Whatever they were had become weighty and torturous. Theory thought their discussion with Eligos had sealed their fate, but Thalia had walked the long way back with her and then... she had gotten sick. So unbelievably sick. For the last few days it felt touch and go, and then Rhyme had died and nothing mattered any more. Nothing at all. Void had left to pursue his love - good for him. Good for fucking him. And here I am, shackled to you. Resentment had been building for longer than she'd realized, reaching an aching peak on that long, long walk home. How dare she, after all this time, choose something other than her. She had thought she understood it, the weight and responsibility of family. But her own family would never ask her to put aside her happiness for their endeavors. Never. Theory had stuffed her pain down deep, ready to hold it together until she could send Thalia off and mend her obliterated heart in solitude. And then she had gotten sick. So unbelievably sick. Before she'd dragged herself across the waters, she'd thrown up bile and fluorescent liquid for what felt like hours. It spread out behind her when she swam to the islands like a sick map, a trail to lead someone to her. Pain pulsed behind her eyelids. The darkness was excruciating. With every weak stroke of her legs bringing her close to the shore, she wondered what might happen if she just decided to stop swimming. That was all it came down to, right? One decision. The choice to give up. The temptation was so strong. Rhyme would take care of the pack, just like he always did. Everything would fi - When she hauled herself up on the opposite shore, dripping and heaving hard from exertion, she remembered Rhyme was dead. How did I forget he was dead? How could I forget something so important? What is wrong with me? The oozing blisters on her legs were smarting from the salt water. Every step burned. Theory dragged herself further across the sand, quaking with every step. What if she just laid down? What if she just... stopped? With a great, heaving breath - spattering bright spots of ooze on the sand as she exhaled - Theory collapsed and stared at the now-permanent stars in the sky. "speech"

Thalia planned to return to Aerie before long. The strange sickness that had seemingly been unleashed upon the world had made her hesitate though. Such a thing was no doubt brought into existence by Abraxas himself- or perhaps it had always been here since He had fallen, waiting for a moment of weakness to strike. Either way she wanted to see things through before she made her departure. There would be no alliance, though Thalia hoped she could continue to stay in Theory's good graces and convince her she was exactly what she'd wanted - that she was a wolf of her word, dedicated beyond comprehension. She had value to Abaven even if she could not be to Theory what either of them wanted.

Though she'd had a good plan of action to ensure Theory didn't feel the distance growing between them in her last few days (or weeks, it seemed) here, but suddenly she'd gotten sick and Thalia's instincts had been to detach. She couldn't get sick, couldn't bring this strange illness home to Aerie if they were not yet enduring it themselves. Despite her desire for distance she knew that all her time here would be wasted if Theory grew too suspicious. Her own feelings, which certainly existed, had been pushed so far down she could barely even access them. Everything was done with a cold, critical eye - seeing Eligos in his disappointment had been enough to repress nearly everything she'd been feeling here.

But seeing Theory in her current state was enough to unearth some of that genuine care she felt toward her. She knew she needed to do something, even if from a distance. Her scent stopped at the edge of the beach, at the water.. had she really swam across? In the state she was in? Did she had a death wish of some sort? She'd always had too level a head to grow this upset over something like Thalia going home, but she didn't know enough about this sickness to give it all the blame. Warily she crossed the water to the edge of the islands, not far off from where Theory had landed. "Theory," she called out once she was within earshot. Her brows furrowed tightly, her eyes narrowing to slits. "What are you doing out here? You should be resting at home," she suggested, more warmly than she might usually. She was worried, genuinely, but she couldn't let her emotions run wild, not again.

