling her hair once more. I can feel the heat from her face, how adorable. "I do hope you've been treating her well, Zeke."
"I've, uh, been doing as well as I can. At least I think so." Admittedly, I don't know if I'm doing all that well, and I don't think it takes much for Lyn to notice it.
"You could be doing a lot worse, hun."
"Thanks, I think." That's at least half a compliment, so that's nice. She giggles again as she stands upright, the warm smile of hers seems just that little bit teasing. "Hey, mind if I ask a favour from you?"
"Depends on the favour, hun. What's on your mind?"
"Well, I assume you know about Mabel and Felicity playing together that one time?"
"Naturally, Felicity always kicks up a fuss with the both of us when it's time to bathe, last time wasn't an exception."
"Would it be alright if we did it again some time? No rush or anything, just whenever you're ready, and when we can set a time for it." I have no fucking clue if I'm doing this right, or if there's a correct way to ask this, but I sure as shit hope so.
"Hah! Sure thing hun, gods knows that she'll probably be biting my ear off about it some time soon, you know how kids are." I nod along and pretend, because I really really don't know, not in the slightest. I'll fake it till it works though. She pauses for a moment, humming to herself and looking about the inn. "Hm, ya know, today's a real slow day, I could chat to the boss about letting me out for a bit just so I could guide her to my home. My beloved tends to look after the house, after all, so I'm sure he's still there."
"Eh? Right now?" Panic sets into my chest, not a great deal of it by any means, though I can feel it wriggling inside. Christ, I didn't expect this to happen so soon, I'd have liked some time to prepare. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose or anything."
"Of course! Assuming you're alright with it, though, I won't force it though, just offering it now." I resist the urge to bite my lip, though I do look down to check in the kid.
Of course she's looking up to me, with those adorable fucking eyes if hers, her chin resting on my body.
Fffffuck, everything would be just fine, right? I left her with them before, or at least the man, and everything turned out okay. But that doesn't mean it always will, what if Ly-
No no, stop that. It's for her, alright? Not for me, nor my ridiculous worrying.
"Do you want to-"
"Yes please!" She cuts me off before I can even finish the question, much to my surprise. God, she looks so eager, so happy at the chance for it. How the hell could I say no?
"Then you will." I say, fingers massaging just behind her ear. Her happy giggling fills the air, rattling in both my ears and chest, smothering the damnable panic almost immediately.
"Awh, would you look at you two~. I'll go chat up my boss, it'll just be for a moment." And with that, she turns away and struts off with hurried steps, over towards the counter. Looks like Lucy's still chatting up the bartender, who I assume to be the boss here, or at least standing in as one. Lucy doesn't look very happy though, considering her crossed arms and pouting.
More time to spend with the kid then, and I imagine it's the last for a little while. I kneel down and wrap my arm around the kid, pulling her into a hug.
"Excited?"
"Mhm." She purrs, nuzzling into the crook of my neck. "Thank you."
"No worries kid." I give her a gentle squeeze before pulling away, as well as a pat on her head. "Do you need anything before you go?"
"Nuh, I'm alright."
"Are you sure?"
"Mhm."
"What about food, are you hungry? I can probably buy some meat for you."
"Zeeeeeeeeeeeeke." She whines and huffs and pouts, looking up to me all the while. Fuck, does the sight make my heart ache.
"Heh, alright kid, if you say so." I say instead, trying my best to still the thundering beats of my heart, giving her a smile and another ruffle of her hair. "You'll be on your best behavior, won't you?"
"Mhm, I promise!" She gives me a determined nod and a bright grin, her eyes glowing with a lovely shine.
"Atta girl." I let go of her after a moment longer, standing up just as Lyn returns. That didn't take too long. "Either that went rather well or incredibly poorly."
"Hah, it's the former this time around. Normally it takes a lot of haggling, but she must've wanted me out of her hair sooner rather than later."
"Can't say I blame her. Where do you live anyhow? I don't know how long I'll be, but I'll come by when I'm finished."
"It's not a far walk, just down the road, at the very edge and on the left from where you leave the inn." Huh, well isn't that convenient. Must be nice living near where you work. I nod, giving the little fox another ruffle of her hair. "Alright, are you ready to go sweetheart?"
"Mhm." Mabel replies. It takes her a second, but she eventually leaves my side to stand near the woman.
"Alright, I'll see you soon, alright kid?"
"Okay!" She chirps and grins, her hands reaching up to fiddle with the scarf. If she's nervous, she's not showing it, her head held high with a determined look on her face.
Heh, atta girl indeed. I give the two of them a wave as they walk by, keeping my eyes trained on the little fox.
Even as they walk out the door. It feels strange to see the kid go, the nerves in my chest a jumbled mess. But I'll handle it, I always will.
"Pfeh, took you long enough." A sullen whinge brings me back to reality, turning away to look towards the mage, her lips twisted into a deep frown.
"You don't look very happy."
"I'm not allowed to buy alcohol." She explains with a huff, kicking her shoes into the floor.
"I assume that you didn't handle the hangover that well?"
"It wasn't that bad, she's just an old fart."
"Who did you torch?"
"I didn't-you know what? Just come with me." She grabs the hem of my cloak and yanks, though there's not much force behind it. I shrug and allow myself to be dragged away, waving at the bartender as we pass her.
'And so we walk into the valley of death.'
Well fuck, nice to see you too, what were you doing?
'Mentally preparing for what's to come. Bracing for impact, if you will, though it's probably not going to account for much.'
Always keeping a positive look, aren't you?
'She knows, she's going to dig into us in one way or another. Do you think that I could sign our soul to one of the masks or some shit for protection?'
Alright, now you're overblowing it, I'm meant to be the paranoid one. It'll be fine, most likely, and I can probably talk her down from some things.
