| Lain's Gifts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary: Freakazoid, Devi, and Johnny finish up their meeting with Lain somewhere outside of Twisted and for a change it ends positively. At least one old storyline is now at an end. Let's move on to someplace new! Who: Devi, Freakazoid, Johnny_C, "͐@ͤ͊̋̔[̓=͂̿͆ḡͮͧ͊ͥ3͑́ͣ̉̓,̏ͨ̆8̄dͧ]̋ͥ̿͊ͨ\ͣ̔̋̒͋ͯ&͛ͦ̓f̆̿b̈́̎ͫ̍ͪ̅͛ḃ́̉͂̀̋=-q͛͐]̉̔̓/́̇͗͑ͧh̍̃ͦ͌͌̾ͪk̄̐͒%ͨf́͊ͭͬ̌ğ̈̈̔̍"̆ͫ̉̋ͩͮ̋ When: July 19th, 2013 Where: Somewhere??     |
Johnny nearly jumps out of his skin when the extra voice calls out of nowhere. Unlike Devi's calm, he spins around expecting to see-something else. One eyebrow craws up his forehead as he stares at the little girl. "Wait, wait your 'God' for Twisted? I expected, I dunno something else." The little girl giggles at Johnny's response. "I'm not God. I'm just me. You may call me Lain." She walks up to Johnny and waves a hand, somehow instantly removing the illusion to look at the damaged body beneath it. "Does it hurt?"
Devi stays silent, choosing to keep her trap shut and watch the events unfold. She was worried about Johnny, not that she'd admit that to anyone and meeting a Controller (so dubbed in her mind) is something that ought to be marked.
Lain frowns. "I'm not in charge of anything, Johnny C. I just watch. I see pain, and I try to fix it, but I can't do much from here. I was going to ask if you wanted me to help but if all you're going to do is be disrespectful and speak with such vulgar insults, maybe we should just get someone from Hell to come out here and help you out instead?" Johnny stays silent a moment, not wanting to make eye contact with the girl either. He glances at Devi for some sort of reaction but generally just stands there looking awkward. What else can he do?
Devi says, "Johnny." Devi mutters at him admonishingly, even if she does take a step closer to him. He didn't need to go super nova or show off here. "No. Hell has helped him enough, don't you think?" She says it again as he looks back at her, pointedly. "Unless Diablo is handing out party hats and coctails?" Could he deny that?"
Lain turns and smiles at Devi, "Diablo helps plenty so long as he has something to balance him." She turns back to Johnny and shakes her head, "Which is probably also Johnny's problem. He doesn't have balance. This shouldn't have been able to happen. It's a glitch." Johnny finally looks her in the face again, "Oh goody. More 'Twisted is a piece of software' references. Next you'll tell me I need to take a red pill and see how far the rabbit hole goes." Freakazoid shakes his head from his viewpoint behind Devi. "Y'know I tried that once. I got my head stuck under a tree for few hours and really scared some chubby teddy bear who thought I was stealing his honey jars. " If anyone glances his way he'll simply throw his hands up in the air and shrug. "...what?
Devi glances back at Freakazoid like he was the strangest thing she'd even seen in her life. Nevermind him. Or Nny's laments about Reality. Reality is a concept she's long gotten rid of and it's served her well for the most part. "So what's the patch, Lain? What's his balance?"
Lain places a hand on Johnny's arm and sighs. "You need to let her go, Johnny." Johnny blinks at the statement, genuinely confused. "..what?" Lain's expression doesn't change. "Samantha. Let her go. She's not gone for good. She's gone until she wants to come back. Haven't you noticed death really isn't the end around here? People die all the time - even you yourself are currently dead. When they are ready, when they want to come back they do. However, you won't let her go. You won't let her be dead. You keep bringing her back. You keep fighting to keep her alive and at your side - and that's exactly what you've got now. A living husk stuck at your side. Xipe Totec didn't do this to you. You did."
