[PRP] Sleeping with the Devil (Freya/Tuck)

[Nio Love]

It hadn't taken Freya long to realize that the best, and safest method, of communicating with Tuck and Herryk would be through the written word. She'd promised Kettil she'd be careful - but she trusted Tuck, even though he'd given her little to work off of. Anyone who Herryk would bond with so easily, had to be trusted.

It was the others she was still wary about.

So she started to write him a letter. It was safe, and yet, it was still so good to reach out and talk to both of them. She realized, as she wrote, that she wasn't just writing to Herryk. She was as desperate to talk to Tuck as she was to him. And it felt strange, realizing you really wanted to talk to a hunter. She'd hated them for so long.. it kind of hurt to want to be friends with one. There was so much potential for heartache and backstabbing.

She didn't want to be on the end of his blade.

But she couldn't help herself. She was never very good at self-control to begin with, so as soon as she realized this was what she wanted, she was on the floor writing the messy note.

Quote:

Hi Tuck! And Herryk! It's Freya! I don't know if you're ever going to get this, I hope you do though. I feel like I have a lot I wanted to say to you guys, and I didn't know if you really wanted to see me again, so I figured this was probably the best way to do it. Plus, if you're around and you're with friends and they all want to kill me.. we probably won't get to do much talking. I still want to see you guys! But.. I know it's hard. So I do this instead. I really really really really really really hope you get this.

So anyway, the first thing I want to say is to Herryk. I never got a chance to say this to you when I first saw you guys, because, everything was really painful, and hard to deal with.. and so I just want you to know something. I think what you're doing is really great. I kind of hated the hunters for taking you away, when you left, but now I realize you're making them better. And I just want to say.. I hope you're happy. I really do. As long as you're happy, even if I can't ever see you again, I'll be happy too. And technically this IS better than you being dead.. but I really do want you to be happy. That's all that matters.

So tell me if you're happy, okay? I really want to know.

And to you, Tuck, I have some things to say too. First of all, I don't know how you and Herryk got together, whether it was his choice or yours or maybe neither, but, thank you for being.. a good guy. I know we're sort of enemies in a way but you could have killed me when I gave up, and you didn't. I can tell you've got a really good heart, and I kind of wish you were on my side, because I would love to be your friend. But I'll take what I can get.

Just please take care of Herryk, okay? Never make him do anything he would regret, always listen to him because he's super smart and he's the best person with the biggest heart ever and he knows whats best. So listen to him always or else! And uh.. I don't know. Just, maybe, the next time you guys try to fight us, try to see our side of things, too. I know that might be too much to ask, and I don't want you getting in trouble, but we're just kids over here. I don't know why people like - that reminds me! If you meet a guy named Jeremy? PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE. HE'S AN a*****e! He should die a lot and never ever try to save him, seriously, he's the worst person ever.

But like I was saying.. I've never understood why we fight. I guess you guys don't like when we attack humans, but I've never attacked a human. And I go to class, and we've been learning how to extract Fear out of humans without hurting them or touching them, it's really cool! We have to use ~words~ and just make them scared like bad dreams and harmless stuff. When I'm older that's what I'm going to do, I think. I'm going to help extract Fear so we can live, but without hurting humans. I promise!

Listen, I really like you Tuck. Please don't ever hurt me. Jeremy hurts me. A lot. Please don't be like him. Please.

It was here, that writing had become too taxing to bear, and she pushed the letter away, roughly signing it and folding it up.

The next time Tuck wandered through the Haunted House, he might find a letter stuck to one of the walls of the hallway, with the word TUCK written in giant black marker to catch his attention.

pinchmonster

show spoilerhide spoiler

 

[bipolar bee]

Some time passed before Tuck found himself in the Haunted House again. He hadn't come to fight - in fact, he'd come only to see Freya. Herryk had been brooding silently, and nothing that Tuck did could bring the draugr out of his silence. It was maddening and yet, at the same time, Tuck felt bad for his weapon. To lose all memory of the time before couldn't have been easy, and Tuck could feel Herryk's struggles.

He wanted to put his weapon at ease, let him have an opportunity to get answers to the questions he'd had.

It was merely happenstance that brought him across the envelope with his name on it - a wrong turn had taken him down a strange hallway - and the letter was not opened until he was safely home.

