Setting
Default Location for Fragmented Sky
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |
Demesne is a part of 
Fragmented Sky.
5 Characters Here
Echo King [489] "My existence was a mistake."
Mara LaFleur [488] "Sometimes I can't help but wonder if the dream will end and we'll wake up to something even stranger."
Sana Blackwood [35]
Akali Rothenstein [28] "I just think differently from others, is that so wrong?"
Irelia Snowbridge [26] "What is lost can not be broken"
Start Character Here »
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo sat in front of the mirror. She had crawled out of bed, her legs uselessly dragging behind her. In her hand was a pair of scissors she had stolen from the nurse. Snip, her hair, it was too long. Snip, she didn't feel like Echo anymore. Snip, it was as though a stranger was wearing her skin each time she looked in the mirror. There was a knock on the door. Snip, 'Echo!" Snip! Someone ran forward, something clattered against the ground, but Echo was transfixed. "Echo, stop! How did you get scissors-" Melody, her hands clasped around them, stopping Echo from cutting another strand. Echo looked at the scissors in her hands, then up at Melody. "I-I h-h-ha-hate m-mys-s-s-self." Melody shook her head, hugging Echo in her arms. "Shh, shh, it's okay." Her hands touched Echo's cheeks, cool against her skin. "Everything will be okay," Melody looked at the scissors, easily prying them from Echo's grasp.
"Let me," Echo nodded, allowing Melody to cut the rest of her hair away. It grazed the bottom of her ears now; the length she had kept it at before. "Better?" Echo nodded and Melody lifted her, dragging Echo and the pole back towards the bed. "Don't hate yourself. You made your decision, didn't you?" Echo nodded once more. "We're all going to support you, alright?" She nodded again, embarrassed of the way she spoke, how she could not utter a sentence without stuttering. Wei had a theory that it wasn't the trauma, but the fact that the veins in her brain had thinned. With more blood flow, it would be easier to think and thus, the stutter would, in theory, resolve itself in a month or two.
Melody picked up the pudding cup she had been holding and brought it towards her sister. "Elliot said if you want to see Flo today, then you have to eat something a bit more solid. You just have to try it, alright?" Echo hesitated, this was the first step towards healing, wasn't it? Her hands shook as she took the pudding cup, Melody smiled, nodding encouragingly. She opened up the lid for her sister, who was too weak to do even that much on her own. "Here, I'll feed you, Doll will kill us if you get pudding on that fancy nightgown." It was four bites before Echo could not take anymore, she began to vomit, Melody having been fast enough to grab a bucket. Echo leaned back against the bed, tears welling up in her eyes. "Hey, it's alright, you tried. Okay? One step at at a time!"
Melody left when the nurse came, she had other things she needed to do, namely going on missions. There were more important things and yet, Echo felt warm, knowing that her sister had come to see her. Their relationship had always been rocky, but now... they supported her. No matter how awful she had been in the past. No matter how many slurs she had thrown at them. They were still here, trying to help her, trying to fix everything they had lost. Perhaps it was guilt eating away at them. Perhaps they were simply trying to make up for putting her in that jail the first time, but Echo was glad, even if she would never admit it. "Ready for group therapy?" The nurse asked as she set Echo in the chair. "Y-yes," she whispered, eager to see Flo.
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Today Flo would get to meet Echo. But before that, she was in a meeting with Wei, who had something to talk to her about. He had a picture in his hands that he wanted to show her. They were in a boardroom, which was a little bit more comfy than the stifling rooms on the mental health ward that used to be the birth mother ward. "Who's this? And why?" Flo frowned, crossing her legs. It was nice to see Wei was doing well enough, and with the promise that she would get so see Echo again Flo calmed down a little bit. "You should recognize her." Wei said with a half smile, holding the photo up for Flo to gawk at. It was a blonde girl with sharp blue eyes and a harsh gaze... and she looked very similar to someone Flo once knew.
"Is her last name Blackwood?" Flo asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. What could this be about? "Yes, actually." Wei said with a small twinkle in his eye. He was getting old now, but he was ever as kind as always whenever he could be. He wanted to be a different kind of Director than the cold and unfeeling woman Flo's mother once was. "Amelia Blackwood became a Jaeger in order to get the funds to buy her younger sister a life. As you know, Amelia's mother was a prostitute and didn't use protection. As a result, she had two daughters." Flo remembered how much Amelia always hated her mother and vowed not to become like her. "And now Sana Blackwood wants to become a Tower Agent."
There could only be one reason why Wei was bringing this up with her right now. "Is she compatible with me?" Wei nodded, a solemn look in his eyes. "You're strong enough to keep her safe. Stallion died in the war, and her wish was always to keep her younger sister safe to live a long life. She has the right to join and fight, but I want to honor Stallion's final wish. I believe you could do it." Flo frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. "But I wanted to be partners with Echo again." Wei chuckled a little. "She's also compatible with another demon, I believe her name is Ayna Anranrara." That was yet another surprise. "Well, just think about it, alright?"
Flo had plenty of things to say to Echo once she saw her again. Ayna looked bored as she played with her fingernails and the other demons were there as well. Flo sat next to Ayna but she was most eager to see Echo. This was her and Ayna's first time in Group Therapy, they had never been here before. "Echo..." Flo's eyes went wide when she saw her friend after so long, looking unwell and her poor hair looked chopped up as well. She scanned her partner's body to check and see if there was anything wrong, but it was no more wrong than the normal besides the hair problem. So she was stable now? "Let's get rank 10." She said with a smile, deciding to wait on the Sana Blackwood news until later. "Now." Elliot cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Today is Fluorspar and Ayna's first time joining us, so why don't you all show them how we do things here at Group Therapy?"
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo shifted in her wheelchair as the nurse pushed her, Melody had done her best with Echo's hair and the demon rather liked it, back to the length she had kept it at before Belgium. "There you go, I'll come pick you up afterwards and we'll try some pudding for lunch, alright?" Echo nodded, watching the nurse leave. She reached for the wheels, rolling closer to Flo and a demon Echo didn't recognize. "F-F-Flo," Echo stuttered. She was glad to see her friend, glad to see that she was alright. "Y-yes," Echo smiled, "I-I w-wa-want t-to g-ge-get to r-r-rank te-ten." She and Flourspar had been so close, they were nearly there when Echo had taken a sword to the chest and had died, after sneaking out to be on a mission she was never supposed to go on.
Elliot entered, Oliver slinking in behind him. "Everyone ready?" They sat in a circle, "today we're going to be making bead bracelets." Bead bracelets? Not only was group therapy supposed to be sensory friendly for everyone, it also served as acriviries to help motor function. As many of them had issues with coordination. "Oliver, will you hand out the strings?" Elliot asked, taking a seat in their circle. "Now, normally during Group Therapy we sit quietly, but since things are a bit different, I want to encourage everyone to share their feelings. How are you all doing after the move to this new place?" Elliot needed to make certain of course that his patients were faring well and there was no better place to express worry than in group therapy, where others could feel and ease it.
Echo took her string, her hands shaking terribly as she was given a small bowl of beads, her fingers attempted to grasp one, latching onto a red one. Red, like her eyes had been, the color of blood. Echo focused as she attempted to string the bead onto the piece of yarn. "I hate it here!" Allison suddenly yelled, dropping her bowl. The beads went rolling, Allison grabbed at her hair, pulling it, her ears twitching wildly. "We're too close to the Impact! They're going to kill us all!" She slid out of her chair, sobbing. "I don't like it either," Bex twitched, a group of broken demons, all stuck in a room together. It would be easy to revolt if they had a reason to. "It's going to be alright," Elliot rose, helping Allison back into her seat as she sobbed, her beads rolling across the ground. "Change takes some time to get used to," his smile was serene, calming. "We all just need to take this one step at a time."
