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[Heather isn't known for being one of the most stable people in the school. She stays up late, can be found wandering around campus long after the sun has disappeared, winds up in the infirmary much too often with a strange assortment of injuries...
But this is a bit different.
It's the evening, the sunlight dimmed, sky colored a light gray-- ( Read more... )
But this is a bit different.
It's the evening, the sunlight dimmed, sky colored a light gray-- ( Read more... )
She's confused, then completely lost when she finds the pipe has been grabbed by the Closer.] Ah-- L-let go!! [She grips the pipe and tugs on it desperately. It's her only weapon.] Gimme-- that-- back--!!
[Words: Kitten, cut it out, dump you in the fountain. Kitten? Isn't that what... No, that's stupid. Fang isn't here. It's just playing with her memories again. But the mention of the fountain makes her flinch. In her eyes, the fountain isn't full of water like it usually is-- it's full of blood, choking out clots of rust and bits of flesh. It goes without saying that she would rather not be near it. She releases the pipe and retreats a few paces, standing a few feet away, panting and glaring.]
That's... not fair. [She's unarmed. Now the Closer has two weapons-- her steel pipe and those blade-like bones hidden in its arms. She turns, giving a brief look at the warped fountain, and runs off down the paved pathway. She's looking for an escape, or possibly another weapon.]
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Fang tucks the pipe into the holder meant for her lance, which is currently hanging uselessly in her room. The pipe's a little loose in the straps and bangs against her leg and back as she runs, but running after Heather is the more important thing - she's obviously in trouble. But that "Kitten" reminded Fang of Heather in the tree - she's starting to wonder if this is something similar. But why Heather's attacking her still makes no sense. ]
I told you I'd help. Promised your dad I'd look after ya. You'd think by now you'd trust me a little!
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She keeps running forward, just to set distance between herself and the monster, when the static's volume suddenly increases, and shrill words break through: Help, promised your dad-- She doesn't hear the rest because she suddenly halts to scream over it.]
Don't you dare talk about my dad!! [Even if it's a memory-- not him. She won't let this place warp him.] You freaks killed him!! If it weren't for you-- [She doesn't care if she's unarmed, all she wants to do is leap on top of the thing and kill it with her bare hands. She almost decides to try, but her common sense wins-- she can't fight the monsters without a weapon. Maybe inside there'll be more items for her--
She veers to one side, running diagonally toward Aldale Halls, a building dark and menacing to her eyes. The Closers wouldn't usually follow her through doors, maybe she can get away--]
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As the walls of Aldale rise up before them, Fang tenses, gritting her teeth. As much as Heather needs help, right now she's a threat to the other students. No, Heather. Don't make me do this to you. The pipe is still at her back, but Fang's not practiced enough with it to be able to knock Heather's feet out from under her like this. And she really, really doesn't want to do that, both because it's Heather and because she's sure that any violent action will only make things worse. ]
This ain't what you think it is. Fight it off, Heather, c'mon - you're stronger than this!
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She looks around the hallway-- dorms. Lots of doors she can escape through. Hopefully. She starts checking each one-- but she runs to the next one before any of the doors open. In the Otherworld, all these doors are locked. She gets more and more frantic with each door she passes.]
Fu-- Dammit, d-dammit...!
[Words come through the static again, clearer: ain't what you think it is, fight it off, you're stronger. She doesn't respond at first, but this does confuse her. Those are all... positive phrases. But she can't let herself be trapped. Stairs, stairs, where are the stairs--? She finds them, but, like with the doors, recoils once she gets near them. In the Otherworld, the flight is barricaded with a mesh wall, bolted shut.]
No-- No, dammit, no!! [She turns and backs up against the wall perpendicular to the mesh barricade, pressing herself as close to it as she can. She's trapped. She stares at Fang wide-eyed and terrified, breathing rapidly.]
... "Fight it off"... Can't you see that I'm trying...?! I just have to kill one of you-- maybe it's you, you're stronger than the others-- and then all this ends and I wake up. That's how it works, huh? That's how it's always worked. I know what makes you tick.
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Listen to me. I trust you, so you gotta trust me, okay?
[ She pulls out the pipe and drops it on the ground, where it rolls to a stop in between them, slightly closer to Heather. She just has to trust in Heather and her own ability. ]
There. See? You can attack me if you want, but killing me won't solve a thing. Wake up, Heather. It's tough right now but you gotta pull through. I'm staying here til you do.
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She gasps and recoils when the Closer moves, shutting her eyes and pressing herself against the wall, bracing herself for a strike from those arms. When nothing happens, she dares to open her eyes again, and finds the Closer simply standing there, tall and menacing, arms swaying idly, and the pipe placed between them.]
Wh-what... [She flinches with another barrage of static: You can attack me, killing me won't solve a thing, wake up, gotta pull through, staying here. The voice is distinctly feminine, just barely familiar. She keeps her eyes on Fang, and inches forward a bit, hand ready to reach out and grab the abandoned pipe.
But she stops, and drops her hand to her side. This must be some kind of trick. But... it isn't attacking her. It's just standing there, waiting for her. Does it... want her to pick up the pipe? It that what it's waiting for?]
... Killing you won't solve a thing, huh...? Maybe you're right, but I... [The monsters were something of an enigma sometimes. She hated them and maybe Vincent was right, in a way-- maybe she did enjoy killing them. But there were times she actually pitied them-- the monster trapped in the locker back in Otherworld-Balamb, even the Glutton. They had one thing in common-- they didn't attack her.
She thinks she knows the voice. Maybe she can get a bit more of it out...] You're... You're not gonna attack me? ... Not gonna eat my face? [Hey, that... was the Closers' favorite pastime.]
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I rather like your face; you've got a pretty one. I got no plans to eat it. That'd just be missing the point, yeah?
