#micorom

* Being the same age, they enroll the same year in Byrgenwerth and – alongside Caryll – become fast friends. It will be soon impossible to call them fully innocent due to being part of Byrgenwerth and its dubious study methods of Pthumerian and the Great Ones, but Micolash especially was far tamer than he is now, just… cryptic, and generally a freak /affectionate

Rom, though known for her cheerful temper, was also frequently described as being on her own plane of existence, and so… they hit it off pretty well, pretty quickly. It was frequent for anyone in Byrgenwerth to catch them in the middle of a conversation and immediately go --

They go 3 years, all the way to their Bachelor’s degree (or at least Micolash’s – I may give Rom a slower graduating, alleged intellectual shortcomings and all), and only start dating the following year or the one after that, after Laurence and Maria’s enrollments (with one or both, as respective dormmates to Mico and Rom, possibly giving them a small push). And they’re genuinely one of the most stable relationships in my narrative. weirdo4weirdo.

* I haven’t determined what drives them to follow Laurence – or more accurately, to distance themselves from Willem’s teachings – but they do. First together in the Research Hall, then splitting in complementary work as the respective heads of the Choir and the School of Mensis, stepping up in their research and experiments.

During this era, Rom falls pregnant.

Now this is the blurry part – how would they react to the prospect of parenthood. X) In such a busy and promising time for scientific breakthroughs, I don’t think Mico would be too happy with it… but also, it’s not like Rom fell pregnant by herself ! And one way I’d see it happen is if he was planning to involve the child in their research… on Rom’s side, it’ll depend entirely on me and the characterization I want for her. Definitely tamer than Mico but perhaps with her own Byrgenwerth streak of unethical science, ready to experiment on her own flesh (literally and/or metaphorically) ? I’ll figure it out at some point :v

* Either way, we are in Bloodborne, and Rom enters labor one-two month(s) earlier than expected, in the middle of her duties. It does not go well. After much pain and distress, her child is stillborn, and Rom herself likely only survives thanks to the fact that she was already within Church walls - ensuring fast care by many doctors and fast access to blood to sustain her body. Laurence was by her side the entire time - because it was premature, Micolash was just going about his day in Yahar’gul, and the time it takes for Laurence’s hastily scribbled letter to reach him and then make the trip up, he arrives after the storm.

Needless to say, Rom is shattered. The guilt that’s known to come with this kind of tragedy, and the trauma of forceful intervention on her body – she’s devastated, and Mico is wholly unequipped to deal with that. He also feels guilt because once again, she didn’t fall pregnant by herself. He hovers around her while she recovers but, well… they can barely look at each other. They never officialize it, hardly communicate, but it’s clear to everyone their relation died with their infant.

* And so they drown themselves in their research, and this is the start of their respective slip. Exponentially, they progress, get results, and immerse themselves more and more into their respective theories – theories that start deviating from Laurence’s (who is tearing his hair out at the loss of authority in addition to playing their divorce attorney). Micolash remains hidden away in Yahar’gul (chasing after Damian), while Rom can bear less and less being within Cathedral walls due to the memories of her miscarriage ; she shuts herself away with Ebrietas and/or returns to Byrgenwerth(? I don’t have the exact circumstances of her ascension yet). Anyway, this culminates in said ascension – again, wholly independant of Laurence’s will – soon followed by her physical death. Micolash slips further.

* Fastforward of many years to the Mensis Ritual – as the Nightmare opens and Micolash is sitting bound to his throne, skull splitting, brain frying - he gets a vision of Rom, human Rom, embracing him, bound again beyond death. Perhaps the cries of an infant, calling for a mother, beckoned her ?

And Rom’s spell hides away the Ritual, until the Hunter, assisted by Damian, releases their souls.

In the Nightmare of Mensis, a hunter brave enough may retrieve a crumpled letter tangled under layers of Apostles webs that, despite its apparent torn and burnt state, clearly projects the following words into one's mind :

Rom giving birth - UCW