achates | Day 3 Log | "i put myself back together"

Entry tags:

Day 3 Log | "i put myself back together"

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...

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[Alice's fainting spell has no apparent medical cause, no matter how closely she's examined. The best anyone can do for her is put her somewhere more comfortable than the church floor while she rests. After almost two hours of peaceful sleep, her body stirs. Hands wipe bleary eyes, an innocent, doe-like expression surveys the environment.]

Whuh... where...?

Hello, everyone. Alice here. Unfortunately for all of us, my dweeb-ass brother is back. Don't bother looking for him, he's literally living rent-free in my brain. His name is Ace and he's a gigantic idiot. If you're unsure about which of us is at the wheel, so to speak, just take a close look at the facial expression. Ace's dopey puppy eyes don't hold a candle to my resting bitch face. I am, in fact, so different from my stupid brother that if you mistake me for him I'll gouge your eyes out. Also, bully him for me if you see him. It's hard to give Ace wedgies for what should be obvious reasons.

[A few minutes later... there's a reply to the post, this one identified as "Ace."]

>d'awww, i can tell you missed me, sis ( ´･･)ﾉ(._.`) you don't need to be this aggro all the time! anyways, i'm ace. it's nice to meet you all!

[Again, a few minutes later. From "Alice" this time.]

>>Don't include me in your dumb kaomojis, nerd.
>>>they're not dumb! they're cute! everyone's using them! （づ￣3￣）づ╭❤～ see, look at how cute that is
>>>>Ugh. You're insufferable.
>>>>>what's insufferable is how you always need to act like SUUUUCH a cynical rebel who GOES AGAINST THE GRAIN and is a GIANT EDGELORD all the time, alice.
>>>>>>Do not call me an edgelord.
>>>>>>>ok edgelord ☆⌒(*＾-゜)v

[They're just... going to keep going like this... for far longer than what is reasonable. Maybe just greet Ace further upthread if you feel like it?]

[ After Alice seemingly collapsed, as one of the local church homebodies who'd set up shop in the place, the mage couldn't simply leave her to sleep on the floor when he spotted the sprawled-out sight after stepping out of his workshop, so he picked her up, dropped gemstone included, and laid her out on one of the pews instead.

A cursory examination showed no signs of dehydration or other causes (though he'd leave the particulars for anyone else to examine as well), so he deemed that it was okay to leave her alone to simply rest for the time being, before shuffling back into his workshop afterwards. Maybe it was simply overwork or exhaustion.

Approximately two hours later, Merlin finally pokes his head out of his workshop again, and walks over as Alice's body stirs, the soft, rhythmic thumps of his staff against the flooring echoing throughout. He stops short of a few steps away, putting a hand to his mouth, observing the doe-like innocence in those eyes unfamiliar to him. How curious. ]

Well, well. Looks like you're finally awake, and no worse for the wear.

[ One might wonder how someone as small and weak as Kate managed to move Alice into the nearest house, though when she has a chance to check, Alice may find some soot smeared onto the back of her clothes. Kate sets her on the floor and places a pillow under her head.

As minutes turn to hours, Kate starts poking around in the house, looking inside drawers and cupboards for anything worth taking, or maybe something that can help... but then she hears a voice and comes running back. ]

You're awake!

[ Of course, she doesn't think to hide her (lack of a) face. ]

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.)]

So I am... [Ace stretches, letting out a big ol' relaxed yawn, which might strike Kate as odd since Alice is always fully alert and ready for action the moment she wakes up.] I wouldn't mind five more minutes, though-

[Then Ace processes who, exactly, is talking to him, and... he flinches. Something that Alice has never done to Kate, even when presented with her unconcealed face.]

Um... who might you be?

... What?

[ Some flecks of dark soot rise up from her head. Alice said before that there was something off about her memories... but could she have lost even more of them? Could that happen to anyone? ]

You don't remember...?

[Ace is pretty sure he'd remember if he knew someone like Kate, but then again, he just woke up in a ratty bed in a decrepit house with no memory of how he got here, so anything's possible.]

