Chapter Text
Soul kicked his legs, looking out the window. He had been reading on the couch next to Mind, but he was beginning to get restless. This loop he, Mind and Heart found themselves in had been relatively quiet, Cacophony hadn't seemed to have started yet, and he would forever be grateful of that, but he couldn't help but feel a bit bored.
Soul stretched. "{I reckon I'm gonna go on a walk}," he said.
Heart jumped up from where he had been doodling, wings flapping. "(Can I come?)"
"{Uh, sure}," said Soul, flicking his wrist to summon his trident. "{Apollo, wanna come?}"
Mind looked up from his book, contemplating the ceiling.
"[No thanks]," he said after a few moments. "[I'm fine here. Don't get yourselves killed]."
Soul rolled his eyes, tugging on his shoes. "{When have we ever done that? Artemis, you coming?}"
Heart nodded.
"{We'll be out for... No more than four hours, probably. Come find us if we're not back by then}."
"[No promises]," Mind said, already back in his book.
A cluck sounded, and Soul looked down at the chicken near his feet.
"{Aw, sorry, Darrell, but I'd prefer it if you stayed home with Mind today. Don't want your little chicken legs getting hurt}."
Darrell clucked sadly, then waddled back to Mind, flapping onto the couch and landing on his book.
"[Darrell! I was reading that!]"
Soul grinned. "{Gotta have someone keeping you company. Darrell, make sure he doesn't get into any trouble!}"
Mind rolled his eyes and gently, unsuccessfully, attempted to push Darrell off. "[I'll be fine, though I'd prefer Darrell to find a different perch]."
"{Not gonna happen. See you in a few hours!}"
"(Where did you want to go?)" asked Heart. Soul gazed across the landscape.
To the south of the house, he knew, after a couple miles of empty grass, lay the beach, and beyond that, the ocean. In front of them, though, the tall grass swayed in the wind, mostly empty but littered with a few rocks. A few kilometres out, the few trees gradually gave way to dense forest, and in the distance, a snowy mountain could be seen pushing into the sky.
Soul shrugged. "{I don't really mind. Though, it would be best to not to go to the mountains. We're probably more likely to get hurt. But you can decide}."
Heart put his hands on his hips. "('You can choose,' he says before taking away my options and telling me where not to go)."
Soul bit his lip. "{...Sorry about that}."
Heart shrugged. "(It's fine. We can go exploring the woods)."
Soul slammed his trident into the ground, and Heart flinched. "{To the woods we go!}"
Heart and Soul had been walking for about half an hour when Heart tilted his head. "(Do you hear that?)" he asked.
"{Hear what?}" Soul replied.
"(Shh...)" Heart paused for a moment. "(This way)," he said, grabbing Soul's wrist and pulling him through the trees.
As Heart pulled him, Soul strained to hear over the sound of the crunching leaves and sticks. Eventually, he could hear what sounded like... Talking. And music.
Heart and Soul emerged from the forest and stopped short. In front of them was a large house, more of a mansion, really, and audible chatter could be heard from within.
"(What do you think it is? Who do you think it is?)" Heart asked.
"{...I'm not sure}," Soul replied. "{There's no one but us here. Us three, and Darrell}."
"(Maybe it's just, I don't know, a record playing, or something?)" Heart asked.
"{Doubtful. I've never seen this building before, and I've been around here heaps- though not for a few months... Not since this loop started, I think}."
"(If there are other people here, what does that mean for The Whole?)"
Soul froze. "{What does that mean for The Whole? How- It's just us three. Whole's Heart, Whole's Mind, and Whole's Soul. And Darrell, but he's different}."
"(Maybe it's like in those shows, where the characters go inside another character's brain. Maybe it's Whole's friends! Maybe we can talk with them face to face!)" Heart exclaimed, flapping his wings.
