petalwitch
in
damned
Night 45: F21-F30 Hallway
Dinner had been pretty quiet. In fact, upon coming to temporary terms with the fact that she was alive, Aerith had wondered if things didn't seem a little too quiet. Traveling across the Planet with AVALANCHE had rendered her used to the constant voice of Gaia in the back of her mind at all times. It hadn't been like Midgar where the only whispers
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The blonde crawled out of her bed and tip toed to the door after she heard a click that sounded very much like the door unlocking. No, it couldn't be. It was her imagination. This was a mental institute with violent patients, herself a prime example. Why would the doors unlock?
Turning the knob, Rose found it was indeed unlocked and peered outside. Blackness. Nothing. No staff, no... wait. There was movement and bobbing lights. This was just like her--
Rose slammed the door shut and shoved her desk chair under the knob. If she could unlock it from the inside, anyone could get in. She didn't like this, not sure if she was starting to lose it again or not. She wasn't feeling the pressure in her head, so she was pretty sure she wasn't going to have an episode. Her eyes flickered over to Sarah. She was really glad she didn't feel an episode coming on because it didn't look like there was anyone around that could stop her from seriously hurting he roommate.
Rose was scared and backed away from the door until she made contact with the dresser. She then slid down to the floor and hugged her knees. She watched the barred door as if expecting something alien, with a bladed tail and burning blood to come bursting through it to get revenge for one of its fallen.
Why did that particular thought pop into her mind?
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To be polite, Hokuto knocked rather than just opening the door. "Um... Rose-chan? Sarah-chan?" she called in. "Can I come in?" She wasn't armed, but she'd changed into her usual outfit, the one from home. Maybe it would ring a bell with them.
Hopefully she could keep them from getting into trouble, but she had no idea what she was going to do with them all night. Too bad we can't go raid the Game Room...
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The voice that followed the knock was familiar and Rose was compelled to trust it, but... what was that voice doing on the other side of the door? Maybe Rose was just imagining it, her mind trying to lure her outside where who knew what could happen.
"Go away," she said, not particularly loud. A phantom of her mind should be able to hear it.
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Yes, she could probably just open it, but she was a little worried about getting ambushed if she did.
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A pause. "You can't make me come out there where that thing is waiting for me. I'm not that thing."
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Okay, maybe addressing the apparent paranoia was a bad idea, but she wasn't sure what wasn't right now.
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A pause. "I can't take you. I can't take anyone without killing them. That's why it took me."
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She didn't hear Senna talking... hopefully she was just sleeping, because if she'd been taken tonight on top of everything else, Hokuto was going to kill something.
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Why was Rose finding herself wanting to open the door? She was scared of what was on the other side. Staying inside meant she could keep the hunter away, not fall into another time of not being herself. She wouldn't be exposed to the potential of another episode. But maybe, maybe inviting the phantom inside would make it go away. Things only had power if you let them, right?
Slowly, she got to her feet and approached the door. She eyed it for a moment before she shoved the chair aside with her foot and then quickly retreated back to the dresser. She didn't say anything, but watched the door with haunted and scared eyes. She just needed to not give the phantom power.
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When nothing happened, she entered the room and closed the door behind her, still slowly, and looked around. It was a relief to see Senna asleep in bed--not so much to see Falis hiding near the dresser like that, looking so frightened.
"Not that kind of survival," Hokuto said softly, going over to her girl. "The kind where you find the strength to keep on going, even when it's a struggle." For now, she simply moved to sit down next to her, not touching, but close enough to.
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Apparently, her phantom wore red. She wasn't expecting that. There was something familiar, though, as if she'd seen it somewhere before. Must have seen it at Doyleton. That town was certainly behind the times in more ways than just fashion.
When the phantom that was her girlfriend (that's what Hokuto had said, right?) but not her girlfriend sat down, Rose couldn't keep herself from scooting away. She was afraid and she couldn't let the phantom have any power.
"I found that strength. It turned me into an obsessed violent girl that hurt everyone she cared about, unloved by anyone. It turned me into a crazy killer. I have blood on my hands because of strength," she whispered.
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"And you did what you had to. Believe me, Rose-chan... I've been there too." She just looked sad; Sei-chan would make his choice, one way or another, on his own. All she could do now was hope he listened to her.
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"Did you ever send a girl to the hospital beaten so badly she needed surgery just because she asked 'Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?'?" Rose shook her head and trembled. "No, you didn't. No sane person would."
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Too bad she's so scared of magic even normally... She wanted to cast a shield spell or something to show that "Rose" had been lied to, but not while she was still acting like... this.
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Rose wrapped her arms about herself. "Besides, you aren't real. You're just a phantom of my mind, trying to lure me out where I can be hunted down and claimed again. I won't go out there. I won't!"
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She was concerned about waking Senna up, but obviously, Falis wasn't going anywhere if she could help it. That was okay, though; they were definitely best off staying in here. And if the room itself didn't feel secure enough, they could hide in the closet... or under the covers.
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