She stared upwards until her eyes dried out and she was forced to blink, excreting tears of pain alongside the ever-present ooze that seemed to pour from every orifice. In all her life, even when Tana had died and the nights had been long and cold before Shaye had invited her back to what would become her home. Shaye's den... Theo thought long and hard, but she couldn't even picture it any more. It was difficult to tell if it was simply the passing of time or the horrible, strange episodes of amnesia that had become more frequent. How had she even gotten to this blasted island? She hated this place. It had felt like a prison after the eruption as they watched smoke billow over the far coast, choking out all life. Smoke and fire and death, smoke and fire and death, and death, and dea- "You should be resting at home." Only the very last of Thalia's voice reached her, uncharacteristically warm. Theo turned to her slowly, bright ooze streaming from both eyes. A trickle came from the corner of her mouth, but her teeth were sick and glowing. "And shouldn't you be at home as well?" she snarled, thick strings of bright saliva dripping from the corners of her mouth. To look at her here, on the island's shores - it pierced her heart completely. If she squinted, she could almost see Thalia's younger self - stocky, bright-eyed, so self-assured. They flashed in and out of her line of sight, as if time was simply melting into itself. "Get the fhhffuck," bright drool splattered on the sand as she gritted her teeth against her lips to enunciate the curse with as much venom as she could muster, "out of here. Leave the East coast. I don't need you, I don't want you anym - " And there she was again. Made young. The years stripped away until she was the same age as when they'd met. A wild light passed through Theory's eyes, reflecting madly off of the ooze that streaked down her cheeks. "Thalia? I knew you'd come back. You lost the fight, after all. So you have to come whenever I summon you," her voice was smug and somehow younger. A better version of her youthful self. More confident. "You've got a whole season left of listening to my beck and call! Unless you want a rematch," she teased, eyes still glinting with that faraway gaze. She was in another time. Another place. A different beach. Theory lurched to her paws and stumbled towards Thalia, her gait rambling and unsteady. Any moment she'd fall over again and the tide was coming in fast. It licked at their paws, sparkling with the same glowing aura that had swept through all of Boreas. "speech"

There had always been a careful tension that lay between them, a fiber pulled taut, always on the verge of snapping completely- but Thalia had always found that intriguing, exciting even. Most wolves she felt were beneath her, with their heads in the clouds, but Theory was grounded and felt present. Challenging, but not to an absurd degree. And yet everything had changed all at once in the face of her cousin's disappointment and the realization of just how close she'd been to destroying everything she'd worked for here... and Theory's sickness had only carved an even deeper divide between them. Their planets were no longer orbiting close; Theory was a planet far away, in a entirely world alien to her.

Seeing her now, in this state, only drove that point further home. She was deeply unwell and Thalia wasn't willing to risk herself by getting too close. Though she'd always been selfish at her core, in the face of this strange sickness, or plague, or whatever it was - her self-preservation had only been made all that much clearer. She watched cautiously as Theory snarled at her, brow furrowing tightly. It was rare she displayed much emotion at all, but something that almost looked like fear suddenly wove its way across her features. "You know.. you know that I'm needed back home," Thalia replied carefully, but before she could rationalize her thoughts Theory was snapping at her, telling her to leave. "I don't get why-" Her words trailed off as Theory snapped at her, and then fumbled, her mood shifting so suddenly it made her head spin.

What the fuck was going on with her? The deja vu struck her suddenly though unlike Theory she was suspended in the present, frozen still until Theory stumbled her way. Sharply she pulled back, reeling back toward the water in a desperate attempt to avoid straying too close. "Theory..." She started carefully, slowly. Something was wrong with her mind; she wasn't right and it was obvious. Had the sickness really gripped her so swiftly, so mercilessly? Thalia was torn between an array of thoughts - from worrying for Theory, to wondering if perhaps Thalia hadn't fucked things up at all. Surely when Theory was well she'd realize nothing had happened between them at all. Thalia could convince her that whatever worries she was having were in her head, she could... do something to smooth things out, to not ruin everything she'd done.

Sure, there was an awful long of assuming being done on her part but she couldn't help it, her mind working a frantic pace as she slowly pulled back further and further until the water of the bay was lapping at her hind paws. Everything had been different since she'd come back home from Aerie, and though the sickness had come soon after she feared the doubt in her had been sown in her mid before the illness gripped her. But maybe there was a way to change her mind once she was well- there had to be. "Theory," she finally repeated, her tone colder this time. "I need to go back home. And you need to rest." Please, her eyes begged, though the words couldn't quite reach her tongue. There was no hint of heartache in her tone though the way her chest clenched painfully was proof to her of the way it was continuing to shatter; it was a feeling unlike anything she'd experienced before, raw and all-consuming.

