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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 9:16:30 GMT -5
Sam’s hesitation, she guessed, was either due to fear of the water or the influence of one of the others—most likely Winter, who made most of the important decisions in their lives. She still didn’t know exactly how it worked sometimes, but she could guess, and she tried her best to be understanding. Right now, they needed to get home, and yet she knew she couldn’t push Sam too much. She had to be patient with him. Which was why she waded back to the edge of the river and put her hand on his shoulder, speaking softly. “It’s okay, sugar. I know it’s scary, but I promise the water is fine. Just hold onto me. Look, see? The portal is right there. All we have to do is step over it and we’ll be back home.”
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 9:28:39 GMT -5
“It’s just a trick to keep people away from the river. It isn’t actually going that fast,” Romi explained, moved her hand from his shoulder to his hair. “It’s okay, you don’t need to swim. I’ll do all the swimming for you. Put your arms around my shoulders and I can keep you floating.” It was a common way that she used to swim with Aries, when she was little and too small to keep herself up in deeper water. She would hold onto him and let him pull her through the water, let him keep her head above the surface. It required trust, though, and she didn’t know if Sam would let her.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 29, 2020 9:49:56 GMT -5
Winter's refusal of the idea was growing stronger, and Sam guessed that it wouldn't be long before they Switched. If that happened, then they wouldn't get near the portal until someone else took over again. Romi seemed ready to get home, so it wouldn't be fair keeping her here while Winter sat out and refused to go anywhere. So, slowly, he nodded and reached out to her. "I'll try, but I'm not focused too good. Winter's near," he told her. If he switched mid-walk to the portal, he might stop or become dead weight for a moment. If Winter took over while in the water, who knew what might happen, so he wanted Romi to be a little prepared.
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 10:24:47 GMT -5
Romi knew that they were in a bit of a predicament right now. Sam was willing to try, but Winter didn’t want anything to do with the river. She didn’t blame him for being afraid and it normally wouldn’t have been a problem, except that she didn’t want to be stuck in this place much longer. Anything could show up to hurt them, magical creatures that she didn’t know a thing about. If it weren’t for that, she simply would have stayed on shore and tried to negotiate with Winter. She didn’t think she could risk waiting, though. “Give it your best try,” was what she said, with a small smile. “And Winter, if you can hear me, then just trust me for a minute. I won’t let anyone get hurt.” Waited until she felt his arms around her shoulders, put her hands over his arms to keep them there, and started to walk. It wasn’t so bad, felt more like wading through a still pond or pool than a river. Still, she was trying to move quickly, because she didn’t want Winter to surface and start freaking out.
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 10:47:09 GMT -5
Romi was glad that only she would have to make contact with the portal, which meant they could go through together and she wouldn’t have to leave Sam behind or be the one to stay behind herself. The water grew deep enough that she truly did have to swim, but she was right above the portal’s light now, and it was as simple as letting her feet land on top of it. A faint shimmer, the odd sensation that she was floating, and then the hard surface of the ground met her feet.
But she wasn’t where she planned to go, her apartment that had been on her mind, and where they should have ended up. No, they were somewhere entirely foreign. A house of some sort, though certainly not one she recognized. Made from dark, aged wood, warm and cozy with a fire that crackled in the hearth nearby. There was plenty of soft furniture scattered around, a loveseat and two armchairs, all covered with old quilts. A painting of a waterfall hung above the fireplace. A bookcase was overstuffed with dusty, leather bound tomes that were etched with titles she’d never heard of. There were no walls separating the tiny kitchen to the left or the little bedroom to the right. The house only seemed to have one door, which she assumed was the bathroom.
No one was around.
Irritated, Romi was beginning to grow impatient at the amount of nonsense that seemed to be going on as of late. She didn’t want to be dragged around to strange, magical places. Least of all with a vulnerable Sam at her side. Speaking of which—she turned to make sure that he was okay. “Are you hurt, sugar? Any cuts?” Portaling wasn’t typically dangerous, but occasionally the landings could be rough for those not used to it.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 29, 2020 11:10:50 GMT -5
By the time they reached the portal and walked through, Sam had retreated into their Inner World and Winter was once more in control of the body. Luckily for him, he didn't become fully aware of everything until they were safely out of the river in inside a building once more. However, he wasn't entirely sure where they were. "Romi, what the hell is going on? Where are we?" Winter asked, looking about them. Briefly he glanced at the flowers in his hands, but that was the least concerning part of this scene. His pants were wet, his suit was covered in dirt and mud, and they were no where near the party.