Soul gripped his trident. "{Maybe... Let's knock on the door.}"
"(Shouldn't we get Mind first?)" Heart asked. "(I think he'll want to be here when we find out whatever's going on)."
Soul nodded. "{Good idea. Can you go get him? I'll stay here and see if anything changes. If you're able to find your way back, that is}."
Heart shrugged. "(I can make it. My vision's good enough that I can see the way, and though I don't go on walks as much as you, I still know the way around here)." His gaze drifted back up to the house. "(And you're right. I don't think I've ever seen this house here before)."
With that, Heart turned back towards the trees.
"{Wait, Artemis!}" Soul called. Heart turned back to him. "{Try not to fight with him on the way. This loop has been really good, we haven't reached Cacophony in a while. Please try not to restart it}."
"(I won't)," said Heart. "(I like this loop. I'll try)." Then Heart turned back, walking as quickly as he could without tripping.
Soul turned around and looked for a place to sit, before settling down on a smooth grey rock right up next to a large tree.
"(Apollo!)" called Heart, bursting through the door. Mind, having managed to move a sleeping Darrell from his book to the couch next to him, looked up.
"[You're back quicker than I expected. Where's Atlas? Did the idiot manage to get himself hurt?]"
"(No)," said Heart. "(-Well, maybe, but not since I left. We thought you should come. We found a house, and it sounds like there are people inside)."
Mind stared at Heart uncomprehendingly. "[...People?]"
"(Yeah. We could hear music and talking)."
Mind scoffed. "[That's ridiculous. There aren't any people here except us three. And Darrell, but he's a chicken. How would they even have gotten here?]"
Heart shrugged. "(Your guess is as good as mine)."
"[We're literally inside Whole's brain. No one can get here, it's impossible. Unless it's like in those shows where the characters go inside another character's brain. But that's not real]."
"(That's what I said! But I definitely heard people. You know my hearing's better than anyone's)."
Mind squinted at Heart. "[Surely you must have been mistaken. Or lying. There can't be]-"
Heart crossed his arms. "(Mr. T. Mind. I know you can't logically think of a way there would be other people, but I can't logically think of a way Soul and I would be lying about this, and one way you can logically find out for yourself is to follow me!)"
Mind sighed and slipped a bookmark between the pages of his book. "[Fine. I'm coming]." He stretched, and Darrell woke up. "[What about the chicken]."
Heart walked over and scooped him up. "(Since we're all going, the cutie can come with us)."
"[Fine. Lead the way]."
"[You and Atlas better not be pranking me]," Mind grumbled as Heart led him through the woods.
"(We're not, I promise)," said Heart. "(We're almost there, anyway. Can you hear it?)"
Mind shook his head. "[Why did you call me 'Mr T. Mind?' What's the T short for?]"
"('The')," Heart said simply. "(You're The Mind. Mr T. Mind)."
"[Right...]" said Mind. "[Don't call me that again]."
"(Will do!)"
The trees abruptly stopped, and Mind's eyes widened as he saw the mansion. It looked as though it were straight out the Victorian era, complete with vines and moss covering the walls, many turrets, wooden beams supporting the stone, and a short staircase leading up to the porch that wrapped around the house. Inside, music could be heard, lively and upbeat that clashed with the vibe of the mansion.
Soul, who had been sitting on the rock, drawing in the dirt with his trident, jumped up as he saw Heart and Mind approaching.
"{You're back!}"
"[Indeed]," said Mind, looking at the house. "[You... Weren't lying about the mansion]."
"(Told ya)," said Heart.
"{So, are we going to knock on the door?}"
Mind shrugged. "[Who the hell would be in there though? It's just us three. Always has been]."
Soul shook his wrist, dissipating his trident, and took Darrell from Heart's arms. "{Not always. Darrell appeared a few loops ago, remember?}"
"[He doesn't count, though. He's a chicken, intended to keep us company. These sound like people. We represent how the Whole is doing, so why are there other people?]"
