#🥀 aditi speaks 🎲

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

Doubts

The next day, Aditi opted to clear her conscience by planning for the future. The next few days, she could visit Hajime and talk out her concerns. The Trifle situation was... more difficult. She paced outside her sister’s door for.. hours it felt like. In reality, it was only five minutes of hyping herself up, only to chicken out and speed walk back to her room. Her brain being so busy with ideas and studying dreams means she felt exhausted by the end of the day. Enough to fall asleep normally instead of with alcohol.

She suspected these dreams in her sleep was a form of self-analysis. That Albert was merely a character that existed in her head, that she could use to learn about herself. But, his reactions were independent of her? That wouldn’t make much sense. Least to say, when the dream blurred into her vision, she was the first to speak this time. “Do you exist independently from these dreams?” She blurred out without giving a second to consider waiting.

“Good day to you too.” Albert responded without the usual bravado, reading through the notebook he had been writing in the whole time, clapping it shut again, the usual smile appearing back on his face as he responded casually: “I don’t see how this is relevant to our progression, Aditi. If we were here to smalltalk and dilly dally, I would have met you in a cafe.”

He smirked a little as he remarked: “Dilly dallying is quite the entertaining word, don’t you think?” He chuckled to himself as he opened a drawer in his desk, procuring some papers, eyes roaming over them.

“You’re as humorous as you are straightforward, Doctor.” Aditi muttered in annoyance.

“For today I thought we could do a little personality test. Nothing too intrusive, it is just there to distinguish your basic characteristics, like punctuality, empathy, introversion or extraversion etcetera etcetera, you can also choose not to answer if you are not comfortable. All of these questions can be responded with ‘yes’ or ‘no’, you do not need to elaborate in any way.”

Aditi folded her arms together, much like a pouting child and rolled her eyes. She figured that questioning him any further was a dead end at this point. He was fair too cryptic and waffling to let her in on secrets. With a disappointed huff, she nodded to give her agreement to the test.

He wrote Aditi’s name on the paper and then read some of the questions to her:

“When I see someone crying, I feel the urge to hug them and try to make them feel better.”

“I often miss public transportation.”

“You can find me at the club every Friday night.”

“Family is extremely important to me.”

“I need social interactions every day to function.”

“I like to try out new things.”

The first, made her pause. Did she feel the need to hug or comfort anyone she saw crying? The answer was no. Crying only immediately provoked curiosity in her. Her sympathy pains only seemed to be accessible only with her loved ones. People she knew, and already could appreciate. Both being true, her choice was to stay neutral. “No answer.”

The second was simple. The few times she relied on public transportation, she was never late. Rather she stressed about being early. “No.”

The third took no time either. Easily assumed, she was a wallflower, and hardly ever had fun at parties. Unless illegal means were involved. “No.”

Family. The ones she chose as family, yes. Celia? Trifle? Knifu? The first name, no. The second.. yes? And the third was yes. So, she decided to follow suit. “Yes.”

Did she need to interact with someone everyday? No. She went without it for years being raised by Celia. “No.”

Trying new things? Adventure. Discovery. Absolutely. “Yes.”

He nodded along to her answers, occasionally looking down to jot the right square, a smirk edging on his face at the attitude Aditi was giving him. “Are you doubting my measures? Just wait for it. By the end of this test you might be surprised by how much more I know about you. I’ll just need a day to properly evaluate it.”

Amusement was edging on his face, a weird static atmosphere starting to fill the office as he continued with his questions, making sure his voice was clear so there wouldn’t be misunderstandings.

Aditi stared back defiantly, clearly not buying his claim. Answering a few questions with yes or no wasn’t nearly enough to get an idea of what that person was like. The static noise and atmosphere didn’t phase her outside of a more narrowed sharp gaze. He continued:

“I regularly go on holidays.”

“I suffer from thoughts that don’t seem to be my own.”

“I don’t understand social cues often.”

“I have a hard time imagining myself in someone else's shoes.”

“I feel the urge to physically harm people that have done me wrong.” His eyes flicked up to her for a moment to see her reaction.

Regular holidays? That referred to taking breaks and enjoying the company of others, didn’t it? “Yes.” She nodded.

Hear thoughts that aren’t her own? She remembered struggling with this since childhood, even before Celia. “Yes.”

Social cues. At first, she struggled with them desperately. Nowadays? She was fair better at reading the room, but not too comfortable to call herself an expert. “Yes.”

This one was easy. A perspective empathy question. She often exorcised her ability to relive the memories of others, in order to gain more empathy for them. While it was intrusive, it was the fastest way to understand. “No.”

The last question caused some amount of discomfort. She clearly didn’t like the question. But she disliked her answer even more so. “... Yes.” She admitted, glancing away while doing so.

His grin widened at her answers, quickly writing down the answers and reassuring her. “You‘re doing great. Don’t worry, we are almost done...” He flipped the page, a soft singing was audible, so quiet it could almost be missed. It sounded like a little girl singing a nursery rhyme, but in another language, so it wasn’t sure what she was singing.

When he talked, it sounded like multiple voices, hushed whispers accompanying him like backup singers, but the man himself didn’t pay it any mind, continuing as if nothing weird was going on.

