Abyss with Lemons: Phosphor

(This completely black void... Is thisthat place?) A woman thinks to herself amidst a scene of nothing. No light, no sound, nor gravity and only the faintest sensation of touch, via what can be described as an incredibly slight breeze.

Or perhaps it is the feeling of water currents, moving across them softly, while they’re somewhere that light doesn’t reach.

The woman tries moving, physically feeling herself do so but incapable of seeing it even when she can feel her own hand on her face. (This is exactly like that other time. That space between spaces, so... I got here last time because my damn appendix burst though. Am I dead for real now? What even would’ve got me here again...?) They ponder on, trying to remember events prior.

(L’see, body was failing in not digesting anything but meat and a few select grains. No, that doesn’t seem it somehow. Where was I then? I remember rocks and dirt, some gravelled roads of peachy- Ah! The canyon. Shit I was knocked down some granite stairs. Am.. I mean the last time I died an’ my soul left my body, Heaven said fuck no on arrival, trap doored me down to Hell. And then hell let me wait in line, only to go ‘ew fuck no’ and reject me out to here. This sorta place. Welp, I’m definitely dead then. In an interstice like that fuckin Mahito from Jujutsu Kaisen).

The woman pondered on that last bit for a moment, in this place where nothing can be sensed through light or sound but touch and a lack of gravity.

(Down granite stairs eh. There’s really no curse more distorted than love, huh? Ugh what a pain in-)

And then, she woke.

Eyes heavily stirred open, vision initially difficult. She tries to observe any detail of where she is. The feeling of material under them, strewn on top of them. The tightness to their head of a different, thinner material.

The woman tries raising her arm to her face, as she had done in the interstice to the effect of her shoulder and bicep responding as she’d felt them move a million times before, but a new material surrounding her arm. Upon trying to feel her own face with her right hand. Her vision shifts to trying to look at such a limb. It can’t until she opens her left eye at a snail’s pace. Her right arm is wrapped thick with bandages, that much she can make out. But realising that, she lowers it switching for her left hand and feels herself. Bandages. A lot of bandaging and gauzes. Mainly on her right side of the face, covering most of her face with a bulging spot on her right eye and cheek. (How though?) They quietly question as they feel themselves for where wounds are as they sourly scan their surroundings.

Then their eye meets another. Looking directly back at them.

Though that pair of eyes looking back, however human they are, also are much too large to be human. (Shit. Have I been caught as food for a giant? Wait, I’m alive though, what am I a pet then?)

“So you’re awake and can sort of move your arms around.” They state dully, as their eyes blink while peering down. Accompanied by this is the sound of pen on paper, a clipboard just in view.

“What the fuck?” The woman lying injured says to the best of her ability. “You can talk??” The giant observer questions seeming genuine. “Uh yeah? And who the fuck are you?” “Sassy bitch- who the fuck are YOU?” The imposing onlooker bellows.

“The name’s Jillian, but call me Jill. Is this your handywork perchance, huh?” Jill raises her voice, slurring some of her pronunciations of. “Well aren’t you an irritating ungrateful little asshole. Yes I did that. Is that a PROBLEM, HUH?!” The person, visibly irate, demands with a yell. “WELL FIRST,” Jill begins with a yell back, “I’d like to thank you.” She then says loudly but clearly not yelling anymore.

“I- Fuckin’ what?? Then why’d you start yelling?” The caretaker asks very confused at this switch. “Yeah I’m just more stalling for time while I look around, as well as gauge how you react to prickliness. This is an uncanny place though.” “Uncanny? Bitch I made that myself, how dare-” “Ya don’t say. It is well made, however, ‘human setting of a hospital room but its downsized compared to the person outside’ makes the whole thing feel wrong to my soul thank you.” Jill snaps quieter. Pain biting in.

“You uh, got a few things wrong there, you little shit.” “Call me a little shit a bit more, see what happens ya apparent giant.” Jill hisses. “At least get my name, I’m not a giant. You’ve just been shrunk, you little shit.” The caretaker snaps back, playful with the last part as she speaks.

There’s a pause for a moment. A shift as Jill processes that.

“Nothing to say little shit?” “Call me that one more time and when I get out of this, I’ll fucking bite you.” Jill snarls, as she tries feeling out her legs and feet, moving them slowly under the covers. But she then notes a sensation, or rather, lack thereof. “Wait where the fuck are my clothes?? HELLO?!” “Hey now, you had pointy rocks stab and impale parts of your body. I had to take some off, so I could properly stop the bleeding. You can have them back whenever you want. I just needed to make sure you didn’t die needlessly 10ft from my house.” “You fucking what? 10ft from your HOUSE? This is inside your house? HOW?!” The caretaker winces at that.

