deercountry | Catch-All for June

Entry tags:

Catch-All for June

Who: Willow Rosenberg (

frogfear)
What: Catch all and event prompts
When: June!
Where: Various

Content Warnings: Nightmares, amnesia, mentions of blood, implied death and violence

1 - Archives - Remina

[It's been nearly three months since her death at Maul's hands had stolen her memories of Trench from her. Three months, and Willow remembers bits and pieces of her time in the Waking World, but it isn't much, and conventional solutions don't seem to be yielding much in terms of results.

Sometimes she remembers brief moments - Ozpin handing her a cup of hot cocoa in the library at home, Tara sitting on the bed in the room they used to share with a smile, even though she can't remember exactly what the conversation was, or brief snippets of conversation with Faith over a drink.

It's frustrating to say the least, and well past time to start actively looking for a solution, and while she is still reluctant to trust the Pthumerians after everything she's heard, and everything that's happened since she crawled out of the ocean again in February, which she still isn't sure isn't some bizarre joke of Mariana's.

Still, Remina doesn't seem to object to sharing knowledge as long as the seeker is kind to her, and even though it seems strange that one being has an archive of the memories of every single event throughout history, Willow decides it's worth the risk.

Throughout June, she can be found in the Archives at a table with Remina on her shoulder, showing her the things she's forgotten. As soon as someone approaches, the Pthumerian winks out of existence, and Willow looks up with either a small forced smile, or simply an awkward one, depending on the memory she's just seen.]

Oh, um. Hey.

2 - Nightmares (cw: blood, implied death)

[Willow doesn't sleep much any more, and even when she does sleep, she's usually wolfwalking, or, this month, Omenwalking thanks to the influence of her necromancer friend who seems to only prefer titles, or aliases. She doesn't usually dream. Not outside of meditation and dreamwalking in someone else's mind at least.

It seems to come on suddenly anywhere throughout the month. In the Archives, as she zones out reading a book, or at the Ritual Gig while she tidies the shelves, at home, during a meal, or anywhere else she pauses as her mind starts to wander. Her eyes drift shut and she suddenly finds herself in the woods, not far from the mansion in Gaze.

She's already nervous, something doesn't feel right. She shouldn't be here, and she doesn't want to be here, especially not alone. Big flakes of snow drift to the ground around her, quickly accumulating, and it's so silent, that is the only sound until she begins to walk; to try to find her way back, and she can feel the crunch of snow and ice beneath her feet.

It takes a couple steps for her to realize she's on four legs, not just two, and she realizes she's the wolf, small, and red with the heightened senses that come along with this form. She sniffs the air, and she smells blood. She smells danger. She smells death.

She moves from a walk to a lope, to a flat out run as the underbrush tugs at her fur. The wind kicks up with an eerie howl, and the snow is suddenly deep enough that she has to bound, rather than run to keep her pace up as the flakes begin to fall smaller, and faster, and far less peaceful.

Willow doesn't see her attacker, so much as feels the ominous presence as the trees warp, and weave together like a wall to prevent her from fleeing. Her head whips back and forth, watching for the threat, her lips pulled back in a warning growl. She can't run, all that's left is to stand and and fight, even as her feet feel rooted to the spot as she tries to turn to face the unseen threat.

All four of her feet lift from the ground as she's pulled by some unseen force and her back hits something warm, and solid as arms grip her flailing body, pinning her still. She feels hands grip her neck, as she tries to fight, she tries to bite, but she's frozen and unable to move.

It always ends there, and she comes out of it with a start, gasping, and looking around for her invisible attacker. It's only the person who's found her, though. If they're too close, if they're wake her awake, she'll jerk back, looking alarmed before settling down with a deep sigh as she tries to get her breathing back under control.]

Not again...

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[She knew that Willow was consumed by the loss of her memories and Tara had tried to be helpful, soothing Willow where she could and talk out some things of note. But more than anything, she tried to spend as much time with her girlfriend as her schedule allowed.

