Scarletfox

You look like you were driving in a convertible down the highway at a hundred miles per hour, and then got slapped in the face by a way-ward chicken! I can never remember things these days, but I can say with 72% certainty that there were eighteen cows painting words on the side of that mountain!

Azeria yawned, plucking dirt from behind her fingernails. She didn't get why everyone was so uptight about traitors. It was easy, you never give them responsibility beyond that you would give to a chipmunk, and then if they cross you, you kill them. That was how the game was played. She got a cloth out, and began to clean one of her pistols.

The Fox curled up in a ball, quaking for a few moments. This might just be the hardest thing the Fox had ever had to do. She closed her eyes thinking for a bit. She would not let this Korin see her vulnerability and feelings. Too late. She stood, her backed turned to Korin. She took a deep breathe in, and then out. It was a way of getting your face to turn back to normal after crying. She took a cloth, and wiped the tears away, before turning around with a generous smile. "Well, it is my pleasure to meet you, Korin." She said warmly pretending like nothing had happened at all. The Fox almost asked about the man's sister, but then realized that would lead them down a not so nice path. But he could hear this, couldn't he. Welp. "Tell me about your life. You're a philosopher?"

"You're in my head?" She whispered. He's in my head. GET OUT OF MY HEAD! The Fox thought. She placed both hands on her skull. No, no, no, no. They're in my brain. There's no hiding. I am completely and utterly vulnerable. The Fox released a scream before collapsing in a sobbing heap. There are no more escapes. All of her feelings and worries and depression from the last few years began to roll through her like waves on a beach. She lifted her head, and whispered through the tears, "So you're stuck here just like I am?"

"I am the epitome of unpleasant when I feel helpless!" Oops. She just admitted helplessness. "Who's doing this then? What's happening to me?" She felt like ripping every limb off of this man one by one until he could longer breathe. She could channel all her anger on to him. She would be free of it. But no, this man claimed to have a sister. She could not do that to another poor girl. The Fox would find out who this man was, however. She would get it out of him.

"Argh! What is this?" The Fox leapt toward Korin again with the knife, exasperated. "Stop doing that!"

The Fox was beginning to get very confused. Probably more voodoo stuff. She was beginning to think she should have asked the group about how everything worked earlier. The group! Where were they? They were probably worried sick! Here the Fox was thinking everything was a dream, working through her emotions on her own time, when she had actually probably been kidnapped! But what did she care... Yup, she cared! That was strange. She pulled out a knife, and leapt onto the man a knife to his throat. "A philosopher, huh? Then why don't you philosophize about why I'm here?" She seethed. " What is this place? Who are you really? Why did you bring me here?" She was getting a bit of deja-voo.

The Fox sighed. Here we go. "So tell about yourself. If this is not a dream, then where are we? And why are we here?" She picked a flower, plucking each petal off one at a time.

Adopting Korin's way of speaking instinctually, the Fox said, "The people who I discover here, they are figures from my life. They install feelings into me that they installed when I knew them. Happy, sad, angry. I stop the dream by jumping off the cliff. The problem is, I don't believe I ever knew a Korin. I don't quite recognize your clothing, either." The Fox looked him over for a moment, before laying back down in the grass. What did she care. She had bigger problems to deal with. She really should be going, but this man was not making her uncomfortable, so she'd stay for now. "I guess... you can call me the Fox."

The Fox sat up, alert by reflex, looking over that the newcomer, but then relaxed. Why did she care? "I've never had a figment of imagination tell me my dreams weren't real. Normally they try to keep me from jumping. I guess I should go ahead and do that now, huh?" The Fox did a double take of the person, "Wait, who are you? I don't remember you."

