#mobiusstuck

Stopping the Heir

She awoke to the feeling of fluffy blankets and sound of someone sipping tea. She opened her eyes, listening for other sounds... had they left her behind?

No... there was someone talking.

"I can;t believe I've been telling some guy he's stupid for nearly half of my life... I can't believe he just ran off like that either... The least he couldadone was say no or something. Jegus."

He... ran off. Who? Wait... Adrian had been having fights with Vira for years... oh no. She pushed herself out ot of the blanket pile and looked at the jadeblood. "Wha... Vira, what happened?"

The troll looked over from her place on a couch and looked startled for a moment, forgetting that Psyche was there. "Huh? Oh... I... I guess we fell asleep being snuggly? And then we woke up, but left you asleep." She blushed a little, "Nothing much happened after that. Except yout stupid pale mate ran off to try something stupid."

Oh no... She'd been right. "...He's looking for Skaia, isn't he?... I was hoping Garnet would be wrong about that..." She let herself fall back into the blankets. No, he wasn't supposed to... Garnet was supposed to be wrong about that! He wouldn't actually...

"...How did you..."Vira raised an eyebrow at her, looking slightly confused, " Never mind. Yeah, Allie said that he mentioned something about defeating the Black King." She motioned over to the other troll, who was drinking tea and reading a book as calmy as could be.

"Last night wasn't the first time Garnet spoke to me... but, fuck, I didn't expect him to actually..."

The jade blush in Vira's cheeks faded as she frowned a little, " We were going to set out to stop him when you woke up... I mean, it's not like we have to worry too much... How would he even get to Skaia?"

The human nodded in agreement for a moment, before she realized something, "Wait... God Tier..."

"God Tier? How would that do anything?"

"...When Allie God Tiered she woke up on Skaia..."

Vira hopped to her feet, a dark, enraged look on her face. "You mean he'd actually be stupid enough to kill himself? Just so he can GO DIE THE HELL AGAIN?!"

"Vira, Calm down... I don't know! It's the only way I can think of to get to Skaia quickly!" At that moment, Scalmate poked his head into the room, watching silently. She looked at him, snapping her fingers to get his attention, "Unless... Scalemate, is there any other way of getting to Skaia?"

"...Shuttle." The ghostly sprite muttered.

"Well then.. I guess there's that... but where would he find one?"

"Derse or Prospit..."

Vira took a few deep breaths and just stared, "So... Now we can't even knock him uncontious to stop him... Nice."

There was a flickering in the back of her mind... Something... No, she'd said..." ...some people use their dreamselves...damnit, Garnet gave me all the answers, why didn't I think?!" Psyche curled up a little and held her head. That bitch told her about this. She have her everything, she hadn't connected the dots. She was so stupid...

The jadeblood took a deep breath, and walked across the room. She wrapped her arms, around her in a comforting hug. "It's okay... Garnet... she played him like a fiddle... and you too."

Psyche whimpered and snuggled into Vira's arms, "I should've said something earlier!:

"She must've known if she gaveyou the keys to figuring out the plan yourself, you might freak out again... Or worse... I mean... Allie did say she admitted herself one of her plans involves you dying..."

Her eyes widened. "I forgot about that... Maybe because I'm the only one he'll listen to? Gods, she even said herself that I was the only one who would be able to!" Psyche facepalmed herself. She was the only one he'd listen to, the only one who could stop to him.

"...Why do I feel like there should be strings attatched to us? We're being manipulated so hard it's... shocking." Vira growled quietly at herself, "Hell! I might've only kissed him because she told me not to so much!"

Psyche blinked a little, "...Wait, what?"

The troll blushed dark green, "I... Look, it doesn't matter, because the crazy Garnet bitch made me do it. Sorta... With reverse fucking psychology. The point is we have to stop him before he either kills himself and Godtiers to Skaia... or takes a nap..."

"That means splitting up."

"I don't want to... It's probably what she wants."

"What choice do we have?"

Allie looked up, and blinked her good eye a little in surprize. "Oh, hello Psyche, didn't notice you woke up."

"...Really into that book, aren't you?"

"Mmhm."

Vira blinked at her and shook her head at Allie. "Wow... Put the book down. We have to go stop Adrian from being stupider than normal."

The magenta-blooded troll nodded, and marked her place with a bookmark, "Right."

"...Or, I have to. He's not coing to listen to you..." Psyche motioned to Vira, who frowned.

"I will knock him the fuck unconcious and drag him back here if I have to." She stated,

"And then he's going to continue through his dreamself."

"And you can stop him there. It's the only think I can think of..."

"I don't even know if I could... I don't think my dreamself is awake, and even then, if he's on Prospit and I'm on Derse, or vice versa? ... So I'd have to head to Skaia"

Allie cleared her throat, "You mean we'd have to head to Skaia."

Vira shook her head, and made a stopping motion with her hands. "That might be what the red bitch is thinking! What if we get there and all get killed? But... I mean..."

"What if we don't and he dies?"

Psyche flinched and made a distrssed sound, "I'd never forgive myself..."

The jadeblood hesitated, "Then... Damnnit, she probably fucking planned for all of this! No matter what we do, it's probably exactly what she wants!"

Allie nodded sagely, "Indeed... OR, he might still be on his planet. I can get us there."

Vira took a few deep breaths, and pulled on her cloak. "So we go there first... Okay."

The human girl slipped out of the room, and put on her white dress, She pulled up the hood, hiding her red hair and showing the little polar bear ears. It reminded her of him a little bit... Adrian... Hopefully she could stop him.

Vira had crossed the room, and was petting her Lusus, and talking to her when she got back. When Furmom nodded a little, she dramatically threw one of her many furs over her shoulders, smiling a little to herself

Allie, meanwhile, nodded to Psyche as she rolled her shoulders in preperation. "Right, to Locat?"

"Yes." The redhead took a breath. They could only hope they weren't too late.

"To his home then." Allie made a circle with her hands, then drew it out, causing portals to appear below their feet. Gravity took ahold of all two of them, dragging them into the dark, swirling depths.

There was the sensation of falling, but only briefly. Then, white and freezing cold surrounded her. She lifted herself out of the tall snow bank, blinking against the orange glare on the snow. It was sunset here... so, if he didn't use the Gate, he might go to sleep. Either option wasn't good.

Psyche looked up, as Vira hopped into the portal, landing in the snow feet first. Allie had landed on her feet, and was looking over at Vira expectantly.

"What, you all keep talking about how cold it is.. Holy crap, this white stuff is frozen!" She pulled her foot out of the snow and brushed the snow off. She frowned a little, and looked sad. She had no shoes on. Well, that was poor preperation on their part, they should've made sure...

But, ther was no time to muse about that. Psyche pulled the microphone down on her headset, adjusting the screen infront of her eye. It powered on, showing her chumlist. Adrian wasn't online...

She cursed to herself and ran for his house. Allie had brought them pretty close to his house, so hopefully they weren't too late.. Snow crunched behing her, showing that someone was following her. A quick glance back confirmed to her that it was Vira... Allie was hanging behind for some reason. Maybe she was going to fly up later?

A man leaned against a rock nearby, his dark hair was slicked back a bit. He wore a pair of glasses, which in the heat faded to a near black. Now, they showed his pale blue eyes, and the concern that filled them. He pushed himself off of the rock as the girls approached, Psyche stopping in front of him, slightly out of breath. Vira came behind her, wincing and walking slightly stiffly. She wasn't complaining though, abouy the pain that she must be in.

"Have you seen Adrian?" The redhead asked, meeting his gaze with a hopeful look.

His expression faded into that of annoyance, and he raised his hand to point to the house. Psyche followed his finger, to see the boy in question climbing the ramp above it. The ramp she built. No, no, he wouldn't!

"Thank you!" She said.

Crane nodded, and seemingly disappeared. Well, that would explain part of how he took care of those imps so easily...

Vira blinked a little at where he had stood, then shrugged. "To the roof!"

Psyche nodded, then jumped onto a panel of the house. It seemed sturdy enough, but with the snow covering it, it was hard to grasp. She'd never climb in these conditions normally... but she didn't have a choice. This was the straightest way to get to the roof.

She began climbing, one hand in front of the other. Below her, she noticed Vira hesitate, then go inside. Might be best, even if it took a little longer. She wasn't sure Vira would want to freeze herself any more than she already was.

It didn't take long for her to pull herself up to the balcony, and dash to the roof. "Adrian!:

He was about to step into the shining spirograph, when he hesitated. "...Psyche?"

"Adrian, don't!"

He looked back at her, his face expressionless. "I have to stop this."

"Not this way!"

"I won't allow Earth do die."

"And I won't let you! Adrian..."

"We have to help the others back on Earth, can't you see that? Not all of them are going to be playing this game."

"I know that."

She heard a swooshing noise, and glanced back. Allie was now standing behind her, watching silently.

"Then you know why I have to go... I am sorry."

"Adrian, don't! Please..." Psyche scrabbled for words. What could she say? He wanted to go and save Earth... Part of her wanted to help him, but she knew it was suicide. No matter how strong he was, he couldn't beat the King. Not yet, and not on his own.

"But... Earth..." he seemed to be hesitating a little. He readjusted his jacket, fiddling with it a little. Was he reconsidering...?

"You reallt think I could let you do this? That I'd just let you commit suicide for something that may not even work?!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a something white shift, moving a little closer. There was a gently panting sound. Vira had gone inside, and she'd brought her fur. It had to be her. But, Psyche kept her eyes focused on her friend. She couldn't let Adrian know Vira was there.

"It'll work!" He protested, "It has to!"

"And if he kills you?"

"... If he does... Well if he kills everyone else, I would rather not live anyway." With that, he turned back towards the Gate. His shoulders were relaxed and set. He looked like he'd been considering this for a while.

