Log:My Shadow and I

2014/12/13 Grimm Matt 1

Sandy Bottoms Island

On the high cliffs on the eastern side of the island, Grimm sits on the edge and stares down at the craggy rocks below. This part of the island is quiet and isolated, beyond the ruins of the old prison. Her hands are planted on the edge, her feet dangling down. She sniffs and tears run down her cheeks. Behind her, Porter appears to be pacing back and forth worriedly, trying to think of words to say to console her. Only...it's not quite right. Porter doesn't cast a shadow. In fact, the shadow at his feet are connected to Grimm, and just follow him where he goes as he paces. "It's my fault!" her shadow says in a mimic of something its heard before, using Porter's voice to communicate.

Grimm just covers her ears and closes her eyes tight. "Shut up. I know you did it. Go...away! Stop looking like that! Why are you looking like that?? You're supposed to be my shadow. So...lay down! Stop doing what I don't want you to!"

Matt is flying on high, he is using the darkforce power to keep in the air, as has become his habit as of late. His father used to fly, with his power unmistakeable, but also unhideable, always glowing with a golden glow, his power literally seeping out of him. Matt has had a difficult couple of nights, but he finally did get some rest last night..after a rough previous 24 hours. He is flying patrolling, and his keen ears pick up on a voice, its faint, but it seems distraught..he's too far to understand what's being said, but he flies towards the sound, keeping quiet, when he eyes Grimm. She's alone, and talking to herself..unfortunately he knows all too well what that feels like, as he nears, he notices her tears, and before he gets too close he pulls up and draws upon the power of Apollo, and his body glows like a small sun for a moment before toning down until he is only lightly glowing around his body. "Grimm?" he says loudly, not wanting her to think he was trying to sneak up on her..

Grimm buries her face in her hands. "Oh god...I'm a murderer..."

"It's my fault," her shadow repeats with a sorry expression.

"No one will understand that," Grimm snaps. "It may as well have been me since I can't control you."

"Sorry," her shadow says sadly, another phrase it heard before. Grimm just sighs in frustration and exhaustion. When Matt makes himself known, 'Porter' looks up, turns completely black and two-dimensional, and sinks straight down into the ground, returning to being just a normal looking shadow. Except it's not quite in sync with Grimm still and keeps its distance from her.

Sensing the light filtering between closed lids and in between her fingers. Grimm sniffs once and pulls her head up, opening her eyes to peer over her hands. "Matt..." she says softly after a hard swallow.

Matt cocks his head to the side, Grimm is tough, and has always put up a tough exterior, but she doesn't look so tough now. He sighs, and feels, as much as sees the tears on her cheeks and with a bit of concentration, he draws the tears from her cheek, his powers making it feel as if he just wiped them, but he is over 20 feet away. "Hey.." he says just loud enough for her to hear but doesn't come closer, "Whats wrong?"

Grimm clears her throat and hardens her expression, which isn't all that effective, what with the tears he just had to wipe away. Her tough, brave front isn't all that convincing even to her. "Had an accident and the wrong person got hurt," she murmurs.

Matt nods, "It happens...so..What happened?" he ignores her tough guy act, and floats closer, continuing to use the power of apollo, the soft glow around his body is more soothing than glaring, his hands are up, the universal symbol of parley.

Grimm sighs out a sigh of exasperation. Then looks guilty and drops the act. "I was attacked by a DEMON acolyte packing some serious magical weapons. The sort of items he would've had to go to a Morbane to get. The powerful, hard to make stuff. I beat him and destroyed his stuff, but I was injured, too. Right then, this guy...a big time creeper...showed up. But he had this...huuuge glowing magical aura around him. He was completely infused with transformation magic. And then my shadow," she turns and looks at it accusingly, "attacked him on sight on its own."

Matt blinks, "Your shadow?..wait, you have a shadowling attached to you?"

"Is that what it's called?" Grimm asks, then looks back at her shadow. Her shadow waves to Matt, while she does not. "I have...some THING attached to me. Ever since I received this power." The shadow's body language seems to sulk and it creeps closer to Grimm.

Matt nods..he see's the shadowling alright, "You..seemed to have merged a bit with this shadowling." he channels the darkforce and says, "Hey..whats your name?" in the planar language of darkness.

The shadow perks up and turns its head to Matt, while Grimm has her head turned the other way to look at her shadow. To her ears, it makes a hissing whisper. To Matt, he can make out, 'Hey, You.'

Matt says back in the language of the planes, "How did this happen? And what's your name friend?"

The shadow repeats, "Hey, You. That's what she named me."

Grimm looks between the shadow and Matt. "Wait, you can talk to it?"

"A ritual," the darkling answers. It sounds young for a creature of the planes. Or new. Or perhaps, the energy of the planes created a new darkling from her shadow.

Matt nods..to who one can't be sure, "You named your shadowling 'hey, you'?..." he says in his normal british English, "And can't you? I heard you yelling at it." Turning his attention back to the Shadowling, he says, "Are you ok?..You are still learning on how to exist here on this plane?" he says again in the strange hissing sounds.

Grimm blinks, looking surprised at the shadow. "Well, yeah, I can talk to it. I just didn't know others could. And he never talked back or took any other form except a shadow until today. And I didn't name him..."

The darkling answers, "Still...learning. I'm okay. Grimm hurt, though. I keep her safe."

Grimm just stares, like this is suddenly news to her. "You could talk all this time...and you never said anything back?" she sounds frustrated.

