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vulpixisananimal · 2 months ago

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[A:3 C:66] [Alex] |Jasmin|

[You all got home alright, no one came running, no one stopped you, and there wasn’t a hair out of place in the house. You had locked the door once everyone was in, and made sure to secure every other entrance. Once you were sure that there weren’t going to be any nasty surprises, you got water for whoever needed it, and grabbed some things to help fix up any injuries. Once THAT was all done, you finally took a second to breathe.]

[You leaned your head against a wall, breathing slowly in. . . Then out. . . In. . . Out. . .]

[This had all been a lot to take in. No memory, Eris dead, new friends, the blinding Monets. . . Stars, you just needed a second to not go nuts, and just, breathe.]

[You turned to look at the rest of the living room. Isabeau, Mirabelle, and Siffrin- no, Loop, were all sitting on the couch. Odile was laying back in a chair, eyes closed, and Nille and Bonnie were a few feet away, sitting at the base of the stairs. Bonnie needed a second to be alone and calm down, but not too alone. So this was a nice compromise.]

[Once you’re sure everyone’s settled, you stretch and walk back into the living room, taking the free chair and sitting down with a sigh.]

“. . . . . I blinding hate those guys.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” [Odile responded without opening an eye.] “. . . We should, go over everything then, right?”

“Y-yeah. . .” [Isabeau looks awkwardly at the siblings.] “Is, that okay? Nille? Bonbon?”

[Nille looks down at Bonnie, who nods, she turns back.] “. . . Yeah, we’re good.” [She stands up and walks over, Bonnie right behind.]

“Loop? You alright?” [Mirabelle shook the traveler lightly, who then jolted back to reality. Nille sat leaned on the couch, and Bonnie sat on the floor.]

“I’m here I’m here~” [Loop rubbed their neck, and picked at the bandage around their leg.] “Stars. . . Where do we start?”

“Asterion?” [You suggest, the party, except Bonnie, nod.]

“Right.” [Loop sighs, exasperated, and dig around in their cloak before pulling out a journal.] “Well. . . Asterion first showed up a few days before arriving here, and since then, his entries have only been innocent.”

|You like Asterion. You think.|

“He’s been. . . Pretty alright.” [Nille grumbles.] “It’s just, y’know. . .”

“A shock?” [Isabeau suggests.]

“Yeah, it’s just a shock. . .” [She rubs her neck.] “I uh, he’s not, literally, the King, right?”

[Loop shook their head.] “No, no. An introject, like Null. . . An imperfect copy. Or impression.”

“B-but, I would have thought that, t-that they would end up with someone they knew more than the KIng.” [Mirabelle is fiddling with her dress.]

“Don’t forget, 176 loops~” [Loop chimed in.] “He. . . Left quite an impact. On both of us.”

“Quite. Even so, I think Asterion only copied his mannerisms, not his personality.” [Odile crosses her arms.] “And let me guess, that little scuffle in your head was because of Asterion?”

“. . .” [Loop glanced at you, then away.] “. . . Y-yes, yes.”

“I still don’t remember that, whatever it was.” [You shook your head.] “Seems to have ended up alright, though.”

“. . . Rrrriiiiight.” [Loop squints at you.] “Well. . . It’s hard for me to trust Asterion, and for the rest of you, that is for you to decide.”

“We’re definitely having talks with him later.” [Isa nods.] “Besides! I haven’t met one of your headmates I don’t like yet!

“About that.” [Loop cleared their throat.] “This is the second time Perci’s mentioned that Mal is a sadness. The first time was when Null bumped into him at the tea-vern--”

“Wait you did?!?” [Mira jumped up.] “W-when was that?!?”

“Oh! Ah, a few days ago, almost a week, even.” [Loop rolled their eye.] “Oh Null, you and your poor communication skills. . . A-anyway! That’s gotten me thinking, is Mal du Pays a sadness? Or an alter?”

“W-well. . . Mine ended up in my head, like a Daemon. And it acted as its own thing somewhat when Ramos went into my head, so. . .”

“I wouldn’t rule it out.” [Odile adds.] “I. . . Confronted mine when Perci tricked me. He called it a mental barrier. And called Mal a “tamed” sadness.”

“Sadness or not, Mal’s been kind enough.” [Isabeau nods again.] “We’ll figure it out.”

“Although, speaking of Perci.” [Odile said with a bitter tone.] “I. . . I am sorry. I’m sorry for causing you all trouble.”

“. . . . Forgiven!”

“I-it’s okay!!”

“I’ll let you go this once~”

“Hey we’re all okay now.”

“I trust that crab as far as I can throw him.” [You grumble.] “Let’s just not make it a habit. Now, was he trying to dominate you? Kill you? What.”

“For one, he wanted to look through my memories.” [Odile looks away.] “. . For two, he wanted me to face my sadness, to potentially learn mind craft.”

“I see.” [You tap your chin.] “Hmm. . . So having a tamed sadness is a key step in learning mind craft.”

[The air of the room was getting colder, ah, right. You reach out a hand and put it on Odiles knee.] “. . . And it’s, no shame, madam.”

