Rumi takes a deep breath breath and heads to the bathroom, leaving the door open as promised as she runs the water for a moment to let it cool down before splashing it on her face, taking deep, shaking breaths between splashes. She slowly looks at herself in the mirror, taking herself in, and sighs.
Look at you... You're a mess.
No, you're exactly what you were always meant to be.
Rumi freezes and slowly looks over her shoulder in the mirror, seeing the cackling pink flame that is Gwi-Ma. She spins around to face him, but there's nothing there. When she turns back to face the mirror, Gwi-Ma is right behind her, his upturned smiling flames filling the view behind her. She grits her teeth, gripping either side of the sink.
Questioning yourself, are you? Am I simply a figment of your imagination, or have I managed to worm my way inside? Who's to say?
Gwi-Ma's laugh echoes in Rumi's mind.
Now, that's no way to speaking to your king, is it?
So sure, are we? And yet, look at yourself. What do you look more like? A hunter, ready to fight alongside them, or a demon for them to kill?
Rumi shakes, gripping the sink so hard the porcelain begins to crack.
Don't deny that you got a rush when you tasted her soul. You wanted to swallow it, didn't you? It was intoxicating.
You can't lie to me, Rumi. I'm already in your mind. It's why you want them to kill you if you lose control. Because you'll be going directly for their souls first.
Oh, I'd be more than happy to. Perhaps I'll go visit that new hunter. She's got plenty of insecurities. Constantly questioning if she deserves to be here. She'd be an easy target. I wonder, if she walked off the balcony, would you be able to catch her in time?
Rumi's eyes widen and she snarls, canines growing and curving outwards, horns growijg longer, muscles swelling as she grows, the sink shuddering.
Do you really think she'll even want to stay, once she sees you for what you really are? You're the monster that Celine always feared you were. Wouldn't it be easier to just let go, and just focus on the songs? A solo act, not putting them in harm's way. All you need to do is let it all go.
For a moment, Rumi falters, but she grits her teeth and grips the sink tighter, which finally causes the sink to shatter, water spraying her in the face and breaking her out of whatever illusion Gwi-Ma has her under. She finally hears her name being called and spins around, nearly taking them out with her tail as her horns gouge deep marks into the ceiling. Her eyes glow bright yellow, and her skin is almost fully purple now. She pants heavily, a chunk of sink in each hand. She has to tilt forward just to see them, which causes spark as she smashes a light with her horns, wires tangling up in them. The flickering lights make her look even more monstrous as she's mostly cloaked in shadows, her massive frame having torn her clothes quite a bit. She registers actual fear on Mira and Zoey's faces, though whether it's for her or of her, she can't say.
