A Dance In Print

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"Ha-Have you gone mad?" Jack asked, More of a statement than a question at this point.

"That is quite rude to say to someone you know?" She chastised, a bit angry and annoyed at Jack for his words. "But I do see you're point."

"..."

Jack stayed silent mulling over if he really should go get a therapist, consequences be damned.

"Did you know that I can't read anymore?" Es revealed Breaking him out of his thoughts, He folded his hands on his chest and thought for a bit if he should say Yes but decided to say nothing and motioned for her to continue.

Es seeing the gesture continued. "My eyes scan the words, but they don't reach my brain, It's hard to believe I used to read as easily as I breathed... Now I only keep turning pages out of boredom."

"So It would seem,"

"How could this have happened? I don't understand it, If I really try to read it's as if the words are dancing around the pages, All I see are letters, Words have no meaning." She said down-casted at the loss of her favourite pastime.

"Any contemplation of the meaning, or attempt to combine the letters.... And I forget the letters I had tried to read." She said with a bit of fear.

Jack pondered on her words and asked her a question.

"What about your words right now?" She seemed to have expected this question, seeing as she gave a reply not a second later.

"I can talk as I am right now... But my mind is buzzing, Words appear in droves and then disappear... It's like a... Meaningless free thought exercise."

"..."

"Do you really think I've gone mad?" She questioned, impassively looking at Jack's Face.

Jack hearing the question Soon answered after thinking about it for a moment.

"You're just now finally realizing this?" A bit hostile, but he had decided that he needed a more aggressive approach to help and make Es realize what is happening to her.

After all the first step to recovery is to acknowledge the problem itself.

"Hmph, Is that your best Facade impression? That's funny." She said with a bit of snark at his reply, before she waved his words off and continued.

"It's... worse... when... I'm alone you know? I.... Desperately want to destroy, I... can't... suppress my impulses.. Even you.. Even now.. I still want to.. snap your neck..." She said while taking his eyes off Jack and opting to stare at his hands that we're now tightly gripping the edges of the table.

Jack had now wanted to scream... Thankfully Es seemed to have decided to soothe his worries as she clarified.

"Relax, I will refrain... One enemy is enough." With that the breath that he had unknowingly held had been released, his body relaxing and his mind calming down.

"Do-don't scare me like that Es."

"I assure you, that though you are sometimes annoying your company is much appreciat- Ughhh! not again!" She said the last part with rage and irritation.

"Es! Are you okay?" Jack asked worried as he stood up from his seat.

"That Bastards voice is grating even louder... They're just repeating themselves over and over at me! Saying I'm mistaken, Saying I'm a failure.. Why won't things go the way I want?!" She yelled, her voice warping itself at the end.

"Es, calm down." Jack soothed as he inwardly condemned Ego Rex or the Facade for what was happening.

"If they're just a dream of mine... then I'm not mistaken, I'm not a failure! I'm..... I... I can go on existing... I can be allowed to exist can't I?" She questioned as she looked to the only other person in the room with her.

"Of course, you can!"

"Thats right... I'm not unwanted... So... I'm going to fight for my freedom.. If I'm to be trapped here and killed... I'd rather die fighting.... I want to go on as myself. I won't lie." She said with finality as if she had come to realize something.

"And that fucking bastard is in my way.. Either I will die or they will. There's no way for us both to go on like this..."

"Es..."

"I'll do it right now.. I'll have their hea-"

"Es! calm down.. No one has to die." He screamed as he interrupted her words.

"I...Hmph..I am calm." Taking a breath, she calmed herself down from her hysteria and focused back on Jack.

"Say... You're my ally aren't you?" Es inquired as the question caught Jack off guard.

He wasn't expecting that... Then again he was dealing with someone insane here.

"I-" Jack thought on his answer for a while, On one hand, if he took her side it could delude Es more that he really was a part of her.. her dream as she would call it...On the other, if he said he was on the opposite side he didnt know what would happen.

So of course the correct answer would be...

"I'm Neutral."

She glared at Jack for a brief while, before saying.

"You probably think your vague replies are cool....Hmmm.. talking to you smothers that facades voice..." She seemed to have calmed down from her earlier outburst as no traces of her previous anger could be found.

"Glad I could help."

"You're perfect." She praised as she stared at him at his face.

"Thanks?" He replied as he was inwardly worried about where this was heading.

"You are the ideal I've dreamed up.. You must love me very much. That's why you take my words so kindly, Thats why you like to spend so much time with me and Thats why you support me and adore me...You must be my....

My Hope..." She said with realization and joy, while Jack inwardly despaired at his companions further descent into delusion and insanity.

"Es... I'm not your hope.." He softly and resolutely spoke making sure his message was heard clearly.

Unfortunately, whether she heard him or not, His words were ignored as she continued on.

"If I'm dreaming all of this.. I'd be fine with only you." On one hand he felt happy Es thought of him that way, On the other he felt greater despair that Es thought of him that way.

"Es...I'm not you're dream or hope." He repeated once again.

"Shush, now my dream... If I'm certain wouldn't this now be the time where you would sleep?" And once again it was ignored.

"I don't need sleep." he answered back resolutely, Until Es snapped out of this insanity he wouldn't let her be by herself, and he would keep trying to help her.

Sadly that didn't seem to be the answer she was looking for however.

"No no no, My dear dream... That wouldn't do.. Don't endanger you're wellbeing with youre lack of sleep due to me..." She insisted.

"I told you I don't need sleep." He needed to take a stand here or else she would keep deluding herself that he was her dream.

"Here, I'll even lend you my lap as a place to rest once again."

"Es.. No, I really don't need sleep." Even though he said that he was a bit tempted by her offer but unfortunately that interest was squashed by the concern he had for her.

She, however didnt seem to take No, for an answer, In the blink of an eye he found himself once again lying down on her lap on the couch.

Seeing himself once again in this position, he quickly tried to get up only to be hit by a wave of exhaustion.

His arms became like weights as he tried to move them from their spot, In fact his whole body started to slowly become heavier as he tried to move it.

Looking up at Es, he could see that she was gently smiling at him.

If a passerby would comment on this, they would say that it was a gentle smile, one that a wife would give to her husband at a long day of work.

He on the other hand saw that smile as nothing but a sign for him to despair, as he know knew that he couldn't say no to to the ever creeping exhaustion that was now taking over his mind.

Slowly but surely his eyelids started to weigh like lead, he couldn't keep them open them for long.

His mind as well was also finally succumbing to the exhaustion that was hitting him like a wave.

The last thing he heard was a gentle Goodnight, one where if anyone with no context were to hear would be envious over.

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A/N: Yeetus fetus the end is nearing.. so yeah.. might do another but maybe Nah..

Anyways don't forget to leave some power stones behind and yadayada This is Es_simp signing out.