“I wish that I had more friends than I actually have.”

“I feel the urge to harm people for no clear reason.”

“I feel scared of what the future holds for me.”

“I feel guilty.”

“I feel disliked by people around me.”

“Get out of here.”

His voice was very quiet compared to the whispers that were accompanying him, maybe those weren’t actually the questions he was asking and just the whispers, but he looked at Aditi expectantly. The whispers were still audible, telling Aditi to leave.

Aditi listened to the whispers and singing combining together into a whirl of madness. It was much like a nightmare, one of the standard ones that showed anxiety in others. People could hear voices of disdain talking to them mostly when they themselves felt judged by others. None of this triggered her into a breakdown thankfully, only medical themes or visions of past mistakes caused her to falter. While unnerved, she pressed forward, eyes narrowing in response to his encouragement.

Did she want more friends? She has been told many times that she isn’t easy to approach, and when she takes initiative that can turn poorly as well. Part of her wishes was that she looked more inviting. “Yes.”

A desire to harm others for no reason. Generally, no. She didn’t want to hurt people without reason. Only when she lost control did she feel that impulse. Of course, she considered herself a sadist to an extent also. Those factors made this question difficult to answer. “No answer.”

Scared of the future? Who isn’t scared of the future? Of the unknown? It’s only natural to feel that way, right? “Yes.”

Guilty. She barely had to think of her answer. “Yes.”

Does she feel disliked? That’s strange too. Her whole life, she was surrounded by people who wanted to kill her, or adored her. The laboratory experiment children would’ve gladly watched her drop dead. The cultist would’ve given their lives for her. Only now was there a happy medium. But... the bitterness of the past wouldn’t let her see on the brighter side. “Yes.”

“Very good, Aditi. You are doing great. We are almost done actually.“ He jotted more stuff down, his expression looking a little off from just a few seconds ago.

“I just have 5 more questions for you and then we can end tonight’s session.“ he informed her, turning the Page, fingers tightening around the paper and crumpling it lightly. He opened his mouth, but suddenly his voice was completely gone. It was like he got muted, in his place the whispers filling the room. He still held eye contact, though it was more like he was looking through Aditi, something clearly on his mind. And instead of the questions she heard:

“I’m sorry this is all my fault.”

“You don’t deserve this.”

“It should have never come to this.”

“He’s hunting you. He’s a monster.”

“Get out of here.”

His mouth closed again and he looked at Aditi expectantly, waiting for her answers. He looked less worried and more hopeful now, a giddy glint in his eerie eyes.

While shutting out the instructive thoughts was easy enough when she could hear a voice over them. Now? No. It wasn’t easy at all. Not easy to stare straight again. Not easy to keep from flinching every time the voice asked a question. Not easy to hold her neutral gaze. It reminded her all too much of how it felt to lose control. To be consumed by despair. Her thoughts no longer being her own, only whispers and taunts, keeping her at bay, pulling her down to let her instincts do all of the work. Her head felt.. fuzzy. Aditi felt similarly at this moment. Her lips curled into an uncomfortable scowl. What the hell is this? It hadn’t been nearly this unsettling the other times they spoke. What was getting in the way?

Or.. was this the plan all along? To earn her trust more, only to make the dreams devolve into hellish nightmares? She sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case.

The whispers suddenly stopped as he opened his mouth again, asking Aditi: “Are you alright, Aditi? You look a bit pale.“

Something really didn’t want this session to continue. But if the doctor noticed, he did a good job at hiding it.

“..... I couldn’t hear your questions.” She admitted quietly, her eyes shifting around the room carefully. “Voices spoke over you. Whether they were in my head or not, I’m uncertain. They are...” She paused once again, thinking over if she should be honest or not in this situation. Ultimately, she decided against lying. “They are.. apologizing to me? Saying I do not deserve this. It should’ve never come to this? He, whoever that is, seems to be hunting me. He is a monster? They are.. telling me to leave..”

He regarded her, expression serious as he listened to Aditi, contemplating something for a few seconds, then ultimately sighing. He looked around the room again, as if he could make out the voices and silence them, ultimately deciding to try and explain: “It is probably your subconsciousness running wild from stress...“

He set the test aside, leaning forward to give Aditi a comforting touch. It was cold as ice.

“Let us end the session a little early, alright? You don’t need to answer those questions. I’ll just review the test without them.“ he reassured her, a sad glint in his eyes.

“Orabelle.”

The voices were a lot quieter now, but it was probably for the better to end this meetup earlier to start better off on the last one.

“Rest easy, Aditi. I’ll see you tomorrow.“

Aditi didn’t understand. She sat with shifting eyes, looking left to right like a frightened child. It made her feel weak for her emotions to be easily sensed or stated. It felt wrong to hear her dead name be spoken aloud in her ear, so wrong that it caused her to flinch back and fumble. Her eyes narrowed so angrily at the voice, she nearly forgot to take his hand. “... This was a mistake..” Her grip on his hand was uncomfortably tight now, she seemed to seethe with contempt.

This only happened after she put faith in him and gave away sensitive information about her past. She thought it was of little consequence, yet here it was... being shoved in her face. Taunting her. This being was taunting her, wasn’t he? Mocking her. Before she could convey her distrust, the dream had faded away like the smoke of fireworks.

