[ Peter's heart sinks at that clarification that he did in fact hurt her. Whether it's truly a little or if it's a lot, it really happened.
He has to take a moment to catch his breath again, feeling that odd tight sensation in him, the kind that always precedes panic. He wishes Luna were here with him. ]
I-I don't remember very well. I just remember... feeling angry and... afraid, I think? Maybe of... you? [ He swallows, trying to keep his voice steadier than it ends up sounding. ]
I remember you.... bleeding, I think? [ Fuck. ]
And I remember... silver? I don't... I wasn't myself. I was— It wasn't me.
[She gives him the time he needs to say what he needs to. She's glad they're doing this by audio because her eyes do shift down to the scar on her collarbone. It was just one of many grim reminders of what happened last month.
The fear and uncertainty in his tone had a familiar ring to it. At first can't quite place it. Then the pieces start to fall into place.
"I wasn't myself, It wasn't me."
"You have... silver eyes."
"This is different. It's like he- locked himself deep inside my head. Our head? AGH! I hate this, I want it stop!"
It sounded a whole lot like a problem she had been dealing with back at home. It was a little hard to believe that something so similar could be happening here. ...But she had already started drawing connections back when they ran into each other in the church. It was possible.]
Not you? Peter. ...Is there another soul inside of you?
[The question comes out a little too easy. Like it wasn't something out of the ordinary for her.
She's not sure why something lurking inside of Peter might have scared or angry toward her. If there really was something inside of him.]
...If you don't really remember then yeah. I can fill in some blanks. I found you by the church. You didn't really seem like you or at least you were acting weird.
We got into a little bit of a fight but I managed to knock you out.
You put up a fight and yeah, you did manage to draw some blood, but it wasn't too bad.
[She leaves out how afraid she was. How unnatural some of the things he did were to her. How hurt she actually was.
She believes him when he says it wasn't him, because she knows a man with two souls back home. ...Or to be honest one of those souls was living in her house. And the other was living across town.]
[ What she asks is... weirdly specific, and voiced easily. Another soul? He doesn't quite know how to answer that; he isn't sure what Paimon is deep down. Is his soul inside of him? Does he even have a soul? It's... certainly something; Peter had seen it, before the demon had gotten fully into him. A small white light, shimmering, ethereal. Frightening.
Alive. ]
I...... I'm not sure. [ He doesn't mean to be so cryptic; he just don't know how to explain things. Saying outright that he's possessed by a demon is.. he doesn't want to scare her. Though as he listens to Ruby explain? He realises it's far too late for that. Even if she's downplaying her injuries, it's still horrific to Peter. He gasps when she says he drew blood, his stomach lurching unpleasantly. ]
Jesus.... What did I do? To make you bleed? [ He doesn't want to know, but he needs to. ]
Did I... scratch you? Or.... thrash around at you?
[ He has experience with that. Paimon gets very physically restless and tends to throw himself around. He could have headbutted her, smashed her nose or busted her lip or something. God.... ]
[That answer confuses and worries Ruby more than a little. She's not surprised that Peter might not know exactly what's happening to him. She knew Ozpin kept a lot of information from Oscar and the group at large about how he worked. ...It took forcing the information to really understand what he was.]
That's okay. I've uh... I know someone back at home who I think was going through something similar.
I can try to help as best I can but I don't really know how to help him either. I'm working on it.
[That gasp didn't make telling him any of this easier, but she didn't feel right keeping it a secret either.
She pauses briefly.]
There was a bit of that, but it was a bite.
[She takes a breath.]
There's some other things you did as well... I don't know it looked like. Some kind of weird magic? Or something like it I guess.
[ Someone back home going through something similar? It's not the first time Peter's encountered people who know about similar things, but it still means something huge to him, who feels so... alone through it. He has friends, support, but it's.... it's so much. And there's so much about it that he wants to ask her, but for the moment, he's... just sitting there stunned when she tells him that he bit her.
He bit her.