[ Fang becomes a bit more serious, though she's still smiling slightly and a hint of that humor remains in her voice. ]
I dunno what you're seeing, but it's not real. You're safe here, alright? I'm not gonna let anything hurt ya.
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She waits for the words, wincing just slightly at the tear of static. As she strains to listen, she hears nearly every word, some slowed and warped in places, but still understandable. She is even able to hear the voice clearly on a few selected words, a telltale tone and slight accent-- one she knows well.
This all seems familiar. It scares her. "Not real"? That's right, it's--
She takes a small step forward, pushing herself away from the wall, squinting at the Closer. She leaves bloodied handprints behind.]
.... Fang...? [The static's volume suddenly drops, a dull whine in her head. It's easily ignored.]
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[ So saying, she covers the rest of the ground between them and hugs Heather, ignoring the blood for right this second. One arm's around Heather's waist, the other hand on the back of Heather's head as Fang speaks in a softer tone. ]
Easy now - I've got ya. It's just a nightmare, Kitten, and it's over now. You're alright.
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Heather's first reaction is relief-- she's so happy to not be alone in this place for once, and her company is someone she'd say she was close to. She whimpers slightly and trembles, and briefly buries her face in Fang's shoulder.]
... Fang, I--
[But if the Closer was Fang, then this isn't real. This isn't the Otherworld at all, is it? She tenses and looks up in time to watch the Otherworld peel away from reality, leaving not the nightmarish hallway, but the dorm hall she's familiar with. This isn't real. None of it. Or... was it...? Her eyes dart around wildly, disoriented and frightened again.]
What-- N-no, this is... No, this is all wrong, this... isn't... I saw it, dammit...!
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[ That last part is a lie. Fang's noticed the blood, and when someone's leaving handprints like that, things are almost never "fine". But her first priority is to get Heather calmed down and stable, otherwise they'll be right back at square one.
...She'd thought earlier that Heather could pose a threat to the other students, and Fang's hoping that's not the case. But Heather had attacked her out of nowhere, and not everyone can take a hit like she can. Fang puts the matter out of mind - she was creating problems she didn't know she had. ]
Talk to me. I'm here; I'm real- [ her hands tighten slightly on Heather's shoulders to emphasize the point ] -so depend on that. What's goin' on? What're you seeing?
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The... The Otherworld. It's everywhere-- there were monsters, I... I don't just hallucinate, it... had to be there, just... no one can see it. It's messing with my head again...
[But Fang is real, she knows that. Or she... thinks she knows that. Messing with her head indeed. She looks down at her hands idly, the faded blood staining them.]
You were... one of them. The monsters. I thought you were gonna... kill me if I didn't kill you first.
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I believe ya. You wouldn't come after me otherwise. [ Heather's reaction when she realized Fang was real confirms this in her mind. No offense, Heather, but Fang doesn't think you're good enough of an actor to pull that off. She must have lost control of her power again; honestly, that's a little worrying, especially after the recent episode with the dogs.
Here's the moment of truth. Fang keeps her eyes locked on Heather's. Her tone is urgent, but she keeps it under control, trying to walk that line. This is important, and she's not panicking or turning away. ] Heather. Did you fight any other monsters?
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... Yeah. There were... a few, I... I ran from most of them, but... [Her hands begin to shake.] I... killed one. And the others ran.
[There is a dull sense of dread, no longer the frantic terror of earlier. Somehow, this feels more stifling. Killed... It was a person, wasn't it? Not a monster at all. Not one of her monsters.]
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But she also feels a certain amount of responsibility towards Heather. It's not just that she's fond of the kid or her repeated promises to help her, but also because Heather's obviously still in a certain amount of trouble. Losing control, possibly killing someone... those aren't easy things to handle, and uncertainty is always worse than knowing. At least it is for Fang.
She comes to a decision and looks back at Heather. She's matter of fact, confident, as if the right answers really were that easy, and they weren't standing in the middle of Aldale with a blood-stained pipe at their feet. Hullo, my name is Fang and I'm here to take over. ] Alright, here's what we're gonna do.
You know where I live, right? Go to my room. Take a shower, eat something, pace a hole in the carpet, I don't care. Try to calm down. If you're hurt or you just need someone, Vanille and Namine are right next door, in room 27. I'm gonna go find whoever's out there and take care of 'em.
[ She hasn't let go of Heather's shoulders, and she squeezes them lightly, trying to impress on Heather that she's being extremely serious right now. ] This is me helping. This is not me shoving this under the rug. Whatever happened tonight, you are responsible, even if your power went haywire. But this is a school, and if everyone could keep it under control all the time, then nobody would be here. So tomorrow you and I are gonna go to the principal or whoever'd be in charge of this, and I'll back you up. I won't let 'em do anything nuts, but I'm not gonna try and get you out of any punishment. Because you are responsible, even if it ain't your fault.
[ That bears repeating, and Fang pauses for a breath after saying it, wanting it to sink in. That's another thin line, but it's an important one. This whole moment is important: how Heather handles this is going to shape the person she becomes: whether she's someone who runs from things or beats herself up over them or accepts them and tries to learn from them, to name a few. Fang can't quite put that into words, but she senses it, and she's trying to lay out the path for Heather. But she can't make her follow it.
Her tone becomes a bit more gentle, more reassuring, But she's still not taking it easy on her. ] This is important too: you're gonna go to my room, and you're gonna stay there until I get back. [ She lets out a soft breath. ] Guess there's something I should tell you.
[ Technically, Fang knows she could go to Heather's room after she returns, but she has the feeling a change of scenery might do Heather some good. Harder to mope than if she's sitting alone in her own room. Plus the advantage to the teacher's suite is that Heather can get cleaned up or eat without running the risk of running into someone else in the halls. ] You got all that?
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