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@strandsoftealeaves
Hello there! i'm Martin K. Blackwood, an archival assistant at the Magnus Institute, London. i've no idea why Elias asked me to continue posting on this account, but, well, i'm in no position to question it.
holy shit i'm so underqualified for this
(ooc info under cut)
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch âą No registration required âą HD streaming
i miss you jon...
OHH I SEE HOW IT IS.
OMG HIIIII :3c
HELLO YES IT IS I MARTIN BLACKWOOD FROM THE HIT TUMBLR RP ACCOUNT "STRANDSOFTEALEAVES"
đâ
yk what i already did some Questionable things with this blog WHY NOT ANOTHER
hell yeah
i miss you jon...
OHH I SEE HOW IT IS.
OMG HIIIII :3c
HELLO YES IT IS I MARTIN BLACKWOOD FROM THE HIT TUMBLR RP ACCOUNT "STRANDSOFTEALEAVES"
i miss you jon...
OHH I SEE HOW IT IS.
*gazes off into the distance* @strandsoftealeaves? I havenât heard that name in years.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch âą No registration required âą HD streaming
[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
Because I thought it-
[She paused, looking down at Martin. She was confused and afraid and why did this stuff keep happening to her?? What did she do wrong now???]
âŠMars?
"I'm...I..."
[ He kicks his shoes off and curls up on the bed, not bothering to take off his coat. He starts to mumble under his breath. ]
"I did- I did it again. It happened again. How- why does it-"
[Pandora lowered down so she and Martin were eye to eye. She furrowed her brow and was so confused.]
Mars? Mars, what happened??
[She didnât say he didnât do anything. If ae did, then that would just be lying.]
"I..."
[ Ae takes a small, shaky breath. ]
"Did I....did I tell you about...that time?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Even if you did, that vague of a description doesnât help.
[She focused and became serious.]
I donât think you have though.
"I...didn't tell you? About the control? I...genuinely can't remember. It's all so...muddled."
[She shrugged and carefully reached out to stroke Martinâs hair.]
Maybe you did? Iâm not certain. I have stuff going on all the time, I may have just forgotten if you told me.
[ Martin hums, going silent for a bit. ]
"Do you know of anyone named Helined?"
[Pandora looked off into the distance for a second, her brow furrowed. Was she tense, or a bit mindless?]
âŠI feel like I have. Maybe not. Iâm not quite certain.
[She laid down next to aer without much talk. It was just a sort of given.]
"..."
[ He curls up more. ]
"...they call me their 'Angel Boy'. I hate it."
[Pandora wrinkled her nose up at that.]
Oh. Ew. Weird nickname. Gross.
[ Martin nods in agreement. ]
"I swear they have some- some power over me. I don't know what. I mean- I do but it's..."
[Pandora raised an eyebrow at Martin and laid down, looking up at aer.]
What might that be, Mars?
[ He goes silent for a long, long while. ]
[ That is until he breaks the silence with a small, ]
"Control."
[Pandora also went quiet for a while. She looked about before quietly speaking, trying to joke to elevate tensions.]
Freaky Web avatar, huh?
[ Ae huffs, amused. ]
"I'd think that too, but...it didn't- feel right? I don't know, maybe the feeling of Control is different for all Web avatars but that- this feels different."
[Pandora just shrugged again.]
Older beings have a different feeling of Control?
"They said they were younger than me! Unless they've been serving the Mother longer, but even then..."
[She raised an incredulous eyebrow.]
You trusted a potential Web avatar?
"I mean- they act younger too! I don't know-"
[ Ae sighs. ]
"Just..."
[ Aer mind flashes back to that place. The bloodied mess that surrounded Martin and the corpse that was laid ever so gently in front of aer. Martin lets out a shaky breath. ]
[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
Because I thought it-
[She paused, looking down at Martin. She was confused and afraid and why did this stuff keep happening to her?? What did she do wrong now???]
âŠMars?
"I'm...I..."
[ He kicks his shoes off and curls up on the bed, not bothering to take off his coat. He starts to mumble under his breath. ]
"I did- I did it again. It happened again. How- why does it-"
[Pandora lowered down so she and Martin were eye to eye. She furrowed her brow and was so confused.]
Mars? Mars, what happened??
