α΄α΄α΄α΄Κ Ι’Κα΄Κα΄α΄ π α΄ΙͺΙ΄Ι’ α΄α΄Ιͺα΄α΄Ι΄ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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deercountry2022-03-06 12:44 am
possessum) wrote in deercountry2022-03-06 12:44 am
we coughed up honey into the air
Who: Peter Graham possessum + open! Anyone welcomed!
What: March catch-all ft. a bunch of Jumanji event prompts and some general ones.
When: The month of March.
Where: The jungle, and around Trench.
Content Warnings: This character comes with demonic possession by default ; Corruption / demonic attributes ; Jumanji Jungle Level warnings ; a lot of Panicked Cursing ; others to be noted in threads
EVENT — JUNGLE LEVEL
GENERAL — THE MONTH OF MARCH CW: PHYSICAL DEMONIC ATTRIBUTES, RECREATIONAL DRUG MENTION
NOTE — As a Darkblood, this month Peter has the ability to see energy / auras / life force around living things, so feel free to include what colour your character would emit!
possessum + open! Anyone welcomed!What: March catch-all ft. a bunch of Jumanji event prompts and some general ones.
When: The month of March.
Where: The jungle, and around Trench.
Content Warnings: This character comes with demonic possession by default ; Corruption / demonic attributes ; Jumanji Jungle Level warnings ; a lot of Panicked Cursing ; others to be noted in threads
EVENT — JUNGLE LEVEL
β€ ENTER THE JUNGLE
What the fuck, man? Oh what the fuuuuck?
( —Whimpers the tall and thin young man beside you, voice rising in pitch as he tries to huddle in on himself, wide-eyed and terrified. Maybe you know Peter already, or maybe you're strangers to each other, but either way it's clear that your new Jungle Adventure Partner is less than enthusiastic about this.
It's also clear that he's going to be absolutely no use. For as your journey continues, Peter not only emits a variety pack of distressed noises on the regular (shouts, yelps, moans, groans, frenzied whispers, and teary mumbling)... he also gets into a lot of trouble because it appears to be that a) he has absolutely no survival skills at all, and b) he is constantly on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Really, it seems inevitable he's just going to die at any given moment. There are general things like Peter getting hopelessly tangled up in vines, tripping and falling over large roots, and zoning out and wandering off out of sight only to start crying out for you in a panic, and once or twice he just straight-up crouches down on the ground with his arms wrapped around his head, as though he can't take anymore, but then there are also the challenges— )
β€ QUICKSAND
( It happens before he can even process it. The game spits its weird riddle, and then the ground itself seems to be folding, melting, inwards. Peter screams (take a shot every time) as he feels himself start to sink. His fingers are clawing desperate at the softened ground around him, and he suddenly understands what's going on. )
It's fucking quicksand! It's fucking!! Quicksand! It's fucking quicksaaaaand! ( He's repeating this over and over and over, panicked, aware that the game has toppled over and is starting to sink too, but Peter's not at all concerned about it, doesn't even try to grab it. Maybe you can — maybe you're not sinking, evaded it by an inch or two, or weren't with him when it started happening, and just ran up now. Or maybe you're in as much trouble as he is..... or maybe not quite as much, given Peter's flailing around has caused him to personally sink even faster, and he's now covered all the way up to his waist. It's only getting worse. )
β€ RUSHING RIVERS
( Peter, who is possessed by an ancient demon king with a lot of equally ancient abilities, can actually breathe underwater now. Peter does not currently know this.
Which is to say, when the waters come, he thinks he's going to die. He's screaming like he's going to die, from where he's clinging onto a huge, tilted tree trunk for dear life. He'd managed to scramble his way up onto it as soon as the flood broke, but now he's trapped out in the middle of the water, screaming.
Maybe you hear him and scream back, or try to make your way closer. Maybe you're caught in the merciless flow of the flood, in danger of being slammed into any number of solid objects; maybe he can actually help get you onto his tree, or maybe you manage to make your way to it yourself. Hopefully it doesn't snap. )
β€ GIANT FROGS (NOTE: ONE ATTEMPTED EATING OPTION & ONE SUCCESSFUL EATING....)
( By the time the frogs appear, Peter's very tired. He's been made to walk for longer than he's ever walked in his entire life, he's sweating through his shirt, his hair is a wreck of curls entangled with little pieces of vines and dirt and probably a spider or two... Every once in awhile he smacks at his head, like he feels something crawling on it.