It's absolutely horrible, some kind of animalistic thing... wild and unhinged. He knows how it gets sometimes, scraping his nails like claws at his own face, frenzied. It's bitten him before, his hands, his arms.
But someone else.... ]
I'm sorry. [ Peter's voice is barely a whisper, shaking; he suddenly feels like a ghost of himself, something weak and barely there. ]
I'm sorry. I should... I should go. I c-can leave you alone.
[ That's Peter's usual defensive mechanism kicking in; he wants to run away, but it isn't only to protect himself, anymore. He... shouldn't even be talking to her, after this. He should leave her alone, get far away from her. ]
[The change in his town dials her worries up to eleven. What if it is something like Oz? She thinks back on their encounter... It hadn't been the exact same. What it had done had been unnatural more like something Salem would have done. But it could just be a different version of the same story.]
Peter. [Her voice is pleading, trying to sound as empathetic as she can.]
You don't have to go.
You're still you. We can figure this out.
[She's grasping at straws, it's all she can think of to say.]
[ He wants to give her an out from being around him — even if it's just over phone like this. Whatever happened, it was horrible and disturbing and he hurt her, and it's kind of Peter's worst nightmare now. That he'll hurt the people he's grown to care about in this place. His friends.
Ruby's telling him he doesn't have to go, reassuring him, and he wants to listen to her, but he's so afraid. He wants to run like he always does, except...... except he can't. He has to at least tell her what he knows first, even if it's horrible. ]
I— Ruby, I— I'm not me. Not anymore. Not... all the time.
[ She needs to know that he's someone she should be afraid to be around. ]
The thing that's inside me.... I do know what it is. It's a demon. I know how that sounds, but it's true. And I can't— control it.
You... You need to stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you ever again.
[Unfortunately for Peter, taking the easy way out has never been Ruby's style. She can hear the pain and panic in his voice and she can't help but fret. Letting him go off on his own wouldn't help anyone, least of all himself.]
Some of the time is enough, Peter. You're still in there.
[She's been doing her best to not bring up Oscar's situation here. This had been the closest chance he's had at being normal and she doesn't want to ruin that for him. ...But maybe she can use what she knows to help Peter.]
...Is it kind of like you're in a car but someone else is at the wheel? You're there. You should be able to do something but they're in control?
[She tries to sound as empathetic as she could.]
I don't want you to be put in that situation again either, but I don't think leaving you high and dry is going to help either.
He hasn't quite... thought of it that way, before. It reminds him of something Luna might say: making him remember that he's still here, even if something else is here, too. And it... calms him a little; he takes a few slow breaths. ]
I-it's more.... when he's at the wheel, I'm not here at all. I can't remember anything he does. I mean, I remember pieces of it later sometimes, but... I don't actually see it happening at the time?
[ Sometimes the two of them seem to... blend, into some strange convoluted mess, but it's not like Peter hears the demon talking in his head and can reply back (or at least... as far as he knows). So far, only one of them can be functional at a time. It feels like it's swallowing him up whenever it takes over; Peter falls into some strange darkness, a sort of sleep, but it isn't restful. When he wakes from it later, he's sick, physically sick, like the demon is some illness. ]
....Is that what it's like for the person you know back home? Like someone else is taking the wheel and he just has to watch what's happening?
[No wonder Peter was as spooked about all this as he was. It had been creepy enough seeing how things work with Oscar and Ozpin, but not having a clue what one or the other was doing while one was in control of their body must have been terrifying.]
That... Must be really scary. I can't imagine losing control like that.
[She pauses before answering. She wanted to be careful about how she brought Oscar up into this. She wanted to help both him and Peter but she'd have to speak with him first before bringing him directly into the situation.]
It is. I've watched it happen a few times and that's kind of how he'd describe it. There'd be a light in his eyes and suddenly the other one would be in control. They were both aware of what one another were doing. It was like two people were inhabiting the same body.
[She tried to think back on the words Jinn has used to describe the mess.]
It's strange but the soul inhabiting my friends body was someone who was cursed. A spirit with a mission he has to complete and until he does he'll reincarnate in the body of someone with a like mind. My friend was the lucky person that spirit ended up in next.