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

Inception

Aditi dragged her feet back to her room, flipping the light switch off and practically collapsing onto her bed. Typically, the dark haired girl would drown herself in alcohol until sleep found her, but after the emotionally exhausted rescue and reunited with those she considered family, she needed no help at all with falling to sleep. She could only hope for pleasant dreams and not one of her dreaded night terrors.

When her eyes opened, Aditi was greeted by an unfamiliar sight. An office room, complete with an expensive wooden desk, dark teal walls, motivational pictures and childish drawings adorning the scene, and a hollow empty window to her left. A therapist’s office, not that she was familiar with that setting whatsoever. 

In front of her, with legs propped up on the office desk, was an usual man, staring straight through her. He smirked like a beast eyeing its prey, two fangs poking out from his upper lip. An unnatural luminescent pair of pink eyes met an equal rival in Aditi’s own bright lime green.

“Oh, what a surprise. I didn’t expect a new patient at this time.” He claimed, his voice reassuring while his predatory gaze switched to an apologetic expression instead. “Certainly I can squeeze you in, I’ll take my break a moment or two later is all.” Swiftly, he wrote down a note in a small notepad nearby only to slam it shut eagerly a second later. Leaning forward with interest, his gaze met hers once again. “May I ask who you are, my child?”

Aditi stared back, blinking slowly at the aura of this new character. She rarely saw new faces in her own dreams. This was out of the ordinary to say the least. “... Aditi.” She answered after a brief pause, her eyes scanning the room and moving back to him. “Why am I here?” She asked bluntly, trying to keep her anxiety at bay. The things she didn’t understand immediately were the most unnerving.

The man dotted down the information in his notepad once more, his hand moving at a breakneck pace. “Can you tell me your age and preferred pronouns?” Aditi looked down, noticing he seemed to be drawing a small sketch of her face on the information sheet. Strange.

“Twenty. She/Her.” She informed, her impatience already taking hold and shining through her tone. Her foot tapped on the hard floor, hand gripping the arm of the chair she sat in adjacent to the man. “Are you studying me?”

“Do not be afraid, Aditi.” He glanced up at her, his fangs on plain display while smiling, noticing how tense she had become. “I am under oath. All the information you give to me shall never leave this office.” He assured, tossing the notebook aside after the information was filled in completely. “You must be confused. Usually my patients come here for our patented dream therapy. It’s quite the genius invention. People more than often cannot afford or barely have the time to seek out someone that can help them with their mental health, sometimes they are too young and their parents don’t allow it. This is where I come in.” Though his explanation was vague at best, he flailed his arms in such a flamboyant nature that Aditi would have almost been fooled that she learned something new. Almost.

“So...” Aditi began, folding her arms together, closing herself off with narrowed unimpressed eyes. “You are a dream demon then? One that offers... therapy?”

“You wound me with such a barbaric title like that, Aditi.” The man chuckled at her change in posture, gaze softening to become more sincere and reassuring. “I can assure you, there is no need to fear me. I am an educated professional. I even have a degree.” He nodded towards the wall where, surely enough, a college degree was laminated and hung proudly on the wall. 

The ravenette squinted at the paper hung on the wall. Albert, that was his name. “.... That is a degree in marine biology.” She informed him, flatly.

“Unfortunately-“ He continued with an easy smile upon his face, electing to completely ignore her comment. “I did not have time to prepare for your arrival, so we will have to make due with a shorter session today.” Aditi could hear the sound of a drawer roll open, the man in front of her now holding up a deck of cards. “How about we play a little game to break the ice? Draw a card, there are pictures on the cards, and tell me something out of your life that reminds you of the picture. I will even play along with you, so we both learn about one another.”

Aditi steeled herself, frowning. There was no use fighting this, it was a dream. A fantasy. Nothing here could hurt her. It could end quicker and painlessly if she played along. With that in mind, her hand reached out and picked one of the cards from the deck. Looking over the splotches of ink and the shape they made, an answer fell out automatically. “A syringe.”

Aditi pushed the card back towards him delicately, ushering him to take his turn. “The point of this game is to get to know one another? I don’t see how image association will help with that.” She commented cynically.

“Oh contraire. Image association games reveal a lot about one's character and psyche.” He corrected her, tracing the ink on the card with his finger. “One sees a bunny in a blot, another may see a terrible monster. It’s the most basic way to determine thought disorders and reveal the mindset of a person. It has been used since 1921.” He chuckled, putting the card at the bottom of the deck and pulling one himself, looking at the image was the first time he broke eye contact with Aditi, intense gaze now roaming over the ink while talking: “Thoughts. Memories. All of it are pictures projected in the human mind. And the same memory could look very different in another person's head. It’s all just.... a matter of perspective....”

“You talk quite a lot, don’t you?” Aditi remarked, blinking at him, seemingly almost amused by his bountiful amount of information on this topic.

“It is my job to talk a lot, Aditi.” He commented in return, finally giving his answer: “I see hands.” 

Aditi hummed, reaching forward and grabbing the next card on her own. Scanning over the ink sketch, only one answer came to mind. The lines of black ink could only register as the cold iron bars. “I see a cage.” 