Adrian's silent as she drags me up the stairs, through a hallway, her hand fumbling with a lock and key. I almost offer to help, but she eventually gets it right, shoving the door open and dragging me inside.
And god, does it look like a fucking bomb went off in here, pages and blankets strewn about with wild abandon, the stench of alcohol lingers in the air. The door clicks shut behind me, and she lets go of my arm.
"I can't imagine why you're not allo-" Lucy suddenly swivels about, her hands gripping my cloak and yanking my downwards, her face barely a few inches from mine.
"You." She seethes, her lips curled upwards into a snarl. Cold drips into my veins, and I can feel my ears lay flat against my head.
"Me?" Ah fuck, she's absolutely pissed.
'Damn, I wonder who saw this coming, certainly not me.'
Ever a smug prick, aren't you?
"Do you know how fucking annoyed I am with you? I adore a challenge, but not a fucking roundabout riddle." She continues, her heated breath wafting up to my face. It smells like ink, I sure hope it isn't ink though. "I've spent hours and hours researching individual books thicker than your skull, but whenever I think I'm close, something else comes about to ruin it."
"I uh, wel- wait, is that what you're carrying around?" I'm stalling for time, praying for something to abate the woman's ire.
It doesn't work.
"Don't you fucking worry about that right now, worry about you. I'd ask what you are, but I don't think you know."
"Well, not really." Maybe it's not the best idea to be so flippant, but it's all I have at the moment, the cat's mostly out of the bag. She takes in a hiss of air, loud and sharp, it pierces through my ears.
"I'm not surprised in the slightest, you're a real mess. Then again, so am I. Your amnesia was annoying at first, I couldn't exactly poke your head to find information when none exists, but I could deal with that and work around it. The inconsistencies between you and your body was grating, but I could deal with that, maybe you're just a strange offshoot basitin, a percent of a percent of a percent. But that last anomaly is what pushed me over the edge.
The ano- ah, right.
"You felt it then, didn't you?"
"You're damn right I did." She says with a nod. A stern, aggravated nod. "I push a little deeper than normal, that much I've recognised, much to the displeasure of a fair few people, but I don't care for them, so I keep doing it. I'm not sure why, but with you, I felt an urge to push even deeper, just to triple check on your condition."
A tense silence fills the air, only broken by her heavy breathing.
"I want to see it."
"Wha?"
"Whatever it is, I want to see it. Whether you have to force it up or talk with it- oh, don't you look surprised? No wonder you have that far off look so often, you're speaking with something inside your skull!"
"I-" My throat clogs up, my brain scrambling for something. Fuck, Adrian help dammit!
'The fuck do you want me to do here? Do you think I know how I'm meant to eject myself from here?'
I- wait, hold on a second.
"Let go of me, so we can have a chat between ourselves." It's a last ditch question for some space, but it's all I'd need. She's quiet for a good while, I swear that glare of hers is trying to stab into my heart.
"Fine." And with that, she finally lets go of me, some relief returning to my body as she steps away.
Okay, okay. I think I know what to do.
'Careful, thinking isn't your strong suit.'
I might've done this once before, or at least something similar.
'What?'
It's a long story, just trust me with this.
'Fuck, fine. Lead away.'
Alright, it might be a little bit confusing, but you need to bear with me. You feel what I feel, don't you? Anything and everything, from magic to taste to smell?
'Congrats, you remember what I've probably told you myself. But yes, you're correct.'
Despite that, you can't actually move anything, can you? You're just a piece of magic that's stuck in a body, following actions that another person is deciding, like a puppet on strings?
'...how do you know this?'
Experience is a great teacher. Are you ready to keep listening?
'Very well.'
Alright. I need you to try to push yourself out of me. It's going to feel really weird, but trust me, I'll do my best to feel you through it.
He's silent during it, but I can definitely feel the bastard move about inside me, a swirl of something twisting and wriggling inside my chest. I take in a deep breath and close my eyes shut, focusing on the swirling mass, ever so gently trying to guide it away.
It feels like guiding magic alongside my body, and if it's Adrian, then it's probably working the right way. God, this feels so fucking weird. But we can't exactly let up, we can keep going.
'There's something here, it feels… like a wall, I think.'
Push through it, it's probably going to hurt.
'Got it.'
He doesn't hesitate, and I immediately feel something pushing from deep inside my chest. I was right about it feeling painful, it feels as if I'm being shanked from the inside with a rock. I force an eye open, to look down to my chest.
A thick blue glow emanates from it, as opaque as stone.
Don't stop, we're almost there.
I take a deep breath and steady myself. Before shoving the rest of the magic out through my chest.
It feels like someone's sucker punched me in the lungs, almost keeling over to my knees, though I force myself to stand on shaky legs. I take in shuddering, unsteady breathes of air, gritting my teeth and living through the pain.
Eventually, I start to stand upright, though my chest still hurts like a mother fucker. Slow breathes Zeke, slow breaths. I expected there to be some noise, either from Adrian or Lucy, but there's nothing.
The silence feels more threatening.
It takes a good deal of effort, but I flick my eyelids open.
And stare at a blue flame, dangling between Lucy and I. It licks and flickers in the air, as if buffeted by wind. I can't hear Adrian, nor can I feel him inside me. Did it work?
"What the fuck is this?" An ethereal shout comes from the flame, and it definitely sounds like Adrian. It sounds as if he's just talking from inside my head, as he normally does.
But that can't be right.
Lucy flinched.
Authors note:
Hey there, it's been a good while, hasn't it? I've been meaning to work back to a weekly schedule, but it hasn't happened very well, obviously. Though that doesn't really matter.
Merry Christmas everyone, thank you.