The Fox sobbed on the bench. Where was she? She should have never opened herself up to this. It was too hard. She felt herself slipping back. Back. Back.... "NO!" She yelled out loud at herself. "No more emotion! No more! No slipping back! No killing!" Her voice began to fail "No... No... No more letting them die..." Her attempt at slapping herself out of it failed. Well then, she was going to have to literally slap herself out it. She stood up on her feet, and immediately felt the pain surging through her ankles. Yes. This would work. They would make her other pain go away. But it didn't. The pain stayed! How? "It-it's not possible!" She looked around for some stairs, and tried to run down them. Yes, that was always more painful. But it didn't go away. "No, no, NO!" The Fox ran out the doors of the chapel. She could feel a soft breeze. It was so beautiful here. It felt so real, so comforting, but the pain would not let her relax. She would get out of this! She ran to the edge of the cliff. There was always a cliff in her dreams. She would jump, and it would carry her away. But, what if it wasn't a dream? What if it was real, it felt real? There was always a cliff. But there were also always people from her past. Where were they? The scenery felt just a bit off too! What was going on? Was she really kidnapped, or was that a dream? She sat down, her legs hanging over the cliff. Tears streamed down her face. She took a breathe in, and then out, and wiped away the tears. She took a knife out her pocket, then she put it back in. The Fox took one of her legs, and placed the ankle on the knee of the first. She slide off the boot that helped keep her from twisting her ankles as much, they helped control the pain, setting it and her sock on the grass beside her. She massaged the ankle, feeling the pain to a large extent. The pain wasn't helping as it once did, but the distraction of doing something with her hands did. She would have normally never put her in this position, a place where people could shove her off the cliff easily, but she wasn't quite sure if this was a dream or not, so if she did fall, she'd just find out. She repeated the process with her other foot. She let both her barefooted feet drop back down, and leaned back until she was lying on the grass, staring at the sky. Her tears had stopped. She must have run out of those, it had happened before. The Fox started grabbing handfuls of grass, and tearing them apart, her eyes focused on the clouds.

A warm light filled the Fox. She was going to fight back, but this time, she had help. Just then, she very faintly felt a metal hand on her neck, causing her to shiver. She was ripped away from Nath. She was pretty sure she felt a warm hand grab on to hers, but then, they were gone. The Fox was full on sobbing, now. She was only feeling emotional pain because she wasn't putting weight on her feet, and it was overwhelming her. She could feel herself beginning to retreat back into her brain. She was going to need to balance this if possible... @KyL

That single tear trickled down the Fox's face. Her eyes locked on to his. "Nathrangking," She whispered, "I will not fight this battle alone. I will no longer let the fear of emotion control me, but I will control it. Please, show me." As she let her focus slide from her physical pain, the Fox was slammed with the full force of her emotions. She was overwhelmed with it, she had let it go suppressed for so long, and it was returning. In the back of her mind, she could see her castle being ripped apart. She cried out, and grasped Nath's shoulder. "please..." She could not hold on for much longer. She knew if she stayed like this for very long, she would return to the depths of her mind, and get trapped there while the world went on around her. Then, another one of her mind demons would capture her, make a deal, and refocus her on her physical pain once again, allowing her to return to see what her emotions had allowed to happen to her friends.

The Fox could feel herself slipping. The emotions returning. "I don't want to go back" she whispered, as a tear popped into her eye. "I don't want to return to the time of no control. I could barely live then, if let my physical pain go, it will return, and it will destroy me. One has always existed, drowning the other. How can both be gone?" The emotions had already begun their return to destroy her. With both of her pains gone, though, could it give her freedom? True freedom? Or was this another one of her mind demons, taunting her, and never going through with it.

The Fox froze. She looked at the ground, and whispered, "W-who are you? Please, they all said similar things, but it's still here. How do I know you, or Nath, will be any different?"