He's trailing behind whomever he's with, feet practically dragging the ground, when there's abruptly a yelp and if you turn, you'll see him staring in terror and pointing at something off to the side. Two huge black eyes peek out of the brush, where something wet and swollen and big crouches.
Peter's starting to breathe funny, like his lungs are too small: sharp attempts at air intake. He sounds like he's close to hyperventilating.
That's when a thick, ropey tongue suddenly lashes out of the creature's mouth and wraps right around his middle, as firm as a python. Peter...... screams, trying to flail around, slapping at the wormlike thing that's ensnared him, but it's not letting go. Maybe you can help get him out of this before he ends up lunch.
Or maybe, he's in the middle of a rant, because he's had it. )
I've had it! ( he declares suddenly, long arms lifting into the air with exasperation. ) This is stupid. It's so fucking stupid. Why're we even doing this— this little dumb game? This sick shit?! I'm tired, and I'm hot, and we've been walking for hours. I want to go ho—
( It's at that moment that a tongue lashes out, grabs Peter, and pulls him into a nearby frog's mouth before he or anyone can say another word. All six feet of him and his spider-filled hair completely vanishes. He has been swallowed whole.
There's probably a shocked silence for a long moment or two before panicked, muffled screaming can be heard coming from the frog's swollen body, within which Peter Graham is all crammed up. Whether you were with him this whole time or happened to be close by and witness this just now, maybe you can help Peter not get digested. Please help Peter not get digested. )
β€ TROPHY HUNTER
( By the time this challenge takes place, Peter's gotten separated from whomever he's been with this whole time. In fact, this challenge isn't even one he helped to summon; he'd long ago given up on the game and has just been wandering aimlessly, trying to find his people, when he'd encountered the hunter who was summoned from someone else's game.
And now here he is, running up to you, some wild-eyed, dirty young man with hair all over the place who appears from the brush. He seems unhinged. )
He's crazy! He's fucking crazy!
( You might be thinking yes, you are fucking crazy, when there's the loud crack of a gun from the depths of the jungle, and Peter flinches violently, ducking downwards and grabbing for your arm, voice a hushed, strained whisper. )
We have to run! He'll kill us, don't you get it?! He wants to kill us!!
( Maybe you're already well-aware of the trophy hunter and the fact he wants to kill you; maybe you were trying to hide, already. Or maybe this is brand new information to you. Either way, you're going to have to work with Peter to survive this.
.....You might die. )
GENERAL — THE MONTH OF MARCH CW: PHYSICAL DEMONIC ATTRIBUTES, RECREATIONAL DRUG MENTION
NOTE — As a Darkblood, this month Peter has the ability to see energy / auras / life force around living things, so feel free to include what colour your character would emit!
( March is a blossom of strange things growing all over, and new worries bumping up against all the old ones. Peter largely remains a recluse, staying safely tucked away in the townhouse he shares with Luna Lovegood. There are things he has to protect: her, and a fresh new bond, and a young boy named Falco Grice who shows up trembling against the flickering ghosts at the corner of his vision. The boy stays with them for awhile as Corruption grows, spreads. Peter's kept busy in the early days of March, and will rarely be seen. But those who visit the townhouse will be invited in or met out in front of the house.
It's towards the middle of March that his own budding Corruption makes its appearance known again. This time, it's not so much a mental change as a physical one... Peter doesn't become some snarling thing the way he was back in December. He maintains his lucidity, his identity, everything that makes him Peter.
It's just that now he has a pair of large black horns sprouting from his head, as well as a long, thin, scaly black tail.
....It's alarming, to be sure, but at this point, Peter's... tired. Sure, this happened. Why the fuck wouldn't it?
And so, the boy who doesn't act like a demon this time but looks like one just kind of... continues on with his life. He's still mainly to be found at the townhouse, for any visitors, but on occasion he might be spotted around the city. He goes shopping for clothes, perusing various shops: a tall, gloomy-eyed young man with sharp horns and a tail curled shyly against his leg. He's... looking for shirts that button up instead of have to be pulled over the head.... He doesn't know how long he's going to be looking like some sort of Teenage Hellspawn, but until this goes away, he needs some more clothes that he won't destroy.