I don't know how like that situation is to yours. But I promised to help that friend and I'm willing to help you too. Because you're a friend too, Peter. No matter what happens to you.
[ Peter's listening to all of this with wide eyes, letting the concept of it absorb into him slowly. It's not a.... relief, to hear about this person going through something like this; it's horrible. But it at least means that Peter's not entirely alone with the concept of something foreign inhabiting him.
He's... met a couple of people here with more than one personality, and others who have dealt with possession before they came here, but those people had been cured of it before this place, and Peter's felt very alone in the concept of it being a thing that he doesn't know how to help. But clearly.... he's not the only one out there in the universe dealing with something like this. ]
I don't know, either. I.... I don't know much about this thing at all. Sometimes I think it's able to be.... aware more than I am? I think it can tell what's going on, even if it doesn't talk to me. I can... feel it. And it's.... getting stronger.
[ It's terrifying to think that where he blacks out whenever Paimon's in control, the demon's able to still be aware when Peter's in control. Does that mean it's.... stronger than him? ....Or maybe meant to take over his body? Is it listening to this conversation now? Lurking in him like some beast in the shadows?
Her words tug at his heart, her.... kindness. And bravery. Most people would be running for the hills at this sort of thing, and it still astounds him that he has friends here who... haven't. He wants to lean into those words so badly, but why.... why did Paimon attack her? What if it happens again? When he speaks again, it's almost a whisper, still afraid. Still horrified by what he'd done. ]
Has the thing in your friend ever tried to... hurt you? Like mine did?
[Ruby's run into one or two people who seem to be a similar situation as well. She hasn't had the chance to learn how like Oscar and Ozpin they were but the answer seemed to lean toward more than enough.]
Maybe we should try and find out more about it if that's the case? I don't want to scare you but it's possible it's doing both of those things. That doesn't mean we can't find a way to figure this out.
[A small sigh escapes her lips. She still wasn't exactly sure what her feelings were on Oz. He had left a huge burden on her shoulders and she wasn't exactly sure how to handle it yet.]
Not exactly, but kind of? It never physically attacked me. But... It was ancient being that knew a lot more about our world than the rest of us. It kept secrets and led us along with bread crumbs of what we were actually up against. We eventually learned the truth and it locked itself away in my friends head, leaving us to figure things out on our own.
My uncle had been following this things lead since he was my age. He was torn apart when he realized he had been lied to all along.
[ She uses the word "we" and Peter's stunned by it, because there are people like Luna and Louis and now Ruby offering to help him through all of this, and it still.... tugs at him. ]
I appreciate it, but you.... you don't have to help me. This thing's like.... it has to do with spells and rituals and shit like that. I don't want you to get mixed up in something bad.
[ Whatever Paimon truly is, he's something very ancient and very powerful, and neither Peter nor Luna really know the extent of him just yet. Dark magic and demonology.... those kinds of things are terrifying. Something could easily go wrong. ]
That thing sounds... manipulative. [ Which is a word he's heard others use about demons, before. Peter can't be sure that Paimon isn't just manipulating him, either. And Luna, and everyone he cares about. ]
I don't know what it wants. It gets... violent sometimes, but.... it doesn't usually attack other people as much as it attacked you. [ A shudder passes through him. Why Ruby...? ]
[ He wants to believe her — and he does. Ruby has always genuinely been kind, and helpful, to him. He believes that she would go out of her way to help him here, especially if she has some similar experience with someone else.
...But that's where the fear lies. It would be better if she were afraid of him, and stayed away. It would be safer, and he can't help still trying to convince her that keeping distance from him is the better option. ]
It's okay. I'm... I'm not all on my own. Luna knows about it, and she's... [ ...She's made some big, awful sacrifice for him. Tied herself to this demon in order to help control it, but he can't bring himself to voice that aloud. He's also afraid that if Paimon is listening right now, there are certain things the demon might not want him sharing, and Paimon's.... very protective of Luna, apparently. ] ....she's helping me.
