I'll Face Myself - Ales

[umslay]

Characters: Ales and OPEN
Where: Palitutu's Lab
When: November 10th
Summary: Ales wants to get this over with so he can go on to saving Crystallis and face his Shadow. It's not what he expected, and he's having difficulty facing it.
Warnings: Self-loathing and mentions of bullying, more will be added if necessary. Please keep this to one thread.

November 10th. The day where he can make a difference. No more waiting and hoping the other Heroes will fix things. No more depending on others. Ales learned his lesson the hard way: playing nice can only get him so far. He knew what he was like deep down. He knew what he was capable of. This Shadow of his would be no problem for him.

It was due to this confidence that Ales did not seek help from the other Heroes as he weaved his way down the hall through lab workers and trolleys of equipment. He protected his file, and no one would learn of his past without his permission. His plan was to face his Shadow alone, not letting anyone else see whatever dark secrets he held.

He crept through the crack in the door, Mimi following close behind. The Moogle had promised not to speak about Ales' plans, but an uneasy pit sat at the bottom of her stomach. From what she heard, this wasn't meant to be easy. Ales was smart and confident, but if his Shadow started hurting him...well, she'd cry at least. She had a silent, private promise to herself that if anything went wrong, she'd rush out and look for help. Out of concern for his safety, of course.

The preparations went through with minimal conversation. Mimi sat beside another silent Moogle wearing a labcoat and watched him as he inserted the Black Crystal into the indent.

"I'll have to shut it down if it puts your life in danger, kupo." A paw lingered over the power button.

"I appreciate the safeguard," Ales replied.

The machine whirred to life. Ales shut his eyes as the Moogle pressed several more buttons to summon a burst of energy that coalesced in front of the Teensie. He could feel losing a bit of himself, but not weakened, and his Ghostbuster Job was removed to leave him only with Scholar. Good. A decent Job he wouldn't complain about.

The return of silence prompted him to open his eyes. He was a bit disappointed by the Shadow's appearance: just himself with beady purple eyes. One would think that his inner self would wear all black and look, well, cooler. Proud. Cut off from his emotions.

This was just sad. Literally sad. The Shadow's eyes were downcast as he slouched like some whiny child.

The two stood there for a minute. Ales watched the Shadow for any sign of aggression. It just stood there. Not saying anything. Not doing anything.

"Is this some kind of mistake?!" Ales directed his confusion at the Moogles.

"Of course it isn't, you thickheaded idiot. I'm you." The Shadow had straightened its back, but its features were still soft and melancholy.

"Really. Really"?

Comments

[bag_has_snapped]

Everyone was facing their Shadows. Tsubomi had done something like it with the Precure Trials - facing their greatest weaknesses. She couldn't help but keep watch of the first one. Maybe she could help out in some way.

"What the...?"

[deadlyvu]

Lydia didn't agree, necessarily, with everything Ales's Shadow did. She knew there was a lot of potential for bad things that Ales might be tempted by his goals to do. But part of that, she was sure, was because everyone had rejected him. He needed a friend--and she understood that.

"Ales," Ventured gently, and this time Lydia moved over to gently wrap him up in a hug, if he'd let her. Comforting him, a look to his shadow, and then speaking to them both.

"It's okay." A deep breath in and out. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be remembered, or to be liked and accepted. I'm so sorry--because it drove you to do things that hurt you. And hurt others, including someone who cared about you." Genuine sympathy and affection in her voice, no hints of judgement yet--her role wasn't to condemn, here.

"It's okay to be afraid, too. To reach out, now that there are people who don't care if you're a traditional teensie or not. I think you're a wonderful teensie, for thinking outside the box. For looking at non-traditional ways." Another deep breath, looking once more at Ales's shadow, then him. "But you need to accept it, if you regret it. Accept that you DO want to be known, and cared about. If you don't...it'll only hurt you more."

A tighter hug, if he'd let her, as Lydia closed her eyes. "And it'd hurt those of us who do care about you too, to see you in pain when we can help."