[She didnât say he didnât do anything. If ae did, then that would just be lying.]
"I..."
[ Ae takes a small, shaky breath. ]
"Did I....did I tell you about...that time?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Even if you did, that vague of a description doesnât help.
[She focused and became serious.]
I donât think you have though.
"I...didn't tell you? About the control? I...genuinely can't remember. It's all so...muddled."
[She shrugged and carefully reached out to stroke Martinâs hair.]
Maybe you did? Iâm not certain. I have stuff going on all the time, I may have just forgotten if you told me.
[ Martin hums, going silent for a bit. ]
"Do you know of anyone named Helined?"
[Pandora looked off into the distance for a second, her brow furrowed. Was she tense, or a bit mindless?]
âŠI feel like I have. Maybe not. Iâm not quite certain.
[She laid down next to aer without much talk. It was just a sort of given.]
"..."
[ He curls up more. ]
"...they call me their 'Angel Boy'. I hate it."
[Pandora wrinkled her nose up at that.]
Oh. Ew. Weird nickname. Gross.
[ Martin nods in agreement. ]
"I swear they have some- some power over me. I don't know what. I mean- I do but it's..."
[Pandora raised an eyebrow at Martin and laid down, looking up at aer.]
What might that be, Mars?
[ He goes silent for a long, long while. ]
[ That is until he breaks the silence with a small, ]
"Control."
[Pandora also went quiet for a while. She looked about before quietly speaking, trying to joke to elevate tensions.]
Freaky Web avatar, huh?
[ Ae huffs, amused. ]
"I'd think that too, but...it didn't- feel right? I don't know, maybe the feeling of Control is different for all Web avatars but that- this feels different."
[Pandora just shrugged again.]
Older beings have a different feeling of Control?
"They said they were younger than me! Unless they've been serving the Mother longer, but even then..."
[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
Because I thought it-
[She paused, looking down at Martin. She was confused and afraid and why did this stuff keep happening to her?? What did she do wrong now???]
âŠMars?
"I'm...I..."
[ He kicks his shoes off and curls up on the bed, not bothering to take off his coat. He starts to mumble under his breath. ]
"I did- I did it again. It happened again. How- why does it-"
[Pandora lowered down so she and Martin were eye to eye. She furrowed her brow and was so confused.]
Mars? Mars, what happened??
[She didnât say he didnât do anything. If ae did, then that would just be lying.]
"I..."
[ Ae takes a small, shaky breath. ]
"Did I....did I tell you about...that time?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Even if you did, that vague of a description doesnât help.
[She focused and became serious.]
I donât think you have though.
"I...didn't tell you? About the control? I...genuinely can't remember. It's all so...muddled."
[She shrugged and carefully reached out to stroke Martinâs hair.]
Maybe you did? Iâm not certain. I have stuff going on all the time, I may have just forgotten if you told me.
[ Martin hums, going silent for a bit. ]
"Do you know of anyone named Helined?"
[Pandora looked off into the distance for a second, her brow furrowed. Was she tense, or a bit mindless?]
âŠI feel like I have. Maybe not. Iâm not quite certain.
[She laid down next to aer without much talk. It was just a sort of given.]
"..."
[ He curls up more. ]
"...they call me their 'Angel Boy'. I hate it."
[Pandora wrinkled her nose up at that.]
Oh. Ew. Weird nickname. Gross.
[ Martin nods in agreement. ]
"I swear they have some- some power over me. I don't know what. I mean- I do but it's..."
[Pandora raised an eyebrow at Martin and laid down, looking up at aer.]
What might that be, Mars?
[ He goes silent for a long, long while. ]
[ That is until he breaks the silence with a small, ]
"Control."
[Pandora also went quiet for a while. She looked about before quietly speaking, trying to joke to elevate tensions.]
Freaky Web avatar, huh?
[ Ae huffs, amused. ]
"I'd think that too, but...it didn't- feel right? I don't know, maybe the feeling of Control is different for all Web avatars but that- this feels different."
[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
Because I thought it-
[She paused, looking down at Martin. She was confused and afraid and why did this stuff keep happening to her?? What did she do wrong now???]
âŠMars?
"I'm...I..."
[ He kicks his shoes off and curls up on the bed, not bothering to take off his coat. He starts to mumble under his breath. ]
"I did- I did it again. It happened again. How- why does it-"
[Pandora lowered down so she and Martin were eye to eye. She furrowed her brow and was so confused.]