At Thalia's protest, her ears saddled and her eyes fell. She didn't understand. That wasn't part of the deal - she'd won, fair and square. Thalia couldn't leave until she was dismissed. THeory opened her mouth to protest, but no sound came out. Rivulets of bright drool streamed to the sand in their place. Suddenly, she was rocked back to the present. Her jaws closed instantly with a click, flinging the colored spittle. "Why are you still here? I thought you were smarter than this - I told you to go," she snarled, a noise that started deep and low in her chest. Violence rumbled in the sound. "If you need to go so badly, leave! I'll die here just like my mother, just like Tana - " her heart twisted and she looked wildly to the far shore, the cliffs where Shaye had lost her life. Why did she swim here? Why did she leave the mainland? She should be at the Rapids, waiting to die. At least she'd be buried in the right place. With wild eyes, she fixed her gaze back on Thalia: "You're a fucking coward. Run back to your family, where you can hide away from the world - from me, from these feelings that you know are right and true. Hide in your den of lies, where only your god can judge you." Her lips curled in a twisted snarl, exposing her brightly glowing teeth. Theory lunged doggedly after Thalia, chasing her further back towards the water. "I never want to see you this side of the Rio Grande again!" The tide was rolling in faster now, licking at their ankles. Theo stepped from paw to paw, hissing at the cold ocean water. The salt seeped into the weeping, open blisters on her forelegs, stinging like mad. The pain grounded her for a moment in reality, keeping the past away for now. Rhyme, Shaye, Tana... all dead. Her siblings, as good as gone. The yearling kept leaving, year after year. It was hopeless. Time marched on, an endless onslaught of loss and pain. "Don't pretend like you care about me now. You've made up your mind. The minute you cross that border home, you won't be my enemy - no, I won't think about you at all, Thalia Abraxas. You will mean," Liquid built and poured out of her eyes. It was impossible to tell whether they were tears or the ooze that had afflicted so many, "nothing to me. Nothing at all." Aside from the pack and her family, Thalia had been the only constant in her life. Forever orbiting each other, joined together by that strange, tenuous thread. "I thought love was a holy thing," she said, shaking her head sadly. The closest she'd come to religion was the way she loved Thalia - but could she truly say she would sacrifice the same? If Thalia asked her to come to Aerie and leave all of this behind? No. Never. There, that was finally the answer. It was over. In her heart, she could feel something like a door softly begin to close. As the lock snipped shut, that thread that had bound them for so long - that wondrous, torturous, aching thing - finally snapped. Now severed from her, Theory felt completely unmoored. Life was a vast and frightening landscape, filled with terrain and landmarks that she no longer recognized. She waded further out into the water, gritting her teeth against the pain of the salt water in her wounds until she was standing chest-deep. It burned, so painful that it felt like she was standing amidst flames, but her mind was finally sharp and present. She looked over her shoulder at Thalia, standing in the shallows: "I'm dismissing you. Consider whatever was between us finished." "speech"