"(The fact that Darrell's here at all means it's not out of the question for the Whole to create a being who isn't representative of himself. Maybe these people are also here to keep us company, give us new people to talk to)," said Heart.
Soul walked up to the door, Heart and Mind following him. "{Well, one way to find out}." Shifting Darrell's weight so he remained balanced in one arm, his free hand hesitated above the door, before he spotted an old-fashioned bronze buzzer on the wall. He pressed it, and waited.
After a few seconds, the door opened.
The person behind it had chin-length curly hair and was wearing a suit with a tailcoat, holding in their other hand a microphone. And their face...
Soul tried to concentrate on their face, but every time, his gaze just slid off, the details slipping from his memory as soon as he wasn't looking anymore. The only thing he could remember was their smile.
Ahh! Heart, Mind, and Soul! And Darrell, of course. I was wondering when you'd come along! Would you like to come in? asked the person.
"{Who are you?}" asked Soul, entering the hallway. "{Where did this house come from?}"
Mind and Heart followed him, as they were led into a large hall, more of a small ballroom, really, with six other people in.
The ballroom had large windows facing the trees, with yellow silk curtains hanging from them, and a chandelier. On the other side of the hall was a lit fireplace.
The people in the room were a rather eclectic group, Soul thought- though not as eclectic as him- featuring three men and two women in old-fashioned clothes, as well as man in a more modern suit and headphones, and a younger boy who appeared to be dressed as a pirate. The three men included one with longer hair, a beard, and a cape, one dressed in mostly purple and green, who wore a top hat, and one whose face was a sickly blue colour, much taller than the others. One woman wore a yellow, sleek ballgown, and her hair fell across her shoulders, and both she and the man with long hair were talking to the other woman, wearing a green dress with her hair in a bun. Most of them were either talking or playing music, except for the one wearing headphones, who was sitting in a corner and typing on an old fashioned computer.
We are the Gothic Whores, said the person who invited them in. Jekyll and Hyde, though it's Hyde right now- they said, pointing to the man in the top hat- Dracula- the one with long hair- Carmilla- the woman wearing yellow- Mina- the woman Dracula and Carmilla were both talking to- Adam- Frankenstein's monster, as you may know him- the tall blue one- Jim Hawkins- the pirate one- and Winston.- the one typing on the computer.
And I am their Announcer, said the person. And you are Heart, Mind, and Soul.
Soul thought for a moment. "{Gothic Whores... That's the name of The Whole's new album. Each song is about a character from gothic literature}."
Despite not being able to focus on their face, Soul could tell the Announcer was smiling.
Indeed, they said. We are those characters. We all appeared recently. I knew- know- about you three, but they didn't. They don't know about Whole either. I haven't told them yet.
Mind cleared his throat. "[You said you were their Announcer, but didn't say your name. We're the Heart, Mind, and Soul, but our names are Artemis for Heart, Apollo for me, and Atlas for Soul. What is your name?]"
I am the Announcer, said the Announcer.
"[Yes, but what is your name?]" asked Mind, frustrated.
I am the Announcer, repeated the Announcer. I can be whatever you want from me. Man, woman, both or neither. Neither, mostly.
The woman in yellow- Carmilla, the vampire from her self-titled novel by Sheridan Le Fanu, Mind remembered- sidled up to them. "He's refused to tell us his name, either. But she goes by any pronouns. We call her Mathias."
Mind nodded at Carmilla. "[Thank you. Nice to get a straight answer for once]."
Carmilla laughed. "That's going to be the only straight answer you get from me-Mathias taught me about these terms yesterday. I'm anything but."
"(Us too!)" said Heart. "(We're all pan)."
Carmilla nodded uncertainly. "I'm... Pot?"
Soul laughed. "{If you're exactly like}-" Soul cut himself off, not wanting to reveal to Carmilla that she was fictional. "{-Well, you're probably a lesbian. That's a woman who likes women}."