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 11:28:36 GMT -5
Winter, as eloquent with his words as always. Although Romi appreciated that he cut right to the chase for once. “Not a clue,” she answered as she tried to wring the water out of her dress, unconcerned with getting the wooden floorboards wet. To be honest, she really didn’t care about much right now, aside from keeping Winter and the others safe, as well as getting home somehow. Briefly, she relayed everything that had happened until now. “We fell through a fountain at the party and wound up in a forest. It must have been some kind of portal. I couldn’t make one to get us back, but we met a forest guardian named Inika and they told me about one that should’ve taken us home. You know, while somehow already knowing our names and telling me the spirits like to gossip about us or something.”
The key word being should’ve. She didn’t know what went wrong. So here they were in a strange house, in a strange place, soaking wet and covered in mud.
Her first instinct was to check the only door available, but when she opened it, she was greeted only with more questions. A long hallway stretched before her, seemingly endless, but there were no other doors. “Oh, great. An endless hallway. Why not? It’s not like I wanted to go home,” she huffed and ran her hands through her ruined hair, across her face. Makeup smudged along her skin and at this point, she couldn’t even bring herself to care. She was exhausted and confused and just wanted to sleep.
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 14:56:43 GMT -5
“Honestly, Winter, I don’t know. The portal didn’t send us home. I have no clue where we are, I don’t have any cell service and I can’t contact Aries or Gil. I don’t know how to get back to them,” Romi said in a frustrated rush of words that left her head pounding with an oncoming headache and her eyes sore. She didn’t often lose her cool, but she was now—unable to get back home, soaking wet, her face aching, without a clear idea of how to contact her brother or Gil for help. It wasn’t panic so much as it was her just being upset at the situation. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, but it didn’t help as much as she thought it would.
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 15:36:36 GMT -5
Chill out?
That was a phrase Romi never expected to hear coming from a man like Winter. Which was quite humorous, given his name. In fact, as she took the flowers, she stifled a somewhat weak laugh, turned the flowers over in her hand thoughtfully. Sam would be pleased that they’d survived the trip. Unfortunately, his moth friends hadn’t followed them back. Probably for the best that they stay where they were meant to be, really. Thinking for a few minutes didn’t lead her any closer to an answer, but it did help her calm down. Enough that she knew being upset would get her nowhere.
“Okay, I’m chill now. Sorry. Just a little frustrated,” she sighed. A sharp pain in her hand caught her off guard and she let out a startled yelp as she dropped the flowers. The flowers that were not quite so flower-like now. Each petal split away from the center, left the stems and leaves behind, and turned into what she could only describe as spiders. Still brightly colored and glowing, but eight-legged with too many eyes to count. She fought the urge to step on them as they scattered in a hundred different directions—perhaps the flowers shouldn’t have been taken from their home, either. Instead, she clutched her hand tightly with her free one, the pain hot and intense.
“Spiders. Alright. What’s next? Is a giant monster going to eat me? How about a troll guarding a bridge, huh? Winter, this place is going to drive me mad and I’m supposed to be the magic one.”
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 29, 2020 18:42:34 GMT -5
Winter watched as she took the flowers. It was better for him to focus on the familiar because if he didn't, he was sure he was going to start to freak out as well. Truth be told, he had no idea what they were going to do. It appeared that their only choice was to enter the hallway, but that was a giant nope from him. He was sure the moment he stepped foot in there, flashbacks would be triggered and he would lose his mind. But what else could they do? Didn't Romi say her magic wasn't working?
At her cry of pain, his attention snapped back to the here and now. The flowers were no more. Instead, spiders were crawling along the ground. He wasn't squeamish about bugs, but the cry Romi let out did concern him. "What did you do? Get bit?" he asked, stepping closer to the witch to see what had happened.
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 19:21:15 GMT -5
Romi didn’t want to enter the hallway, either. At this point, she knew that it would only lead them deeper into this bizarre situation they’d found themselves in. Her thumb ached where it had been bitten and she was thankful that the flowers didn’t change while they’d been in Sam’s hand. Inika was right after all, then. They did like Sam, but clearly, disliked her equally. It hurt worse than it looked. The bite was almost invisible to the eye, save for a small red mark, and her skin remained the same. She figured it was a good sign that there was no reddening rash or bruising, which were serious signs of venom. Other than feeling sore, she didn’t feel anything else.