One step at a time... Echo had two beads on her string now. "Angel, what's wrong?" Elliot asked once he had calmed Bex and Allison down. Angel blinked, looking at the string in her hands. "I-I don't know," she held up the string, "this... reminds of me someone... but I can't-" she stopped, wincing, "I can't remember," Angel placed her hands against her head, it was clear she was in pain. "Oliver, why don't you escort Angel back to her room so she can rest?" Oliver nodded, Echo looked down at her beads, she had picked up the third one. "F-F-Flo h-ho-how a-are y-you fe-feel-feeling?" Echo wanted to know, speaking quietly.
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Flo did not really know what to expect here for group therapy. She had never really had therapy before, not in a mental sense. There was never time for it when things were serious because she was always needed on the frontlines as a member of Team Lupin and her mother would never give her a break because there were demons that needed to be killed, and pieces of the Seed of Yggdrasil that needed to be gathered. Elliot was speaking and introducing her and Ayna, the two new girls to the group therapy party. "Let's do it for real this time." Flo said with a slightly wavering smile. She and Echo never got past Rank 6 before the Third Impact happened. Would they be able to reach the top this time after being broken and mangled so many times?
They were apparently going to be making bracelets out of beads today. Flo frowned as she stared at the materials, wondering how the heck she was supposed to be able to get the strings through the holes of the beads. It would be hard, that much was certain. Flo picked the pink and yellow beads, reminding her of her old team. Elliot wanted to know how everyone was getting along in this new place, this new facility which was remodeled from an old facility that was full of pain and sadness. The birth mother ward was one of the darkest things the Tower Society ever did to anyone. "It's okay I guess." Ayna murmured, not inclined to share her past so easily. Elliot took note of that but said nothing, probably to allow her to speak whenever she felt comfortable. The way Ayna looked on edge, Flo had to wonder if it had something to do with the birth mother ward.
"I'm okay. I just want to get out of here." She murmured with a roll of the eye. "I'm obviously perfectly fine, just like new, Echo." She totally never had breakdowns anymore or anything, that's for sure. Flo made her best smile but for some reason she felt like crying. She stared into Echo's beautiful eyes and took a deep, labored breath, coughing a few times as she irritated her lungs. "And you'll be too. And then we'll climb the ladder all over again." She grinned, pink eyes wobbling. "Do - do you think they'll let us keep our Rank Six or will we have to start all over?"
All of a sudden Flo's hands began to tremble and she didn't know why. Her eyes went wide and she tilted her head. Why were her hands trembling so much? Why did her legs feel so weak? Why couldn't she get a single string through a single bead? She glared at the pink bead but the string kept going to the side or outside and not inside the hole like it was supposed to. "Why won't it work?!" Flo growled, agitated. Nothing was working, nothing was as it was supposed to be. Useless, she was so useless, she couldn't even make a bead bracelet! What kind of worthless animal was she? "S-so how are you, Echo?" The pinkette asked, her voice breaking a little.
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo nodded, a small smile on her face, the first one in days. Elliot took notice of everything that happened around him of course, slowly writing it down under each patient name. Progress, regression, it was all made note of on his tablet. 'Y-yeah," Echo looked at her lap, blushing slightly. She wanted to make it to rank 10, she had never been up that high on the totem pole. She would be at Doll's level, people would look up to her. How was she going to get there? Like this, Echo couldn't even look anyone in the eye. Her hands tightened into fists, she could do this. Elliot had said he would help her, if that was her decision. She wanted to get better, she didn't want to stay this weak. Echo looked around the room, at Gem, happily stringing her beads, at Ash, silently brooding, refusing to touch the string.
Was anyone on this floor truly happy? Was she the only one that had noticed it? Perhaps Echo was merely used to war, an agent of chaos, but this false sense of peace did not sit well with her. It could also be because she had not been allowed such a thing. No, from the time she was born, Echo was never allowed to rest. Now, she was simply expected to retire quietly? It just seemed... strange. Did she really want to go back to war and fighting? To be a tool for other's to use, to live everyday knowing she could die at any second? Echo didn't know, but she knew one thing. She didn't want to live in this rehabilitation facility any longer than she had to. Even if she could never fight again, Echo knew that she would rather try than live with this false peace.
"I-I w-wa-want t-t-to ge-get ou-out t-t-too." Echo stuttered, hating herself even more for her weakness. She was the only one here that had a problem with it, why? Why couldn't she speak normally? Why couldn't she do that much without breaking down and wanting to cry? At least Flo was okay, at least she was awake, she was moving, albeit slowly. "I-I th-thi-think w-we-we'll ha-have t-t-to st-start ag-ag-again." Echo blushed, wondering why she couldn't utter that much without wanting to die of embarrassment. She looked down at the beads in her hands, her hands which trembled with every breath. It was a miracle she could even move them, was what Elliot had said after her first evaluation. In truth, most of the nerves in Echo's body were shot.
"I-it-it'll b-be ok-okay," Echo whispered as Flo began to panic about her beads not working. "S-s-see?" Echo showed Flo that it was hard for her too. They were both broken to bits, they were both in need of being put back together. Flo asked how she was and suddenly Echo no longer wanted to put beads on her string. There were only four beads on it so far. Echo closed her eyes, how was she doing? She had not thought about it, she had avoided thinking about it. Every part of her body had been violated, she was broken, battered, bruised. She had wanted to die. "I-I'm o-ok-oka-okay," Echo whispered in a lie.
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
In a way, both girls were lying to try and appease the other, Flo could tell that much. Echo was not okay, and after all the things that happened to her, it made sense why she wasn't. Flo could still remember all the times she was sliced open and had her organs harvested over and over again in the hopes of finding some way to abuse her time stop ability. They had both gone through hell, probably some of the worst cases of anyone here. Even so, they were faring better than Pan, who was literally torn away from her body and still being tortured for years on end. Flo closed her eyes, deciding that the beads didn't really matter. "Echo, there's so much for us to see and do. Let's work hard and get out of here."
Her head felt heavy, like her neck was too weak to support it's weight. Her whole body had grown weaker, her muscles barely able to do anything thanks to spending so long comatose and unresponsive. She herself remembered the movements but her body wasn't able to do them. "They want us to get better with using our hands. What if we worked together?" She coughed, painful hitches in her throat as she thirsted for air. At least she was kind enough to aim it away from anyone, just in case they were afraid of saliva spraying about. "Umm.... I'll hold a bead, and you try to put the string through. Remember our old Synchro Rate exercises?" They learned it from Flame and Melody - if two partners worked in unison with the same goal on something, it would help boost their synchro rate and make their combined strength even better.
Flo and Echo had always been good in terms of their synchronization, even able to use Soul Bursts at their peak in power. Flo no longer had Annalise's Eye, as she returned the relic back to her mother, who was serving time in the holding cells of the East Tower, several floors above them. What kind of soul burst would they have now, considering Flo's ability to stop time? "I don't have my pins anymore." Flo admitted, a little wistfully. She missed them, but a part of her was glad she would no longer have to kill parts of her body in order to neutralize parts of her enemy's body anymore. Especially whens he would give her enemies heart attacks by stabbing herself through the heart with a pin, wasn't that the worst of it?
"Maybe once we're out we can ask Ellen to give us new tools?" A weapon to help enhance Echo's combat with her crystals, a weapon to take advantage of Flo's time stop ability. Ellen Winter would definitely be the one to go to for that. "And then we can show big boobed Doll who's boss!" They wouldn't just be the heroes that defeated Kuro and Lumos King. They would be more than that. They would become the next Rank 10s and be at the top of the ladder, together.
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo nodded, they could work together. "B-bu-but w-w-we ch-ch-chose d-d-dif-f-ferrent co-colors." Echo stuttered, picking up her beads. Would it be alright? She nodded, remembering the synchro rate exercises, remembering her past self. She was no longer that fiery bundle of fierceness. No, Echo was a broken demon. "Y-yeah le-let's w-w-work to-toge-together." Echo's hands shook as she picked up one of her strings to string onto the bead that Flourspar was holding up. Neither girl was faring well. Was it simply a pipe dream to want to escape this place? Echo didn't know. She focused on putting string through the beads, biting down on her lip, her fang nearly tearing through her skin. Why was she so bad at this? It was something so simple, so why did her hands shake so much? Echo blinked back tears, she couldn't get frustrated here.
