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[When she does, he follows her lead. He hadn't been as panicked as she was, but honestly? Taking a second to breathe is probably something he needed too.]

[Especially since her once has far worse implications than his had. His grip tightens again.]

Did he do anything to you?

_{[Oh, god, Envy, he did a lot of things to her.]

[And maybe it's bad form, to willfully misinterpret the question as only concerning the time he'd rooted around in her skull like she's about to do, but... one thing at a time.]}

In my head?

... Just... said things. Personal things. Things to get at me, to get under my skin.

Called me a murderer, a few times... called me Heather Mason With Fire in Her Hands.

That was his pet name for me, I guess.

_{[The disgust in her voice is tangible as she says it, but she shakes her head.]}

What about you?

[He doesn't argue with her interpretation of his question. Even what she does say gets that angry, murderous edge to break up through the fear again, his eyes narrowing and lip curling upwards in almost a growl of his own.]

[Even if he'd lose, he'd fight BOB if it meant keeping him away from her.]

Called me a murderer too, said...a few things she would have.

[His frown screws up further, and his voice gets quieter again.]

Said...he could hear my human memories still in there. Scratching.

[He shudders. This isn't like Lust, who wants them. His tone makes it clear that having them still in there, much less actively, is unwanted at best and terrifying at worst.]

I don't--after he really tore in, I don't remember much. I tried to run.

[It hadn't worked.]

_{[Even sticking to that one particular episode, she's left things out.]

[I'll HAVE you. Then I'll BE you.]

[Her throat clenches at the memory of those words, but she wrenches her mind away from them to pay attention to Envy's words. This is what she really needs to know.]

[What BOB said to him, what BOB did to him, even if it was just in his head.]

[And that same protective anger comes roiling up in her throat at what he says.]}

Bastard...

_{[Envy's meaning is entirely clear-- that's another thing they have in common, somewhat. She's come to terms with the memories of her life as Alessa; accepted that she needed them, that they may well have been the difference between the sun rising another day and the world blinking out like a candle.]

[But she never liked having them.]}

That we can agree on.

[His voice is a dark growl. Anger is much easier to process than fear, and there's plenty to be angry about. He rubs one thumb in absent, reassuring circles on Heather's arm, and not only for her sake.]

[But, past traumas aside, there's something else that's now very important, the thing that started this whole conversation in the first place.]

But...what does Carousel have to do with it? Could she do anything?

_{[They've always shared the tendency to find shelter in anger more than any other emotion. Maybe that'll bite this relationship in the butt one day, but for the moment, it's more unifying than anything else.]

[When he asks about Carousel, Heather first looks up at him, having forgotten entirely about her Rapidash for a second, in the wake of all that reminiscing. Across the field, Carousel had stopped grazing some time ago and lifted her head to look directly at them, deep red eyes unblinking. The only part of her moving are the flames, which still flicker in the still summer air.]}

Oh...

She...

... Once, when he came, we actually... fought. You know, like... physically.

_{[It hadn't been a fight so much as an assault. One she hadn't come out on top of. She hates to remember it at all. But...]}

It... didn't go well. But the one thing that came out of it was, at one point I sent out Carousel against him. I... I don't remember why.

Maybe just because she's big and intimidating and I didn't really have any scarier Pokemon at the time.

But when she came out of the Pokeball, something... changed.

BOB looked angry. And that... that was different. He'd never been angry before. Just... smug and disgusting.

She didn't stop him, but something about her pissed him the fuck off.

_{[She trails off there for a moment, looking down at the ground. Soft, approaching hoofbeats thump in the grass as Carousel crosses the field back over to them, coming to a halt next to her trainer and leaning her head down to lip softly at Heather's knee.]

[Heather lifts a hand to stroke the Rapidash's long face.]}

... And anger doesn't scare me.

[Envy glances over at Carousel when she does, but other than that he's completely focused on what she's telling him. Because nothing he'd said or done had managed to change a thing either, but if the Rapidash could just by coming out...]