“Are you familiar with GS?” They directly ask Jill. “Yes. Yes I am, I recently got into it,” “Ok that raises more questions as to how you ended up like that but, in short this is one of my Divested applications of it: you’re shrunk down as a patient from being tagged to be taken inside this smaller house.” “Dollhouse. I’m in a fuckin’ dollhouse like that cute lady’s fullbring from bleach.” “I- Ok so that’s not inaccurate that I have a similar ability to Riruka Dokugamine, but um, don’t quite love you for cuteness nor did I sneeze on you to get you in here. Just patched you up and continually cause you to be healed while you’re in there.” Jill takes that in for a second, blinking.

“Ok so, first of all” Jill begins, sounding pleased “It’s phenomenal, that you got what I meant about Ms. Dokugamine. And, yeah, I’m glad you didn’t sneeze on me to fit me in here. Oh yeah what is your name and thanks for saving my ass.” “Ok. Well, you’re welcome. No mention on that other part, but ok. Again, you will have a boosted ability to heal while in here. Um, my first name’s.. Jaimie but I go by my middle’: Grace, the rest is a secret til’ you’re healed. But I do have questions about the people around you when I had to patch you up? That ok? GS report of the incident, you know how it is.”

“Oh you mean the people who did it? Sure sure.” Jill answers Grace with a dull tone. “They- Those were the ones that did it?” Grace moves to sit down at a desk nearby, within Jill’s eyeline. She sits legs crossed, tense posture. “Tall tan guy, a short white guy, a short white girl and a tall white girl? What happened here?” Grace goes on to question/ask for confirmation of. The looking up from the clipboard to Jill, waiting for her to speak.

“Ah, let’s see: tall tan guy is Adam about my age so 27, uh short white guy is Danika who’s ’bout 23, same age for the short ‘white’ girl who’s called Maria and the tall white girly is called Mace, who’s uh I wanna say mid-late 20s ’least 25.” Jill lists and estimates as she scratches an itch. “Ay. Don’t scratch those. You’ve been down for...” Grace checks her watch, “12 hours now, let them heal. DON’T reopen them!” She demands as Jill scratches at the gauze over her eye. “Ok I know I shouldn’t, however, this is itchy as fuuuck.” “I think whoever you’ve been with that causes that much itching is someone you should sue.” Grace jests, though it fails to land. “Whaat?” Jill asks, at least not scratch at herself for the moment.

Jill just looks more around the room, noting it’s dim lighting, though some visible mould on said ceiling lights. Then back at Grace. She sees her clothing and though she is unable to see perfectly, she knows what she sees in her life saver’s odd, outdated attire.

With the subtlety of a crossroad killing, Jill directly asks “Hey so why are you wearing that nurse’s outfit?” “Hmm?” “Your outfit. Those clothes, not that I disagree with outdated midcentury camp, but like did I bleed on all your good clothes?” “No?? What kind of- I chose to wear this you little shit.” That last part was less playful in its delivery this time, “Oh are you big into themed cosplay or just having fun with your job, or is mending people’s wounds your job even...?” Jill flatly asks with the decorum of a brick. Grace just sits there for a second looking at Jill and questions her decision to have saved her life. Before remembering the whole point of her reason for doing so. That and however annoying Jill is right now, is better than other patients she’s had.

“Does it bother you?” Grace directly asks back, ignoring the other questions. “What?” “My outfit. Does it ‘bother’ you, huh?” With a hint of something more than mere playfulness at the end. “That’s one hell of an undertone to a question, after you took my clothes off to give me medical attention.. You get any complaints of unprofessional demeanour?” Jill questions toward Grace/Jaimie, while looking to see her reaction. A slight smirk, almost like she was expecting that, arises.

(There’s a rising sense of ‘something’ here... This woman, isn’t entirely unfamiliar. That fact unnerves me. Is she someone I know, but forgotten? I recall I took at least 3 blows to the head one way or another, before peeling back up but.. Hmm, where have I seen her before then? My instincts say she’s human all right. And her smell confirms that, as well as her eyes. Those eyes as she writes stuff down. Maybe from the 1st college? Maybe a previously colleague?) Jill puts her left hand to her face, particularly her chin.

