thefifthchild | Labyrinthium Inbox

[ a considerable amount of time has passed yet freyja still felt no different than how she did after waking up from that nightmare.

the mere idea of setting foot in town scares her. even if supposedly death works differently here, no one would ever forget about it, not especially freyja herself. she could still remember every horrified scream, how the blood tasted in her mouth and how soothing it tasted as she quenches her desire to lash out in anger. just thinking about it makes her stomach drop; there's no way she could visit the town after losing control like that.

so she retreats in her home or in deserted places like the forest. it's safer there, and she could play her music as loud as she wants.

freyja sits on top of a tree branch, she has her beloved player on speaker mode, she's staring mutedly at a hologram of a rock band that came 20 years before her time. fire bomber is one of her inspirations since she was a kid, how their music speak against violence by advocating empathy. for the longest time, their songs helped distract her from the horrors of the war between the earthlings against her people; it gave her hope that one day people would find it in them to understand one another.

"love will save your heart," the lead singer, a man with gravity defying hair, gently sings as he smiles to the camera. "the honest eyes sketching dreams." the melody is sweet and gentle despite the band's anti-authority aesthetic. ]

But is it too late...

[ her voice is low but audible enough for anyone to hear in close range. ]

[Damian isn't far away from her. He'd been scouting the woods to see if anybody else had turned up - it's become part of his routine since his s - since Batgirl appeared.

But he stops to listen to the music when he hears it. He doesn't want to interrupt her. These moments are something he understands well - when dealing with the aftermath of the blood on your hands. Damian dealt with his by digging graves until he fell unconscious.

He listens to the end. And her question echoes the one echoing around his head.

Is it too late?]

Of course not.

[For you, at least.]

[ freyja nearly drops her player when she hears a familiar voice speaks up. it seemed like she was so caught up by her own thoughts that she didn't pick up the sound of footsteps.

"love will save this worldー" the music is cut off short as the hologram fades away. freyja turns around to put on a half-hearted smile at the other teen, her rune flashes blue. she isn't sure if damian has heard what she was saying before, or at least, she hoped he wasn't. it was better this way, she still doesn't know how to talk to people, much less about last month. ]

And here I thought I was by myself here. Didja come to feel the wind here, too?

[ her legs start to swing anxiously, as if she's ready to jump and run off at any given minute. ]

[He shakes his head. He's aware that he startled her, he can't quite help it. At least she didn't fall off. He jumps off his own branch and latches onto the tree she's sitting on, climbing up beside her.]

I found my... sister around here a while ago. [She wasn't his sister by the point she remembers, but that's what she is. Even if she wasn't... well, Shiva trained him since he was little, so that's another complicating factor.] I've added it to my patrol route.

[She glances down at her.]

...Are you okay? [There's a beat of about half a second before he continues...] Stupid question, I know but...

[ she files the mention of a sister for another time as she grows silent from his question. the more freyja blinks, the more watery her eyes feel.

before she answers him, she brings up her bandaged hand to wipe away the tears. ]

Remember when I talked about the Var Syndrome in the app? I guess the whole werewolf thing got me thinking 'bout it.

[ the similarities between both conditions hadn't gone unnoticed to her, between the uncontrolled aggression and the physical effects. the possible body count.

It wasn't like I never thought about how people felt after they realized what their body forced them to do because of mind control. It's- It's a lot to take when you experience it at first hand.

[ her eyes flicker back to her music player, absent-mindedly rubbing the aged electronic. her rune starts to pale until there's no color left. ]

I can't go back to town any more.

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millions of years late... backdated before sleepr

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