Mars? Mars, what happened??
[She didnât say he didnât do anything. If ae did, then that would just be lying.]
"I..."
[ Ae takes a small, shaky breath. ]
"Did I....did I tell you about...that time?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Even if you did, that vague of a description doesnât help.
[She focused and became serious.]
I donât think you have though.
"I...didn't tell you? About the control? I...genuinely can't remember. It's all so...muddled."
[She shrugged and carefully reached out to stroke Martinâs hair.]
Maybe you did? Iâm not certain. I have stuff going on all the time, I may have just forgotten if you told me.
[ Martin hums, going silent for a bit. ]
"Do you know of anyone named Helined?"
[Pandora looked off into the distance for a second, her brow furrowed. Was she tense, or a bit mindless?]
âŠI feel like I have. Maybe not. Iâm not quite certain.
[She laid down next to aer without much talk. It was just a sort of given.]
"..."
[ He curls up more. ]
"...they call me their 'Angel Boy'. I hate it."
[Pandora wrinkled her nose up at that.]
Oh. Ew. Weird nickname. Gross.
[ Martin nods in agreement. ]
"I swear they have some- some power over me. I don't know what. I mean- I do but it's..."
[Pandora raised an eyebrow at Martin and laid down, looking up at aer.]
What might that be, Mars?
[ He goes silent for a long, long while. ]
[ That is until he breaks the silence with a small, ]
"Control."
[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
Because I thought it-
[She paused, looking down at Martin. She was confused and afraid and why did this stuff keep happening to her?? What did she do wrong now???]
âŠMars?
"I'm...I..."
[ He kicks his shoes off and curls up on the bed, not bothering to take off his coat. He starts to mumble under his breath. ]
"I did- I did it again. It happened again. How- why does it-"
[Pandora lowered down so she and Martin were eye to eye. She furrowed her brow and was so confused.]
Mars? Mars, what happened??
[She didnât say he didnât do anything. If ae did, then that would just be lying.]
"I..."
[ Ae takes a small, shaky breath. ]
"Did I....did I tell you about...that time?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Even if you did, that vague of a description doesnât help.
[She focused and became serious.]
I donât think you have though.
"I...didn't tell you? About the control? I...genuinely can't remember. It's all so...muddled."
[She shrugged and carefully reached out to stroke Martinâs hair.]
Maybe you did? Iâm not certain. I have stuff going on all the time, I may have just forgotten if you told me.
[ Martin hums, going silent for a bit. ]
"Do you know of anyone named Helined?"
[Pandora looked off into the distance for a second, her brow furrowed. Was she tense, or a bit mindless?]
âŠI feel like I have. Maybe not. Iâm not quite certain.
[She laid down next to aer without much talk. It was just a sort of given.]
"..."
[ He curls up more. ]
"...they call me their 'Angel Boy'. I hate it."
[Pandora wrinkled her nose up at that.]
Oh. Ew. Weird nickname. Gross.
[ Martin nods in agreement. ]
"I swear they have some- some power over me. I don't know what. I mean- I do but it's..."
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[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
Because I thought it-
[She paused, looking down at Martin. She was confused and afraid and why did this stuff keep happening to her?? What did she do wrong now???]
âŠMars?
"I'm...I..."
[ He kicks his shoes off and curls up on the bed, not bothering to take off his coat. He starts to mumble under his breath. ]
"I did- I did it again. It happened again. How- why does it-"
[Pandora lowered down so she and Martin were eye to eye. She furrowed her brow and was so confused.]
Mars? Mars, what happened??
[She didnât say he didnât do anything. If ae did, then that would just be lying.]
"I..."
[ Ae takes a small, shaky breath. ]
"Did I....did I tell you about...that time?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Even if you did, that vague of a description doesnât help.
[She focused and became serious.]
I donât think you have though.
"I...didn't tell you? About the control? I...genuinely can't remember. It's all so...muddled."
[She shrugged and carefully reached out to stroke Martinâs hair.]
Maybe you did? Iâm not certain. I have stuff going on all the time, I may have just forgotten if you told me.
[ Martin hums, going silent for a bit. ]
"Do you know of anyone named Helined?"