"Good team work you two," Elliot praised with a smile as he watched the girl's work together. Echo flinched, her hand twitching, nearly knocking the bracelet out of Flo's hand in surprise. She had been so busy focusing on this task that Elliot had surprised her. "It's an unconventional problem solving method and I'm glad to see you two working together," of course he was going to write it down on his tablet. This was a good thing, the fact that the two of them were speaking to one another and able to work together. Elliot moved on and Echo looked up at Flo, "Y-yo-you ha-haven-haven't h-had the-them fo-for a-a wh-while." Not since Flo had woken up as a demon, but now, with soul damage, would she need to use a weapon with a soul piece inside of it?
Echo's small smile quickly began to turn into a frown. She shook her head, nearly dropping the string again. "I-I ca-can-can't f-f-fig-fight." Her wings had been cut off, she didn't even haver her signature tail anymore. Echo looked down at her lap. M-my w-w-win-wings a-ar-are go-g-gone." It hurt to say it out loud, it made the loss real. She really was weak, wasn't she? Echo was a horrible Baroness. She felt it, the beginning's of her panic attack. Echo leaned back in the chair, her fingers trembling worse than before. Tears welled up in her eyes, ones that she couldn't stop from flowing. "Th-the-they t-too-took ev-ever-every-th-thing." In that moment it was clear just how deep the cracks ran.
Elliot was quick to respond, after all, one demon breaking down could set all of the others off. "Oliver, would you mind escorting Echo back to her room?" He asked softly, Oliver grunted, but took the handles of the wheelchair. The string slipped from her hands, the beads falling to the ground, her and Flo's hard work clattering against the floor. "It's okay, you'll see Echo again later." Elliot promised, hoping that this would not set any of the other's off. Already they had lost three today, Allison having been returned to her room as well. Echo sobbed in the wheelchair as Oliver rolled her back to her room, where the nurse was waiting to take over. "It'll be alright," the nurse soothed as she set Echo in bed. "Tch, baby," Oliver left, he didn't want to be here. His words only made Echo cry harder.
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
"Wei will bring everything back." Flo said, heart racing as Echo began to go into her panic attack. It seemed like everyone here had them to some degree. Echo wasn't listening anymore, she couldn't listen anymore, it was too much for her to handle. It felt as if Flo was drowning under a wave of helpless despair because there was nothing she could do for her friend. Even as the doctors took her away to be cared for Flo couldn't do anything. Was this what group therapy was? Why wasn't it helping Echo, then? "Hey." Ayna wheeled herself over, poking Flo in the arm. "Let's go, this is kind of boring." The demon did not seem to want to be here either. "We have things to talk about." No doubt the doctors were confused as to how the two girls knew each other, since they had been comatose and all.
Flo was more than happy to leave. She had no real interest in anyone else here at the very least. "What's going on?" She asked. Ayna was her fellow companion in comatose life. Together they fought against the boredom and the threat of disappearance by entertaining themselves and going on adventures inside their own heads. "Let's go see what's happening on the outside, shall we?" The greenette grinned as the two girls wheeled themselves to a secluded corner. Naturally a doctor followed them to make sure they didn't do anything bad, but there was nothing they could do about that. There was no such thing as privacy here, after all.
Well, except inside of their heads at least.
Ayna took Flo's mind and pulled it from her body, peeling her away. The greenette giggled, raising herself to the air. Flo felt weightless and free yet again, able to move freely and swiftly and fly to the air unlike how in her body she was trapped, slow, couldn't move an inch. "What will we see today?" Flo asked, excited. She was distracted so she wouldn't also get to have a breakdown the way Echo did. "Let's go spy on the vampires." Ayna suggested, pointing somewhere out on the horizon. "What's going on in Castle Seylum now?" It was getting more and more clear that a demon like Ayna was not someone who was meant to be a fighter. She was better off as a spy, a scout. She could gather information on everything by using this ability to astrally project herself.
The two girls blinked and suddenly they were in northern Hungary, near the Alps mountain range that spanned much of Europe's topography. A large and foreboding castle awaited them. Flo shivered, remembering the time she spent here. "The people that hurt Echo and you are not in power anymore." Ayna said, taking them in the front entrance. "Apparently Queen Riven is much more friendly than Gavyn and Iflet Seylum were." Queen Riven was adorned in black and it appeared that she was writing a journal of sorts, sitting alone in her room. It was a lonely room, even though there were two beds available, only one was ever used. As if she was waiting for someone.
"Looks like she's writing." Ayna nodded, glancing at the Queen in mourning. "It looks like she writes a journal entry of her day every day to a Viola girl." Ayna read the previous entry on the opposing page. "It seems to be about anything. Last one said something about how a girl named Sweet Pea was teaching her to cook and it was fun?" Queen Riven did not seem like an evil sort. So why exactly did she side with the demons to attack humanity just like her predecessor did?
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
"Here, this will make you feel better," a sedative; it raced through her veins, numbing the world. Echo leaned back against the pillows as the nurse placed the blanket over her, England's desolate winter pervading through the windows. Echo opened and closed her hands, she wanted to say something, but instead, she merely allowed the pleasant vibrancy of nothingness overtake her senses, staring up at the ceiling. Why couldn't her brain be this quiet all the time? Why couldn't her body listen to her as easily as it did now? Echo closed her eyes, hoping that she could fall asleep. She wanted this pleasant numbness to drag her underneath into the land of nothing, but alas, it didn't happen.
The feeding pump began to beep, it seemed that she was done with her food for now. "I'll stop that," Echo's eyes snapped open, that was not a nurse. No, Angel was standing in her room, pushing buttons on the machine. "I learned how to make it quiet," she smiled, Echo whimpering and scooting away. "Ash said I should stop bothering him because group therapy is over but I missed everything. Do you want to make a bracelet?" Angel took Echo's none answer as a yes, the angelic looking demon setting herself down on the end of Echo's bed. "Those are cute," Angel reached for one of the plushies that her sister's had brought her, petting the rabbit's head. The bear was currently tucked into Echo's arm. "You're lucky you have such cute stuff," Angel smiled, "I don't have anyone to bring me anything, not like everyone else."
Everyone else's rooms were personalized, they had their own clothing and pajamas, having collected stuff from working. Angel wore the standard patient jumpsuit with slits in the back for two heavy looking wings. She pulled beads out of her pocket, placing them on the bed. Echo watched quietly as Angel deftly looped the beads onto the string. "Here!" The demon flinched, jumping back as Angel reached forward, tying the bracelet around one of her skinny wrists. "Now we're friends, see? I have one too! Er well, I have to make myself one...." she trailed off, pulling another string out of her pockets. The other one had cookies packed into it, which were poking out of the top.
"Y-yo-you-r-you-re cr-cra-crazy," Echo murmured, the beads on her wrist shining in the light. "No, you are," Angel smiled, not bothered by Echo's name calling. "We're all crazy, that's why we're on this floor, right? That's what Oliver says," Oliver was a prat, but Echo wasn't going to tell Angel that because it was true. They were all crazy and broken, it was why they were kept here, away from everyone. The only field trip Echo had taken since arriving was to have surgery, not to mention they had gotten rid of outside time altogether for the time being. "W-wh-why d-d-do yo-you wa-wan-want t-t-to b-be fr-frien-friends?" Echo stuttered, the effects of the medication having already worn off.