[He squeezes the arm that he's still holding, gently.]

That's...

Even if it didn't make him leave, that's something. She was something he didn't like, a part of the situation he couldn't control.

[He's just rambling at this point, he knows she's probably already thought about this, but honestly? After so abruptly revisiting all of this, after finding out that not only is he not the only person BOB had gone after and that the thing had come back sometimes more than once?]

[It's a relief, that there's something. Even if it isn't much.]

Yeah. Exactly.

_{[Never in Heather's life had anger from other people been the root of her problems. Even when Dahlia had gone into her violent moods, something that frightened Alessa down to her core, it had never been the anger.]}

... Anyway.

After that was when I decided I had to learn to ride.

... Heh. I think you might have even replied to that video I did, asking for advice. Y'remember that?

[He has to think a second or two; it's been a while. But he remembers it, alright.]

Hah, yeah. I couldn't be much help, I haven't ridden a horse since cars were invented.

You got the hang of it pretty well, though.

Slacker.

_{[She says this with a hint of a normal smile and the ghost of an affectionate laugh in her throat. But then she goes solemn again. This conversation isn't one she can tease her way through.]}

Envy, if you ever see him again, or hear him again... you need to tell me. Okay? This isn't just... me being nosy, or trying to get you to open up or whatever, it's... it's important.

The things Cooper told me about him ... the things he does to people... to kids...

Just promise me you'll tell me the second you see so much as a grizzled gray hair off his disgusting head.

_{[A beat.]}

... Also, we're getting you a Rapidash.

_{[HE DOESN'T GET A SAY IN THIS MM NOPE TOO BAD SO SAD.]}

I promise, I will.

[As awful and sickening as all of this is, one pinprick of relief comes from the fact that if it happened again, he would have someone he could tell about it.]

[Until just now he's never told a soul, not even France, what he'd encountered that weekend.]

[And on the flip side...he's just as solemn as he looks back at her.]

And if you see him, promise you'll tell me too. Even--even if there's nothing I can do to stop him, I don't want you to face that bastard alone if I can help it, not ever again.

[He gives her a strained sort of half-smile at the Rapidash suggestion. If they were having any other conversation, he would've laughed.]

Wouldn't you know, I even already have a Ponyta.

_{[It's hard to reply when there's a lump growing in her throat just listening to his words. And you know what, maybe what he's suggesting itself will be enough. BOB had only ever come after her when she was alone. What would he even do, if there were two? Turn them against each other? Ha. Not even he could do that.]

[She can comment on the other thing, though.]

[Reaching out, she takes his hands in hers and gives them a tight squeeze, looking him right in the eye.]}

Then we're getting you on that Ponyta.

_{[TIME TO RELEARN HORSEBACK RIDING, ENVY.]}

[He squeezes her hands right back, although the suggestion leaves him looking a bit unsure.]

Are you sure a Ponyta is even big enough to ride...?

[But he doesn't sound entirely opposed, at least. Because size issues aside, it's not a bad idea.]

[One horse pissed BOB off. Two horses--and two people to ride them together instead of just one person alone--can't hurt.]

Sure it is. It'll look a little goofy, but then again, you can always evolve it.

_{[TWO FLAMING UNICORNS. IMAGINE.]}

Then I guess I'd better start training.

How about we come back out here tomorrow, you can help me get started.

[He gives her another half-smile. Maybe he's not feeling near as peaceful as he was before he'd asked her about anything, but...]

[It's still a relief, in a way.]

_{[For the first time since the conversation she returns that half-smile.]}

... Sure.

_{[Yeah, she's not at peace. At all. Dredging up those memories is the last thing she wanted to do today, and the new information is chilling.]

[... But they'll do what they need to do. Both of them have always been survivors.]

[She lets go of his hands and scoots to sit back down beside him rather than right up in his face, then tosses him the sandwich she'd nearly forgotten about after pulling from the backpack.]}

... Now let's eat.

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