“Yeah, one bit me,” she mumbled and held up her hand, though there wasn’t much to see. “I’m okay, I think. What do you think we should do? Our only option is going through that hallway, but I don’t have any ideas where it might lead.”
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 20:01:47 GMT -5
“It’s worth a try,” Romi agreed, though she could only hope that it would work this time. As the pain in her finger faded, she approached the closest wall, and put hands against it. Closed her eyes and focused hard on her own magic, tried to summon it in the form that she needed it most: a portal. She didn’t want them to have to stay in this bizarre place and certainly didn’t like the idea of traveling into the unknown, completely unprepared at danger’s mercy. The tug of magic was familiar to her, as she opened her eyes. There was no portal, but she could feel whatever was preventing her from making one loosening. Here, it was weak. She just needed to push against it a little more, break past it—
A sharp jolt ran through her body and she yanked her hands away from the wall. Akin to being shocked by a frayed wire, she felt a shiver run down her spine. “There’s a barrier. Some sort of spell. I felt it. It doesn’t stop me from using magic, but I can’t make a portal.” It was odd, that she could still use whatever spells she wanted to, except those designed for escape or travel. At that moment, she had an idea. “Wait. Let me try something else. I just need—oh, there’s one.”
A mirror, on top of the fireplace mantel. A small one, but that was all she needed. She pushed it into Winter’s hands. “Can you hold this for me, sugar? I might be able to contact Aries like this. Cross your fingers that it works.”
Once again, she focused all of her magic into this single spell, but unlike before, there was no invisible barrier to hold her back. The surface of the mirror rippled and shifted, until the image cleared, and a familiar room became visible. Aries’s hotel bathroom. Loudly, she called, “Aries? Can you hear me?”
Cell Phones were far more reliable. Connections could be fuzzy using this type of magic, but they didn’t have much of a choice.
There was a shuffling sound, the squeal of a door, and a face popped up in the mirror’s glass. Not Aries, but Gil. He looked worried and exhausted. Dark circles beneath his eyes and stubble that hadn’t been shaved in days. His eyes widened when he saw her. “Romi? Is that you? Where are you? Where are the others? Sam, Winter? Derek?”
It wasn’t like Gil to blurt out so much at once. He looked and sounded truly frightened.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 29, 2020 21:01:17 GMT -5
Out of reflex, Winter stepped forward when Romi's attempt to summon of portal backfired. For the second time in just a few minutes, the woman had given sounds of pain, only this time he figured there was more risk of danger than with the spiders. Magic was still foreign and unknown to him, so it was possible that there were more things that could go wrong. "Well, that's just great," Winter muttered. So there really was no choice but the hallway, was there? The idea settled badly with him, twisting his stomach into knots. But then Romi had turned and was searching the room for something else. If his energy levels were higher than they currently were, then he might have tried to keep up with her.
He looked down at the item he had been given: a mirror. Just a small, hand-held mirror, but appartently it would work for whatever Romi had in mind. He waited in silence as the witch did her thing. The next thing he knew, Gil's voice floated in through the glass. Okay, that was surprising. "We're here," the boy called out, noting the scared tone. Now that was even more surprising. "Tired and ready to burn this suit, but here."
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 21:20:54 GMT -5
“Thank the gods you’re both okay. We’ve—we’ve been looking for you two for weeks. Some pixie came screaming after us at the party, saying you’d fallen into a fountain and disappeared—” Gil’s voice cut out a little. The connection was weak and for a moment, Romi feared that it was going to give out at any second.
“Weeks?” There was no way—no, not more than a day had passed by for them. It wasn’t even morning yet, as far as she could tell. However, different places worked in different ways, and it was quite possible that it had been weeks back home. It made her heart clench with fear. As much as she wanted to comfort the man that was like a second older brother to her, they didn’t have the time. Nor did she have time to freak out. As quickly as she could, she gave him a rundown of the events that had followed. “We need your help getting back. I can’t make a portal.”
“No, stop. What did you say that creature’s name was? The one who gave you directions?” Gil stopped her to ask.
“Inika?”