Carmilla nodded. "That sounds like me."
Soul turned back to the Announcer- Mathias, as Carmilla said. "{How did all of you get here? We're inside Whole's brain. This house didn't exist last time I walked around here. Are you other parts of Whole? Do you represent parts of him like we do?}"
Mathias shrugged. Not as far as I'm aware. As I said, they don't even know about Whole. I do, but I... Do not think I am him. Not entirely, at least.
Mathias paused. They also remember things from before they were here- memories from their lives in their stories. I remember some things as well. I know all about them, I remember some things about Whole... I remember Usher. He was my friend, but he is not here.
"I don't understand what you're talking about, but I'm going to rejoin the party," said Carmilla, drifting away from the group and eyeing the woman- Mina. "It was nice to meet you, sirs." She left, heading over to Mina, who was still talking to Dracula.
Yes, join the party! Get to know everyone here, I'm sure you're wondering who they all are and their individual stories, said Mathias.
Soul nodded. "{I'm going to go talk to that pirate kid. You two talk to some of the others. When we're back home tonight, we'll talk about... All this}"' he said.
Soul left the two, walking over to the corner where the pirate boy- Jim Hawkins- was standing, playing an accordion. Thinking back, Soul could remember that Jim Hawkins was the main character of the novel Treasure Island.
"{Hi!}" greeted Soul, holding his hand out. "{My name's Soul. Or Atlas. And this cutie is Darrell. You're Jim Hawkins, right?}"
"Aye," Hawkins said in a strong cockney accent. He shook Soul's hand firmly. "Pleasure to be meetin' ye, Mr Atlas."
"{If you don't mind me asking, how long have you and everyone else been here for? My- the other two I came here with, we've been the only three here for as long as we can remember. Darrell came a little while back, but we didn't think it was possible for another human- or, human-ish? To be here}."
"I've been 'ere 'bout a month now," Hawkins said. "Though some was 'ere before I. I reckon Jekyll an' 'yde 'ave been 'ere for three."
Soul nodded slowly. "{Do you know how you got here? Last time I walked around here, a few months ago, this house wasn't here, and as far as I know, there is no way for anyone to get here who wasn't already here}."
Hawkins shook his head. "I was just 'bout to reach home, only had a couple o' days left of the journey, but I went to bed and awoke in a room in 'ere. I wen' downstairs, right, and everyone else was 'ere. Everyone 'cept Winston, that is. He came a week or two later. The others all told me they had similar 'xperiences. Some were jus' goin' 'bout their lives when they woke up 'ere. A few of them had just died or summat.
"Ow'd yew get 'ere, anyway? Yew said yew don' know 'ow anyone would get here, but yew musta got 'ere at some point. Maybe we got 'ere the same way as yew lot."
"{We've been here as long as I can remember}," said Soul. "{We've never been anywhere but here. I don't remember if we've been here since Whole was born, or just since he was a kid, but we weren't anywhere before}."
Hawkins looked at Soul strangely. "Who's this Whole? Mathias asked me 'bout 'im, when I awoke 'ere, and the others said she asked them 'bout 'im too. I only know 'e's a 'e 'cause both Matti and yew've been calling 'im a 'e."
Soul's gaze drifted, absentmindedly patting Darrell, as he tried to think of an answer. On the one hand, Hawkins would eventually need to learn about The Whole. On the other, he didn't want to shatter Hawkins's sense of reality by revealing that he's actually a fictional character from a well-known book, that had somehow been given life inside of this other, actually real, person's head. Soul had pondered the nature of his own existence and whether he was really 'real' enough, and he didn't want that for Hawkins. How was he meant to explain that all of Hawkins's memories were fake, and that the person he was talking to wasn't actually a person at all, merely a third of a full being, who he'd never be able to see or talk to?
