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 Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 4:15 pm
The fingers slid free with a wet, sucking sound and Merlin released the ghoul, stepping back and away. But the pressure and weight did leave her head. Past him, her shadow stood out starkly against the chalkboard.
A coronet bearing seven twisting spikes crowned its head.
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Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 4:45 pm
Merlin released her, and she scrambled to keep her chair - and herself - from falling backwards. Seconds later she tried to stand to attempt to flee, but she only sank back down into the chair, weak and once more disoriented. She held her head instead, pressing her palms against the wounds left by his fingers as if it would help to close them.
"Wh-what did you--" She gasped out, trying to see past her own wrists to find him. Instead, she spotted the chalkboard, and the shadow that rested on it. Her shadow. She recognized it right away, and it didn't take her long to spot the accessory that decorated its head: a crown. A seven spiked coronet.
No, no, not this again! Her shaking hands immediately flew upwards, touching her own head to make sure she wasn't actually wearing it, and with no venom lost her attention turned towards Merlin.
"What did you do to me?!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 5:05 pm
Frantic hands met with hard, twisting crystal shards. Merlin picked up the mug and wrapped his fingers around it, fingers luxuriating in its warmth but never lifting it to drink. "What you asked me to," he answered, fondness in his voice. "You'll do well for me, for a time."
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Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 5:19 pm
Her fingers touched crystals, shaking even more as she touched them, tracing their length for their origin.
"This wasn't what I asked for!" She tried to argue, settling for gripping the shards as tight as she could manage with both hands in an attempt to pull them out. She had asked for freedom and for her broken core to be fixed, not for black crystals that tried to take her over, nor for the crown she saw her shadow wear.
"- Wait." Hands paused as she registered what he had just said, her grey eye lifting in disbelief. She'd do well for him? For a time? "...What do you mean?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 4:19 pm
"Welcome to your true purpose, Amrita," he greeted her with genuine warmth. "You're going to help me save these worlds and remake them into something better. Aren't you such a lucky little creature?" Merlin admired her for a moment, and then turned his gaze out the window. With a negligent motion of his hand, the crown shifted, driving itself painfully back into her skull as the world went dark.
'...probably once every week. Now as to the dosage..." Amrita gazed down at her drink as Professor Emrys talked on in his boring, neutral voice. She must have zoned out.
"Amrita? You seem tired from the removal, as can only be expected. Let me write the instructions down for later. In the meantime, drink that. The first headache is going to be strong."
Yes he'd removed the chip and filled in the damage. But there would be headaches he'd said, terrible and crippling. But he had something to soothe them, and take that pain for a time. It would make her drowsy and sleep oddly, so certain careers would no longer be open to her. A shame, but she could live with it.
As she became more aware, Amrita's mind played a swift game of fill in the blank until she was left with two cheering thoughts.
She was free.
It was worth it.
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:15 pm
"Wh-what...?!" Amrita couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was going to use her to rebuild worlds? What did that even mean?! The answer to that question became irrelevant though, as she realized something else of vital importance: he used her. He lied to her, and had taken advantage of her situation to trap her again. This wasn't what she wanted, not at all.
"You-" She growled low, drawing in a breath to say something more -
Only to be silenced with pain as the crown receded until, eventually, everything went black.
Amrita blinked slowly, gazing down at the mug between her hands as the Professor droned on. The sound of her name made her startle, her gaze lifting to the unremarkable man, her expression sheepish and apologetic. She hadn't meant to zone out there, but she did; it was embarrassing, really. Especially since it was something so important.
He was right though, she was tired. Her entire body felt heavy and disoriented, as if she were just waking up from a very deep sleep. It must have been from the removal; after all, it was her core. It made sense to feel strange. Emrys was urging her to drink, and she complied without a second thought, letting her mind wander to reflect.
Why had she been so worked up? All that worrying seemed so silly now.
She was free. Her mind replayed those three little words over and over, and not once did it lose it's power. She realized, perhaps a bit too late, that she had started to cry, relieved that the parasite was gone and that, aside from recurring headaches, she could get on with her life. She was free. Everything she had done today was worth it, and every headache she would get - no matter how crippling - would still be better than the alternative.
"I'm sorry." She managed, bowing her head and setting her empty cup back on the desk, freeing her hands to hold her face. "Oh, Jack, I'm...really sorry it's j-just-" Her chest felt like it would burst with relief, even though it was mortifying to cry in front of a Professor. She laughed, or at least tried to. "It's been so long, and I tried everything I could th-think of...and now it's gone and---Thank you." He was even the first one to help her, without demanding anything from her in return. It meant a lot to her; this whole realization was joyously overwhelming. The Vetala pawed at her eye as if it would help her stop, still struggling to get it all under control again.
"Thank you so, so much, Professor...how can I ever repay you for this?" She was forcing herself to calm down for now, wiping her eyes to feel okay about lifting her head again to meet the gaze of the Professor who had essentially saved her life.
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:25 pm
The barest bit of warmth cracked through the professor's expression as he answered, "Just go and realize the entirety of that potential of yours. That's all I ask."
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:47 pm
Amrita smiled as brightly as she could. Go and realize her potential? Yes, yes that was entirely doable now. She could do what she wanted - as much as the headaches would allow - without worrying any more. Her future was hers to seize.
"I will, I promise!" She nodded through her promise, her voice still heavy as she tried to hold back more grateful tears. Amrita continued to sit there for a moment, happy as ever but beginning to fear that it was only a dream, that she'd blink and it would have all been in her imagination. It was too good to be true, honestly...and yet...
"I should...probably go lay down." It was starting to hit her, just how tired she was. Crying - however briefly - hadn't helped. "Should I come back for those instructions?" She asked with a nod to his desk, definitely not wanting to forget those.
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:58 pm
He held out a slip of paper, and a small canister of dried herbs. "Take as needed," his voice was once again fully neutral, unmoved by the emotions before him. "But yes, come back when you run out. This is my personal blend, and the nurse is unlikely to make it correctly."
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:17 pm
"Okay, got it." Amrita nodded again, reaching out for the paper and canister. She inspected them both briefly, and then moved to stand up slowly. "Thank you, again." It likely wouldn't be the last time she'd say that to him. When she left the office she stood in the hallway for a moment; as tired as she was, she still couldn't believe it.
Then, smiling, she turned and headed back to her dorm for a good, long nap.
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