Knight-Captain Arbuthnot, half severed from anima, lies in her hospital bed, surrounded by medical equipment both mundane and magical. The room is crowded with tokens of affection, appreciation, and friendship. Healing potions and spells have reduced the swelling and bruising around her face, although yellow and red marks from the injuries remain and her skin is pale. She sleeps an uneasy sleep, taking shallow breaths through a still damaged nose.
The room heats up very slightly, barely perceptible to the human skin, and there’s a loud pop, just enough to half-rouse Arbuthnot. Out of the corner of the room, there’s a small dark and glowing entity. It has no face, no eyes. It moves towards her without moving it’s legs or making a noise. It is simply upon her with a slow and terrible quiet, peering down at her.
Cass blearily opens her eyes at the pop and raises her head. Once she sees the... thing approaching, she tries to reach for the weapon that would be by her side if she was sleeping at home. Her limbs feel... heavy. Fuzzy. Even keeping her head up to look at the thing is an effort. More than it should be, even with the drugs and the injuries. She opens her mouth, but all that comes out is silence. It feels as though someone is sitting on her chest, pinning her in place.
The thing just stares. It stares at her so long or so short Cass can’t make heads or tails of how long it is. It stares at her for hours or a fraction of a second. The feeling in her chest recedes.
It speaks to her in an electric polyphonic voice. Screeching and growling, clawing at her mind with sub and supersonic frequencies. “Tell me what it means to EAT BEES.”
The tension in Cass’s jaw loosens. “H-Help!” Her voice is hoarse, and the cry does not carry far beyond her bed. “Help me!”
“You do not need help, Cassandra Arbuthnot. You are in no danger. What does it mean to eat bees?” The voice demands.
Cass’s eyes are unfocused still as the IV pumps a scheduled dosage of painkillers into her. “...The Morninglight.” she mutters, eyelids feeling heavy. She blinks long and slow, trying to focus on the thing in front of her. “Rosas. Twin Falls?”
“Who is Rosas?” It asked, it’s fingers twitching rapidly, pouring through the countless streams of information running through the room.
“Kay Rosas. Demon Hostess.” Cass’s eyes close and she begins to doze off.
Another pause that seems to freeze space and time. “Rosas and the Orochi.” It simply states.
“No,” Cass sleepily corrects the thing. “Rosas and the Morninglight.” She pulls herself back into consciousness. “Are you... real?”
“No.” It informed her. It looked around uncertain, crossing it’s arms. “Rosas and Orochi? Orochi and Morninglight?” It mumbled. “Time for you to sleep again.”
The Knight-Captain is trying to struggle into consciousness. “I - You’re real, aren’t you? Are you...” She blinks hard, straining to keep her eyes open, trying to figure out who - or what - exactly is in front of her. “I... need to... remember...”
“You need to sleep.” It instructed, as Cass felt the pressure on her chest again.
The Knight-Captain lets out a short gasp and for a few seconds, she valiantly fights to stay awake. And then her eyelids flutter close and her head slumps back down.
The room heats up very slightly, barely perceptible to the human skin, and there’s a loud pop, just enough to half-rouse Arbuthnot. Out of the corner of the room, there’s a small dark and glowing entity. It has no face, no eyes. It moves towards her without moving it’s legs or making a noise. It is simply upon her with a slow and terrible quiet, peering down at her.
Cass blearily opens her eyes at the pop and raises her head. Once she sees the... thing approaching, she tries to reach for the weapon that would be by her side if she was sleeping at home. Her limbs feel... heavy. Fuzzy. Even keeping her head up to look at the thing is an effort. More than it should be, even with the drugs and the injuries. She opens her mouth, but all that comes out is silence. It feels as though someone is sitting on her chest, pinning her in place.
The thing just stares. It stares at her so long or so short Cass can’t make heads or tails of how long it is. It stares at her for hours or a fraction of a second. The feeling in her chest recedes.
It speaks to her in an electric polyphonic voice. Screeching and growling, clawing at her mind with sub and supersonic frequencies. “Tell me what it means to EAT BEES.”
The tension in Cass’s jaw loosens. “H-Help!” Her voice is hoarse, and the cry does not carry far beyond her bed. “Help me!”
“You do not need help, Cassandra Arbuthnot. You are in no danger. What does it mean to eat bees?” The voice demands.
Cass’s eyes are unfocused still as the IV pumps a scheduled dosage of painkillers into her. “...The Morninglight.” she mutters, eyelids feeling heavy. She blinks long and slow, trying to focus on the thing in front of her. “Rosas. Twin Falls?”
“Who is Rosas?” It asked, it’s fingers twitching rapidly, pouring through the countless streams of information running through the room.
“Kay Rosas. Demon Hostess.” Cass’s eyes close and she begins to doze off.
Another pause that seems to freeze space and time. “Rosas and the Orochi.” It simply states.
“No,” Cass sleepily corrects the thing. “Rosas and the Morninglight.” She pulls herself back into consciousness. “Are you... real?”
“No.” It informed her. It looked around uncertain, crossing it’s arms. “Rosas and Orochi? Orochi and Morninglight?” It mumbled. “Time for you to sleep again.”
The Knight-Captain is trying to struggle into consciousness. “I - You’re real, aren’t you? Are you...” She blinks hard, straining to keep her eyes open, trying to figure out who - or what - exactly is in front of her. “I... need to... remember...”
“You need to sleep.” It instructed, as Cass felt the pressure on her chest again.
The Knight-Captain lets out a short gasp and for a few seconds, she valiantly fights to stay awake. And then her eyelids flutter close and her head slumps back down.