"{Whole is... Our god. He put us here, presumably put you here, though I didn't know he could do that before. We live in this world he created. Mind, Heart, and I are tasked with helping him to the best of our ability, mostly by staying out of trouble and not fighting, though we're not very good at that}." It wasn't completely a lie, though it certainly wasn't the truth, either. But it would probably be easier for Hawkins to understand and accept, and that was what was important. For now, at least.
"Whole? That's a funny name for a god. 'E's not Jesus, innit?"
Soul shook his head. "{No! No, he's not Jesus. He's completely different. I don't... I don't think I believe in Jesus. And Whole... Isn't really his name? That's just what we call him}."
"Hmm," said Jim Hawkins. "I dunno if I believe in Jesus either. Everyone back home does, though."
"{Thank you for talking with me, Hawkins}," Soul said. "{It's been really helpful to understand more about what's happening here, and it was lovely to meet you}."
"Pleasure's all mine, Mr Atlas," Hawkins said. "Glad I could be some 'elp."
"{Oh, you said Winston got here after you? He was the last here, right?}" Soul asked.
"Aye," Hawkins said. "E's just over there" he said, pointing to the man wearing headphones and typing on a laptop.
"{Thank you}," Soul said. "{I think I'll talk to him next}."
Hawkins nodded, and Soul walked to join Winston. As he got closer, he could see what the man was typing: TWO PLUS TWO IS FOUR. TO KNOW THIS IS TO BE FREE.
"{Hi! My names are Soul and Atlas. The chicken is Darrell}," Soul said as he approached. Winston jumped, turning around.
"Oh! Hello, I didn't see you there," he said. "My name's Winston. Winston Smith."
"{Winston... That's...}" 1984, Soul remembered. Big Brother. "{You're from Oceania, right?}"
Winston nodded. "This place is... Nothing like Oceania. The Party truly doesn't exist here?"
"{No, it doesn't}," Soul smiled, patting Winston on the back. "{You're free here}."
Winston nodded, glancing back at his computer. "I just wish Julia were here..."
Soul's smile faltered slightly. "{I'm sorry. She might one day be able to come here, but until then... Try to make friends with the others}."
Winston looked to Soul, hope in his eyes. "She could? How? Can you bring her here? I'm sure she'd love it- I think she'd like the purple fellow," Winston said, gesturing to Hyde.
Soul backed up slightly. "{She might be able to come here. I don't know. It depends on... Well, it just depends. If you're here, there's a possibility she could come too, but it's quite a small one. Please don't rely on it. But, speaking of you coming here... How did you get here? What do you remember from just before you arrived?}"
"I..." Winston closed his eyes. "I was about to be executed. I had committed a thoughtcrime. The bullet was about to hit my head, and I remembered that two plus two is four, and I waited for the bullet to come... But it didn't. I opened my eyes, and I was here, and all the others were around me."
Soul nodded. "{Thanks for telling me that, Winston. It must have been really awful, living through that. But you're free now}."
He glanced out the large windows, and saw that the sky was beginning to darken. "{Well, I ought to be heading off soon. I'll be back at some point soon to see how you all are doing. But first I need to talk with my friends. See you in a couple of days, yeah?}"
Winston nodded. "Thanks. I... Think I could get used to this place."
Soul glanced around, locating Heart and Mind. Mind was talking to Hyde and Frankenstein's Monster- Adam, if Soul remembered correctly, while Heart was talking to Dracula, Mina, and Carmilla. Soul went to fetch Mind first.
Mind watched Soul walk away.
"[If he's talking to Hawkins, I'm going to talk to Hyde and Adam]," Mind said. "[Heart, you can talk to Dracula, Mina, and Carmilla]."
Heart nodded. "(Vampires are pretty cool)."
Mind turned to where Hyde and Adam were standing together at the bar with food, talking to each other. He went up to them.
"[Greetings. My name is Mind, or you can also call me Apollo]."
"I'm Adam. Not Frankenstein, he's the scientist," said Adam. "Dracula's the only one who's called me Frankenstein, but I get the feeling a lot of people would confuse me for him."