“Oh, you’re pondering something while you’ve been lookin’ at me for a while? What is it..?” Grace calls out, neutral, not curious but seemingly knowing what’s happening. “Uh ok. Well, I think I know you from somewhere.” “Oh that you do.” “I do?” “Why are you uh questioning that?” “Please don’t be offended; I can’t place you. I don’t actually know who you are. I suspect this,” Jill points to her head’s bandages, gauze and general wrapping that are not white but aren’t wet either. “Oh. Ohh shit,” Grace responds realising a few things at once. Her eyes dart across Jill’s face, more details taken on board.

“You ARE ###### though, right?” Grace asks as plainly as she can trying to hinder her nervousness. Jill gives an irritated glance, “Well I was once called that, but have since changed a lot, to a better format. Including the fact I’m now called Jillian or Jill Sharks.” Grace’s mouth slightly opens, forming a small oval shape as she processes that information. Her eyes widen as she makes a few quick realisations then has suspicions of the people around Jill previously.

“Huh. Our time alongside each other, makes a lot more sense now. Good for you, although” “Although what? ’Makes things awkward for you in some way?” “No not that, we both know I like all walks and flowers; the people around you is that why they jumped you? I mean they gave me your deadname so I’m thinking that.” “Surprisingly no.” “The fuck does ‘surprisingly’ mean? Jill this sounds terrible for you, uh, you should probably elaborate before I go try slapping them silly myself.” Grace plots, looking plenty irate as is. ”Please don’t that’s not safe, hon’.” Jill urges out, unconsciously surprising herself and Grace at saying ‘hon’ like that.

“Well, something of you remembers me eh. Not super surprising given how long we were around each other all hours of the day though.” Grace stats as if it’s the most mundane, casual fact in the world. “All hours- Were we colleagues at work? College classes? Maybe roommates?” Jill asks, then pauses. (Roommates...?) Before looking Grace in the eye “... Were we ‘historical’ roommates?” Grace smirks as she asked “What makes you question thaat sort of thing, huh?” With this intrigued grin, narrowed eyes. A weird sort of tension pulls all across Jill’s body at such a question, accompanied by that expression. Worst of all for Jill, it’s a familiar tension.

(This woman across from me, dressed in a quite provocative nurse outfit, like for halloween.. She speaks as someone who spent several hours around or with me, smirks when I asks if we were involved with each other. And this kinda feeling about it is familiar, but no words or names are evoked. Annoying!) Jill scowls, saying “Just give me a direct answer here. I’m trying to piece together things. If you need an information exchange for it: those bastards that jumped me all had dangerous or outright unfair kinda abilities, which they used to jujump me so efficiently. Don’t get gettin’ crossroaded on my behalf.” Jill offers.

“Ahahaha, oh that’s precious you think-!” Grace laughs out, before stopping herself to calm down after a few seconds of giggling. “Heh, no, I’m not interested in an exchange of information.” She says in a now more pronounced sultry tone, after getting slightly closer. But at that, Jill’s tone shifts to firmly fire off “Oi. Not that that I don’t appreciate this kind of thing from someone as nice looking as you, but, I don’t think this is right to happen after I got my head smashed in y’know” with this grave, nervous, silent tension now hanging in the air around both women. It lingers for a moment, before Grace breaks that silence.

“Well.” She begins, sounding deflated, almost like she’d been disappointed in a very specific kind of way. “I guess even when you can’t remember, you’re still ‘you’ even down to something like just now.” Her tiniest expressions, speak of a quiet sadness at this outcome. (Not lovers, not lovers then.. Something unresolved) Jill gets the clear picture of, in the moment.

“You also didn’t really answer my other questions, so let’s go with something more direct: What the hell happened leading up to you getting ‘efficiently’ jumped? I’m making a report here for GS’s general bullshit.” “Oh, yeah, so this was an ongoing thing for ’bout 3 or 4 years after I parted from all those people there and, well, the main root cause is bullshit. The main thing is that this a planned thing they wanted to do, before I could access anything.” Grace looks down at her clipboard, its listing of Jill’s numerous worrying injuries then back up at the person in question.

“So that’s attempted murder.” Grace flatly says. Irritation showing more clearly than the earlier sadness. “Hey now, I warned about their abilities being dangerous, please don’t try fighting them right now.” Jill automatically pleads.