"Adrian, sometimes I wonder..." She cut herself off there. SHe wanted to yell at him, to tell him that, he was so worried about her getting hurt, he didn't see that he himself was hurting her. But she couldn't. She had to choose her words carefully.

He turned back and faced her. His eyebrows were furrowed in a bit of confusion. "Hmm?"

The shifting white figure froze while sneaking closer to him. He didn't seem to notice, and was focused on Psyche. She took a breath, and becan speaking, "You aren't even thinking... Even if you save Earth, what then?" The ginger slowly moved towards him, stepping onto the ramp. If she had to restrain him, or follow, she would. She hoped she wouldn't have to, though.

"What do you mean, what then?"

"Well, waht happens after that?"

The spiky haired teen took a few steps closer, unaware of his kismesis and how close he was putting himself. Psyche took note of this, thankful that she now had Vira close enough to help her. Adrian remained silent though, thinking.

"Well, what happens after you kill the Black King? He's the final boss for us, after all."

He took a breath, and spun back towards the glittering Gate, "I will think about it when I am done saving our people."

"Adrian!" She called. She sounded desperate, but she didn't care. Being cautious hadn't helped her in the least!

Then, as he was walking, there was a black and green blur that streaked across the roof. It knocked him backward off of the roof, smacking his head off of the cement. His glasses were knocked askew, showing that his eyes were closed.

Psyche winced, and shook her head a little at the jadeblood. "Well, the's stopped... is he okay?"

Vira blinked and pulled his head up. his shades clattering to the rooftop. She growled a little, every word coming out sharp and short. "I think I killed him..." She scowled, and punched him in the face, to assure herself that he wasn't dead. She let his head drop back down when she was sure, causing Psyche to sigh and move closer.

She pressed her fingers to his neck, relaxing a little when she felt his heart beating steady and strong. "Okay, he isn't dead."

The troll smirked a little bit, "Good, I wanna kill him myself when this is over with..."

"Thank the go- Vira!"

The troll stood up, grabbing his arm and began trying to drag him inside. Allie just stood there, watching and choosing not to get involved.

"What?! He deserves this! With all his talk of dying, the least I can do is kick his ass and make him wish he'd gotten away!"

"Then you can go that, but you can't kill him!"

Vira snorted, "Why would I really kill him? I can't kick his ass again later if I kill him. Get with the Program, Psyche... Now, help me drag him inside so he doesn't freeze his stupid ass off."

Psyche nodded, tucking his shades into his jacket before grabbing his other hand, "Sorry, I'm just a little stressed, considering I have no idea how to wake up my dreamself, and the little fact that I might die.."

Vira sighed, as they made it into the house. She got Psyche to help toss him onto his bed. "Son't worry, I'll wake him up..."

"How? We might not have enough time!"

The troll cracked her knuckles and smirked at Adrian's prone form. "A good enough jolt might do it..." At the disapproving glare Psyche gave her, she sighed, "Fine, fine... I think I have an idea of what I do next anyway."

"You do?"

"It's been nearly three sweeps, but I still remember... When I first talkted to Adrian, he said something about be talking to him before...." She blinked a little, and rubbed the back of her neck, "Trollian has this weird timeline thing, but I never fuck with it because.... timeshit is kinda confusing. So, I'll just inform his past self he was an idiot. Mabe the him now will remember the warning?"

Psyche let out a worried noise, "Maybe..."

"It might make him reconsider..." With that, she sits on the side of the bed, and pulls out her mirror top. SHe begins typing furiously, while Psyche paced around his room.

She knew she shouldn't. She knew that talking to her was bad... But, she knew about the game. She didn't have much of a choice. It was a bad idea, but there was nothing else she could do.

Allie walked down the stairs, and hovered nearby, watching Psyche like a hawk, breaking her concentration to watch Vira snarl, and punch Adrian in the nose again. The seadweller facepalmed, "Damnnit Vira...."

The human girl blinked, "What was that for?"

Vira glared at Adrian, before settling herself again on the edge of the bed, "I forgot how smug he was when he was younger... Oh, great. I"m getting trolled by someone who's only about five sweeps... Ugh."

Psyche shook her head at Vira, before turning to Allie. "...Allie, do you know how to wake up a dreamself?"

After a dew moments of no answer, Psyche sighed and sat against the wall beside the bed. Vira was making a combination of angry and sad faces, before tucking her small computer away. Psyche opened up a chat with the First Guardian of Earth.

Her minds eye took over, showing her the now familiar red room. Garnet stood by a chess set in the corner of the room, before turning to face Psyche.

"Uh, hello..." The human muttered, slightly shy. She usually didn't begin conversations with Garnet, so she wasn't sure if she was intruding. It was important, though, so she might understand.

She smiled, "Hello, dear."

"I have a question... How do you wake up a dreamself?"

"It depends on the person, really..."

"Hm...What about me?"

Garnet took a few steps closer to her, hands clasped infront of her dress. "Have you tried going to sleep right now?"

Psyche rubbed the back of her neck, shrugging a little, "No... Should something be different than usual? I was asleep not an hour ago and I didn't think anything was weird."

"You have a reason to need to wake up now, don't you?" The older woman was now in front of her, running a hand comfortingly through her hair. "If you lay down, you might fall asleep...It's been an emotional couple of days... Don't you feel a little bit tired, still?"

"A little... but I think I'm too concerned to sleep."

Garnet reached her hand out and held Psyche's, rubbing it gently. Psyche was relaxed around Garnet, and she knew it. Even though Allie had said that she wanted her dead, she had trouble seeing that... but, she had to remind herself, this woman had thrown a knife in the middle of the room when Allie had kissed her. She was nuts... but she had to trust her.

"Lay down, close your eyes..." The First Guardian was saying, "Think of your reasons for needing to wake up. Then, I suppose, waiting will be the only option left."

"Are you sure? I mean, I might not have much time... Adrian was knocked out, and he can get to Skaia from whichever planet he's on..."

"...Do you need someone to knock you out, too?"

"I'm not sure... Anyways, thank you for the help!"

Garnet smiled and nodded, "Just try to relax, dear. Things will work out for you."

"Okay... thanks again~"

The woman turned away and walked back towards her chess game. Psyche let the image fade from her mind, and ceased pestering the red-texted guardian. She pulled the microphone up, and tucked it against her headband.

Allie and Vira both gave her looks of varying degrees of frustration. Psyche ignored them, for now. She could handle their rage later... Right now, Adrian was more important. She shut her eyes, and felt herself begin to drift off. Exhaustion begna to drag at her limbs, drawing her into a deep sleep.

She opened her eyes again, greeted by a teal and gold room. She smiled a little, and stood up, looking herself over. She was wearing a gold dress, with a crescent moon on her chest. Hm.

She walked to the window, where she saw someone in gold flying around... He had spiky hair, and a pair of shades on. Something about him felt familiar... then his name jumped to her lips. "Adrian! What're you doing?"

He stopped, and moved closer to the window, and smiled a little at her. "Psyche...? I think there was something I needed to do, but... I can't put my finger to it. And flying, what else?"

"Hm, same for me... and how are you doing that?"

"Easily. Just forget that you are supposed to touch the ground."

Psyche shut her eyes, and took a breath. Gravity didn't exist. There was nothing to tie her down. She was like a balloon... she could float away freely on the wind.

She heard a small noise come from Adrian, and opened her eyes. She looked down, to see herself actually... floating? With a giggle, she looked up at her friend.

"Fun, isn't it?" He laughed along with her, pirouetting in the air outside. "This place never fails to cheer me up." The smile on his face faded a little bit, "Anyhow, I think that I need to go... I need to remember what I was doing. I will see you soon!"

Psyche made a whimpering noise at that, "...Are you sure?"

After a moment, Adrian smiled at her, "Come with me, we can return here later."

The ginger lit up, giving him a warm smile, "Okay! Wait, how do I steer?"

"With thought, of course. How else?"

She imagined herself moving forward, and soon enough, she was in the open air with him, "Sorry, I only just woke up.."

He smiled, then flew off towards another of the gold towers, that looks a like like hers. "I have been here for a bit. I think I can go to sleep again now." He goes into the window, and fell on to his bed. He turned his head, and smiled at her. "I will see you soon."

"Seeya~"

She waited for a few minutes, until his breathing was deep and even, before flying away. This place was so pretty, she wanted to explore it all!

----

As she nodded off in the real world, Virada hopped off of the bed and screamed. "I can't take this any longer! How could they listen to her? The both of them! She's insane! She's confessed she's trying to kill them! How can they trust her Allie?!"

The longhaired seadweller nodded as she paced around the room, managing to contain her frustration, "I know.

"I feel like I'm in the middle of some cosmic joke!"

"She's managed to make them think she won't hurt them somehow..."

"It's so exasperating... it's like she knows what we're going to do before we do it, and not in that fucked up time way, either. It's like she knows literally how we think."

"Well... she might."

"... That is creepy as fuck."

At that moment, Adrian jolted awake. He grimaced, gritting his teetch and whiping some of the blood off of his face. "What the glub...?"

Vira jumped, and spun to face him. Her yellow and black eyes were lit up with rage, "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you're in?!" She yelled, anger peircing every word.

He glared at her, forgetting about his glasses for a moment. He managed to growl, "What have you DONE?!"

"ME!? You're the one who just about went and killed yourself! You made Psyche sick with worry! Insufferabel douche!:

"Like hell I would have! I was meant to save Earth! And now you ruined it all! You... You..." He snarled, standing up to face her.

"More like go hand your body over for sacrifice!"

"And you should know best in this case, eh?!"

