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Maybe next time we'll remember to get some first.

[ disappointedly lets go of his hand (no) ] I did pick up some stuff from the cafe earlier? Not eat with popcorn worthy candidates, though.

You did? I'm gonna have to step up my game next time...

[joking, before he asks]

What'd you grab?

You don't have to do anything, seriously. I'd be happy with anything.

[ As he leads him back through the ship towards Disorder whom... He did not tell Gingham was coming and (conveniently) are not readily in the front room. ]

Just the usual desserts? Nothing special. I kind of ran out of cooking time.

[ Lightly said, a joke. But eventually they do make it to Phoenix's room which has now been transformed. There's a pile of desserts/other easy snacks on the desk. The windows aren't pulled closed, ignore the feathers probably. But at least it looks cozy as he puts down the popcorn and pauses - ]

Oh, if Brocade decides something else needs to be burned - [ he gestures to a set of shelves ; the highest one holds the small collection of his own stuffed lion and ouija board (yes, the ring is Still Not There) which he glances at before shrugging it off ] - You can have one or both shelves, I can move things around.

Easy for you to say once you've pulled out all the stops.

[pausing as they come into his room, though - he looks around, curious and then impressed]

Whoa... Did you design it yourself? It's so cool in here.

[but as for the visions:]

Ha, will do. Hopefully we'll convince him that's not the case. [...] Have you watched yours yet?

I literally just made food. Maybe you're just easily impressed.

[ He teases, not unfondly. ]

Mostly? I think they made some artistic choices like the windows.

[ He doesn't mind them at least but, he rubs the back of his neck and glances in the direction before shaking his head. ]

I've seen all of them but the last one. I didn't keep the feather since there wasn't any point?

[hesitates for a moment]

...Do you want to watch it while I'm here? It's okay if you just want tonight to be, like, chill. Just an offer in case.

[ Shifts a step back like he has to consider it himself. Briefly, thinking of just what he can guess is coming. He knows the other boy worries - hell, he's worried - but he'd made a quiet promise to himself not to lie to him. Still. ]

[ Another time would probably be better. He can only half guess what's in it. Or maybe, it'd be something normal. He doubts it. ]

[ Another beat of consideration before curiosity and honesty win out over the other options, ]

... Only if you're completely aware it is probably not going to be chill.

I'll be okay with whatever it is. But if you might not be - it can wait. It's your vision, so it's up to you.

[ "Honestly, nothing can be worse than that second memory, right?" He thinks but does not say. Why freak Gingham out More. ]

They're my visions, I want to see them.

[ He says after a moment before going to move to the shelf and the board. ] I just might need a minute after?

You can take as long as you need. And - if there's anything I can do...

[the rest is unspoken, but he probably gets it]

[ At least his smile is earnest when he gives it and he shifts to squeeze Gingham's hand and press a quick kiss on his cheek. ]

I know.

[ He doesn't need to say it, but it's nice to hear, in both directions. Steps back and decides that sitting on the floor is the most optimal place for trying to speak to vision ghosts from your goth bedroom. ]

[ He seems to hesitate for a moment before spelling out the word "FAMILY". ]

Edited 2025-01-02 05:21 (UTC)

[takes a seat near him, watching to see what his reaction will be]

[ Mentally, he'd prepared himself for a lot of different things. He knew that death and talk of death was just the normal so far. He told himself he'd be ready for it and it'd be fine. It turns out he is completely not fine in what must have been no more than an hour of another life. It wasn't even that long how does it all go to hell? ]

[ There are answers to hows he wanted the answers to but also... now he wants them even less than he thought he did. ]

[ Phoenix is quiet for a long moment after the vision transpires. Just quiet. Still. He feels the sting at his eyes as he transfixes his eyes on the board and wordlessly, with that same steely stillness moves the planchet over the word "GOODBYE". ]

[he wants to ask if he's alright, especially after seeing that word spelled out, but he stays silent for now to try and give him a moment of space]

[ He draws his hand away from the board, but doesn't move. He leaves it there for another long moment, the silence as steady as the stillness. ]

[ Eventually, when he does speak his voice breaks: ]

- We should definitely not let Brocade know this one exists.