“Romi, Winter, I need you both to listen very carefully,” Gil said, very slowly. “That’s the name of a—”
He never got to finish his sentence, because at that moment, the surface of the mirror shattered. Tiny shards that ruined the image of the man’s face.
Romi moves forward in desperation, but it was too late. The mirror was broken and though she tried to put it back together using magic, it didn’t work. “No!”
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 29, 2020 21:44:37 GMT -5
Weeks? They've been gone weeks? Surely not. He never stayed out of control of the body for more than a day. There was no way he missed weeks while he was briefly inside. Of course, he also didn't know that they were in an entirely different plain of existence either. Winter tried to look over the edge of the mirror to see Gil without blocking Romi's view, becoming more concerned with each word spoken. At the time, though, the surface of the mirror shattered. Without thinking, Winter dropped the mirror and reeled back. None of the shards had flown off in his direction, but that still didn't lessen the impact of his reflexes. Act first, think later. That's how they kept safe.
There was a moment a silence as the boy willed his heart rate to settle down. Then he cursed. "This is exactly why I didn't want to go to that stupid party!" he muttered, irritation tinging his words. "All it got us was some nonsense prophecy and a one way ticket to this hell hole! Nothing good comes from dealing with magic."
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 29, 2020 22:06:24 GMT -5
Nothing good comes from dealing with magic.
Winter was upset, as he had every right to be. He never wanted to go to the party in the first place; he didn’t like people or crowds. Yet, even knowing all of that, Romi couldn’t help the instinctive flash of pain that filtered across her face and swelled in her chest. Not once did she forget how much he suffered at the hands of his demon father nor did she expect those wounds to heal quickly, but she herself was magic. Everything about who she was—and who she wanted to be—revolved around magic. By saying that nothing good could come from it was the same as telling her directly that she, as a person, was bad. It was an insult that was difficult not to take personally. That she would only bring him pain. For all she knew, it could have been true. It probably was.
Am I that bad?
Romi didn’t know what to do now. She flopped down onto one of the arm chairs and pulled her legs up to her chest, cold and upset in her muddy dress. “I didn’t know this would happen,” she mumbled, because all she could offer was the truth. Their only option for escape was the hallway, but somehow, she doubted it would lead them anywhere good. She grabbed the quilt off the back of the chair and tucked it around herself, burrowing so far into it that all she could see was darkness. Exhausted from moving and using magic and being cheerful. Hurt over words that weren’t entirely an insult. She felt drained completely.
Aries and Gil would know how to respond, how to get out of this, but she didn’t. She wasn’t even half as good at magic as they were.
“I didn’t ask for this, Winter. I wanted to go and have fun. Maybe let Sam eat a bunch of sweets and see if Derek wanted to dance. If I thought this would happen, I wouldn’t have brought you there at all.”
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 30, 2020 13:14:26 GMT -5
Things were certainly a mess right then, both physically and mentally. Winter had a storm of emotions going on inside his head that he wasn't fully aware of everything that was going on. It wasn't until Romi had buried herself under the quilt and gave her apology that he seemed to catch a glimpse that something was off. He paused and took a moment to try to pick apart what was happening.
As someone who understand the full impact that words hold, the alter normally tried not to say things too harmful. He was blunt and not afraid to say what he thought, but as far as saying things to purposefully make someone feel horrible was something he didn't do. So hearing the dejected tone in Romi's voice shook him. However, he didn't really know what it was that he said that made the change in behavior. Now, he knew that the right choice would be to just back away from the subject, to figure out how to get out and not start placing blame when there was no blame to be had. An apology might have been in order, but he had already apologized for one day, or a few weeks apparently, and he wasn't keen on giving another one so soon. That wasn't the case.
Someone was close to the front, however, communication between the alters right now wasn't the best. Under the amount of stress they've been experiencing, it wasn't a strange occurrence for them to not know where the others were or who's feelings and thoughts were merging with theirs. This was one of those times. Someone was trying to be, or was, co-conscious with him, but he wasn't entirely sure who it was. Not at first anyway. He heard himself speak, but the voice and the words weren't his. "It seems that you have a lot of these moments. Perhaps you should learn how to keep your mouth shut." For, unknown to Winter, Xoros had been brought forward, perhaps due to the strong forces of magic around them. He wasn't in control, but he was close enough, and Winter was dissociating enough for the demon to gain small amounts of control over thoughts and actions. There was a need to see her hurt, to make her regret what she had done. There was a hunger to prove that she wasn't as good natured as she claimed to be.