"Ugh! I couldn't see how I could possibly hate you before, but I definately see it now!" She took a few steps towards him, letting out a growl, "You're impossible!"

"I do believe that is MY line!"

Allie moved away from the two and began messaging someone on her omnitool. It was probably best to get out of the way, for now. From the look of them, they were about to start throwing punches.

"At least I'm not the one listening to a sociopath!"

Adrian pointed his finger accusingly at her, "No, you are one BEING a sociopath!"

Vira put her hands on her hips, yellow eyes glaring at him, "Well, at least I don't hate myself so much I keep looking for reasons to die!"

The human turned away from her, beginning to walk out of his room, " Shut up! I am done listening to you!"

"Like hell you are! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" She growled. The smaller troll dashed in front on the door way, to block his escape. She was just so mad at him, she couldn't help it. Vira threw herself at him, knocking him back to the ground. His glasses went flying, landing near Psyche's foot.

"Get off!" He swung his fist at her, hoping to cause some damage. She leaned back, letting the fist pass by her face, and the elbow that followed it.

"No!" She aimed another punch at his face, though she only caught his nose it was enough. More bright red blood began to run down his face, enraging him further.

"Argh! You ... Insufferable...!" Adrian returned the blow, knocking her off of him. He scrambled to his feet, waiting for the next attack.

Vira, on the other hand, picked herself up, wiping a bit of jade blood on her sleeve. Her lips curled up into a snarl, showing her sharp teeth. He'd pay for that. She whirled, and got him in the face again. "Ugh! I don't care what past you said! YOU'RE GOING IN THAT VOLCANO!"

"TRY IT! JUST TRY!"

"I WILL! AS SOON AS I CUT YOU INTO EASIER PIECES TO CARRY WITH ME!" "Shut up for once! YOU HAVE RUINED EVERYTHING!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WAS BEING LEAD AROUND BY THE HAND BY SOME INSANE LADY WHO WANTS TO KILL US ALL!" Vira wound up, and punched him in the nose again. A feeling of superiority caused her to smirk. She may hate him, but she had the upper hand here despite his size.

He cringed, holding his nose," You INSUFFERABLE, IDIOTIC, WILDHAIRED BITCH!"

"YOU STUPID, IDIOTIC, HORNLESS PALE FREAK!"

Adrian glared at her, growling quietly, "I hate your voice. I hate your face! I hate your stupid grey skin. There is nothing in you I DO NOT HATE! I HATE YOU, HATE HATEHATEHATEHATE!"

"YOUR HAIR MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE THE BACK OF A CLUCKBEASTS ASS!"

The seadweller sighed, and looked up from her omitool. They were standing rather close, with Adrian leaning over a little to look down at Vira. The jadeblood was on her tiptoes, snarling up at him. In any other situation, it would he hilarious, and slightly adorable. But, Allie was trying to talk to someone, and she couldn't focus. "Shut the FUCK UP, I'M TRYING TO TALK TO SOMEONE!"

Her yell made the kismesi fall silent. They stayed in that position, glaring at each for a few moments before Vira finally spoke again, "And your shades make you look like a douche."

"Sticks and stones, bitch." Adrian snarled. A small part of him wondered where his shades actually were, but he wasn't going to stop and look for them now.

"I hate you so much right now."

"I hate you soo much."

"I hate you more!"

At that moment, Psyche blinked awake slowly. Adrian was over with Vira and he was okay... really beaten up, but that was okay. He was alive, and that was what counted.

Vira ignored the red haired human, pulling Adrian down to her level. "I have never hated anyone as much as I hate you right now..." she hissed, before pulling his face closer and kissing him. There was no tenderness in the kiss, only hate and the urge to dominate. Adrian didn't miss a beat, and kissed her back just as roughly, which caused Vira to blush green. Well, she hadn't expected that... She pushed him away, wiping her mouth and glaring at him. Adrian's face was red, but he returned her glare, before going over to his moirail and picking up his shades. They returned to their place on his face, hiding his grey eyes from view again.

Psyche just blinked, not saying anything. Part of her wasn't sure she even saw that... She shook her head a little, and hugged her arms to her chest. She wanted to yell at Adrian, she wanted to be mad and hate him for what he did, but she couldn't. She just watched him silently, while he didn't pay her any mind... he didn't even ask her if she was okay, he just kept glaring at Vira. Psyche sighed. Had anyone looked at her, for a moment they would've seen a dark aura curling around her.

"Vira!" Allie called, "Darius is talking to me."

Vira's glare melted, and turned towards Allie, her eyes wide and a smile on her face."Darius is coming back?"

"Yeah. He's waiting for me to tell him it's safe to go to LODAHT. We should probably head back there soon."

"Okay,"

"I told him about Adrian as well."

"...What about Adrian?"

"How he was about to commit suicide by Black King."

Vira sent him a quick, pointed glare, as if to say 'I told you so'. He returned the glare full force, making it almost murderous as it fell on the two trolls.

Psyche took a small breath and spoke up, "...Please don't do that again." She asked him.

"... Fine." He muttered.

In a moment, Allie teleported them all back to Vira's hive. Psyche was now curled up on the couch, while Vira was now on top of a confused Furmom. Allie returned to her pillow pile, and Adrian himself hit the floor. He resumed not looking impressed, and again didn't say a word to Psyche.

Vira pulled out a beeping compact, answering the troll who was trying to get her attention. Psyche hugged her knees closer to her, giving Allie a guilty look. She wanted a bit of comfort, someone to tell her that what she did was all right... but she knew it wasn't. She shouldn't have gone to Garnet for help.

"Sorry, Allie... about having to go to Garnet..."

"I told you she was bad news, " The seadweller casually said, turning herself in her pillow pile so she could look at Psyche.

"I know... but she hasn't really lied. And, really, if anything were to happen, wouldn't it have happend while I was asleep?" Psyche sighed, and watched Adrian flop onto the nearest chair, "I just... I don't get why anyone would want me dead."

"Psyche, she just tried to get Adrian to kill himself by taking on the final boss. You just can't trust Garnet, okay?"

"... I don't know if I can agree to that..."

Adrian coughed, and looked rather uncomfortable. "... I will need to spend some time collecting my thoughts..."

Allie sighed at that, shaking her head at both of the humans. Really, how could they trust her...?

"Look, I'm sorry about this whole... episode..."

"I don't think you should go anywhere for awhile, Tim. We'll be harder to fuck with if we stick together." Vira mentioned, glancing up from her compact to smirk at him.

Behind his glasses, Adrian rolled his eyes, "Not going anywhere far, just to a different room. Like I would need your permission anyway."

"My hive, my rules."

"Stupid. Stupid rules.."

She smiled and winked at him, "Fuckface, just go."

"What the fucking ever, furry, what the fucking ever." He grinned back at her, then stood up and left the room.

Psyche, meanwhile, had been pestered by someone called fragmentedGlacier. Her minds eye took over once more, showing her a room painted in blue. There was a man, who was pure white, like Garnet, except that he wore a blue suit. Even without eyes, he seemed to look at her very seriously. "You there, human."

She gave him a once over, before glancing around the room. It was the same set up as Garnets, except for the chess board. He was moving blue pieces across the board, but was loosing to the opposing team, the red team. "...Yes?"

"What did my counterpart speak to you about? This is very important."

"...Do you mean Garnet?" She asked, cocking her head at him. Their handles, and the rooms were similar... but, what did he mean by counterpart?

"Yes, that one..." He sneered, contempt in his voice, "Normally I wouldn't bother with you pitifully backwards creatures, but I'm afraid she might be dangerous, even more so if she's collaborating with players on some sort of plan." Glacier said, crossing his arms over his chest.

The human didn't feel comfortable with him around... he seemed so cold, so high and mighty... but, it might be best to give him what he wants for now. She wasn't sure if he could do the teleporty knife thing, and she'd rather not die today. "...She tried to get Adrian to kill the Black King, though we stopped him... she did try and get me to not trust Vira and Allie too."

He furrowed his eyebrows, raising a hand to his chin to assume a thinking pose, "Frankly I don't see how that could help anybody... It makes sense that a human would be stupid enough to try and do that though..." Glacier hesitated for a second, "I suppose I shouldn't be insulting your species right now if I'm looking for your aid though... Please, human, tell me what Garnet told you. It's very, very important. She's dangerous beyond your comprehension."

"...Exactly? I'll try to remember..." Psyche sighed and shut her eyes, trying to recall what she'd said, "She said that Vira didn't want to save the trolls, and pretty much said that someone like that couldn't really care, if they didn't care enough to save their own race... As for Allie... well, Garnet tried to tell me that she was worried about me, that she didn't want Allie to use me to get at her. see, Allie had just kissed me to get on her nerves... " She blushed a little at the thought of the kiss and smiled, though Glacier didn't seem to pay her any mind.

"Hm... It seems that her plans so far are simply to break up the players... And I'll admit Vira is a disgrace to the Trolls, but Allie is a very capable and well mannered young troll. I taught her much of what she knows"

"You did...?" She had a hard time seeing Allie listening to him. He seemed so formal and stiff, and Allie... wasn't.

"Well, the important things about the games and it's mechanics, and some ettiquite here and there. How to put the mission and her duty above her emotions, for example."

The human hugged herself and shuddered, "Well, that might explain why she was so calm w-with her own death." She tried to block the images taht acame to mind. She didn't want to remember that, to relive that...

"Yes, a god tier player can only die if their death is heroic, or a just punishment. Allie plays by the rules for the most part, her death would almost never be just. And I've taught her not to blindly throw away her life even for others, which makes it so a heroic death is also unlikely."

She didn't want to stay on this topic... she could feel tears in her eyes. If they continued on this subject for long, she would break down again. "... May I ask something, it may seem a little off topic though..."

