Teylon: Being raked over the coals by his caring Angel of Death
Travelling certainly gets complicated when I have to take into account everybody''s preferences. It was so much easier when it was only the lone Teflon Rat, within ten minutes I could pack my hand luggage and go. No commitments, no worries, no fuss.
And, they are all looking at me tell them what to do.
Let''s make it as comfortable as possible, shall we?
That keeps Juniper with both Devina and me.
That keeps Sarsaparilla and Adalace together, and lets Kaydence be with Sarsaparilla and Leroy. And Leroy and Adalace can get in some practice at being in each other’s company on a social basis.
Maggie and Sarawatch like each other, and Erasyl won''t object to going with Maggie, and maybe Maggie won''t object to going with Erasyl.
Wish I had specified the seats to be pointing in the same direction. It''s getting embarrassing looking at each other, and if I lean back and go to sleep everyone will be looking at me if I snore. Not that I ever snore, of course!
Oh shit, she''s going to have another episode.
Teylon’s Soul Reading: Juniper
Teylon:
Shit. Shit. That soul reading must be a memory fragment, showing what she is currently recalling.
Esmeralda! Why are you tormenting her like this?
At least she isn''t getting anything more... I hope.
Teylon’s Soul Reading: Juniper
Teylon:
This - this must be how she sees it. Shit, shit, shit, shit.
Esmeralda, stop this! Please! What hell are you doing!
Teylon’s Soul Reading: Juniper
Teylon:
If that man was here right now, he would be dead three times over - then turned to look back at Juniper.
You can''t hurt her now, you utter bastard!
Teylon’s Soul Reading: Juniper
Teylon:
What an utter creep!
I had better not look at the girls now, otherwise I''ll get scorch marks on my retinas.
At least, for the time being, Devina is letting me handle this, presumably because Juniper is concentrating solely on me.
So forget about the girls, let''s save Juniper first.
But how?
Pathetic, is this the best I can do?
Fucking hell, why did she have to come up with that? This is getting nightmarish. I had better start ad-libbing like mad here, and deflect this line of inquiry-
Teylon’s Direct Message From Esmeralda:
You will tell the full truth.
Teylon:
What!!!!!!!!
But she is on the verge of falling apart!
Teylon’s Direct Message From Esmeralda:
You will tell the truth. You will ensure that she doesn''t fall apart. If she does, that fact will be held against your soul.
Teylon:
... shit ...
gulp "did. But, not anymore!"
How am I different? But I want to look after her! What''s the magic words I can say to convince her?
Teylon’s Soul Reading: Juniper
Teylon:
Her psyche is collapsing before my very eyes! Esmeralda! How do I save her?
How do I answer that? I''ve never been in that situation...
Teylon’s Soul Reading: A much younger Teylon
Teylon:
Oh my god, where did that memory come from? I must have been suppressing it for decades.
Teylon’s Soul Reading: A much younger Teylon
Oh. She was killed in a car accident. Verdict of possibly suicide.
What do I think about this?
What do I feel?
I don''t know.
What''s this, tears? But, why?
Teylon:
Tears? After all this time? But I never thought about Emilia again.
I forced myself to never think about her. Buried myself into my work and blocked out all memories of her.
At least she is not being terrorised by her horrible memories.
This is agony. And I still haven''t saved Juniper.
I didn''t save Emilia.
Now I have to tell Juniper all about Emilia? At least she is being distracted from other things.
I have no options left, but to trample my dignity under foot and grovel. I can''t think of anything else.
Why am I still crying? Bloody hell, what is happening to me? And Juniper still doesn''t look convinced. What else can I say?
Oh. Right. This is my last, desperate, stand. Say I love her. And that I will commit myself to her care.
I have never committed myself to anyone before. Never. I have always run away. Admit it, I ran away from Emilia. I ran away from other situations that might have developed in the same direction.
Oh shit.
She could potentially disintegrate before my very eyes.
Say it!
What stopping you, you stupid twit!
Say it!
Oh shit. Now I''ve done it. I''ll never be free again.
But, I''m not free now, anyway, am I? Not after being reincarnated and all of that.
Admit it, I''m more frightened of commitment than of being killed and brought back to life again.
Pathetic.
At last, she''s calming down.
Oh my God. Esmeralda, this is all by deliberate plan, wasn''t it?
Force me into a corner where I had no choice but to bare my soul to save hers.
You bitch!
What sort of person would she have been if it wasn''t for all of this horrible stuff that happened to her?
She must have been a nice person, I''m sure.
Perhaps she would have had a boy friend by now? In her last year of schooling? Deciding on what to do with her future?
Instead, she was smashed down and discarded like a piece of useless rubbish. What chance did she have after all of that?
And now it''s up to me, God help me, to lead her back to life. Me and Devina, I suppose...
Crap.
I confessed to all of that, in front of these three?
Still another four hours to go.
Teylon:
Urk, the bright light is stabbing my eyes, my back has seized up, my right arm appears to be missing, and what is that hitting my knee...
Oh, right, Juniper is still sleeping, leaning against my side, and incidentally sitting back on my arm.
Great. For the next ten minutes, I''m going to slowly and painfully regain my feelings in my arm.
Oh shit, that''s right, I told Juniper I loved her and I committed myself to looking after her. And these girls watched me all the way.
And what will Juniper actually remember?