Sorry, I have no clue who you are. [A sheepish laugh. Wait, maybe... Wires cross, and long-established protocols kick in before Ace can bring his train of thought to a conclusion.] You might be mistaking me for someone else. I'm Ace! Me and my sister, Alice, are identical twins, so-

[He stops, then looks down at what exactly he's wearing. Or what Alice was wearing before he came to, he supposes. There goes any plausible deniability they might have had.] ...I guess our usual cover story isn't going to work here, huh? It's nice that Alice has developed her own sense of style, though; I thought she'd end up clinging to our old hoodie forever.

Edited 2024-10-24 01:39 (UTC)

That orange sweater? It's...

[ She saw it torn up and bloody that first night. ]

--not important. You're... not Alice?

[ He said the twin thing was a "cover story." So the truth must be something more complicated than that. ]

I guess you could say we're a two-for-one deal? [He holds up two fingers as demonstration.] We're different people, but we share the same brain and body.

We really are like siblings, in a way... it's just easier to act like we're real twins when people don't know us that well. [Which is most of the time, if not all of the time.]

Although... this is a first. [He rubs the back of his head, consternation plain on his face.] I don't think Alice has ever been alone without me before... at least her... memories... are coming back to me...

[Wait. Wait. Oh no. Ace's eyes widen and he scrambles out of bed, preemptively bowing in apology to Kate.]

I'm so, so sorry if Alice has made any trouble for you! She's a handful and can be really mean, but she doesn't mean it, okay, well, she does, but I swear she's not that bad once you get to know her! Normally I'm around to rein her in, but if... oh no, how long has she been on her own...

[ There's more smoke as she processes that. How can that be? There's confusion, but a little relief, too. Alice's memories aren't gone. Alice isn't gone. Understanding can come later, but that's what's most important.

And then he starts bowing at her, and the smoke is snuffed out as it's Kate's turn to get flustered. ]

Huh!? N, no, she hasn't been any trouble at all! Just the opposite, really... She's helped me a lot. I think she's very kind, really.

[ It feels a little embarrassing to say this about Alice, to her face, not quite knowing if she's hearing it or not. Would she be annoyed at being praised for her kindness? Possibly... ]

[ this is so funny, he's going to just sit back and read the whole thing and only reply to the original message when things seem to be tapering off ]

Hi Ace. I'm Minato. You two sound like you're having fun.

[It takes a while, but eventually the flurry of messages reaches a lull.]

hey minato!（＾∀＾●）ﾉｼ it's nice to meet you. i'm still sorting through all of alice's memories since coming here, but you're the guy that she rescued, right?

she really cares about you, you know! not that she'll ever admit it ;p

Kind...? [That description of Alice shocks Ace into stillness. For a moment. Then he laughs (which might seem a little uncanny coming from Alice's face), sounding good-natured and almost... Relieved?

Ace wipes a few happy tears from his eyes before he regains his composure.] I'm so glad she's finally made some friends. Alice always goes on and on about how she doesn't need any, and it's not like we had much opportunity to settle down and get to know people, so she never got the chance anyways.

Caring about people other than me will do her some good, I think.

[ It really is uncanny... ]

Really?

So... the two of you were always traveling?

[ When she thinks about it, she really doesn't know much about Alice's life... even less than she thought, it turns out, with how much of a surprise Ace was just now. ]

Ever since Alice came into my life, at least.

[There's a distant look in Ace's eyes as he fights through the haze obscuring so much of his memories.]

After Mom... passed... everyone else went nuts. Dad included. I had to get out of there, but... I couldn't handle the stress of being of having to survive on my own, especially with Silvia trying to persuade me to come back.

For some reason, I can't remember when Alice showed up to protect me from her... less friendly attempts to bring me back into the fold? [That's probably why Alice is around, at least.] But it's been the two of us for years. I'm kind of a wimp, so Alice had to be really tough to make up for how weak I am.

[ It was Alice who came into Ace's life? Could that mean... --well, perhaps it's too soon to come to any conclusions. ]

I see. I think I understand how you feel. I have a strong-willed friend who did much the same for me...

[ Kate isn't sure that she'd call herself a "wimp"... but she is weak and often hesitates. Having someone to stand strong by her side meant the world to her... as it surely does to Ace, too. ]

... Who is Silvia?

...one of my other sisters.

[An old ache creeps into Ace's eyes. The pain is still fresh, after all these years(?). He'd back away from it, deflect, laugh it off, lie as easily as breathing like he usually does... but he hasn't had a sympathetic ear for his family troubles in, well, ever. Alice thought of them as unstable creeps at best and active threats at the very worst, so in her opinion, all of Ace's whinging about his old home was a waste of time.]

