UN: xhatgurlx

[hattersgonnahat]

they want to bring me back home........

its too dangerous.


[She lets that post sit there by itself for a few minutes. It's not too shocking that this had something to do with the Hunt earlier. Or the other mishap with the museum mission. Informed by the school in some capacity.]

[She eventually adds on as a response--]

im sure i can talk them out of it! everybody is fine now. its not a big deal.

[...Please. Don't let her leave.]

Comments

[hattersgonnahat]

[She's had enough time to realize Grimm didn't mean to do the things he did. But even then, Puella still looked at the text for awhile. It's okay. Everything was okay now.]

[Seeing him again won't cause any negative reflexes. Maybe.]

sure.

[fireindreams]

[Unseen, he smiles a little. But-]

Would you like to have this conversation over text or shall we meet somewhere?

[It's very obvious that Grimm is giving her complete control over the situation, just like he had during the Hunt. It's only fair.]

[hattersgonnahat]

...where do you want to meet?

[Really, she doesn't have an idea.]

[fireindreams]

The library, perhaps?

It is quiet.

[And has people in it.

It may be overly cautious, but someone may or may not be aware the Nightmare King spoke to Puella.]

[hattersgonnahat]

[It's not even the first time it's happened either!]

okay. i can meet you there!

[fireindreams]

[Why does he never say anything!!!]

I will meet you there then.

[He likely will make it to the library first but just in case he doesn't teleport inside. for one, he doesn't want to scare her. For another, he's ticked off the librarian one to may times already.

Grimm takes a seat and calmly waits for her.]

[hattersgonnahat]

[If he doesn't want to share then Puella might!]

[Indeed, Grimm arrives before her, but that was mostly because she was taking her time. She had also been wondering what exactly the Nightmare King had told him about their visits. If Grimm really was in as bad of shape as it sounds it should've made him feel better right?]

[Puella hesitates, for a bit. The only other version of Grimm she had seen recently was the younger one. That and how he looked during the Hunt. Which was much worse.]

[But she comes over, trying to act like nothing had happened.]

[fireindreams]

[It may be difficult to tell initially. While Grimm certainly looked older then the form the Nightmare King had taken, he wore heavy, long-sleeved clothing. A necessary as a Vampire...and because he liked it.

But when he extends a hand to gesture to the empty chair on the other end of the table, there's a flash of bandages wrapped around his wrist. Ekkehardt had worked hard to insure Grimm did not die from his injuries but there were aspects of his regeneration that would take longer to recover from.]

Please, take a seat.

[And once she is seated...]

I...first I wish to extend my apologizes for what happened during that night. Losing control is no excuse for the terror I visited upon you. I am sorry, Puella.

[hattersgonnahat]

[She makes note of the bandages. Something really did happened to him, but it couldn't have been her magic...she doesn't think. Grimm should've been immuned to Radiance. What else did he do that night...?]

...But you didn't mean to do it. [Luckily, Puella has had some time to let the whole thing pass. The Nightmare King helped too. But it doesn't stop her from still being a little nervous.]

[fireindreams]

[Grimm shakes his head.]

I did not desire it, no. [It robbed Grimm of any semblance of choice and when the fear and sorrow over his actions faded, the Troupe Master felt pure anger.] But it still happened. I cannot nor will not pretend it didn't.

[It would be disrespectful. To Ekkehardt's fight to save him, to the fear Puella felt as he chased her down, and Valvatorez's worry as they texted. Grimm will not blind himself to these things.

He knew well what happens when one became blind to flaws.]

[hattersgonnahat]

...That is how Ash felt about it too. [In his own weird way of explaining it, anyway. He even got it exactly right about Grimm feeling the same too. Rightfully so.]

[They both did tremendous, awful, and frightening things. Stuff that Puella might have to deal with for a very long time. But they weren't themselves... How can they be faulted?]

[fireindreams]

[Simple: Grimm takes slips of his power seriously. Not to mention the amount of lives he put in danger. So he will put it on himself to make sure it never happens again.]

Was another friend of yours caught up in the Hunt? Are they well?

[It is a genuine question and worry. But that makes it obvious Grimm doesn't know anyone named Ash.]

[hattersgonnahat]

[Blinks.]

[Did he not tell him..? That's rude.]

Wha-- Ash is the Nightmare King!

[Spoken as a simple matter of fact.]

1/2

[fireindreams]

[Ash is the...]

[fireindreams]

["And when did that happen, my dear friend?!"

(The number you have dialed cannot be reached at this time...)

"I know you can hear me!"

Grimm just...breathes loudly. And puts his head on the table. It seems this child truly has a way of dropping information on him that takes the Troupe Master off balance.]

I...see. When you first met, was everything okay...?

[The Nightmare King could be a bit...temperamental.]

[hattersgonnahat]

[She watches Grimm's reaction...a little bit amused. But why didn't the Nightmare King say anything??]

I met him back when I was having weird dream stuff...

[....Which she hadn't shared with anybody yet either. And it was definitely not what happened with the Sandman.]

And now he talks and plays with me sometimes at night!

[fireindreams]

[Because he rarely tells Grimm these things because he found it funny.]

That...[Is actually not a surprise. Some of the Nightmare King's vessels had been young.] Explains where he goes.

[He's been vanishing as of late. Not that it is a bad thing - he needs to get out more.]

He is quite the individual, is he not? My dear God of Nightmares.

[hattersgonnahat]

He's not that bad once you get to know him...

[Just talks a little funny.]

[And really really good at scaring people.]

[But not bad.]

--Is he here right now?

[fireindreams]

Indeed. There is a kindness within that torrent of flame that I enjoy.

[Grimm was aware that the Nightmare King could easily burn him out. Make Alderic nothing more then a shell to be possessed until the next one came along.

But it wouldn't be. Ekkehardt had seen the memory of when they first met face-to-face properly, that desire of not wanting to be alone. They are one in the same, yet not.

All the way until the end.]

Yes, he is here. Where I go, he is.

[Grimm taps a finger against his chest, over his heart.]

[hattersgonnahat]

[So that's where he is, huh. The Heart. Or whatever. Maybe all that stuff was finally starting to make sense?]

Hiiiiiiii Ash.

[fireindreams]

[Grimm chuckles. He can hear someone perk up, flames swirling in his mind.]

He says hello.

[hattersgonnahat]

[He's there!!! Puella laughs, happy and excited that the Nightmare King could actually hear her.]

It's nice that I can sorta talk to him out here too.

[Even if it wasn't quite the greatest. Better to just use dreams.]

[fireindreams]

He is capable of using my senses when needed. So he will be able to hear and see you.

[The Nightmare King just cannot speak unless Grimm passes on what he wishes to say.]

But I must request you to not bring him up to everyone. There are...reasons he must remain a secret.

[hattersgonnahat]

[That is kind of lame. Ash was pretty cool! ...When he's not being scary or creepy.]

...Does he not talk to anyone else?

[fireindreams]

No. Aside from yourself, he did not speak to anyone aside from myself and my predecessors.

[It was his choice to do so...but he had not been physically capable. The Nightmare King may have been able to burn out Grimm's soul to take his body but in turn Grimm could cut off all his senses by doing to same to his own, effectively rendering the God mute, blind and deaf.

It was not an ideal life and neither of them knew why he made that choice.]