"Um... it's lonely, inside my head I mean." Angel looked up at the ceiling, the light fixture that could be dimmed and the star stickers that were in every room. "I don't remember anything, Dr. Wei and Dr. Elliot said that maybe one day something will unlock my memories, so I just have to make new ones in the meantime!" Echo had never heard anyone call Wei Dr. Wei, Professor maybe, but she had never called him Doctor. It was almost comical. "So do you want to be friends?" Angel didn't seem to mind when Echo flinched when she spoke, she clasped Echo's hands in her own, Echo scooting away uncomfortably. "S-s-sure," her cheeks were pink as she spoke.
"Angel!" The nurse was blue in the face, suddenly standing in the doorway. "You know you're not allowed in other patient's rooms!"
"I'm not?"
"No, leave Echo alone, she isn't feeling well."
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
[i]Flo and Ayna watched the sad atmosphere at Castle Seylum. It has been weeks yet still they could not get over Vopla's demise. Flo had not been there when it happened though she was around and sensed that something bad had gone wrong. "Vampires can be immortal." Ayna said softly as Queen Riven closed the journal and looked at the tidy, unused bed in the corner of her room. She rubbed at her eyes and turned towards her own bed to gaze out at the setting sun high in the sky. "She'll be without her love forever, probably." Never to reunite until Riven so decided to by her own hand, if vampires could ever reunite with their loved ones at all.
The pinkette blinked her eyes and suddenly now they were somewhere else now. What was this place? It just looked so odd, as if everything was filled with a sea of stars. "What is this place, Ayna?" It didn't look to be any real place that Flo had ever seen before. "It's the starscape where the stars do their business." Ayna said with a mysterious smile. Then she shrugged with a sigh. "Or at least, what I imagine it to be." It was a nice, peaceful sort of place for sure. "So why are we here?" Was there some important matter Ayna wanted Flo to know or hear? This was the only way they could have privacy from the doctors, so if there was a secret the pinkette was prepared to hear it.
"I just thought it was a nice place." Ayna said, looking almost evasive for some reason. She gazed up at the stars as if searching for something but whatever it was she sought she was unable to reach. "Wait, I just thought of something." Maybe this was the key to helping them get out of here. "Now that we're both awake, you can pull Echo out too, right?" Flo's voice became almost excited. "Echo has the worst trauma of us all. But you could help take her away from it and give her a break from her own mind."
Ayna raised an eyebrow as if curious. "We could have a tea party in my head where her traumatic thoughts can't intrude." The green haired demon looked almost devious. "I might bring Angel in too, because I'm very curious about her." One thing was certain - Yue was very sure Angel did not actually smell like a demon at all. What was Angel? Not a demon, but not even she had any memory of the past.
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
The next morning, the nurse came in early to wake Echo up. "We have you scheduled for therapy now, ready?" No, Echo was not ready, but she allowed the nurse to prepare her for the morning. Echo watched as the nurse primed the pump and connected it to the hose that went down her nose and throat and into her stomach. The nurse carried Echo to her wheelchair and pushed her down the hall and to the elevator, where they went one floor down to the therapy rooms. "Good morning Echo," Elliot smiled, Oliver brooding in the corner like always. "Ready to start?" Slowly, hesitantly, Echo nodded. "Good, now, let's get working on fine tuning those motor skills. Want to try some sorbet?" He placed the bowl and spoon in front of her, both made of silicone so no one would get hurt if something happened. Slowly, Echo reached for the spoon, her hand trembling. Oliver snorted in the corner, making tears well up in Echo's eyes.
"Oliver, please, if you can't be supportive then leave." Elliot scolded, to which Oliver strode out of the room, seeming almost glad that he wouldn't have to deal with watching Echo fail. "It's alright, it's only the first day." Her hands wouldn't stop shaking, most of the sorbet fell off of the spoon and onto the napkin in her lap. A few, victorious spoonfuls in her mouth ended up with Echo wretching at the feel of it on her tongue. "Good job," Elliot would smile and praise her each time she managed to move the spoon. "Now, let's do the other hand," she ended up passing the spoon, slowly but surely, to each hand. They used pence next, each placed on the mat. Echo had to lift them and put it in the other hand before putting the pence into a bowl.
Just their one hour session left Echo exhausted. "We'll work our way up, alright?" Elliot assured her, "everyday we'll meet here and then we'll increase the time," Echo nodded, slumping back in the wheelchair. The nurse took the handles, taking Echo back upstairs. "We'll have a nice warm bath now and get you all cleaned up," she smiled. Echo shivered, wishing she could take a bath on her own, but she was almost never without someone by her side in this place. It was probably for the best, Echo feared that if she were left alone, she would do something unsavory or drastic. "Oh look, visitors!" It was only Doll and Christopher, the later turning around quickly when he saw the bathroom door open. "I'll wait outside," he offered as Doll entered.
"I heard you did well in therapy today." Doll smiled, seeming proud. Echo wasn't sure if it was pity, or if she was actually happy of the small accomplishment Echo had made. She pat Echo's head, the little demon flinching at the touch. "Here, I brought you a dress," it wasn't frilly, in fact, for Doll's taste, it was rather plain. "I know you're having sensory problems, so the lace isn't anywhere that will come into contact with your skin," it was a white flag, as far as Doll went with clothing.
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
They decided to meet at London's Greatport, a large port just outside the city which had been turned into a heavy military compound. Director Wei was here and so was Cress, his second in command. Naturally, Ellen was here too, coldly gazing dispassionately at those on the other side of the table. Sitting between the two parties was a person they all were familiar with in some way. Baroness Lachesis, the only Baron not affiliated with the Third Impact, she was a neutral party that no longer wished to take part in the war. Opposite of Director Wei's side and the Winter sisters' two demons, sat the vampires. Queen Riven was here, as was her primary attendant, Elise von Trapp. Lastly, Gregor was there as well, gazing at them with a slight frown.
It was obvious what this was about.
"We have Viola Rosenkrantz's corpse." Director Wei said as smoothly as he could. "We dug it up during the coronation ceremony while none of you were paying attention. Baroness Lachesis here can revive her and bring her back." With a drawback, always of course, but did the vampires know that? Baroness Lachesis did not seem inclined to warn her clients about this risk, so it wasn't as if Wei had to either, as much as he may want to. This was a matter of humanity's survival. You couldn't always be nice to everyone. "She was your partner and intended." Ellen's voice was ice cold. "It would be in your best interest to agree to this deal." Elise cleared her throat, eyeing Riven who had balled her fists, unhappy, not just unhappy but clearly angered, but still not about to pick a fight. Not unless they had to.
"Are you trying to open up old wounds?" Elise's voice was accusatory. "We already said our goodbyes. There's no need to go after us like this." Ellen knew that the vampires just wanted the body back, they just wanted Viola to get to rest in peace. "And what would you have us do?" Gregor asked, not about to just let a deal come through without knowing the terms first. Cress crossed her arms, clearly trying to express that no, she did not agree with doing this sort of thing in the slightest. "Side with us in the war. Then you'll get your Viola back." Was Ellen's succinct reply.
"And what is your stake in this, Baroness Lachesis?" Elise asked, eyes narrowed at the serpentine demon sitting between the parties at the table. Why was she taking part in this? "In exchange for being allowed to live, one of the prerequisites is to agree to help with small tasks from time to time." Baroness Lachesis answered, never missing a beat. The vampires conferred among themselves, as if trying to decipher what that even meant. "And what, may I ask..." Riven finally decided to speak, her pink hair vibrant despite her many losses. "What reason do we have not to attack you right now and force you to return my friend's body to me?"
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Riven's hands balled into fists by her sides. She did not understand why the humans wanted to make enemies of her. She had known that Viola's grave had been robbed the eve of her coronation, but had not expected it, of all people, to be the supposed "best side of humanity." Riven rose from the table, "I am going to step outside for a moment-" but the one with icy eyes stopped her. "I'm sorry, but you cannot leave, not until a decision is made." Her smile reminded Riven of the frozen wind of the mountains, a reminder of what the humans had done to her, of the scars that would never fade around her wrists. She sat back down, Elise's hand taking her's underneath the table and giving it a hard squeeze. Yes, there were many things to fight for, but Viola would not want them to side with humans. After all, Viola had hated humans too.
