Cherubplay

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What? He could...actually /hear/ his? In any case, yes please, listen to the--

AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

I felt the worst pain I'd ever experienced in my dull existence, as if my substance was being torn limb from limb, which, on a very basic level, it was. As the doll was cut apart, my essence exploded out of it in an unnoticeable explosion that only I knew was happening. I got a momentary, black-and-white view of Terezi's horrified face before everything went dark.

I woke up somewhere. Everything hurt, my arms, my chest, my head, my.....

....wait.

Something was missing.

Something was very wrong here.

I sat up slowly, but gasped with pain and fell to the floor again instead. My back was too light, I felt empty inside, was this, no, it couldn't be, I'd heard stories but never thought them to be true, I.....

....no. Calm down, Seculus. Everything is going to be /fine/. Just. Bloody. Dandy.

I pried my eyes open. The light made my head throb for a moment before I adjusted. It looked like I was....back in the store? There it was, the dress Terezi had made the day she brought home the doll, adorning a stand above me. I went to push myself up again, slower this time, but had trouble managing my long, ungainly limbs. I tucked my odd hair back out of my face with one piano-fingered hand and did a damage assessment, pushing my glasses up my nose. No cuts or scars. Must be all muscle bruising. Oh, right, I had those now. I stumbled over my feet and the dizziness to reach the fitting rooms, where a full-length mirror clarified what I'd already feared with all my being.

My wings were gone.

I was human.

2015-04-24 07:44:48

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Terezi stood still. What the fuck just happened. Of course, she couldn't show what she was really feeling or else someone would think she was crazy. Probably Tassek. More than likely Tassek.

While this was going on, Ivory and Lance heard something going on in the fitting rooms.

"I got it." Ivory hopped over the counter and to the fitting rooms.

Though when she saw who was there, she stopped. Jawing dropping. That looked like. /No way./

"LANCE YOU'RE GOING TO THINK I'M CRAZY WHEN YOU HEAR THIS!" She called back to him.

2015-04-24 08:06:10

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HOLY SHIT THAT'S LOUD. I jumped and covered my ears, spinning around. Ivory?? Well, shit. This day was just getting better and better. "Would you please..../not/ yell quite so loudly?" And there was my annoying, soft British voice again. Dammit.

Tassek stared at the remains of the doll, then at Terezi. "What just....are you okay?" She looked like she was in shock.

2015-04-24 08:15:51

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Terezi turned Tassek. "Yeah, I'm fine." She lied.

Lance entered the dressing room. "Honestly Ivory there is no need for you to-" He stopped in his tracks upon seeing the male. "Holy shit. He looks like-"

"I know!" Ivory responded.

Lance immediately turned and rushed outside, finding Tassek and Terezi quickly. "You two might wanna see this, because if I explain it to you, you're going to think I'm on drugs."

Once alone once more, Ivory faced the human. "So how the hell did you get in here?" She asked.

2015-04-24 08:20:46

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I blinked in confusion and lowered my hands. What? Were they seriously shouting the news from the rooftop? It was unsettling to be the center of attention this suddenly. "I....um, miracles?" Screw this conversation, that's the best I can do under stress at short notice.

He frowned. "With everything that's happened in the last week, either I'm not going to be surprised if you are or I'm not going to be surprised if the thing's weird as heck. Lead the way." He helped Terezi back towards the shop.

2015-04-24 08:27:19

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Ivory stared at him for a second and then shrugged. "Works for me."

Lance led them into the dressing room. Yeah, he was on fucking display right now like a Christmas tree.

Terezi followed Tassek and Lance into the shop. Yeah, drugs. It wasn't like this doll magically- holy shit why the hell he look exactly like the doll. She stayed quiet. /Yeah/ She was pretty sure it was him. The fuck?

2015-04-24 08:36:03

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I crossed my arms defensively. Please stop staring at me, this is uncomfortable..... Terezi would understand, at least to some extent, right? I gave her a meaningful glance. /Help me out here./ I couldn't hear anything. No one was talking, and I couldn't hear what they were thinking about the situation either. Not knowing made things all the more troublesome.

Tassek gaped. The doll from earlier? But...big? And taller than him, even. Wha....

2015-04-24 08:43:36

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Of course, Terezi spoke up. "....Seculus?" She asked questionably

Seculus I'm sorry for yelling, I- wait, Why are you not in the doll any more?