He dotted down another sentence at her words, not commenting in the slightest, instead looking at the ink splotch she saw, a crooked smirk spreading on his face. A lot of the younger patients saw a hashtag in it. He couldn’t say he was tech savvy, he didn’t even have a computer in his office, but the thing he always saw was....

“.....I see a cage too. How fascinating.” His smirk softened, becoming a bit more genuine as he then wondered: “I’m sorry, but can I ask you a...personal question? You are free to stay silent of course, but you don‘t like doctors and hospitals, do you?”

Aditi watched as he sat down the card, noticing the slight softening in expression from him. It didn’t mean much, but it was a start. A small sign, if any at all. When he asked his question, her neutral glance faltered into a harder and closed off expression. “... hatred.” She corrected. “I do not dislike them. I despise them.” She stated matter of factly, with crossed arms, solidifying her mental barrier.

He merely chuckled at her response, putting a simple check mark by his earlier assumption written down. He put the card back on the used pile and drew a card of his own, his expression changing to a manic one as he stared back at the red eyes on the paper, informing her: “I see......dismemberment.....” He slid the card towards her, pressing: “It’s weird that a card like this would be in the deck, isn’t it? Not that there's anything wrong with it, it’s just....unique.”

While the design was unnerving, her eyes only narrowed in confusion. The piercing red eyes struck her, and reminded her of only one person. What did that one person represent to her though? It didn’t take long to give her answer. “Obsession.” She answered, sliding it back to him, and flattening her lip. “Strange? Perhaps for a typical therapist, but you are not that, now are you?” She retorted.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, my child.“ he responded, not deterred or caught off guard in any way at Aditi‘s question, but also not going to answer it. He put the card back in the deck, holding eye contact with Aditi. He had a general idea of what happened to her, but saying it would only agitate her, so he held his tongue. “But you aren’t quite the ordinary girl either, are you?“ he began, gaze sharp.

“I can see it in your eyes. You look like you‘re ready to rip me apart with monstrous extremities should I make one wrong movement.“ he laughed in an amused fashion, unfazed by the idea of potential death. “You are a very fascinating young woman, Aditi.“ The girl across from him fought back the urge to pout at his intrigue and not fear. 

He shook his head. “Unfortunately we will have to cut the session short for today, but I promise you that we will meet each other again. My prescription for this time....“ he slowly wrote a note, making sure it was readable, his pen leaving little red ink splotches. “Is to open up to a person you care about. Nothing severe, of course, only with what you are comfortable with. Like admitting you stole a book from their nightstand. Do you think you can do that?“ he offered her the note.

Looking down at the card held out, Aditi huffs. Her hand reached out, accepting the note. “.... Tch. I’ll open up as I please, Doctor.” She hissed back defiantly, not eager to accept his advice right away. See her again? What did that even mean? This was only a dream, and she rarely had recurring dreams. It is only a cryptic message, ignore it. 

Despite the dream ending, and continuing with her day in the living, she couldn’t stop going back to the advice. To open up to someone else more. That she would see him again. It drove her nearly mad. But... curiously, she ended up following it. In the process of her late night drinking session before bed, Aditi admitted to Iyabo about how she began drinking by force. Celia fed her alcohol to observe the effects on her body with a lack of the usual organs needed to digest it. To make her dependent on Celia in one more way, as a supply for her alcohol addiction. Of course, Iyabo didn’t know how to respond, and only tried to awkwardly comfort her before scurrying off to her room. Not much progress, but... the first step could be made from this, perhaps?

Not that Aditi remembered that step forward after passing out on the couch anyways..

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

After a few hours at the hospital, Putri has been dragged out by Iyabo to eat something before she starved herself to death from staying by Aditi’s side for so long. While luck was on their side before, this time it seemed not to ring true. Aditi’s stirred in the bed, coughing gently before sitting up, rubbing her temples.

“What’s... where am I..?” She asked slowly, sending the room was much colder than before. Her eyes hadn’t opened yet.

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

Exhausted after her heart to heart with Finn the previous day, Putri woke up with practically no energy at all. The littlest in the house took it upon herself to do daily chores that nobody else paid attention to. One of which, was checking the mailbox for anything important. Most was junk mail she would hoard to use as fire fuel later on. Even in the state she was in, Putri clawed her way out of bed and out of the house.

A few pieces of junk mail, and a couple important bills to save. Nothing to major. Putri was so small that she could stand under the mailbox without the threat of hitting her head. Everything seemed well in the world. She hated the fact that she would ruin the peace later. Aditi would be awake soon. Finn promised he would stand next to her while she broke the news to her goddess. The sooner, the better. The sooner Aditi got over her initial annoyance or anger, the sooner she could devise a plan of attack. They could flee, and go somewhere safe. Lay low. Soon he would grow bored looking for them, right? There was no way-

“Winifred.”

That one word, that one name made Putri jump in the air like a petrified kitten, and smack her head against the bottom of the mailbox. With a groan and stumbling step, Putri fell to the ground unconscious from the impact. Footsteps grew closer, until someone was looking down at her with concern. “Oh.... dear.”

A pair of tan and fair arms picked up the unconscious dancer, lifting her up safely to be carried. The figure looked left and right, before their eyes landed on the house Putri seemed to live in. Swiftly, the other carried her to the doorway and knocked.