Grimm blinks, looking surprised at the shadow. "Well, yeah, I can talk to it. I just didn't know others could. And he never talked back or took any other form except a shadow until today. And I didn't name him..."

The darkling answers, "Still...learning. I'm okay. Grimm hurt, though. I keep her safe."

Grimm just stares, like this is suddenly news to her. "You could talk all this time...and you never said anything back?" she sounds frustrated.

Matt says to the shadowling, "I think Hey You is really...sub par for a name, perhaps you can ask for a better one." he then says to Grimm, "He says you're hurt..I'm not healer, but..are you ok?" he still keeps his distance, knowing she's a tough chick..

Grimm grumbles, "I'm fine. Now. And I had everything under control until my shadow decided to nearly kill someone because it thought they were a threat!" She glares at her shadow. "I know he was a creep and a pervert, but...he didn't deserve that! No one deserves that!"

Matt raises an eyebrow, "What exactly happened?"

The shadowling hisses, "Danger. Bad person..."

Grimm sits down on the sand and sighs. "I got ambushed by DEMON. You know them, right?"

Matt nods, "Yes, I know them..what happened?" he asks again.

Grimm scowls some more. "The usual thing that happens. They wanted to tear me apart to get at my powers. I thought I defeated them all, and I was hurt. Then this guy I know ran at me. He's a total pervert. Tried to get me in bed the last time I was knocked stupid by some inter-dimensional horror. Only...he was all...-wrong-. His magical signature was completely different. It was all bright and transformative, like something had changed everything about him. Or someone had used that magic to change -into- him." She sighs and drags her knees up and wraps her arms around them as she sits. "I was too hurt. Too distracted by the pain. So my Shadow attacked him. Just...tore into him..." her gaze turns distant, and her voice weakens, almost trembling as she remembers the aftermath. "Ripped him right open. I...I've never seen anything like that..."

Matt floats a little closer.."Hey..its going to be ok. You didn't kill him right? There are a lot of healers in the city, if this guy has a magic signature, he must know someone that can fix him up right?" his voice is comforting, "I've seen some bad things, but I know how bad it can be to know you've hurt someone."

Grimm sniffs slightly. For as much turmoil as she feels, she's managing to hold it together. "It was so close...his insides were coming out. I thought he was still a DEMON agent, so I...I demanded answers from him on why they were after me. Said I'd get him to the hospital once he told me." She closes her eyes and presses the palm of her hand against the bridge of her nose and sniffs again. "...how twisted am I that I would do that...? That I've gotten used to being treated like that and to do it to others...?"

The shadowling says pitifully, "...ssssorry. Was keeping...you safe...."

Matt lands no matter what..and sits beside her, "Hey..it wasn't you." he talks to the Shadowling, "Friend, in this realm, we cannot defend ourselves as we would in the other realms. Killing is not acceptable here...only under the worst conditions. Do you understand?"

Grimm sighs quietly. "I know it wasn't. But if I hadn't been hurt...if I was more mindful...I could've controlled my shadow and maybe prevented it from ever happening. She rests her chin atop her knees. "I tried to explain that to people. That it wasn't me, it was my shadow. But that sounds crazy. No one believed it or understood. They think it was me..."

The shadowling wavers a bit at Matt. "Why not...?"

Matt smiles, "I believe you.." he then turns to the Shadowling, "Because here we do not kill, it is not acceptable. Most things are not life and death here, and also, connect with your host, feel her pain over your actions, you know you do not want to hurt her. You were drawn to her by the magic, but your affinity with her is why you are here. You protect her, if you do not enjoy her pain now, then understand that you must not do what you have been used to doing."

Matt turns to Grimm, "Perhaps you need to teach your shadowling to control himself, not for you to control him...?"

Grimm blinks and looks at Matt, puzzled. "How can I even do that? I can't talk to it like you can." The shadowling falls quiet and looks in Grimm's direction after Matt's advice.

Matt turns to the shadowling. "Talk to her. Can't you mind meld with her?"

The shadowling shakes its head. "Can't. But can see. She's hurt." He contemplates what to do. "Told her sorry."

Matt nods, "Sorry isn't enough friend, Sorry is a word, remorse is a feeling, change is an action. You need to change if you want to show her you are sorry."

He turns to Grimm, "hey..Gabrielle, your shadow is sorry, he feels your pain. He can't connect with you completely, I've told him that he can't be doing that kind of stuff again, that its not like his home realm."

Grimm rubs at her eyes and looks up at Matt. "Yeah, it seemed to be saying that. Kept mimicking the guy it hurt and uses his words. I get that it's sorry. But I still have to live with this." After a tired sigh, she smiles weakly to Matt. "Thanks for telling my shadow that. Hopefully it won't panic again and do anything like that again. Usually it just whisks me away to somewhere far far away if there's trouble."

Grimm looks a bit concerned. "Another hero showed up and took the guy to the hospital before I had a chance to. She said she was going to have a long talk with me about who's controlling who after I explained my shadow was responsible." She doesn't like the sound of that.

Matt nods, "Remember, as a conduit, you need to make a choice, either you control the power, or the power controls you. There is a great psychological demand on your mind. You talk tough, you throw me around like a rag doll, but if you do not strengthen your mind and make the decision, then things like this will happen. My father lost his life, and I do not mean his living life, I mean the life he lived, the life he loved, because he could not control the powers that came down the line of the conduit. Another hero cannot make that decision for you. Make the decision and no one's 'long talk' is going to be necessary." He grins, "I like my rival Gabby, but I don't want you as my enemy."