Mental health issues
Abuse
October 1st, XX19. 6:00 PM.
In the loungeroom of the den, Orie is playing a game on her Switch in TV mode. Her silver scales glisten in the light of the TV.
In front of her, on the coffee table is a half glass of root beer. She's getting ready to climb a section of the mountain in the game.
She pauses the game first and sets down the controller, about to grab the glass of root beer. She stops before she touches it and instead touches the end of her curved purple horns with her claws.
ORIE:
;I enchant this glass of root beer to float over and let me sip it when I wish to;
The glass follows her Myrkur enchantment and floats over to her. She slurps some root beer and wipes her snoot with the back of her paw.
ORIE:
"Why didn't I think of this before? This is so much easier!"
The soda glass floats in agreement. She brushes her sky blue idnagolan mane back out of her eyes and grabs the controller again. Each of her top blue and bottom purple eyes shine with determination in the minimal light.
In the game, she jumps on a bouncepad that sends her to a block that launches her across the chasm. She dashes into another launcher block that shoots her up to a platform.
ORIE:
"Yes!!"
Excitedly, she makes the character jump below and dashes to a wall to climb up to the platform.
Instead, she misses the platform and falls into the pit below, dying.
ORIE:
"Oops..."
She drinks the rest of her root beer, but notices that the empty glass still floats in front of her.
ORIE:
"Right, i need to take the enchantment back..."
;ot hsiw I nehw ti pis em tel dna revo taolf ot reeb toor fo ssalg siht tnahcne I;
The glass promptly falls onto the carpet with a thud in response.
Orie gets back to her game, more determined than ever to finish this first level.
Meanwhile, through the hall, into Phoenix's Lair...
Phoenix would be difficult to see in the dark for dragons such as herself, but she's asleep, so it doesn't matter that much.
PHOENIX:
"heeeaaaayyjsh, ssssssssssssssghhhhhhhh..."
Mumbling in her sleep, she slurs undiscernable things from a very strange and confusing dream.
PHOENIX:
"rrrhrharrrrrerrrghhhhh... rhrrrrommbnnniisssss
Errrserrgbhhh buhhhre"
Phoenix's brows furrow.
PHOENIX:
"ii'lll dhoo wjhhratevber youu sp- saiy qyhehn persdhlius...
kihll thss dramngohn, shuerrre..."
Her legs start twitching, her hands grip into firsts, and her eyes squint into a disturbed expression
PHOENIX:
"Ie'm juest servbenmt to yyouh, my quwein. nnnot lliiikhe mmmy opninnniion mattmers toh yyoou at umh-..."
She starts shivering and breathing hard and tears begin to form out of her eyes.
PHOENIX:
"I cahn hamndlhe it...
Thrrh- thjis is nhormal...
i n-nehed to grouiw up......."
Phoenix starts shaking and tears stream into her mattress.
PHOENIX:
"Sssto-stohp! Please...
Donmt hurhrt mhe!...
I-I-I'llh kiiillll hherr, judst donmt hurht me..."
Her silent crying turns to loud wails of sobbing that anyone could hear from inside the house.
Orie, hearing the screaming, pauses her game in a panic and scampers through the hallway, past the basement stairs, and into Phoenix's room.
ORIE:
"Dear Idna Drek! Phoenix?!
Are you okay?? Do you need help?!?"
Phoenix jumps awake with terror in her eyes. Her eyes quickly dart to her claws, staring at them for a moment before sighing and glaring at Orie.
PHOENIX:
"Wh- h-EeY! um-"
 Phoenix clears her throat and finds her voice as she wipes away her tears quickly, sniffling.
PHOENIX:
"HEY! What are you doing in here?!
How many times have I told you that you're ABSOLUTELY NOT ALLOWED IN HERE??"
Phoenix shows her anger visibly with a snarl , but her voice still quivers.
ORIE:
"You were crying... loudly... I heard you from the other room.
Are you... uh, okay? What's wrong?"
Orie steps forward and Phoenix stares daggers at Orie, freezing her in place.
PHOENIX:
"Would you go the fuck away? Whatever is wrong with me is NONE of your business."
ORIE:
"Look, I just want to know if you're alri-"
PHOENIX:
"Fine! I'm not okay! Never have been!!!
Are you happy with that? Now leave me alone."
Phoenix slams her snout back into her pillow.
ORIE:
"What? Wait, can I at least give you a hug? It seems like you need one."
Pink glowy eyes emerge from the pillow, glaring at Orie.
PHOENIX:
"Absolutely fucking not."
ORIE:
"How about this. I'll 'leave you the fuck alone' if you at least give me one hug."
PHOENIX:
"Uuuuuughhhh."
Phoenix squints her eyes for a few moments, pondering.
PHOENIX:
"You know what? Fine, deal. But I won't enjoy it.
I'm ONLY agreeing because you won't go away otherwise."
ORIE:
"Yesss...!"
PHOENIX:
"What??"
ORIE:
"Oh, nothing. I've just wanted to hug you since you got here a couple months ago."
As Phoenix sighs, Orie shuffles past her DJ equipment and to her mattress.
Before she could even remotely shift away, Orie scoops her paws around the shoulders and rests her head on the side of Phoenix's face. Phoenix tries squirming away, but Orie's much bigger stature makes it difficult for Phoenix to move out of her weighted grasp.
PHOENIX:
"Wh- HEY I DIDN'T MEAN A LARGE HUG LIKE THIS! I THOUGHT YOU MEANT A SMALL ONE!!"
Phoenix tries covering a blush with her own paws, but Orie notices out of the corner of her eye.
ORIE:
"Awwww, You're enjoying this, aren't you!
You sappy derg!"
PHOENIX:
"N-noo?? I'M N- I'm not, no!"
ORIE:
"Nooo, noooo I've read your mind! I know that inside your hard and mean shell is a really cute dragon who actually cares about this sort of mushy stuff!"
Phoenix finds the strength to throw Orie off of herself.
PHOENIX:
"ALRIGHT, YOU CAN FUCK OFF RIGHT OUT OF MY THOUGHTS THIS INSTANT!!!!"
ORIE:
"Hey, no need for that! Besides, I'm not even reading your mind right now, that would be rude!
I don't just violate your mindspace whenever I please or without your permission... most of the time... "
Orie begins to walk away, out the empty doorframe, calling behind her toward Phoenix.
ORIE:
"But fine! Just know you're not fooling me! Even without my abilities, your cuteness is extremely obvious when blush like that!"
Phoenix screams in frustration into her pillow for a moment.
She lifts her head up and calls out the doorframe.
PHOENIX:
"WHY AREN'T THERE ANY DOORS IN THIS FUCKING HOUSE?!?
I NEED THIS TO BE A SAFE SPACE FOR ME AND ME ALONE!!"
ORIE:
"It's because I'm lazy!
Besides, you can always create one with your myrkuran sourcery!
I'd do it, but... lazy!"
PHOENIX:
"Uuuugh! THAT'S NOT EVEN HOW THAT WORKS!!! YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT WITH- ugh, whatever."
The rest of the night, Phoenix sleeps... like normally.
She'd always had these night terrors. That's just what she'd always known.
There's not a whole lot she can do about it.
Besides, she deserves to have these awful dreams, so who is she to try and stop them?
