GLoG XXIII: With malice towards none

[AmberVael]

Crimson doesn't answer Irene's question, some very tiny part of her holding back from telling Irene exactly what had happened, knowing it would horrify her.
"I'm sorry- I'm sorry."
She doesn't resist or return Irene's embrace, just remaining pliant and still as if she were nothing more than a doll.

[Reinholdt]

"Awww... geez Scarlet." She looked down at the wound and sighed. "Come on Scarlet. We need to get you to the infirmary." She tries to pick up and carry her there rather than lead her like yesterday.

[Morty]

At this time of the day, Wenomir would start doing his regular patrols. However, the demonhunter is nowhere to be seen.

[AmberVael]

Wounds, actually. Crimson left a series of horizontal cuts all the way down her arm- they really can't be anything other than a purposeful group of wounds inflicted by a single source. It's probably easy enough to figure out what that source is, too.

Crimson is taken by surprise as she's swept up and carried off towards the infirmary; and as Irene holds her, Irene may suddenly take further notice of the knife hanging from Crimson's side, which is now pinned between them due to the position Crimson is in.

[Reinholdt]

Irene gingerly puts Crimson down on one of the infirmary beds, before snatching the knife from her and holding it up accusingly. "Scarlet! Did you do this? Did you cut yourself?!" She wipes her forehead with her free hand, pocketing the knife. "Why Scarlet?! Hurting yourself is dangerous! It... it's self-destructive! You shouldn't do it." Irene is angry, but more out of concern than anything.

The medbots start trying to take care of and treat Crimson.

((god-mode permitted, short-ish deadtime occuring))

[FireFox]

Dani hesitates, then climbs out of the pool herself, reaching up to gently put her hand on Sam's arm. I love you...and I'm sorry...

She tries to sound like 'it's alright'.

And fails, epically.

Sam shies away from the touch and wraps her towel around her, suddenly shivering. Don't be sorry... I'm the one who should be sorry... She stares at the puddle under her feet miserably.

[AmberVael]

When Irene touches the knife, she realizes it feels... oily. Tainted.
It almost feels like it twitches in her grasp, writhing ever so faintly. And then-
She hears a voice. It's hard to make out, but it might be screaming. Or sobbing.

When she pockets the knife, the voices go quiet.

Crimson cries softly and shakes her head.
"It had to happen. I'm sorry. Father saw it."

[Reinholdt]

Irene thinks there's a whole lot more going on than meets the eye, that's for sure. She pinches and rubs the bridge of her nose in frustration, than crawls up next to Crimson and tries to embrace her.

"Alright. It's alright. Let's start at the beginning ok? What had to happen Scarlet? What is it that your dad saw?"

[AmberVael]

"I- he... he showed me what was going to happen. G-getting up, going down the hall, t-to your room..."
Crimson shakes, cowering a little, afraid of Irene's response.
"...a-and then... blood. There had to be blood."
Her eyes skitter to one side.
"I was supposed to kill you. T-to spare you. But I couldn't. I'm sorry. S-so sorry."
She appears ashamed, frightened, and thoroughly confused about it all.

[Reinholdt]

Irene closed her eyes and her head furrowed in thought as she hugged Crimson closer. "Shhh... it's alright. It's alright. You didn't do it, and that's a good thing."

Despite the strong face, she's deeply disturbed, as may be evident from the way she's tensing up. It seemed fairly obvious that this girl was being used by someone or something. For murder even. Sheesh.

"To spare me from what Scarlet?"

[AmberVael]

"P-pain. The pain of life. It's cruel and harsh."
Crimson leans into Irene's arms, staring down.
"Mother says she'll be able to fix it all one day."

[Reinholdt]

Irene frowns and rubs Crimson's arms. "Yes, life can be cruel and harsh... but it's not all that. It's got so many things worth living for. Like puzzles and sitting in front of the fire drinking hot chocolate. And bigger things too."

"Do you know how your mother intends to fix it?"

[AmberVael]

"She's... doing something with father. Something to do with her well..."
Crimson shakes her head, her beautiful red hair rippling across her shoulders.
"I don't really get it."

[Reinholdt]

And it's not likely Irene would either. Not soon anyways.

"Scarlet, who are your mother and father exactly?"

[horngeek]

Daisuke appears in the Greatroom, and goes to the libary.

He will be sarching for 'the usual Apocalypse suspects', for lack of a better term.

i.e. those associated with past apocalypses.

He is also searching for information on Alexis' condition.