She was always proactive, even before the accident, but she went off the deep end with almost everyone else afterwards, and.

Um.

There's no nice way to say this, but she became a terrorist???

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. ]

Th... that sounds intense.

[ Kate's not sure what to say. There's a pause. ]

And she wanted you to join her?

...almost everyone else did, so... I really considered it. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but I missed my family, you know? Those days at the lake, catching bugs and camping out... I wanted them back.

[Ace makes himself laugh to distract from the very real ache deep inside.]

I know, I'm a dummy. I'm really lucky that Alice doesn't feel a single thing for Silvia or the rest, huh? If she hadn't convinced me to keep running, then I... probably would've ended up doing things I'd regret.

Alice also protected me when Silvia started asking... less nicely. I'd be dead without her, I think.

I... I see. I don't think there's anything foolish about that. I think I know how you feel, actually...

[ If Kate had been contacted by Anthony before meeting the other children of the House... what path would she have taken? Perhaps it would have been a path she would come to regret. ]

... It's good that Alice was there for you, I think.

Yeah. I care about her too. Lots of us here do. You remember everything she remembers? What about before the train?

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.

Like I said: I wouldn't be here without her.

[All the memories that Alice gained in her scant few days in Beelzeburg are... difficult to sort through when Ace hasn't lived them himself, but he focuses through the white noise to find the ones that include Kate. His smile widens.]

It says a lot that she might admit to caring about you, you know.

✪ ω ✪ hold on, let me see if i can set your post as our COMP background. she needs the reminder!!!

anyways, i SORTA share her memories? most of the time it's fine, but it's tough to sift through all of them when i've been gone for four days. that's never happened before, it's WEIRD. and sorry, no clue about what got her and the rest of you into that train ≡(▔﹏▔)≡

I-- ... oh.

[ She's caught off guard by that, and while she can't express it with her face... there is a sort of warm feeling that comes with that. ]

... I'm glad. I wish there was more I could do to help her, though...

[ Seeing as Alice has looked out for Kate on multiple occasions in just a few days. ]

[ 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?

...so do I, Kate.

[There's a glint of guilt in Ace's eyes as he whispers that.]

I hope she learns to not shoulder everything herself someday soon.

["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!

[ 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. ]

[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...

Edited 2024-11-12 03:55 (UTC)

[ When Alice, or perhaps Ace, returns to their shared house, they will find it filled with dark smoke. Soot falls from the ceiling like dark snow. And yet, there's no heat and no fire. There's just a faceless girl in a red dress, sitting at a table, smoke rising from her head.

With the soot gathered on the table, she seems to have rolled some into fist-sized balls and stacked them on top of each other, like little sooty snowmen. A way to pass the time as the anxiety eats at her. When she realizes she's not alone, she speaks quietly. ]

... Armin didn't come back last night. Or today.

[That hadn't escaped Alice's notice. Of course it hadn't- not when she'd ~~started to rely on him~~ made it a policy to pay attention to those kinds of details. Which is why she'd gone out to look for him, after Ace had settled in as best he could.

Alice walks in with Armin's swords on her hips. Stained with human blood.]

He's dead.

Alice, you can't just say it like that-

WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY, ACE?!

[Alice yells, voice straining with emotion, tears streaming down her face.]

TALK ABOUT HOW HE DIED? HOW HEROIC HE WAS? HE WENT OUT, HE GOT JUMPED BY DEMONS, AND NOW HE'S GONE!

[Deep, ragged breaths.]

I'm... I'm sorry.

[ Kate sees the blood, the swords, and hears those words, and there's a woosh as another cloud of smoke bursts forth from her body. ]

[ But she doesn't have the energy to keep that up for long. The smoke thins out, and in a shaky voice, she manages a response. ]

... I see. That sounds like something he would... he would do.

[ She chokes on her words, but manages to get them out. Armin was often cautious. But there were times when he was reckless, too. Like when they first met... It was clear that there were things he valued more than his own wellbeing. ]

I'm... sorry, too.

[ 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. ]

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Day 3 Log | "i put myself back together"

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(closed) day 3 - house

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