livingmyths | 0140: Replanting

Entry tags:

rain's gone

0140: Replanting

I'll be up on the roof of the Library planting more flowers if anyone's looking for me or wants to help. I'm mixing in some of the ashes from the destroyed books so they'll kind of still be here at the Library.

Also, Mr. Stark, I came by over the weekend, but you... weren't yourself so I just sort of decided I wouldn't stay. I'm sorry. I'll make up the time later if that's okay.

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Rain smiled back. "Are the animals near the people digging?" she asked curiously.

Were the... oh right, animals.

"...Yes. Yes they are. We're digging... homes for them. Secret home for them so they can be safe from hunters and people. Since I know you like animals I thought you would like to see."

"Are they in danger?" Rain asked. Her face looked concerned. She hated to think of animals in danger.

"Yes, yes they are. That's why the digging is so important. There's a place they can hide, a place they can call home but its buried deep."

They came upon the dig site, people covered in dirt digging with hands, shovels, powers, anything they had.

"But I'm tired, so it's your turn to dig now."

Rain frowned, looking confused. "But where are the animals? And there are so many people digging.. I don't understand."

"I'm sorry. I really am." Arkady was, the slug wasn't.

"I kinda lied. There are no animals. Well... there might be, but they've all gone to hide."

Rain looked confused. "I don't understand."

"Look at all this." Her arm motions to the dig site. "It's too big, we need more diggers. That means you."

"But why?" Rain said. "What are you digging?"

"Something big, of course." She gave Rain a slight push with her powers.

"Now go, dig."

In her head. Arkady was in her head and pushing and it hurt.

Rain put her hands up to the side of her head. "No, don't, you can't be in here, no one can be in here! It's bad in here."

It was making her want to go dig, but she fought it, terrified of something else in her mind.

Arkady didn't hesitate and she continued to wrestle with Rain inside the girl's own mind.

"You won't win. This host is stronger than you."

Rain tried to fight, but she'd never been faced with anything like this before. Her efforts to resist broke down some of the defenses her mind had erected to save herself from the madness inside until finally something inside just gave.

What was left of Rain fled to some dark hidden corner of her mind, far away from reality, leaving only a nearly mindless shell. She'd dig, but unless reminded would do little else other than collapse when exhausted.

Ohhh, that was a neat trick. Somewhere in Arkady's mind, she recognized the technique. Fleeing from trauma the mind can't face. She sees it a lot back home. But the slug didn't care.

The slug slowly walked around Rain, occasionally poking with a finger. With a slight push, she tried to make the woman walk forward.

What once was Rain slowly walked forward in the direction she was moved.

Deep inside her mind Rain splintered further. Part of her rocked and wept in a corner while another made love with Mat under a starlit sky and yet another hid in a dark alley aad cringed at the sound of her father's voice yelling for her. There were so many that the last tiny part of her that remained at all aware wondered if she'd ever know which was the real Rain, just before it splintered off into its own reality.

"You're like a little puppet, I like that."

She made Rain walk in a circle and the sent her off to start digging.

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0140: Replanting

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