Aditi, who had just awoken, slumped into the living room in search of coffee. When her eyes looked over to the door, hearing the knock. Grumbling, she trudges over to the entrance, smoothing out her long locks of hair and twisting the doorknob. “Hello? What could you possibly need at this-?” She began, but found no voice once the doorway was opened fully.

“Hello, my goddess.” The voice mused, while Aditi continued to stare in disbelief. The man, still holding Putri, knelt to the ground to show his respect for the taller woman, bowing his head. He peeked up at her, smiling kindly. Kindly... sure. “I believe I have something that belongs to you?”

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

“Audddiii!!!” Fay came barreling into the room at full speed, by some miracle not falling face first. In her hands was a brightly colored gift bag. “Happy birthday! Happy birthday! It’s Scorpio season! The best season for you to have the most luck. I even got you something!”

“Oh?” Aditi looked up from her project, blinking at the gift bag sat in her lap. Truly, she planned to ignore her birthday. It wasn’t too significant to her. Though... it was an excuse to get drunk without question. Opening the bag, she chuckled at the sight of a berry flavored alcohol bottle inside. “... Ehe... you know the way to my heart, I see..” She twirled it around time examine the labels carefully. “Thank you, Fay... I appreciate the enthusiasm.”

“Well, it’s not stopping there! C’mon! C’mon!” Fay reached out and grabbed Aditi’s hand, yanking her up out of her sitting position and towards the open living room. “We set up a whole party in the next room! I even invited a few friends! It’ll be fun, I promise.” She swore.

Aditi, though hesitant at first, let out an amused snicker. She nodded her head, allowing herself to be dragged to the party room. “..Very well. I’ll hold you to that promise.”

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

While Hajime was soundly asleep, Putri got to work unfolding her plan. She needed some extra muscle to complete the task however, and so Finn needed to be recruited. The pair made a good team. As in, Finn obedied Putri without question and did his tasks silently without disturbing anyone in their sleep.

When he began to stir and awaken, he could feel something warm pressed against him. Opening his eyes, he could see a dark curtain of hair clouding his vision. Beside him, was Aditi, sleeping peacefully and pressed right against him. In fact, she had her arms around him in her unconscious state. Putri actually, fulfilled her promise to give him company.

“..... mm....” She hummed in her sleep, blessfully aware of where she was, only happy to rest peacefully after so long of being locked away.

@ask-hajimehinata

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

Aditi honestly wondered how Hajime ended up stuck with her, in many sense of the term. In a relationship, whenever she broke down, but especially now. In the back of shaky, prison cell-like van, driving them off to god knows where. He didn’t deserve this. She lost, not him. Why couldn’t Celia just let her take the fall in peace?

For a second, she envied him. Only his hands were tied behind his back. Aditi, was in shackles, chains, her feet were tethered together, her hands were kept pinned together in a single cuff, even one around her neck for good measure. She looked like a prisoner of war, while he resembled an actual kidnapped victim. Looking closer, she could see no marks of a dart or syringe on him. How was he knocked out? Did she attack him? So help her, if that bitch dared to lay a finger on him-!

She could hear him stir in his sleep, her head perking up carefully to not pull her chains and strangle herself on accident. “... Hajime? Can you.. hear me?” She asked gently, but loud enough to be heard.

@ask-hajimehinata

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

“.... Gh...” Aditi awoke to the hum of a motor and the uneven wobbling of traveling in gravel. Her head throbbed painfully, the world spun in her view thanks to the daze of drugs. Her stomach turned. Surly, if anything was inside it to release, she would’ve thrown up by this point in time.

Moving, she found that cursed restraint on her. The one she hated as a child. The one which made her feel the most helpless of all. A combination of two circles. One wrapped around her neck, while the other smaller one kept her arms pinned up to her head and together, not even allowing them to hand lower to the ground. She hated this.

Aditi squirmed, snarling, clawing at the metal despite it being nearly impossible to touch from this position. She didn’t want to feel helpless again. She fought so hard to crawl out of this pit, and yet the pit came back to pull her inside again. And again. And again.

Silently, she began to cry, grinding her teeth together to not let any sound slip out. She never missed her new home so badly until now.

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

Finished. Finally, after weeks, days, hours, minutes, all the time she spend on this was coming to fruition. Aditi ripped the sketch from her notepad, and pinned on her wall harshly. All the details Fay provided proved to be more than enough. On her wall, was the outline of the doctor. Celia. The only detail unsure, was the state of her right eye, the one Fay says was lost in a battle between herself and Celia.

Her heart welled up with gratitude for the help she had received, whether unknowingly or willingly. She would need to thank them all personally once this was over-!

A flashing green light caught her eye again. Was she... feeling too much despair again? Surly not, right? She felt accomplished at this moment, nothing holding her down. There was no reason for her eyes to glow. Then... where is it coming from?

Her hands searched her body for any possible devices that could be blinking on her. A misplaced phone? A watch? Something? There must be a reason. When her hand slide up to the back of her neck, the light stopped. Huh?

She removed her hand. The light blinked again.

She placed her hand back. The light stopped.

No.

