hadriel | 001

It was a town in my world that was run by a cult. They practiced some nasty rituals, and one went wrong, and the town shifted into another world, a much more hellish world, the kind of world they deserved.

It's my hometown, and there's where I was before I came here.

sounds fucked up

the last place we were in before here had a corrupted ley line. we tried to wake it up you know like a ritual to calm it down. it swallowed us up and sent us here. much more hellish world, look at that.

maybe you and i could meet up. think you can not summon a hellscape this time?

It sounds like you guys fucked up.

Where & when do you want to meet?

Ive got nothing going on right now.

Second spire in an hour?

Sounds like a plan.

[ in an hour, give or take a couple of minutes, sharon arrives at the second spire. she pulls out her cell, and spends what little wait she will have playing pong. she frowns every time she misses the little ball with her paddle. ]

[Ronan saunters up a few minutes later, his hands tucked in his pockets. For all that they haven't seen one another in awhile, he looks pretty much the same. He lifts a sharp eyebrow at the sight of Sharon messing with her phone and greets her with a rumble of a murmur.]

Hey.

[There's a pause. It's almost strange to talk to her like this, when they're both calm. Ronan isn't sure they've ever just had a conversation before.]

It's been awhile.

[ She slips her phone into her pocket quickly when he speaks up, letting it clink against the two other electronics from home she keeps stuffed in her vest (she doesn't know why she bothers bringing them anywhere). Since their last encounter, Sharon's hair has grown a bit, and with it her dark roots; she's had no chance to touch up, or even much interest. Her dad always kept on top of her about her roots, but it just doesn't fucking matter here.

Nothing much does. ]

Probably for the best. [ She admits. She doubts there's a person in the world that can hold a grudge quite the way she can, and though Ronan was never really at fault during their encounters, she still sours slightly thinking back on them.

It's different now, though. There's no twist in her gut to smash his face in, though that might change, who knows?

She stuffs her hands into her pockets. ]

So, any real reason we're out here? [ Is there a reason for this meeting? Or is it just because? ]

[Ronan has never been an agreeable sort of person. Being generally antisocial, as well as the kind of person who never sees the point in sugercoating an uncomfortable truth, he typically is not the sort to make friends. Even if he hadn't been influenced by the previous events, it's likely that he and Sharon wouldn't have been close anyway.

This is different. This is something- interesting, maybe, something that she has in common with the sort of magic he knows. Or maybe it's not, but it leaves him curious anyway.

At the question, he shrugs, kicking at a pebble near his feet.]

I don't like phones.

[Simply. It's the reason he'd rather not talk to her over one, even if it's a little more inconvenient to meet here, where something could just jump out of the shadows and attack them at any moment. Ronan does not seem to really take things like that into account.]

You talked to Parrish? About helping you?

[ His response is unexpected, and her lips twitch upwards. It's something they sort of have in common, though her distaste with phones come from a general lack of use than an actual dislike.

The question causes some confusion, at first. ] Parrish? [ And then: ] Oh, Adam, right? Yeah, I'm talking with him. I don't know the likelihood of it working, but... [ She shrugs her shoulders. What's the harm in trying? ]

Yeah, him.

[Ronan is quiet, eyeing her with the unsettling stare of his, as if deciding something about her in that moment. He still doesn't know how much he should be saying here, but if she's putting Adam in danger in any way, then Ronan is going to have to step in.]

Could something go wrong with it? The shit you're doing with him. [There's a pause, and his jaw sets, a little unpleasantly.] Are you gonna pull that shit out of your head when he's around?

[ He watches her, and it verges on unsettling. She straightens instinctively, and her eyes narrow. She's never liked being judged, no matter the reason. Then he speaks, and realization dawns on her: he's watching out for his friend.

It leaves a bitter taste in her mouth still, despite that. ]

It mostly just happens when I get emotional, so I can't make any promises that something won't go wrong. [ There's something about admitting that, and coming to terms with her lack of control that's tough on her. ] But I'll do what I can. I don't... [ She strains, and looks away, trying to keep her expression schooled despite the hitch in her tone. ] I don't want to hurt anyone, not if I can help it.

[The fact that she can't promise him Adam's safety makes him bristle, and Ronan watches, keeps his eyes trained on her even as she looks away, clearly uncomfortable. His stare doesn't let up until she finishes and he nods once, just a slight incline of his chin, folding his arms over his stomach.]

Emotional how?

[This is important, though he's not very gentle with the question. Ronan's fingers are tight as he considers her answer, considers just how far he wants this to go. She needs help, clearly. Adam agreed to help her already, and in order to make sure that Adam remains safe, Ronan is going to have to help her too, somehow, in his own way.

He doesn't like it, but that's reality.]

What are you feeling, when it comes out?

[ The way he asks doesn't seem to bother her too much, too blunt oftentimes herself to find it in her to care. Instead, she just answers. ]

Fear, panic. [ She swallows, chest suddenly tight. ] Hate.

