“I have been given that impression,” Alburet agreed. “Kim and Rolland Magiblood will be going with us. Sir Ioaniss Jones and possibly Sir Vladimir Dracon will be along as well. She will be fine. The dangerous part will be the fight for the keep, which the guild will do without help from the others. If it’s that big of a worry, though, you really should be speaking with her.”
Alistern got to his feet, locking eyes with Alburet, “Ya word on the Dark Lord’s name, tha’ ya will keep me daughter safe all the way to the keep.”
Alburet bowed his head, “My word.”
Quest: Safeguard Deidre Crowley to Gwain’s Keep
Rewards: Increased reputation with all Dark Lord factions and followers
“I be goin’ to speak with me daughter,” Alistern and Lilith left the house, Lilith giving Alburet a smile in parting.
Grimgar got to his feet, “A keep be a big thing. Iffin ya do manage to take one, let me know, aye?”
“Me as well, please,” Almira said as she took Grimgar’s arm.
“Either way I’ll send word,” Alburet replied, seeing them out.
Face twisted into a frown of epic proportions, Stewart stewed. “If she should die the final death, Alburet, I will be very upset.”
“I hope that everyone returns safely, even the guards going with us. I will do my best Stewart, just as I do for Stacia.”
Standing, his face still twisted with fear, Stewart locked eyes with Alburet, “I will worry the entire time.” He left with those words, not waiting for any reply.
“Your family is very protective,” Karen stated.
“Aye, as any family should be iffin their child mayhap be facin’ the end of their life,” Stacia agreed.
“Stacia,” Fluff cut in softly, “are we doing the double memory tonight?”
“Aye. Did ya wish for them to see this one as well?”
“If you think it’s okay,” Fluff replied.
Dinner ended up being a simple meal of steaks with mashed potatoes and gravy. Afterward, they gathered around Fluff in the guest room like they had the night before. Stacia reminded them again to just watch and be there for Fluff. “Tonight, we be lookin’ at two memories side by side. One be the truth of what happened, the one to the right be the way she recalls it. This be more taxin’ to her, so she will be sleepin’ in for a bit tomorrow.” Stacia started her song, pulling them down into Fluff’s memories with her.
The found themselves in Mindblown’s lobby on the day the immersion test had launched. They followed the hunched Fluff into the lobby, after a long pause outside the doors. From the moment the door opened, the two views became very different. On the left side, which showed how the event had really gone, only a few people glanced at her before going back to their conversations. On the right side, the way Fluff remembered it, everyone had looked at her with looks of pity or disgust before turning away from her.
She found Marysue and was asking about a shirt when Karen came into view. The words were as Karen recalled them from the left-hand side. The tone had changed on the right side, though. Fluff’s memory showed Karen flinching away, as if she’d seen something unpleasant when Karen had seen her face. On the left side, Karen was clearly transfixed with awe at the sight of Fluff.
Marysue led Fluff to the table to get her a shirt, speaking to her the entire time as if they were old friends. But from the right side, the words sounded condescending, almost dismissive. Gerald appeared shortly, after that kneeling to look up at Fluff. Both visions showed his mouth dropping open and his eyes widening. The one on the left was obviously tongue tied by her beauty. The false memory showed him sneering at her until Karen led her away.
The memory continued playing out, ending just before Marysue, Karen and Fluff disrobed for the final medical exam. Stacia turned to Fluff, “Do ya see now, Fluff? Do ya see the way ya let ya past twist ya views?” Stacia stood between the two images, her hands hovering just behind the head of each version of Fluff. The one on the right was plain, marked with old and new bruises and bordering on ugly. On the left was the doll-like ephemeral beauty she really was. “Look at Alburet and ask him which be the truth iffin ya need to.”
Fluff glanced at Alburet and he could see her struggling to ask before she turned away with a shake of her head. “Julia,” Alburet said softly, pulling her eyes back to him. “Julia Petrov is indeed a beauty, Karen will agree with me.” Karen nodded emphatically. “Moreover, Fluffball is beautiful as well,” he continued. He reached out his ghostly hand to touch Fluff’s ghostly shoulder. “More than just your outward appearance, your spirit is even more lovely.”
“Aye,” Stacia agreed.
“He is right, Fluff,” Karen added. “I liked you here long before we met at Mindblown. I still like you now, you’ve been a good friend. Maybe we can expand on that?”
Fluff seemed to shrink slightly, but her hand reached out tentatively towards Karen, “Really?”
Taking Fluff’s hand gently in her own ghostly hand, Karen stepped over and gave Fluff a hug. “As slowly as you need to, so you are comfortable, but yes.”
“Okay,” the whispered word hung in the air for a moment.
As the word hung there the memories around them began to dissolve and they blinked in surprise to find themselves back in their real bodies. Fluff was curled into ball, purring in her sleep as she kneaded at the pillow she was holding. Karen sat down on the bed next to her and gently stroked her ears, “Maybe she’s coming along better than I had thought. Her past is so full of tragedy.”
“Aye. Keep her company tonight. We will take tomorrow night away from her dreams. It be good for her to have a night or two to recover, an’ tha’ way she will be refreshed for the Dead Lands.”
“That’s a good idea,” Alburet gazed down at Fluffball on the bed. The damage she’d endured pulled at his heart, and he felt a strong desire to protect her and keep her from being hurt again. He looked up into Karen’s eyes, seeing a reflection of his feelings. They shared a silent moment of agreement, then Alburet took his leave. “Goodnight, Karen.”
“Sleep well,” Karen replied as she stayed there gently stroking Fluff’s ears.
Retreating to their room, Alburet stripped off his gear as he considered just how damaged Fluffball was. She’d been the victim of abuse for years, which had driven her away from trying to form relationships in the past. From the little she had said, the one time she had tried, the guy ended up stalking her.
Soft warm hands began to knead his shoulders, “She be improvin’, master. I be thinkin’ she will be able to open up a little more over the comin’ weeks. Fluff mayhap bloom before our eyes.”
He relaxed into her hands, leaning against the wall for support. “What about me, Kitten?” The question was asked softly as he recalled Mother’s assessment that his mind was even more fractured than Fluffball’s.
“We will work on it,” Stacia whispered to him, her breath tickling his ear. “I will be goin’ slow with ya, but at some point ya will have to confront thin’s ya would rather nay.”
He shuddered slightly as something deep inside him rebelled at the idea. His eyes closed even as he forced his head to nod, “I will do this.”
“We will do this, me lovin’ husband,” she corrected as she stopped massaging him and took his hand. “Tonight though, we will just sleep. Ya mind is still in turmoil over this mornin’.”
He glanced at her and saw only loving acceptance, “I still don’t know what to feel about that.”
She laid him into bed gently, “Ya do, ya just be fightin’ yaself still. We can tackle tha’ first, iffin ya wish it.”
“How?” Alburet asked, a little confused.
“We can walk back through the memories and feelin’s ya had each time we had Karen with us,” she told him as she curled up with him in bed. “It be nay just the scene I can be showin’ ya, but the truth under ya thoughts as well. It be up to ya, but it can be done.”