Log | Backdate to October

[rainestorms]

Who: Raine Whispers & Eda Clawthorne
When: backdate to 10/26
Where: Bonnie’s/Raine and Eda’s room after their confrontation with Sheppard
Summary: Raine and Eda discuss recent events, and Raine’s concerns over their new developing web like habits.
Warnings: discussion of manipulative behavior, possession, loss of limbs

Everything felt right at the time. The air around Raine, during their call with Sheppard, crackled in the air with a sort of excitement they hadn’t felt in a while and made their body flush with. An adrenaline rush that came without the terrible effects of the medallion.

But when it was all over, something felt.. strange. Raine couldn't quite put their finger on it, but it felt like feeding. Only bigger, scarier, and almost as if they fed a piece of themself they'd never get back. They sat back in their chair, and stopped the recording.

Raine ran their hands through their hair and toiled in an uneasy silence, the light of the laptop adding shadow to their grim expression. If Eda had walked in on them at any point of their call with Sheppard they don't turn to acknowledge her, and they don't say anything to her until they finally moved from their seat to shut the laptop.

“I think something’s wrong with me.”

Comments

[edalyn]

Eda didn't say anything as she caught the tail end of the conversation, but she looked... worried.

Sheppard had her worried, for obvious reasons, but Raine had her more than a little worried too. While they hadn't been doing anything nearly so overt as the way Sheppard was acting and looking, well, they'd been doing a lot of little things she'd been trying not to overthink.

But this set her on edge, the way they were pushing him for reactions. It once again wasn't something she could call completely out of character, but she didn't like it. Something in their tone made her feathers bristle.

And she wasn't sure if she felt better or worse when Raine actually got up and said something about it. Maybe it was better that they were also noticing, but that also meant she couldn't write it off as nothing.

"...What do you mean, Rainstorm?" She wasn't trying to pretend she she didn't have a guess, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions, either. After a moment she reached to put a hand on their shoulder, a little tentatively.

[rainestorms]

Raine initially bristled at Eda's touch- they weren't afraid of Eda per say, but the anxiety from being growled at after regaining control sill lingered every once and a while. Their hand gently touched Eda's, though. They didn't want to be any more afraid of

"I didn't.. I didn't mean to do. Any of that." Raine tried to articulate, though they felt like maybe it didn't come off as genuine. "I mean, I wanted to talk to Sheppard? I just wanted to get information. I didn't want to.. antagonise him."

Raine gave Eda a worried glance.

"I don't know why I did that."

They weren't quite ready to admit that they were concerned they were slipping. But, the concern was there. It had been there for quite some time but they'd tried to ignore it. Tried to swat it away in their mind, not unlike one would to an insect. Or a spider.

[edalyn]

Eda couldn’t help noticing the way they tensed, and she couldn’t help feeling bad about it. But she did her best to push that to the back of her mind, for the time being. They were both getting past everything the best they could, and that was all they could do.

She was quiet as she listened, trying not to look quite as concerned as she was. It wasn’t that extreme, all things considered, but the fact they hadn’t meant to do it at all really wasn’t comforting. Not that lashing out couldn’t happen for normal, non-entity reasons too given everything they’d been through lately.

“You’ve been… under a lot of stress,” she began, something almost careful in her tone.

“So has he. If we can go by the fact he’s turning into a cat about it.” She sounded like she was trying to lighten the mood, albeit maybe not very well.

[rainestorms]

Raine winced. Eda wasn't wrong; stress had been a constant presence in their life as of late. Though, they couldn't help the thought that pushed to the forefront of their mind that it was their doing, partly. Because, it most definitely was. They didn't have to do things with the medallion, they didn't have to go to Milo.

"I know, but I.. I'm worried that wasn't from stress."

They gave Eda an uneasy, sideways look. Normally they'd be into the jokes, but.. perhaps not right now.

"I'm not sure turning into a cat was entirely from stress either."

Raine didn't exactly want to spend all their time thinking about themself. They could hear- and feel- Eda's concern.

"Are you okay, Eda?" Raine moved their hand to rest on hers. They leaned a little closer, and rest their head on her arm.

"Things have been stressful for you too."

[edalyn]

"Never said entirely," Eda pointed out, but she decided not to push it on the joking. That said, she did think stress was part of it. None of them would be... leaning into their entity related powers quite so hard if the situation wasn't what it was.

Well, most of them. There were always exceptions like Hickey... or Elias. But she liked John Shepard. She didn't think this used to be his goal.

The next question caught her slightly off-guard, although maybe it shouldn't have.

"I'm..." Eda knew they wouldn't like it if she lied.

"Trying to be," she finally said. She wrapped an arm around Raine and nuzzled into their hair. She wanted to pick them up and squeeze them, but she was still trying to be cautious after scaring them.

[rainestorms]

'Trying to be' wasn't exactly an answer Raine wanted to hear, but... it could be worse. Raine leaned into Eda more, and wrapped their arms around Eda's waist, and leaned their head against Eda's abdomen. They closed their eyes, inhaled, and held it for a second or two.

"I'm sorry," They exhaled, and leaned back enough to look up at Eda.

"I know I haven't been making things any... Easier. But if I can help try and make anything feel better, I want to help."

They are very pick-up-able, Eda. They are in prime being picked up position; and they did say if they could make anything feel better they wanted to help.

[edalyn]

While it was true that they hadn't been making things any easier, she wasn't quite sure what to say about that.

After a moment she did, in fact, decide to pick them up in her arms and pull them close, holding them tightly.

"This helps a little," she said. There was something just slightly teasing in her tone, but, well, it was true. Feeling close to them helped.

"But it's... I know things have been rough," she finally said. It was true, and she didn't want to blame them for that, or for how well they'd been handling it or not.

Even if the call with Shepard had made her worry things were leaning more into not.

[rainestorms]

Being picked up wasn't something Raine would protest to given where they were, but the bard did make a soft noise to let Eda know they were surprised by it. Hearing their own sentiments echoed back while being scooped up felt discordant to Raine.

"That's- that's good," they stammered. Raine still settled into her arms, despite it, and as she continued to talk concern, and maybe a bit of guilt, joined their flustered state.

"Eda, I'm serious. I.. I feel bad. About everything. I feel like things were easier for you. Before I came."

[edalyn]

Eda let out a soft sigh, and held them a little closer. There was a moment where she considered what to say--she was doing a lot more choosing her words carefully these days, it seemed.

"Just because they were easier before you came... doesn't mean that's because you came."

It was true that they'd been getting worse, but everything had been getting worse. Friends had been disappearing, attacks had been getting more frequent, Dogtown had been getting more active. Not to mention everything as far as the ADI was concerned. She couldn't deny that things were trending downhill, but she didn't want to think that facing that without Raine would be any better.

[rainestorms]

Eda's hesitation wasn't lost on Raine, and when she held them closer they wrapped their arms around her neck. They rest their head against Eda's shoulder and shut their eyes. Something told them to argue. To slip further into the idea that they were at fault for how horrible things had become recently.

That maybe they were better off if they kept a distance.

But, it was hard to do that when they were being held like they were.

"You're...right. But I can't help feel terrible about everything. How am I supposed to help fix the problem if I become part of it?"

Raine quieted down for a moment, but took a sharp breath and continued to talk.

"I know I'm not-"

Not yet at least.

"-But I'm still.. Worried. It's exhausting to think about."