The blue suited man sighed, and sat down on a couch. He opened his hand, and a wine glass appeared. He took a sip of the blue wine before looking at her again, "... Very well... Let's see what your moronic little question is."

"Allie said that Garnet wanted me dead... I can't figure out why, so, my question is, why would she want me dead?"

"...Well, your question itself isn't moronic, just that you asked it when everybody else is wondering the same thing. I know many, many things, but Garnets mind and her deeds are an enigma to me... Though I believe I might know her goal..." Glacier leaned forward and motioned for her to sit down.

She did so, sitting on the edge of the opposite couch so she could run if she needed to. It was odd, how this area in red seemed so comforting and warm, while in blue it was so cold and imposing, like she wasn't supposed to be here.

"We are, in a way, two halves of the same coin." He continued, "The Troll and Human universes are not meant to be connected... She is the guide and guardian for the human universe, mine, for the trolls. We both hold extreme contempt for each other... But for her, her level of hatred has come to such a level that she refuses to obey the rules for beings such as us. I believe she desires to destroy the Trolls completely, at any cost."

Psyche's eyes widened. Destroy the trolls...? Could she even do that...? No, she couldn't. But then... could she trust Glacier's word? "Well, that explains why she keeps saying that she doesn't trust them..."

"As she shouldn't. Trolls are infamous for their manipulations and ruthless efficiency, but she takes it much too far. I understand that you're a human, and by your very nature you are incompetent on an embarrassing level-"

Psyche frowned and crossed her arms, "Hey..."

"But you should know this, because if you listen to her, Garnet, there is no telling what could happen." He leaned back in his seat, and took another sip of wine before he continued, "And come now, it's true- humans are far inferior to trolls, and so self-righteous! They don't think of all the different elements of a situation before acting. It's like some howler-beast, they only focus on what they directly see."

"I'm not disagreeing, but not everyone is like that..."

"Yes yes, individuality, everybody is different. Blah blah blah. I don't care quite frankly.

But I hope you understand now. Garnet is not just manipulative... She's an all knowing, all powerful manipulator that will do anything to accomplish her goal, for she believes that her goal is the ultimate good."

Psyche let out a small whimper. If he was right, and Garnet was really like that.. and wanted her dead... "...I'm screwed."

"Oh of course not. We're powerful, but a team of god tiers is even more so. We're far from completely invincible. And my communications are invisible to her, just as hers are to me. I would reccomend keeping it secret, especially to her, that I've contacted you. She can see, and know, when you speak to others about this. That's how I figured out she contacted you in the first place."

"Er, okay... I wasn't going to say anything..." Yeah, mention to the potentially insane, all powerful woman that she'd been talking to her counterpart... She may be human, but she isn't stupid.

"Good, but I just feel I should emphasize again, you must say nothing to anybody about this. Don't even mention it aloud, or mumble something about me."

"...What should I say if someone asks? Just that I was talking to another human?"

"Say you were talking to... I don't know... Allie should work. She's been my charge for a long time. I'll tell her about what's happening. If you want to communicate to her about this, do it through me."

"...All right..." She wouldn't be doing that anytime soon. She quietly logged the information away. She didn't like this man, she didn't feel like she could trust him. But, she would keep this secret, adding the burden it carried to her ever growing pile of feelings and confusion.

Glacier gently stood up, and made a shooing motion with his hand, " Anyways, I must be off again. Tah-tah."

"Okay, see you later..." Psyche got up and moved towards the door as the image faded away again. She took off her headset and took a breath. Wow... That was kind of intense...

That was going to bug her now... could Garnet be trusted? She was so nice, while Glacier hadn't... She couldn't let it get to her. Garnet was the human's guardian, her guardian... who was to say that Glacier wasn't trying to lead her astray?

Then... Adrian...

This whole incident was a mess, and didn't do anything to help Garnet's case. She'd just been giving information, like she'd always done, and Adrian had used it to do further her cause, whether he knew it or not.

Psyche sighed and sat back on the couch as her Sylladex released her Scalemate. She hugged it tight, before making it walk over to the content looking troll. She made it wave to her, giggling a little. She was trying to put herself in a better mood- she couldn't let anyone know that something was wrong... besides, it wasn't like they were overly worried about the threat of her death. They were more concerned about Adrian and Darius, from the looks of it...

Vira laughed a little and smiled, unaware of anything being off, "That is so fubbing cute."

The human smiled back at her, then it quickly faded, "Vira... you aren't mad about before, are you?"

"About what before?"

"...About my asking her what to do... You didn't seem to happy about it."

"... I wasn't... For as along as I can remember I've gotten random messages from her, tormenting me... After awhile, you just learn to let the rant happen and go on with what you need to do. Obviously the psycho's done something different with you..."

The redhead nodded, "She seems to care. Kind of like a mom, I guess, though, I wouldn't know..." And it was true. Garnet seemed to care about her like her mother would have... she made her feel safe.

Vira looked confused for a moment, "That's the human lusus that Tim doesn't have, right...? And I guess you neither...At least you have a lusus though... I mean..." She motioned towards her compact.

"Talking to Dare?"

"Yeah."

"Mm... that's true."

"It's okay, at least he's alive." Vira smiled at her, "I may not understand Garnet and why she's nice to you, but... maybe we can turn the tables on her? Use her information, but not let her trick us?"

"Maybe..." Psyche nodded, still feeling unsure. She moved off of the couch, and lay on the floor. There was a sigh, and flump noise, which a quick glance showed to be Allie flopping back into her pillow pile.

Psyche snuggled her plush and tried to stop from crying. Garnet was nice to her, but she couldn't trust her. Everyone was saying that... but... she couldn't take it. The idea made her mood even worse... she was supposed to be happy and cheery, not moping and worrying like this. She felt a few tears roll down her cheeks, though neither Vira or Allie noticed. She trusted Garnet... she couldn't help it, it would be like not trusting Adrian. She closed her eyes and let herself cry silently. Eventually, she exhausted her tears, and felt sleep creep up on her. She let it take over, whisking her off to a bright golden world where there was nothing to fear.

Vira closed her compact with a happy grin, and tucked her numb feet under her, "Okay, I am never not wearing shoes again. Seriously, my feet still feel like little block of ice!" She frowned a little, and put her frozen feet under Furmom's soft and warm belly. The lusus let out a small grunt of complaint, but otherwise didn't move. "Also, what the hell is a furry? Adrian called me that... and I think it was an insult."

"Hmm...?" Allie looked over at Vira, then shrugged a little. "I have no fucking clue. But, it doesn't sound like it should be an insult."

The jadeblood wrapped the white fur she'd used to hide herself around her cold legs, "I know, right? It sounds sort of fluffy."

Then, from behind, something pounced onto the couch and started ticking Vira ruthlessly. She shrieked and flailed a little, before attempting escape. The figure caught her in a hug, revealing himself to be Darius. "Sup, V?" He smiled.

Furmom jumped at her charge's scream, then turned her head and narrowed her eyes at Darius. Her ears were slicked back, showing that she was not impressed. Then, the great furbeast resumed her position on the couch and watched Allie adjust herself in the pillow pile. Her gaze then flicked over to Psyche, who remained asleep. She shook her head a little, before resting her head on her paws.

Vira hugged Darius back just as tightly, smiling back at him just as brightly. Playing along, he laughed a little and groaned, as if she was squeezing the life out of him, "Ah, I missed you guys." He grinned and kissed Vira on the nose. "Especially you."

Vira slowly turned a bright green. "I missed you too."

Allie smiled a little, trying not to feel like a third wheel, "I missed you as well, Darius. It's good to see you back, and in one piece."

"I was kinda worried..."

He laughed a little and brushed off their concern, "Yeah, I didn't do anything too stupid, really. Mostly just picked off some imps."

The seadweller raised an eyebrow at him, "See, the word, "too," worries me..."

"Trust me, I'm fine."

Vira smiled at him happily, "I missed your face... um, random, but true."

He smiled back, then grabbed her hand and motioned for her to sit in his lap. "Trust me, I missed you way more I think. You giving me a shot was like, the last thing I expected though."

She blinked a little and did as he asked, continuing to smile, "I'm difficult..."

He smiles and wrapped his arms around her waist gently. "I'm glad you're all okay, I heard about what happened with Adrian."

"Ugh, that was a mess..."

"Yeah, I shoulda been here for that. But, it sounds like you guys handled it."

She gently rested her head against his, smiling, "My jaw's still kinda sore... guy does not pull a punch. If it wasn't for Psyche getting him to think, I don't think anything would've stopped him."

"Psh, I coulda stopped him I bet."

"How, Dare?"

"Not the first time I've had to deal with stubborn 'cool guys'. Probably by forse if I couldn't convince him with words.

"Stubborn, yes, cool guy- not so much." She laughed, "Besides, I think that's my job now."

"Heh, of course he's not... But he thinks he is." Dare smiled a little and laughed "So, what's planned for tomorrow?"

"...I don't know. More training? I think I'm supposed to take out the Sleeper, whoever he is... I know we have to get strong enough to take out the Black King... But, y'know, together."

"Yeah, I know that's how the game's built. I don't think even if one of us maxed out we could bear him on our own.... but, right now there's nothin to do..." He smiled a bit more, and kissed Vira's neck softly. She turned green and shifted away a little bit.

"Dare...."

"What?"

She glanced over at Allie, who had stopped paying attention and resumed staring at the ceiling, "Well...Allie... and... we're kinda sitting beside my lusus."

"Ah, that's okay. Hows about we just cuddle then?" He suggested.Vira nodded and clung to him as he closed his eyes, holding her close. " Thanks, V..."

"For what?"

"For giving me a shot, I guess."

"I'd be stupid if I didn't. You're great."