(I've been watching a lot about DID, learning a lot more of alters and how things work, and there's so much I want to incorporate into their system. However, I feel like I need to explain a lot and get your input on things before I implement them, just so I'm not doing anything to derail the plot too much or do anything that you're not okay with. Mainly what I want to add is only effecting the alters themselves, but I still feel like I have to give an explanation of what is happening for both educational reasons and so you can call me out if I accidentally have any false information. XD If you want, I can tell you some of the ideas. Or, if you'd rather wait until we reach a slower portion of the plot to discuss things, that'll be fine too. ^^ )
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 30, 2020 13:49:33 GMT -5
[[ Honestly you probably know more about DID than I do at this point, but I’m open to any and all of your ideas! I don’t think they’ll really affect the overarching plot in a bad way, if anything they might make it more interesting. Most of the plot really involves Romi and the alters uncovering really old secrets, so it’s open for change and additions. So we can discuss them now if you want to! ]]
“Perhaps you should learn a thing or two about common courtesy. You’re being rude,” she snapped back, but there was no real hatred in the words. Irritation, of course, but not anger. Despite everything that was being said to her, she couldn’t find it in herself to hold them against Winter. He was, after all, a severely damaged man. Emotionally and physically affected by the nasty influence and abuse of his demon father. That may not have excused his actions, but it was the knowledge that fueled most of her decisions when it came to how she chose her own words. “If we didn’t go, it would have been a problem, anyway. It’s a problem now. There are some situations where there is no wrong or right answer, you know. And I’m not psychic.”
The harsh words didn’t sound much like Winter, but at this point, he might have been too frustrated to think about what he was saying. Anyone could say nasty things when they were under such severe amounts of stress. She wouldn’t hold a grudge over it, wouldn’t blame him, no matter how much it hurt her feelings.
“I’m trying to be a good friend, okay? I want you to have a good life. This—I’m sorry about this, but I’ll figure out a way to get us back and you can yell at me all you want once we’re safe,” she promised quietly, because it was the truth, and all she could think of. “Just stop for now, please. I need some rest.”
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 30, 2020 16:16:10 GMT -5
(Okay. I actually have several ideas that I think might just add some diverse interactions. The first is expanding on Xoros's creation and function, which gives a little more insight of why he is/he's role in the system. The second is having Winter's creation and back story be brought up, which could offer him and Romi a bit of bonding. And it could lead into the creation of a new alter, who I do want to run by you to see if you'd be okay with her. There's a lot of info around all of these, so which do you want to hear about first? XD)
"And what makes you think that we're friends?" He asked. Winter had floated away from the controls, not completely, but he couldn't stop the words leaving the body's mouth.
Along with the slow change in co-conciousness, his physical appearance was changing as well. Eyes turned red, teeth sharpened into fangs, and nails grew to look more like claws. It was a full shift since Xoros wasn't in full control, but it was clear that it was possible a switch was going to happen. Even his voice dropped to a deeper pitch.
"If I leave you to solve this mess, then there's a good chance that that things will get worse. What with your track record. Nothing you do regarding magic seems to work out it seems. Sleep all you want, but I will not leave it fate in the hands of some untrained, foolish witch."
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 30, 2020 16:40:08 GMT -5
[[ lmao, that is a lot. let’s see. how about we start with winter’s backstory, then xorros’s, and after that, we can talk about your idea for introducing a new alter? i love all these ideas, by the way, and i’m super excited to hear all the details! ]]
Winter didn’t talk like that. He didn’t refute her claims that they were friends much these days and he never, at least to her knowledge, called her a foolish witch. It was bizarre behavior and she narrowed her eyes under the blanket. Slowly but surely, she lifted the quilt to look at him, and was greeted with a sight that didn’t surprise her in the least. Red eyes, pointy fangs and claws that could tear easily through flesh. The appearance of a classic demon. “Xorros,” she greeted, with a slight sigh as she flung the quilt away and rose to her feet. “Should’ve known it was you this whole time. Winter isn’t anywhere as mean as you. He knows how to be nice, unlike you.”
