As much as Skuld wanted to go have a milkshake now, she knew it was better to wait until late in the day so the extra strength stayed with her. So, she was left walking around, trying to think of something to do until then.
When she saw the boy--maybe about her age now?--pacing like that, her own steps slowed. She didn't know him, but it was obvious something was wrong, and sometimes all people needed was someone reaching out to them.
Stopping a few steps away, almost within reach but not quite, she asked, "Um... are you okay?"
At the sound of the voice Jamie whirled, staring at the girl with wide-eyed surprise. He hadn't even noticed her approach, he'd been so distracted with what was going on in his head. She'd clearly noticed his freakish behavior, but didn't seem terribly put off by it, and while it was kind of her to show concern for him, he almost preferred to be alone with his impending panic. Hands clenching and unclenching nervously at his sides, he regarded her with some caution.
"Uhm. Yeah, everything's fine." He attempted a wan, hesitant smile to reassure her. "Just, uh. Got some stuff on my mind, 's all." A catch-all excuse, but it was more or less true in this case.
Uh-huh. "Everything's not fine," Skuld retorted. "Something's bothering you, I can tell." And despite the fact that he was pacing like a caged animal, she didn't think it was just general upset about being held prisoner like this.
Belldandy did this to her, sometimes. Hopefully Skuld could get him talking; she could tell he needed to.
Jamie flinched just a little at the tone. It wasn't as though he was unused to dealing with stubborn girls, he just...was even less inclined than usual to contend with one right now. He shifted uneasily in the damp, ankle-deep grass and tried again. "Look, it's - I really don't think it's anything you can help with, okay? So thanks, but - "
He halted mid-sentence as he was besieged with a wave of
FRUSTRATION!
so intense it made him jerk upright. The distraction lasted only a moment, but the girl would have to be blind not to have noticed it. Jamie flung her a pleading, frantic look, sparing her as much attention as he dared while the activity at the edges of his mind resumed again, more determined than ever. "I think you should go now," he said. "Really." He tried to sound forceful and commanding, but this had never been his strong suit even under the best of circumstances, and by now he was practically cringing in mortified terror of what was happening to him. Not the most convincing display of authority, here.
Skuld folded her arms and stood in place stubbornly. "No. What's going on?" He was scared, but nothing was going to attack them here and she wasn't too worried as a result. If she could help, then she would.
What happened to him? Special Counseling? Maybe... Poor kid.
"It's - I can't really explain it," he tried, inching away from her. "Just - really, I think it'd be better 'f you - "
He suddenly felt the mental equivalent of a door being slammed open and through it came pouring a tumult of emotions, desires, thoughts that weren't his own, bleeding into Jamie's awareness and settling atop like a layer of oil on a body of water. And with it all came a voice.
What the HELL IS THIS?!
The Wild Eagle had arrived.
The suddenness of it all made Jamie's breath hitch in his chest. His eyes widened, their unfocused gaze flicking upward to stare at something unseen, and his voice came out in a low moan.
That didn't look good... Skuld walked around in front of him, trying to meet his gaze, but thought it might be better if she didn't touch him.
Part of her wanted to get a nurse, but for a couple of reasons that might make things worse. So, she just watched him; having someone there helped, sometimes.
Movement in front of him drew his attention back to his immediate surroundings. His eyes, wide with panic, locked on the girl, and he scrambled back a step, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "Just - stay back," he told her. "I don't - I dunno what's gonna happen, what he's - "
The voice in his head snarled again. What the hell's goin' on? Who the hell're you?
Jamie flinched, one hand twitching as though to move to his head. It didn't hurt, per se, but the feeling was strange and unwelcome and he wanted it to stop.
"He?" Skuld repeated, puzzled. She looked around, but she didn't see anyone else. "Nobody's--"
Her eyes widened as she realized the boy might he referring to someone she couldn't see. Because "he" was inside the boy. So why is he afraid?
Moving to meet his gaze again, she told the boy, "Calm down." I really, really hope he's not dealing with anything like a demon... Taking a breath to keep herself calm, just in case, she looked into his eyes and said to the... new boy, "Who are you?" He probably wouldn't understand the language of the heavens, but if he did... well, it would be good to know.