Darius laughed a little, his face blushing blue, "Ah come on, no I'm not."

"Yes you are."

He blushed more, and held onto her hand tightly. "Thanks, that means a lot to me." He kissed her head, relaxing contently with her head on his chest.

She blushed a little and sighed happily. Everything was right in the world. In all of the chaos this game created, Darius was always going to be there.

Furmom shook her head a little at her Jadeblood, and kept her eye on Psyche. Though she was asleep, there was something off about her, and it wasn't her mutant blood. No... it was something dark, dangerous inside the human. But no one else could see it. The lusus sighed a little, and shut her eyes. She had a feeling about how this was going to end... and it wouldn't be good.

Allie sighed to herself, feeling the need to snuggle someone. She glanced over at Psyche's still form. She'd been lying there for a while... maybe she would want to snuggle? Even if she didn't, the pillow pile would be more comfortable than the floor. The seadweller slipped off of her pile, and crossed the room to the human. Kneeling down, she said, "Hey, you sleeping?"

Psyche made a small complaining noise, and blinked awake. She smiled groggily, and said, "Mm?...I was flying, and checking on Adrian..."

"Ah, learning to control your dreamself, huh?"

"Mmhm~ it's kinda fun."

Allie smiled at her, "Well you may want to get off the floor..." She offered her a hand, which Psyche took. Once the human was on her feet, she led her back to the pillow pile. "This, I've found, helps when trying to concentrate on my dreamself. At least... Before my accident..." She stared off to the side, remembering that horrible fall... the pain of her bones breaking, the sudden darkness..

"You okay...?" Psyche asked, looking concerned.

"I'm fine..." She muttered, "Just lay down on the pile and try it. It's a lot more comfortable than the floor, at least."

"True..." Psyche glanced around, and waved a little to Darius, "Oh, hi Darius!"

From the couch, Darius glanced over, "Hey Psyche." He then raised an eyebrow at Allie, "What's all this about dreamselves?"

"Oh, Psyche's Dreamself is awake, I'm giving her a few pointers on how to control it."

"...What's a dreamself?"

"Basically a version of you that exists on Prospit or Derse. Mine existed on Alternia, but, I was raised on Derse, so that makes sense."

Vira adjusted herself, so she could pay attenion while still snuggled close to Darius, "Like an extra life or something...?"

"Well, you could use it like that..." Psyche said, lying into the pillow pile, "But then you can't God Tier."

Allie made a small face, "Well... there are certain instances where one could still Godtier, but they're hard to implement."

"So, how can we God Tier?" Darius asked. He seemed extremely curious, perking up immediately at the even mention of God Tier.

The seadweller sighed and sat beside Psyche, "Well..."

"That's like, what makes us stronger than anything right?"

"Yes... But... You have to die first."

Psyche shut her eyes against the memory. Allie, covered in blood... No, she wouldn't think of that. She couldn't. She didn't want to break down again.

Vira blinked a little, "...Didn't we have this conversation before, Allie? Me and you...?"

"Indeed. We talked about how I ascended, did we not? Before it all began."

"Oh, so like, dying can't be all there is to it... what else do you have to do to get God Tier?... We should get as many people as we can at that level.

"No, you have to die in a specific place."

"Where?"

"Something called a Quest Bed. Everyone has their own."

"No!" Vira cried out, almost falling on her face. "I don't think we should just go killing ourselves off randomly just because we might get to some higher level!"

"I never said that it was a good idea."

"Well, it's not like it's permenant." Darius said, looking calm, and slightly concerned for her. "You okay?"

"Unless you don't have a dreamself," Allie added

Vira blushed green a little, and adjusted her shirts before nodding, "I'm fine. It's jsut, what if we don't understand this thing completely? Up until now almost everything we've learned has been used against us..."

Allie smiled a little at her, "I'm basically the guinea pig, dear."

"But even you didn't know it was happening,"

"Indeed, I didn't."

Darius stood up and placed his hands on Vira's shoulders. He looked down into her eyes, determined. "Vira.... we need to win. If we can all God Tier we'll all be safer and stronger. A God Tier can even come back to life "

"...Not all the t-time..." Psyche shuddered at the memory of Allie. Dead. Then she'd come back, and... She shut her eyes against the images, against the echos of sobs that rang in her ears. She hadn't been in her own mind, she'd been in the dark. Something in her snapped and fell down into the shadows. She hated it there, and wanted the whispering shades to stay away.

"Darius, please calm down." Allie said, giving him an unimpressed look, " And under certain circumstances they can die for good, like Psyche said. Gla- um... some one I trust told me, if I were to die heroically, like, for instance saving you guys from certain death, I'd die for good. However, If I do something more evil and die, it'd be considered a just death. Both ways I die"

Vira's expression faded into pure seriousness as she spoke up, "So we don't treat our new lives like something easily replaced. Alright. But I suppose the chance of coming back might be better than dying for good doing something stupid."

Darius put his hand on his chin thoughtfully, "So, basically you can't be good or evil?"

Allie sighed a little and gave him a confirming nod, "Last time I hit in a gray area... And I'd rather not be evil."

"Yeah... You didn't die doing anything heroic. So, I guess that it eliminates the possibility of being assassinated or accidental death."

"Yeah, I was just killed by a fucking Lich while talking to the Doc..." She grinned a bit at her next thought, "Love hurts, sometimes, you know?"

Darius chuckled a bit, "Heh, yeah, I know that."

Psyche was only half awake, drifting in and out of the conversation...the pillows were so soft and comfy, plus she had no real say in the matter. Glacier had explained it to her... She noticed Allie smiling at her, before looking away at Dare.

"Hm?" The God Tiered troll glanced at him, making a motion for him to repeat his question.

"I said, what else does a God Tier do, anyways?"

"Well, they have a more complete control of their aspect."

The red head adjusted herself a little in the pillow pile. "Aspect...?"

"You know.. Space, Time, Light, all that sort of stuff."

"Hm." Dare looked thoughtful for a moment, "So, what're our aspects?"

"Hell if I know. I'm Space though."

"DIdn't your sprite say?" Vira asked him.

"....Guess I'll ask him when I go back. Gonna have to go back to look for my quest bed anyways." He smiled, directing it more towards to Vira.

"Hm... When Scalesprite isn't staring and saying the world's shortest sentances, or calling me Vira, he's said something about a Hero of Heart..."

Psyche shrugged a little, trying to keep herself awake enough to stay in the conversation, "I've heard somethin' about Breath from Polarsprite, before I came here..." She cuddled with her scalemate, who she'd quietly named Scaley. He was so snuggly...

Allie leaned against the pile, now in her night gown. There was a stoic look on her face, like she was contemplating someting dark.

"... Okay, so we don't even know what we can do..." Vira blushed a little at the sight of Allie, "...I like your legs."

The compliment went unnoticed, and Allie's expression darkened a bit as she started at the ceiling..

Psyche looked over at the brooding god tier, then back at her Scalemate. It looked like Allie neeed a hug... So, she made Scaley give her a hug. The troll smiled, and hugged the plush back, causing Psyche to grin. Allie then hugged Psyche herself, causing her to giggle a little and blush.

Vira smiled at them, wearing an expression that made her resemble a mother, looking at her children do something cute. "You are too cute! I just wanna pick you up and put you in my sylladex... Pull you out when I have a sad."

Allie nuzzled Psyche, purring a little, "You guys are awesome friends."

The only male troll blinked a little, knowing he'd be ruining the moment. "So... how does somebody get control of breath and heart?"

The jadeblood looked thoughtful, and shrugged a little, "I wish I knew..."

Allie stopped purring, and looked over at Darius, "Honestly... I think breath is wind. Heart..." She shrugged helplessly in the hug with Psyche.

"...So, Psyche has wind powers?" The blueblood cocked his head a little, looking over Psyche as if she was going to disappear. The human snuggled into Allie, trying to hide from his gaze.

"Well, not now... When she either reaches god-tier, or does something to activate her abilities, then she'll have wind powers... I think."

"Huh... are they powerful?"

"I suppose they could be powerful if used the right way..."

Psyche smiled a little, "Yay~ So, I'm like Aeolus but not!"

The seadweller smiled at Psyche, before returning her snuggle and yawning a little. She caused Psyche to yawn too, and nuzzle her a little. She felt comforted by the action... like someone cared, and she wasn't just 'there'.

"That'd be cool." Darius smiled, "Hey, if you had to guess, what do you think my aspect is? Explosions? I hope it's explosions... That'd be fuckin tight!"

Allie smiled a little, " I don't know... I don't think that's an aspect, dear... although..."

"Spontaneous Explosions made from pure win!" He grinned, then made finger guns and pretended to fire. "Fuckin everywhere! Boom bitch!"

"You'd probably actually be hope."

"...What? Why do you think that?" Darius asked, as Vira smiled at him and patted his head.

"Well, you're certainly giving me hope."

"Heh, seriously?"

"Well, you're so upbeat, I can't help it."

Vira giggled and commented, "You're special."

Dare blushed blue, and smiled brightly, "Thanks, guys."

The seadweller waved him off as she continued to hug Psyche, "No probl-" She was cut off by another yawn, "Oh, sorry..."

Vira hugged him and smiled. "I like this idea, I hope it's right."

The blueblood smiled and returned her hug, kissing her nose once more. Vira quickly kissed him back, looking rather pleased with herself.

Psyche still clung to the seadweller, snuggling herself into her dark robes. She was comfortable with Allie... even though she'd stolen her first kiss in an attempt to taunt Garnet. And... Psyche had liked the kiss, as sudden as it was. She sighed a little bit and let the thought drop. She didn't want to stress herself out now...