As she stood to face him, she crossed her arms over her chest and scowled in his general direction. “And you’re right. You and I aren’t friends. But the others are my friends and nothing you say will change that. Besides, I doubt burning this place down will get you any closer to escaping, so you might be relying on this foolish witch either way.” As much as she wanted to get to know the demon and become his friend, he didn’t seem the type to want friends of any kind. He was cruel and careless with his words, disliked her already, and had no intentions of ever being nice. Becoming his friend seemed like an impossible task.
She didn’t want to give up so easily, though, nor did she want to lounge around while he insulted her. “You better be careful. If any of the others get hurt because of you, I’ll make sure you regret it,” she hissed as she stepped closer to him, glared up at him, hands on her hips. “You think you’re all big and scary, but you’re about as terrifying as a piece of pocket lint. All you have are mean words and some claws.”
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 30, 2020 20:59:03 GMT -5
(Lol, okay. I won't go into a whole lot of details because I believe that it would be better to have Winter explain a lot of his backstory. But I will try to summarize the technical side of how it works with DID. Before I do, I will say that I do not fully understand the science behind it. The video I watched explaining it, How Integration Works by DissociaDID (The system I watch the most and is wonderful in explaining how DID works and effects life) does a much better job at breaking it down and I highly recommend watching it if you want to. This is just my summarized understanding of it.
So in a system, alters can do one of two things, split, go dormant, or integrate. Normally when someone is under high stress or goes through a traumatic experience, that someone will split into a new alter. Any alter can split, no matter who it is. Alters can also go dormant, which is basically how it sounds. They don't die, but rather go into a sort of inactive hibernation. Sometimes they might become active again, or they may just remain dormant. Now, if my understanding is correct, integration happens either when alters have come to terms with their trauma/have healed enough to cope or when alters cannot cope with the traumatic experiences on their own. This results in two alters fusing together to create one new person. Winter is a product of an integration. He remembers the day he was created, as well as all the memories from the other two alters who integrated. Integration is normally something that no one wants or asks for, and it is both stressful and hard to come to terms with. I figured it would be a nice subject for him to open up about to Romi, and she can finally have a better understanding of why he's the way he is.)
By having Romi acknowledge his presence, it seemed to solidify his hold over the body. Slowly but surely the rest of the physical changes completed. Skin turned a shade of purple, ram horns curling on the side of his head. Winter was no longer co-conscious, but he was still near, that much he could tell. The demon smirked at her words, unaffected by the chastising he was given. "Oh, I'm sure you will," he sneered, more amused than anything. Her threats meant nothing to him. Unlike the others, he had full knowledge and use of him magic. He was more than capable of using it to defend himself.
He turned away from her, walking towards the entrance to the hallway. "You also forget, witch, that I'm a demon. I don't need to rely on you for anything, unlike the others. They're too scared and weak to tap into their magic. A waste really. If only they could put in the effort, they might make something themselves. But no, instead they're determined to let a witch fight their battles for them. Pathetic." The way he spoke of the others was very similar to the way their father spoke, both in how he talked as well as the disgusted disappointment held within the tone.
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 30, 2020 21:40:28 GMT -5
[[ ooohhh, that’s so interesting! poor winter, i can definitely see this leading to him and Romi bonding a little more. so quick question, if you don’t mind answering, did two alters integrate and become winter because they healed and came to terms, or because they couldn’t handle all the trauma? i’m assuming the latter, since their childhood was so bad, but i just want to be sure.
also, because i’m curious, would there ever be a chance of all the alters integrating back into one singular person? of course something like that could take years to happen (if ever, i’m guessing), so i’m sure it’s unlikely. ]]
“And you forget that magic is temperamental. How much effort have you actually put into practicing it? From what I’ve heard, you’ve rarely fronted and shown yourself,” Romi shot back, but she wasn’t too concerned over his use of magic. So long as he didn’t do anything wildly out of control that might get the others hurt. With a silent, deep breath, she brushed past him and toward the seemingly endless hallway. Peered down it to see if she could find the end, but of course, it looked like it kept going forever. “Magic takes time to master. I’ve spent my whole life studying it, but excuse me if combat spells aren’t my specialty.”
His disgusted tone earned him a fierce, nasty glare from the witch in question as she turned to look over her shoulder. “Don’t call them pathetic. You have no idea how strong they are. Whether you like it or not, you’re a part of them,” she pointed out. “Learn to coexist and maybe you’d be a bit happier.”
As if that would happen.