After reading the words, Tuck pensively took out a small notebook he kept in his bedside table - sometimes writing helped him fall asleep, although very rarely - and together with Herryk they composed a letter of their own. Tuck had never had the best handwriting, but for this letter he took his time, painstakingly crafting each letter so that Freya could read his messy words.

Quote:

Freya

This first part's from Herryk. I'm just going to write down what he says. He says I'm not allowed to read it, but we all know that's kind of impossible. Next time he's in a golem he wants to write a letter without me being around, so we'll work on that for him. Next week, maybe. Already used up our time this week.

Anyway. Here goes.

Quote:

Hello little bird.

It is the strangest thing, learning about the time before. Herryk has only the slightest memories that are not quite entirely formed. It is like there is a huge puzzle and Herryk has lost many, many of the pieces, and all Herryk has are the pieces that put together the frame. It is not such a bad thing, really, as it is like being given a second chance.

Herryk cannot remember, and if Herryk has hurt those he cares for, Herryk does not want to remember. It is better this way. Herryk hopes Freya can understand, and perhaps Freya can tell Herryk's other friends (if he had any) that he is happy and content, and that Herryk wants only to protect.

This week past, Herryk was able to be in his own body. It was an interesting experience, and Herryk will do this thing again. Theodore says next week, and Herryk will hold Theodore to that promise.

Just as Freya wants to know if Herryk is happy, Herryk wants to know if Freya is happy. Herryk is not sure why it matters, only that it does.

Please be safe, as Herryk has not yet met this Jeremy of which you speak - and Herryk does not know if all hunters are as kind and gentle as his Theodore. So far they do not come off as being horrible, but perhaps this Jeremy is broken and his weapon cannot fix him.

Herryk will write again. Until next time, little bird.

He worries about you, and since meeting you he seems to feel a little lost. I think we'll get it all cleared up with time, and I am very confident that we'll get everything figured out. I hope you understand that I have to protect him, too. Our bond is strong and we rely on one another for everything. He's become my best friend, and together we make a pretty good team, I think.

I'm not even sure if I could get in trouble for this. Part of me wants to say that I could. Fraternizing with the enemy or whatever - but in truth I don't feel like you're the real enemy, Freya.

I think the real enemy is those horsemen. You know them?

I haven't met this Jeremy guy, and from the way you describe him I'm not sure I'd want to. I've been trying to make more friends, nice people. We're all pretty young here, and it's almost kind of sad, but I don't think I should get into that.

You take care of yourself, Freya. We think about you a lot.

Tuck & Herryk

The note was left tucked into a door, FREYA printed in large letters across the envelope.

Nio Love

fffff ;;

 

[Nio Love]

Freya was overjoyed to find a response to her letter, when she managed to creep into the Haunted House again. She took it back to her dorm, and poured over it, dying to write another one until she read one particular line.

This week past, Herryk was able to be in his own body. It was an interesting experience, and Herryk will do this thing again.

After the words sank in, Freya put the letter down, and had a full blown panic attack.

There was something completely unnerving about the realization that Herryk was less gone than she realized. He had no memories, and he was starting a new life, helping hunters be better. And that was great! She was so proud of him for it. But it was so much easier to think about the entire process objectively, when Herryk wasn't.. as Herryky as he was before all this. In the end, after grappling with a full range of emotions that spanned from fear, to anger, to peaceful content, all the way to even feeling pangs of jealousy, she finally settled on being happy about it. She didn't have to feel sorry for Herryk, anymore. He'd lost nothing, and he'd gained so much. And he was happy. Really happy.

In the end, that was all that mattered.

Quote:

Dear Tuck and Herryk
I was so happy when I saw you guys had written back to me, I don't think I've ever been happier to see my name on a letter in my life! I was going to ask you what a golem was, Tuck, but after reading Herryk's letter, I think I figured it out. So you guys give him his body back and everything, huh? It's unbelievable to hear that. It's kind of like.. Herryk has a natural form of a weapon, and he still gets to be humanoid too. People with natural forms are really cool over here, so that kind of just makes him cooler. I don't have a natural form, though. What you see is what you get with me! Nothing special at all.

So, Tuck. This part is for you but you can let Herryk read it, I don't mind.
I think about you guys a lot too. Both of you. Having feelings like this for a human and a hunter is so funny to me. People would probably laugh if they knew how much I cared about a hunter. But I don't care, people laugh at me a lot, it's okay! It's worth it.