People calling Frankenstein's monster- or Adam, apparently- Frankenstein had always annoyed Mind too, and he assumed it annoyed The Whole. It seemed that annoyance had carried over into Adam, though Adam didn't know he was a story and a lot of real people thought he was called Frankenstein.
"[Of course]," said Mind. "[Nice to meet you, Adam]." He turned to Hyde. "[And you are Mr Hyde, correct? Or Dr Jekyll? What is the difference between you?]"
"I am Hyde," Hyde said. "Jekyll is not here, nor has he been here for a while. He finds this place and these people uncomfortable." Hyde crossed his arms. "He finds me uncomfortable. Too bad, fucker, I'm here, and I'm part of you!"
Mind nodded. "[How did you two get here? What do you remember from before?]"
"We both died," Adam said.
"Jekyll fuckin' killed himself because he thought it would free him from me, and Adam killed himself to join the bastard Victor."
"Is this Heaven?" Adam asked. "It doesn't seem like Hell."
Mind shook his head. "[No. This is... Honestly, not even I know. This is somewhere else. I don't think either of you are dead. Anymore, at least]."
"Good," said Hyde. "I don't want a part in any Heaven or Hell bullshit. Jekyll was convinced we're in Hell, but I think everyone here's way too fun for either."
"[Mr Hyde, if I understand correctly, you are one half of a person, with Dr Jekyll making up the other half?]" Mind asked.
Hyde nodded. "He wanted an excuse to be able to do fun stuff, so he separated himself into him and me. Now that prick is worrying about what I'm going to do, when he's the entire reason I exist!"
"[Then... Do you... Do you have a world in which you exist alongside Dr Jekyll, other than this one? Would you... Say there is another world inside your brain? Are you aware of anything when you are not in control?]"
Hyde looked at Mind, confused. "No... Well, I'm sometimes aware, but there is no other world. I'm either out here, or I don't exist, or I partially exist, but I'm not anywhere. Why?"
Mind sighed. "[Nothing. I was just wondering... It's irrelevant. Thank you though]."
Hyde shrugged a shoulder. "Anytime. I see what Jekyll's on, talking about this whole 'being nice' thing, though I don't think I could keep it up for long."
"You're already nice," Adam said.
Hyde raised an eyebrow. "Me? Nice? Nah."
"No, really," said Adam. "Everyone here is so nice. None of you have thought any differently of me because of how I look. That never happened before I came here. Unless you're all secretly blind, you're the nicest people I've ever spoken to."
"[Heart is blind, but he can see well enough. He can see you]," Mind said.
"He can," said Adam softly. "He can see me. You all can. Thank you."
Mind shifted. "[Yes, well, um]-" He caught a glimpse of Soul, having just finished up a conversation with Winston, walking over to him. "[Oh, Atlas wants me]."
"{Hey, Mind. Hyde, Adam, I assume?}" Soul asked, nodding at each in turn. "{It's getting a bit late, so we should be off soon. We'll just get Heart, and then we'll head home. See you soon}."
"Nice to meet you," Adam said. Hyde just nodded at them.
Heart was still talking with Carmilla, Dracula, and Mina, near the fireplace. Mind and Soul went to join him.
With Mind and Soul both talking to some of these Gothic Whores, Heart left Mathias to their own devices, and followed Carmilla to talk to Dracula and Mina. As he left, he glanced back at Mathias, who was swinging their microphone around one finger. Heart tried to tell what her expression was, but as always, he couldn't focus on her face. But she didn't seem upset by everyone leaving her, and was watching all the Gothic Whores in what seemed to be amusement or contentment.
"You're Heart, right?" asked Carmilla as Heart walked over.
"(Yeah)," he said. "(Though you can also call me Artemis)."
"Nice to meet you," Mina said. She was standing in between Dracula and Carmilla.