"I apologize Tower Society, but it would not do to make enemies of us vampires. We have pulled out from the war and have remained neutral. We will not stand for bribary," Riven tossed her pink hair over her shoulders, level headed. Yes, she was Queen; this was the right decision, her decision. Elise gave her a small nod of support. Gregore grinned, it seemed that at last, Riven had made the right decision. "Do what you will with her body, Viola is long past dead. We've said our goodbies and if that was your only bargaining chip I believe you have nothing left to offer us." Riven rose, feeling a sort of sadness plague her insides, or perhaps that was guilt. She had just passed up what was probably the only opportunity to ever see Viola again.
But Viola would not want to be returned to the land of the living as some warped verision of herself. "Excuse us, we will be taking our leave." It was snowing as they left the building of the Tower Society, perhaps a sign from Viola herself that they had made the right decision.
~~~~
Echo had been working at therapy for the last few days, her muscles exhausted after each session, but her coordination growing steadier with each session. There was no physical therapy on the weekends, but this week they were being treated to something new. The nurses had gathered all of the patients into one of the recreational rooms on the floor, table full of ice cream and different toppings arranged for them to celebrate a successful week at rehab. Echo had been working on keeping down food and liquids, while still making her sick, were much more tolerable than solids. Still, if it was time she could spend with Flo, Echo would rather be here. The nurse wheeled her into the recreational room, where the others were already gathered.
Echo had made Flo a bead bracelet, one similar to the one that Angel had made her so that they could match. Was it childish? Perhaps, but in her PTSD laden mind, it made sense. Her hands shook nervously, wondering if Flo would like it. "I'm sure Flo will love it," the nurse assured her, leaving Echo parked in the circle of chairs so that she could begin scooping ice cream into bowls.
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Since the vampires did not want the corpse of their friend back, that was all Ellen needed for this next experiment. After returning home to the Tower Society, Ellen Winter began her experiment. Could someone be turned from a vampire to a human? She didn't know that there was a boy named Jacob who carried the gene needed to reverse the vampires and turn them humans again. However, they had the perfect specimen waiting right here. "Do it, Lachesis. Bring her back, without any additional side effects." Baroness Lachesis gave Ellen an odd look. "That depends on the power of the one making the wish." The snake demon said with a half shrug of her shoulders. "Let's hope we don't have another Juria and Leo situation then." Ellen's smile was grim. Shiro told her not to do this, but for the sake of science, humanity needed to move forward.
Viola blinked a few times after the light faded away. She stared at her hands and wiggled them. She then looked around with a big expectant smile. "Ah! Riven, look! I'm..." Her smile faded and turned into something like disgust as Ellen and other scientists surrounded her, grabbing her limbs and locking them behind her. Viola bared her fangs, but she could not break free. "Riven won't let this happen! She'll find out and-" Ellen smiled, eyes cold as a knife made of ice. "They didn't want you back. I made the offer to save you, but the vampires didn't take it." Viola made a silly grin then, as if suddenly she wasn't scared. "Perfect! Then she knows I'm revived and she'll come for me." It didn't bother Ellen for Viola to believe that. Everyone needed a little hope, after all. "I'm going to turn you human again." Ellen Winter pressed a button and the flawless wall shut behind them. No escape.
Was Ellen a sadist? No, of course not. This was entirely for science. Her goal was not to hurt poor Viola - in fact, Ellen was quite empathetic to the girl. No one wanted or deserved to suffer and be tortured. But the fact of the matter was that if it was necessary, Ellen wasn't going to turn away from the path ahead.
...
It was a strange recreational day.
Flo took the bracelet, happy with how it looked. It was simplistic and not anywhere near fancy, but it had Echo's heart in it. She could feel the feelings coming from it. "Um, I made this for you." Flo said, giving Echo a lump of cotton. "I tried to make a stuffed whale but I realized sewing is too hard for me right now." Flo was making very slow progress in improving her mobility. It was because therapy for these things was always during the day and in sunlight she was always stuck in her weak human form, unable to do much of anything. Wei was currently working on a night therapy plan for her, at least. "There's someone who wants to meet us soon."
Flo shuffled uncomfortably.
"Her name is, um, Sana Blackwood. Amelia's... Stallion's sister." The family circumstances were a bit complicated as well that Echo didn't really need to know yet. Would Echo be okay with this? Or would Flo have to do it alone? She was okay if she had to. "Wei told me she says she wants to know... more about Stallion's life here." Flo frowned, twiddling her fingers. "Apparently in the letters the two of us were her best friends before she died." Flo knew Echo didn't ever really like Stallion, but Flo had always enjoyed her company.
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo was glad that Flourspar had finally arrived, that the two of them would finally get to see one another. She was glad that Flo liked the bracelet, as simple as it was, Echo had worked hard on it. "U-um yo-you d-did-didn't ha-have t-t-to." Echo insisted, taking the skewed piece of cotton. She placed it on her lap, uncertain what to make of it. It was clear that Flo was working hard though and Echo was glad for it. "I-I l-l-li-like i-it." She would put it with the rest of her stuffed animals on her bed. "E-eve-every-th-th-thing i-is ha-hard r-r-right n-no-now." Echo scratched her cheek, unable to meet Flo's eyes. She too, was working hard in therapy of course. Did Flo want to go back to fighting? Echo was not certain. Would they ever be allowed to fight again in the first place? It was hard to tell at this point.
Someone wanted to meet them? It was clear that the way Flo was shifting that this someone might not be the most agreeable. Echo shifted too, she did not do well with visits from strangers. The last one had ended up in her screaming and crying, hardly able to carry on with her day and needing to be sedated. Echo listened nonetheless, knowing that this visitor could very well be someone important. She was surprised to learn that Stallion had a sister. Echo had never really cared much for the wild horse, she had always been too loud for Echo's taste. Too big mouthed and rash, not to mention she had abused her demon, which was a no-no in Echo's book.
She took pause in Flo's next words, wondering if it could possibly be true. Did Stallion consider them friends? Or merely convienent allies? Echo would never know. "I-I d-don-don't kn-know i-if it-it's a g-g-g-goo-good ide-idea f-f-for me-me t-to me-meet he-her." The little blonde demon admitted, looking at her lap. "I-I do-don'-don't d-do w-wel-well wi-with str-strange-er-strangers." It would probably be for the best if Echo merely sat this one out, which she didn't mind of course. She knew that she was broken, she was well aware of her faults. At the very least, Echo was no longer in a constant state of near-hysteria. She was at last well enough to gather in group therapy with the same few faces everday.
"Whatchya two talkin' about?" Gem strolled over with a bowl of ice cream. "Probably planning their secret love meeting," Ashley smiled, having her own bowl. Echo's face did not so much as turn red at the accusation. Her and Flo? No! They were practically sisters! Mama Shiro had raised them both together! There was no way Echo could like her sister, that would be like-liking Melody or Doll. "Here you go girls, why not have some ice cream?" The nurse asked, placing a bowl on both of their laps. Echo stirred her's with a spoon, it wasn't exactly therapy, so she didn't have to eat it...
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo didn't want to see Sana, but that was fine. It was her choice, it was why Flo asked her. Wei agreed that Echo wouldn't have to meet strangers until she decided that she was ready to do so. "Everything's hard, that's why we're here." But they wouldn't be here for long. They would get to, hopefully, get better and improve. That was the whole purpose here. They were on stand by, and they would get to recover until they could rejoin the front lines once again. That was the hope for them, and everyone wanted them back on the field. "I'll find out how she is." Flo was more composed than Echo was, even if she was broken, she'd be able to handle herself without freaking out at least.