“It’s not so much that,” Grace pressed on while looking at Jill. “Oh? What is it then?” She responds, “Were you actually through The Ceremony when they attacked you? Or were you carrying the basic things still?” “OH. Oh shit I still had the basics.. Fuck I didn’t have an idea yet for the ‘present heart’ of it yet.” “Yeah ok so pre-meditated murder attempt. Uh-huh. Looks like since you survived, you’ve been coldly initiated.” “Initiated? Really? I know they beat me intending to kill me and all, but doesn’t an initiation usually cause a permanent harm? Maybe loss of limb.”

“Oh you haven’t realised yet.” “Realised fucking what.” “Your right arm. It’s in a pretty bulky cast right now,” “Yeah? Oh my god am I missing it?” “Uh sort of.” “The fuck does ‘sort of’ mean?” Grace looks away, then back to her clipboard and begins hurriedly writing.

Jill anxiously tries feeling sensation through her arm. She does feel, all manner of relief follows, until about her wrist. Then the sensations get dim, dimmer, radiating outwards. “Have I lost some of my fucking fingers...?” Jill mutters to herself in shock. Then she looks back at Grace.

“What happened to my body, Grace? How injured was I really?” She demands with urgency. “Well, your skull was in sections, you fell or more likely were slung onto some pointy rocks that impaled your right side into almost mush. Your ribs that are easier to count which ones aren’t broken alongside arm and leg. Your hand had 3 holes in it, I gave it a mechanical support.”

“I...There’s really no curse more distorted than love, eh?” Immediately Grace pounced on that sentiment “Someone you love did this to you? Hello?” “NO! No, I do not love them.” “Then what the hell...?” “Someone I once loved. Though to their despair it was familial and/or of friendship. Just more outwardly griping about that white-haired manwhore being right.” Grace raises an eyebrow noticeably.

“You knew a manwhore...?” “Yeah, several actually. Wait, why can I remember my manwhore friends or well mostly acquaintances, the thots, but not You. You’re the person in front of me and saved me but I can’t recall ya, but I can recall some manwhore friends who will 100% give an ‘I told you so’ if they knew any of this. Tch. Twinks eh,” Jill continues griping. Grace meanwhile is shocked into silence for the moment. Looking left to right, as if she’s questioning herself if she heard right.

When this is noticed by Jill, feeling eyes on her intently, she looks over to see Grace’s face. “Oh was I not as talkative to you before?” She asks her medical saviour, with this genuine tone of curiosity. “No, no you weren’t. Never this open about yourself either. Even now, you uh.. Well you actually seem more ‘lively’ than when we were around each other.” “I’m more lively as a near-destroyed girly, than when- No wait that makes sense. I was boymoding tf out at w-WORK! We were colleagues.” “Among other things.” Grace comments. ”You’re doing this on uber-purpose.” Grace smiles at that notion. “Damn it Dark Rose... Ok I remember that. And you’re at least a colleague of mine at...? Ugh no dice. I remember the taste of spiced meat being related.” “I tasted like-?” Grace begins to say, before spotting Jill’s glare at them through the dollhouse’s clear view section.

“Ok, ok, I’ll stop, we didn’t do anything like that despite the surrounding context.” “Ok now that is just as bad. THE FUCK does that mean?!” Jill yelps only to hurt herself in the process, clutching at her ribs. Grave wordlessly gets up and assists, using her own abilities to turn back that damage, even causing something new to slip in under the bandages. “Agh! What’s this now?” Jill painedly demands though her volume is low. “More supports, since you’re feistier than I remember and I’m riling you up. I do still want you to heal you know,” “Despite irritatingly not telling me how close we were? Tch. You realise I’ll eventually figure it and make decisions based on that and this right? Just what could you be... hiding.” Jill grumbles, before coming to a kind of realisation, while looking at Grace’s expression. Watching as her hands move to reform and mend her own broken body gently.

(She cares, she’s healing me near as well as a potion just slower. But she’s hiding our actual connection...? Is there something she’s actually trying to hide or something she’s trying to ‘preserve’ here. That’s what it feels like). Are a few of the flying thoughts of Jill while she eyes Grace keenly. “Hm?” She notices the staring. “Wow, my outfit does not bother you at all,eh~?” She speaks more breathily. Jill remains unmoved, just staring, blinking still but not saying or reacting much. Remembering. “Ah, you’ve sort of shut down huh. Yeah that checks out, sorry man. OR UH! Sorry girly? I just- [Sigh] You’ll see why I’m keeping info’ from ya. We left on sour notes with each other, because of some stuff after the place we were working at got lit up in flames.” “Itwhat? Everyone ok after??” “I mean, yeah. Shaken up, some definitely stirred. But everyone got out with just a few cuts and bruises.” “Better than a lot of the other stuff..” Jill quietly says, looking as if she’s remembered something else.

