The Nineteenth Trial

[hot_mess_express]

Who: Everyone
When: Day 43, evening
Where: The Mermaid's Beach

Come on, come on heroes...! Come hither!

[ There's a playful giggle and the sound of splashing as the Mermaid's beach appears in the clearing. ]

Let's play a game...!

Comments

[bluediligence]

[ Her hand suddenly goes still, and her eyes widen ]

Wh... what? You saw-?

[daydreamshimmer]

Memories? Nightmares? I don't. Know. Biting and-

Urgh, I'm a herbivore dangit....

[bluediligence]

[ ... ]

Here, let's find you some water ... can you stand up?

[daydreamshimmer]

I think so. The tails been helping. [AKA HER REALLY LONG PONYTAIL??? It takes a while to depony.]

[bluediligence]

[ her ... ponytail? ]

[ well, she can wonder about that later. for now she loosely wraps an arm around her so she can help her to her feet, let's get away from the sick and find something to drink ]

[daydreamshimmer]

[Her body is weird.]

[Getting to her feet and stumbling a bit, but it doesn't take long to get her footing. Just real queasy right now.]

...that wasn't...your ability, was it?

[bluediligence]

... No. Definitely not. I don't think I even have any abilities in the first place.

[ Glances at her, concerned. ]

[daydreamshimmer]

....well, that's worrying.

Usually it takes a lot of effort to do anything with reading another person's mind. Were you....thinking about those memories?

[bluediligence]

[ this is MILDLY UNCOMFORTABLE but obviously it wasn't supposed to happen, and she couldn't be mad anyway after this reaction ]

Not really. What happened was ... it was bad, really bad, but I haven't had any flashbacks because of it or anything.

[daydreamshimmer]

So that's.

Digging.

Into specific memories.

Which isn't like any memory spell I can recall. Usually any mind reading is surface thoughts or going into the mind and having to search for the information you want, nothing that...

Efficient. [To be fair she's just talking to work through WHAT THE EVER LOVING BUCK HAPPENED.]

Efficient and easy is pretty much the opposite of any and all telepathy spells.

[bluediligence]

[ UNSURE ]

Maybe it's an innate ... talent? Or something?

[daydreamshimmer]

I don't....know? I mean, when a unicorn has a magical talent, they are usually more powerful and different with it, but like this...I don't...this doesn't quite match up with other things? I do terribly with people, shouldn't a mind reader be better?

[bluediligence]

Well ... being able to just - see something, or even a lot of somethings, doesn't necessarily make the seer good at understanding what happened and why.

It's like the difference between knowing a bunch of history facts and actually being able to interpret the wider context.

[daydreamshimmer]

There were emotions, multiple memories....

I think it was working hard to give context.

[bluediligence]

[ a quiet but sharp intake of breath ... ]

[ and lets say they've finally found somewhere with water that isn't, you know, from the sea. here you go, please drink this ]

... I'm sorry you had to find out about it like this.

[daydreamshimmer]

[Will take it and drink deeply.]

....I mean....there's probably worse ways.

Probably.

[Gonna drink some more.]

[bluediligence]

[ Haha ... ha ]

Probably! [ Definitely, if she's honest. ]

Still. How are you feeling?

[daydreamshimmer]

Getting there.

I mean, I've been adjusting to a million and one things, at least I get it all out of the way.

[Paaaause, looking at her.]

Are....you okay?

[bluediligence]

[ Blinks back at her ]

Me? Yeah ... I'm more worried about you.

[daydreamshimmer]

....I'm just wondering because like you....seem to internalize self worry a bunch?

[YEAH, SHE GOT CONTEXT]

[bluediligence]

[ ????? ]

I'm not sure what that means, but seriously, I'm okay. I'm more worried about my new friend who just got that sort of memory dumped into her head without warning.

[daydreamshimmer]

....listen, I'm a unicorn who didn't even know what a human was when she woke up in the body of one.

This has just been my day, it's all weird or horrifying revelations.

It's basically at the point I need time to figure it all out, but like if you're....hurting? I'd rather not be causing pain because of a weird accident?

1/2

[bluediligence]

[ wait ]

[ wait wait waIT ]

[ opens and closes her mouth a couple of times, because that sounds like some serious body horror ]

[bluediligence]

[ then she just, lets out a breath and smiles slightly, rubbing the back of her neck ]

It's a little uncomfortable, but seriously, it's okay. I'm okay. You're not causing me pain.

[daydreamshimmer]

[YEAH, IT HAS BEEN.]

[THEN SOMEONE DESCRIBED A NORMAL PONY TO HER AND THAT WAS TERRIBLE.]

[Basically her entire life right now is terrible, but damnit, she's not causing inadvertent damage to a girl whose been through something horrific.]

[She looks her over seriously and she sighed and just lets her head thud on the table.]

All right. I'm believing you. But like....if you're having existential dread feels, it DOES actually help to let it out.