Pointedly, she started down the hall, and mostly expected him to follow. Not like there was anywhere else to go. Although, she picked up the quilt from the chair before she went and wrapped it around her shoulders. She was so cold that her bare feet were beginning to go numb. Away from the coziness of the fireplace, it was harder to stay warm in her soaked dress. The entire place seemed colder every step into the hall she took. Somewhere down the corridor, a door banged open against the wall, and she froze. No one stepped out, though she didn’t let her guard down. “Well, we’re in for a fun trip,” she grumbled to the demon. “Magical, endless hallways and doors that open by themselves. Perfect way to have some friendly bonding time.”
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 30, 2020 22:11:47 GMT -5
(They integrated because they couldn't handle the trauma. One alter was a trauma holder who held most of the mistreatment memories. The other alter was an EP, an Emotional Part who held no trauma whatsoever. However, considering the amount of trauma that they experience on a daily basis, he soon to became aware of the treatment and had trouble coming to terms with it. At the same time, they were trying to gain the trust of the trauma holder they integrated with, thus probably the reason why those two fused instead of someone else.
I've actually wondered that myself, especially with a system like theirs who only have a handful of alters. I haven't seen any videos describing that happening yet, but I want to say that it might, key word being might, be possible. Like you say, it might take years, possibly the rest of their lives, but I think that it's possible. It's probably very, very rare if it happens, but I would say there's a small chance. Again, don't take my word for it since I am no where near knowledgeable enough in the subject to make any assumptions like that. That's just my musings.)
"Just because I never front does not mean I haven't been practicing," Xoros informed her. "The world in which I live is just as real as the one you do. I've spent my entire existence learning and perfecting my magic. I possibly know more about it than you want to admit I do. In fact, I know a lot more than any of them do about this world of ours. My memories consist of the Underworld and the workings of us demons."
"As for coexisting, I've lived in the shadows for long enough. They cared little of my presence, so why shouldn't I have a turn doing as I please for once?" the demon asked, following the girl into the hallway without an ounce of hesitation. This actually reminded him of the place he lived, so the fear and misgivings it gave to Romi were not shared by him.
While she had told him that burning the place down wouldn't help solve the mess they were in, that didn't mean he didn't call forth flames anyway. No, he didn't try to engulf the walls and turn them to ashed. Rather, orbs of contained flames appeared in the air, floating above their heads and illuminating the path before them. He wasn't scared of the dark. He just lit the path because he enjoyed the rush of magic that came with casting the spells. It felt different using magic in the body than it did on the Inside. It felt nice. "You complain far too much. No one asked you to come. You could have stayed where it was nice and cozy by the fire."
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Post by 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓮 on Mar 31, 2020 11:40:59 GMT -5
[[ oooh, i see. i think that makes a lot of sense and i would love to incorporate that into the rp. i love learning more about DID from you and seeing how all the alters react with each other and Romi, it’s super interesting.
i think i’ve only heard of it happening in one recorded case from a psychology class i was in a while ago? but like you said, i’m sure it would be a very rare and long process. ]]
“No asked for your attitude,” Romi retorted, though she eyed the orbs of fire with some slight amount of wariness. While he didn’t seem like he might set the walls ablaze, she doubted very much that he would listen to her if he truly wanted to destroy the place. His use of magic was rather skillful, she had to admit, but she wasn’t sure exactly how advanced it might be or how easily he might let his control slip. A single error was all it took for magic to go haywire. “Anyway, I’m not going to argue if you want some time in the spotlight. My only concern is that you don’t pay attention to how your actions affect the others. You don’t care about them, but I do. Watch yourself and don’t get into trouble, then you and I won’t have any issues.”
Not necessarily true, but if Xorros behaved properly and didn’t fling himself into chaos, she would leave him alone. So long as what he chose to do didn’t hurt her friends.
The door that opened on its own, as she grew closer, led to a room that was entirely empty. There was nothing but darkness inside, even with the light from the orbs creeping past the entryway. While the dark didn’t frighten her, she knew better than to step blindly into the unknown, and chose to continue down the hall. Tried to open doors to see what was inside. Some were locked, others revealed the same darkness, and one opened up into a similar room as before, with a fireplace and kitchen. No exits, as far as she could see.
The hall came to a split the further down they moved: they could keep going forward or head right. She tried to focus to see which way would probably be best, but in the end, she wasn’t sure. Right seemed like the best option, so she turned that way.
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