@fuckthis (text)

[evocation]

hey
so me and wash and gene were gonna go on an adventure in the woods
see what we can find, you know?
but we're looking for a couple of people to bring with us
maybe two or three
gene's a medic, wash is a marine, and i'm a wizard with experience dealing with monsters and nasty magic
anyone that thinks they could round that out would be great
but no serial killers or anyone that would like
murder us in our sleep
and sorry, but no kids yet
i know some of you are gonna argue that, but we have no idea what we're dealing with and we don't want that on our consciences
anyway, let us know
thanks

Comments

( muffled evanescence in the distance )

[evulsed]

I think you're a liar, Mary.

[withsadness]

I think you're a bully!

[evulsed]

If you didn't act like such a coward you wouldn't say that.

I already know what you're capable of— are we really that different?

[withsadness]

[They really aren't that different. But Mary's very stubborn, so she's not going to go along with what he's saying even if he's right.]

If I was such a coward, I'd be afraid of you. But you don't scare me at all!

[evulsed]

But I thought you said the dark was scary.

So which is it?

Are you afraid of the Dark or aren't you?

[withsadness]

Don't be weird.

[evulsed]

I'm not the one pretending to be something I'm not.

[withsadness]

Be quiet.

@witch — audio

[hext]

...Meet me by the church in five minutes. If you're not there, I will be forced to find you, Vanitas.

[evulsed]

Is that a threat? You think I'm afraid of you?

[hext]

Meet me or hide from me. The first will turn out better for you. Your choice.

[evulsed]

As if I would hide! Don't make me laugh.

[hext]

[ chiiiild she left you on read. ]

@replica / audio;

[replicates]

[ the last time something happened to vanitas, sora took the brunt of that fallout. while vanitas likely deserves whatever's coming for all the shit he stirred in this post, he doesn't want sora to go through that same pain again.

so: ]

What are you going to do to him?

[hext]

Rearrange his priorities.

[ MAMA DUCK IS GONNA WRING BABY DUCK'S NECK. HI NICE TO MEET YOU. ]

[replicates]

Sounds about right.

[ but — ]

He's connected to some of us here. Rearrange too much, and someone I know will take the brunt of it.

[ he swallows, clenches the fist he'd held sora's cold and clammy wrist in. ]

... I don't want him to go through that pain again.

[hext]

I won't physically hurt him. We have a... mm. Connection.

[ concerned, however: ]

With whom is he bonded? Did something happen when Vanitas died?

[replicates]

Sora felt it when Vanitas died. The pain from getting torn apart, all of it. Whatever Vanitas felt, so did he.

[ he still doesn't know the exact details of that, but sora's always been an anomaly all on his own. ]

I don't know how you and Vanitas are connected and it doesn't really matter to me. What you do is your choice, but I'd rather leave Sora out of it.

[ a beat. then, ]

Please.

locked.

[hext]

Sora, is it? He won't feel anything.

[ gently, ]

I am not going to harm Vanitas. I never would, intentionally. Now, if Sora happens to feel some measure of shame or embarrassment due to some symbiotic feeling of getting a good scolding and learning a lesson, I... cannot help that.

locked.

[replicates]

... I mean, none of us will say otherwise if you want to rough him up a little.

[ just saying. ]

I think he could handle that, yeah.

locked.

[hext]

[ the replica can likely hear the wry smile in her voice. ]

I'm glad to hear that. I am sorry to have alarmed you. I know you have been through an... emotional rollercoaster, in this post.

My name is Wanda.

locked.

[replicates]

It's fine. I don't really care what anyone else thinks, Sora wanted to tell them our perspective and we just tried to help.

[ to be honest, this conversation is one of the few that actually went okay. ]

I'm Dawn.

locked.

[hext]

It is nice to meet you, Dawn.

[ a beat. ]

For what it's worth, if any of you can fight like Vanitas... and if you work well together... they have missed out on something truly great.

I will not make that mistake.

locked.

[replicates]

[ it is nice to meet you, dawn.

it's strange, having that said to him. he's not riku and he never will be; he's second best, a stand-in and a replacement, something that has outlived his usefulness. he's never what people really want — who needs a fake when the real thing is still here?

things like it's nice to meet you, things like you're someone special to her, those things do not apply for someone like him. ]

Sora and the others have been fighting for a while. We can work well together because some of us have fought each other before, [ lookin' at you, vanitas. ] We know our strengths and weaknesses.

We're not trying to say we're stronger than everyone else here. But we're not going to just sit back just because some adults can't handle seeing someone younger going out to fight.

locked.

[hext]

I have been fighting to survive since I was very small. I understand.

[ the intonation of her voice is soft, but deep. she is complicit with all of them in battle too young, not young enough — war and death do not discriminate between ages. ]

I want you and your friends to remember this, Dawn. No one has told you to sit back once and for all.

What others cannot bear to see, or cannot ask to take orders — that is their weakness. Not yours. Do you understand?