The words were an unintelligible garble to Jamie, who managed a bewildered "What?" in amongst his panic and distraction. For once, Wild Eagle's response matched Jamie's; he couldn't make sense out of the query, either.
Jamie made a frustrated noise and raked one hand through his hair, taking another step back. "Look, I dunno how to explain it, okay? 's just - it's private. I don't - there's nothing you can do to help, so - "
HELP? Whaddyou need help for?! I'm the one with the problem here! Whatever the hell you're doing KNOCK IT OFF and LET ME OUT. Wild Eagle sounded both furious and desperate. Jamie flinched again and gave the girl one more uncomfortable glance before turning from her to mutter at the voice in his head. "Look, 'f I knew how to fix it I WOULD, okay? Just - go back to wherever it is you were before, I don't need you right now, all right?"
"Let me talk to him," Skuld suggested. Hopefully, her acknowledgment of the other boy wouldn't scare either of them off.
"Oh, I'm Skuld." Introductions were good, especially if she could get both of them to give their names... should she give Noble Scarlet's, even though her angel couldn't manifest herself right now?
"What do you mean, talk to him? He's - there's no him to talk to, he's just - " Just what? He'd never been able to figure out what Wild Eagle was, precisely; all he represented to Jamie were long stretches of lost time in a Zoid cockpit. He knew nothing of where the Eagle'd come from or what his purpose was, beyond saving Jamie from particularly stressful combat situations.
As Eagle seethed and circled in agitation, Jamie let out a quiet, defeated sigh, debating with himself for a few moments. "I'm Jamie," he said, finally. "And he's, well...there's this - "
Eagle cut him off with a sudden wave of surprise bordering on shock. Whoa whoa whoa, wait. You're...Jamie. The Jamie everyone keeps confusin' me with. There was a brief but significant pause. You're...my host, or whatever that doctor said.
Jamie, his focus once more turned momentarily inward, fidgeted and addressed his head-voice in a hesitant undertone. "'s that what he called me?"
"Uh. Yes, there is." He'd better not think he could fool her. "Having someone else with you doesn't mean you're crazy, either--a lot of people do." More quietly, "I do." Noble Scarlet WAS still there, just sleeping.
If the other person could take over, she hoped he'd do it soon so she could talk to someone who had a better idea what was going on.
Jamie at least had the grace to look chagrined at having been caught in his attempted denial. And then, at her admission of her own situation, he gave Skuld a surprised glance. "...you do? What's - uh. What's yours like? Where'd it...come from?"
Wild Eagle, however, was having none of this. HEY. I'm not 'with' anybody, awright? I'm my own damn person. So whatever's goin' on here, FIX IT. He prodded angrily at the confines of Jamie's mind, making him hiss in a breath.
"She's my angel companion." Skuld fought to keep her voice from cracking like it had suddenly threatened to do. "My--my other self. Her name's Noble Scarlet."
And I can't show her to you, because she's locked inside me just like before. She hated that more than almost anything else about this place; it had taken away a literal part of her.
She could see that Jamie wasn't happy about his own companion, but Urd hadn't been either. Sometimes... well, sometimes that happened, but you learned to come to terms with it.
Jamie fell silent, digesting this. From her tone and word choice, he presumed that Skuld felt much differently about her situation than Jamie did about his. He chewed his lip, debating, as Eagle muttered irritably in his head.
"I - um. There's this...guy, or something. He kinda...shows up sometimes. I guess he's called, uh. Wild Eagle." He looked suddenly worried. "But he shouldn't - I mean, he's usually not around. Not like he is now. I can - he's talking to me," he finished in a frantic near-whisper.
When she saw the boy--maybe about her age now?--pacing like that, her own steps slowed. She didn't know him, but it was obvious something was wrong, and sometimes all people needed was someone reaching out to them.
Stopping a few steps away, almost within reach but not quite, she asked, "Um... are you okay?"
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"Uhm. Yeah, everything's fine." He attempted a wan, hesitant smile to reassure her. "Just, uh. Got some stuff on my mind, 's all." A catch-all excuse, but it was more or less true in this case.
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Belldandy did this to her, sometimes. Hopefully Skuld could get him talking; she could tell he needed to.