"Allie..." She whispered. Part of her wondered how Allie dreamed now, with her being Godtier and all. "If you and your dreamself are one person now, do you dream like you used to?"

"Hm?" Allie frowned a little. "No... Not at all like I used to..."

Psyche hugged her a little tighter, feeling sad for the Godtier. Did she dream of nothing, then? To have nothing but emptiness as she slept... she didn't like to think about it.

Allie's grey cheeks became tinted with magenta as she looked at Psyche, "Um...Psyche?"

"...Yes?"

"Can I, um... kiss you again?"

She blinked, and felt her face get hot as she blushed. Again... Did Allie like it too? "Uh, sure..."

The troll shuffled forward a little bit, and gently kissed her. Psyche kissed her back softly, her blush spreading across her cheeks. Allie's face did the same before she broke off and shifted back into her place, "Good night, dear..." She pulled out a kitty plushie, and hugged it close, hiding her face with it.

Was she embarrassed? Did she like it too...? Psyche snuggled into her, feeling tired again. SHe felt... odd. Warm, safe... yet, her heart was beating a little too fast. She hadn't felt like this before. Maybe she was getting sick?

No, she wasn't sick. She knew this feeling. It was love. Not familial love, but... the love one would share with their husband, or boyfriend. She took a breath and let herself drift off. She wouldn't tell Allie now... what with all the drama, and the First Guardians out for blood, it might not be a good idea.

She could faintly feel Allie snuggling her back, and relaxing. They both fell asleep, one into a dark abyss, the other into a glittering gold dress.

Furmom watched as all of the kids fell back asleep. She sighed to herself and stood. It couldn't be long now... The darkness being held at bay, for now by Allie's show of affection, but it wouldn't stay that way forever. The human would fall, and drag the whole session with her. She padded over to Vira and nuzzled her gently.

"Is someone warming up to their charge, Big Sis?"

Furmom glared at the figure in the shadows, snorting at him.

"Chill, sis. Just making a comment." A pale human stepped out of the darkness, his eyes glowing an unnatural green. "You ready for the imposters to be taken care of? For the Sylph to snap?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him, before waving him off with a paw.

"Yeah, I thought as much...Keep an eye on her, will ya?"

Furmom glared at him, wordlessly telling him to go away.

"Thanks. Well, see you later then, Big Sis~"

He disappeared in a small flash of green light, leaving Furmom alone again. She sighed, and lay back down on the couch. She knew the blue lightning was coming for them, and was going to consume everything... but for now, they had to just wait, and watch. They had stopped the Heir once, but she knew they weren't prepared... they wouldn't be able to stop him a second time.

She watched the human cuddling the highblood, and shook her head a little. She was so naive, yet so important... just like her Vira. She let out a content purr as she began to drift off to sleep. Yes, they were all important. The trolls were hers and the humans had been his. But right now, they were all hers, for her to protect until the blue lightning appeared. Until then, she would act as she normally did. Keeping an eye on them, and keeping her distance.

Act Three - Sadness and Pain

Psyche- Stained Jade

He walked by the room, his shoulders slumped. Everything about him said that he was depressed. This caused some confusion in her. He'd been with Vira... But she wasn't there now. What had happened?

She rose from her place beside Adrian's prone form, and walked out into the hallway to meet him. She raised her hand in greeting, but he cut her off.

"Hey, Psyche... I'm gonna be gone for a while, kay?"

She blinked a little, her hand frozen. "Why? What happened? You both okay?"

"I'm fine..." The blue-blooded troll said. In his eyes, there used to be an excitement, a love for life... Now all she could see was guilt and sadness. "Vira... G-God Tiered."

Psyche's blood ran cold. "She WHAT?! Darius what happened up there? Why did she have to God Tier?!"

Darius took a hesitant step back at her outburst. He was shaking... "I-I-I... She didn't have to..."

"Then what happened?"

"I helped her."

The ginger went numb. No... He couldn't have. He was nice. He was the most human of the trolls, he couldn't... "You... you didn't..."

"Oh Gog... I'm so sorry. I... I know you'll never forgive me... ever..."

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. He killed her! He had killed Vira. "How could you." SHe snarled at him. She never thought she could hate Darius...

"She couldn't control her powers as the Thief of Heart.... I didn't want her to live with emotions stolen from the people around her..."

"So you killed her."

"I God Tiered her so she could control it. I wouldn't flat out kill her. Never..."

"That doesn't change the fact that you still had to kill her." She growled. Her hands were trembling, and it took all she had in her to keep from summoning her strife specibus. Killing him wouldn't help. It wouldn't make her feel better. It would just make things worse. He looked so guilty... Even angered, Psyche could tell that he felt bad. Maybe later she could comfort him. But now... Now she didn't have it in her.

"It was hard. I just... I can't even describe what I felt. I knew she would come back, but I want to die. I know you'll never forgive me... Not her... Not you.. Nobody. I... I did something horrible."

"... I don't know what to say to you."

"I just wanted her to be free to feel what she wanted. Her own person..."

"... It's probably best you go. Before Adrian wakes up. He catches wind of this, you are dead." It was a warning... She knew Adrian would be devestated by this. He was strong in his own right, but when filled with a dangerous emotion like rage... Darius had best get far, far away from here.

"I'm already leaving... If you see me again, you can kill me. I won't fight back."

"I don't thin kI could do that." She could see his guilt all over his face... She couldn't kill him, he was still her friend.

"But Adrian will... I'm sorry."

With that, he continued down the hall, dragging a jade-stained skateboard with behind him. It was the sight of her blood that did it. Confirmation of a fact that she already knew. She backed up, and hit the wall. No... Vira...

She felt hot, clear tears running down her face. Shid her face n her hands, sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor. Darius had killed Vira. Vira was dead. She wasn't sure who she was crying for... the dead, or the soon to be. She felt like she couldn't stop... it was happening again. It was Allie all over again.

Psyche felt herself at the edge. She was close to her dropping point. She didn't like the dark place. It was a scary place, where words whispered to her and everything was black.

If anyone had been looking at her, they'd have seen Psyche's skin turn grey, her hair uncurl and flow a little in the still air. She still cried, but her sobs were tainted with whispers of the horrorterrors. Around her, a dark aura swirled, radiating off of her skin.

That place was so grim... so dark... And Psyche was consumed by it. The light was swallowed up by the shadow, and only one thing could bring her back. Something inside her began to stir, waiting for it to be called on, to bring her back from the dark.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Sleep was something that didn't come easily to her, after all that she'd seen. But when it did, she was thankful for it, especially since they'd started playing this strange game. It changed their dreams, made them extensions of it. She snuggled into the pillow pile her friend had made, and began to drift off into a blissful sleep.

When she next opened her eyes, she wasn't exactly... herself. Her red hair, odd teal eyes, and her physical form had remained the same, but her clothes had changed to a gold dress, with a pale crescent moon on her chest replacing the lightning bold emblem that was on most of her clothes. Though, this didn't seem to bother her all that much. Not a lot did, while she was here.

She pulled herself out of bed, and looked around. Her room was coated in the same yellow gold as her dress, but everything inside it was familiar somehow. She'd only been awoken once before, so it was a little strange for her to feel so at home here.

But, again, the odd feeling faded before she could really focus on it. It was like nothing here was constant, and feelings and thoughts were muffled a bit. With a smile, she slipped a pair of pale yellow shoes onto her feet, and made her way to the window. Casually, she stepped onto the window sill and stepped into the open air.

Almost anyone would've panicked at the feeling of open air beneath their feet, but she just giggled and let herself forget about the ground below. That was the trick to this, forgetting that she was supposed to be tied down. Here, it was easier to do. Slowly, she oriented herself to face the oncoming ground, a smile on her face all the while. Just as she was about to slam into the pavement, she stopped midair and began hovering.

She really did love it here.

She imagined herself moving forwards, and she actually began flying along the ground. There was no wind to hinder her, so she kept flying along, slowly rising back into the air.

"Hey, Psyche!"

The sudden break in the otherwise silent street caused her to freeze, and glance up at the voice calling for her. It another human, this one with dark, spikey hair and blue shades. With a small smile on her face, she waved and says back, "Hiya, Adrian!"

He floated down to her, his own gold clothes suiting him rather well. "How are you, my best friend?"

"I'm okay, how're you?"

"I'm fine. Now I can recall things a bit better than last time." He says with a grin.

Psyche returned the smile, managing to contain her excitement. He remembered! That was amazing! It was so hard to remember things here... "That's awesome!"

Adrian blushed a little, raising a hand to rub the back of his neck, "Err... Well, I guess so."

She kept smiling, but tilted her head in slight confusion and said nothing. They've known each other long enough that he knows that she's asking for an explination.

"I guess you don't recall much right now?" He asked, evading her questioning teal eyes.

Psyche let it drop, and shook her head, "Not really, no... in any case, wanna go hangout?"

Adrian smiled and nodded, "Yup, lead the way, best friend."

With a small giggle, Psyche began flying again- this time with her friend by her side. Lifting herself higher into the air above the city of gold, she smiled and did a few spins. She seemed to have an affinity for flying... not that she was going to complain about it.

He pulled up beside her, smiling at her actions. "So, what did you have in mind?"

"Nothing, really."

"...What is this place, anyhow? I know FG told me it was Prospit, but..."

The red-head forced herself to stop spinning, and look at him. Something was familiar about that... red text, telling her to smile... that Prospit was bright and gold... but, who? "I think... someone told me that Prospit was gold, and bright like this... but I don't know who they were."

"Well... this sure looks golden."

She giggles a little at that, "No kidding!"