[Pandora looked off into the distance for a second, her brow furrowed. Was she tense, or a bit mindless?]
âŠI feel like I have. Maybe not. Iâm not quite certain.
[She laid down next to aer without much talk. It was just a sort of given.]
"..."
[ He curls up more. ]
"...they call me their 'Angel Boy'. I hate it."
[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
Because I thought it-
[She paused, looking down at Martin. She was confused and afraid and why did this stuff keep happening to her?? What did she do wrong now???]
âŠMars?
"I'm...I..."
[ He kicks his shoes off and curls up on the bed, not bothering to take off his coat. He starts to mumble under his breath. ]
"I did- I did it again. It happened again. How- why does it-"
[Pandora lowered down so she and Martin were eye to eye. She furrowed her brow and was so confused.]
Mars? Mars, what happened??
[She didnât say he didnât do anything. If ae did, then that would just be lying.]
"I..."
[ Ae takes a small, shaky breath. ]
"Did I....did I tell you about...that time?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Even if you did, that vague of a description doesnât help.
[She focused and became serious.]
I donât think you have though.
"I...didn't tell you? About the control? I...genuinely can't remember. It's all so...muddled."
[She shrugged and carefully reached out to stroke Martinâs hair.]
Maybe you did? Iâm not certain. I have stuff going on all the time, I may have just forgotten if you told me.
[ Martin hums, going silent for a bit. ]
"Do you know of anyone named Helined?"
[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
Because I thought it-
[She paused, looking down at Martin. She was confused and afraid and why did this stuff keep happening to her?? What did she do wrong now???]
âŠMars?
"I'm...I..."
[ He kicks his shoes off and curls up on the bed, not bothering to take off his coat. He starts to mumble under his breath. ]
"I did- I did it again. It happened again. How- why does it-"
[Pandora lowered down so she and Martin were eye to eye. She furrowed her brow and was so confused.]
Mars? Mars, what happened??
[She didnât say he didnât do anything. If ae did, then that would just be lying.]
"I..."
[ Ae takes a small, shaky breath. ]
"Did I....did I tell you about...that time?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Even if you did, that vague of a description doesnât help.
[She focused and became serious.]
I donât think you have though.
"I...didn't tell you? About the control? I...genuinely can't remember. It's all so...muddled."
[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
Because I thought it-
[She paused, looking down at Martin. She was confused and afraid and why did this stuff keep happening to her?? What did she do wrong now???]
âŠMars?
"I'm...I..."
[ He kicks his shoes off and curls up on the bed, not bothering to take off his coat. He starts to mumble under his breath. ]
"I did- I did it again. It happened again. How- why does it-"
[Pandora lowered down so she and Martin were eye to eye. She furrowed her brow and was so confused.]
Mars? Mars, what happened??
[She didnât say he didnât do anything. If ae did, then that would just be lying.]
"I..."
[ Ae takes a small, shaky breath. ]
"Did I....did I tell you about...that time?"
[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
Because I thought it-
[She paused, looking down at Martin. She was confused and afraid and why did this stuff keep happening to her?? What did she do wrong now???]
âŠMars?
"I'm...I..."
[ He kicks his shoes off and curls up on the bed, not bothering to take off his coat. He starts to mumble under his breath. ]
"I did- I did it again. It happened again. How- why does it-"
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[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
[Pandora looked over to the calendar too, eyes wide in pure shock. What the hell??]
Huh. I didnât even think about that. Dear lord, itâs been that long???
[She sat there for a moment before walking Martin into aer room and settling him down on the bed.]
Are you alright?
"You- you said it was only a day or...or two..."
[ Ae winces at the headache. Almost like- ]
[ ... ]
"Oh."
[ Oh god. Not this again, anything but this again, please- ]
[Pandora sat down in her home. Itâs been a while since she was here. She took a deep breath as she slowly, carefully, began thinking back on the time she felt so alone. So useless. So unwanted.]
[Of course she woke up in a land of fog as Leon. Itâs horrible to imagine again, but that wasnât the point.]
[She- she refused to use âheâ- began walking about, looking for a house. She began calling his name.]
Martin? Martin! Mar-tiiin! Itâs Pandora! Can you hear me??
