1171. Wounded minds, 3
(Armylè)
The curly red haired girl was sitting there on a bench, with a distant gaze. The tiles in front of her meant nothing. She was fifteen now, but didn’t look any specific age in her daze.
In her attire, in her aura, in a reflection or a shade, she appeared different or unrelated to age. Older, younger, something else. She looked fair, but she looked grim as well. Johann couldn’t quite put the word matching this tired face.
Néphéline had weakened and tried her best to adjust herself. But she was failing, slipping, and Margarette was the saddened witness of her decay.
Néphéline’s mind was a little broken really. Something had sunk, and the overall structure trying its best at being normal had collapsed alongside. All she felt when her thoughts could be, was pain and missing Prume. A vital element was gone and she was wilting.
Mourning didn’t really help. Not yet anyway. Grief remained searing.
She had remained there unmoving, trying to think a way out of her current self. She had not turned patient, she felt like she had turned hollow. She was lost and there was no point running around like there was any hurry. It was abandon.
In high school, she had inherited one of the sad nicknames from my daughters. One that meant she was frozen inside. Cold in all aspects and manners now. Although with her clear teal eyes, her glare remained aggressively sharp, even if she didn’t intend it.
She only felt undead inside.
She didn’t wear anything pink anymore. She had outgrown all her clothing. Not that it really mattered, but she mostly wore darker colours contrasting with her skin and hair. Possibly because Prume had usually wore this kind of style before.
She could look nice, but she didn’t care. She had given up. All that remained was this odd sensation she exuded like a constant noise or smell. Something tickling the mind of people around in an unpleasant way, now spreading and growing a little stronger than before.
To Johann discovering without understanding this effect, it was as if everything turned more revolting and unpleasant in her presence. She appeared ominous and yet was still fragile. Margarette was quite aware of it, and she had asked Johann to wait behind.
Johann stood in the back, perplex at the sensations of dread reaching him. He felt like death was looming, and couldn’t quite understand which of his senses was in alert. He wasn’t seeing nor hearing anything special.
Even though a part of his brain was now in turmoil and fright. All his instinct were yelling was that Néphéline was deeply unnatural and most likely dangerously insane. He rubbed his eyes, trying to understand what was wrong with his thoughts at this moment. There was nothing, and still something odd permeated everything.
Margarette meanwhile had reached her and caressed her head gently.
M - Néphéline, let us go?
N - Maggie...
Néphéline didn’t sigh, but Margarette heard it. Néphéline looked again nowhere, trying to reach something too far away again, hopelessly.
N - Why...
In the back, Johann was admitting the disturbing conclusion.
He had found the person able to turn Geder around. The one able to face him and have quite an influence on him.
He had heard her shortened story and now her voice, all the more now that she was chatting a little with her grandmother. Johann was a quick judge of people, but not a bad one.
In the subtle alignment of parameters, he could see it work. The crazy one with a disturbing shadow could interact in a positive way with the doctor.
He must have shown it on his face, because Néphéline suddenly noticed his presence.
N - Maggie, who is this?
M - He’s a friend of mine from the club. He’s a scientist called Johann.
Johann smiled a little, but not too much to adjust himself to her mood, and did a quiet wave toward her.
Néphéline glanced aside. She stood up and was ready to leave, forgetting about him immediately.
J - Néphéline, I apologise for the sudden request, but could I ask for your help?
He withstood the aura and even stepped inside willingly. She glared at him, but he didn’t waiver.
N - What... Me?
J - Yes. I believe you could help someone important to me. You seem to have the right qualities.
Néphéline was stunned. The fog in her mind turned to storm and incomprehension.
She couldn’t understand what was happening as this stranger was smiling and asking her for help.
She was terrified and looked toward Margarette for help.
Unfortunately her grandmother had understood Johann’s idea and was considering this could be a beneficial enterprise for Néphéline as well.
A sting, to realign everything.
Even if it’s through pain.