Some people that Flo couldn't recognize but no doubt Echo knew were asking about them now. It wasn't the first time the closeness Flo and Echo shared was mistaken for something romantic. It didn't make sense though. Echo blushed at the accusation but Flo shrugged, mostly used to this sort of thing. Even Nell often talked about them as if they were a couple. Flo's heart still sang for her cousin, and as much as she hated it, and as much as she knew Pan didn't feel the same, the pinkette was still loyal to her first affections. Pan needed her... Pan needed her to defeat Frey and bring her soul back. Flo didn't have time to waste hanging around here with the broken people. Pandora was being tortured every moment.
"Echo is my sister. We grew from the same clutch." Technically they could both be considered daughters of Baroness Lachesis, as Lachesis returned them as eggs after pulling them from the Purgatory before the judgment hall. Ice cream was delivered to them then and - wait, where was Ayna? Why didn't she come to the recreation day? Ayna was gone, she wasn't here. Weren't they supposed to be friends, though? "It's good. Do you know where Ayna is?" The orderly maintained the pleasant smile she had. "She's having a day off today." A day off? What did that mean? "Is she safe? Is she okay?" Flo's eyes went wide in fear and confused. "You should help Echo eat her ice cream."
Oh, right, Echo needed to eat more so she could try to regain her strength. Though to be fair Flo didn't quite feel like finishing her own ice cream either. "Let's make a pact to try to eat half." They would both attempt to eat half if at all possible, as much as they could fit into their poor shrunken stomachs. It took some effort but Flo was able to finish half of the ice cream. She peeked at Echo, wondering how her friend was doing with hers.
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
If she was honest, Echo was relieved she wouldn't have to meet Sana. Was it mean? Echo wasn't sure, but she knew that she did not do well with strangers at the moment and she would prefer to stay away from anyone that might trigger an attack. Echo leaned back in her chair, "Y-ye-yeah ev-ever-everyt-th-th-thing i-is ha-hard." Echo agreed, squirming a bit. She didn't want to be like this, but unfortunately, her body and brain had trained themselves over those grueling last 3 years of living in the basement of the Seylum house. Hopefully now, she would be on the road to recovery. Elliot had said she was doing well in therapy, even if Oliver scowled and rolled his eyes anytime Echo attempted to do something that a normal person should have been able to do.
No, they were not secret lovers, as Allison and Gem joked. Flo did not seem perturbed by the accusation, which made sense considering that they had used to be teased in this manner all the time. What had happened to the old Echo? The silver haired girl wondered. She fingered one of her short strands, having sliced it during a fit, wanting to feel like her old self. Even so, she knew she would never be the same, the change in her body signified that. When had it happened? Echo wondered. Surely it had to have been when she arrived at rehab? Echo was glad that Flo still recognized her, even with the change. Flo looked different too. Echo had never been one to notice these sorts of things, but her red hair seemed permanent now and her eyes, while they had always held a bit of coldness to them, were steely.
"Y-ye-yeah w-we-we'-re si-sis-ters." Echo, well, echoed. She looked up when Flo asked where Ayna had gone. Echo scratched her temple, she had yet to be properly introduced to Flo's friend. She looked up when Flo addressed her again, "I-I'l-l t-tr-try." Echo agreed, looking down at her ice cream timidly. She picked up the spoon, her hand shaking as she slowly fed herself. She was nowhere near as fast as Flo and by the third bite, Echo was feeling physically ill. You could see it in her complexion, food was still affecting her. She was struggling to try and take another bite, feeling on the verge of tears. "Hello," Echo looked up, it seemed a distraction had arrived and she was thankful for it. Angel took a seat across from them, holding a bowl of ice cream.
"Are you Flo?" Angel asked, there was a bit of chocolate smeared on one of her cheeks. "Echo told me about you, that you're her only friend, so I want to be your friend too!" Angel seemed genuine in her intentions, it seemed she truly did want to be friends with Flo. "Elliot said that if I make friends with more people, it might help my memory come back." Angel, unlike the other patients, did not seem to have a need for physical therapy, the thing holding her back was her mind. Allison sat down next to Angel, who stiffened slightly. "Are you gonna finish that?" She took the bowl right off of Echo's lap to finish her ice cream for her. "What's this about being friends?"
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
"She has green hair that changes between spiky and straight depending on the way." Flo craned her neck but she couldn't find her astral projecting friend anywhere. Was something wrong? She wanted to know how her friend was doing. But Echo needed her too and Echo was right here right now so the pinkette would focus on the more immediate and longer friend for now. Echo used to be so chatty, so full of energy. Now she was always scared and afraid. It was okay if the old Echo never came back, because Flo would accept Echo no matter who or what she wanted to be. Did Echo know that? Did she know this time there was no need to run to the electric fence?
After confirming that they were essentially sisters, Flo and Echo decided to work hard at eating the ice cream. It tasted good, but Fluorspar realized that, unfortunately, she wasn't very hungry. She still had to do half though so she forced herself to do as the deal was. That was when the little white haired girl came. Flo remembered her from the physiotherapy session, though she was there mostly for the exercise and stimulation rather than actually learning how to move again. Echo greeted her - did this mean the two were friends? Angel introduced herself and announced what Echo had said, which made the pinkette blush a little bit. "Echo's my closest friend too." She gave her best smile to Angel who reminded her oddly of Princess Charlotte for some odd reason.
Another one came too, a white haired busty fox eared demon joined, finishing Echo's ice cream. Flo flinched in sync with Echo's, not used to this. While before Flo had ingrained herself easily with Team Lupin, it had been a while since she was in a group environment like this. Even group therapy had you sit comfortably away enough that you didn't have contact with people. "Angel wanted to be friends. Um, wh-what's your name?" Her mind was spinning as she tried to maintain her composure. She didn't want to freak out, she didn't want to freak out, Flo wanted to look as stable as she could so that Echo wouldn't have to worry. "I see you with the green haired girl often. Are you friends with her too?" Flo nodded, because they were.
The orderlies were watching and they seemed to approve of the social interaction so they didn't intervene. Most likely once one of them had an attack there would be an intervention. "So, is it true that you two are heroes of the Third Impact?" In their past lives they had defeated Lumos and Kuro King, saving the United Kingdom from the Third Impact. "We had a lot of help." So many friends, some dead, some still alive, had been a part of it. "That's cool. You should tell us what it like before the Third Impact." The Tower Society during Director LaFleur's reign was very different than how Director Wei ran things. "A lot less friendly." LaFleur didn't have a nice bone in her body. Just thinking of how she treated everyone as tools still made Flo mad.
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
"I'm Allison," Allison smiled, not holding out a hand to shake because she did not like to be touched. Everyone here had their own problems, they were all deemed unworkable, crazy. All the patients on this floor had their own history with what had made them this way. Some were tortured, well, most were tortured, some had been exposed to the cruelties of the world and could not be on the streets, others had no memory of where they came from. "I want us all to be friends," Angel decided, clapping her hands together. Echo flinched, drawn out of her thoughts. She did not know why others wanted to be her friend. Her entire life, Echo had never had real friends, she had been shunned and caged. Now, they all wanted to know her. She found it strange ot say the least.
Allison wanted to know if they were the heroes of the Third Impact. "N-no," Echo whispered, looking away as she bit down on her lip. "I-I wa-wa-was n-n-no he-her-hero." No, she had always wanted the death of all humans. She had always wanted her freedom. Flo had been her first human that hadn't abused her and had treated her as an equal. She had been her first friend. "I-it w-wa-wasn't ple-plea-pleas-pleasant." Echo recalled, remembering how competitive it was. Wei had a different system, there was no competing against each other, but rather, competing with yourself to continue to grow and level up your ranks. Of course, you needed to be tested before you could move up a level.
Echo was not sure if she would ever fight again, perhaps she would be assigned an office job, or something calm. She didn't know if she wanted to fight again, or if the fight had been taken out of her. Allison suddenly placed a hand on Echo's head, petting her hair. Echo flinched once more, "your hair is so soft." The smaller demon squirmed, "I don't think she likes that," Angel mentioned, wanting to intervene, but too afraid to touch Allison, who had already said she didn't like to be touched. "We should play a game!" Angel suddenly said, clapping her hands together. "Ooh, I love games!" Allison agreed, removing her hand and nodding her head. "Why don't you pick one?" Allison ran to the closet that contained the games, pulling one out. "It's called Jungle Speed!"