Tara stood now, a little less awkwardly, with coffee in her hand. It seemed wrong today to drag Willow away from her work. So, she decided to come with her. In a small bag, there were scones for them to share.]

Hey. I brought goodies.

[this is the first time she's seen Remina and she's holding something of a grudge. what has been going on this month hits entirely too close to home and Tinya was not enjoying a single bit of it. so what in the Mistress' name Remina could be doing while perched on Willow's shoulder was a complete mystery to her]

Hello. Do you need company?

[It's tempting to say no, no, everything's fine, thanks, no company needed. But Remina is already gone, so clearly the session is done for the day. Willow glances up at Tinya and gestures to the seat across from her.]

Oh, uh. Yeah, sure. Sit down. How've you been?

[There's a lot of things that weigh heavily on Willow's mind these days. The loss of her memory, and the work to grain it. The loss of magic. Wolfwalking.

Talking to Tara helps.

Her smile widens as she really processes that it's Tara joining her and she gestures to the seat across from her in invitation.]

Oh, hey. Do you want to sit down?

[when she sees Remina leave, she blushes and looks a little awkward. but she takes the seat and tries to recover her mental equilibrium.]

I've been...odd. As much as I hate to admit it, this month is getting to me. I'm wondering how corrupted I'll be by the end of it. But, how are you? Was Remina helping?

[Maul's barely gone outside of his own home for the entire month. This has been the month that finally broke him a little bit and he's needed time to recover. Not that he's getting much between his own nightmares and the ghosts that hound him.

He's reluctantly going to the store because he's yet to discover a way to make food just magically appear on his doorstep. It's as he's going there that he encounters Willow. She looks like she's just jerked awake as he gets close to her and there's a wary expression on his face. He doesn't trust or very much like the woman but he does still owe her a good turn after murdering her in cold blood.]

Are you alright? [He asks.]

She has been, yeah.

[Willow is choosing not to look too deeply behind Remina's motivations to accept the request for help. The Pthumerian is fond of knowledge, and Willow spends plenty of time in the Archives with nothing but the utmost respect for the books within.

Her eyebrows knit in concern as Tinya brings up corruption, and the worry about how it will affect her.]

Well... I mean, if you know you're having problems with corruption, there's things you can do to bring it back down. It's not really the kind of thing you want to let get away from you.

That's good. Argonaut helped me in my time of need. It's only right that Remina helps you in yours.

[even though she's not sure Remina can help he at all. the few times they've encountered, she felt as though Remina was looking into her very soul. that's not something she's willing to accept without a bargain made in its place.

and she assumes it would be easy enough to detect corruption in here, between her bright blue eyes, ridiculously long black hair, and how pale she already was. she assumes she'd grow even more pale, her hair would grow lank, and her eyes would dim]

Really? Please don't tell me it's the church-like setting. I have no use for the Terrans' father god, despite what others may say and I'd like to have no use for him here. To do so...would be a slap in the face to the Mistress. She's not a particularly jealous Goddess, but I want my focus to be on Her.

[Willow startles as she wakes up, her heart still hammering in her chest as she glances around. She freezes when she realizes how close Maul is, and she pulls back a bit to put some space between them. She doesn't remember her death at his hands, but knowing he's responsible, having him so close while she's unaware of her surroundings is uncomfortable at the very least.]

Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine.

[It's clearly a lie. Willow frequently looks tired, even more so since she's started working with the local necromancer to try to stop her from wolfwalking, but this is different somehow. The dark circles under her eyes look even darker in contrast to her pale skin, and her shoulders slump like she can barely keep herself awake.]

How's it going?

[She knows Willow's been struggling with some things, also the difficulty using her magic. Something like this seemed to be a small gesture, but it was her attempt to help Willow.

She took the seat and offered her the coffee.]

I got your favorite. I thought about scones, but they're probably bad to eat near books.

They get so crumbly.