There’s a few a seconds of ‘downtime’ before a heavy knock on the door leading into the room. “Oh shit,” Grace mutters, getting up, adjusting her clothes to show a little less skin before almost lunging at opening the door. Seemingly cutting off the person who was about to walk in.

“Is that you momma’s boy?” Grace starts annoyed “Oh it’s you ma.” becomes neutral at the correction.

“Hi sweetie, how’s the person you bought in earlier? Alex tells me he’s that co-worker you had that massive crush on at the pizzeria place, what was their name now-” Cassandra playfully spells out, “MOM! They’re awake in The Dollhouse, don’t joke like that.” Grace snarls with the fury of someone embarrassed in front of a crowd. “Besides, yes it is them, but they’ve revealed they were a girl the whole time.” “Ohh. Is that because of the rumours of how that place treated female staff?” “Yeaah, that crap.” “Well, that’s good for you then. You always preferred girls!” “MOM! She’s my patient right now! STOP!” Grace damn near growls at her mom before closing the door on her. Jill watched this entire thing play out. Grace is stood against the door refusing to look back at anything or anyone behind her, arms pressed against the door.

“Ok have fuun!” Is called by her mom from behind the door.” “Just go already mom. She doesn’t even remember me properly.” Grace pops off while softly pressing her head against the door. There’s the sound of Grace’s breathing a bit heavier.

“Is that the uh whole reason, or is there’s something more to why you weren’t direct with me?” Jill calls across the room. Grace looks back furious, speedwalking to the dollhouse, seeming way more menacing as she stands by it, glaring in. “What, did you say?” “I said: is there something more to this than just, like, your crush or former crush of me? Like did we have an argument that became heated or insult each other badly?” “I... [Sigh]. I just wanted 5 minutes of us both not having that at our forefront and being able to talk to each other, without being hurt. But apparently, I assume my mom was listening in, my feelings on the matter also go aired out like a school.” Grace drags on her words out.

“Uh-huh. Well, is there a faster way for me to heal? I know this ability already speeds up things from the fact I’m still alive and able to speak after, what was it you said, 12 hours?” Jill inquires with a firmer voice. “It- That would hurt a lot because of how quickly it snaps things back into place, not to mention the fuckass vitamin/mineral drop to the floor.” Grace answers genuinely, with complete honesty. “Ah pain’s no obstacle but that nutrition is. Got anything to aid with that, or act as slowing the vitality hit?” Jill explains and ponders. “I can, well...” Grace responds seeming more hesitant. Jill picks up on this and eyes her closely. “Are you, perhaps, worried the moment I’m healed I’ll leave you?” Grace looks away before answering “...Yes.” A mixture of shame and apprehension palpable in the air.

“Eugh, maybe it’s the head trauma but I don’t really wanna leave just yet. Apparently I’ll need food and, well, I don’t know the area. Nor do I want to be out in the open right now...” Jill explains quietly, requiring that Grace focus on amplifying her ears, to even hear her. “Ah, yeah...yeah.” Grace responds with a mix of relief and guilt at feeling said relief. “Oh, also,” Jill continued on, louder now almost normal in volume.

“Y’see I’ve remembered a few things from my past, Dark Rose. Including things I remember not telling you, causing our fractures. Just said ‘I can’t, not with you’ and couldn’t say why at the time. I think I should stay to give you closure on that much.” Jill says at a normal decibel now, waiting to see Grace’s reaction. Which is an unparalleled confusion, at first. Then the expression changing to frustration and intrigue. “Tch. Why would I want to know that, huh?” She says with this barely annoyed tone. “Because I remember how hurt you looked, when I turned you down. Despite how much I wanted to yell ‘yes,’” Jill softly answers. Though this does little but irritate Grace a lot more.

“You little shit, why the hell would you go telling me THAT?! Now I’m just confused AND ANNOYED!” Grace howls in pain.

Looking almost playful through the fatigue, Jill presses “Wow, I’m the gal with one workin’ eye from head trauma, but you seem to’ve forgotten: I can tell when someone’s aching about some certain things. Though, in our case, it’s cause someone traumatised the hell out of me into ‘shutting down’ an’ not to do ‘anything’ with anyone for like 3 years.” Jill’s words are spoken with this dispassionate tone of almost mocking of themselves.

