The Mask: Burdens and Reputations

A New Fear

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She pauses when darkness greets her.

"Deez?" She hesitantly steps into the cabin, "you better not have left."

"She's sleeping, Captain."

Her brow furrows as she turns towards the sound of Faustina's voice.

Which sounded like it came from her desk.

Except she didn't see anyone sitting in her chair, only something dark draped over it.

"Faustina? What's going on?" She walks over to find several sheets and blankets pinned together to form a cover.

"Honestly Captain, I'm not entirely certain."

She kneels down beside the chair and carefully pulls the cover away from the opening under the desk.

Deez seemed to be sleeping in Faustina's lap with a nest of blankets surrounding her.

If the situation wasn't so bizarre, she would have said it looked like fun.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm alright," Faustina smiles weakly before her eyes drop to Deez, "it's her I'm worried about."

Ice water fills her belly, "what's wrong?" She asks as she tucks the covering into a drawer and carefully inches her way under the desk to sit across from Faustina.

Faustina sighs as she tenderly brushes Deez's hair out of her face, "I know it feels like another lifetime, but I have no doubt you remember the day Hades came searching for T, back when you first took us in."

How could she forget?

The constant fear that she would mess up and hurt T, possibly even kill him.

The strangeness of trusting an adult, even one as strange as Yensid.

The fear she felt when she found herself in her uncle's shadow, and all she could do was pray he wasn't there to steal Deez away.

Or kill T.

"I remember."

She nods.

Sea gods, it did feel like another life.

"He used his soul gaze on you that day, didn't he?"

She shivers at the memory of Deez screaming her lungs out, begging him not to hurt her.

And then the instant replay of her life as it flashed before her eyes.

"He did."

But what did that have to do with Deez?

"I'm a bit unclear as to how or why, but-" Faustina grimaces before she pulls her eyes off of Deez to meet her gaze. "I'm terrified she somehow may have-" She moves and gently clasps her hands over Deez's ears, "developed a similar ability."

"So she can look into souls?" She shrugs, "that doesn't sound too bad."

Not that she'd want certain parts of her life watched, but at least she knew Deez was not her father.

Faustina shakes her head, "If that was what she developed, I'd agree. The problem is, I believe her ability is a lot more macabre." She bites her lip, "assuming I strung it together properly, that is- Which I can only pray I did not."

"What happened?" She asks as she leans forward to take Deez's hand, "or at least what do you think happened?"

She would deal with misunderstandings later.