(@vapor-web)
[ The house remains silent, as it always has been. As it always will be. ]
[ Any photo frames that may have once been on the wall is shattered on the ground - the pictures distorted beyond recognition. It flickers, occasionally, to people Pandora remembers. A family of three, Marc, sometimes a family of five that she can't recall seeing anywhere. Doesn't matter. Never has mattered, anyway. ]
[ There aren't many places to hide. Nowhere besides the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the one bedroom where the fog comes from. ]
[ Martin wouldn't go to the last one. Not willingly, at least. ]
[ ...would he? ]
[Pandora Leon saw the house and ventured in. She began looking around before she noticed the pictures. Now, Marcâs was painful but not bad. It was just some pity for him. They couldâve been good friends, in another life. Her anger only boiled when she saw her family.]
[She began stomping at the frames of those who changed. She sat at the faces of her mum and dad before she began looking again.]
[Leon found the bedroom and stared at it for a while. She would be checking it regardless. If Martin was in there, great! If it was Marisol, then she can fulfil her promise.]
[She opened the door.]
[ Just fog. Nothing more, nothing less, that's how it's always been. ]
[ The fog envelops Pandora - a cold, bitter haven, just for her. It beckons her to go further, to reach into the mist until there's nothing of her left. ]
[ The bathrooms and kitchen are still viable options, though. ]
[ where do you go? ]
[Leon stared out into the fog, her muscles slowly relaxing. It would be so easy, wouldnât it? To walk out and never get hurt again? Her hands began to unclench.]
[She clenched them tightly and forced herself to remember all of her friends. Mort, Amelie, Jack, Orion. All of them would be at least somewhat devastated, if not more, if she was gone. She turned back and peeked her head into one of the bathrooms.]
[ A sigh, almost, emits from the fog. It doesn't sound like Martin or Marisol. No time to question, though. ]
[ The bathroom is, quite frankly, disgusting. Mushrooms and fungi cover the walls, regrowing every time the fog tries to cut them loose. The towels are musty and rough, the bathtub covered in mold and mildew. The mirror is the only "clean" part, and even then, it's shrouded in fog. There's traces of cockroach guts everywhere on the floor. Almost feels like something a Corruption avatar would do. ]
[ No, Martin wouldn't be here. ]
[ is there much time left? is there any? ]
[Leon immediately dipped out as soon as she saw the bathroom. Fuck that shit. Sheâs not stepping in there.]
[She felt the anxiety mounting. Oh god where was he??? Pandora needed to find Martin!]
Martin! Martin? Martin, where are you? Mars???
[She checked the kitchen as her nerves slowly began to get frayed.]
[ An echo of a whisper rings through the halls. It...sounds like Martin, at least? ]
[ The echo is overrun by yells of children. Two daughters stand in the living room, horrified. Their youngest brother is atop their mother, neatly strangling her to death. ]
[ Is it strangulation? ]
[ Doesn't matter. Never has. Not to her, at least. ]
[ The kitchen is, thankfully, clean. Too clean. Feels like a decorative house rather than a home once lived in. The smell of detergent, dish soap, and bleach is so strong that Pandora Leon feels the urge to stop breathing just to keep herself from smelling the chemicals. ]
[ Sobbing comes from the cabinet near the sink. ]
[Pandora Leon began choking on the chemicals. Thank god she didnât necessarily need to breathe.]
[She crouched down to the cabinet and gently knocked on it.]
Hello? Martin, is that you in there?
[ The sobbing worsens. It seems like whoever's in there is trying desperately to stay quiet. It's not working. ]
"Please, please, mum, I'm sorry, please-"
[ not worth your time. ]
[Her eyes widened. She didnât mean to do this! Leon began desperately trying to soothe him.]
Martin, Mars, itâs okay! Itâs not mum, mum isnât here. Youâre safe. Itâs okay. I promise youâre safe and okay.
[She looked about, just to make sure mum wasnât nearby. Who- who was mum-?]
Can I open the door, please?
[ The kitchen starts to shift, taking the form of a kitchen in an old flat. It's dirty, but less dirty than the bathroom, at least. Someone tried to keep it clean. ]
[ The one in the cabinets doesn't seem to recognize her voice. When he speaks, his voice shakes and breaks - moments away from what seems to be a breakdown. ]
"No-! Please- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to-"
[ ... ]
[ open the door. ]
[âŠThis evil little thing kept trying to be so cruel. Why would she ever listen now?]
