☣️ the court, the church, love, all left behind | OPEN

[enblightened]

Who: Bigby the Abomination, OPEN
What: Catch-all for January! Includes a prompt for the Snake Den and Shedding Ceremony. Prompts will be broken up into comments for ease of finding and tracking.
When: January
Where: Snake Den and other various locations

Content Warnings: References to severe depression, self-loathing, forced transformation/body horror, torture, and religious zealotry. Snakeden is considerably lighter in tone if that's what you're looking for. Crimson curse prompt includes cannibalism, gore, and body horror.

Comments

[enblightened]

[For a moment, his throat tightens. Generally of course, he's quite calm and complacent where they are, even if his feet are a touch clumsy -- but the sentence does impact him significantly.

I didn't want her to be locked up.

How could he not sympathize with that? It had been his own fate, and he had been turned in by a loved one no less. He tries terribly hard to not judge Rose's husband; surely his thoughts were something he simply thought best, and yet... it still stirs a frustration in him.

For a moment, his jaw is tight until he speaks again.]

Then I know I am right to have no doubt in you, Rose.

You protected her from something that could not have helped heal her.

[rosae]

( Rose notices the shift, subtle though it may be — her focus is locked right onto him, she can feel something tensing. She watches him, and his words further make some tight little feeling in her chest loosen; again, just to hear someone express approval of her decision... it means a lot. She was trying to protect Sharon; she'd die to protect her, and in the end, she was right about it. It's something she'll never get to tell Christopher. That what was happening to their daughter was something beyond the help of medicine, psychiatrists, institutions. That as crazy as she seemed for taking Sharon away to Silent Hill, she had to.

What must her husband think of her, back home? He'll never find her; she's somewhere he can't reach. Will he think she's dead? That she's run away to start some new life, keeping Sharon with her like a madwoman? Either way, he must think she's put their daughter in harm. That she's the reason for his loss of wife and daughter.

But if he'd helped her instead— maybe it wouldn't have ended up that way. Maybe they could have worked together to save Sharon.

Rose, still aware of that tension to Bigby, offers a little smile, brow furrowing as though in apology. )

I'm sorry— this isn't exactly the kind of light-hearted talk that belongs at a dance, is it? I appreciate you listening, though. I've never... talked about this with anyone.

[enblightened]

Perhaps not expected, but not unwelcome, Rose.

[Gently, he squeezes her hand, attempting to be comforting.]

It seems to me that perhaps it was a story that needed to be shared. There is rarely ever a good time to discuss these kinds of matters, but at the dancefloor between friends... perhaps there is no better time for it, really.

If nothing else, I am glad you trust to share this with me.

[rosae]

( Rose's smile softens again at the kind words, the touch of affectionate comfort. Bigby's always so kind to her — a rare soft-spoken, gentle presence amongst so much that's sharp and frightening. Perhaps it's very ironic to think of him that way, considering what lives beneath his skin, but... she does. He's a very soft person, and she appreciates that kind of softness in him more than she could say. )

Thank you again, Mr. Bigby. It's nice to have a trusted friend again. ( She gives his hand a soft squeeze in return, her heart warming at the feeling of companionship, of not having to think and worry about things all on her own. )

I guess I didn't even realise how much I'd been keeping inside. I've been worried to tell people too much about Sharon, but ironically enough... she would probably be accepted, here. People seem very... open-minded.

[enblightened]

I can understand that. I was used to keeping to myself, keeping isolated. More for me in that I thought that I must, to protect others. But the people here have endured many hardships in different ways; it makes them much more empathetic, I think.

[He smiles warmly to Rose. The expression still holds the tint of exhaustion and shyness, but there is a bit more sincerity to it this time.]

It means much to know that I can be reliable for you. I hope there will be others as well for you.