Grace goes back to sitting in her chair and desk, swivels to look at Jill. She’s deep in thought. (Yeah... All those years ago, she seemed weirdly ‘hollow’ when telling me she: couldn’t date anyone right now, especially not me). “Whoever caused this much trouble for you, have I met them?” Grace cautiously asks, eyes betraying her underlying intent for harm. “Yeah, remember those names I mentioned earlier?” “Yeah..? Do I gotta hire a hit on them, because like... I think my short-term therapist might even greenlight that.” “I-Damn ok. Well, one of them is the traumatising reason we basically didn’t get together.” Jill answers faithfully. Something in Grace cracks.

“Oi oi. One of them bastards is the reason we went from sharing our lunches, trying not to make out, but still sit practically on each other, to you turning in your 2 weeks notice...” (Then the pizzeria fire happened after that, too!) Her eyes begin to wet, but not enough for tears to fall just yet. Malicious intent is brewing too readily for any crying yet. “Which one and what happened.” Grace demands without hesitation. “Well, you’ll want to sit closer as I do not want to say it too loud.” “What? Is it that hard for you? Fuck, it’s not recent is it?” Grace questions, alarmed.

“Relatively not a new thing, just the consequences and recurring crusades.” “What the fuck... Gimme the basics and root cause. That’s easier right?” “Welp. To compress and condense 9 years into a few sentences... There was this guy, he liked me, I liked them back, but the way we liked each other was different, like I said earlier.” “The familial and friendly...?” “Yup. Like a family friend. They liked me, in a much less limited way.” “Oh. What uh, if any can you say on that?”

“Well, upon what they said some time before the jumping, was they had a very intense desire of me from day 3 of knowing me. Meanwhile, I’d been treating them as a good friend, soothing them through mental health crisis’, navigating earlier life things. A baby gay, while I was an elder gay they knew of.” “Oh my god... But how the fuck does you being a lifeline turn into you needing me as one?” “Oh that’s technically really simple in the bleakest way: They liked me deeply, romantically, sexually. In fact very sexually, like they later admitted just my talking like I am now would drive them into a wet frenzy. I didn’t like them the same. I turned them down gently a lot.” “Wait don't you mean stiff frenzy?” “No, I don’t.” “What the-Oh.”

“I told em stuff like ‘hey you’re too young for my liking, seeing as you’re underage and maybe this is a conversation for much later.’ And ‘Please. Date someone your own age.’” “Did they??” “They did a bit. But things came to quite a head before I put in my 2 weeks: Somehow my comments of ‘you’re a minor, no’ and ‘date someone your own age’ never really dissuaded them at all. Then they hit their 18th.” “Oh fuck is this going where I think it is?” “Mm maybe? The bare bones of it, is they were with someone through their 18th, but something just kept boiling up in them. So after a few things, and almost the entire year to my surprise, they sent me their nudes. Roughly, said it was a pre-bday gift,”

“Well damn ok, uhh how does this turn into you getting your head becoming a watermelon in a hippo’s mouth?” “Welp, my initial reaction wasn’t very hinged. And when I woke up the next day, already being mauled by other things, I saw the images with fresh eyes. Not great. Then saw that their ex-gf had texted me their good news, they were back together.” “Wait what? Did they default to them? Did they weirdly settle for their ex?” “No, they cheated on them by sending the images.” “WHAT?!” “Mhm. So I asked them about it, like hey what about you literally being back with your ex? What’s with these images? Later gumshoe’d to be 2 hours into their then relationship.” “Ok, this is getting weird as is... Did you tell them to delete them?” “Didn’t get to. They said, when asked about their current gf for this supposed bday gift, ‘Oh dont worry Ill have time.’ I didn’t say anything after that, shut down quite hard. Only thing I did do was remove myself from their group and just not interact with them.” “Did.. Did that cause the watermeloning?” “Somehow no.” “How much longer did this go on for...?”

“Let’s see, for a few days of complete silence until my bday. Where, well, they delivered on what they said they would just a lot more too. All while I was getting a video message from their gf about what a great friend I’d been to her. Snapped me back into the room right fast, I started spiralling. Ended up trying to block them, but got questions from the gf and I tried citing the previous weird behaviour, only for them to talk me into unblocking the son of a gun. Muted that avenue though, after telling them they shouldn’t keep the images up and only really responding to the gf’s messages, no calls. Only THEN, do we get the massive nose dive into nuclear fallout.”