Or maybe you spot him crouching down near cobblestoned streets, looking about as depressed as anyone can, gazing listlessly across the street, one elbow folded over a knee. He's holding a joint to his mouth but not actually smoking it yet; however, when he notices you nearby, he tilts his head up at you (with some difficulty; the horns are... heavy), and gives a slight nod. )
Want one? Got extra. ( —Then, he'll be fishing through his hoodie pocket, drawing out a little bag of sour gummy candies (drug-free). Where'd he even get those... He has his ways. And apparently, he's willing to share. ) Got these, too.
( Or he can sometimes be found sitting outside under the shade of a tree, long legs curled into a crossed position, a number of books spread around him. It seems like some sort of study session, and closer inspection will show that they probably came from the Arcane Archives: ancient-looking texts bound in thick leather. Peter's thumbing through them, a pair of reading glasses pressed to his face. If you're willing to approach the person with the demon horns and tail, it's actually a pretty serene display. Flowers have popped up from the ground and a few haphazard other things can be found in little patches nearby: apples and bananas and.... a cabbage? Is that a coconut, too?? It's weird. This place is weird.
But maybe not as weird as the sight of Peter Graham actually willingly reading a book.
Or the sight of him... being so seemingly at ease about his demonic parts. He's even using his tail to his advantage, the scaly black thing poking through a book or two, slithering snake-like through the grass to find the pencil he dropped and returning it to his hand as he jots down some notes.
But he often does look up, people-watching, and if you're passing by, his eyes might drift to you — or maybe it's more at you. He sees something; there's some curious attentiveness, and he hesitates only a moment before asking, a little shy— )
Hey, uh, this might sound weird, but do I have like... a colour around me?
( If you're a fellow Darkblood, his own energy is a very dark, smooth green — something of phthalo and hunter and forest — rich and somber and quiet, and maybe a little uncomfortable, like the dark part of the woods. Anything could be looking out.
A second pulse is there up under the first: a second colour, or a cacophony of them. Flashes of gold amongst iridescent shine, alien colours that are difficult to truly pinpoint, flickering from those dark woods. If you look too long, too close, it hurts.
But maybe you can't see it. Peter wonders why he welcomed anyone to in the first place. )
WILDCARD / ETC
ooc β€ plurk (skeletals) / discord (large bat#2354) / pm / Peter's plot post
As a note, I'm definitely open to the mosquito challenge or the perking up one despite not having prompts for them up. If you'd like to toss one of those at me, feel free!
Also, respond in prose if that's your preference, and I'll gladly follow suit.
no subject
Now that he knows what actual witches are capable of, the mental image of this is almost laughably cute in a way, but Peter's definitely not laughing, now. It's something he clings onto, that concept of potential safety, rescue. A plan of action for if something goes wrong and they bump into whatever awful things could be living out here, waiting for them.
He's nodding, seriously, eyes growing wider again. )
Okay. Okayβ yeah. ( Another fervent nod; he's very serious about this. He'll yell, she'll turn something into a frog... (of course, Peter can't yet know what terror frogs will become for him, later on in his Jumanji Journey....)
But until thenβ )
Is it okay if I hold your hand?
( This, too, might seem laughable ordinarily. But there's not an ounce of Peter that's joking around or, alternatively, is embarrassed or ashamed at the request. When he gets like this, so close to panic... he regresses like a child, into something small and nervous and clingy, fretfully peering down at the girl. Yes.... he needs a hand. )
no subject
But even though it might not have worked entirely, it at least seems to calm him down enough to ensure that he's no longer frozen to the spot. At least he's willing to give moving around with her a shot, only accompanied by a small favour.
A favour that Ange doesn't even seem to need to think about. She's already moving to grasp his hand in her own. ]
Of course. [ Even though Ange might not like physical contact with strangers, Peter is far from that. If her holding his hand makes him feel better, then it's absolutely no problem to her. She might even be giving him a faint smile and squeezing his hand before she starts walking, just.. gently dragging him along, like he's some sort of oversized toddler in this moment.
It's only after they've already taken a few steps that Ange speaks up again. More slowly, this time, because she's not too sure about whether this question might not make the other even more uncomfortable. But considering the circumstances, she truly can't help but wonder about it. ]
You know, Peter.. [ ... ] Doesn't Paimon ever help you out when you get into trouble?
[ Granted, it's not like she knows what exactly Peter and Paimon's relationship is like. It's probably not.. great, everything considered. But on the other hand, Paimon and Peter are sharing a body, and she can imagine that it'd at least be in the interest of Paimon's own self-preservation to ensure that said body doesn't get destroyed, his feelings for Peter aside.
