tell me now of the very soul that look alike

[inferus]

WHO: Wrath + Red + Others
WHEN: Event threads / Tower Aftermath threads
WHERE: Serthica
WHAT: November Catch-All. Please let me know if you would like a closed thread with either of mine.
WARNINGS: Cursing, memory-loss, curses, talks of Hell/demons. Will edit if more specific warnings come up.

[ closed starters will be below. ]

Comments

[thedreamer]

With everything that happened, the Doctor hadn't even stopped to consider it, that his anchor had worked, or to what extent. But now he's ever more grateful that it did, because in the chaos, he'd been so afraid he might lose them both to forces beyond his control.

Her tears pull at his hearts, even as she smiles, and he wishes he could soothe every hurt that lingers. Yet, he also knows that in strange ways, the terrible things bring them closer, though he would also hope for those he loves never to suffer. Life is a constant tangle of good and bad, pain and hope, and all they really have in the end is each other, for whatever time they're given. He's not so good at that latter part; endings are inevitable and his instinct is to run to avoid them, but it deprives him of all the good things in between. He's trying to remember that and hold onto it more here, because there's nowhere else to go.

Smiling down at her gently, he softly says, "This place has been so unpredictable in nearly every way, couldn't be sure of anything. I'm so glad it worked."

The worst that could have happened was it did nothing. To know she had a bit of control, at least, means everything to him.

"What you said, though, about what bothers you. If you don't know what it is exactly or how to say it, just know you're understood and you're never alone."

[growlies]

Understood feels difficult if not impossible to believe. The Doctor says it with such genuine conviction though. It's mostly that she doesn't understand herself in the slightest (in all honesty, nothing about her makes very much sense at all) so the idea that anyone else could is difficult to wrap her head around.

The not-being-alone though is something a few people have told her now within the group, and she believes they have all meant it. For the first time in her very long existence, she does not feel as if she is alone, but part of something, part of a group. Neither the Doctor nor Vanessa allowed her to be dragged off in the Labyrinth by the minotaur, facing danger instead of allowing her to be abandoned there in the hallways where she'd likely fit more in with the monsters dragging her off.

They came after her.

"So long as I'm here." She nods after a moment with a quietness before she lifts her gaze. "And neither are you."

So long as he is here. So long as she can help it.

[thedreamer]

It's harder for him to accept that part-that he's not alone. Objectively, he knows he isn't. In the labyrinth, the three of them protected one another the best they could, and they will again; of that, he has no doubt. But it's difficult for him to fathom calling upon anyone, or allowing them to be there for him in any way. It's a terrifying thing, to consider losing her or anyone else he's come to love here.

"You said - a moment ago, you said it's not the dark parts of you that bother you most. Maybe there aren't words for it, maybe not yet, but we can talk about it when you know. Admittedly, I'm still learning how to say...a lot of things, myself. Sometimes the words don't come, sometimes all we have is being here."

He still has so much to consider about Vanessa in the labyrinth as well. What it all meant for her, for them, and how he can best help her. He wonders what Red sees in Vanessa's soul, but that's a conversation for another day. Right now, he only cares about taking care of her, the best he can.