obeir | Deerington Inbox

I learned that too. Only... not from Fern himself, exactly.

[ It's good that they both share that much knowledge, at least. Fern had mentioned the Grass Sword, of course -- but he hadn't mentioned being created from the swords.

Luna had expressed sympathy when the green demon had told her how Fern had come to exist, how complicated and difficult it had sounded. How the Grass Sword's creation had been but a joke. No wonder Fern is how he is, sometimes. Who could blame him? ]

That's why I'm finding it difficult to ask, because I don't think it's my place to talk about it either. But I'm a little worried, and I just need someone to talk to about it without upsetting Fern.

I have a feeling you might understand exactly what I'm about to ask.

Do you know of the green demon?

[ ... And that confirms his suspicions. ]

The green cephalopod-looking creature that sounds like Fern and produces silk like a spider? I met him in the Great Sleep. He recognised me. And he knows that Fern isn't exactly aware of his existence.

He's a demon?

[ That's new information. ]

Yes, that's him. I met him too, in the same place. I call him Phthalo, considering he doesn't have a name. We travelled together to the pathways, and I found out how the original Finn first came across the Grass Sword through his memories.

Fern doesn't know about him? Despite him being part of Fern?

Possibly. He said that's what Finn had once called him, but even he's not sure what he is.

And we're not the only ones he's met in the Great Sleep either.

You named him. Did he like that?

He said Fern "mostly ignores" him. When I later brought up the encounter to Fern without specifically telling him I met a part of him in the Great Sleep, he had no idea what I was talking about. And called spiders gross. I got the impression Fern is suppressing his knowledge of the demon in his current form.

[ That last part concerns him. The demon had been perfectly friendly to him, but ... this is Fern they're talking about. If someone he feels antagonistically toward were to encounter the demon—? ]

Who else is aware of him?

Did something happen?

I think so. He didn't seem very bothered about not having a name but I wanted something to call him, and he agreed. He liked how Phthalo could be a shade of blue as well as green. Blue is Finn's favourite colour.

[ He's... very attached to Finn. That much was clear. ]

Oh! That actually makes sense to me, though. Fern once told me about something called a 'mind vault'. It's where he places things he doesn't want to think about so he doesn't have to deal with them. Maybe that's what he's done with Phthalo?

A girl I'm friends with. Ruby Rose? She met him in the Great Sleep, too. Only he attacked her and trapped her there for a time until she was rescued. He told her he was his responsibility to stop her from hurting people. She doesn't know he's part of Fern.

Ruby and Fern don't exactly get along. But they're not really talking right now, so there's no current confrontations that I'm aware of.

I like Phthalo. It's a good name for him.

[ And if it seems like K's dwelling on a relatively insignificant detail, well. It's far from insignificant to him, when he has never been allowed or given a name himself. Phthalo is quite lucky. ]

Phthalo mentioned that, too. And that Fern's brother was able to make him remember something that he'd put in his mind vault, but Phthalo didn't know how it was done. But that at least confirms it's possible.

The same Ruby Rose who's involved with Varian? Designs weapons? Varian told me a bit about her, but I've yet to meet her. I hope she's all right now. And given her interest in weapons, that's very surprising she and Fern don't get along.

[ Because weapons are practically Fern's favourite thing in the whole world; K would expect him to be fast friends with someone who literally makes them. The puzzling idiosyncrasies of teenagers... ]

Has she hurt Fern before? I can't recall him ever mentioning her.

[ He feels as though he's missing something obvious here, but has no idea what ~~because he's never asked Fern about his love life~~. ]

It was the first thing I thought of. I quite like it, too. :)

[ If K ever wanted one -- she'd be sure to think of a name for him, too. ]

I didn't know that, but that's interesting to know. Although if it's possible to make him remember, there's the question of if it's a good thing or not to make him remember. Fern has enough going on.

[ Another existential/identity crisis is not something she wants for him. ]

Yes, the same one. She says she's alright. But she ended up taking a full week off school. I think Phthalo really scared her with what he did, leaving her stuck there like that.

Well, no. Kind of. Ruby told me that Fern has feelings for Varian.

[ No, she didn't know either. ]

That's a valid point. I'm sure the things he's put in his mind vault are there for a reason, and it could be dangerous pulling them back out. At the same time, I have to wonder whether it might benefit Fern to be aware of Phthalo. But I would not want to make the decision for him.

[ And there is a long pause here. Which won't be noticeable on Luna's end, as he hasn't actually sent the first part of his reply yet.

But ... what the hell? The plot certainly thickens. ]

I had no idea. Fern's never said a word about it to me.

That makes what Phthalo did to Ruby even more concerning. I know you said there's no current conflict, but how likely is there to be in the future? I care for Fern. But I recognise that he isn't always emotionally stable and this is all kind of sounding like a disaster waiting to happen.

It's really hard to say. And Fern has enough going on as it is. I wouldn't want to make that decision for him, either.

[ Honestly, there's so much to it all. Luna had no idea. ]

Neither did I. He's never mentioned it either, but Fern has a habit about not talking about things, sometimes. I've only ever known Varian due to Ruby dating him.

I have no idea. It might be down to how things are between Fern, Varian and Ruby but it's not something I know much about. From what I gather from Ruby, it seems to be alright? Maybe Varian and Fern have talked after all.

But you do have a good point.

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awwww luna naming him though...

she would if he wanted to ;o;