Errr, no. Not so much. I mean, some people worship Pthumerians, but I think that's a bit different from the god you're talking about.

[She remembers with a shudder the nightmare that was November, with the blood zealots that were kidnapping Sleepers and trying to sacrifice them to the Tower. Or, rather it's not so much that remembers it first hand, but at least remembers being shown by Remina.]

I mean, corruption's a bit complicated in that it manifests in everyone differently, and the same solutions won't necessarily work the same way for everyone, but there's plenty of things you can try from meditating at the Sanctuary to potions and teas and stuff to just... finding ways to process the things that happen here and let go of them.

Oh, you know.

[Willow gives a small, tired smile, and accepts the coffee gratefully, before reaching for the bag.]

It's, uh, pretty exhausting - you know, letting someone show you everything that happened in, like, a six month period. Especially since some of it's... bad.

[Putting it mildly. Horrifying is more like it. She withdraws a danish from the bag and slides it across to Tara.]

Thanks. You're probably right about the scones. I don't think Remina would like it much if we made a mess of her books.

Oh. Really? That's kind of strange.

[she's never heard of such a thing, but she'd be horrified and enraged should she hear about it. such a thing was far beyond the pale]

I think I'll do my best to focus on potions, teas, and trying to let go. Granted, the latter won't be easy, I kind of hold grudges for a very long time and I know that's not healthy or okay. [with one exception]

It's hard, I know. You had to fill me in about a lot when I arrived. Some of it good and some of it bad. It can get overwhelming, but you should space out what you're told, just so your brain doesn't get tired.

[She brushed a lock of hair from Willow's face. True, it was with a gloved hand, but it was still a gentle gesture.]

I remember how Giles always warned us to treat the books.

Um...you haven't seen anything about ways to get my Vileblood under control? Maybe?

Yeah. I'm trying to be careful. It's just... kind of like getting into a book you don't want to put down. Plus, it's nice to finally have a solution for the whole not remembering stuff thing.

[She closes her eyes as Tara brushes the hair away from her face; it's a sweet gesture, and there's been too much strife between them in recent memory to not find it extra comforting. She looks up at Tara with sympathy at the question.]

Nothing yet - aside from the whole blood magic is extra... volatile? I guess? Before you actually shed blood for the first time. But it doesn't mean I'm giving up.

You've always been happiest when researching, so I think you're in your safe space. Just be careful in the solution. The magic here has never felt right to me and I suspect it comes from a dark place.

I don't want you to fall back into that.

[She gave a small shrug, not so much defeated but resigned. Honestly, she didn't expect Willow to find anything.]

I shed blood when you were attacked. That blood magic didn't seem very powerful.

Yeah. A lot of the aspects of this world feels like they come from a really dark place. Some of it might be just our perception, because of blood magic at home, though.

[It's still a working theory. She's read about blood pollution, of course, and it's hardly a shock that blood magic is a contributing factor, but is blood magic itself dark in that it contributes to corruption? She's not sure yet.]

And the rest is probably because... You know? The whole world being influenced by Sodder's nightmare thing. But I'm being careful - what Remina's doing isn't really her doing magic on me so much as showing me what she's seen of my life here. Which, is everything because. You know. Eye.

[Willow shrugs. Some people in her world worship demons, so it's not really a shock to her that there's some cults here who worship Pthumerians.]

That's probably a good place to start at least. Corruption's a pretty individual problem, so I think, for at least some cures, how effective it is can vary a little from person to person. Your best bet's probably to talk to an actual Blood Minister about it. I just... You know. Read.

[religion as a whole has mostly died out by 3001. Tinya still follows the Mistress, making her an oddity in the 31st century]

Corruption...I may be wrong, but it seems so easy to fall into. Even with a big, solid support network and tons of outside support, which I must admit...I don't really have. Of course, I didn't really have it at home, either.

But this is going to sound stupid...Blood Ministers kind of creep me out. I'd much rather read.