So I want to know about you. Would you tell me things? Like, you weren't always a hunter, duh. What were you like as a kid? Did you always know you wanted to be a hunter? Is that like.. a profession of honor in your world? I mean it is technically like protecting them, so I guess they think of you like.. well we have these bogeymen over here, they protect us. And make sure we're not doing bad things, or else we get punished. Do you guys punish humans for doing bad things, too? Or just us?

Jeremy is an awful guy. You definitely don't want to meet him. He hits and kicks and spits and cuts and promises he'll find me again and again just to hurt me. He's the reason I've hated hunters for this long.. and the reason I'm super scared about all of this. But don't worry, I trust you. I don't know why, but I do. No, I know why, it's because Herryk chose you. That makes you the best.

I know some horsemen! Herryk hated them, because they marked me once on my back with this tattoo thing but they sort of leave me alone now. I think they got in trouble recently for attacking some humans and now they're grounded, hahaha! They haven't done anything bad to us, though. How come you think they're the enemy, did they hurt you? I remember Herryk always used to tell me to be careful, because he didn't trust them. Now you, too. I guess I really shouldn't trust them, after all. I can't get rid of this mark though, it's like a tattoo and I don't think it'll come off. But a tattoo isn't dangerous, is it? I don't think it's magic or anything..

I'll stay away from them, if you want me to. I don't mind. I've learned to listen to advice more than I used to. I promise.

Okay this part is for Herryk, but you can read it Tuck!

She paused, re-reading Herryk's part of the letter, and her eyes kept returning to those inital words.

Hello little bird.

Little bird. Little bird. It distracted her, just thinking about it. Herryk had never called her little bird before, but his nickname for her, ladybird, was so close, it almost sounded like it. Almost, but not quite. Herryk was a new person, now. Shifted just a few degrees away from the boil she'd fallen in love with. Little bird was this Herryk's nickname, for her.

She liked it. It didn't suit her, because she'd grown so much since he'd first met her.. but she liked it, all the same. But it helped remind her that this Herryk was different, now.

And not hers.

Quote:

Hi baby boil! I have to admit, when I read your letter I had a heart attack. I can't believe they give you your body back, that's so cool! Especially since you had such a good one, haha! I didn't say that. Ignore me. I mean it's really nice you get to be yourself sometimes. Though I was thinking about it, I guess your weapon form is kind of your natural state now, right? So do you feel more comfortable when you're a weapon? What do you do when you get to be in the - golem, right? Do you go out and play? Wow you know what, I don't even know where you guys are.. I just kept imagining you lived in the Haunted House. But you get to go outside, don't you? Like, in the human world?

Knowing you're happy really made me feel better. You and Tuck - you called him Theodore, is that his real name? It's pretty. Why does he call himself Tuck? I guess I should ask him that, duh. You did have lots of friends over here, by the way. They're going to be SO HAPPY to know you're not dead and you're doing well. I'll try and smooth over the rough spots with them, and I don't think I'm going to mention Tuck specifically. Not everyone understands easy, and I never want anything to happen to him, or you. I'll keep you guys safe.

So, am I happy. You know this is a tough question. I actually thought I was. I really thought I was totally happy, but I think when I found you and Tuck, there was this part of me, really deep down inside, that I was hiding until then. And it came out, and reminded me that I kind of hated myself. I hated myself because I always felt like I'd failed you, and I'd lost you, and I was never going to forgive myself for it. But then I found you again, and now I know you're happy, and you're doing great things. And I still kind of hate myself, but I know I shouldn't, and I think I can finally let go of that hate. So I can't exactly answer your question, because the answer isn't yes or no. The answer is, I think I can finally BE happy, now. It's still going to take some time. But the more I talk to you and Tuck, the easier it gets. So.. ask me again some time. I bet I can give you a good answer.

Okay both of you, I'm going to go mail this now. Write me back soon I want to hear from you so much! Be safe always.

Love, Freya

pinchmonster

TAKEIT

 

[bipolar bee]

He wasn't really expecting to find an answer to his letter when Tuck found himself wandering the halls of the Haunted House once again, but when he saw it there, a rush of happiness filled him. He knew it didn't belong entirely to him - the happiness was Herryk's, and the joy was fathomless. It was a wonderful thing, that pure, clean giddiness, and Tuck chuckled as he read the letter upon returning to Deus. Part of his still worried that he might find himself in trouble for cavorting about with Freya, writing her frivolous letters, but the great peace that it brought Herryk made the remote possibility of trouble very worth it.