Okay. Okay, the cupboard door is staying shut. Iâll make sure mum doesnât find you. Itâs okay, you havenât done anything wrong.
[She didnât like how deep her voice was. How it didnât fit. It wasnât hers, it was his, and she wasnât him. Never will be again. It wasnât her voice, but she can play pretend.]
Whatâs your name?
[ Through his sobs, the girl boy mutters a name Leon doesn't hear. It's not for her to hear, anyways. ]
[ Distantly, the wind howls a song through the cracks in the windows. It's all for him. ]
[ open the door. ]
[Leon sat there, brow furrowed and upset. She wished she could do something that could help the kid. She wanted to protect him. Why is the world so cruel? She stared at the cracks in the window before looking at the cupboard again.]
What- what do you like to do? Do you like drawing? Reading?
[She tried her best to distract the kid.]
[ The child takes a few deep breaths before answering. ]
"I...I think poetry's nice. It's...it's a pretty way to talk, or- or write."
[ open the door. ]
[Pan- Leon smiled weakly. She definitely knew who it was. So now she just had to calm him down.]
Poetryâs nice. I wish I had the talent to write it. You must be really smart if you can do it! Do you have a specific thing you like to write?
[ A few more breaths and sniffles. ]
"The spiders...maybe? I don't know why people are so scared of them...they're nice to me. Sometimes they web my door shut when..."
"When..."
[His voice shakes again.]
[ open thedoor. ]
Spiders are nice! I like them. Have a few as pets, theyâre not here unfortunately.
[She looked to the cupboard once more and nodded.]
I would web this door shut, but thereâs not a lot of air in a cupboard. How about we go to your room and I can web your bedroom door shut, that way youâll be safe?
[ The child nods, though still out of view, still sniffing and hiccuping. ]
[ A series of booming footsteps come from the hall attached to the living room. A voice starts to yell a name that is, once again, unheard by Leon. ]
[ The child's sobbing worsens at this. He tries to quieten himself once more. It works, to an extent. ]
[ open thedoor openthedoor openTHEDOORGETHIMOUT ]
[Oh god, there was no time. She looked to the cupboard for a moment and made a decision. She spoke so quietly.]
Be careful with how much you breathe.
[She wove the door shut, making sure it was tight before she scrambled for a hiding place.]
[ The child's cries are drowned out by the sound of footsteps. ]
[ She takes one look at the door, huffs, and grabs a knife from the drawer. It seems the webs won't be of much help. ]
[ Bad decision, Pandora. ]
[ The webs are cut and the door to the cabinet swings open. The cries are much more audible now. She yells something, Leon still unable to make anything out. All Leon can really hear is how the kid is dragged out of the cupboard, screaming and sobbing. There is nothing she can do to stop it. ]
[ Bad decision. ]
[Leon watched with wide eyes and a stone in his stomach. Pandora felt such an anger coursing through her. She didnât care if she was hurt in the crossfires. She wriggled out, chased down the screaming child and began furiously beating Her.]
No! No, I wonât- I wonât let you hurt my brother! Get your fucking hands off of my brother!!
[She felt so many emotions bubbling up. Fear, hatred, fury, helplessness.]
GET OFF!! YOU CANâT-!
[She fell. Did she? Was that what this sensation was? Or could you say it was vertigo?]
[Nevertheless, when she came back to she was hugging the child close to her chest, trembling. She was saying something. Why didnât she know what she was saying? It was soft, she knew that much. She held the child closer.]
[ The child holds painfully still for a few moments before relaxing. He giggles in her grasp. ]
[ not him. keep looking. at least this place is familiar to you in some way. ]
[Leon sat there for a few moments. Why canât she stop trembling? Why does it feel like some ball is stuck in her chest, constantly growing and spreading out???]
[She still held the child as she stumbled about her domain. The first room she entered was some overcolorful childrenâs areas, bean bags and obviously stylised items like frog shaped tables and teetering bookshelves. Everything inside had this soft woolly texture though. She couldnât even call for Martin. When she tried to, all she could make out was a sad croak.]
[ The child wraps his arms around her neck, gently headbutting her. ]
[ you shouldn't be upset. ae's here somewhere. ]
"It's okay."