...Seculus?

Seculus!

2015-04-24 08:46:59

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I let out a breath. Thank God. I nodded a little, then I mumbled "This was......the other issue."

Wait, she knew the guy? What the hell? Oh, wait, he was probably someone from her past. But why had he shown up here? And why did the doll look like him? He was completely confused.

2015-04-24 08:52:28

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Lance looked from Seculus to Terezi. "...You know this guy?"

"Uh...yeah...It's kinda a long story....Though I think it'd be best if Seculus told this one."

2015-04-24 08:55:31

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Oh no, don't you leave this to me. Do you seriously think I can tell my screwed-up life story to an audience? Hell no. I bit my lip and glanced at them. "....to be honest, I'd really rather not....." I could feel my heart rate speed up from nerves, as if having a heartbeat at all wasn't unnerving enough.

2015-04-24 08:58:25

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Seculus, come back!...sniff..sniff...I didn't mean to make you mad.

Great, yeah add more on her plate than what already is there. "Fine with me, I guess." Terezi spoke up. She looked to Lance. "Tassek and I...should be going. I think."

2015-04-24 09:02:36

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Wait, no, don't leave me, please. "A-alright. Okay, I'll try to explain, but I can't guarantee anything. Just....don't go." One of my hands was slightly extended toward Terezi, and I pulled it back to fold across my shaking chest.

He glanced back and forth between the two of them. Seriously, what the hell?

2015-04-24 09:06:59

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She exhaled. "Okay...Okay fine,I'll stay." Jesus kid, he wasn't helping her in the slightest here. If she even began to explain it, they'd probably ask if they could have some of what she's taking too.

2015-04-24 09:09:11

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....now, how to phrase this so I don't sound like I should be tossed in the loony bin and left to rot? "So....you know that little voice in your head that generally deals with morality-based issues? Your 'conscience'?" This question was directed towards the other three. I'd already given Terezi the talk, after all.

Tassek nodded. "Yeah, I think so." He had one of those. Well, not so much recently, but for the better part of his childhood.

2015-04-24 09:13:07

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"You mean the thing I never listen to?" Ivory joked.

Lance nudged Ivory. "Go on."

Okay, so far so good. They weren't looking at him weird.

2015-04-24 09:25:27

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"Um...sure. In any case, you could say that...I am one of those consciences...? Or half of one, anyway."

2015-04-24 15:40:46

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Ivory raised her eyebrow. "Wait, half?"

2015-04-24 15:43:55

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"Yes. Similar to the cartoon depiction of the angel and devil that appear on the character's shoulders. I am the angel." Wow, that almost sounded arrogant.

2015-04-24 16:03:34

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"Then. Who's angel are you...well, were you?" Lance spoke up.

2015-04-24 16:04:29

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This would be the difficult part. I extended one finger in the direction of darling, glancing nervously at the floor.

Wait, what? This guy...had been in his head? What the genuine /fuck/.

2015-04-24 16:05:40

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Ivory looked from Tassek to Terezi. "Wait... you knew this?"

"Mhmm." Terezi nodded slowly.

"For how long?"

"A while."

"And you didn't tell anyone."

"How could I?"

2015-04-24 16:08:01

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Fair point. It wasn't exactly a topic that you could casually bring up in a conversation. 'Oh, that's right, I met the voice that lives inside the head of my boyfriend, how was your lunch?' Actually, that might have been a fun discussion to watch.

"Why didn't you....." He was confused and slightly hurt that she didn't think it was important enough to tell him. "So he was in my head, and now he's here? How??"

2015-04-24 16:14:05

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Terezi shrugged. "No idea. My guess is that it had something to now torn apart doll that's outside."

Ivory narrowed her eyes at her. "Wait, what?" Agitation filled her voice.

2015-04-24 16:18:07

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Oh dear. Let's save the conflict for a later date, if you don't mind. "W-well, sort of, though it's mainly the fact that I went 'rogue'. Pardon my morbid example, but if I had died with darling, I would have returned to heaven and been given another assignment. However, since I was separated from him and had my vessel destroyed....the doll, I'm so sorry about that...this happened." I gestured with one hand to my body.

The way the guy called him 'darling' was both creepy and strangely familiar. He wasn't sure how to feel about this in general, and kept his distance. 'Seculus' was obviously terrified, though, and he could empathize with that.

2015-04-24 16:47:29