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He halted mid-sentence as he was besieged with a wave of
FRUSTRATION!
so intense it made him jerk upright. The distraction lasted only a moment, but the girl would have to be blind not to have noticed it. Jamie flung her a pleading, frantic look, sparing her as much attention as he dared while the activity at the edges of his mind resumed again, more determined than ever. "I think you should go now," he said. "Really." He tried to sound forceful and commanding, but this had never been his strong suit even under the best of circumstances, and by now he was practically cringing in mortified terror of what was happening to him. Not the most convincing display of authority, here.
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What happened to him? Special Counseling? Maybe... Poor kid.
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He suddenly felt the mental equivalent of a door being slammed open and through it came pouring a tumult of emotions, desires, thoughts that weren't his own, bleeding into Jamie's awareness and settling atop like a layer of oil on a body of water. And with it all came a voice.
What the HELL IS THIS?!
The Wild Eagle had arrived.
The suddenness of it all made Jamie's breath hitch in his chest. His eyes widened, their unfocused gaze flicking upward to stare at something unseen, and his voice came out in a low moan.
"Oh god..."
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Part of her wanted to get a nurse, but for a couple of reasons that might make things worse. So, she just watched him; having someone there helped, sometimes.
She HATED being this helpless.
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The voice in his head snarled again. What the hell's goin' on? Who the hell're you?
Jamie flinched, one hand twitching as though to move to his head. It didn't hurt, per se, but the feeling was strange and unwelcome and he wanted it to stop.
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Her eyes widened as she realized the boy might he referring to someone she couldn't see. Because "he" was inside the boy. So why is he afraid?
Moving to meet his gaze again, she told the boy, "Calm down." I really, really hope he's not dealing with anything like a demon... Taking a breath to keep herself calm, just in case, she looked into his eyes and said to the... new boy, "Who are you?" He probably wouldn't understand the language of the heavens, but if he did... well, it would be good to know.
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Jamie made a frustrated noise and raked one hand through his hair, taking another step back. "Look, I dunno how to explain it, okay? 's just - it's private. I don't - there's nothing you can do to help, so - "
HELP? Whaddyou need help for?! I'm the one with the problem here! Whatever the hell you're doing KNOCK IT OFF and LET ME OUT. Wild Eagle sounded both furious and desperate. Jamie flinched again and gave the girl one more uncomfortable glance before turning from her to mutter at the voice in his head. "Look, 'f I knew how to fix it I WOULD, okay? Just - go back to wherever it is you were before, I don't need you right now, all right?"
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"Oh, I'm Skuld." Introductions were good, especially if she could get both of them to give their names... should she give Noble Scarlet's, even though her angel couldn't manifest herself right now?
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As Eagle seethed and circled in agitation, Jamie let out a quiet, defeated sigh, debating with himself for a few moments. "I'm Jamie," he said, finally. "And he's, well...there's this - "
Eagle cut him off with a sudden wave of surprise bordering on shock. Whoa whoa whoa, wait. You're...Jamie. The Jamie everyone keeps confusin' me with. There was a brief but significant pause. You're...my host, or whatever that doctor said.
Jamie, his focus once more turned momentarily inward, fidgeted and addressed his head-voice in a hesitant undertone. "'s that what he called me?"
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If the other person could take over, she hoped he'd do it soon so she could talk to someone who had a better idea what was going on.
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Wild Eagle, however, was having none of this. HEY. I'm not 'with' anybody, awright? I'm my own damn person. So whatever's goin' on here, FIX IT. He prodded angrily at the confines of Jamie's mind, making him hiss in a breath.
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And I can't show her to you, because she's locked inside me just like before. She hated that more than almost anything else about this place; it had taken away a literal part of her.
She could see that Jamie wasn't happy about his own companion, but Urd hadn't been either. Sometimes... well, sometimes that happened, but you learned to come to terms with it.
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"I - um. There's this...guy, or something. He kinda...shows up sometimes. I guess he's called, uh. Wild Eagle." He looked suddenly worried. "But he shouldn't - I mean, he's usually not around. Not like he is now. I can - he's talking to me," he finished in a frantic near-whisper.
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