Shenanigans!

[phaselocknroll]

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[phaselocknroll]

I probably should have warned you.

[ She's apologetic, at least, offering him a small smile. ] There are some things the stories never mention- like what happens when a Siren gives someone her heart.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He repeats her words in his mind, but puzzlement only lasts for another second.

Oh.

... Oh.

He doesn't quite smile, but his expression relaxes into something content and happy -- and it's the most genuine thing he's felt all day. ]

I guess we're skipping the courtship, then.

[phaselocknroll]

[ There's no mistaking the relief she feels at his reaction, and she leans her forehead against his again ]

I guess so.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He pulls his hand away from her waist, glances down at his palm to see it's bare again, and before, when he thought of ending their contract, he was afraid she would leave immediately.

But she won't, he knows that now, and thank all the gods for that, because he needs her so desperately. ]

I love you.

[ Then, after a beat. ] You probably knew that.

[phaselocknroll]

I still can't read your mind.

[ But she's smiling, warm and content and complete ]

I love you, too.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He takes a deep breath, exhales it slowly. ]

What happens now?

[phaselocknroll]

I guess we have to figure that out.

[ her fingers slide, once again, through his hair ] But we do it together.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He smirks a little. ]

So you've got a thing for idiots going through existential crises, huh?

[phaselocknroll]

Hey, it was either you or a bunch of monks. So, good for you.

In all honesty though, how are you doing?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He slips his eyes closed, and he wonders, with the new threads that link them, if she can sense when he's lying, even if she can't read his thoughts.

But the calmness has gained from Maya hasn't faded, so when he speaks, it sounds a bit as though he's just reading a list. ]

Still confused. Sort of [ scared ] panicked. Wondering what the hell I did and how dangerous I might be.

[phaselocknroll]

[ It's going to take some getting used to, sharing a stream of emotions. ]

... Would you like me to show you?

[nostalgiabomb]

... How do you mean to do that?

[phaselocknroll]

I can show you my memories.

[nostalgiabomb]

I'm-- guessing that's new, then.

[phaselocknroll]

I--- well, yes and no. The option has always been there, but the spellwork involved is complicated. We've merely streamlined the process.

[nostalgiabomb]

I-- ... huh. [ It sounds an awful lot like mind reading to him, actually, which is something Maya said she couldn't do. But she'd probably argue and make a valid point and make him realize just how new he still is to all this stuff, so he keeps the comment to himself. ]

Then-- guess the next question is, is it something I'll like seeing.

[phaselocknroll]

... No. I doubt it will be.

But if you want to understand what you're capable of, then it's something you need to see.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He's reluctant to say yes, but he knows he's going to. He just-- for a long time, he's lived in ignorance of this, and he thinks, what's another couple of decades?

But he nods in spite of that thought, swallowing down the nervousness that's creeping up his throat. ]

What do we do?

[phaselocknroll]

You can feel it, right? The way we're connected?

Think of it as a stream- it's can only take so much water, or it will flood. That's why we can only feel what each other is feeling, and not hear each other's thoughts or anything else.

I can temporarily enhance its capacity, which will allow you access to my memories.

So, in essence, you sit there. Sit there and focus on our connection and I will send you what you need to see.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ For a little while, Peter frowns -- he still has a chance to back out of this, after all. Maybe he shouldn't see this. Maybe he should wait until tomorrow, or a week from now, or some other time when he's feeling more himself.

Granted, "himself" is now a fluid term, apparently, so maybe that's not the best criteria.

But eventually he nods, lets his eyes slip shut as he focuses on the invisible threads linking them together. ]

[phaselocknroll]

[ She puts her hands on his shoulders, pressing their foreheads together. Her tattoos flair to life as she pours magic into their connection- it's something of a strenuous process, and her brow furrows in concentration.

After a few moments she gives one final push, one final surge of power, and then she remembers. The scene plays back in her mind's eye- hiding behind the tree, confused and weak and oddly frightened. And then Peter.

Peter with lines flowing across his skin, Peter with inhuman sounds coming out of his throat. Peter wielding hellfire and dark magic, and killing the bandits quickly, messily, one by one.

Peter staring at her, eyes dark as night and without even a hint of recognition.

She remembers being scared, as he pinned her to the tree and blocked her airway. But mostly she remembers knowing that even if he kills her, that she owes it to him to not let him loose like this. Knowing that if she did, he would never forgive her.

He doesn't kill her, though, and in the moment she doesn't know why. But it gives her the opportunity to slip the silver chain over his head.

That's where it ends, and she pulls away ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ It's weird, to say the least, to watch himself through eyes that aren't his, even weirder to see his own body acting in a way wholly unlike himself.

He keeps thinking, That's not me, as he watches himself kill those men, tearing and charging and destroying them where they stand.

And the memory ends with him nearly killing her, and even if he knows how it ends, he can hear himself thinking, no, please, not her, and it seems to stay his other self's hand.

He's a shade paler when she pulls away, lips slightly parted as he takes deep breaths to steady himself. He didn't know what to expect, but that certainly wasn't it.

After a few seconds, he thinks he should probably say something. So, with more levity than he feels, he says, ]

... So. That was sort of terrifying.

[phaselocknroll]

But at least now you know.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ A nod is the only response he has to that for a little while. But then he asks slowly, ] If it happens again-- you'd stop me, right?

[phaselocknroll]

[ She gives him a very long look in response ]

... Are you asking me to kill you?