She divided the pile of cards into four and put a stick on a table in the center. "There are a ton of cards and we go counter clockwise flipping them over one at a time. If two people's cards match, they have to grab the stick and the one who does first gives their cards that are flipped over to the other! If you both grab it at the same time, you have to wrestle for it!" Allison seemed eager to play. It was clear that the reason she was here was not because of strength or fighting, but something else.
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Flo closed her eyes, trying not to remember what it was like living under Director LaFleur's rule. Compared to Wei's gentle and forgiving hand, Director LaFleur was a cruel harsh mistress. She used everyone as tools for her goals and secret agenda she kept from everyone else, and was not above using torture to get what she wanted. While she was instrumental in making the London Branch as strong as it was by developing the Second Gen Tower Brace and Synchro Rate Monitors, it didn't make it any less scary serving under her. Flo shivered as she remembered the days she tried to manipulate everyone and find a way to save Echo. The plan was to set Echo free and then die of her lung disease, but Echo had other ideas. Echo didn't seem like she wanted to talk about those days either way.
"Okay, let's be friends. Is that okay with you, Echo?" Flo gave Echo her most winning smile but she had a feeling it wasn't very convincing. It wasn't that Flo wasn't okay with new friends, but she was worried that Echo might not be okay with meeting new people yet. If only she could have access of Elliott's documents. She took a deep breathe and shared a non-contact handshake with the white haired fox demon named Allison. "I'm Flo." She wiggled her pink wings as if they were the wings of a butterfly. Was this how to make friends? Did she still remember from all that time ago the art of friendship?
As soon as they arrived it was almost as if they were dominating this conversation now. Flo followed along without saying anything - apparently now it was time for them to play a game called Jungle Speed. No doubt it was made to help the patients exercise their motor skills of some sort, right? "Do you want to play, Echo?" The cards and stick were already divided up though, it seemed they would be playing even before making sure Echo was in the mood. Flo took a deep breath, trying to tell herself that maybe this sort of interaction would be good for Echo and help her get used to more people.
It was time for the first round. Allison was the one who dealt the cards, so she chose Angel to go first. She put down her card, finding a card with a strange green circle design on it. Flo blinked confusedly as she realized she too, flipped over a card with that design. Angel and Flo stared at each other for a few seconds and then Flo tripped as she tried to grab the stick, smacking her chin on the table. Angel timidly took it, claiming the card for herself. "This is a violent game." Flo realized as Angel smiled at her. "And Angel had an advantage because her body works normal." Both Flo and Echo still had motor skills that were lacking currently, didn't they?
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo nodded, Flo did not need her permission to become friends with someone. Echo had already been to a handful of group therapy sessions with the other patients, she was used to their presence. They were no longer strangers and even though Echo was still nervous and jumpy, she did not break down around them like she had the first few times. "I-it-it-s f-f-f-i-i-fine," Allison broke out into a smile, her tail swishining to and fro. She was clearly excited to have more friends. "I want to be friends too!" Angel raised her hand, pouting. This feeling in her chest... it was almost familiar. Joking around with others, Echo almost felt as though she had been unable to do so, as though she had lost this ability. Instead, she stared at her balled hands on her lap. How did she joke around with someone?
"Y-y-ye-yes," Echo nodded, looking up once more when Flo said her name. "Alright, let's play!" Allison grabbed the handles to Echo's chair, pushing her to the table, then Flo. She dealt the cards and explained the game to them. "U-um," Echo was growing nervous before the game even began. "I-I d-do-" but it was too late, the game had already begun. She swallowed hard, watching as Angel and Flo fought over the first match. Echo flipped her card slowly, her hands shaking and nearly knocking down her pile. She wanted to cry already, even though the game had just begun and nothing had happened. She released a breath of relief when Allison did not have the matching card. "I'm sure you two will do fine!"
Allison chimed, her tail swishing. The next match was between Angel and Allison, Allison grabbing the stick in the middle first. The next card made the patterns no longer matter, but the colors, Echo flipped her card over slowly, noticing that both she and Flo had yellow cards. Slowly Echo reached forward, grasping the stick. She broke out into a small smile, "I-I wi-wi-win." It was a small victory, but the game wasn't over and the tables could change quickly. "What are you guys doing?" A voice loomed over their shoulder, Echo squeaked and jumped, dropping the stick. Her cheeks turned bright pink as Allison leaped to her feat to retrieve it. Ash was standing over her shoulder, looking at her card.
"We're playing a game, you can play next round if you want?" Ash shook his head, "No, I don't like this one." He stayed despite that, taking a seat next to Angel. Echo swallowed hard once more, feeling nervous now that they had a small audience. Even if it was merely Ash, Echo still did not want to be watched and evaluated. Oliver already judged her enough, she did not need others picking at her weaknesses.
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Once upon a time they helped save the world. Now they were here, trying to learn how to use their bodies again in a facility where the broken and hopeless demons go. Jungle Speed was like the old human game of speed, except since there's only one stick there isn't as much hand coordination as you would need. Though once again, Angel had an advantage on her side. With a tiny smile Flo partook in the game, losing in the first round. Echo looked mortified but Flo wasn't quick enough to go to her side and help her through it. Before she knew it Angel and Allison played one round against each other. Then finally, Echo won as Flo tried to make her hand remember what forwards was.
Suddenly Echo looked as if she was enjoying the game more now. Someone else sat closer, a male patient this time, intending to watch but didn't want to play. "Maybe we can find another game after a few rounds." Flo did not know his name, but he didn't seem like an evil sort. Though with demons it was obviously pretty hard to tell one way or another. They played more, resulting in Allison's victory with ten points and Flo only having three in the end because she still hadn't regained much of her body's functions yet. It was embarrassing to admit but using the bathroom was still impossible for her. "You don't smell like a demon." The boy said as he sniffed her. It was because Flo was only a demon as night of course, during the day she was perfectly human. "Something he would want to play?"
Flo wasn't really the type to make new friends easily. Even before - once she found a group she was comfortable with, she didn't need to make new friends. She was happy with Team Lupin and the few outside of the team that they got along with. Hopefully soon she would feel comfortable with these new faces. It might have to take a few days first. Echo looked oddly more comfortable with them than the pinkette did, which probably made sense. "Okay, let's see what else we have." Angel decided to fish around for another game to play. "Is there anything you like?" Flo tilted her head towards the boy, figuring that'd be the easiest way to get information out of him.
That was when Elliot addressed the room. "It's dinner time now. I hope you've enjoyed your recreational day so far." He said other things but Flo forgot to listen and pay attention because she was busy wondering where the hell Ayna could have gone. Was she okay? Flo wouldn't get to know for now, was she? "Let's try to eat as much dinner as we can, Echo." They both would need the nutrients to be able to heal and become strong enough to leave this facility one day.
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo squirmed in her seat, Ash shook his head, it was clear he did not want to play games, but was content to merely watch. Somehow, she was not losing, but she wasn't winning either. Angel was in the lead, seeming to have the fastest reaction time out of all of them. Echo was not certain where she was, but it was clear that Allison's pile of cards was the largest, meaning that she was coming in last. "Dinner time," the nurses called as Elliot came in, with Oliver trailing behind him, looking grumpier than usual. Echo stiffened, looking at her lap. "We hope you all enjoyed your recreational time today," he clapped his hands together, careful to do so quietly so as not to startle any of the patients. It seemed that their game time had come to an end, as the nurse grabbed the handles of the wheelchair to bring them to their dining room.