Soon after they fell silent, he flew a little bit ahead of her and took the lead. She let him- he'd first woken up a while ago, so Adrian knew his way around here better than she did. When she looked up, she saw that he was leading her to one tall spire, with a large, pale orb on top. It looked more than big enough for them to sit on top of. If she had to guess... it might fit a lot of people... maybe twelve or so, all in a circle.

He glanced at her, before managing to break the silence with another question, "I guess, we're asleep right now...?"

"Maybe..." she shrugged. "... who's FG?"

He went to answer, but caught himself, "You know... I can't quite recall. I just know that someone told me about this place, and that the initials FG were connected to that... somehow."

Psyche frowned a little, mentally trying to push through the haze that had settled over her memories. "I think... they told me something about you..."

"About me?"

She was able bring to mind a bit of shock, and a lot of concern at something that was being written... but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was said, "Something about... you dying for me. Or... that you would, if you had to..."

The boy looks away, and mutters something, but Psyche wasn't able to hear him. She was more consumed by the question of why she was having trouble remembering things. This haze... it was like how one remembered things after a dream. Somethings were vivid and clear, others were snapshots of faces, and people. Then there were others, little clips of voices, sometimes whole conversations.

"...Hey, Adrian?"

"Mm?"

"Why is it hard to remember stuff?"

"I don't know.... might be the whole deal with having two bodies.... honestly I'm still very confused."

"Oh? About what, this?" She motioned below to Prospit, then brought her hand up to their level. They were, in a way, just the same as the golden planet- meaning, that they were products of the game itself.

"Yeah, and the game too...."

The ginger sighed, "Maybe if we had someone who knew more about it, or played before... I guess that isn't possible, though."

"I hope that is not the case... how many dead worlds would that make?"

She glanced at his face, and stopped in her tracks. She knew that expression... She could remember faintly seeing it on his face before... when she was bringing him into the game. When he learned that everyone else would die... She'd ran to his home, and caught him in a comforting hug, then. She decided to do the same here, forcing him to stop midflight. He actually clung to her, letting out a small, almost depressing sigh.

"It's gonna be okay, Adrian."

"Is it...?"

"Well, I think so."

"...I trust you... you are my best friend."

"And you're mine."

He moves his head a little, allowing her to see his small smile, "Thanks..."

"No problem!"

He smiles for a little longer, before it fades just as quickly as it appeared. He sighs again, then buries her face in her shoulder, "This game is making me such a crybaby."

She makes a small sympathetic noise and keeps holding him, "It's okay to cry."

Adrian goes silent at this. She frowns a slight bit, but for a moment says nothing. Though, the silence seems almost unbearable after that.

"...Did I say something wrong?" Psyche asked.

"No, it is just... I am not used to it. I swore to myself, that I would never cry because it makes me feel so weak." He quietly replied, "I just... I want to be strong. Like my Uncle. For my friends... for everybody."

She pulled away from him a little bit, "Well... I'm not sure what to say. I understand, but at the same time, crying sometimes makes you feel better... but that's going to be hard..."

The girl began hugging him again, rubbing his back gently, "I really don't know what to say... I'm sorry."

"No need to say anything... I am being stupid. Just forget I said anything..." He sighed again, before chuckling quietly.

She cocked her head at him again, making a small questioning noise. What was he laughing at...?

He broke the hug and gave her a smile, while shaking his head, "I'm just laughing at myself. Any how, there is something I have absolutely wanted to do since I saw this place the first time,"

"Mm? What is it?"

Adrian grinned and pointed to the tallest spire, "Race you to the top of those towers."

She followed his finger and smiled, "Woow, that's high up!"

"Indeed it is! Must be quite a view..."

She looked back at him, as if she could see his grey eyes past his shades, and grinned, " Well, let's race then!"

" Alright!" With that, he began stretching a little bit, before hovering in a ready position. She giggled a little and did the same. They must look silly, she thought, getting into a running position in midair. But, that didn't matter. He was happy and smiling again, that's all she cared about.

"Three.... two... one... Go!" She yelled, before flying straight up.

There was silence for a few seconds, then she heard the sound of cloth ruffling in the wind. Psyche looked to the side, and smiled when she saw her friend. "Hey there!" She giggled, before speeding up. He seemed to struggle for a little, before almost matching her.

"You fly pretty well, best friend!" he called to her, grinning and somehow not losing his glasses.

She giggled and nodded, "Thanks~ You fly pretty good too!" She spun in the air and kept her speed up. "Wee!"

They were about half way up the spire now, and still had a long way to go. She could hear Adrian laugh below her, as she was still a bit ahead of him.

"You are going down, Psyche!" He called up, speeding up with a woosh of air. He manages to get ahead of her and grins.

"I don't think so!" Psyche smirked and tried to speed up, but only ended up tailing behind him.

"Well, I do! I'm going to win this one!"

She pulled her limbs in closer, and imagined her matching her speed. She focused on this image, and soon found her self flying right beside him.

"No you aren't~"

She grins as he tries to pass her. He seemed to have trouble shaking her for a moment, but then he smirked and sped up! She giggled and tried to do the same, struggling to match him. She reached one arm up, and tapped the to of the spire at the same time as he did.

Psyche giggled and spun in the air. "That was awesome!"

"Yes, it was!"He grinned and laughed with her before sitting on the top of the spire, "It's quite a view... isn't it?"

She stopped laughing and looked around for a moment. They were pretty high up... the residents of Prospit, the little white people were so hard to see from here, lost in the glittering gold of Prospit. "It is..." Psyche floated up, and sat beside him on the large orb.

"This is very, very high up... but I always knew I was meant to be on top of things." Adrian chuckled, leaning back a bit and resting his weight on his hands.

His friend giggled and hugged her knees closer to her chest. "I think this is higher than Sully ever climbed with me, actually."

"Well, I think that if we would fall, we would have time to play chess before we hit the bottom."

"I don't want to test that."

"Well, I don't think we even could, we can fly."

"We could decide to stop flying- not that I want to!"

He smirked at her, "Yeah, it's too fun, isn't it?"

Psyche returned the gesture with a smile, " It is!"

Adrian smiled, then lay completely back and stared up at the glittering moon, held in place with a chain. It was slightly odd, but again Psyche dismissed the notion. It was how Prospit had always been, to her knowledge, who was she to question things?

"I have to say," He said, "This is a good dream."

She nodded and rested her head on her knees with a small sigh. "I almost don't want to wake up... or, have her wake up and me go to sleep."

"Yeah, I suppose we are not eentirely the same, are we?"

"We aren't. We look similar, but..." She shrugged helplessly.

She adjusted herself and laid her legs out, catching a glance of his face as he furrowed his eyebrows. It was hard to see his expression with his glasses covering his eyes, so she asked, "What's up?"

"I just have to wonder..." He mused, "Why we have two bodies."

"... Maybe it's to help us deal with stuff while playing? Like, she's all worried bit a little confused, but she doesn't show it."

Adrian tilted his head and looked at her, "Who?"

"The other me. It'd feel weird to talk about her in first person, since we're both different." She gave him a small smile. She crossed them, and looked out on Prospit. This whole game was confusing enough without their dual-selves, so it was just easier to refer to their awake-selves as something else.

"Oh, right. I goess the other me is more or less as well. Can't show everything he wants to."

"She wants to talk to the other you about what's bugging her, but she can't. She promised someone that she wouldn't mention him, and he's more or less why she's confused."

He nodded a little and sat up, then wrapped his arm around his knees and resumes looking out on Prospit, "That sounds confusing, yes... I guess our otherselves are really conflicted pair, aren't they?"

"They are... Maybe it's good they have us, then."

A small smile graced Adrian's face, "Even if we can't talk to them." The grin faded, as a thought came to him, "What to you recon happens to them... if we die?"

"... I don't know..."

He hugged his knees closer and began to look anxious. "I mean, not that I would have any intention to do so, but..."

"But...?"

"I recon there are dangers in here too."

Psyche leaned back on the pale orb, she and her friend having completely switched positions. "Mm... Nothing gold can stay."

"Hm? What does that mean?

"Something the other me read... It's a bit of a poem other me read,

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour

Then leaf subsides to leaf,

So Eden sank to grief

So dawn goes down to day

Nothing gold can stay."

"That... is quite a poem. Who wrote it?"

"... Robert Frost, I think. That sounds about right." She smiles a little and nods to herself, as if she was assuring herself that she was right.

"Yeah, must be legit. Well, no matter what happens, I'm glad we've had this chance... look on Prospit and just sit here, smiling."

"Yup~" The redhead smiled and rested her hands under her head.

"It's beautiful.

"It is, I love it here... I almost don't want to go to sleep."

"Well you have to. We all have to."

She sighed dejectedly, "I know.."

"I just wonder where all our friends are," The dark haired teen continued, "When they are awake."

"Hm... I don't know..."'

"I guess we should find out. We could pester them, or try to."

"We can do that?"

"Well, I don't know! But I think I had my computer in my tower."

"Hm... Hey Adrian?"

He turned his head to look down at her. "Yes?"

"What made you wake up, like, initially?"

He looked at his shoes and shuddered, "I...It is kind of complicated."

"You okay...? You don't have to say if you don't want, I was just curious."

"It's alright. But I would rather not speak about it right now."

Psyche pushed herself up and gave him another hug, "All right." She shivered slightly, but not at the temperature. A memory had pushed itself through the fog, at the body of her friend, magenta staining the ground. She wasn't breathing. She was dead, oh gods. No, she couldn't be dead! But then... light. She was alive...? No, no she couldn't be. She was dead. She couldn't be talking, she was dead. No, no this, she couldn't be...

She shut her eyes and snuggled into his arm a bit. He was safe, he was protection... "... Is there anything else you wanted to do?" She asked, desperate to change the topic.

He looks down at her, his glasses sliding down his nose. She could see the concern in his eyes, "Are you alright?"