F̷̢̢̢̨̨̢̛̛̬̜̩̹͇̝̗̪̜͙͕̝̫̟̥͖̯̱̰̹̗̺̜͈̰͚͎̜̘̩̠̱̱͈̜̭̀̍̇̋͊̉̂̈̑̓̉̄̈́͗̑͗̓̽͋̾̍͛͗͛̏̐̑͐̒̔͋̕͘͘͜͝͠͠͝͠͝ͅͅÍ̷̡̢̞̘͖͙̮̺̝̼͉͈̼̣͕̲̜̤̦̦͚̗̃̊̕͝ͅR̵̨̨̳̭͚̻̱̥̮͓̫̤̺̱͕̹͚̲͕̼̙̯̟̻̠̖͙̘̦̀́̊̒͑͊͋̏́͑̈́̔̌̈́̒́̂̑̃̅͗̅̄͆̍͆̃̓̾̀̾̒̎̾̓̿̅̏͊̕̕͝ͅȨ̸̡̛̤̬͇͍̬̗̙̠͔̓̅̄͊̀̃͐͐̄̏̈̍͗̓̋̏̀̈́̉̐͊́̄̅͘͠F̸̡̡̢̣͔͎̭̳̱̙͖͍̣̳̣͓̰̠̳̜̲̣̠̖̖͉̘̗͙̖̼̜̖̞͙͇̲̫̺̻͙̥͈̬̤̬̩͒ͅͅĻ̸̳̟̘̫̺͓̺̊̋͑̈́͊̇̽̏̒̔̉̊̽̇̉̔̑̉̔͋̈́̈́̃̐̽͘͝͝͝Y̵̡̡̛̛̦͙̬͙̮̘̺̗͕̜̜͙̟͍̺͙̖̫͕̩̆͊̊̈́͛͛̈́̌͊̀̾̿̄̅̏̿̽̑̌͂̇̋̎̐́̑̈́͂͊͒̏̕̚͘͜͝ͅ ̷̨̢̢̢̨̛̣͓̭̘̯̜̗͔͇̜̟͕͙̬̘͖̠̫̫͚̩̠̬̠͍̦̰̯̈́̂̄̂̐̆̀̅́͘͘͜S̷̡̧̡̛̬͕̫̮͖̹̣̖͓̥̹͓̹̹͉̩̠̩̻̠̝͕͐͐̈͒́̈́̄̿́͊̉͊͐̈̆͒̈́̈́̍͊̊́̾̾̄̕̕̚͠ͅͅḨ̵̪͍͓͍̓̎̽͐̐̇͊̈́̊̐̓̎̄̔̋͐̔̏̽͐̿̑̏̏̅͐̆͂̂͒͆̒̄̉̏̈́͌̒̉̎̆͘̕͝͝Ŏ̵̢̧̢̗̬̰̣̹̘̰̥̗̥̦̫̙͈̞̣̘̞̯̟̱̖̀̏͝ͅͅP̵̨͚̟͚͇͎̣̝̞̈́P̶̨̛̛̘̣͍͎̱̙̲͚͚̼̟̈̀̍͆̍̎́͐̈́͐̐̓̆͂̃́̋̍͆͠E̵̢̨̧͍͕͖͍̰̹̦͕̼̺̤̙͉̫̝̠͇̯͙̬̩͉̱͍̔̓̉͋́́̆͐̇̈́̔́̂̓̄͋̈͗͘͝ - Theory

You feel fireflies under your skin, but when you scratch, there's nothing there.

You gain:

• Mushrooms (9x)- Used in Firefly Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere....
  