“Only then? Oh wait I see what’s going on there... Let me confirm, continue.” “Ok... Well, let’s see, received nudes, woke up hungover, told they were back with ex, promised more on bday without hesitation, I dissociate, get a thank you for being a good friend on my bday as well as audio and a short video of a different kind, then try blocking, couldn't so mute after saying to delete the nudes etc, hmm. Ah, right, of course. That guy implodes from what he says is guilt, but later, its really proven not to be.” “What could constitute as imploding, with what he’s done so far? I’m also scared to ask- Hey, is this the bare bones version.” “Yeah there’s a lot I’m skipping over. Like, a lot. My grieving a parent at the time, his parents and extended family weirdness and more. More direct, uh, he blew up like a nuke and confessed to everything he’d done.” “What?? That doesn’t make too much sense, was he feeling that guilty?” “Not guilty enough to remove the nudes until when I told him a 2nd time.” “Oh.” “As I said, highly doubt guilt for cheating on his gf. I know the exact reason boiled down to him being jealous of me talking to his gf and not him, in the way that he owned me.” Jill continues on, looking worse for saying that. Grace’s rage builds.

But Jill continues on, after breathing in a slow deliberate way. “While also trying to pin it on me, as the adult for like y’know. Combs and hair to look nice.” “...You fucking what? No, no, who was it, I need to kill this son of a bitch myself.” “Ok, so it was Danika but-” “NO, no room for buts or butts. Did they begin accusing you of grooming them, after you specifically turned them down/rejected them?” “Yes actually.” “Ok, so imma need info’ on their abilities and I’m going to murder them.” “Valid, if I don’t do it first.” “Fuck it, duo? I’ll train your full GS, or find help to. We’ll do fuckin’ something about them.” “There is a pinch more to tell about them, I’d like to say it too.” “Ok, well I’ll probably despise them more for it, but go on.”

“So, after a bit where they blew up, of course their gf finding out about the nudes and Danika not saying everything they did, classic, they and I started doing cyber detective. Came up with a few answers, mainly the main motivator was an intense, jealous rage of said gf, Fleur, because they got attention from me. Not flirtation, given their age, not preferential treatment either since that was much much later, but anyinteraction with them rather than with Danika in a choice.” “Wh...” “So to cut things to the bone quickly: Danika got back with Fleur after they broke up, because Danika kept flying into jealous rage states about me directed to Fleur herself I think, then cheated on them specifically to hurt them in what was in his own words verbatim ‘to punish her.’ Also some really unhinged, somehow more so than already, basically along with everything else that Fleur was replacing Danika or again in his own words ‘the new Danika in, well, my life.’ Superr.”

“All is little above extreme unhinged ranting that kept pouring out from there on, including admitting to so many other creepy, fucked up things. Like the voice thing, among the crimes he’d wished happened to him, such as wishing he was assaulted. Sexually. ‘Just to have sex’ in his words because he was that horny at the time.” Jill’s breathing becomes more apparent, as she attempts calming herself. “That man... Eugh, he really wanted some serious crimes to happen to him just to satiate his desires. And now that son of a bitch is in GS, the power system that if nothing is based on desires and/or emotions.” “God you’re right, I woulda introduced myself as a concerned party close to you. That motherfucker might Tsukuyomi my ass or something equivalent.” “Ugh this has dragged on a bit... Look, after expounding several minutes of a congealed malice in the form of a rant that makes Elliot Rogers look like a semi-well adjusted person; He spent a few days acting like he did no wrong, then held me n Fleur hostage by like, threatening to off himself, destroying any boundaries or reasoning Fleur had, resulting in them turning against me too by eventually agreeing I led Danika on and totally enticed them.” “What.” “Yeah apparently like 3 and a half years of ‘no lets not, you’re too young, anyway imma flirt with other grown adults sometimes which you’ll see by proxy of shared servers’ is somehow encouraging them.” Jill pauses.

“Not even going to touch on the voice stuff. My attempt at a nsfw VA career was nuked out of orbit when they found that little number that I specifically hid.” “Whoa whoa, you were flirting with other women?” “Women?” “Yo? Ayo?” “Tch. There was an entire, literal harem at one point which kinda doubles down on the fact of not wanting them.” “This is gonna sound a bit insensitive, but are you 100% nothing you said gave them any wrong impression?” “Unless they took any flirtation or advance I made on someone else, as solely intended for them somehow, no, I don’t quite think ‘please dont kill yourself’ is encouraging a queer teenager and later adult into being degenerately lustful of me. [Cough, cough] leading into them ruining my fucking life twice and later mounting a murder attempt of me.” Jill lies back into the bed.