[AmberVael]

"They're..."
Crimson bites her lip, struggling to find a good way to describe what she wanted to say.
"Mother is the Dowager of the Irreverent Vulgate in Unrent Veils. She's... a servant of my father. She's smart and beautiful and... kind of scary. But she loves me- I know she does. She chose me to be her daughter, out of all the different people she might have chosen."
She seems satisfied with this explanation, but is even more confused as she switches to her father.
"I... don't really know how to describe father. He's always with me- whispering to me, showing me visions. He is my mother's master, and she says she's devoted to him...
"I've only met him once, and he and my mother seemed... very angry with one another. They fought, and he ran away with me- we traveled together for about year before he sent me away while he fought with my mother again..."
She looks up and into the distance.
"He was a tall man- a tall man with golden eyes and hair. He would glow, sometimes, like the sun in the distance."

[happyturtle]

He'll find the following:

Draken. Elder Evil. This is where I would link to his character sheet, but he doesn't seem to have one. *shakes fist*


I don't think anyone put information on Cal or Reinholdt in the library though.

[Reinholdt]

"Your father whispers to you?" Meep. This has crossed into areas Irene might not be able to help with.

"Did your father choose you too? Like your mother?" That could explain some things.

[horngeek]

Could he find anything about Draken's current place of residence?

[AmberVael]

"Y-yes."
Says Crimson, her voice shaking.
"It was scary when I first met him. When he chose me."

[Reinholdt]

There is the long forgotten Castle Frosthand. Not sure if there is any info on it or not.

*****

So many questions now. "Well Scarlet. Do you know why your mother and father chose you?"

[AmberVael]

"Because they love me. They love me, and know I understand how h-horrible life is. They're proud of me, because I can help them fix things.
"They love me. They're proud of me."
She repeats the last two phrases quietly, as if she were trying to reassure herself, or turn it into a mantra.
"F-father told me that he loved me because I'm special- because there's no one else like me in all of Creation. He said I'm beautiful..."
There's a faint smile on her face as she says that last part. It seems a little out of place- genuine amidst confusion.

[The Bushranger]

Not hearing any response from Chelonie, Erin pauses at the conseratory door and looks back for a moment, a concerned expression on her face, before with a sigh phasing back through the door.

She decides to head for the kitchen before leaving. Cake is always good, and after the memories she brought up combined with the reason for her visit, cake is definitly needed.

******

Quinn remains in the Rose Garden quietly, thinking

******

Sam shies away from the touch and wraps her towel around her, suddenly shivering. Don't be sorry... I'm the one who should be sorry... She stares at the puddle under her feet miserably.

Dani starts to say something, then stops, as she remembers something once said to her by...

Because of what...what Tobias said, when he was here pretending to be you? About how you're a Goswell and Goswells always deny themselves what the want and all that?

Dani desperatly wants to give Sam the hug of her life, and tell her how she's stronger than that and not to give up, on anything...but she stays rooted where she is, frightened that if she does anything, she'll merely make things worse.

[Reinholdt]

Irene bites her lip, unsure of how to explain she's pretty sure they don't and are just using her.

She tries to tilt Crimson's head up. "You are beautiful. And unique." Irene shakes her head. "But that doesn't mean you have to listen to what they say if you don't want to. If it hurts you."

[AmberVael]

Crimson looks up at Irene, seeming to drink in the compliments and words like a flower turning to sunshine.
"O-okay."
She says quietly, without hesitation.

[happyturtle]

Chelonie sighed once Erin was gone.

Did people really think that of her? That she was about to go barbarian raging all through Acro? She supposed it wasn't a completely unjustified assumption. She had done some pretty evil things in her life.

At least Melody was in a better place now, safe with her Uncle. And as much as Chelonie ached to see her daughter again, she knew it would be selfish of her to bring her back to this world.

But what about me? How do I make a new life for myself without her?

She didn't know. So she just carried on, one heartbeat at a time.

It was probably the bravest thing she'd ever done.

[Reinholdt]

Irene smiles warmly at Crimson. They were making progress. "Good." She rubs Crimson's shoulder. "How about we get you some more hot chocolate, Scarlet. Sound good?"

[AmberVael]

Crimson nods to Irene, though she glances towards Irene's pocket, and her knife.

[Reinholdt]

Irene is not giving that back. And she's a bit more genre savy than my other characters. She's already guessed that there's a good chance her father is talking to her via the necklace. The bracelet is probably playing a role in that too. Both would most likely have to go eventually to get her to recover.

Irene goes to get the hot chocolate and bring it back to the infirmary, where the bots should have already done their work. She hands the mug to Crimson. "Here."

[AmberVael]

Crimson sits up and sips on the hot chocolate, one hand going up to the necklace and holding it gently.