abyssdressing | Nightmare Fuel: The Post

[On the outskirts of town, a familiar figure can be seen kneeling beside a small stream. But this is certainly not the Fon Master most people are familiar with: the hem of his robes are stained red with blood and his eyes are empty, as though no light is reaching them.]

[Leaning over the running water, Ion reaches down to cup a handful to drink. He remains like that for a few moments, almost as though he was considering going into the running water himself...]

[But before he can make that decision, a pair of dark, ghostly hands shoot out from his own shadow and gently pull him back. Then, just as quickly as they had appeared, they fade back into the darkness. Ion doesn't even bat an eye at what had just occured, simply staring down at the water.]

[That is, until he notices you.]

[ooc: From the same universe as

replicasquared I give you yandere!Ion! AU information can be found here. He's not going to lash out right away, but he might be a little traumatizing for certain characters, so watch out for nightmare fuel! ~~And yes, I know I'm a horrible person for this.~~]

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[Ion is frozen. Of course she would have assumed he was from before... Who would assume the dead had come back to life? Or worse, to assume the truth, that he was only a replica of the Ion she cared about...]

[He bites back his tongue, realizing what a delicate situation this was right now. No. He couldn't tell Anise what he really was. Not now. She was still hurt from seeing that other Ion, another replica who wasn't the real thing and probably never could be. As much as he wished it to be otherwise, he wasn't the Ion Anise thought he was.]

[He considers his words carefully. What could he possibly say to that? Perhaps he's just over thinking things... maybe the truth was the simplest answer?]

...because I care about you, Anise. [He brings his hand to his chest.] You matter more to me than anyone else. If I had only known sooner, perhaps I could have done something, anything, to help you, but I...

[He shakes his head before looking up into Anise's eyes.] But what's happened, happened. And we're both still here, aren't we? I'm still here... so please, don't cry, Anise.

[Because I care about you, Anise.

Anise felt her throat tighten, and her voice get caught as she tried to speak. He cared about her, and she did too - so much - but still betrayed that affection. And he knew that, but still... Anise felt a welling of grief and anger bubble inside her as tears welled up in her eyes. ...How could could he? How could he?! She lead him along a path straight to his death because she was selfish, and he still cared about her?! Stupid...stupid, kind-hearted, forgiving, naive...!

She bites her lip to keep her sobs in check, dabbing vigorously at the tears in her eyes. Don't cry. Don't cry, damn it! Anise coughed, finally finding her breath, but not her voice. She didn't look the young man in the eye, she couldn't lest she'd yell or sob or shove him in her irritation (why couldn't he just be mad at her?!), and nodded silently as she dabbed at her eyes. Come on, where's that mask, that wall? It couldn't be this hard to put it back up.]

[Ion can tell it's going to take more than words to calm Anise down, but it was a start. There was a part of him that wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her close while she cried, let her pound against his shoulder and let out all of her grief and guilt.]

[But he's too weak for that. It took all he had just to hold her hand earlier, and even now, there's an urge in the back of his mind to turn and run away. He was still a coward.]

[At the very least, he could provide some comfort to her, right? Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a clean handkerchief and holds it out to her with a gentle smile.] Here.

[Sniffing, and hating every one, Anise looked back at Ion, and his extended hand. It was odd, how distant he was, but she didn't think much of it, given the state she was presently in. Ion was just giving her space, as far as Anise was concerned. And space is what she needed. She was afraid that she'd have pushed him away if he came too close, right now.

But, she does slowly take the offered napkin, her hand brushing gently, and accidentally, against Ion's.]

[It goes without saying that Ion's fear of Anise is irrational. Yes, the Anise in his world was insane and bent on murdering him, but this Anise wasn't. Not all Anises were like that. The impression he's gotten so far seems to be that his world is, in itself, unique.]

[But that doesn't stop a small squeak when their hands brush against each other, resulting in Ion quickly jerking his hand back and very nearly knocking himself over. Somewhere in his mind, for the slightest instant, he was afraid she would grab his hand. Lorelei forbid.]

[He stares at her for a moment or two, eyes suddenly wide, until blinking himself back to reality.]

...s... sorry.

I-Ion!

[It was a reflex that she reached out to catch him, then pulled back when he seemed stable. Stable and...absolutely terrified of her. What? Why was he scared of her? She looked at him for a moment, confused and wary of going nearer, then moved back, dropping her hands by her side.

This didn't make sense. Ion knew all about her plans, his death, he was scared of her, but saved her life and comforted her, then that other Ion...the one that seemed like he was possessed by some kind of evil black mist. Plus, this Ion knew of the other. Just what was all this? It felt like a nightmare, but it was real. Anise knew it was real, but wished it wasn't.]

Ion...wh-what's wrong? [Why're you so scared?]

[Ion bites his lip and glances away, thinking of some way to explain this without really explaining this. Anise was finally calming down. To hear he developed a phobia of her after an alternate version of her tried on numerous occasions to kill him?]

[He couldn't do that to her right now... if ever.]

It's... it's nothing. [Yeah, that isn't going to work.] You know how people come from different worlds here? So similar but with... little changes, right?

[No, that doesn't work at all. Anise can sense his hesitation, and her fears begin to escalate. Was he really afraid of her? Why? Was his world so much worse off than hers? Or, Yulia forbid, did she hurt him somehow? And then that still left the other Ion, who seemed so hellbent on killing her, because of those shadowy things. Was that her fault, too?

Just how much grief she cause him?]

Y-Yeah... [Go on. She's listening, though hoping for better than what she assumes.]

Well, it's...

[And that's when an idea hits him. He hates lying to Anise, but if there was no harm in it, surely this would just be for the best. He's putting on his best pokerface here:]

From what I've gathered, my world is a bit different than others. Most things are the same, except... well, the Guy from my Auldrant isn't afraid of women.

[He'll have to apologize to Guy if he ever sees him again.]

...I-I am.

[Anise knows Ion well enough to know that something's up, but she's not thinking straight right now. She's jittery, and her mind is a fog of negative assumptions and horrific experiences. She can only believe her precious Ion's words to be true. And, what with his reaction before, it was a good excuse to believe.

She moves back, nodding that she understood.]

S-Sorry...I'll try not to touch you that much, Ion.

[Unlike with Guy, she'll actually keep that promise.]

[Perhaps it's simply because this Ion has been through so much more than most others that when he hears Anise say something like that, he blushes.]

Th-that... you don't have to... it's... s-something I'm trying to work past.

[Which was true. How pathetic it had been when he first arrived and could only stay in Anise's company with a good 3 meter distance between them? He was improving, slowly, but it was going to take more time.]

[And poor, oblivious Anise - her mind far from those kinds of thoughts - has no idea why her Fon Master suddenly seems so very red-faced. Hm...]

W-Well, it won't do at all if I cling to you or anything. I-I'll try my best to remember you're afraid. And I promise not to tease you like Guy, Ion. [You're different. Anise would feel bad if she teased Ion about his phobia.] Just let me know if you ever feel uncomfortable, okay? It's...it's the least I can do...

[Since, you know, Ion did kind of save her life.]

Nightmare Fuel: The Post

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