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That was new. A voice inside her head now - quiet and weak, and not really very menacing.
'What's going on?' she asked the air, the fog.

They are trying to get in your mind, take your gift

'Really? Why would they want it? It doesn't work properly and it will get my friends killed.' she whipped back, not wanting to fall apart when she was on her own and so had gotten some of her old self back. It was a front, any further pushing and she would crumble again.

..so the voice. Hadn't there been something like that before the madness started? She'd dismissed it as her mind playing tricks but maybe. Cajoling her memory she remembered a mouthless ghoul - now how do you suppose she would reply?

Okay, can you signal, flash your 'light? she thought back, hoping it would be received. She carried on going, still calling their names.

Arachne's request had Riley stopping in her tracks, and she gently put Charlie down at her feet so that she could get her flashlight. She pulled it out of her backpack and flipped the switch, then waved it from left to right in front of her.

Do you see anything yet?

She reached down and slung Charlie back over her back, hefting him up for a moment before she turned around and waved the flashlight in the other direction. Arachne could be coming from anywhere.

Just tell me when you see something, and I'll stop moving the light.

"Yeeeeah... Course I see it, wouldn't have asked otherwise would I?" Mandy reply was said rather slowly as her confusion seeped into her voice at it's odd reaction.

Why was it staring at the demoness and looking panicked...?

Unless? Oh? Was this one of the causes of the groups tension?

"You didn't realize? What did you think was happening then?"

Sepheran? Oh, that kid. He hadn't seen him in a while... Mac looked back into the fog; they were making plenty of noise now, but he still felt a strange sense of foreboding...where did Sepheran go?

Mac watched Riley pick up Charlie, and not once did he verbally acknowledge it. He would watch her though; they may both be Demons, but the Reaper did not trust the purple one. She had about the same level of respect from him that a slime creature did...which was pretty much the way all demons were to him, to start. Then, hearing his name, he looked around.

"ARACHNE?" He called out in response, and then promptly silenced himself as the purple one took over the rescue mission. "Oh good, the drowned rat survived." Mac said mockingly, but without a hint of malice in his voice. He sounded...like he was having fun?! What! Black (but probably yellow, to everyone else) eyes turned to regard the Doctor.

"I do. Lizzy did, and Charlie is Charlie and I don't expect him to notice that sort of thing." He informed the good Doctor, casting a very brief smile to the ghoul whom he still believed scared away all the fish on the ship, with that sour expression of hers. He was absolutely delighted to have people, but in the back of his mind he was still afraid that an axe would fall, and he would die; but until then, he would revel in the maybe-real students around him.

"I haven't seen him in a while, I'm sorry..." He said apologetically, or at least as apologetically as he could be. Once more fixing Lizzy on his back, he looked around again.

"We have to keep moving, though."

Aksaja found himself quite suddenly assaulted by a variety of sharp blades, and he even thought he felt teeth latch on for a moment before he twisted and they were gone again.

With a roar born of desperation, he swung the pipe about wildly, not even trying to aim. Then his opponent barreled into his again, and he lost his balance, flailing . . . falling . . .

"Worthless, useless . . . weak . . ." the dragon above him taunted, eyes glowing as it leaned down.

"Pardonmeamoment," Malodore blurted in Mandy's general direction - and, without another word to anyone, it sprinted in Riley's direction. Riley- the real Riley that it had been hoping for all this time. It had to be, surely. The yellow eyes were its primary reason for calling her false, and... and...

It could be heading for disappointment. It could all be a trick, with false friends corroborating false evidence. And yet it needed this, even if it was an illusion. It was now beyond caring, now that there was even a tiny speck of hope-

"Riley!"

It actually plowed into her from behind, wrapping its arms around her waist. "It... it's you. Isn't it?" Its voice sounded deeply ashamed, and the emotion echoed in its thoughts.

Once Riley put her flashlight away, she gave Arachne a soft nod. Riley. I was briefly introduced to you by Sin at the Demon Party. And you're welcome.

Her voice had a soft curl of apathy to it, as if she really couldn't care about much at the moment. She hefted Charlie back up, and very carefully looked away without letting her eyes stray to the one figure that her heart wanted her to look at. She refused. She simply continued walking. Perhaps she and Charlie would disappear in the fog, never to be seen a-

Thud.

Riley had the strength to hold up both Charlie and Malodore from behind, if she knew she had to do it. With no warning, however, she had no leverage to remain standing. When Malodore plowed into her, it was Charlie's added weight that actually ended up tilting her forward too far - and she toppled down with both of them falling flat on top of her.

A quick swivel, and she had Charlie at her side - which only left..

What in the HELL do you think you're-

Her voice cut off as her mind shut down from the agonizing pain of simply feeling it's arms around her again. It hurt. It hurt so bad. It made her eyes film over and glisten with wetness. She didn't struggle out of it's arms, if only because it hurt too much to do anything but stare.

Why. She whispered hoarsely, when she could barely think again. Why are you hugging me? Aren't I some DOPPELGANGER? Her voice was scathing, and dripping with tender emotion, all at the same time.