taxonomites | X: [ voice | location: castle summers' dungeons ] pardon my past

There's an incessant throbbing in Piper's head that just won't go away.

She groans, and opens her eyes. When she does, things start swirling uncontrollably, and the urge to hurl is great. Piper closes her eyes, bites her lip, and rolls to the side until it passes.

Something feels wrong here. It takes her another second to process the fact that she's lying on a cold stone floor, that she's naked, and that her fingers are stinging. Badly. Opening her eyes again, she sees that her hands are bloodied, and that several wooden splinters are still embedded in them.

"How--"

And that's when everything comes crashing down on her - all the memories of the past day, what she's done, what she's become. "No. Oh... oh god." Piper spots her tablet and kicks it away from her, before scrambling to the very corner of the dungeon. She slides down, hugging her knees to her and resting her forehead on them. She doesn't even resist the urge to tremble and sob.

[ ooc: backdated to the day after the glitch. ]

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"It wasn't your fault," she said, immediately. "It was just a glitch."

It didn't occur to her to blame Piper. She'd been in her friend's shoes - she remembered, all too well, seeing the world with the eyes of the Witch - and she knew how hopeless and helpless it felt.

As she spoke, DG pulled up the map and, having pinpointed Piper's location, began to make her way towards the castle.

You don't know that. What if-- what if it's not?

"You're back to normal now," DG reminded her, speaking gently and evenly. She knew that the glitches varied from person to person, but she knew Piper. She refused to believe that that creature - the monster who had chased her and Glitch through the streets of Taxon - was part of her friend.

[ this is whispered: ] Who knows for how long.

Whispered, yes, but still audible. DG frowned in concern. From what she'd seen so far, the glitches were entirely random. There was no pattern behind them. But, occasionally, people experienced glitches that were designed to bring their worst nightmares to life.

"Piper, what was that ... that thing?"

It's... it's called a Wendigo. It's a monster that preys on humans and eats their hearts. Which meant that if you and Glitch were caught... [ she really didn't have to say it, as the implications were clear. ]

The scary thing was that I became a Wendigo back home, too. But my sisters were able to kill the one that wounded me, which... cured me. I wasn't supposed to turn into one again.

The creature's intentions had been obvious from the moment it had started to chase them. It had been intent on killing them and, consequently, Piper's revelation didn't come as a shock to DG. It explained how they would have died, that was all.

"But we weren't."

She didn't want Piper to spend her time worrying about what might have happened. Not when it was far too late to change anything.

"So it must have been a glitch," she said, climbing aboard the tram that would take her closer to the castle. Turning her into something horribly familiar? Something that should never have happened? That sounded like the hamsters.

I'm really, really hoping it is. But I'm not sure.

"It has to be."

Her expression suggested that that would be for the good of the hamsters as well as for the good of Piper. She was sick of the twisted games they kept playing with her friends.

"And if it isn't," she added, "We'll find a way to stop it from happening again."

Tara and Willow have offered to help with that, but until they find something I'm just... I'm just going to do what I can to keep it from happening again. For now, at least.

Edited 2010-10-20 09:14 (UTC)

"You're not alone, Piper," said DG, who had reached the castle at last. "Whatever happens, we're all in this together."

That was what friendship was all about, after all.

"How do I get to the dungeons?"

She'd have to let herself in.

Edited 2010-10-20 20:20 (UTC)

Why'd you--

[ click ] ...no, DG. Please, don't. Please just... I'm fine. You don't have to-- please just... not now.

"I'm just bringing you some clothes, Piper," said DG, stubbornly. She was convinced that there was no longer a risk of attack and, even if there was, she'd risk it to help her friend. "It'll be fine."

Fine, whatever. Just... if you do, leave them by the door and then run. Do you promise?

"Ok, ok, I promise." She managed to keep the exasperation out of her tone, but it was obvious that she'd have been happier to stick around. She turned off the tablet and, after a bit of exploration, found Piper's bedroom and retrieved a few outfits from the wardrobe.

"Piper?" she called, pushing the door open carefully.

Piper held her breath, and scooted closer to the shadows. She's pretty certain that DG couldn't see her - not from where she's seated.

"Just put them by the door," she told her friend, her voice shaky and low. "Hurry."

DG placed the clothes she'd brought close to the door, and, although she retreated a few paces to give her friend some privacy, she didn't leave.

"Do you need some water?" she asked from the shadows.

She shook her head. "No. I'm fine." A beat, then, "Please, DG. Just... just go."

It pained her to say the words, but they had to be said. The sooner the other woman goes, the safer it would be for her.

"Piper, I can't leave you when you're like this," DG protested, standing her ground despite her friend's tone. "I'll be fine."

"Yes you can," Piper insisted. "You have to. I refuse to put you in danger again."

She took a deep breath. "I... I appreciate your concern. More than you'll ever know. But... I just... I just need to be alone right now. Please."

For what felt like a long time, DG stood in silence. She didn't want to leave, obviously, but staying here was just upsetting Piper. In the end, she had to relent.

"Fine," she said, "But I'm not going far. And if you need anything, you have to promise to call me."

And then suddenly Piper was reminded of just how much she missed her sisters. Like DG, they too would be reluctant to leave her like this. Piper was grateful that even if they weren't here, someone in Taxon was looking out for her - and that meant so much.

"I will," she replied softly. "Promise."

X: [ voice | location: castle summers' dungeons ] pardon my past

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