She whimpered a little, "My waking up is something I don't want to remember."

"I can sympathize with that..."

"It more scares me than anything else... my other self just..." She made another scared noise and trailed off. More magenta blood was pushing itself to the front of her mind. Gods, Allie...

"Hm?"

"She saw someone die, then come back... and she snapped."

"That... sounds bad."

She shook her head a little at herself, then broke the hug, "It was. But it doesn't matter that much."

"No it does. It really does." He rested a hand on her shoulder, still looking rather concerned.

"How so...?"

"No one should go through that."

"Mm... well, she did. It's been replaying in her head for a bit, to the point where she doesn't want the person to go off on their own. I don't want to remember it though..."

"Hm. I can understand that." He shifts his arm and puts it around her shoulders, to try and comfort her.

SHe sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, "Mm... thank you..."

He smiles at her and nods, "That's what friends are for, really."

Psyche's mouth twitched into a small smile, "Still, thanks... Is there anything else you want to do?"

"I am not sure, really... I guess I lost track of time for a bit there, watching this." he motioned to Prospit with his empty hand, before letting it drop."

"It's not a bad thing.."

"Yeah, I guess not... I suppose that we will need to dream soon again and let those two resurface."

"Probably," She sighed again, "Maybe they'll be able to talk and sort out their issues."

The spiky haired youth chuckled at that, "Have you seen my unwillingness to dwell on things I have gotten wrong? He's even worse."

"Oh gods... no offence, of course, but..." She shook her head a little bit at that. He was usually quiet, so is awake-self... to be worse than that? She pitied her otherself. "I'm sure she'll find a way to get him to talk. It might take a while, but she probably will~"

"Let's hope so. And this whole talk about our inner selves is weird."

"It is." She looked out at Prospit again, really not wanting to move. She liked Prospit, she liked being awake, and here with Adrian. She didn't want to sleep while her other self was stressed and worrying all the time...

A silence fell over them. Neither wanted to say anything, or really do anything. They were comfortable together. They were best friends, they had been for six years. They were at the point where silence was all right, it was comforting in a way.

Then Adrian broke it, "Well, do you think we can actually win this game?"

"I think so, don't you?"

"It seems like pretty damn hard thing to do."

"But that doesn't mean it can't me done."

"True...: Adrian sighed a bit and adjusted his shades, " I can just be somewhat melancholic at times."

"It's okay~"

"I am sorry."

"It's fine, really!" She said, hugging him gently, "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I'm being such a bother." he mumbled. He hugged her back, hiding his face in her shoulder.

"You aren't though."

"I am not?"

"Nope~" She smiled at him. He could never be a bother to her.

"That... means a lot to me. Thanks."

"No problem, it's what I'm here for!"

He lifted his head from her shoulder, chuckling a little, " I am beginning to notice. I am glad we met all those years ago."

"Me too! It's hard imagine not having you to talk to."

"Yeah, likewise. Would have been pain to deal with all the stuff on my own..."

"Mm... If something happened to either one of us, I don't want to think about it..." She muttered, hugging him a little tighter. She... would say, if asked, that she loved Adrian. But, it was more like the love one woulf have for their brother, or best friend. She didn't like seeing him hurt, and the thought of him dead... It made her hurt. She didn't think she could stand it.

"Don't.... We will make it. I know we will."

She smiled a little at him, "But... can you promise not to do anything suicidal? I just... she's worried about him, and..."

"Yeah... I recall that now, I'm sorry."

"Well, one of us remembers... was it really that bad?"

He broke the hug and hugged his legs to his chest again, "Well... it was stupid at least."

She whimpered a little, "Why were you trying to kill yourself?"

"I wasn't. I was trying to win the game early. It seemed logical."

But... if she was concerned about suicide... he was... what? Psyche screwed her face up in confusion, "...How?"

"Simple: If we kill the Black King before he defeats the White King, there is ro Rekconing."

"But... the Reckoning is what brought us all here in the first place. If there hadn't been a meteor threat, would we have played?"

"... I did not have it all planned out."

"Obviously not..."

"I deserved that..."

"Oh, s-sorry! I didn't mean to offend..." She frowned and looked sad. She hadn't meant to say anything to hurt him.

"No, you didn't..."

"Then what...?"

"I understand now that I was bring reckless- agh!"

Psyche hugged him midsentance, making him jump a little. She bit back a giggle, and snuggled with him a little when he accepted the hug. "Everyone does reckless stuff... like me and deciding to climb a building in heels. That didn't work out too well. It was stupid, and even worse to explain to Sully and the hospital Staff... the point is, we all do stuff like that."

"We do, but I believe that mine is in somewhat... grander scale."

"Perhaps, but the point remains, everyone makes mistakes."

He sighed a little, "True..."

".. I'm sorry for bringing this up."

"Don't be. I deserve to be reminded of it."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No. Stop being so hard on yourself." She poked his arm once for each word, to make her point.

"But..."

"Stop it."

"Yes Ma'am."

Psyche smiled and giggled, as Adrian did the same, " I didn't expect you to actually listen!"

"Change for the better, I hope?"

Psyche giggled a little more and shrugged. Who knew if his listening to her was a good change. She liked him just the way he was.

"I guess she was right then," He continued, looking back over Prospit. "But never tell her that.`

"...Who?"

"That troll."

"...Vira?"

"Yes. My other me's feelings for her are so strong, I recall her very vividly. And he is not thinking happy things when he sees her. Not happy things at all." He glanced at Psyche's face, seeing a mixture of sadness and confusion. "You did not see it?"

"See what? I don't remember a lot..."

"I guess not then."

Psyche shut her eyes and thought for a moment, "... I remember her kissing him, if that's what you mean."

Adrian blushed and remained silent. He adjusted the collar of his outfit and cleared his throat. He then reset his face, trying to look angry, "She is impossible."

This caused Psyche to giggle at him. He was so adorable sometimes.

"What?"

"Nothing~"

"Just say it, I know you want to."

"Nope, not saying a word."

"Out with it."

"Nope, you aren't getting anything out of me~" Psyche giggled and smiled at him. This was kind of fun.

"Now you are doing that to annoy me."

"Just a little."

"Really, you are itching to say it anyway. Go on."

"I was giggling because you're trying to look mad, but it wasn't working. And, if you really were mad, you wouldn't have kissed her back." She smiled as she spoke, and ajusted herself, so she could fly away in a hurry if need be.

"Actually, I was mad. Really, really mad. But mad in a respectful way. If I would kill her, we would never again trade barbs verbally, so it would be counter-productive.... Urgh, I am not making much sense, am I?

"No, you are." Another memory pushed itself into her mind. "She said the same thing while my otherself was getting you inside."

"What thing?"

"If she killed you, she couldn't beat you up... But the meaning behind it was the same."

"She said that? Typical smug, overconfidant, imprudent..." He grumbled other names under his breath, while Psyche smiled at him.

"I think I better understand that quadrant now... thanks~"

Adrian sighed and facepalmed, "Yes, fine! I can't deny that I am in hate with her. God!:

She giggled at him, and pat his shoulder. "You're Kismesi~ Well, at least you both know how you feel, both being you and your otherself, I mean."

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean it's not like I can deny it. Not after The Event. That is what it shal be referred to as henceforth."

She grinned at him, "If you want it to be~"

"What, you actually think I want to be snickered at by all the other players?"

"I don't think the trolls will have an issue with it."

Adrian looked like he just wanted to disappear, " I really don't know what to do with this, at all."

"I'm not sure I can help you, sorry... I've got my own troll to figure out."

He looked a little curious now, "Who?"

"...Allie. the one with the robotic eye. She keeps kissing my otherself... The first time was to upset someone, the second time was just before i woke up... And she blushed before she asked too... So i don't know. i assume it's nothing, but..." She shrugged, a blush tinting her cheeks.

"It could be something. Could be."

"Then again, it could be nothing."

"True." He smirked at her, then reached a hand into her hair and ruffled it. It was usually a curly mess on top, so his actions didn't make it any worse. "But after my awkward confession, you are not getting off any easier than myself, young miss... At least your troll problem does not regularly punch you to the face."

"True... relationships, why you confusing..."

"You got off easy." He smiled a little, and looked into the distant horizon.

"Mm, well at least you know what quadrant you're in. I'm not sure."

"Unfortunately yes. God I hate her so much. I just want to get my hands on her this instant." He then hesitated at Psyche's smile. "... You know, in a violent sense. And not in that... other way."

"I figured that was what you meant..." Psyche's face turned red, "And now I'm thinking that way..." She hid her face in her hands, trying to cover up the blush.

"God, I don't even know, alright? Why does this have to be so confusing?!"

"I don't know, I'm lost too."

"Just...don't tell anyone. Please?" He curled in on himself, trying to hide his own growing blush."

"As long as you don't tell about Allie..."

"Deal! Thousand times deal!"

"All right..."

Everything began to go slightly blurry. Psyche could feel herself nodding off. Was her otherself waking up? She could feel herself falling... but she managed to catch herself. That would be a bad fall... Not to mention she'd probably die.

But then her eyes closed again. All of her senses shut down for a moment, making her feel wrapped in warmth and the arms of the troll who had kissed her.

When she opened her eyes again, Adrian was holding her and flying. Had she fallen...? A glance back behind her said that she had. The ground was slowly getting farther away. It had been so close... too close.

Then, images began to overlap. There was a troll snuggling her... no, it was Adrian. He smiled at her, then looked forward. Psyche shut her eyes, feeling safe in his arms. He was her protector, her best friend...

Some small part of her brain protested as she began to drift off again. He wasn't just her friend. People didn't usually find someone like him, nice and easy to talk to. He was hard to come by, like gold.