Day 3 Log | "i put myself back together"

[rimingcouplet]

Who: Alice
What: Someone new arrives in town.
When: Day 3
Where: The Church, eventually other locales
Warnings: N/A, prompts as toplevels within, the text on the log is just to set the scene

[It happens when Alice is perusing one of the religious tomes scattered around the church. The skeletons, the graveyard, and the sanctuary the building provides all still bother her—nothing about the church makes sense, even within the broader mystery of Beelzeburg. Whatever this place's equivalent of the Bible was seemed like the best place to start.

All of it is schlock and nonsense, of course. Grand, sweeping stories. Angels and faith. Alice hates it. But she can't help but think that Ace would love this kind of thing. He'd always adored studying old Earth cultures-

("Claire de Lune" echoes throughout the church, plain for everyone inside to hear.)

And then Alice r e m e m b e r s. She staggers to her feet, clutching her head. "Alice!" "Alice..." "Alice." "Alice???" "I'm so sorry for Alice-" "Aliiiccceeee..." "C'mon, Alice!" "Alice! "Alice!" "Alice!"

"Ace."

Tears flow freely down Alice's face. How could she have forgotten Ace, of all people? How was he not here at all? How horrible of a sister was she, to abandon him like this? Alice's gem tumbles from her pocket, landing on the floor with a thud that turns into a thunderous crack as the geode that encrusted half of it falls apart, revealing a polished orange jewel that forms a yin-yang pattern with Alice's own rough blue diamond.]

I... missed you... [She smiles, then topples over, unconscious.] Dumbass...

Comments

[rimingcouplet]

I wouldn't go that far, haha... [He scratches his cheek as he laughs awkwardly.] I still have a killer headache. [That's one way to put it, at least.

The first thing that Merlin would notice is that the odd feeling of void ever-present in Alice's thoughts has been filled—the filling of the double-stuffed burrito has been restored, although the flavor profile is a little... strange. Half bleary confusion, half a whirlwind of concern, misplaced anger, and bitterness.

(Merlin may also notice, now that he has the full picture, that the texture is remarkably similar to that of Mash's thoughts.)]

[enflowers]

Is that so? Unfortunately, we still don't have much in the way of non-questionable painkillers here. Gonna have to put that down...

[ Mentally jotting that down for what to make with his magecraft next. Still, he turns around to reach into his bag.

As he fishes, underneath his hood, he frowns, momentarily, at picking up on thoughts with a texture suspiciously similar to those of Lady Mash Kyrielight's. He has no ill will toward her, of course, but like many others, it's a bit of a different story when it comes to her creation. Perhaps some kind of designer baby as well, he muses.

What he fishes out, and holds out to Ace with an outstretched hand, is one of those small water bottles pilfered from the train dining cart, bottlecap unopened. The way that the void, that emptiness, has been filled, he gets the feeling that some water won't resolve head pain like that, but it's the most he can offer for the moment: a sip of something to drink, and some time to collect himself. ]

[rimingcouplet]

Thank you! [Ace says that with so much genuine enthusiasm that it'd be impossible to mistake him for Alice under normal circumstances. The water is gone in an instant, and he lets out a satisfied sigh.]

Now, uh, this is an awkward question, but... [He scratches his cheek.] I don't suppose you know where I am? Or who you are? Gah, I mean, you obviously know who you are, but I definitely don't.

[enflowers]

[ Satisfied that Ace seems satisfied with the offering of bottled water, he nods. ]

Where are you? Inside a church, in a (formally) unnamed town, in an unknown land. Who am I? Call me "Caster". Or "Mister Mystery", if your heart so desires. I'm merely a fellow poor soul stuck in the same situation as everyone else here.

[ The frivolous way he states that should be enough to tip him off that he's not as bothered by said situation as he probably should be. Now, the more pressing question here... ]

And with that, I must ask... Who are you, if not Alice?

[rimingcouplet]

["Mister Mystery" doesn't get so much as a single dubious glance from Ace, who just nods along as seriously as he can. This really is just like one of his fantasy novels.

Confusion befuddles Ace's expression for a moment, but it's replaced by dawning delight as Merlin instantly picks up on the difference.]

I'm Ace, Alice's brother! I'm so glad you could tell... Alice gets tetchy if people mistake me for her, or vice versa.

[Beat.] Wait... if you know Alice, but don't know me, then that means... and if I was gone for a while, then... oh noooo....

Um! I'm so sorry if Alice caused any trouble while I wasn't here! She can be a handful but she means well, I promise!

[enflowers]

[ He's seen and dealt with enough situations like this that he's not too fazed by what's going on here. The two of them couldn't possibly act any more different. ]

What if I told you that, in my case, she's done nothing but give me grief, call me names, and cyberbully me since the moment we first met?

[ He states plainly, watching for his reaction. ]

[rimingcouplet]

[Ace's wince deepens with every word that comes out of Merlin's mouth. In the end, he lets out a long-suffering groan and puts his head in his hands. He knew this would happen, but still, it hurts.]

That sounds... exactly like her.

I'm sorry. Usually, I'm around to rein her in and keep her from going too far, but this time...

[enflowers]

[ With a glint of amusement in his eyes at Ace's fidgeting and groaning over Alice's misbehavior, Merlin simply lets out a light chuckle, shrugging off the boy's concern and Alice's mentioned barbs with a casual handwave. Water off a duck's back. ]

Don't worry about it. I don't take any of it personally.

[ Not to mention that he (thinks he) has no heart to hurt in the first place, anyway. ]

Oh, but on the extremely slim off chance she does go too far, may I request permission to lift her up by the scruff of the hood and put her in the timeout corner?

[ They are apparently sharing a body, so he might as well try to get permission for it ahead of time. It's an impossibility as far as he's concerned, but the mental image is kinda funny. ]