The Fox stopped abruptly. Tick, tock, tick, tock. A clock rang out loudly against the silence. The Fox stood in a parlor, the walls were made of stone. It was furnished with plush couches, and red carpet, with lanterns on the walls. A woman stepped down the staircase, an elegant gown and maroon hair. Rena. Noooooooooooo! A voice screamed inside the Fox's head. Darn storming sparking rusting Rena! W-w-why did she have to return now. Everything was going great. He's trying to trick you. This castle we have built. It is ours. Forever... The voice rasped, but Rena's lips never moved No. The Fox spoke back to Rena. This man is right. I have lied to myself. This is not a castle, but a prison. I have lived here long enough. Rena spoke back, but what do we do, about this? She flung the curtains open revealing a large window. Outside, the Fox could see hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers on horseback riding toward the castle. This is the only safe place. The walls will never let them in. No. The Fox said. This prison is a lost cause. It will be ravaged, and I will be once again moved. Given promises of safety. Having those promises broken. Again. This is not a safe place. I would rather die fighting you and them than live one more day like this. Oh, my dear Little Fox. Rena said, causing the Fox to shudder. Don't you understand? If you get rid of me, I will simply be replaced by something worse, something much much worse. Feeling. You remember it don't you? The scenery changed, there was Alice bleeding. "You can come out now, Little Fox." A gun raised at her head. Don't you remember what happened next, Little Fox? How many people did you let die because of your incompetence? If it was not for me, you would have never escaped. Now your pain is increased, but only so that you may help, and not hurt. So that the other pain does not return. So that you may be free from it. So that you may be in control of yourself. The scenery changed back. Yes. This is freedom. This is control. Isn't it? The Fox asked. Yes, my dear, it is. Come hither. They walked up the stairs out to a balcony where Rena pointed. Do you see. The castle is beginning to crumble. You are letting them in. They are tearing down what we have built. You need to stop them. Stop feeling. Stop letting them in. Only you can do this thing. But what if this castle is a prison. What if it's better out there? It is not. That is that. I will allow you to return now. Heed what I have said. The Fox returned back to reality. What should she do? Rena hadn't spoken to her in a long time, if Rena was actually a person and this wasn't just another delusion. She wanted the pain gone, but would that allow other pain to continue? She didn't know what she was going to do. But she did know one thing. She would not listen to Rena when it came to letting them in. These people were different. The Fox would let them partake of her struggles, and she would listen to their advice.

The Fox relaxed, just slightly, but didn't put away her knives, or stop eyeing the gun. The Fox eyed the girl. "I am called the Fox. Kindly place your hands where I can see them. Thank you."

The Fox tensed immediately, drawing a knife from her left sleeve. The stranger had a hand on her gun. She was walking toward them. The Fox grabbed another knife from her other sleeve. Hatred filled her head as she eyed the gun. The Fox would not be as quick to trust this one.

No more pain? A look of hunger creeped into the Fox's eyes. No. More. Pain?? Impossible. One other person had tried, and look where it had gotten her. There would be no way that this pain would ever cease to exist. It was a part of who the Fox was. It helped her think. It helped her make decisions. She deserved to have the pain, didn't she? Maybe, just maybe, it would feel... nice to not feel the pain. But, how could she? Even if there was a way to get rid of it, how much would it cost? Another life? She would not let any others die so that she would feel better. But... what if her pain summoned this Winter creature? Would she be the cause of these people's deaths? Maybe the Fox should leave. All she had been was a burden. At first by almost chopping them up, then by not being competent, and she might accidentally bring a powerful being down on them at any moment. She turned away, troubled.

Will you be joining us tomorrow at the pet store? We're going to spend the whole time petting bunnies! I've been waiting for you to ask. It all started when I was seven. My older brother handed me a butterfly knife coated in butter..."

Hmmmm. Verrrrrry interesting. It appeared that this fellow was simply another broken soul. That didn't mean he was trustworthy, though. He wasn't a defined enemy, so she wasn't going to torture it out of him... yet. She was going to need to use a different tactic than normal. In a kind voice, the Fox said, "I am called the Fox. Don't worry about your past, we all have similar stories. I understand that being comfortable with sharing isn't something that happens overnight." The Fox inhaled slightly. She was going to take a risk. She reached her right hand into her sleeve, and pulled out three different knives, a moldy bagel, a gold stopwatch, and a pad of white sticky-notes covered in scribbles, which she stuffed out of the way into the main pocket of her hoodie. The Fox then pulled back her left sleeve, revealing her skin beneath. "Look right here." She said, pointing to the inside of her elbow. "Do you see it?" She knew that if a person looked directly at her arm, they would see a wide jagged scar. "We all have stories." The Fox quickly covered the scar, and placed her stuff back into the secret pockets inside, and walked ahead, not prompting further conversation. Just another tactic. She thought. To get information. Right? She was just leveraging her resources to gain control, wasn't she? Or, was this who she was? Was this a facade, or was it real? This group was doing wacky things to her brain. Or, was her brain becoming unclouded for the first time. Which was it? The Fox let her attention slide to the only thing that could keep her focused. The pain. Ahhh, yes. Every step was like a new dagger being stabbed into her feet. She was in control of herself. Of her emotions. She knew who she was. She sly... as a fox.