[Even in being here for so long, it's sometimes hard for Tara to follow everything. The source of what's going on, how it affects them and just all the details of blood magic. She should look into it more and ask questions, but it can sometimes be overwhelming.

And maybe it was her own bias towards blood magic that was holding her back altogether.]

You sound like your old self when you talk about research.

Yeah, it seems that way for some people, at least.

[It's been rising in Willow for a long time now, but she is still unaware.

She smiles a little - she's never gone to the Blood Ministers for help herself, so she can understand the creep factor.]

I think they mean well - they're supposed to be like doctors. But the whole blood... thing is a little creepy, huh?

[Maul shakes his head and pulls back a little away from the woman when Willow flinches away from him.]

You are not a very good liar.

[He should know, Sidious never taught him how to lie the same way the elder Sith Lord could do so, smoothly and with the same effort one would put forth towards simply breathing. The young witch doesn't seem like she possesses a great talent for it either. He waits to see what Willow will do next.]

Yes. It seems to...have its way before the person really realizes its going on.

[which was a little terrifying. she'd been used against her will by the other world, but the way this place had was just as terrifying. just as uncontrolable.

maybe she'd spend all of the next month in the orphanage, try to use the influence of the children to keep herself sane. maybe]

Yeah. Just a little bit. I hear of those playing with blood types and all I can think about are Dominators. Back in the 20th century, they'd abducted thousands upon thousands of humans, experimenting on them until meta-human abilities expressed themselves. Then separated by those with powers into their groups, trying to make them even stronger. For whatever value of stronger.

[Trench seems to like to make things complicated, the Archives even more so with its strange shelving system, but Willow has always enjoyed a challenge, and trying to solve the puzzle.

The blood magic puzzle is just an exceptionally difficult one, and she's still mulling over where to take her efforts next when Tara speaks up, and Willow looks up with a little grin.]

Well, you know me... I've always been book girl. That much hasn't changed any.

[He backs off too and it makes the distance more comfortable, or at least more tolerable, and Willow relaxes a little as she begins to come down from the adrenaline rush caused by the nightmare.

He's not wrong. She knows she is - mostly - a terrible liar, especially when she feels like she's being put on the spot. Besides, she's too tired to put on much of an act anyway.]

I'm fine. Just... haven't been sleeping well. Bad dreams, I guess.

[It's mostly the truth, except that because she changes forms when she goes to sleep, she doesn't typically dream.]

[Willow's eyebrows lift at the story of the human experimentation that happened back in Tinya's own world. It sounds nothing short of horrifying. If there was any doubt they were from different versions of Earth in their prior interactions, there's none now.]

Wow, uh. Yeah. That's, um. Definitely a reason to be a little shy, sure.

I dunno, I guess your best bet then is to do some reading about corruption and see what methods jive with you? There's the Sanctuary too - it's Sleeper run and the people there help anyone suffering from corruption.

[most of the populated planets in the United Galaxies are descendants from those experiments]

Yeah. It's...they were ultimately saved by a hero called Valor, but it wasn't exactly a bright spot in human history.

That's a good point...I'd heard rumors about the Sanctuary, but never really felt the need to go myself. Because until recently, I'd been lucky enough to avoid corruption. But I know my luck won't hold out forever.

[Fortunately, Maul doesn't know all that much about how Willow's wolfwalking works or he'd be more suspicious of that statement. As it is, he just takes it as being the full truth.]

I am sure that has been true for a number of people here this month.

[Maul says with a slow nod of his head. He hasn't been resting easily either this month between the nightmares and the ghosts that have been plaguing him.]

Yeah, it certainly seems that way.

[Willow rubs her eyes tiredly.]

What about you? Are you having them too?

[Maul nods slowly.]

I am.

[Though his face looks guarded and wary. His nightmares are a touchy subject even for those he's close to, let alone someone he despises as much as Willow.]

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Catch-All for June

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Archives

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Nightmares

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