But Peter probably isn't so confident about that, or else he wouldn't have been freaking out at the idea of a gorilla attack, knowing he had a demon on his side. ]
no subject
The question has him looking back down at her, quiet for a long moment as he thinks. )
...Sometimes. When I can't um... handle something, like.. mentally? He'll sometimes come out and handle it for me.
( Peter winces a little at the admission. It doesn't feel good to admit that he has a hard time mentally dealing with things, but β ...well. If there's anyone he could admit it to, it's probably Ange, who's literally witnessed it for herself. )
....I used to hate that he did. It's weird, just suddenly... being taken over with no warning. And not being able to remember anything that happened while I was out. But lately... I'm kind of glad that he does.
( It's voiced extremely quietly. Peter's never admitted that to anyone before, and it feels almost wrong to say it at all. He shouldn't be glad that the demon possessing his body steps in to take care of things when he can't. ....But lately, he is. Lately, he kind of wants to be asleep, more and more. And Paimon's stronger than him; he can protect Luna, and others, in ways Peter can't. )
I mean, I'd honestly rather him be dealing with... all this, than me. ( Peter tries to give a laugh, but it sounds nervous, as he lifts his other hand slightly to gesture around the jungle. ) ....I don't know why he didn't take over me yet. Maybe because you're here, and he trusts you. Or maybe he wants me to be in misery for awhile...
( He does still think the demon likes to torment him from time to time. But regardless of what the reasons are, it's clear that their relationship is still... messy and uncommunicative, and strange. It's so very strange to be sharing his life, sharing himself with something that has its own mind, and to not understand why it works the way it does. He doesn't really understand Paimon at all. )
no subject
Which is a bit more of a complicated matter, since she doesn't want him to be lost to the demon entirely.. but if it's just for moments, then it's not so bad, right?
She's still contemplating that as they walk when Peter reaches that last part. It snaps Ange out of her thoughts, speaking up once more. ]
Maybe it's since he knows you can handle this.
[ It's.. a generous statement, and Ange is pretty sure it's not the true reason Paimon is keeping himself at bay. Sorry for the lie, Paimon, but this is all for Peter's sake. If there's anyone in the world who can use a little bit more encouragement, it's the guy whose hand she's holding to take him through the jungle like she's guiding a giant toddler along. ]
I mean.. you're still walking. You haven't crumbled into a crying mess on the floor, you know? Even though you think it's scary, you're still trying. [ That's probably partially since Ange is here, but still. Still! ]
.. you're stronger than you think, Peter. Stronger than you give yourself credit for.
no subject
Ange's words have Peter tensing, not from anxiety or stress, just... the way they hit him. It isn't often that he hears something like this. Back home.... never, but ever since coming to Deerington, there have been a few times that his friends have told him something like that, and he never forgets it. Luna, Usagi.... people like that, who have told him that he's stronger than he thinks. It's always hard to believe it.
But it still strikes him, hard. He swallows, his hand almost subconsciously squeezing against Ange's fingers, almost like a child would. Her words have a little lump in his throat, and it's hard to talk around it. For a long moment, he's just quiet. )
It's, um... hard. To think I am. ( Stronger than he thinks. He looks ahead, to the dark jungle looming before them. )
Sometimes I just wish... I could be someone different, you know?
...But thank you. For um. For saying that. It means a lot. ( He's not good at saying how he feels, stumbling over it, looking down. The fact there are people who believe in him at all is still something that sends him reeling. )
Maybe... you're right. Maybe he knows I'm not going to lay down and just... die. ( There's a soft echo of a laugh, even though it's a macabre thing to say. )
.....But apparently he can... fly and stuff. So it'd be really helpful if he could just fly us out of here.......
( Even though it's a very cursed image. )
no subject
And the last thing they need is some disaster scenario where Peter's consciousness breaks through mid-flight and they die from falling to the jungle floor. It'd be a pain to deal with.
So though she keeps that part to herself, she still seems amused enough all the same, no matter how semi-macabre their conversation.
It just always feels.. weirdly easy, talking to Peter. Maybe it's since they are alike in some ways, or maybe it's since it never feels like he's judging her for being on a similar level of being socially awkward. ]
Then.. what kind of different person would you like to be, Peter?