[ It... asked what she was? Peter's stunned at that. She's... well, human, isn't she? Though he supposes he can't know that for sure, and all of this still feels very over Peter's head. After a long moment of silence, he finally just asks it outright, but shyly. ]
Are you.... human? Maybe it could sense something.
[It would be a lot for Ruby if she backed down from a challenge. It was unfortunately ingrained in who she was to protect the people she cared about. To the bitter end if it came to that.
She had learned just what that meant over the last couple weeks. And while it had shaken her, she didn't feel ready to give up just yet.
She cared deeply for both Peter and Luna. She wasn't about to give up on either of them.]
That's good. ...If there's anyone here who knows about rituals and weird magic that could help. It's Luna.
And you're both my friends. So I'll watch out for the both of you.
[That next question is complicated. She's goes quiet for a minute as she considers how to answer it.]
Yeah. ...Mostly. It's complicated. And a lot.
[Her fingers can be heard tapping against her bedside table as she debates getting into it. But if it could help Peter get a handle on what happened then it wasn't fair for her to keep information from him.
She didn't want to be another Ozpin.]
So a long time ago humans were wiped out by the gods. But we eventually came back to walk the world again. Or at least a piece of what humans used to be.
[She digs at her memories of Jinn's vision and what Maria told when they discussed it afterwards.]
And I'm a little different than everyone else. There aren't a lot of people around with eyes like mine.
[ Peter admits quietly. As hard as it is to voice it aloud, it kind of feels nice to, in its ways. To say one of the worries that's still nestled deeply within him. He trusts Luna with his... well, soul, literally — the pact she'd made with the demon was in order to try and save Peter's spirit. But his worries are ever-present. He has no idea what might happen. ]
Will you... keep an eye on her? She's really strong, she can use magic on me if she has to, but.... it never hurts to have back-up. Just... if something ever happens in the future.
[ Ruby's strong too, he knows that. She can fight, and she'd managed to stop Paimon somehow. Judging by the fact Peter woke up with a splitting headache and a knot on his head.... it's not hard to figure out how. Good, she did really good. Knock his ass out again if you have to, Ruby. But he hates that she had to in the first place. And he's still very concerned as to the extent of her injuries.
The next bit really is... a lot. Humans being wiped out by some kind of gods? She's "mostly" human? ]
Oh. [ Peter's quiet for a few long moments. He's.. nervous, to keep asking questions about this. If Paimon's listening, he might.... use this information, somehow? What if it makes him want to go after her again? (Unbeknownst to Peter, all it's going to do is make the demon intensely curious about Ruby, now that he's not all zonked out from the weird energy of the town.) ]
Now that I think about it, your eyes really are unique. [ He mulls softly. The grey of them, a sort of silver colour. ] I guess he could..... sense something about your situation. I'm sorry. I'll.... I'll try to keep him away from you, I promise. Until I can figure out what the hell's wrong.
[ That's going to translate into Peter actively going out of his way to avoid being anywhere near Ruby for the next couple weeks. Until, of course, he finds himself trapped in the high school hiding from a monster with her. ]
Are you sure you're okay? I know it's been some time since it happened, but... if you need anything, I can send it to you.
[Ruby hated the tone he was using right now. It sent her right back to the beginning of July. Being stuck in the confessional with Varian when he was on a slope toward the lowest she had seen him at. The promise she had made to stop him if things got out of hand. Her stomach twisted into knots as she considered the implications of what he was asking her.
...But she understood why he was asking her. There was someone he wanted to protect. She had no doubt in her mind that Luna could take care of herself but it never hurt to have back up.
She also knew that Luna would likely be doing everything she could to help Peter with what he was dealing with. Ruby wasn't magically adept in the slightest, but she could try her best to help there too.]
You don't have to worry about that, Peter. As long as I'm around nothing will happen to her. I promise.
But I'll do everything I can to help you too. If there's a way to help you, we'll find it. I don't want to hurt you if you can be avoided, even if it something else using your body.
