they live inside us

[thememening]

FIGHTING YOUR INNER DEMONS

Everybody has them. Some are louder than others. Some are stronger. Some are overwhelming, and sooner or later you just give up fighting. But there are other people around you who want to help you - maybe they're suffering too, either because of your inner monster or their own. Or maybe they're one of the lucky ones with demons that don't howl so much.

You can help each other. It's better than the alternative.

• Leave top levels with your character name and info.
  
• Specify what you're running from, or if you're running at all, or if you just want to help.
  
• Details may be useful, but are certainly not necessary.
  
• Tag around for great drama and profit.

Warning: responses to this meme could potentially contain triggering material.

Comments

[10milliondollars]

"Your friend wears skagskin? He must know a thing or two about fashion~" Rhys sips at his wine, glancing down to admire his own boots. "This place never did lose its appeal to me. I only left because the company I wanted to work for was out near Pandora."

[angelic_phale]

"Snake skin, actually. He fancies himself quite the fashionable man." Or, at least the human he pretends to be considers himself a fashionable man. Crowley had just gone on along for the ride.

"Aah; quite the trade-off, I understand. I've heard Pandora is quite ruthless."

[10milliondollars]

At the mention of Pandora's ruthless nature, Rhys's smile drops. "Yeah, it's...It's a shit planet...A lot of bad things happen to good people there."

[angelic_phale]

"...I see." He takes up his full glass of wine, and has another sip. "So, then. Why did you choose to work there?"

[10milliondollars]

"My hero worked out there. I wanted to be just like him," Rhys explains, looking away. He's drunk enough wine by now to be able to talk about it. "Guess it's true you shouldn't meet your heroes..."

[angelic_phale]

"Oh, absolutely," he says, agreeing whole-heartedly. "Or at least, not anyone you idolize. Or think should be more competent than they are. Or, really, anyone in a higher position than you are; it's just a mistake to think they'll handle things at all like you'd hoped."

[10milliondollars]

Rhys bites his lip at that. Should he say more?

No...Not yet, at least. Not until he finds out what this Andrew guy knows about the subject matter. "You ever meet someone you look up to, only to be disappointed? Or...feel betrayed?"

[angelic_phale]

"...yes," Aziraphale says softly, his tone dropping. "There was a time when that happened, and...well, it seemed as though all the Heavens were against me. Because of that moment, I thought that the world was going to end..."

He's speaking quite literally, despite the cliche-sounding phrases.

[10milliondollars]

"Sucks, doesn't it?" he asks quietly. Rhys has been there. He's had his entire world crumble around himself. After finishing off his glass of wine and refilling it, he speaks again. "I didn't even meet the real man. He was already dead. But...I guess you could say I met his ghost? It talked and acted just like him..."

Rhys waves a hand, dismissing himself. "You were saying, though?"

[angelic_phale]

"Oh. Well..." He doesn't really have anything much else to say about it. Except... "...I mean, it all seemed to turn out well in the end. The world did not, in fact, end. I didn't really keep in contact with...that person again. I felt free to live my own life."

[10milliondollars]

Now, there's a point to consider. Rhys isn't aspiring to be his hero anymore. He's working to leave his own, unique mark on Pandora, one that'll prove to be at least somewhat beneficial. "Y'know, he wasn't a bad guy, in the beginning. He was a real hero. He wanted to make Pandora a better place. But...something happened along the way, and I think he just lost it."

[angelic_phale]

"...I think that's how all of these things happen. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, after all."

It isn't true, but Rhys doesn't need to know what the road to Hell was actually paved with. Aziraphale tops off both their glasses, though the wine bottle doesn't get any emptier - Aziraphale feels like this may be a long conversation.

[10milliondollars]

Rhys isn't paying attention to the wine bottle. He's too concerned with trying to drown out whatever gross feeling is trying to worm its way into his heart. "He..." he starts, then sneers as he corrects himself, "It had me fooled. I let my guard down because it looked like him, because I thought it was him...And then it tried to kill me. I was nothing but a toy to it."

If Andrew's paying close attention, he'll notice that Rhys is reaching his flesh hand into his pocket.

[angelic_phale]

Curious... Aziraphale hums, crossing his legs. "It sounds like you've had a hard time of things..." His eyes are drawn down to that hand, and then he looks back up at Rhys. "It was...a group for me. Some folks that were...supposed to be family. It took me far too long to understand that there was really only one person on my side in all of...what happened."

[10milliondollars]

"And that person was you, right? Tch, figures...You can't trust anyone other than yourself." He pulls a small object from his pocket, rubbing over the smooth surface with his thumb. There's a small bit of wire hanging from it.

[angelic_phale]

"Ah...actually, it was Crowley, my friend. I had...the wrong idea of how to go about things." Considering his idea was to kill an eleven year old boy before he realized he was the Antichrist... "It was all rather hopeless from the beginning," he chuckles...and notes the object. He doesn't really want to pry... "...surely you have people you can rely on...?"

[10milliondollars]

Keeping his eyes glued to the tiny disc in his hand, Rhys shrugs. "I trust Vaughn. I guess Fiona and Sasha are all right...August seems...I dunno what to make of August."

[angelic_phale]

"...what's that you've got there?" he asks, not knowing any of the people whom Rhys was speaking about.

[10milliondollars]

"Hm?" Rhys looks up, curling his fingers gently over the disc. "It's...the iris from my old EchoEye. I know it's probably dumb, but I keep it in my pocket. Kind of a comfort thing." Not to mention, the AI is in there. As long as it's not connected to anything, it's harmless. No need to tell Andrew that.