[ Maybe it's a bit too deep of a question for what they're currently doing, but Ange figures that filling up the air with sound while they walk is better than letting Peter's anxious mind wander in silence to all sorts of possibilities as to the dangers around them.. ]
If you came across something dangerous here, in what way do you think you'd like to deal with it? What would the ideal Peter do?
no subject
Her little laugh helps ease some of the lingering tension in Peter, though. All of this is so incredibly bizarre, this whole... thing. But a laugh makes it feel a little normal again, and if he doesn't think too hard about the fact he's lost in a jungle that's inevitably full of countless things that could kill him, for a moment, he can pretend like he's just walking with a friend, and he's just said something kind of bizarrely funny, and made her laugh a little. He would have to agree that it's easy to talk to Ange, even in moments where everything else is really hard.
So there's a little smile lingering at the edges of his own mouth for a few moments of quiet walking through the brush, and then her question comes.
'Then.. what kind of different person would you like to be, Peter?'
The question hovers in his chest, caught there. It should be a simple enough thing to answer for someone who's spent so long loathing themself; certainly he's had plenty of time to think about such things.... but maybe he's never carried the thought past that self-loathing. )
βI'm not sure. ( Said a little breathless, with an exhale of that pent-up hesitation. But maybe the word he's looking for isβ ) .....I think he'd be braver. I mean, not... like some superhero or something, butβ
( There are people he thinks to, when he thinks of who he'd like to be. Specific names, those who have been closest to him in these past couple of years. Henry, Louis, Diarmuid. Ben, John, Clarisse. Luna. Each with their own form of "bravery". Each so much stronger than him, but the process of knowing them maybe helped make him a little stronger, too. Many of those people are gone now, but he's.... kept pieces of them. He's tried his best to. )
He wouldn't... expect the worst to happen. So he wouldn't... be so scared right away? And he wouldn't have to be protected all the time. ( Ah. There it is, he realises, with a fresh catch in his chest. )
He'd be able to protect other people, instead.
no subject
[ Ange's voice is still relatively light and casual, even though she's definitely talking about a serious topic here with him. Maybe it's partially because she feels like she has to be the strong one here in the face of his nerves, but it's also because it's not as hard to talk about this in the face of what Peter himself is admitting.
After all, what's a little vulnerability in the face of someone who constantly shows her vulnerability of his own? ]
I know I'm acting all cool, like I'm not worried about anything, like we're going to be fine no matter what.. But I'm definitely expecting the worst to happen any moment.
[ Look, the only reason she didn't want to say that was because she didn't want to worry Peter, but.. well, it's still just true. Ange is pessimistic in nature, after all. There's no way she isn't expecting this place to throw something at them in this jungle that she just can't beat, no matter what she said earlier. ]
I'm terrified that I'll screw up, and that you'll get hurt here. That I won't be strong enough to protect you. [ Mind you, there's no fear for herself. It's what happesn when you grow up in a constant state of danger - you stop caring about it.
But Ange has never had other people around who could get hurt, which makes that infinitely more scary. ]
But.. that's exactly why I know I just have to do what I can to make sure you stay safe, no matter what happens. No matter how scary the thought of you getting hurt is, it just means I have to give it my all to keep you safe. No matter how I think about it.. I just keep returning to that thought. I can't just give up on protecting a friend, just because some odds might be against me.
[ She mostly just hopes that he can see it too. That being afraid, or being worried.. it doesn't matter. You can be worried, afraid, and brave.
She knows that Peter has got to have it in him too, somewhere. ]
omg this is so long....... gomen.....
Even with Luna, they originally became close because Paimon slammed him into the new girl's desk and she had to calm them down, and then not long after that, they were on the run together from Peter's reanimated grandmother... Getting to know Luna beyond the various terrors of Deerington was a slow process.
The more he listens to Ange now, the more he feels he can relate to her. Even if one major difference is that she acts very calm on the surface, whereas Peter's more apt to..... start hyperventilating...
He's like some broken toy. A cracked eggshell, with all the runny stuff flowing out. Now he comes to pieces so easily. But there was a time, once, when he was actually very emotionally stabilised. Or at least, it seemed that way on the surface. Truthfully, he wasn't stable at all, just... empty. So numbed over that the people around him thought he had no emotions at all. He didn't show any vulnerability. Didn't show anything. He learned how to do that in order to survive.
He wonders if Ange's always been as level-headed as she is, or if it was something she learned how to do, too. However it is, it means a great deal that she's opening up to him about it now. Peter stays quiet, but he's listening deeply, his fingers wrapped tightly around hers. )
It makes sense. ( He finally offers, quietly. It does. And he has felt that through his time in Deerington and Trench; there have been times he's been capable of being braver because he has someone else there to protect. He just wishes he didn't feel the fear at all, but...... she's afraid, too. Terrified, she said. He's not alone in that feeling. Maybe he doesn't have to be so ashamed of it. )
It is terrifying, isn't it? I think failing to protect someone is.... probably the worst thing in the entire world.