"This is Wilhelmina, and this is Count Dracula," Carmilla said, gesturing to the two.
"Mina and I knew each other before coming here," Dracula said, putting his hand on Mina's arm. "But poor Carmilla lost her love when she was killed and ended up here."
Mina shifted slightly and Dracula's arm dropped, as Carmilla said "It's fine though, I've moved on from Laura. It is rather annoying, being one of the two women here. There are some things men just don't get." Carmilla sighed dramatically, and Mina rolled her eyes, patting Carmilla's shoulder.
"Carmilla, I've told you, you can talk to me. And you have been. Don't pretend you haven't. There's also always Mathias. She can count when you want her to."
"That's true," mused Carmilla, draping her arms across Mina's shoulders. "What would I do without you to remind me?"
Dracula coughed. "Of course. Company of one's gender is important. Unfortunately, however, you will have to learn how to socialise with others. Mina, remember our blood link? You and I- we're connected."
Heart nodded slowly, grinning. "(Ah. Well, I was gonna ask you about your lives and who you are and how you're feeling about here, but it seems you've already figured all that out, so I might as well leave you to it...)"
"Oh, no, you're welcome to stay here," Mina said as Heart started backing away. "Sorry if we made you feel left out."
"(Not at all)," Heart said, shaking his head and still grinning. "(I just thought you three might want your space to... Sort things out)."
Both Carmilla and Dracula glared at him. Mina didn't seem to notice.
"What did you want to ask us about?" she asked.
"(Well, I was wondering- Mina, Dracula, you two knew each other before, right? But as far as I can tell, no one else who came here knew each other beforehand. Not counting me, Atlas, and Apollo. Do you know why?)"
"I, as many others here, died," said Dracula. "I believe Carmilla did also."
Carmilla nodded.
"However, Mina has said that she was still alive, living happily with her husband, when she awoke here. We arrived at the same time here, though for Mina, a few months had passed since her interactions with me."
Mina nodded. "I do miss Jonathan... I do not know whether he is looking for me, or if he shall ever succeed. As far as I know, this land is inaccessible to him, but I am here, so maybe it is not."
Carmilla and Dracula both looked away. Heart shifted, remembering that Mina was a married woman. But then, Jonathan wasn't real, and neither were any of them, though they felt they were. It was unlikely that Jonathan would come.
"(I don't think he can come here)," Heart said. "(No one before you have been here, and I didn't even think it was possible for you to come)."
Mina nodded sadly. "That's what I thought. No one has come since Winston, other than you, and no one except Dracula and I have known each other. It may take a bit for me to stop missing him but... I think I can get used to this place. The company's quite nice."
"Indeed," Dracula began.
"Though Dracula and I do have quite a history. He did almost kill my husband, turned my best friend into a vampire, and forced me to drink his blood."
"Can you blame me?" Dracula asked. "I'm a vampire. That's just what I do."
"I'm also a vampire," Carmilla said. "But my object of affection returned said affections. Because I'm not some creepy man. I have elegance."
Mina giggled, and Dracula glared at Carmilla.
Mina then sighed. "Dracula... I can forgive you. I think. It might take a bit of time, but... I will have to, if I'm going to be staying here, and I don't see another choice. I think we could genuinely be friends, one day. Though I would prefer it if, when I ask, you leave me alone. I will need some time. You too, Carmilla. I still haven't gotten over Jonathan. I'm not sure I ever completely will, to be honest, especially when I don't know what's happened to him or if there's a possibility to see him again. If there is, I don't want to have forgotten him, and if there isn't, I don't want to spend the rest of my life waiting for him. I love you both, but you need to give me time."
Dracula and Carmilla were both silent for a few moments.
"I will try, m'lady," Carmilla said. "Thank you for... Letting me know."
Dracula bowed his head slightly.
"So, where actually are we?" Mina asked Heart. "All of us just woke up here, and we all have different stories. Winston seems to come from a world completely unlike any of ours, and he talks about technology we don't understand. You and your friends seem like you were here before us- where are we?"