[She's quiet at first considering why it might have been drawn to her. There weren't many demons in her world. It was just a word that they had used for Grimm occasionally. Except... Grimm were created by the God of Darkness and her eyes came from-
The theory hits her like a brick. She's not a hundred percent sure on it. She's not sure if there's a connection like that between worlds, but there was a chance.]
They're kind of special where I come from. There are stories about people with them. They say people with silver eyes are destined to lead the life of a warrior. That a single look could strike a Grimm down.
It's more complicated than that, but it's a fun story to think of.
[She's... Not sure if this thing could hear her. Like how Oz could hear everything going on with Oscar. But she if it could it might serve as a warning for it to back off. Or maybe enough information to get it curious. She knew she was bad at games like this but it might help to talk to this thing.]
You don't have to apologize for it, Peter. You didn't have any control over what it was doing.
Maybe I'll talk to Luna and see if there's any way I can help her figure things out.
[She considers his question briefly and rubs at her neck again.]
I'm okay. I'm still getting over some rougher injuries that happened last month, so in the long run it's not too bad.
I'll never say no to a snack or some comics. But only if you're up for the trip.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
He has to take a moment to catch his breath again, feeling that odd tight sensation in him, the kind that always precedes panic. He wishes Luna were here with him. ]
I-I don't remember very well. I just remember... feeling angry and... afraid, I think? Maybe of... you? [ He swallows, trying to keep his voice steadier than it ends up sounding. ]
I remember you.... bleeding, I think? [ Fuck. ]
And I remember... silver? I don't... I wasn't myself. I was— It wasn't me.
no subject
The fear and uncertainty in his tone had a familiar ring to it. At first can't quite place it. Then the pieces start to fall into place.
"I wasn't myself, It wasn't me."
"You have... silver eyes."
"This is different. It's like he- locked himself deep inside my head. Our head? AGH! I hate this, I want it stop!"
It sounded a whole lot like a problem she had been dealing with back at home. It was a little hard to believe that something so similar could be happening here. ...But she had already started drawing connections back when they ran into each other in the church. It was possible.]
Not you? Peter. ...Is there another soul inside of you?
[The question comes out a little too easy. Like it wasn't something out of the ordinary for her.
She's not sure why something lurking inside of Peter might have scared or angry toward her. If there really was something inside of him.]
...If you don't really remember then yeah. I can fill in some blanks. I found you by the church. You didn't really seem like you or at least you were acting weird.
We got into a little bit of a fight but I managed to knock you out.
You put up a fight and yeah, you did manage to draw some blood, but it wasn't too bad.
[She leaves out how afraid she was. How unnatural some of the things he did were to her. How hurt she actually was.
She believes him when he says it wasn't him, because she knows a man with two souls back home. ...Or to be honest one of those souls was living in her house. And the other was living across town.]
no subject
Alive. ]
I...... I'm not sure. [ He doesn't mean to be so cryptic; he just don't know how to explain things. Saying outright that he's possessed by a demon is.. he doesn't want to scare her. Though as he listens to Ruby explain? He realises it's far too late for that. Even if she's downplaying her injuries, it's still horrific to Peter. He gasps when she says he drew blood, his stomach lurching unpleasantly. ]
Jesus.... What did I do? To make you bleed? [ He doesn't want to know, but he needs to. ]
Did I... scratch you? Or.... thrash around at you?
[ He has experience with that. Paimon gets very physically restless and tends to throw himself around. He could have headbutted her, smashed her nose or busted her lip or something. God.... ]
no subject
That's okay. I've uh... I know someone back at home who I think was going through something similar.
I can try to help as best I can but I don't really know how to help him either. I'm working on it.
[That gasp didn't make telling him any of this easier, but she didn't feel right keeping it a secret either.
She pauses briefly.]
There was a bit of that, but it was a bite.
[She takes a breath.]
There's some other things you did as well... I don't know it looked like. Some kind of weird magic? Or something like it I guess.
no subject
He bit her.