Her feet carried her quickly to the nearest room with a mirror. She pushed her hair back violently, turning around and craning her neck to get a glance at the back of her body. A tracker was imbedded into her skin, blinking and flashing to show activity.

No. No. No. No. Please, no. No.

Aditi bolted out of the room, slamming the door open hard enough to break it off the hinges. Put them somewhere safe. Hide them.

Finding her roommates was hardly an issue, most hung out in their respective rooms or areas. Putri followed without question, Fay stumbled along in confusion but didn’t put up a fight, and Iyabo demanded an explanation, which resulted in Aditi throwing the smaller girl over her shoulder to make better time.

All three girls were guided and or forceably shoved into the basement. “My goddess? Are you-?” Putri leapt to question, while Iyabo was ranting angrily about being hauled around like a ragdoll and Fay hugged her in attempts to sooth her rage.

“Stay here. Don’t come out. Do not make a sound. Do not open this door or anyone. Not until you know it is safe. Do you understand me?” Aditi commanded, her voice low and hissing though her body was wrecked with anxiety.

“I- yes. I understand. I will do as you say! B-But, what will you...?” Putri nodded, sensing the unease and reflecting it in her own posture. If Aditi felt anxious, Putri felt anxious. The small girl was cut off by her goddess’ hand reaching out and gently brushing a lock of hair from the dancer’s face.

“Shh.” Aditi knelt down, pulling her longest known friend and follower close. She pressed their foreheads together, eyes closed in a moment of peace, of clarity. Knowing that Putri was safe in this moment was all she wanted. Putri was wide eyed, taken aback by the affection, in shock and nearly unable to cherish it. “... I’m s-so proud of you. You’ve come so far and you can go further. You can. Take care of them, please.”

“A-Aditi-!?” Putri yelped when she was suddenly shoved away further into the basement, the door slamming in her face. The dancer stood in shock still, reaching up to feel the part of her face Aditi had touched. Why did she say all of that...? Anxiety build in her gut.

—————

Outside, the footsteps of heeled white shoes clicked against the ground. She approached the house, a group of armed soldiers behind her. She sighed, glancing around the area. Such a shame she lives in the middle of nowhere. Nobody will come save her here. She snatched a gun from one of her battalion members, shooting it up in the sky to grab the attention of who she desired.

“You’ve kept me waiting too long, Oddity. I won’t be wasting anymore time.”

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

“You can’t remember what she looks like?” Fay asked, tilting her head up at her roommate. The astrologist now sat on the bed next to Aditi, listening intently to her plight.

“I can not.” Aditi admitted, shaking her head. “I see into the minds of so many others, see so many memories, that my own... allude me.” She sighs. “If I can not remember her face, I won’t be able to find her. To stop her from hurting others.”

Fay frowned, her eyes softening. Aditi cared about the bigger picture. She wanted to help herself get closure, just as much as she wanted to stop that evil fondation from hurting others like her. Fay reached out, placing her hand atop her friend’s. “... I’ll help you.”

“You.... will?” Aditi questioned, her head tilting to the side, her long locks of midnight hair following suit.

“Of course! You can do your mind trick thingy on me! Then I’ll be able to relive your memory, and tell you what the doctor looks like. It’s perfect!” Fay explained, smiling. This only earned an even more befuddled and warry look from Aditi.

“.... It won’t be a pleasant memory. It will undoubtly be... hard to watch. She was my abuser, Fay. Do you know what you are agreeing to see..?” The dark haired girl asked slowly, long worrisome pauses between her words. She would never reject help. She was so close to her goal. But, subjecting someone she cared about to her gruesome memories? It did not sit right in her stomach.

Fay nods, her eyes narrowing with determination. “I can do it. I can do anything with the stars by my side! And you!” She agreed. Fay felt a twinge of nervousness, but the idea of assisting a friend was too great to pass up.

Aditi paused, unsure of herself. Should she turn Fay down? She shouldn’t. Who else will help her? Who else would be so willing and selfless? This could be her only chance. She could comfort Fay afterwords. She needed this. “... Very well. Tell me when you are ready, I will look into your eyes.”

Fay grinned, shuffling in place to get a more comfortable position. After a moment of settling in, she nodded. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

—————— (( Tw: tags apply below! ))

Though Fay was blind, she swore seconds later, her vision was clouded into a mass of line green and white light. The world shifted around her, masses of gray and faded light shaped her reality. The normal pitch black was no more and it felt strange. Fay looked at her surroundings, overwhelmed inside at being able to see this new world. A doctor’s office? Sterile, cold, lacking in color and bright health posters on the walls, even the air left a cold chill up her spine. Fay felt shorter, smaller, and... hungry. Strange, she ate an hour ago.

While questioned buzzed through her head, the door to the office opened. A taller woman wearing a lab coat walked inside. “Good news, Oddity. We are at your finally stages of development!” The presumed doctor turned to Fay fully, revealing her face. Her skin was tan, her left hand was bandages up. Her eyes were a deep sea blue, the further you looked the more you could sink into the depths. She couldn’t be more than six years older than Aditi, she’s so young. Why? Her hair was a very pale blue in a ponytail, almost mistakable for white, but luckily the astrologist was hyper focused on all details. In her coat pocket, a scalpel rested, along with another tool. A piercing machine, for jewelry, right? Why would a doctor have that?