M - Néphéline, why wouldn’t you try helping?
Néphéline felt betrayed. She felt attacked and as if a caustic sludge was forced down her stomach. Margarette herself was betraying her.
N - Maggie! I don’t know this guy!
She was shaking, she was boiling. And Johann could recognise this kind of fires. She was visibly afraid, but he didn’t care about her suffering. He was trusting his judgement on this oddity for the purpose of another sting.
Meeting someone who could return his fire more than anyone who could possibly help him becoming more human.
Screw psychology. Johann wanted results, not humanism; and he knew Morhens would eventually see the same.
J - Well my name is Johann. And the friend I would like you to meet and chat with is called Geder Morhens. I was thinking of requesting Margarette for help initially; but now I the more I see you the more I believe you’re the one who will be able to shake him properly. You see, he’s an original, one of a kind. And I think you’re a rare similar personality. You would understand him better than we ever could.
Johann appeared cheerful. Margarette has a weird smile, giving her a Machiavellian look.
Néphéline felt like she was beaten down and hurt repeatedly. She screamed. She wailed. She didn’t want to encounter anyone new. She felt powerless.
Johann didn’t care how much it would hurt her, but he could see the chemical reaction that would hurt the professor just as much if not more. Someone that looked like him would be the most insulting and cheering anger he could envision. Margarette wasn’t lacking sympathy as much as her friend, but she could also see the benefit of forcing Néphéline to grow outside of her routine and sorrow. She had just lacked the opportunities herself.
After she had yelled her pointless tantrum, Néphéline was breathing heavily, rubbing her eyes.
They were still smiling at her, meanly to her eyes. Johann clasped his hands as if the agreement was over.
J - I’ll send him to meet you tomorrow then if that sounds good to you?
Néphéline was crying boiling tears. She was being humiliated. Sick thoughts swarmed her, increasing the strength of her aura. They felt it more sharply than when she had yelled just before.
Margarette walked closer to soothe her. She made a sign for Johann to go away. He left. Margarette held her granddaughter and tried to console her. Néphéline was stiff, nervous and angered.
M - My sweet... I know you don’t want to see anyone. And especially not old geezers so different from you... and her.
N - Then why are you doing this to me! It’s horrible...
M - We help each other Néphéline. It’s human. Even if it hurts our self interests sometimes. Even if you don’t believe it, you’re the same... You helped her before, and with great might. Why wouldn’t you be able to do the same for someone else? Even if you don’t see anything for yourself, I do. I think it would be useful for you to meet this Geder, whoever he is.
N - It’s disgusting...
M - I’m just asking for you to chat for a minute with him when you will meet. Nothing more and nothing else... It will be alright my dear. And you will see, I’m confident you will find something profitable from this experience later on. Even if you can’t see how or what today...
Néphéline was still in shock but gradually relaxed. To be forced to talk to someone else. She felt as if she had been thrown out of the household, repudiated.
If this trial, this incredibly difficult social challenge was meant to teach her something good, it was tormenting her sharply. She had not been herself lately and this didn’t seem at first that it could achieve anything else but bring more pain to her.
Margarette saw further. And Johann saw his own interests.
He returned peacefully to his home.
He had felt really sick next to her. Incredibly so. It was an amazing power, to put to good use like everything else.
Johann had held his stomach steady, and now he was satisfied with his plan.
Fighting fire with fire! He was going to present Geder with the possibility to meet someone exactly like him, or even worse and more crazy than him.
That sounded like a ludicrous gamble, but he knew enough of their respective personalities to know it would work. The meeting of these two souls would be an incredible experiment. Even if they had zero probability to become friends later, they would interact violently. The two tired souls would rapidly grow unstable and each leave that unlikely encounter with new fires.
He thought it was like putting two feral animals in the same cage. If you got them separated before they gouged each other’s throat, at least it would get their blood pumping adrenaline and keep them alert for a while.
Johann knew it would work. Whether it was the right thing to do didn’t matter.
~
