pc catchall for belph.

[successives]

Comments

[axilium]

No kidding. Can you imagine Majima dancing in front of this thing?

[successives]

I have absolutely no desire to think about that, ever.

[axilium]

Too late. I've planted the thought in your head.

[successives]

Nope. I'm fighting it off.

[axilium]

Good luck with that.

[but anyway

memory time (cw: implications of suicide)... fun. which is to say, once it happens, belph freezes.]

[successives]

[She blinks, surprised, but the first words out of her mouth are:]

What the fuck?

[axilium]

[...]

Um...

[successives]

What was that? Who was - that guy?

[axilium]

[he sighs. it'd be too much to hope for that she would just let it slide, huh...]

My guess is that it's one of the weekly effects. Glimpses of each other's memories—fun for the whole family.

[successives]

No, I... Phoenix appears told me to watch out for something like this, so I know. I meant - yours, specifically.

[axilium]

[...]

That was my uncle.

[successives]

Why did he... Why wouldn’t he let you leave?

[There are a few more concerning things in there, but she feels like he might straight up leave if she tried to broach them.]

[axilium]

[he shrugs, carefully. his tone is neutral. (natalie is definitely swimming in uncharted waters, so she's right to be cautious in what she brings up.)]

I was his only living relative. Didn't want me getting too independent from him and all that.

[to put it mildly.]

[successives]

That's... messed up. Had he stopped you from leaving before?

[axilium]

Not... exactly.

[successives]

What does that mean...?

[axilium]

[he shrugs again, with the same forced casualness.]

I ran away once, when I was a kid. He didn't have to lift a finger for me to come crawling back, since I couldn't survive on the streets on my own. Pretty effective lesson.

[successives]

But... You could now, right? You're old enough and you have a job.

[axilium]

Except for the part where he monitored my every move and no law enforcement would ever prosecute him, no matter what he did. [... like kidnap the people close to him.] I wasn't exaggerating back then, when I said I had nowhere to run from him.

[he shakes his head.]

It doesn't matter, anyway.

[successives]

[She looks troubled upon hearing that, but...]

It doesn't matter? What do you mean?

[axilium]

... Well, it's a long story, but I wasn't going to go back to my world. He's just chasing after a ghost through me, so... it's better for both of us to cut our ties, really.

[he lets out a quiet scoff.]

Though if we don't win here, then I guess it really doesn't matter anymore.

[successives]

Oh. Well, I guess that's—

[She says that, but she doesn't get to finish the thought, because something else (cw for suicidal ideation) is coming through instead.]

[axilium]

[...

well, he's not sure what to say to that.]

[successives]

[She closes her eyes for a second at the memory, before she remembers that he must have seen the same thing.]

...What are the chances you don't want to talk about that, ever?

[axilium]

... You just made me talk about all of that, so...

I won't press on what happened, but should I be concerned if I see you near the lake?