— 𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭

[possessum]

DEER COUNTRY — un: graham crackers
text . voice . action . delivery . omen + info

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[danserai]

[ inside him . . . ]

Mmm. He clouds your heart. Sometimes makes you do things you don't want to. Right?

[ like mytho. ]

[possessum]

( Oh. That's... extremely on-point, actually. Peter hesitates on the other end of the audio before answering, softly. )

That's exactly how it is. Do you... know about things like this?

[danserai]

[ she hesitates briefly. ]

I do. There's . . . someone I care about. A prince. A boy. His heart is — is hurting because it was drenched in raven's blood. It makes him do things. Bad things. Things he would never do, things he cannot help but do.

[possessum]

I'm really sorry to hear that. ( The frown can probably be heard in his voice, something quiet, sad, and empathetic. )

How did he get that way? Did... someone do that to him? On purpose?

[danserai]

Long ago, he broke his heart to seal a terrible creature. A Great Raven. I was helping to restore the pieces but I didn't know that the piece of Love was soaked in the raven's blood.

It's my fault.

[possessum]

( 'It's my fault.'

It's too familiar. Peter swallows again, throat a little hoarse when he responds. )

You— you didn't know. You're not to blame. Something awful happened to him, but it's not your fault.

[danserai]

But . . . if I was more careful, he wouldn't have to suffer.

[possessum]

( There's a pause for another long moment. This is something Peter still usually can't talk about. It hurts the way nothing else ever has. )

.....Back home, I did something bad to someone I loved. They suffered, because of me. Because I wasn't... careful enought. ( Charlie died. Charlie, who was the same age Ahiru is now. )

So I understand what it's like to— to feel like something like that's your fault.

....But you didn't know what was going to happen. You didn't... choose to hurt him. I don't want you to have to blame yourself.

[danserai]

[ it's true. she had no way of knowing. even fakir hadn't known. rue had gone so far. and yet, ahiru wasn't angry at rue either. it was just a sad story they'd all been trapped in. ]

I won't. I'm still going to try and help. Even from far away.

[possessum]

Have you found any ways to, yet? Is it something I could help you do?

[danserai]

I haven't found anything yet. But I will! I'll keep trying.

[possessum]

If there's any way I can help you with it, I will. I'd like to help you.

( Not so long ago, he couldn't have done it. Gotten involved, or... willingly let himself get closer to a young person at all, because it would hurt too much.

Now...? He couldn't do otherwise. He has to help Ahiru if he can. )

[danserai]

Yes! We'll help each other.

[ that's the way forward instead of getting mopey. she was losing sight of that. ]

So if you need anything, I'm here for you, Mr. Graham!

[possessum]

You've got a deal, Ms. Ahiru.

( Even if his face can't be seen over audio, there's a soft smile there at the edges of Peter's mouth. )

And... please don't worry about the demon thing. You couldn't have known. Especially because I'd been, um... trying to keep it hidden for a really long time.

[danserai]

Okay.

I guess it's like me and being a duck, huh . . .

[possessum]

Oh— yeah, I guess you're right...

Sometimes it feels necessary to hide something about yourself, right? It's hard to know who you can trust to know about the truth.

[danserai]

Mmm.

I just wanted people to see me as girl. So they could be friends with me.

You can't be friends with a duck.

[possessum]

I don't know, being friends with a duck sounds pretty lit.

I think I'd want to be your friend no matter what you were. I'm sure other people would, too.

[danserai]

[ lit??? like he wants to set her on fire??? ]

I don't know . . . We only became friends because we could talk and share like this.

[possessum]

( OH GOD NO... NOT THAT...... )

I guess I understand how being a duck would make it hard to... get to know people.

( Peter's never had to put himself into the perspective of a duck before, but now that he is... okay, yeah, that might make communication a little difficult. )

But I totally wouldn't mind hanging out with you as a duck now.

( Maybe getting to know people as a girl makes it easier, but once people know about it, Ahiru can still be herself and have friends. At least Peter wouldn't mind at all. He can hang with a duck! )

[danserai]

How would that even work?

[ scorpia said the same thing, but ahiru just doesn't get how. ]

I mean, what would we even do?

[possessum]

Let's see.... What're your favourite things to do when you're a duck?

[danserai]

Uhm . . . Swimming in the pond and eating bread?

[possessum]

I mean, I'm totally game for that.

I'm at the water kind of a lot, anyway. My uh...... the demon. Likes to go there...

( It's weird to talk about, but... Paimon loves the water. The demon king has a connection with it, and is always wanting to swim around. He can even breathe underwater... )

[danserai]

He likes to . . . swim?

[ this is a very odd demon. ]