Quote:

Freya

You want to know about me? Not a lot to tell, honestly. I have good parents who miss me, I'm sure. They think I'm dead - it was the easiest way to handle things, I guess. I love to play football - I don't know what you would know it as, and it's stumping Herryk too. I got into college on a scholarship because I was pretty good at the game, and I should have graduated but I started seeing things and so I decided to join the Army.

The Army was one of the best choices I've ever made.

It's like a brotherhood. We all looked out for each other, and took care of one another.

Sometimes things happen, though, that make you question your choices. I sometimes wish I could change the decisions I'd made before I became a hunter. You can't really dwell on it, though, I suppose, because that will only make you miserable. Life is too short to be miserable. My dad always used to tell me that. No sense in losing yourself in the past when the future is ahead of you.

I have a sister who's a hunter, too. Her name is Natalie, but she's younger than I am by a few minutes, so I call her Gnat. We're twins. I haven't seen her much since we came here, but I figure she's been keeping busy just as I have.

I don't think the Horsemen can offer you anything that you can't get yourself, Freya. They're nothing but death and pain. I know from experience - just trust me.

I guess Herryk's letter is going to be separate. He hasn't gotten back in a golem yet, so it'll be in my terrible handwriting. Sorry.

Tuck

There was a second letter attached to the first.

Quote:

Little bird

First let Herryk say that yes, he does have quite a fine body, does he not? Herryk thinks that it embarasses Tuck, but there is no shame to be found in such a fine form.

Secondly, what is this 'baby boil'? Theodore and Herryk are both very curious.

Herryk does feel more comfortable when he is himself, a weapon. These golems are feeble and cannot attack or spar, lest they explode or some silly, weak thing. Theodore says that Herryk is not allowed to attempt such action because it is to cost these 'five thousand dollars' to fix. Theodore assures Herryk that yes, this is quite a hefty sum, and Theodore has things he wishes to buy with this five thousand dollars.

Theodore is Theodore's true name - he goes by Tuck because it is shorter. Theodore also says that the only person who used the name Theodore was his mother, so Herryk finds it rather amusing to use the name as well.

Herryk is very pleased to know that many friends were left behind - not… this is not the right phrase. Herryk is pleased to know that there were many who cared for him. Theodore cares for Herryk now, and Theodore is also Herryk's best friend and companion.

Freya should be happy. As Theodore says, life is too short - it is wise to spend as much of it as Freya can being happy and filled with strength. Do not hate what Freya is, or the mistakes that Freya has made. They have made Freya who she is today, yes?

Please write again. Herryk hopes to write his own letter soon.

Herryk

Pressed inside of the letter, perfectly dried, was a small blue flower. The envelope was taped on a wall, Freya's name printed out just as it had been before.

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

It became compulsion. She started looking for the Haunted House whenever she could, instead of hiding from it. Eventually, she worried she'd find a hunter that wasn't Tuck, before she could find a letter, but she'd been sporting impressively good luck during the past few weeks. And finally, when she found the entrance and snuck her way back in, she found the letter and nearly tripped on herself running back to go read it in her dorm.

But before she could read anything, the flower fell out into her lap, and she picked it up. A few seconds were spent twirling it between her fingertips, staring at it in wonderment. It was pretty, but the gesture behind it was far more beautiful. And it was a human flower. She framed it almost immediately, between two panels of glass, and put it up on her wall. Over the next few days, the blue faded to a shocking blood red, and thorns pricked out of the dry stem until they cracked the glass with force. It was enchanting.

Quote:

Hi Tuck! Hi Herryk! I can't believe you wrote back again so quick, you're spoiling me. Thank you for that flower, I wish you could see what happened to it. It's so beautiful. It changed, I guess because of all the Fear? In class we learned that we can't bring food back from the Human world, and plus it tastes really gross to us. I guess that's because of the Fear too. But I hung up the flower all pretty, and it changed into something beautiful. I'll never ever ever take it down. Thank you.

I'm sorry your parents think you're dead, that makes me sad.. I thought your job was something to be proud of. Why did you have to look like you died?