[ He smiles at her, and even now, the smile is warm. ]
[Leon tried her best to smile. This poor, wonderful little joy. She couldnât even believe she nearly lost him.]
[She didnât even really check the room. Martin wouldnât be here, ae never would. She began slowly crumbling, tears spilling out in waves as she shambled through. She had watched what a mother does to a child. She nearly lost him, again. Her eyes were bleary as she walked in to a new room, an old fashioned sweets shop that was so blatantly some type of watercolour scene. She began to sadly call out, half choked from tears.]
Martin⊠Mars? Where are you? PleaseâŠ
[ The child blinks up at Le- Pandora before perking up. He points in a random direction, beaming up at her. ]
[ follow. ]
[Pandora tried to stop crying, tried so desperately. But she couldnât help but see that woman everywhere she walked, fear for the childâs safety everywhere she went. She nearly lost him! She couldnât lose him again.]
[She looked in the direction of where he pointed and followed. She entered the door to a library of sorts. The shelves kept going up, up, up, and she knew it was in the shape of a labyrinth. So she used the child as some sort of compass and followed its directions.]
[ The child hums a soft tune, occasionally changing the direction his chubby little finger points at. ]
[Eventually the one two reach a room eerily akin yet different to Martins. ]
[ There he is. ]
[ you found him. ]
[Ae's curled up in a ball, sobbing. Ae's not sure why, ae just is. Something about the bitter and cold oppressiveness of the fog and and aer control. Doesn't matter. Ae's here now. ]
[ you won. :) ]
[Pandora tried to smile warmly at Martin when she saw him. She didnât notice when she stopped holding the kid, just that at one point ae was gone. But that doesnât matter now.]
[She knelt down in front of him, reaching out to cup aer cold hands.]
Mars. Hi, hey. Iâm here, like I said I would be. Youâre okay. I promise. Look at me, please?
[ Martin startles at the sudden warmth. His eyes widen, noticing Pandora. ]
"Pan...? Are you- is that actually you?"
[ His hair is noticeably a lot whiter - only a few strands of his original ginger peeking out throughout. His eyes are greyer, too, only the barest hints of the old blue and green. But it's him. ]
[Pandora felt relief lifting everything off of her shoulders. She smiled at aer before tears leaked out again, and she tightly hugged him.]
Yeah. Yeah, it-itâs me. Itâs me⊠gods, Iâm so happy youâre alright! Youâre- youâre okay!
[She looked⊠strange. Most of her was her usual self, but sometimes some random child, barely even eighteen, flickered in.]
[ Martin freezes a little before letting out a relieved cackle. ]
"I'm okay! I'm- you're here-!"
[ Ae barely notices the flickers in her form, mostly just thankful she's here now. ]
"I- how-?"
[She held Martin so tightly, a hand already in aer hair just to make sure she wasnât dreaming. Sheâs found him, she really found him!]
I- I had-
[She looked about, realising the child was gone. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she just ignored it and focused back on Martin.]
I donât know, but that doesnât matter! I found you, I found youâŠ
[She wept tears of joy, but also finally letting herself process what she had seen with Her.]
"You found me-"
[ A few more relieved laughs escape aer. God, ae feels...giddy, almost. Ae's okay. Ae's okay. ]
"I- god, it was so cold in there and I- feel warm again, now-"
[ The cobwebs in aer hair aren't there now. Monique had gotten off soon before ae'd gotten aerself stuck. ]
[Pandora sniffled and pressed a kiss into Martinâs scalp. She kinda missed those webs. She stroked it as she spoke.]
I know, I know. Youâre safe. I would never let you get hurt here. Never in my life.
[There was a reason so many places here had that sort of baby proofing to it. She didnât want a single thing posing a threat to aer.]
[ Martin nods, smiling at her as a few more tears escape his eyes. ]
"Where...where is here, anyways? It- looks like my room, but it's not really...?"
[Pandora kept stroking and gently scratching away. It had been far too long since she heard his adorable little purring.]
My domain. Yknow, Strangers get to make some pretty cool ones. My place usually is used to hurt others, so I tried my best to⊠well, soften everything. Even though that turned out much more infantilising than I had hoped.
[ Martin snorts. ]
"How so? Were there nurseries here, or something?"
[She went quiet for a moment.]