It's absolutely horrible, some kind of animalistic thing... wild and unhinged. He knows how it gets sometimes, scraping his nails like claws at his own face, frenzied. It's bitten him before, his hands, his arms.
But someone else.... ]
I'm sorry. [ Peter's voice is barely a whisper, shaking; he suddenly feels like a ghost of himself, something weak and barely there. ]
I'm sorry. I should... I should go. I c-can leave you alone.
[ That's Peter's usual defensive mechanism kicking in; he wants to run away, but it isn't only to protect himself, anymore. He... shouldn't even be talking to her, after this. He should leave her alone, get far away from her. ]
no subject
Peter. [Her voice is pleading, trying to sound as empathetic as she can.]
You don't have to go.
You're still you. We can figure this out.
[She's grasping at straws, it's all she can think of to say.]
no subject
Ruby's telling him he doesn't have to go, reassuring him, and he wants to listen to her, but he's so afraid. He wants to run like he always does, except...... except he can't. He has to at least tell her what he knows first, even if it's horrible. ]
I— Ruby, I— I'm not me. Not anymore. Not... all the time.
[ She needs to know that he's someone she should be afraid to be around. ]
The thing that's inside me.... I do know what it is. It's a demon. I know how that sounds, but it's true. And I can't— control it.
You... You need to stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you ever again.
no subject
Some of the time is enough, Peter. You're still in there.
[She's been doing her best to not bring up Oscar's situation here. This had been the closest chance he's had at being normal and she doesn't want to ruin that for him. ...But maybe she can use what she knows to help Peter.]
...Is it kind of like you're in a car but someone else is at the wheel? You're there. You should be able to do something but they're in control?
[She tries to sound as empathetic as she could.]
I don't want you to be put in that situation again either, but I don't think leaving you high and dry is going to help either.
no subject
He hasn't quite... thought of it that way, before. It reminds him of something Luna might say: making him remember that he's still here, even if something else is here, too. And it... calms him a little; he takes a few slow breaths. ]
I-it's more.... when he's at the wheel, I'm not here at all. I can't remember anything he does. I mean, I remember pieces of it later sometimes, but... I don't actually see it happening at the time?
[ Sometimes the two of them seem to... blend, into some strange convoluted mess, but it's not like Peter hears the demon talking in his head and can reply back (or at least... as far as he knows). So far, only one of them can be functional at a time. It feels like it's swallowing him up whenever it takes over; Peter falls into some strange darkness, a sort of sleep, but it isn't restful. When he wakes from it later, he's sick, physically sick, like the demon is some illness. ]
....Is that what it's like for the person you know back home? Like someone else is taking the wheel and he just has to watch what's happening?
no subject
That... Must be really scary. I can't imagine losing control like that.
[She pauses before answering. She wanted to be careful about how she brought Oscar up into this. She wanted to help both him and Peter but she'd have to speak with him first before bringing him directly into the situation.]
It is. I've watched it happen a few times and that's kind of how he'd describe it. There'd be a light in his eyes and suddenly the other one would be in control. They were both aware of what one another were doing. It was like two people were inhabiting the same body.
[She tried to think back on the words Jinn has used to describe the mess.]
It's strange but the soul inhabiting my friends body was someone who was cursed. A spirit with a mission he has to complete and until he does he'll reincarnate in the body of someone with a like mind. My friend was the lucky person that spirit ended up in next.
I don't know how like that situation is to yours. But I promised to help that friend and I'm willing to help you too. Because you're a friend too, Peter. No matter what happens to you.
no subject
He's... met a couple of people here with more than one personality, and others who have dealt with possession before they came here, but those people had been cured of it before this place, and Peter's felt very alone in the concept of it being a thing that he doesn't know how to help. But clearly.... he's not the only one out there in the universe dealing with something like this. ]
I don't know, either. I.... I don't know much about this thing at all. Sometimes I think it's able to be.... aware more than I am? I think it can tell what's going on, even if it doesn't talk to me. I can... feel it. And it's.... getting stronger.