( Something deeply sad edges into his tone. Charlie hurts, always. He still doesn't know what to do with that hurt. And it's made him..... absolutely terrified. To be responsible for someone else's pain, again. But Ange's certainly presented another way to look at it. )
But... like you said. We can't just give up, or.... or there's no chance of protecting them at all.
( He says the words slowly, almost like he's sounding them out. )
...And I guess IβI do have an advantage. Even if he's not... me. He's the way I can protect people. Like you talked about once, using your witch powers to help people..... ( It's the thought Peter's been nursing for awhile now, trying to find how to put it into the right form. Talking to Ange back at Ruby's party had helped him look at it like that, too. )
Maybe I should've called him out as soon as we got trapped here. ( Instead of waited for Paimon to just overtake him whenever the demon decides enough is enough. Instead of see it as losing himself to this thing, maybe it's that this thing is his way to help. Because certainly, Paimon could offer Ange more assistance than Peter's capable of. He'd be able to do so much more.
It's... a sad, strange thought, but that doesn't make it any less true. Peter turns his head to look down at her, biting down on his lower lip for a moment. )
....That's what I can do to help protect you, too.
ssh i LOVE all of your peter tags
Maybe that's why something about the way Peter speaks right here still bothers Ange a little. The way Peter says that maybe he should have called Paimon out right away here. Sure, maybe that would have technically been more useful, but..
It kind of feels like Peter pushing himself aside, and that's definitely not an idea Ange likes. For as weirdly - by other people's standards - fond she may be of the demon, she cares about Peter too. ]
I don't know. Sure, Paimon would have helped me if he had come out right away.
[ Ange doesn't doubt that. Sometimes the demon can be a feral little critter, but he's always seemed eager enough when it came to trying to help her out. Demons have always felt more reliable than people to Ange, especially when she was younger and still back in her world. ]
But you're helping me right now too. I got so used to having to deal with lethal situations all by myself back home that I never realised there how nice it can be to have someone by your side. [ It's paradoxical. Because it also makes Ange more worried about getting the other person into trouble, or being unable to protect them.. but she also doesn't want to be alone.
Emotions suck, clearly. ]
Let me get this straight. [ She squeezes his hand as she speaks. ] This is mutually reassuring handholding.
[ Ange glances over at Peter, adding: ] Don't tell anyone I said that.
[ They'd never let her live it down!! Protect the secret that Ange likes holding hands with your life, Peter Graham. ]
And if we do get into danger here, and you do feel like it's a situation where you feel like we might need Paimon's demon powers to help.. Then I don't think it's such a bad idea to call him out. But only if you feel okay with it too in that moment, Peter.
THANK u and thank u for putting up with my slow...... but this could be a good wrap point β₯
And even now, what he's thinking he can really offer Ange is Paimon. She's a witch, he's a demon; if anybody should be on this hazardous expedition through this jungle right now with her, it should be Paimon. The pair of them could get a lot more done, help each other, protect each other. Peter's just.... kind of there.
He hadn't even thought about the value of just being able to provide company (especially when he knows his own is so.... lacking). But he does understand it, now that Ange's mentioned it. Just the simple act of having someone there by your side so that you aren't alone... it is a big thing. And hearing her say that? It does make him feel better about what he can offer, here.
He swallows again as Ange squeezes his hand, and then gives an immediate, soft laugh at her words. He's well aware of the fact she isn't a public affection kind of person, and fortunately, Peter's someone who's very good at keeping quiet. His shy smile warms again, a little playful, but mostly grateful. )
It's our secret.
( The fact she considers his own comfort with the whole Paimon thing is also... a lot. Peter's still learning how to navigate it all, how to deal with the idea of willingly calling forth the demon when he used to try so hard never to let that happen. It still feels... wrong, even as much as he knows it's something that could help others. Maybe Paimon will still need to help out along the way here, but... it's nice to know that Peter doesn't have to let that happen if he really doesn't want to. It's some tiny way to maintain some of his autonomy. )
Thanks, Ange. For.... for everything. ( He's really not good with words, but he wants her to know. It's important people know what they mean to someone. He's trying to say more of that, knowing how any day, people could vanish away again. )
I'm really glad I met you.