I like your dad's advice. I don't listen to it very well, though.. I dwell on the past too much. He's right though. It makes me miserable a lot. I'm really easy to distract, and I use a lot of distractions, but when I'm alone, and there's nothing left to distract me, I get really sad, and I hate myself a lot. I wish I could be like you, and not dwell. But it's just so hard.

YOU HAVE A TWIN TOO! Tuck, I have a twin! We are identical, though, and I have many other sisters too, but Tuck we are both twins! That is such a coincidence! I have not seen my sisters in some time either, school is far away from my house so we don't see each other a lot. Gnat is a cute nickname. I don't have a nickname because my name is short enough.

I'm rambling. Sometimes I stop and read back what I wrote and wonder why I think you want to hear all my thoughts like this. I'm sorry!! I don't really think when I write, I just write and write and end up talking about everything. It's silly, I know. But all I have to do over here is go to class and do my homework and hang out with the people I love, and sometimes I have too much free time!! In fact, that's why I'm always surprised that you write so much back to me, I keep imagining you as some super busy guy in an office with no time for silly ghouls like me. Don't get fired because of me.. hahaha!

And now this part is for Herryk! It's nice to see you are still just as modest and humble as ever, baby boil, haha! I never could blame you. I would be proud too if I looked like you. And was a guy. If I looked like you and was a ghoul, I'd be worried.. but if I was the female hotness equivalent then I would be proud, because that would be a lot, but it wouldn't be like all muscley I guess... wow, talk about rambling. Let me stop saying stupid things and actually answer your questions.

Baby boil is my nickname for you. When I first met you, we were at a fair, and they had a contest. An eating contest. And you and I started arguing over which of us would win.. so I said when I won I would make you cry like a baby. And from then on, you were my baby boil. That's all it was I think! Plus that's where you started calling me ladybird.. I think it's because you said small ladybirds like me couldn't eat anywhere near as much as you. WHICH WAS WRONG. I TOTALLY WON.

She almost felt bad about lying.

Almost.

Quote:

I don't know if my mistakes made me who I am today, Herryk. It could be, but only because I don't like who I am today. But I want to say that I will like who I am tomorrow? Or maybe the day after. I don't think my mistakes are what's going to change that though.. just growing up and talking about how I feel a lot does though. All my mistakes made me was..

She pulled away, the pen hovering over the paper hesitantly. What had her mistakes made her? A little broken, perhaps. A little unstable. Wary, certainly. She didn't want to be who she was today. If this was where her mistakes had led her.. she wanted to stop making mistakes. For good.

Quote:

I guess they just made me never want to make them again. That's the only good they'll do. I'm never going to let anything that happened, happen again. Even if you are better off now, Herryk, I'm never going to let anything like this happen again. I'm just blessed that I got to talk to you again. I don't deserve it.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to end this letter on a sad note. I don't want you to be sad. I'm really happy to get to talk to you, both of you. And I will always love and keep this flower. I want to give you something to remember me by, too, but uh... oh wait duh!

She dropped the paper and pen, and reached back behind her, plucking out a single feather.

Quote:

Okay. Now you'll always have me with you, too. Talk to you soon!
Love, Freya

She folded the letter up, and slid her feather inside, then addressed it and went back searching for the Haunted House again. She was just asking for trouble, and never happier about it.

pinchmonster

 

[bipolar bee]

After Herryk's latest foray in the W-Golem, he'd written Freya a letter on his own. Tuck was expressly commanded to deliver the letter without reading it, and since Herryk had gone through all the trouble to painstakingly scrawl a letter out on his own, Tuck decided to honor Herryk's wishes.

The feather that they'd received in their last letter was kept, safe and secure, hidden deep in the back of Tuck's closet right next to an old pair of sneakers. Tuck would bring it out on occasion when he was feeling kind of down, and he'd gently hold it in his hand or run the filaments over his thumb.

This particular note was messily secured in an envelope that read (in messier script): FReYa's eYEs ONLy.

The letter continued in that awful script, but for sanity's sake you'll have to use your imagination.

