Wish You Were Here
One of the best parts of travelling with Laudna was the dark and the shadows.
When Imogen was younger, she used to be terrified of the dark. Stories of creepy hags and putrid monsters emerging from the dark and eating children were hard to avoid when you can read people's minds, and Imogen already felt isolated enough from the world around her.
At first, she'd been scared that something would emerge from the shadows and attack her, and she'd die alone and unloved like she was always scared of, so for years, she did her best to avoid the dark.
Then she'd reached the point where she'd become too desensitized to care, when she went to extreme lengths just to try and make herself feel connected to the world around her. Pain and fear were her best and only friends during that time, so when night came, she welcomed the darkness.
Then she'd met Laudna, and suddenly, she'd been able to feel happy again. She began worrying more about what could be in the shadows, if it could take Laudna away from her and leave her alone, once again wishing to be swallowed.
And then finally, most recently, she'd come to the realization that Laudna was a creature of shadow, she was the Nightmare Queen. And so Imogen once again went back to worshipping the dark, because it meant that Laudna was never too far away from her.
Now, Imogen was afraid she was entering her final era: desperately searching for dark places in the hope that Laudna was in there, somewhere.
In other words, their trip to Molaesmyr was a somewhat mixed bag for Imogen.
It was hard to ignore the thoughts of Laudna would love this place or Laudna would be so helpful to hold on to right now. And if the others overhead her, they didn't comment.
Which she was glad of, because frankly, as warm and fuzzy as her conversations with FRIDA and Deanna had left her, she was tired of talking.
All she wanted was to find something on Ludinus that she could use to return to Marquet, save Laudna if necessary, end this stupid Applebee's SoulCycle business, and get her happily ever after.
But then again, when is it ever that easy?
Stupid Wolf King. Stupid Ludinus. Stupid Imogen for thinking she deserved any sort of happily ever after.
"Laudna would love this place."
She found herself whispering it out loud to herself, despite the telepathic connection she held to her friends, and the moment she heard the sound leaving her lips, she stopped.
And it suddenly occurred to her that she was afraid of what could possibly be in the dark.
A feeling of frantic panic shot through her, her hands trembling slightly, and she reached out in desperation, automatically looking for Laudna in the way she was accustomed to. Instead, she found only air.
She felt a surge of emotions rising in her stomach, threatening to drown her in a way she hadn't felt since leaving Gelvaan the first time. She felt a need to do something she hadn't in a very, very long time, to ground herself in reality in ways that, despite her higher thinking telling her was harmful, she was desperate for.
But before she could be overwhelmed, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and the rising wave of panic stuttered and retreated, hiding away once again in her subconscious, waiting for its chance to return. Imogen took a deep breath, then turned to lock eyes with Deanna, looking down at her with a kind expression from atop FRIDA's shoulders.
Are you okay, sweetie? she heard in her head; not through the telepathic bond FCG had set up, but rather through Imogen's own natural abilities. Deanna wanted a private talk.
Imogen swallowed, jittery at the thought of those feelings returning after so long, after she'd seemingly made peace with being free of them. She buried her hands in her pockets, hiding the faint quiver in her tendons.
No, she admitted. But we don't have time to deal with me right now.
Imogen, if you need time, we have it. If you need help, or support, or anything, we have it, in spades.
Laudna doesn't.
The now-familiar image of Laudna's body flashed through Imogen's mind, Thull's cruel grin, Laudna's scar, the way her body resembled a broken doll as Imogen spent several nights crying over her, and she contemplated potentially being the reason it happened again, because she couldn't keep her feelings in check.
Imogen--
I'm fine. Let's get moving. Ludinus is gonna get what's coming to him. I'll make sure of it.
She abruptly cut off her private connection to Deanna and forged ahead, desperate for a distraction. The shadows behind her almost seemed to crawl towards her across the ground, as if trying to pull her back in.
On a whim, Imogen's nose twitched, and she cast a Sending spell, knowing full well it wouldn't work.
Laud, if you're there, I promise on all my love I'm coming for you. Just hold on a little longer. If you're dead, so's Ludinus.
It made her feel a little better, despite the immediate headache that flooded her senses from the background static.
Another:
You better have a will ready, Da'leth, because I'm gonna tear you limb from limb for what you did to me and my friends.
Imogen ducked her head, so none of her friends could see her as her magic flared in anger, and her eyes turned as black as the shadows around her.