“. . Thank you.” [Odile pauses, and lets out a sigh, smiling back at you.] “I believe Perci found something in my memory that intrigued him. One of the disturbed parts was our fight against the King. Specifically, that the King remembered.”

“Remembered?” [Nille asks.]

“O-oh! Right.” [Mirabelle was bouncing her leg.] “When I reflected the King's freezing curse back at him, he said something about, finally remembering? A-and I think that’s. . . To do with. . W-with the, the. . .”

“The Island North of Vaugarde.” [Loop finishes.]

“Y-yes! That!!”

“That makes sense.” [Isa looks to the side, thinking.] “They’re looking for information on the island, or how to bring it back. So something like that would be a goldmine.”

“Well we know where they’d be headed next I bet.” [You smile.] “It’s Dormont where the King was frozen, right?”

[There’s an awkward silence, broken only by Mirabelle.] “. . . Y-yes, but. . .” [She, looks at Loop.]

“. . . .” [They look at the ground.] “. . . . . . Let’s move on.”

“R-right.” [Miabelle takes a breath.] “I. . . W-well, we should talk about. . .”

[There’s a pause as no-one wants to say it. Well, except for you.] “. . . About Boniface’s wish?”

[Bonnie tucks their legs close and looks away.] “. . . Don’t want to.”

“. . . I get it, Bonbon.” [Nille says, reassuring.] “It’s one of those things where we don’t wanna do it but-”

“I don’t WANT to!!” [Bonnie hides their face.] “I don’t!!!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” [Nille kneels down next to them.] “None of us are going to be mad, okay?”

“But that’s not how the stupid crabbing wish works!!” [They shook their head.] “It’s a secret! And if you say the secret you lose it!! I’ll just shut up until we’re all safe from THEM and!!! A-and!!”

“. . B-boniface?” [Loop sits up, looking at them.] “D-do, you mean that, birthday wish-”

“It’s fine! It’s NOTHING!!” [They’re covering their head with their hat.] “It’s stupid!! It’s dumb!!!”

“B-but it’s-”

“It’s FINE!! It’s fine if I have those crabbing nightmares of your stupid crabbing loops!! It’s fine if I remember it!! It’s fine ‘cause I can remember to do things to make loops easier!! Or get stuff ready!!! AND Those stupid crabbing stupidfaces can’t get into my head!!!”

“W-what-”

“I’ll just KEEP IT HERE UNTIL WE’RE ALL OKAY!!! Then, t-then I’ll say the secret wish and it’s back to normal!!! You, y-you CRABS!! Just, j-just LEAVE ME ALONE!!!”

[There’s a tense silence. Loop gets up, walks over to Bonnie, and kneels down.] “. . . L-little flare. . .”

“J-just. . .” [Bonnie isn’t looking up. Nille is looking between them, and Loop.]

“. . . Flare. . . Bonnie. . . Bonbon. . .” [Loop reaches out, and puts a hand on their hat.] “I-I. . . That’s, not how the wish works.”

“W-whuh?” [Bonnie finally looks up at them and Nille.]

“. . . Wishes can’t be broken like that.” [They look down.] “”A secret between you and the universe” is just, a-a, a turn of phrase, little flare.”

[There’s a pause, Bonnie staring at loop, until Loop finally finishes the thought.]

“You. . . Won’t be able to just forget it. I’m sorry.”

[There’s a second of tense silence where the stars wait to watch what happens next. Bonnie's face cracked, and then they wailed, diving into Loop’s arms. A moment later, Loop wrapped their arms around them, and Nille joined a second later.]

|They’re crying a lot. . . Maybe, get some water?|

[Good idea, you stand up, and go to get them some more water. In the time where you left and came back. Mirabelle and Isabeau joined in the hug as well. You placed the water down nearby, and sat. Not your school, not your fishes.]

[Once Bonnie was sufficiently calmed down, Mira and Isabeau took their seats. Nille took Loops spot, with Bonnie on her lap. Loop sat on the armrest of the couch. Nille picked up the glass of water and gave it to Bonnie to sip.]

“. . .” [You tap your finger on the table.] “. . . So. . . If, the whole memory thing is a bit, much, we can just talk about it another time, right?”

“Mh hmh.” [Bonnie mumbles, looking away.]

“In that case,” [You lean back in your chair.] “That should be everything. Let’s all rest up and-”

“NUH UH!!!”

“Yeah Ramos you’ve been acting weird!”

“Really? I think “Ramos” here is acting as normal as I am! Teehee~”

“H-hah yeah, uh, buddy you’ve been kinda different.”

“I-it’s not that we’re going to j-judge you less or anything, it's just. . .”

“You’re not exactly Ramos right now, are you?”

[You sat up again, confused, at everyone's exclamations. You looked between them all. Squinting.] “What are you blinding talking about?”

“It’s alright, not-ramos~ It was very scary for us talking about it too.” [Loop said in a tone that suggests comfort.]

“E-exactly!! We’re here to help in any way we can!!”

“That’s not helping.” [You cross your arms and shake your head.] “How about you talk Vaugardian instead of assuming I know what you’re talking about.”

