forum All my roleplays are dead please give me attention // closed oxo (I'll do more though)

Started November 22, 2021 by @Fraust

tune

Farah's eyes too held restricted tears. She sat up straighter and opened her arms for Aiki, if they wanted it.

Aiki hesitated for a moment, considering, but soon accepted the hug. He clung tightly to Farah and buried their face in her shoulder with a strangled sob.

"Shh," she whispered, gently stroking his hair. "It's alright. You're safe. Everything is okay."

Aiki only held tighter to Farah, sobbing weakly in her arms. He didn't really believe her; after all, it had been years and this still affected them so much. They felt weak, and he was scared that the men would come searching for him again.

"You're safe," she repeated, holding Aiki tightly as well to reinforce her words. "You're safe."

Aiki whimpered weakly in reply, still attempting to calm down so they could get to class. He was going to be late regardless now, so the best they could do was get there as soon as possible.

Farah could feel Aiki calming down, but only a bit. “We aren’t going anywhere until you’re ready, got it? Take your time,” she instructed.

"I'm so tired…" Aiki whispered shakily, their voice muffled from his face being hidden. "I'm sick of dealing with this… I-I just want to forget it ever happened and move on with my life."

Farah thought for a moment, then murmured, “Some mind fairy magic can be very powerful… such as… memory alteration.” The suggestion was hesitant, but she didn’t want Aiki to suffer any more.

"Can you… can you get rid of it? Please? I-I don't… I don't want it anymore… please…" Aiki begged in a weak whisper. "I can't do this anymore, Farah… I-I shouldn't be so bothered by it anymore anyway…"

Farah swallowed and bit her lip. “Alright…” She glanced down the hallway to make sure no one was coming before her eyes glowed and she placed her fingers on Aiki’s temples. “You’re sure?” she asked quietly.

Aiki nodded a bit. "I-I mean… it doesn't hurt, right? It won't bother anything else? It'll just help me forget…?" He asked weakly.

Farah lowered her hands for a moment and studied Aiki's face. "It's… a bit more than that. I'll be removing it completely from your memory. You couldn't forget it if you tried."

"Well, isn't that good? What exactly do you mean?" Aiki asked tiredly. "I don't want it to be in my memory anymore."

Farah nodded. "I suppose. I just wanted to make sure you know what I'm doing." She'd had bad previous encounters with fairies powerful enough to mold and prune others' minds – often without their knowledge or consent.

"Well, what exactly are you doing, then? What will it be like after you remove the memory?" Aiki asked. "Won't I still have memories of times it upset me, even if I don't remember the original event?"

"No," Farah replied. "Every memory with even a trace of the original will be removed. It will be completely gone."

"Ah… wouldn't that cause some problems, though? That would remove a lot of my memory from the past few years." Aiki seemed a bit more wary now.

"That's why I wasn't sure if you'd want this," Farah acknowledged. "I could attempt to… rework the memory? Make it less impactful? Or allow you to forget about it while leaving it intact."

"How exactly does that work?" Aiki asked tentatively. "If you can do something to help that won't damage anything else too much, that would be good…"

"I'm telling you about this – warning you of what will happen – because…" Farah swallowed sadly and continued. "I didn't get a choice. Simply making it forgettable might be the best option you have."

"Yeah…" Aiki was quiet for a bit, considering. They seemed pretty uneasy. "I just… can't do this anymore, you know? Every time I get reminded of it at all, I just… I can't do it. I should be able to walk in the city without getting upset."

Farah nodded sympathetically. Her fingers raised and pressed against Aiki's temples. "Ready?" she asked, her eyes glowing in preparation. "It won't hurt."

Aiki nodded nervously, closing his eyes as he prepared to forget. Their ears were still turned back, and their heart was racing with anticipation and anxiety.

The feelings that raced through Aiki also raced through Farah. She breathed slowly and let herself into Aiki's mind.

The memory was vivid. Like she was there. Each excruciating second of seeing Aiki in pain. She wanted to close her eyes, but it wouldn't work if she did. She stood – an immobile bystander – and watched. It took a long time, but finally, she had seen it all. Once it was over, she closed her eyes and extended her hand, palm facing outward. At first, she wasn't sure if it was working, but then she slowly began to feel dizzy. The dizzier she felt, the closer she was to being done until–

Farah gasped as the job finished. Spots dotted the edge of her vision. "Oh God," she whispered. "I… I need to lie down…"

Aiki quivered as Farah went through his memories, but they soon started to relax when the memories were fading. They were still present, but in the depths of his mind where he wasn't likely to think of them again. They were a bit dizzy when Farah pulled away as well, but they couldn't quite remember why. He just assumed that his hypoglycemia was acting up, and they turned their attention to Farah. "Ah, Farah? Are you alright? What happened?" He asked her worriedly.

Farah winced and held her head. "I'm okay. I just need… need to… I need to…" She felt herself about to pass out, but she fought to stay awake.

Aiki looked concerned, but wasn't stressed about his own problems anymore. They came closer to Farah, trying to figure out what they could do to help her. "Should I take you to Eiji?" He asked.

"No, it's alright. I… Ohhh…" Farah used her hand to feel out the closest wall, and once she had, she used it as an aid to move down to the floor level where she could sit. "I'll be okay, I just… need a minute."

"Are you sure? You don't look so good…" Aiki kept near to Farah in case they needed to catch her or carry her to the infirmary. He didn't really remember what exactly had happened before this.