She was still bound to soft liquids, the nasal tube delivering most, if not all, of her nutrition. "Y-ye-yeah, le-let-s d-o-do o-ou-our be-best." Echo agreed nervously as a bowl of soup was set down before her. She wrung out her hands, picking up the spoon and swallowing hard. "I-I c-ca-can d-d-do th-this." Echo whispered, taking the first sip. She wanted to gag, the taste and warmth reminding her of blood in her mouth. It was slow progress, but Echo managed to take five sips before she began to cough and choke, unable to go further. "It's alright, you did your best," the nurse rubbed her back, attempting to reassure her. Whispers of her failure filled her head, she could hear them whispering, laughing at her at how pathetic she was.
Echo looked guiltily over at Flo, to see how she was progressing. "I-I th-thi-thin-think I-I'm go-gon-gonn-gonna g-go to be-bed." Echo whispered, "Go-goo-good n-ni-night." The nurse took the handles to take Echo to her room, tucking her in for the night. Echo fell asleep to the tune of her normal nightmares, revisiting everything bad in her life and waking up feeling rather restless. The door to her room creaked open, Shiro poking her head inside. "Oh, you're awake? Good, Director Wei wants me to take you in for some tests." She helped Echo get up and changed, then put her in the wheelchair, taking her to the elevator to go down to the medical floors.
Wei was waiting there, hoping to oversee the tests himself. Elliot too, was there. The sun was just rising, they were doing this early so as to give themselves enough time. "Wh-why a-ar-are yo-yo-you bo-bo-bot-both he-her-here?" Echo asked softly, growing nervous. Was something wrong? Had she not been making enough progress? Were they going to move her somewhere else? Her breath quickened, luckily Elliot recognized the signs. He knelt down to her height, his expression gentle. "Don't worry, we're just running some tests to see if you can be part of a new program." A new program? Echo squirmed, Wei took it from there. "It's a recovery program, one that would help speed up your progress, at least physically. The mental aspect, of course, is something that will take time. Do you remember after being poisoned, you helped Ellen and I with a little project?" Echo nodded, she remembered the pain, of course.
"This is similar, but we've taken that data and refined it, so now we're going to see if we can use it again."
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
♡
❝In the ocean of despair, what lure keeps the fish swimming?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
The room was nice and orderly. It had a nice desk made of some fancy wood, with comfortable chairs, three on either side and at the head there was another chair. The material was nice and soft, almost plush. It had good lightning and no odors whatsoever. There were a few paintings, one of an apple, another of a garden. For a room that used to be a torture room in the East Tower, the Interview Room Director Wei turned it into was almost warm and welcoming. Sitting across from Flo was a pale skinned girl with stark blonde hair and green eyes that could pierce the sky. This was no doubt Amelia's younger sister, Sana Blackwood. Supervising this meeting was Cress, who decorated the place with a few plants to help create a soothing atmosphere. She smiled winningly at both sides. "Sana, this is Fluorspar, a veteran of the London Tower Society." She gestured at Flo. "Flo, this is Sana, Stallion's younger sister who is considering joining us." She had already done the compatibility tests, but did not sign the final papers just yet.
Flo wasn't sure what to expect, but being partly responsible for Stallion's death she felt an obligation to hear Sana out. "I heard good things about you." Sana said, looking barely a day over fourteen, nothing like Stallion's average height with decent curves. "My sister always said that you and Echo were the best of the new generation, and almost as good as the old guard used to be." The Tower Society was at it's height during Director Harway's reign, but most of the old guard who had mentored and trained Christopher into the poster boy he now was were killed during the Second Impact. The only survivors from the golden age were Christopher and Doll's pair, (since Silence and Pray only joined near the very end of the golden age) and Leo and Juria though the latter still existed as a tumor on the former's back. "We wanted to reach Rank 10. Stallion and Crowley kept fighting us along the way."
Sana nodded, though her eyes seemed flat, almost empty inside. "She told me. She was impressed every time you two did well." Flo fidgeted. Did she miss the old days? While it had been dangerous, the outside world was even more dangerous now than it was then. She missed her old friends, she missed Team Lupin. She missed when she and Echo were strong, young, and full of potential. "What else do you want to know?" Sana couldn't be here just for small talk. Did she want to ask about Stallion perhaps? "Would the Tower Society need more new blood to fill the ranks?" Sana asked, mouth curved in a gentle yet firm downwards slope. "Probably." While there were some new faces, the only ones of any worth were Miranda and Wicked, and they transferred in from Castene City in America.
"The truth is, both you and Echo scored well on compatibility." Cress said, showing them the documents as proof. "And you are a special case, Flo, because you're a human by day and demon by night." As a result of the experiments Messiah performed on her, her soul piece was damaged beyond Wei's ability to repair. "So if you ever rejoin active duty, your partner during day operations could be Sana, and at night, Echo." Flo wanted to fight again, if only to save Pan and Harris one day. But would Echo ever want to return into combat? "I don't know why you want to fight." Flo said quietly to Sana. "It's dangerous. It breaks people. It's a sacrifice." Flo didn't regret her decision, but why should this girl make the choice?
Sana shuffled in her seat, seeming almost shy for some odd reason. "...I don't have any friends." She admitted, looking away. "But maybe... if I joined the cause, I could... make friends."
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❦
❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
"I'm surprised, actually," Elliot said as he looked at the status updates on the clipboard. All of the readings were live, the measurements recorded were exceptional. "Not only are you a good fit, but it looks like you would be perfect for this treatment." Wei said with a nod, "we'll begin right away." Echo fidgeted, she had no idea what this treatment entailed, only that they had done basic tests and xrays. Shiro lifted Echo off of the table and back into the wheelchair, steering her into a large room with a metal cylinder in the middle. "Wh-wh-wha-what i-is-s th-tha-that-t-t?" Echo inquired nervously as Wei and Elliot followed them inside, closing the door behind them. "It's going to fix you," Wei said confidently. Shiro made Echo undress, the demon squirming uncomfortably. Where there was normally a contract mark was currently blank, having been released from her contract with Hawk.
There were plenty of scars marking her body, which was technically only three year's old. "It isn't a comfortable procedure and it will hurt, but we'll do our best to control the pain. Alright?" It was experimental, but Echo had always been a bit of an experiment. They stuck nodes to her head to monitor her brain activity, then an IV in her chest, which was covered with waterproof material. Echo was lowered into the water, a bunch of machines attached to her and a mask over her face so that she could breathe. "Ready?" Wei asked and Echo shook her head. "It's going to be alright," the lid began to close, darkness enclosing her. Echo felt her heart begin to thrum in her chest, panic enveloping her. "N-no I-I do-don-don't wa-wan-want-t t-o d-d-o th-thi-this." She stuttered, her chest beginning to burn.
Echo whimpered as she began to be forcefully dragged towards sleep. "Just relax," came a voice in her ear, Elliot. "Everything will be just fine." Her eyes began to feel heavy and drifted shut, her breathing evening out. "Alright, beginning elixer distribution in 3...2...1..." almost immediately red flags began to go up. "Let's give 10 cc's of morphine," Wei directed. "Let's keep an eye on that brain activity, the last thing we need is for Echo to have a stroke in there." With that, he left to attend to other duties. Shiro would be in charge of watching her for the time being, while Elliot returned to the floor to take care of his other patients. Almost as soon as he stepped into the elevator, he was paged. "Doctor, there's a problem with Angel."
"Oh? We usually don't have any problems with her, what's going on?"
"Well, she's um... a cat." The doors to the elevator opened and Elliot rushed down the hall to Angel's room, a fluffy white kitten sitting on her bed, her pajamas laying around her. "How do you know it's her?" Elliot asked, approaching cautiously. The nurses had blocked off the door. "Oh, it's her alright," Oliver confirmed with a grin, finally, things around here were getting interesting. "It looks like we've finally found out what Angel's power is. Any idea what triggered this?" Elliot asked, writing it down in his files. "She didn't want to take her pills this morning. I told her the only way to get out of it was if she was a cat. I didn't expect her to take it literally." Angel seemed panicked, as though she herself had no idea how this had happened.