Aunty? What do you…doing, here? She can’t talk right now, she’s in the middle of. She was just yelling at. There was, someone here? Where, where’d they go? S’hard, with the, uh, the place, it’s kinda, y’know, there’s stuff here, but it’s just over there and here, so. So maybe a little sit would be nice. For a bit.

She sits, or maybe she just stops standing, but whichever it is she falls into a chair so comfortable it must have been made special for her. Room to lie back. Put her feet up. Rest her head. Her Aunty tucks her in, warm and snug, wrapping her in thick, heavy blankets like only she can, all while breathing a soothing stream of flickering whispers right in her ear. And in no time at all she’s got her Han mumbling all those heavy, heavy words she’s been carrying in her heart this whole time.

“It’s the Kingdoms, Aunty. They’re all wrong. Everybody’s fighting everybody all the time, and it never stops, and it’s never gonna stop, and everything’s going to wilt all the time ‘cause nobody’s fighting what actually needs to be fought. Demons, and N’yari, and Dominion, everybody’s trying to eat us up. United, divided, whatever, Kingdoms oughta do their job. They should, they gotta look out for their people. How’s a average person supposed to live their life if a cat could scoop them up the second they got their back turned? They can’t. It’s dumb. They shouldn’t [i]have[/i] to deal with that. But they do, because, everybody’s who’s supposed to be doing it’s not gonna.”

“I’m strong enough to make it better. I know I am. I just. I just need more time. It’s gonna take a while, alright? I don’t [i]need[/i] anyone else, I’m strong enough. I should be able to fix this. There’s just.” 

There’s fire, deep down in her heart. It stirs, and she must stir with it. But ah, little one. Don’t you know? You’re much too weary for such heat. Let your Aunty rub your back and smooth your hair. Let her press those tricky, tricky words out of you. Give it all to her, and you’ll feel much better, won’t you? You know you can tell her [i]anything.[/i]

“There’s…so many people to beat up, so much to get right. Why doesn’t anyone listen to me? Why…why are all the knights so terrible? Why aren’t any of the princesses doing anything? Why’re the city folk alright with the N’yari picking on us so much? Why do the priestesses care so much about my stupid clothes? Why’s the Sapphire Mother so angry I’m trying to fix everything? There’s no one else, Aunty. I gotta. I have to do this. Won’t let ‘em take my home. I won’t let ‘em. It’s, it’s mine…you can’t take it…I won’t let you…”

“Burn. I’ll burn all of you down.”

Aunty pulls the blankets squeezingly tight. Piles up them up ever higher. Firm, reassuring pressure around her little one’s body, her limbs, nursing her aches and stilling the insistent buzzing in her head. Han doesn’t have to stand anymore. Doesn’t have to think anymore. Tethers of body and mind drift far, far away. All she has to do is just. Be. Breathe in sweet comfort. Exhale her heart.

Fade, gently, into a poisonous dream.

“Go ‘way, Aunty.” (Surely she doesn’t mean it, not her dear Aunty.) “Don’t need anyone…”

“You’ll just…burn too……”

[b]Piripiri![/b]

You hear every word.

You see the fire in her eyes dim under flashes of sickly green mists, as she hangs limp in the snake's tightening coils. Even at your most precise, if you try and cut her loose, you [i]know[/i] that demon will twist her body into the blade.

But, perhaps. Perhaps this battle is not one of knives.

Will you let her keep fighting it alone?