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((ooc: warning! this is the longest entry I've ever written... i think. close enough, though. It's long. You've been warned.))

Arousing from her weakened state, the voice in Rose's head seemed dazed at first. Having access to visual and Rose's current thoughts, she was very confused.

'Having a rough day?' she thought into Rose's head casually.

'Where have you been?!' Rose thought back fiercly. 'The one time I really want to...' Rose paused. The gwees had perked up, and were back to staring at her.

'Want to what? You... missed me?' the voice responded, surprised at Rose and cautious about the creatures' sudden intensity.

The gwees looked at each other, and smiled.

Rose shuddered, though, frozen, that was more of an internal feeling.
'Look,' Rose thought back quickly, 'those creatures are called gwees, and they are dangerous!'

'Really?' the voice replied. 'Real gwees? Yes, I suppose they'd be dangerous... but they are usually good.'

Rose wanted to yell at the voice, but, alas, her mouth was still iced shut.

However, the gwees were done being idle.

'We are good.' said Jaa into Rose's head.

'And only a little dangerous.' Added Tuli.

'But, really, that's only to people who threaten us.' Jaa said, looking over to Tuli.

'Which is why the form has been... controlled.' continued Tuli.

'But the mind was left open.'

'We have been waiting to talk to you, other voice.'

'We think you can help us.'

'Help us to help our mage friend.'

'You can heal him.'

'You must be allowed to heal him.'

'The other voice must let you, or you must take over.'

'Wait, wait wait. Why are you guys talking to the voice in my head? It's not real! It's-' Rose started to answer in her head.

'Yes, I can help. And I will. But she must agree. I have not the strength to take over again.' the voice in Rose's head answered.

The gwees simply nodded.

'Let her.' the gwees said together in Rose's head. 'Let her take over.'

'Ow, my poor head!' Rose thought loudly. 'You all are giving me a terrible headache! And I don't understand what is going on at all!!!'

The voice in Rose's head sighed audibly. 'You are part of me.' It explained. 'As I am part of you. Rose is not pure demon, and the gwees know that. Rose is part angel, fairy, red-fox, and demon. But someone has split that apart, and only the demon conscious is ruling.'

The gwees looked a little surprised, but kept quiet. This was Rose's battle, after all.

'We should help the mage. I can help the mage. Then maybe, just maybe, the mage can help us come back together. Or help us find a way. Please,' the voice asked tiredly, 'let go, and let me do what I can for the mage.'

Rose was stunned... and yet, so many things ran true. She had had doubts about her uncle's stories. And this voice seemed to know her more than she did. But... did she really want to be only one quarter of a being?

The gwees nodded, which startled Rose yet again. Damn things listening in to her thoughts! The gwees laughed out loud. eek

'Okay. Let's do this then. I don't know any other way of getting out of this ice cube, and I hate feeling like I am unwhole... even if it means that I will be... mostly... good.' Rose gulped at that. Mostly good sounded horrible indeed. 'What do I have to do?'

'Just, try to become calm, almost like you are asleep. And let go of your emotions.' the voice told her.

Rose did. She let her mind wander off, thinking sleepy thoughts, trying not to think about the situation, which almost aroused her more than once. Finally, Rose slipped off to unconsciousness....

When she roused, she was plopped on the damp floor with a blanket around her, shivering. The gwees were hovering on the other side of the fire, around another figure in a blanket.
Rose opened her mouth to speak, but found she was chattering. She tried anyways.

"Wh-wh-wh-what ha-ha-happen-ed-ed-ed?" she asked.

"Well," an unsteady but strong male voice responded from the other side of the fire, "you rescued me. At least, that is what Tuli and Jaa have told me."
The man stood, still wrapped in his blanket, and walked around over to Rose. He sat next to her.

"They also have told me about the problem you seem to have." he said solemnly. He sighed.

Rose looked up at him. "C-c-c-can you h-h-h-help m-m-m-me?" Rose asked, still feeling frozen.

He man- mage?- smiled, but his brows furrowed.

"Well, yes, and at the same time... no." He answered.

Rose was getting very tired of all this. She wanted a straight answer. She also wanted to know what had happened while she had "let go" as the voice in her head had put it.

The man smiled.

"Tuli and Jaa say you are very frustrated and confused." he said.

Rose groaned. She had forgotten how good at that they were. The man took a deep breath.

"Let me try to explain. What was done to you was done with some of the most powerful dark spells. I am not powerful enough to undo what has been done. You need a powerful spell of light for that." Rose's face reflected her disappointment. The mage continued. "However, given the background Tuli and Jaa say you have, you may have somewhere you can turn for help."

Rose nodded, but she was confused on one point.

'Sorry, the other you could not speak when she had control.' Jaa said loud in Rose's mind.

'And she will need much rest following this.' Tuli added. 'So we had to tell Taran what we knew.'

"Which is just enough to know that I can not fix this, but to know who may be able to." said the mage out loud.

Rose forgot that the damn gwees liked telepathic speakerphones.

The gwees laughed!

Rose rolled her eyes, and looked back at the mage. "So, you can tell me who can help me?" she asked uncertainly.

"I can do that, and maybe a bit more." he said. "After all, I do owe you my life." He stood. "Miss Rose, I propose to help you on three points, if you will consider my debt to you repaid, and promise not to tell anyone my true name."

Rose waited for him to continue.

"Firstly, I will tell you who you need help from."

"All right." she replied.

"Secondly, I will tell you by which means you may arrive there, including getting you out of this underground cavern and this demonic realm."

Rose nodded earnestly.

"And thirdly, and by the consent I have already received, I will send with you as your gaurdians, Tuli and Jaa. They already feel indebted to you, and I can not dissuade them otherwise." he paused. "Besides, they seem interested in you." He sighed. "Though they don't seem truly concerned that I would still like to study them."

Rose got up off the ground, and was thankful her chattering and shivvering had subsided greatly.

"I accept your offer, Mage Taran." Rose replied. "On one condition."

Mage Taran's eyebrows rose.

"You must accompany us out of the caves and this realm." Rose said. She knew two things for certain. One was that this would ensure that she would actually get out without getting lost again, and two... that he could have some more time to study the gwees. Possibly even in battle, since that might be necessary to leave this dimension.

'Sounds like fun to me!' Tuli speakerthought.

'Woohoo!' added Jaa.

Mage Taran laughed. "Agreed." he said.


They made preparations to leave immediatly. An hour later, and they were on their way.