Quote:

dear freya

hello it is herryk. it has been too long since herryk has written. today herryk is in a golem, and there were many other weapons in a golem as well. herryk met the others and they were very nice. there was a hunter there named candace. candace tells herryk that the past is not a place that herryk wants to visit.

herryk thinks that candace is wrong. herryk does want to visit this past, because that is where freya is, and herryk cannot describe how herryk feels about all of this. herryk is curious about everything. herryk would like to meet more of his friends from before.

theodore is making bad choices lately. herryk is worried about theodore. the other day, theodore was in a practice battle with a small ghoul. theodore called this ghoul a sun. this ghoul hurt herryk's theodore badly enough that theodore had to have his face sewn. theodore has also become involved with a ghoul named nevada, and while this nevada is nice, nevada also has a boil but they have broken up because theodore has seen nevada very naked.

herryk is almost out of time in this body.

until next time, little bird
herryk

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

Freya had expected a letter written by Herryk alone when he was in his golem, but she hadn't expected it to no longer be accompanied by one of Tuck's. Something about only getting a letter from Herryk felt odd. It felt strange, in a tingly sort of sweet way, and it felt upsetting in a sad sort of left out way. Really, these letters were starting to confuse her emotions more than they had been before she'd even known Herryk was still... alive.. ish.

She remembered her last letter, telling Tuck how surprised she was whenever she got a letter from him. She pictured him so busy - and now, perhaps, she was right. Maybe he didn't even read her letter, this time. Maybe she got boring. Maybe she'd asked too much. Too little. Maybe she was simply overthinking the entire thing.

He was busy. That was all. Huntering was busywork. She only hoped he hadn't done anything hurtful to any of her kind while he was separated from Herryk. But she couldn't ask.. because there was no letter from him to reply to.

So she focused on the person who had written, instead.

Quote:

Hello baby boil! You have the same handwriting! I like it, it's messy. You didn't write very much when you were here, but you wrote me a poem once, so I have it, and so that's why I know just what your handwriting looks like. Not that I would have forgotten. But I always have a reminder! It's cool to see it again, I'm glad you have this way of getting out and .. walking around? I guess? And doing stuff? Are there a lot of you guys? Do you reco right duh nevermind, so are the others nice? Any valkyries there? Or draugrs? Do you guys do anything fun? Like, I don't know. Go party? I hope you get to have some fun.

I don't.. know.. if meeting some of your old friends is such a good idea, baby boil. I haven't gotten to tell them yet what happened, so they still think you're dead, but.. I'm scared they won't understand. It's not that they don't love you, it's just, well, I'll tell them, and I'll tell you if I think it's safe. I'm not putting you guys in danger, I have to be sure. Not everyone's going to feel the same way as I do. I'll do my best.

If you're worried about Tuck, talk to him! You're the best influence he could have. That's why you're there! Make sure he knows how you feel. I can tell he cares a lot about your opinion.. he has to listen to what you've got to say. But then again he also has to make some mistakes to learn in life.. hah, we learned that lesson hard, didn't we baby boil?

Umm, soo.. when he's.. intimate with someone.. are you like.. there? Is it like you're intimate too? I'm sorry, you don't have to answer this, I'm just curious. If. You know.

It's none of my business. I shouldn't be asking. Oh ******** me Tuck's going to have to - TUCK I'M SORRYYYY he doesn't have to answer it's okay!

I give up, I'm so bad at this. I don't know how to stop myself from saying things anymore. Or even if I want to.

I want to see you guys again. Soon. I'll talk to your friends before then but I just, maybe, want a hug.

That's okay, isn't it?

-Love, Freya

pinchmonster

 

[bipolar bee]

Freya would find a letter waiting for her upon her next visit to the Haunted House.

From Tuck

Freya -

Sorry I didn't write last time. It's been a little hectic on the island. These people know how to party. I've been trying to spend more time getting to know everyone, and so far it's been pretty nice. There are a lot of good people here. Then again, for every one nice person there seems to be an a*****e.

I read the letter you wrote.

Herryk is there wherever. I guess he kind of sees things through my eyes. Does that answer your question? I don't think I need to elaborate. We're kind of bound together, share the same head.

It would be nice to see you again. Talk face to face. I am kind of interested in learning more about Herryk's previous life. Death. Whatever, you know what I mean, right? He is too. In fact, he's been driving me kind of up the wall with all these questions, but at the same time I don't know if he'd be happier knowing the truth.

You would know better than I would, so we're going to leave that decision up to you.