“What was that about ruining your life? Is THAT why you left?!” Grace asks moving even closer, face nearly pressed against the glass, eye wide. “It is a large part of it. First time it was all of my friend groups and fringe group associate with Danika and Adam. All of them just leaving me, isolated, in the knowledge they believed I was a monster before even asking a single thing.” Jill takes a moment to breathe.

“Then Christmas Day back in ’23, I was subject to almost everyone I knew, leaving my side. Hell I temporarily lost access to the LGBT group I was in, because the owner/admin got wind of what I was being accused of, through a chain: Ol Sol, from Adam, from Danika. And back then, well, Sol was in his own words later, caught up in the emotionally charged response to the allegations being dropped on everyone.” “Oh my god that could of been planned.” “Oh, no, Danika and Adam planned on this for several months in advance. Later learned Adam waged this crusade on his own terms without Danika but I doubt they’d turn that down at that time.” Jill reveals, sounding exhausted by now as Grace looks on, putting a timeline together. “There was that weird, brief contact with Danika in 2025 though...”

(Pre-meditated to ruin her life, then pre-meditated to kill her! This is a pattern...). Grace thinks to herself, as she eyes Jill up and down. “Wait, what happened in 2025?” “Oh uh Danika reached out, after a few days I accepted on a burner account out of curiosity. Got closure even. They were initially, pure vitriol to me. Saying they wanted me to own up to what I’d done. Then later on in the convo, through their own mind unravelling through it’s own instabilities, well, they let the truth slip: what they’d done in accusing me of being a predator they’d essentially done to someone else before. Oh and in one of the brief interludes where we had blissful no contact for a few months, they went entirely out of their way to find people my age, while they were still a minor to fool around with. I assume they used details from that, to aid in telling lies about me. Sure as shit would make them convincing people easier.” “... I feel sick. This is the dark sort of person you were dealing with?” Grace responds weakly. “Yeah. I didn’t know all the details until December ’25, but I knew the majority of the pain, the torment and the paranoid that Adam would show up at my door late at night. Maybe even to finish his crusade.” Jill elaborate further, before attempting to calm herself with deep breaths. Grace is doing the same, though her expression quickly shifts to that of anger.

“I can’t teach you GS.” “What? Wh-?” “I’m too angry, too ‘biased.’ I’ll have to make a call to see if mentor’ll come here which is a longshot. We’ll need to travel to them otherwise,” “We... might be going on a trip?” “We just might. For now, I think I’m going to try finding nutrient milkshake or some paste so I can heal you later. Not right now.. I can’t right now in this headspace.” “System on emotion, kinda makes sense your ability being iffy by me briefing of what’s happened would dampen something.” Jill responds slower than before, breathing more audible.

“Jill, are you even ok?” “No, not really. Remembering all that... Never feels great.” Jill answers breathing still audible, as her breaths become deeper. She is visibly tired, though calmer after a moment. “Can I get you anythin’? Food or Drink?” “Just some water and a question.” “Oh? Shoot.” “These ‘basics’ of the GS... Do they even help at all as a ‘real’ part of it?” “Yes. It’s the pre-training of it. Reinforcing the will like that, smooths out the process of the entire system. You know those 2 young men? The 1 in 1 million guys?” “...Yeah those who were children when surpassing where I am before GS.” “They did about 2 months of them before being initiated, albeit gently, like a Baptism.” “Wow. The one Baptism I woulda liked.” “Heh. Yeah,” “Oh almost forgot to say,” “Hm? Forgot what?”

“Sorry for leaving so abruptly in ’22.” “Yeah.. Anything happen in that year?” “Nah, but December ’21 is when Danika exploded, so fallout fell until end of January” “Ah. Yeah, your 2 weeks put on January 1st and your reaction to if your new year’s was good, makes a lot more sense now. Well, I almost forgive you for leaving ’kay?” “Ye-Whaddya mean almost?” Jill questions, looking at Grace intently, confused. “Even though your reasons are, y’know, reasonable you still left. Could’ve done with you being there, when our old job went up in inferno y’know.” Grace presses, to Jill saying nothing but looking at her.

She leaves to get that water, but not before having to lean against a wall to stay upright as her breathing becomes erratic, panicked both from what she’s learned and now what she knows.