âŠArguably one of them were, but like- the entire thing was soft and felt-like. The other looked like some sweets shop youâd see from a kidâs book. The whole lilâ journey I had felt almost like those sensory books youâd buy for babies.
"Hm. Maybe I should bring my nieces and nephews here."
[ Ae says, not at all serious. Ae'd rather throw aerself back into the Lonely than bring the kids to any Fear's domain. ]
[She pulled back and held Martin by aer shoulders. She looked like Leon, again eighteen, but just barely. But it was still⊠her? It was strange.]
Mars, if you ever bring in children to my domain, our very professional friendship and platonic familial relationship will come to a very bad end.
[ Martin blinks at the image of Leon, but shrugs it off. A question for another day, if she's comfortable with it. ]
"Yeah, because risking your life and coming to save me is entirely professional."
[She threw her arm around Martinâs shoulders, and was back to looking like Pandora.]
I mean⊠yeah, totally. Besides, not much to risk. If everything failed, I wouldâve just went onto your phone. âŠYou have your phone on you, right?
"..."
[ Martin checks his pockets. ]
"I...don't think so. How- how long have I been here? Or- not here, the Lonely, I mean."
[Oh. Well that wasnât supportive. Oh well, as long as her brother was okay.]
Iâm not- Iâm not sure. A day or two, at most. I think? I dunno, timeâs weird.
[She went back to stroking his hair and soothing him.]
[ Ae hums, finally relaxing into the embrace. ]
"Did you...how are you? How're the others?"
[Pandora sighed as she continued, nuzzling into aer scalp.]
The children⊠you know how they are. Orion has been the best, or holds it in the most. Me and Ellery⊠we had an argument. We havenât been that great since.
"God- what happened?"
[ Some very, very light rumbling comes from his throat. ]
Eh, he compelled Orion once because of manipulation, yelled at Ellery to stop constantly playing the victim, kinda collapsed after that because itâs keeping away from people that hurt it.
[She tried to pull out some more purrs from ae.]
[ Martin winces. ]
"All that in a day or two?"
[Pandora shrugged.]
Probably two.
[She hugged him close.]
[ Ae tightens aer arms around her, letting out a long sigh. ]
"I'm sorry I was gone."
[Pandora sighed and nuzzled up into aer hair.]
Donât be. Donât be. You deserved to have a moment to yourself. Besides, Iâm a big girl! I can handle myself, Mars.
[ Martin hums, not convinced yet too tired to argue. The rumbling gets louder. ]
[Pandora smiled to herself as she let out a sigh of contentment. She hadnât been this relaxed in a while.]
You make really nice purring sounds.
[It wasnât even supposed to be a tease. She was just genuinely complimenting him.]
[ Martin buries his face in her shoulder - embarrassed. He mumbles a small, ]
"I can't control it."
[Pandora chuckled and continued stroking aer hair. She planted a kiss into it.]
I never said it was a bad thing.
[ Ae grumbles something in Polish. ]
Hm?
[Pandora looked into aer eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.]
What was that, Mars?
[ Martin flicks her arm. ]
"Nothing."
[ He is most certainly pouting. ]
[Pandora playfully pouted back at ae, gently squishing aer cheeks together to play up the pout.]
Really? Or did you swear at me, Martin Blackwood?
[ Ae "gracefully" plays up the pout. Ae seems to have done this before in some way. ]
"Maybe I did. What of it?"
[ Aer words are partially mumbled thanks to the hands squishing his cheeks. ]
[Pandora scrunched her nose up playfully at Martin.]
Evil little brother, you are!
[ Martin snorts. ]
"You're the one squishing my cheeks right now! Making me look like a fish."
Just going back to your roots!
[Pandora picked up Martin and began walking him out of her domain. She made sure ae were okay and comfortable the entire trip.]
"How on earth can you carry me-?"
Iâm just that great and awesome and charismatic and- I am a robot Mars, kinda hard to not be able to.
[She brought ae all the way out and rested him down.]
"Still-"
[ Martin looks around. They seem to be in his flat, now. ]
[ Where's Tim...? Is she alright? Why does his head hurt so much, all of a sudden- ]
[ His eye catches the calendar on the wall. He's not sure why he ever put it there - maybe just a semblance of normality after all that's happened, but- ]
"It's September?!"