I think it's okay to want a hug. I wish there was a way that you could really see him again, but the golems can't come into the house, so unless we figure something else out I don't think that's possible.

Leave me a note with a date and time. I'll do my best to be here.

-Theodore

From Herryk

Freya

Herryk does not recognize anyone that he has seen, and Herryk does not think there are any Valkyries here. Herryk has only met a few of the weapons, and now Herryk is what Theodore calls 'grounded' because I embarrassed a ghoul that he has seen naked and it was fun.

Herryk is frustrated. It is not a good feeling.

It's Tuck again. Herryk doesn't feel like writing. He's kind of clammed up. I think something's bothering him, but don't worry about it. I'll figure it out. I think he just needs some time. It's hard for him, sometimes.

We hope to see you soon, Freya.

 

[Nio Love]

It had been almost two and a half years.

Everything had changed, in that time. The little ghoul who'd written to Tuck, desperately hoping for one last connection with Herryk, had grown up and left Amityville long ago. She'd spent years working on the runway, in front of the camera, and on the pages of hundreds of fashion magazines. And now, having taken a step back from a fast paced, dangerous world in the limelight, she spent most of her time reporting on the celebrities, instead of rubbing elbows with them. It was a quieter life, and it allowed for some retrospective.

Which meant, when she found the last letter Tuck and Herryk had ever written, hiding under the blood red thorned flower that she'd framed so long ago, she remembered why she'd hidden it away, and regretted her choices.

He'd been so frustrated, and she'd been so guilty. So she'd chosen to run, one more time. She considered it to be for the best, because he was happy with Tuck, and did not deserve her aching heart dragging him back down to the depths of pain that he'd been in before it was all washed away. She thought she'd done it for him.

Reading the letter all over again, she started to wonder if she'd done it for herself, instead.

She sat down, and wondered how many times they'd gone back to the Haunted House to check if she'd written. She wondered when, exactly, they'd decided to give up. She wondered if she'd hurt him - them, both of them, by disappearing one more time.

They deserved an answer. And she deserved a chance to tell Herryk everything she hadn't ever been able to say, before he'd gone to join the hunters. It didn't matter if they never received the letter. All that mattered now was that she wrote it.

She ripped off a piece of her Vanir Couture stationary, with her name emblazoned on the top of it in gold just under the words "From the Desk Of", and pulled out a pen to try and do just that.

Quote:

Dear Tuck and Herryk:

It's been a really long time, and that's my fault. I'm sorry. I hope it didn't upset you when I stopped writing, but when I saw that Herryk was getting upset, it scared me and I just thought he'd be better off without me in his life at all. I'm not saying that to try and excuse my actions, I'm just letting you know why I stopped, and why I'm writing now. I think you guys deserve a little more than just silence, and a disappearing act. So if you ever read this, I hope this is enough.

Tuck: I don't think my sudden silence had the power to really hurt you, but I still think that we were becoming friends, and I regret that I just stopped. I hope that you and Herryk are still okay, and I still think you're awesome. Thanks for trying to keep in touch with me, all those times. It meant a lot to me, back then - and it means a lot to me even now. I'm going to write to Herryk now, but I don't mind if you read it. No, I really want you to, because you guys are a part of each other, and I feel like you deserve some explanation just as much as he does. So here goes.

Herryk:
This is really hard. I don't know how to start, so bear with me, this is probably going to be a ramble and jumble of thoughts and not really make sense. I'm going to try really hard, though.

First of all, I never got to tell you what I think you already guessed from the first day we met. But the truth is, we were in love, for a very long time. We were each others firsts, and very close. The truth is, when we broke up, it was for some of the most ridiculous reasons ever. You and I both went through something traumatic - I really wish I could tell you what was happening to you, but the truth is, you couldn't bear to tell me, so I don't know. All I know is that it felt like something was eating you from the inside, and there was no stopping it by the time I was able to come help. You were very mad at me, because I wasn't there for you when you needed me. And I wasn't. I was going through something that - years later - I've come to realize is a disease called anorexia. It took me a lot of time and a lot of therapy to figure out why it all started, and I still don't know for sure, but I know that some interactions with a hunter named Jeremy might have worsened whatever was wrong in my head. He hurt me physically, and as he did, he said things to me, and it

She stopped, pushing the paper away and taking deep, painful breaths. She knew it would be too hard to try and do this all in one go, and decided to take a break and come back to writing after some time had passed.