[ It's terrifying to think that where he blacks out whenever Paimon's in control, the demon's able to still be aware when Peter's in control. Does that mean it's.... stronger than him? ....Or maybe meant to take over his body? Is it listening to this conversation now? Lurking in him like some beast in the shadows?
Her words tug at his heart, her.... kindness. And bravery. Most people would be running for the hills at this sort of thing, and it still astounds him that he has friends here who... haven't. He wants to lean into those words so badly, but why.... why did Paimon attack her? What if it happens again? When he speaks again, it's almost a whisper, still afraid. Still horrified by what he'd done. ]
Has the thing in your friend ever tried to... hurt you? Like mine did?
no subject
Maybe we should try and find out more about it if that's the case? I don't want to scare you but it's possible it's doing both of those things. That doesn't mean we can't find a way to figure this out.
[A small sigh escapes her lips. She still wasn't exactly sure what her feelings were on Oz. He had left a huge burden on her shoulders and she wasn't exactly sure how to handle it yet.]
Not exactly, but kind of? It never physically attacked me. But... It was ancient being that knew a lot more about our world than the rest of us. It kept secrets and led us along with bread crumbs of what we were actually up against. We eventually learned the truth and it locked itself away in my friends head, leaving us to figure things out on our own.
My uncle had been following this things lead since he was my age. He was torn apart when he realized he had been lied to all along.
So not the same, but hurt all the same.
no subject
I appreciate it, but you.... you don't have to help me. This thing's like.... it has to do with spells and rituals and shit like that. I don't want you to get mixed up in something bad.
[ Whatever Paimon truly is, he's something very ancient and very powerful, and neither Peter nor Luna really know the extent of him just yet. Dark magic and demonology.... those kinds of things are terrifying. Something could easily go wrong. ]
That thing sounds... manipulative. [ Which is a word he's heard others use about demons, before. Peter can't be sure that Paimon isn't just manipulating him, either. And Luna, and everyone he cares about. ]
I don't know what it wants. It gets... violent sometimes, but.... it doesn't usually attack other people as much as it attacked you. [ A shudder passes through him. Why Ruby...? ]
Did it... say anything to you?
no subject
I'm used to being in bad situations and I don't think anyone should have to go through something like this on their own.
[If Deerington and her home had one thing in common, it's that they wanted to divide people. She wasn't willing to turn her back on a friend in need.]
It was. Is. It's also desperate. I think it was trying to do the right thing but it lost it's way.
[She couldn't imagine going through what Oz had. He was a shadow of his former self.]
Last month things were a little more intense than they usually are. ...Maybe that did something to it? Made it worse than it usually is.
[That's what had happened to Varian, Chloe and so many others last month. It was possible it could be the same for this thing.]
I don't remember off the top of my head-
[She pauses and taps her chin as she racks her brain. Then suddenly it hits her.]
It asked what I was...
I didn't really think much about it at the time.
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...But that's where the fear lies. It would be better if she were afraid of him, and stayed away. It would be safer, and he can't help still trying to convince her that keeping distance from him is the better option. ]
It's okay. I'm... I'm not all on my own. Luna knows about it, and she's... [ ...She's made some big, awful sacrifice for him. Tied herself to this demon in order to help control it, but he can't bring himself to voice that aloud. He's also afraid that if Paimon is listening right now, there are certain things the demon might not want him sharing, and Paimon's.... very protective of Luna, apparently. ] ....she's helping me.
[ It... asked what she was? Peter's stunned at that. She's... well, human, isn't she? Though he supposes he can't know that for sure, and all of this still feels very over Peter's head. After a long moment of silence, he finally just asks it outright, but shyly. ]
Are you.... human? Maybe it could sense something.
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She had learned just what that meant over the last couple weeks. And while it had shaken her, she didn't feel ready to give up just yet.
She cared deeply for both Peter and Luna. She wasn't about to give up on either of them.]
That's good. ...If there's anyone here who knows about rituals and weird magic that could help. It's Luna.
And you're both my friends. So I'll watch out for the both of you.
[That next question is complicated. She's goes quiet for a minute as she considers how to answer it.]
