shroudedinsecrecy | INBOX (IC)

[!!!]

[She looked up at the sound of her name...only to see Phoenix collapsed onto the sidewalk. Letting out a gasp, she got up and ran over to him, kneeling at his side.]

Feenie! Are you alright?

I...! I'm fine. Sorry! [He grunts as he tries to pick himself up and spares her a weak smile.]

That's supposed to be my question.

[Would he believe that, in the moment of worrying over him, she'd nearly forgotten about her own current (bewildered) predicament?]

I'm...I'm alright. I think. Just...very confused.

They didn't hurt me.

[Perhaps he would! He's relieved to see and hear that she's alright, but he still bears a worried frown as he reaches to grasp her hands.]

Who's 'they'? What... what happened? [Could she have been whisked away as well?]

[She could and she had. Her face no longer showed any signs of fear, but when he grasped both her hands, she squeezed his fingers tightly. Finding comfort in his presence. His touch. A physical confirmation that she was no longer trapped in that horrible place.]

I woke up this morning in some sort of underground...it was a little like those labs at your old University, only much darker. And dustier. [She nearly sneezed again just thinking about those desks.] There were a few other people with me, only one of them got separated from us. Two more disappeared, and the third...he...

[Tears flooded the corner of her eyes as she thought of poor Raven.]

[Oh no. Physically she may be fine, but the emotional damage... It makes Phoenix's heart ache. He gives her hands a reassuring squeeze while he stands close to her.

It's easy to guess how that sentence would have ended.]

I-Iris...

...What happened down there, it's over now. [Did they both watch someone die today?]

[Yes. Yes, they did.]

That's just it, Feenie. It is over.

When I left...he...he wasn't breathing. Poison, I think. There'd been a creature...it was awful...and it attacked us. I couldn't do anything.

[He winces as he realizes his poor choice of words.]

I'm sorry. S-sometimes... sometimes there's nothing anyone can do. [It's not an easy truth, but it's all that he can offer right now. It's all he's been able to offer to himself, too.]

[She knew that. A little too well. Once someone was gone...they were gone. Unless channeled from beyond, and even then, they were simply borrowing another's body for a short time.]

I'd hoped...

I mean, I know that bad things happen here, but I never thought...people would actually die. Outside of the ViViD game.

...I hoped that you wouldn't have to see something like that. Really bad things... they can happen here too, Iris.

I know it's not much of a help. But... He should be back in a few days. He'll be able to live again.

[He'll be able to live again.]

[A phenomenon that she'd heard rumours of from more than one individual already, and yet...ironically, given the family and traditions she was raised in, had a very hard time believing still.]

You...don't just mean through channeling, do you?

No, not through channeling. [There's a relieved look in his features, because at least he has some sort of upside to offer her, even if it's still not an ideal one.]

It seems to have something to do with the nature of our existence here. Whenever one of us dies... that person comes back in around three days, back in perfect health.

[He found out the hard way, through examples like Dipper.]

[She swallowed a small lump in her throat. Nodded through her lingering uncertainty.]

I still...don't understand how...

But if you say it will happen, Feenie, then I...I believe you.

I don't think any of us really understand the 'how'. [It's so unbelievable and on a different level than spirit channeling. But he's seen the proof. ...And if their worlds really have been destroyed, then there's been proof there all along.

He looks deep into her eyes, to drive him that he truly believes this.]

But no matter how it happens... It's the truth, Iris. Life prevails here.

[She looked up at him. Into those eyes that she...cared deeply for. That she trusted. And she saw no signs of anything other than the truth he spoke of.]

[After a moment, she smiled. Weak, but genuine. And she nodded, so he would know she understood.]

[He keeps looking at her, and he smiles tenderly.]

...But... all of that aside. Iris... I'm just happy that you're alright. [And he pulls her into a warm embrace. At least he can find happiness in this.]

[She didn't say anything back, but nodded as he pulled her close. Glad that she was alright, that she had made it out, but also that he was alright. And here, with her, now. Holding her.]

[She buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around him. Content in the warmth that his body radiated. Irrefutable physical proof that this wasn't a dream. She was safe.]

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