Fay felt herself step back without her own conscious effort. Her hands raised, showing clawed fingers holding up defenselessly, asking for mercy. Fay realized she was helpless and had no control. No way to help or assist. This would kill her to watch. But it was for Aditi. She could do this. She could.

The doctor giggled manically, advancing the more she stepped back. “Don’t be scared, little one. The despair consumption surgery was sucessful! You don’t need to eat anymore. Not in the traditional sense, hehe! I’m only here to....”

She reached to her lab coat pocket, retrieving the piercing machine. Playfully and with a dark shadow ghosting her face, she clicked it in Fay’s direction as she finished her sentence. “... add to your design.”

In a flash, Fay found herself grabbed by the neck and shoved against the cold steel wall. Fay struggled, trying to kick and claw her away to no avail. The older woman tutted at her disobedience. “Now, now. Fighting will only make things worse for you, Oddity. Let me do what I must.” The piercing machine came towards her mouth, Fay’s eyes shrinking in panic.

**********

Click-!

Fay screamed in genuine anguish. A ring had been pierced straight through the far left of her lip, pinning her mouth from opening up further. The taste of blood filled her mouth unexpectedly, causing her to gag and feel the desire to vomit despite her empty stomach. The only acknowledgement of her pain from the doctor was a soft chastising smile. She smiled while doing this to her, to Aditi.

The doctor she loaded the piercer and that was all the confirmation she needed. A switch was flipped. A survival instinct came rushing out of the gates, controlling her body. With a scream of defiance, she raised her clawed hand and swung at her aggressor’s face, hard. Fay closed her eyes, not wanted to see the contact, but she heard it, she felt it. The scream of pain, the blood that sprayed onto her face, the flesh her claws had imbedded into.

Her neck was freed to breathe as the doctor stumbled back, Fay’s eyes shooting open. Blood poured from the right side of the doctor’s face, her bandages hand holding it tightly and shakily. “You... little.. bitch!” She howled with anger. Fay felt her feet carry her, leaping at her captor and landing atop. The doctor tried to shield her face, but it was too late, Fay- or well, Aditi was slashing at her face. Flesh being torn deeper, and deeper and she didn’t care to stop. Why should she? Her bloodlust was only satisfied once she saw the work.

Her eye. Her eye was.. gone. Aditi tore it out in her fit of wrath. The smell of iron cloaked the air, the sight was gnarly, and her stomach threatened to turn. The doctor struggled still, finally pushing her off so hard and forcefully that she slammed against the wall. Her head was hit so hard, that her world turned to black again. Alarms rang in her ears, slowly fading into nothing once again.

No. There was a voice. Muffled and clouded, like listening to some speak underwater. Who..?

“Fay!” Two hands gripped the astrologist shoulders firmly, shaking her. Fay gasped, looking left and right to find no sight available to her any longer. She reached out, feeling the outfit of who was touching her. It was soft, there was a metal chain in the middle, the dream catcher. Aditi...

“It’s alright, it’s okay. It’s over now.” Aditi could feel her friend trembling, and moved closer to pull her into a hug. Fay clung to her, rapidly feeling her outfit, using her only working senses to come back to reality. Aditi felt the sting of guilt in her heart, trying to push it down for the time being. Fay needed her more. She could sulk later.

“I-I saw her...” Fay mummered after a long few minutes of breathing and finding her sense of normality again. “I know what she looks like, Audi..”

Aditi pulled back hesitantly, looking for signs of hesitance, but none came. Fay was sure of herself once more. Knowing this, the taller girl grabbed her sketchbook and pencil quickly. “.. Tell me everything you can.”

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

“Audi?” Fay asked softly, as she entered the room. The tallest girl sat on her bedside, eyes formed in a glare down at the sketchbook. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember. She couldn’t remember her face.

“Fay..? How did you-? How... are you doing?” Aditi asked slowly, trying to grasp the right words.

“Oh, oh! I’m fine! I was actually coming in to see if you were okay!” Fay explained, smiling all the while.

“Me? Of course. Have I done something to make you think otherwise?” Aditi raised an eyebrow.

“Well... locking yourself in your room to draw might be an indicator that something is wrong!” The astrologist remarked.

“... Tch.” She scoffed softly but audibly. “Am I not permitted to take a day to myself? Would you all call into anarchy if I left?”

“The stars say...” Fay placed her hands together, looking up to the ceiling and pretending to pray to the heavens. “Most likely. Defiantly! We would be lost without you, Audi!”

Aditi, despite herself smiled and snickered. The astrologist was good at that. Making her smile. Making her feel at ease. Letting her guard down. It was a miracle. One that scared Aditi to no end. “Ahem.” She cleared her throat, remembering herself and allowing her face to turn neutral once again. “Is that all you needed? A check up to make sure I am alive still?”

“Oh, uh-! Yes! It is. But, I was... I was hoping we could... you would...” Invite me to sit with you? Let me stay? The words came to Fay, but none were spit out.

“Hoping is dangerous. The optimist has further to fall than the realist.” Aditi spoke flately, her irritation growing with every failed etch of her pencil. Her face. Let me see her face. Why can’t I see it? I need to. Please. I can end the cycle. I can do it. All I need is...