Yeah. ...Mostly. It's complicated. And a lot.
[Her fingers can be heard tapping against her bedside table as she debates getting into it. But if it could help Peter get a handle on what happened then it wasn't fair for her to keep information from him.
She didn't want to be another Ozpin.]
So a long time ago humans were wiped out by the gods. But we eventually came back to walk the world again. Or at least a piece of what humans used to be.
[She digs at her memories of Jinn's vision and what Maria told when they discussed it afterwards.]
And I'm a little different than everyone else. There aren't a lot of people around with eyes like mine.
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[ Peter admits quietly. As hard as it is to voice it aloud, it kind of feels nice to, in its ways. To say one of the worries that's still nestled deeply within him. He trusts Luna with his... well, soul, literally — the pact she'd made with the demon was in order to try and save Peter's spirit. But his worries are ever-present. He has no idea what might happen. ]
Will you... keep an eye on her? She's really strong, she can use magic on me if she has to, but.... it never hurts to have back-up. Just... if something ever happens in the future.
[ Ruby's strong too, he knows that. She can fight, and she'd managed to stop Paimon somehow. Judging by the fact Peter woke up with a splitting headache and a knot on his head.... it's not hard to figure out how. Good, she did really good. Knock his ass out again if you have to, Ruby. But he hates that she had to in the first place. And he's still very concerned as to the extent of her injuries.
The next bit really is... a lot. Humans being wiped out by some kind of gods? She's "mostly" human? ]
Oh. [ Peter's quiet for a few long moments. He's.. nervous, to keep asking questions about this. If Paimon's listening, he might.... use this information, somehow? What if it makes him want to go after her again? (Unbeknownst to Peter, all it's going to do is make the demon intensely curious about Ruby, now that he's not all zonked out from the weird energy of the town.) ]
Now that I think about it, your eyes really are unique. [ He mulls softly. The grey of them, a sort of silver colour. ] I guess he could..... sense something about your situation. I'm sorry. I'll.... I'll try to keep him away from you, I promise. Until I can figure out what the hell's wrong.
[ That's going to translate into Peter actively going out of his way to avoid being anywhere near Ruby for the next couple weeks. Until, of course, he finds himself trapped in the high school hiding from a monster with her. ]
Are you sure you're okay? I know it's been some time since it happened, but... if you need anything, I can send it to you.
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...But she understood why he was asking her. There was someone he wanted to protect. She had no doubt in her mind that Luna could take care of herself but it never hurt to have back up.
She also knew that Luna would likely be doing everything she could to help Peter with what he was dealing with. Ruby wasn't magically adept in the slightest, but she could try her best to help there too.]
You don't have to worry about that, Peter. As long as I'm around nothing will happen to her. I promise.
But I'll do everything I can to help you too. If there's a way to help you, we'll find it. I don't want to hurt you if you can be avoided, even if it something else using your body.
[She's quiet at first considering why it might have been drawn to her. There weren't many demons in her world. It was just a word that they had used for Grimm occasionally. Except... Grimm were created by the God of Darkness and her eyes came from-
The theory hits her like a brick. She's not a hundred percent sure on it. She's not sure if there's a connection like that between worlds, but there was a chance.]
They're kind of special where I come from. There are stories about people with them. They say people with silver eyes are destined to lead the life of a warrior. That a single look could strike a Grimm down.
It's more complicated than that, but it's a fun story to think of.
[She's... Not sure if this thing could hear her. Like how Oz could hear everything going on with Oscar. But she if it could it might serve as a warning for it to back off. Or maybe enough information to get it curious. She knew she was bad at games like this but it might help to talk to this thing.]
You don't have to apologize for it, Peter. You didn't have any control over what it was doing.
Maybe I'll talk to Luna and see if there's any way I can help her figure things out.
[She considers his question briefly and rubs at her neck again.]
I'm okay. I'm still getting over some rougher injuries that happened last month, so in the long run it's not too bad.
I'll never say no to a snack or some comics. But only if you're up for the trip.