You blink, and you're face to face with a figure who seems as if it's clipping through d̴̰͚͖̮͙̥̥̙̥̬̬̼̙̟̤͖̘̺̩͓̙̣͙͇̤͓̰͕̺͉̳̰̰̺̠̠̟͓̘̭̘̿̈́͛̈́̇̈͗́́͂͌̓̈͛́̀̿̽̓̈́̈͘͜͝͝į̸̡͔̖͈͕͙̺͈̺͔͇͍̭͖̖̟̙͚̠̯̻̘̼̙͇̮̬̳̹̼̣̻͖͉̪̾̀̆̔̉̽͋̄̇̄͂̈́ͅͅm̶̧̢̱̯̲̻̳̞̦͚͖͎̼̹͙̩̹̟͕̥͉̤̭̠͔͎̜̪̲͈̰̼͙̟̱̺̯̼̐̿͛͑͛̅̍́̇̔̎̀̾̉̒͋̾̒̿͛̀̕͠͠͝è̸̢̡̧̥͓̩͉͉̙̺̫̦͍̮̤͙̩̭̹̬̰̭̮̫̹͉̦͔̘͛̈́̍̓̒͌͊͌̌̍̽̓̏̎͘̚͜͝n̴̢̧̝͕͇͚͉̩̱̫̭͇̬̹͎̈ͅś̷̨̨̡̖̩͚̖̱͇͇͔̪̺͎̮̤̻̹̯͔̺̰̯͉͔̼̗̙͈̯͙̮̳̤̹̳̹̝̝̦̻̃̇̌́͒̊̓͋̌̍̐̕͜͝͝ͅi̸̧̧̨̧̭̳̦̲̣̜̼̙̅͛̓͊͆͌̔̿̋͆̑̍̏̔̏̓̌̕̕̕̕͠͝o̴̧̢̦̗̘͔͕̮̼̣̬̥̠̱͚̱̣̩̭̟̺̲̠͕̹͓̲̜̙̝͇͓̩͚̦̿̇̽ņ̶̧̢̢̛̥̣͎̦̬̫͍̪̣̣̦̜̹̝͖͚̟͕̮̫̣͉̗̘̼͎͕͈͉̇͂̊̒̅͛̄̄̅́͂̍͌̌̀̀͂̎̍̆̉̈́̐͋͂̍̈́̽̌̽͘̕͘͘͘͜͜͠ͅs̸̢̧͚̖̟̞̲̥͔̣̼̰̥͔̲̟̮̟̹̠̱̩̬̹͉̯͇̣̭̦̪̱̣͉̭̖͖͚͊̃͋̐͑͌͋̊̕͝ͅ. In front of him, a small wooden stand, which thankfully looks firmly placed in your dimension. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose if you ḑ̴̛̠̲̰̪͎̮̻͕̝̻͉͇̳̙̗̬̤̖̙͚̰̲̑̆̎͆̉̉̈́̍̂̑͂̽͐̽̔͌̈̈́̓̒̂̅͘͘͜ͅą̵̪͙̦̖̮̮͈͖͇̭̗͈̖̫̲̗̜͍̀̾̾̎͂̈́̓͗̎̎̿͋͛̒̑̅̐́̔́̓̕̚͠ͅŗ̵̧̧̛͉̝̰͉̖̯̘̜͉͍̥̟̖̫̤̪͖̬͇͖͓̪̩̫̊̍͂̄͘͜ę̴̡̢̧̢̳̲̹̬̻̫̦̣̣̠̳̼͍͇̜̓͌́̚͜͝, and if you can a̵̘̜͇̱̽̌̇̅̐̏͗̑̂̽̊͆̏̒͝f̵̨̨̜̭̬̠̞̫̮̲̺̼̝̻̟͖̯̼͚͕̻̤̤͉͉̯̈́̾̈́͐͝f̷̟͓͖͔͕͎̥̖̝̞͈͆́̏̀͐̌̈̀̓̎͒̾̃̊̏͛̍͗͜ơ̷̡͓͙͓͚͙̪̖̻̣̞̹̻̻͇̫͓̟̹̔͌̑̈́͛̀̀̀̑̚͝r̷̢͈̝̝̲̼̦̺̜͔̲̳̀̈́ḑ̵̣̜̤̲̹̠͖̪͖͔̗̫̮͎̼̯͎͕̫̭̣͈̥̏ͅit," the figure says. You can't bring yourself to look away without some effort. You are keenly aware of his gaze. He does not seem like he's in the negotiating mood...


Į̴̧̘̹͙̘̲̤͖̔́͑͌̅̾̊͐̍͋̀̓̅̉̇̑̍͠͠ń̶̯͉̫̤̳͚̣̖̳̯͍̤͓̟͉̥̩̀͋̌ͅv̵̡̧̳̠̬̰̺͔̖̠̳̥͉͉̜͕̗͕̋̈͘ͅę̸̧̢̢̯̠̜̟̘̺̳̟̃̑͌̀̉̓͋͊̃̍̑̂̐̇̓̌͆̈́́͗̓͘͠n̵̡͙̲̞̰̭͖̠̮̺͊̉̑́͒̓͌̈́͐̅̚͝ţ̶̢̛̠̮̼͙͙̗̣̘͇̘͓͈͈̱̮̩̲̩̱̠͎͌̽̈́̒̍̎̀̋͗̇̔͊̇̀̀̋̈́͋̉́͌͜͝͠ơ̸̢̨̨̱̟̹̘̩̤̠͈͕̠̪̥̥̙̓͋̎͛̌͐̓̈́̐̌̂͂͑̋͘̚͜͝͠ȑ̴̠̬̫̻̠̘͔͖̦̰̩̖͎̜̞͉̘̭̙̮̰̹̙͔̳̬̱̆̎̍̿̌̇́̍̒͆͗̀͒͐͋̄̓͆́̕͘͠͝y̴̧͎̟̦̘̝̠̣̮̻̥̰͆͆͋͐͂̈́͊͛̈͋͆̊̇̄̾̈́̔̓̽͂̋̽̚͘:

• Coupon- 1 /
  Looks like a regular voucher but it glows. Apparently it’s good for one bonus purchase next time the Firefly Shoppe is nearby.
  