[ The last word comes out heavy, and thick, like just thinking about her own hatred ignites something inside of her. She shakes her head. ] You know, the basics of this shithole.

Yeah, yeah.

[They're alone here with nobody around them, but it still feels like there's a pressure weighing on his chest. Did she cause that? Is she close to it now? It's enough to make him reconsider just for a second, but if she's going to be interacting with Adam, then Ronan needs to make sure that she's as in control as possible- even if that means sacrificing his own secrets.

He steps in a little closer, intense and deadly serious.]

I think I can help you, but first, you swear to me you won't tell anyone about this. I'm not fucking around, alright? Nobody finds out.

[ Sharon rolls her eyes. ]

Do you want a fucking pinkie promise? [ Because she's not going to be swearing anything. He can keep his secrets if it bothers him. ]

Oh shit, yeah, will you give me one?

[Ronan leans forward like he's actually going to extend his hand for a pinkie swear, before rolling his eyes and sagging back to a normal standing position.

Fine. No fucking around.]

Alright, look: I pull in bad shit too when I'm fucked up. Not like yours, but there's- [He shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets.] -monsters. I'm better at controlling what I bring. I can try to explain it, if you want.

I... [ She swallows. This isn't quite what she was expecting from him, and she's taken aback. He clearly has her full attention. ] Tell me about it, then.

[Well, that's one way to get someone to focus on the conversation. He takes a deep breath, and it's clear that he's not really used to telling people this- but he sort of has to trust her, if it means helping her control her abilities, which, in turn, protects Adam when she's around him.

It's a strange, circular thing. Ronan doesn't like it, but here they are.]

I take things out of my dreams. My bird- you've seen her around- I took her when she was a baby. Other stuff too. [Ronan brings his hands together, twisting at the leather straps around his wrists.] Worse stuff.

Anyway, it seems similar enough to your shit, except you can do it when you're awake. That's why I thought I could help you.

[ He takes things from his dreams. It's not exactly like her ability—whatever that ability even fucking is—but there's some clear similarity, no matter how minor. ]

Can you control what you bring in? [ Because that, no matter how similar their abilities are, is what matters the most. If he can't, then she doubts he can help her. ]

Yeah.

[It's a little quieter now, the blunt casualness of his earlier demeanor starting to fade, even as Ronan tries to keep it up. This runs deep with him, and it's not something he's used to sharing.]

Most of the time. I couldn't always, but it's gotten better. [Ronan takes a deep breath, gets right down to the root of it before she has a chance to linger further on this or what it might mean for him. The last thing he wants is for people to know fully about what he can do, and he's given her all the ammunition she needs to be dangerous to them all. Ronan doubts that Sharon would, though. She seems better than that, even if she's kind of an asshole.

At least Ronan can relate to that.]

I don't know if it's quite fear and panic so much as just... when you don't know yourself. That's when the monsters start coming back with you. That's the shit you've got to deal with.

Am I supposed to hit up the next quack that comes in, then? Smoke some peyote, and go on a vision quest? [ it sounds like a mentor speech right out of some shitty teen animated movie, kind of like: 'the power was in you the whole time', or 'accept yourself to deal with your demons'. it's not really something she expected from Ronan.

it's pretty clear she's not sure he's serious or not. ]

Oh my god, you asshole, I'm not running an after school special here.

[And just when they were getting so close. Ronan rolls his eyes and leans back a little dramatically, a little embarrassed now, but absolutely hiding it in his own exasperation.

If nothing else, though, the rush of emotion makes him a little more prone to running his mouth, and he points at her again, close enough to prod a finger against her sternum.]

You. Why are you scared of it? Why did it follow you? What is it about who you are that freaks you the fuck out so bad?

[ Her lips form a thin line, and she bats his hand away, a now familiar glare settling onto her features. She plays at annoyance, exasperation, but the questions stir something.

Her voice is tight and low when she speaks. ]

I've done things you can never imagine, worse than most of the horror shows fucking Fear plays, all right? I don't just bring monsters, I bring a whole new fucking reality into play.

[ The things inside of her taint the world because the world tainted the things inside of her. ]

[Ronan watches her, his jaw set tight while she talks. It's true- he finds a separate reality in his head, but one that he can mold and change, one that isn't as horrifying as what she can bring into this world.

There's a difference between the two of them, but he doesn't thin that it means what he's saying is completely invalid.]

I get that. I'm asking you why.

Because they fucked me up! [ She hisses it through clenched teeth, jaw aching. The abilities Alessa possessed before were... were nothing like this, not until they strapped her down to a metal disc and burned her above a brazier of coal. Before then, it was just making the butterflies dance; it was making flowers move without wind; it was coloring without holding the crayons.

All there is now is darkness.

A range of fire and words bubble in her throat, threatening to spill out of her like venom. She swallows. ]

They burned me alive, and twisted everything inside of me so I could give birth to their god. Okay? They did something to me that I can't undo.

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