What happened?

I mean - if you want to talk about it.

A ouija board session.

[ He shakes his head as he shifts slightly, leans his back against the side of the bed and doesn't quite look at Gingham. It's more like if he looks forward he can compartmentalize. ]

It was a trial. We were trapped in a cabin while be hunting by these - the things from the nightmare. That's not important. In order to pass the trial, you had to commune with the spirits. They were - all of this - they were there for the lady I told you about before.

[ His fingers press into his knees as he tries to think or say it in the right way. ] They wanted to punish her for everything she's done in life.

[ Another quiet moment. ] There was this lady. She was really nice. Earlier... I saw her beat this thing that had been haunting her all her life? She tried to protect him and the others... She tried protecting her and she just - just -

Drained the life out of her.

Edited 2025-01-02 05:47 (UTC)

Wait, so - the woman you told me about earlier passed away, or a different person?

[pauses for just a moment]

Either way - that must have been really hard to see.

A different one. It sounds like... she just kind of does to people. Even when they're just trying to help.

[ He swallows and nods. Doesn't close his eyes so he doesn't have to reimagine seeing Alice's body - ]

It got worse? Not that -

It's all kind of equally bad.

[he doesn't try to meet his gaze if it makes it easier for him not to look, but he does reach for his hand carefully]

Worse in what way?

[ He admittedly does give a little jump of start at the motion, mostly because his efforts had been to compartmentalize have taken hold. He glances down and then shifts his hand to take it: ]

[ And then there's a shift in that quiet. Still very still but it's something more akin to a vacuum, like he really is stubbornly trying to pull everything in and ignore everything outside. Almost as if he doesn't want to chance a glance into Gingham's mind. ]

... I kind of knew it was coming, between Cashmere's question in the last performance and another performance. I didn't know how.

[ He starts, falters. ] He tried to confront her about it. About how being a witch can't mean killing people for your own gain. She mocked him about it and -

a lot of things had been built up. He was mad, because she'd killed Alice. She said he'd be just like her and called him a pet and - I guess that was enough for his power to show up for the first time.

[ His free hand shifts to scrub at an eye. For a moment, lying. Dropping it sounds better. For a moment he thinks he should, but it's quickly disregarded. ]

There were these other two ladies, he took control of their minds. He didn't mean to exactly, but he still did. He had them drag her to this quicksand while she begged for him to stop and throw her in. She sunk in seconds.

And then he just completely lost control of it, the other two ladies went flying and - they sank, just like she did.

[he makes sure the grip is loose enough that he can let go if he wants to, and he's quiet as he listens to all of that. after a moment:]

...It sounds like it wasn't his fault. And it definitely wasn't your fault. But I know that might not make it any easier to see.

[ He doesn't let go at least, he in fact squeezes his hand a long moment before he shakes his head. ]

But that's just it, it was his power. He did want her gone in that moment - maybe not the other two ladies. He was just so mad.

[ but he did essentially just watch 4 people die. Well, no. ]

One of my other visions are after this. I know she survives, maybe there's a chance the other two ladies do to - [ He does not sound hopeful as he shakes his head. ] I know it's not my fault -

[ does he? find out after tomorrow's conversation with gray ] - the feelings in them, they've just been getting more intense? It feels more real, so seeing it like that's really -

Even if he was angry at her, it doesn't mean he wanted that to happen, right...? To any of them. And it sounds like he had a right to be upset.

[there's another pause, though, as he nods]

I think that's what it's been like for all of us. That they're getting more vivid, I mean. That makes it even harder when you see things like this.

[ Not me rolling a 20 on Phoenix absolutely understanding that Billy wanted Agatha dead in that moment. ]

[ He breathes out. ]

Dixie even said it was only the beginning. That all of this? It's barely gonna been a month, there's still so much more to come. She didn't fully say if it was about visions, but if they're all just going to be more and more intense...

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