“Nu uh! If you can’t hope for anything in life, then... that isn’t living at all! It’s just-!” Fay protested, stubborn in her optimism and indignant in her faith in hope being questioned. She was cut off by the snap of wood.

“Quiet.” Aditi hissed, the pencil snapping in her hand once her anger boiled over. “I didn’t ask for your opinion. I didn’t ask for your worry. I only ask to be left alone this once. Can you not-“ She chokes on her words once she actually listened to them.

Fay reels back, startled by the outburst and wary of her friend’s wrath. Awkward silence followed, Fay unsure if she was welcome or not, and Aditi too wrapped up in her own immediate guilt. Finally, Fay broke the quiet. “O-Okay.. I’ll just... come back later. I’m... sorry, Audi.” She turned on her heels.

“.... Wait.” Aditi reached out quickly, her hand catching Fay’s arm in a firm grasp, not wanting to lose her. She grimaced, loosening the desperate grip slightly. She sighed as the foggy pair of red eyes looks back at her worriedly. “I am sorry. Stay with me.” Her hand slide down to the astrologist’s hand, lacing their fingers carefully. “... Please.”

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

A jolt in her sleep. That was the only sign that she had woken up. After years of lackluster dreams, Aditi had learned to keep her awakenings quiet, to not disturb anyone around. Some nights she couldn’t help but make a startled noise, but those were few and far between.

This night however, she thought she... heard a sound? A beeping. A ticking. Her bright bleary eyes looked around her bedroom. Everything was in order. Nothing had moved. No one had visited her in the middle of the night. The only thing out of the ordinary, was a green light.

The goddess was buzzed, she could feel it even after so many hours. Alcohol was her melatonin, the only remedy for slumber. But, being intoxicated came with disadvantaged. Aditi could see a green flash that illuminated her room, but despite looking around, the source was nowhere. Perhaps-

Oh. My eyes, of course. She sighed, the thought hadn’t occurred to her until now. Her eyes always glowed after a nightmare, a sign of her feeding off of her own despair. It was so natural to Aditi, that the thought completely slipped her mind. Shaking her head, the tallest in the house laid her head back on the pillow, closing her eyes once more.

Even after she was asleep, her eyes sealed shut to block the glow- there was a green glow to her room. It blinked. It blinked on and off for several hours, until morning in fact. The source? Unknown.

[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

Newfound Promo?

A bright red colored girl bounced around the open room, a handful full of posters in her arms. A fluffy white Samoyed followed after her obediently as she ran amuck. Using glue, she began to hang up various star themed posters around the room. Some of them were glued the wrong way around, leaving only a blank white outline on the wall instead of beautiful picture. Fay hummed, hollering over to a girl close by. “Putri, Putri! How does it look? Are they good? Has this room been blessed with the grace of the stars?”

Putri, a small child-sized girl in a white and red kimono, looked up in annoyance at her blind roommate. She bit back a laugh, not wanting to give away Fay’s blunder yet, since it came with a wealth of humiliating opportunities. “...Phenomenal. Outstanding! Blessed! You are a true artist, Fay. The stars could never steer you wrong.” She mused, voice dripping with sarcasm, but this flew right over the red girl’s head it seemed. Putri huffed turning back to pile of junk mail in front of her, pulling out a match and promptly lighting one on fire and letting it burn in her hand. She watched with complete adoration of the flames.

A tall girl with a waterfall of midnight hair sat peacefully on the couch. Aditi flipped through the pages of her sketch pad, settling on a blank one near the back. She had almost filled this one to the brim, with notes and doodles. Carefully, she took the pencil beside her and began to draw nonsensically. Very few moments, she would pause, tap her chin with the eraser, before beginning again. Her eyes piercing could pierce through the paper if she focused any harder on her task at hand.

The sound of a guitar being plucked at can be heard from the back. Iyabo sits next to Aditi, completely dwarfed by her, glaring down at her unplugged amber electric guitar. A small baby skunk was nuzzled onto her shoulder, comfortable and at ease. She strums a new riff that caught her attention, cursing under her breath when she hit the wrong notes. She turns on her side, kicking her feet up to lay over Aditi’s legs, causing the tall girl to flinch and give an annoyed glare. “Oh yea, do ya mind?” Iyabo acknowledges her roommate without looking up from her instrument. “Would it matter if I did?” Aditi fired back, coldly. Iyabo looks up, grinning cheekily, sticking her tongue out. “‘Course not. Go on an’ shoot through if ya don’t like it, beanpole.” Aditi merely rolled her eyes, returning her attention to her sketchbook.

< Interact with Fay

< Interact with Putri

< Interact with Aditi

< Interact with Iyabo

< Collective greeting ( all at once! )

(( Tag dump and extra info below! Feel free to interact/ignore, tagged or not tagged! ))

(( Welcome to the new blog everyone! Please note, this is NOT a reset on these characters. No reset or new blank slate, they all left off right where they were. New tag system, and now these characters can be more manageable for mod and make it easier for everyone to follow the storyline. Everyone is welcome to join and meet and greet the gals, or catch up with them! Thank you for reading, guys! Let's have some fun with this one! ))

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[depths-of-hope-and-despair]

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