[They all pause, and look at you in stunned silence.]

[That is until Odile bursts out laughing.]

“What’s so funny.” [You glance at her.]

“Haaahahhahaha!! Ah I just realized what Merlon found so humorous!!” [She shook her head and grinned.] “I don’t think “Ramos” has realized.”

|This is scary.|

“Realized what!?!” [This is getting annoying. You glance over to Jasmine in the greenhouse. We’ll be fine.]

“Oh my! Really?” [Loop said in a cheeky tone.] “Wow! Oh they’re more oblivious than Stardust, then~”

“Come on, be polite.” [Odile responds before turning to you.] “Well, Ramos, or not-ramos, you do know what a system is, right?”

“. . . Yyyyes.” [You plucked a fruit off a greenhouse plant and nibbled at it.] “It's multiple people sharing one body, basically. I know some things about it but I think most of it was lost to amnesia.”

“I see.” [Odile grinned and crossed her arms, like a professor expecting a specific answer.] “And does that sound like you at all?”

“No?”

“YES!!!” [Came a unanimous shout from the room.]

|LOUD!!|

[You wince at the noise.] “It’s- it is NOT!! What gives you that idea!!”

“You’re acting really crabbing weird!!!” [Says Bonnie.]

“That’s just my mood.”

“You dress very differently!” [Says Mirabelle.]

“I like to change things up.”

“You forgot the last few months of your life!!” [Says Nille.]

“That was Percis mind craft.”

“You’re not using your tonfas!!” [Says Isabeau.]

“I can use different weapons if I want.”

“You’re blinding paper craft, Ramos!!” [Says Loop.]

“I’m just. . . Using paper craft skills?”

“Ramos, or not-ramos.” [Odile gives you a stern yet smug look.] “What you looked like in my mindspace was completely different than what you were before.”

“W-well, I-” [Hmm.]

“A-and you have a headspace!!” [Mirabelle jumps in.] “A-are there other people in it?”

“Well, yeah? Doesn’t everyone?”

“NO!?!??!” [Everyone says again.]

|Too much please!|

[You wince again.] “Will you please stop yelling? I’m not a system!”

“Clearly you are!!” [Loop looks at you, annoyed.] “What about those other people, do you talk to them? Other voices in your head?”

“Look.” [You lean forward.] “I’m not a system! I’m not plural! My headspace is just a way to organize my thoughts! And the people in it, this version of me and all the others, are imaginary friends! They’re NOT! REAL-”

|HEY!!!! RUDE!!!!!|

[You wince, Jasmine was storming into the greenhouse and punched you. A-azzy that-]

|I’M REAL!!! I’M SUPER REAL!!!! MEANY!!! YOU BAT!! YOU MEAN BAT!!!|

[You shake your head, confused and dizzy. J-jasmine I, but, we-]

“Ha!” [Loop grinned.] “Let me guess, you just got someone in your head yelling at you that they are, in fact, real?”

|I AM REAL!!!|

[You, blink a few times, and then, nod. S-sorry, Jas, uh. . . Stars. . .]

|Batface. You leave the greenhouse, still a bit angry.|

[You sit back in the chair, taking a few breaths.] “. . . . I. . .”

“Do you need a second?” [Asks Mirabelle. You nod.]

[You breathe in. . . . And out. . . .] “. . . . I, guess this explains the difference in. . . Well, self image?”

“You did say your body was ‘not your style’” [Nille adds.] “You have a different name, too?”

“I. . .” [You, think for a moment, then nod.] “. . . Alex. It’s Alex. I’ve always thought of this. . . Version of me, being, called Alex.”

“Well it’s good to meet you Alex!” [Isabeau puffs his chest up.] “Or uh, did we already know each other?”

“I only remembered you and Mirabelle, big guy.” [You chuckled.] “There were. . . Always four versions of, me in my head. A-and. . . That’s not normal?”

“No.” [Odile dryly replies.] “Not at all.”

[You rub your face.] “Some academic I am.”

“So, who are the others?” [Asks Loop, leaning in like some housemaiden wanting for the latest gossip.]

“Well. . . There’s me, Alex (they/she). I come around for all things study and test related. There’s Ramos (they/them), who takes care of the physical body, as well as train it, you know them. Jasmine (he/they), who’s quite a bit younger, and likes to garden and keeps our head clear. And Altiare (any/all), who comes out to deal with any threats.”

[You rub your forehead.] “When. . . Ramos, who was in control at the time, made some deal with Perci and Merlon, that crab Perci got in our head and buried the three of us in the garden. When I came to, it was just me and Jasmine. Ramos and Altiare are still missing. . . Stars my head hurts.”

“I-it’s alright! You can figure it out at your own pace, Alex.” [Mirabelles infectious smile was creeping onto your own.]

“Exactly.” [Odile rests her head on her hand and looks at you.] “New discoveries need studying, yes, but don’t burn yourself out about it.”

[. . . Hmm. You mimic her, head resting on your hand.] “As well as getting it. . . Peer reviewed.”

[She smirked back.] “Exactly.”

[. . . Heh, maybe this wasn’t all bad.]

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