pc: lucas

[sacredpath]

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[faithkept]

[It's so hard to keep your head straight when it's being bombarded with thoughts and feelings and sharp, biting fears that don't really belong to you. Lucas sees the wolf, sees the frightened young girl, and sees Shadowheart just as frozen, and he's left - really wanting to get out of here, first and foremost. The dark corridor is certainly not a welcome sight, even though he thinks, briefly, about Shadowheart's inability to remember back into her past even with the effects from the prior week. Just not having any answers, even then.

It's not like they can move from the memory right now anyway, since he's not about to leave a frightened Shadowheart behind. Instead, he moves nearer, reaching out to lightly touch her arm and speaking as quietly as if he's concerned the figures in the memory may well hear him if he's too loud.]

Shadowheart?

[sacredpath]

[the touch does help. she lets out a breath she was holding.]

Sorry. I'm - the wolf - it's silly, but -

[she's fought demons, monsters, creatures far more powerful than this, but this wolf holds such a place in her nightmares. the mirrored walls reflect it; despite lacking memories of so much else, waking up night after night having dreamed of the wolf that was attacking her. her all-consuming fear, and the reminder to feel grateful to the people who saved her, no matter what else they did to her. wolves always remind her of that fear, she always freezes in terror when she sees them.

but they're still here in this memory, and unlike the dreams, it continues on without them. the woman takes the girl away, but her fear is not abated by this. she keeps turning her head, turning her so she won't see, as the other women in spears surround the wolf and pierce its body. the little girl winces at the wolf's horrible help, feeling sorry for it despite everything.

but she only sees it for a brief moment, before the woman in the hood and mask steers her away - that the wolf transforms back into a man.]

[faithkept]

Fear is never a silly thing.

[It's an automatic sort of statement, like a teacher used to soothing, but one he believes in nonetheless. When a reaction is that strong and immediate, it has a reason behind it. No matter what that reason is, the way that it causes ripples in a person's very stability is something he doesn't think should be waved away.

But the memory continues on, and Lucas experiences it a bit absently, his attention momentarily divided between the Shadowheart at his side and the Shadowheart haunted by wolves. It's only when the wolf changes shape into something else entirely that his attention is drawn more strongly forward, and his eyes widen in - confusion, first, and surprise.]

—What in the world...?

[sacredpath]

I - I don't know.

[she doesn't understand what's going on. or at least, she has barely more context for it than he does. her context is that it's not unheard of for people to transform into animals where she's from, she knows druids, she knows of people with curses like lycanthropy. but she doesn't have any idea why there's a person here. an elven man, older, with long dark hair. the resemblance is pretty clear, and he reaches for the girl, and he calls out a name - Jenevelle.

but then the memory is over; the girl is taken away, she doesn't see anymore, she doesn't see what happens to him, so the memory can't continue.]

[faithkept]

[The pizza argument is coming back to haunt in the worst way... He blinks as the memory wraps up, ending there, and one hand raises to rest briefly over his own heart.]

...Do you recall that name?

[From when she was even smaller than the distrustful little Shadowheart that hid in the bushes like a rabbit.]

[sacredpath]

[shaking her head.]

I don't. I don't remember any of this.

[faithkept]

[There's a little, discomforted pause as he sits with what he wants to say for a second, but eventually:]

You became small again in the middle of the debate - I don't know if you remember it... But back then, when you were asked for your name, you gave that one.

[sacredpath]

Did I?

[it's an odd feeling, to be so disconnected from your own past. she takes a breath as they leave.]

I suppose I wanted to know my history, but... if I did have family looking for me, I don't know what that means. Where they are now, if they're even still alive.

[faithkept]

You did. [Just quiet confirmation, walking alongside her and glancing toward the mirrors - toward the corridor that had felt so unwelcoming.

There's a little beat of silence after he looks back toward her.]

...Would they have had any reason to have taken you from your family? The people from that night.

[sacredpath]

[hmmm. she has to consider it...]

Well, yes. I mean, I don't know specifically, but I wouldn't put abducting children past the Mother Superior. I only wonder, if they did, why they never looked for me.

[actually, a thought does occur to her, but it's a bit of a scary one. she only partly voices it.]

I did read once about... a particular town, that had children going missing. They suspected Sharrans were abducting them.

[faithkept]

[He isn't going to blaspheme her god, but he is kind of like, girl the body of the faith itself is not looking so hot.]

Do you think you may be among the missing? [He just voices the obvious conclusion, frowning, troubled.] ...If there are so many missing pieces to your recollection and you don't even remember how you got to that forest, I don't think it's out of the question...

[sacredpath]

I don't think it is, either.

[which is troubling? bad? to say the least.]

I always thought at least I ought to be grateful to them for taking me in when no one else wanted me, but if even that is a lie...

[she's sad but more than that she's furious.]

[faithkept]

[TO SAY THE LEAST. Fury is fair. He too would be furious, but since it isn't him, he's mostly just sad.]

...I fear this week might be difficult for you, but I hope that, if nothing else, you may find a few more answers to the questions that you've had. [...] But what will you do if you find it to be a lie?

[sacredpath]

I don't know. I really don't. But I want them to tell me what they took from me.

[and they aren't going to do that willingly.]

[faithkept]

[He's also looking a little disconcerted about it, since he's correctly assuming they'd be pretty hard to pull information from.]

Do you intend to do so on your return? To demand those answers...?

[sacredpath]

I imagine they'll come after me one way or another, so I suspect I shall have to.

[but she wants to, too. but also, give me a memory, too?]

[faithkept]

Then I'll pray that you're able to reach the conclusion that you desire with them.

[Whether that's getting answers or getting revenge if need be or both or more.

But the mirrors will start to play another memory after he speaks.]

[sacredpath]

[well. holy shit, man.

she's seen some violent memories, and experienced plenty of violence herself, but it just isn't what she expected from lucas, who seems so calm and peaceful. on the other hand, she truly would not begrudge anyone taking out their piece of shit parents, so she mostly just watches him to see what his reaction is before she decides what to say.]

[faithkept]

[The violence inherent in the blond twinks...

Lucas is just kind of watching the mirrors with a little, displeased frown, but otherwise doesn't seem too perturbed by anything crossing the glass.]

Again... [The mirrors do like showing this one for whatever reason. He sighs a little, not really waiting for it to end before he glances over toward Shadowheart. He doesn't turn to look at her more fully or speak until it tapers off, though.]

This isn't the situation in the way that I experienced it.

[sacredpath]

One of last week's memories...?

[or no, something else, some other crazy thing?]

[faithkept]

[Surely not some other crazy thing!]

I assume it must be something like that. It's the strangest thing... Sometimes these mirrors will show me things that have certainly never happened to me before, and others times they show things like this, where parts are similar, but not the whole of it.

[sacredpath]

[she just believes him, why wouldn't she. concerned...]

What do you remember happening, then?

[faithkept]

[He just kind of pauses for a second, because there is still violence, which he regrets having to share, but.]

I did kill my parents. But they were in direct pursuit of my sister and myself, and the orphanage that sheltered us was at risk because of it.

[sacredpath]

[girl she will never judge a little murder if the person being murdered was an asshole who deserved it.]

...That does sound very different - of course you'd protect your sister from that. [don't even WORRY about murdering for that.] This was almost as though you were disagreeing on some sort of mission.

[faithkept]

[He also wouldn't judge a little murder for good reason but SOMETIMES... Sometimes you don't like admitting you supermurdered your parents, even if they were insane.]

My father was very obsessed with notions he's had in his head for quite a long time, that much is also true... [RELIVERS!!!] We clashed over many points before I left with Nadia.