• Lucky Rabbit's Foot- 3 /
  This rabbit’s foot glows in the dark, but it’s soft, shimmering fur is coated with a sticky, oily blue substance that reminds you of day-old blood...
  
• Potion of Perception- 3 /
  This bottle of silvery liquid has a pair of glasses etched onto it… whatever that means.
  

She waded further and further into the water, trying to ignore that strange phantom that once again plagued her vision. Why was she seeing him now, of all places? Theory only wanted to slip beneath the waves, hoping a benevolent current might bring her home to the far shore. Every waking moment was agony. The further she stepped away from Thalia, the more she relented and allowed the pain of her symptoms to finally overcome her. Putting up a good front had been necessary for a time, but maybe now she could finally... relax. Theory felt her paws slip off of the sand and she began to bob amidst the waves. With a disgruntled last look at the Firefly Guy, she gestured wildly towards the rabbit's foot, hoping he might finally leave her alone. Just when the urge to force her head beneath the surface almost overtook her, she thought of Shaye's kind face. The trust that had been put in her. A sob broke forth, lost immediately in the roar of the waves. Theory turned towards the opposite shore and began paddling painstakingly slowly. Back towards home.

It had all happened so suddenly... hadn't it? Or had she been half-asleep these last few weeks, ignoring the worst of Theory's symptoms and praying to her God that there would be some easy conclusion to all of this? A way out - a way to fix things, to repair whatever misstep she'd made. But suddenly Theory was unhinged, spitting and snarling at her and demanding her to go. She wouldn't allow herself even a moment to grieve what she was losing, she couldn't. Instead she reeled backwards and her mind spun in a frantic attempt to gain control of a situation quickly spiraling out of control. "Theory," Thalia snapped back, all of her frustration suddenly culminating in one swift instant. "You will not die here. You can't-" I won't let you, she thought to say but she couldn't, because there was nothing else she could do here.

Being called a coward was like a sharp knife twisting between her ribs. A coward. It was what she feared most in this world - being seen as spineless and afraid - more than anything else. More than being strange or different she feared being a coward, feared that her family would recognize her weakness and would cull her for it. Hearing her mention her God was just a sudden twist of the same knife, opening the wound deeper. "You know nothing, Theory Destruction. You know nothing about me, or my God." Was it rage she felt building in her chest, sharp and painful, or something else entirely? Nothing made sense to her anymore. She swore she felt tears stinging at her eyes but she held the tears back from falling.

Love wasn't something truly obtainable for her, she realized that now; it was something being dangled in front of her, taunting and teasing her, held just barely out of her grasp. Duty came first. There was no room in her life for love, not like this. "Love is not holy. Love is weakness," Thalia said finally, her voice distant and rehearsed, like her mind was drifting somewhere else entirely. Theory dismissed her and she clenched her jaw, willing herself to say something else but no words came. What more could be said anyway? This pain wasn't only Theory's fault but her own. She never should've stayed this long, never should've allowed herself these.. feelings. But what was done was done, and there was no mending it now. Saying nothing further she began the slow swim back to the mainlands, and before long back home. It was over.

-exit Thalia-

Firefly Shoppe- Theory

The figure floated above the water, waiting. When the woman made her choice, he nodded and vanished. She would find her item waiting on the sands when she pulled herself to the shore later.



You lose:

• Currency (x3)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...
  

You gain:

• Lucky Rabbit's Foot-This rabbit’s foot glows in the dark, but it’s soft, shimmering fur is coated with a sticky, oily blue substance that reminds you of day-old blood...