When she returned, her eyes were red from having a good cry, and cuddling Peder for hours. Nothing managed to heal her heart like the soft squish of her baby in her arms.

She just started on a new sentence, refusing to go back to the one she'd left off.

Quote:

The details aren't important. What matters is, I locked myself away, I stopped eating, and I started to go to this place, I used to call it Hazy. It was comforting because I couldn't think there, but I only managed it by starving myself and exercising far too much. I dissipated a few times, but here at Halloween we can't really die, so I would just come back and get yelled at by our nurse. She told me once that it was my organs failing that would kill me, and I would be permanently sick if I didn't stop. Still I refused to do what was right for me, and in the process, I wasn't there for you.

I'm so sorry.

I don't know if our break up is why you left for the hunters, but the way you acted on the last time I saw you made me think it was something else. I wish I knew what was wrong, and I wish I could have been there for you. But at the very least, I'm glad that instead of hurting yourself, you found Tuck, and a new life. I remember telling you, when you left me, that I didn't care if it meant you loving someone else, as long as you got better. That was all I wanted, in that moment. And you told me that you never would. But the truth is, you have too good and big a heart to never love again, Herryk. And you managed to find a way, despite everything that happened. You found Tuck, and you managed to love again. You have no idea how important it is to me that there was hope somewhere, after all.

Anyway, I guess you're wondering what I've been up to this entire time. I graduated Amityville a long time ago - that's our school, did I ever tell you that? I got some modeling gigs, small stuff at first. Then someone found out that I accidentally walked the runway in a human fashion show for something called Victoria's Secret Angels (don't ask) and my job ratio skyrocketed. I've been on the cover of a whole bunch of magazines, and for a couple of years until just recently I've been on the road almost all the time. It was really stressful, but really fun. I met a ton of famous creeple! And then I had a baby (yes, I'm married, I'm not just having babies willy nilly), so I decided it was time to settle in for a bit while he grows up. So I started a blog, and really blatantly cash in all my celebrity contacts to keep it popular. It's ridiculous, the interweb. Creeple are just - half of them just post to insult, and half of them get super insulted at anything you say. But it's fun, for as long as it lasts. I'm sure I'll fade into insignificance in a few years and everybody in the fashion industry will be like, Freya who?

Or maybe someone will report on me with some new fake scandal and suddenly people will start being crazy again.

So that's what's going on with me. I guess, what I'm saying is, I grew up. I found your letter again, and even after all these years, I still think about you both. Once, you said to me that you hoped I would think about you every single day, but you said it in a way that meant you hoped it would bring me guilt. (It's okay, we were breaking up, these things happen.)

But the truth is, I do think about you a lot. But it's not out of guilt, because I don't regret anything. I think our time together was wonderful and I would never give it up for the world. Even if it ended in pain, it made a lasting impression on me. I am sad you don't remember any of it, but the truth is, as long as I'm alive, I will remember. And as long as I remember, those days will never truly go away. I'll keep them safe, just like I do this flower you guys gave me. I'll make sure to remember our time together, for the both of us.

I have a passport to the human world, now. I go there more than I go to the Haunted House, so if you ever get this letter, it might be easier to find me there. Or, I guess, I mean you could always steal someone's eyephone and comment on my blog, right? Haha, that's silly. I don't know exactly what would be best, but I guess if you do get this letter, and need to talk to me, just find me. Somehow.

I miss you both, and hope to Jack you're still safe. It's a scary world out there, I've been hearing some horrible things. Don't get caught up in anything too dangerous, or I will be really, really pissed at both of you. You didn't go through all of that trouble to find one another just to go getting yourself killed. Besides, if you did, you would find one hell of an enraged valkyrie waiting to kick your a** in valhalla.

Trust me. You don't want that.

Love you guys. Be safe.

-Love, Freya

It was a difficult journey back to the Haunted House with her baby clutched in a satchel attached to her chest. She hadn't been back at Amityville in so long, and finding a new path to the hidden and unknown was harder when you were actively looking for it. Eventually, she found her way inside, and looked for that exact spot on the wall that she used to stick her old notes on, when they were still pen-pals. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

But she knew there was very little chance that he'd find the note, after all this time.

It didn't matter. What mattered was that she tried.

pinchmonster