"Don't get too comfortable now..."
The young, lithe girl walked through the forest all alone, her wild curly blonde hair flows in the light breeze, under the shade of the forest. Her blue cloak billowed in the breeze, and the sound of the crunch underneath her boots brought a sense of relaxation despite the voice in her head talking.
The trees had been her home for the past two years, raising Gem in their wild, cautious ways. Here, she learned to suppress her mind. She learned to flee fiery passion that would lead to disaster in favor for meditating by a gentle stream, becoming hyper-aware of the frantic calling of the forests and numb to her chaotic inner world. It was a trade Gem was pleased with, but she knew her fragmented mind would disagree.
The Marigold held a deep, destructive energy to it, one that brought terror to Gem. It preyed on her fears and failures, almost taunting her every time Gem tripped over a stone, or failed to take down a squirrel for food, or start a fire for the night. Gem rejected the Marigold as much as she could, stuffing it into the deepest recesses of her mind.
The Daisy, however, was the name Gem gave to her ideal self that emerged. It was calm, valiant, and kind. She could see the Daisy flawlessly dancing through the forests, guiding her with such gentleness to an emerald-green orchard with all the fruit one could consume. It never talked like the Marigold, however. Instead, it communicated with soft gestures and light touch. Gem preferred it this way, though she wished that the Daisy had a much stronger presence, rather than just brief, fleeting moments.
Human settlements always caused Gem anxiety, just like the one she stumbled upon as she followed a brief touch from the Daisy. It was big, confusing, unnatural. The sun shone too brightly over the paved road, and the busy bustling of people only added to the chaos.
"Ahoy, adventurer!" An obviously-intoxicated man suddenly threw an arm around Gem, catching her off-guard. He stumbled over his own feet as he began dragging her down the pavement, past the busybodies rushing to and from places. "Come with me!"
She didn't have much of a choice whether to follow the strange man or not, as he just dragged her around the town all the way into a bar. Within the next few seconds, he seemed to entirely forget about her, instead harassing the poor bartender for all the drinks in the world.
She wanted to leave, but the shock and fear kept her glued to the seat she ended up in. She drew the cloak over her head, listening to the group by the window while she tried to settle herself down and figure out how to escape the town.
"Just talk to them, you coward."
"No." Gem whispered, trying to ignore the condescending voice in her head.
"What, you afraid that I'll take over and hurt them?" The Marigold snarled cruelly. "I'll do it if you really want me to."
"Just shut up!" Gem shouted, pulling the hood over her face, freaking out as she felt a new sensation that she had never felt before, an intense burning that radiated through her body as she felt herself slowly fade out.
The man that dragged her to the bar had looked over, jabbing the bartender with his elbow. "Seems like that young laddie there had a bit too much to drink, eh?"
The fully-present feeling was new to the Marigold, a sensation that it enjoyed. No longer just a shadow, it lifted the now-black hood off its jet-black hair, opening its burgundy eyes to the world. With a smile, it stood up, walking across the room to the bar itself, tossing the man a few pieces of silver. The Marigold opened its mouth to speak, but found itself voiceless.
I'm not strong enough yet.
Instead, the Marigold just smiled sweetly, pointing to a barrel of wine to the side. The bartender sighed, grabbing the drink, giving it to the Marigold without a word. At this, the Marigold nodded its approval, standing up again to walk towards the group by the window, just standing there ominously, not speaking a word but listening very intently.
The young, lithe girl walked through the forest all alone, her wild curly blonde hair flows in the light breeze, under the shade of the forest. Her blue cloak billowed in the breeze, and the sound of the crunch underneath her boots brought a sense of relaxation despite the voice in her head talking.
The trees had been her home for the past two years, raising Gem in their wild, cautious ways. Here, she learned to suppress her mind. She learned to flee fiery passion that would lead to disaster in favor for meditating by a gentle stream, becoming hyper-aware of the frantic calling of the forests and numb to her chaotic inner world. It was a trade Gem was pleased with, but she knew her fragmented mind would disagree.
The Marigold held a deep, destructive energy to it, one that brought terror to Gem. It preyed on her fears and failures, almost taunting her every time Gem tripped over a stone, or failed to take down a squirrel for food, or start a fire for the night. Gem rejected the Marigold as much as she could, stuffing it into the deepest recesses of her mind.
The Daisy, however, was the name Gem gave to her ideal self that emerged. It was calm, valiant, and kind. She could see the Daisy flawlessly dancing through the forests, guiding her with such gentleness to an emerald-green orchard with all the fruit one could consume. It never talked like the Marigold, however. Instead, it communicated with soft gestures and light touch. Gem preferred it this way, though she wished that the Daisy had a much stronger presence, rather than just brief, fleeting moments.
Human settlements always caused Gem anxiety, just like the one she stumbled upon as she followed a brief touch from the Daisy. It was big, confusing, unnatural. The sun shone too brightly over the paved road, and the busy bustling of people only added to the chaos.
"Ahoy, adventurer!" An obviously-intoxicated man suddenly threw an arm around Gem, catching her off-guard. He stumbled over his own feet as he began dragging her down the pavement, past the busybodies rushing to and from places. "Come with me!"
She didn't have much of a choice whether to follow the strange man or not, as he just dragged her around the town all the way into a bar. Within the next few seconds, he seemed to entirely forget about her, instead harassing the poor bartender for all the drinks in the world.
She wanted to leave, but the shock and fear kept her glued to the seat she ended up in. She drew the cloak over her head, listening to the group by the window while she tried to settle herself down and figure out how to escape the town.
"Just talk to them, you coward."
"No." Gem whispered, trying to ignore the condescending voice in her head.
"What, you afraid that I'll take over and hurt them?" The Marigold snarled cruelly. "I'll do it if you really want me to."
"Just shut up!" Gem shouted, pulling the hood over her face, freaking out as she felt a new sensation that she had never felt before, an intense burning that radiated through her body as she felt herself slowly fade out.
The man that dragged her to the bar had looked over, jabbing the bartender with his elbow. "Seems like that young laddie there had a bit too much to drink, eh?"
The fully-present feeling was new to the Marigold, a sensation that it enjoyed. No longer just a shadow, it lifted the now-black hood off its jet-black hair, opening its burgundy eyes to the world. With a smile, it stood up, walking across the room to the bar itself, tossing the man a few pieces of silver. The Marigold opened its mouth to speak, but found itself voiceless.
I'm not strong enough yet.
Instead, the Marigold just smiled sweetly, pointing to a barrel of wine to the side. The bartender sighed, grabbing the drink, giving it to the Marigold without a word. At this, the Marigold nodded its approval, standing up again to walk towards the group by the window, just standing there ominously, not speaking a word but listening very intently.