"{Another world}," Soul's voice came from behind Heart. Heart jumped and turned around. Soul was holding Darrell, who had fallen asleep by now, and behind him stood Mind. "{Our god, Whole, put us all here to serve him. We've been here for as long as we've existed, and he must have put you here for some purpose that is unknown to us. The Whole works in mysterious ways}."
"A god," Carmilla frowned. "I don't think gods usually like vampires. Or... What was the word you called me?"
"{Lesbian}," Soul said. "{Yeah, a lot don't. But this one does, so...}" He shrugged. "{Anyway, we four should be heading off now. We'll be back soon to see how you're going}."
The three waved. "It was nice meeting you," said Mina.
Yes, said Mathias from behind them. Soul jumped- he hadn't heard him coming. He seemed to be good at sneaking up on people. It was lovely to finally meet you. Please come back soon, they said. You are welcome anytime.
"{Thank you for having us}," Soul said. "{But as I said, it's getting close to dark now, and we should head back before it's too dark to see}."
With that, the three and Darrell left the mansion, waving goodbye to everyone.
"[A god? Really, Soul?]" Mind asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the mansion.
"{Look, I couldn't think of anything else to say}," Soul replied. "{Hawkins asked me who Whole was, and I couldn't just tell him that he's fictional, we're each one third of a person, and by some unknown means the actual, real, full person turned this fictional person into another piece of himself. If that's even what he is. And I need to make sure the story's the same for all of them}."
"[You're going to need to tell them the truth at some point]," said Mind. "[They can't go on believing Whole is a god. They might start doing rituals or something for him]."
Soul shuddered. "{That would be weird. I will tell them eventually, I promise. Just... Once they've gotten adjusted to living here. And once we've gotten used to them, and understand them more}."
"(Why are they here? What would The Whole want with them?)" Heart asked.
Soul sighed. "{No idea. But honestly, I'm exhausted from today. I just wanna go to sleep and think about all this tomorrow}."
Heart laughed. "(That's fair. I'm pretty tired too)."
Mind shrugged. "[I'm too curious and confused to sleep just yet. I... I just don't know how it's possible for another to exist in our world. What would they represent? It's just us three. Although...]" Mind trailed off.
"{Hmm? Mr Mind? What's up?}"
"[Nothing, I... It's nothing. I think I'm also tired. I might head to bed too]."
The trio reached the house, and Soul set Darrell on the couch, heading to his room, while Mind sat on the couch and grabbed his book, where it was still lying from earlier.
"(Thought you were going to head to bed too?)" Heart teased.
"[I will, I just want to get a bit more reading done after you two interrupted me for the whole day, before I got to finish my chapter]."
"(Alright, just-)" Heart yawned. "(Don't stay up too late. You're no fun when you're sleep deprived...)"
Heart turned to go to his own room, but Mind called out to him.
"[Wait, Artemis]."
"(Yeah? Thought you were just reading your book, Apollo?)"
"[I am, it's just... There wasn't anyone... Before, was there? Other than us three?]"
Heart's brow crinkled under his blindfold. "(We have Darrell)," he said uncertainly.
'[I'm not talking about Darrell. Was there ever another one of us? A fourth?]"
"(I don't think so? It's the three of us. Heart, Mind and Soul. Always has been. I don't... No, I don't think so)."
Mind frowned. "[Hmm. I could have sworn I remembered... I don't know. Memory's always a bit iffy for us anyway. I must have just been thinking about Darrell]."
Heart sighed. "(Maybe you should just go to bed. It's been a long day for us three)."
Mind nodded distractedly. "[Yeah... Maybe I should...]"
He stayed up for twenty minutes longer, staring at his book. It had always just been them three... Hadn't it?
Mind blinked, suddenly remembering himself. He should go to bed. Maybe he was just overtired.