Johnny scowls at Devi until she finally stops laughing and sighs. "Okay, so wait." He looks down at his hand, wanting to argue and yell and scream - but the girl's words make a certain level of sense to him and he can't. "...so... no." He sighs again, dropping to his knees so he can look directly into the girls face. Without even realizing it his eyes begin to water. "Alright. How do I do this?" Lain places her hands on his shoulders and closes her eyes. From her fingertips waves of calm suddenly emanate - washing over Johnny and turning the darkness around them into a peaceful white. On the ground beside his kneeling form, Samantha's body suddenly fades into view looking once more restored and undamaged. Johnny finally stands, restored as well, rubbing his shoulder and looking over his friend beside him with another heavy sigh. "I... I'm sorry..."
Devi stepped back a little, wary of the last time Johnny was messed with on a different level, an instinct to not be a part of this image, a place where she doesn't belong... But she couldn't take her eyes off the exchange and once Samantha is removed, Devi watches Nny carefully. His pshycie wasn't that great to begin with and there have been too many fingers in that particular pie.
Lain turns her attention to Devi now, leaving Johnny to gather himself behind her. "So! I've helped Dexter, I've helped Johnny. That leaves you!" She steps up to the taller woman and pushes the tied piece of hair out of her face. "What help do you need? Restoring your broken fragments? Unlocking your past? Fixing your friend who's forgotten you?" She smiles again, her presence seeming to engulf Devi from all sides. "Everyone has one chance. One pass. What's yours, Devi D?"
Devi says, "My fragments?" Her eyebrows knit together. "Friend who's forgotten me?" It's her turn to be confused. "I just need full access to my powers." She takes another step back, frankly intimidated by the offer. This wasn't a help that she was used to reciving and just because Johnny hasn't exploded yet doesn't mean that this is a good thing."
Devi's tenses as Lain circles her, painfully right in her assesment. She didn't know about the fragments, not the other ones. The only fragments she knew of was when she split in two that one time. Her hands start shaking as she curls them into fists and shoves them into her pockets. "I didn't..." Lain was right. Devi didn't remember what she was fighting for, the instinct had turned it into mere survival. To continue existing but she had no reasons to do it. It was a depressing thought. "No, plea-" She cuts her plea short to collect herself. "I want to remember. I don't want to be... incomplete."
Lain steps in front of the group, holding her hands out to the sides a moment before Devi interrupts. The girl can only smile as she plucks a thick leather bound book out of the air and hands it over to her. "You like to read, don't you?" She smiles once more as she gives Devi a chance to look it over. Contained within its pages are the contents of Devi's former life on Twisted, arranged like a diary or series of logs. "It's not everything, but it's enough. The rest will come to you in time." Freakazoid interrupts this tender moment, shifting his weight quickly from foot to foot. "We gotta go nooooooow. Or, I have to go now! C'mooooon!!" Real mature, this one.
Lain smiles again as she holds her hands out for a brief moment, and then claps them together. The second the sound echoes out the three find themselves standing on the street in front of the Usual Restaurant again, only this time everyone is moving around and talking. Save for people trying to figure out why they suddenly have on lame costumes, everyone seems to be normal and okay again. Maybe life has returned to Twisted after all? Freakazoid quickly dashes to the spot where Lain was previously standing, waves to everyone and vanishes down the street chanting "Potty potty potty" sending up papers and clothing with everyone and everything he passes. Johnny stares as the Freak vanishes, glancing over at Devi with a shake of his head. "Well... that was... interesting." He glances up at the sky, letting the light from the sun warm his face a moment before looking back with a smile. "Wanna go get some coffee?
Devi blinks as they're redipositited on the Street, the book held against her chest and it takes her a moment before understanding that the noise she's hearing is Johnny talking to her. "Wha-Oh. Uh, yeah. You can go ahead. I'll.... I'll be there in a minute." She still can't get her hands to stop shaking and she just wants a few minutes to gather it all together in her head. He's cheery. He hasn't been cheery in what feels like forever and Devi doesn't think she can just walk in there and sit with him like nothings happened. Not at this exact moment.
Johnny glances at the book in her hands and smirks, "Tell you what. There's supposed to be a new coffee shop. I'm gonna go check it out. You decide you want to join me, come find it. No rush." The maniac bows elaborately, walking away from the Usual and down a different street. "I think it's time I start hanging out somewhere new. I'm tired of being depressed all the time." He makes sure to raise his voice so Devi can hear him clearly as he steps out of view, off to see whatever may come his way next. | |
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