JP - Riley Intervenes

“D-don’t t-touch me, Riley.” Tzeitel’s voice shook, a sure sign of her being on the edge. She clenched her hands into fists to keep them from shaking and blasted repellent pheromones.

“Then you can either calm down here or after I drag you over to the underground” Riley replied trying his best to resist the levels of pheremones she was blasting.

“I’m supposed to be f-free now, d-dammit.” Tzeitel stuttered, growing more frustrated and giving off even more repellent pheromones.

“Damn it Tzeitel I’ve already buried plenty of people over the timelines I don’t want you to be one of them because you won’t get help” Riley yelled tears streaming down his face.

Tzeitel shouted out a stream of curses as she looked at Riley. “Crying is fucking cheating!”

“So is forcing me to watch you destroy yourself” he retorted “I know you guys think I can handle anything thrown at me but I can’t the truth is I’m terrified of losing anyone else. The things I did and the love ones I hurt and buried to get back to everyone still weighs on my mind ever day and I’m cursed to remember all the lives I’ve lived.”

“I’m not destroying myself! I don’t remember other timelines but I remember some really messed up shit in my own life. I’m just trying to get through the damned day!” Tzeitel usually did not flare pheromones for this long and it was starting to wear on her.

“So how many times do Ami and Cody have to find you after binge drinking or working yourself to exhaustion.” Riley sighed “I can’t imagine the shit you went through during those days you spent in that lair. If I could I would change everything so you would never gone through it but I can’t.” Moving closer to her he pulled her into a hug. “All I want to do is help you even if you try to push me away I’ll never stop trying. What happened wasn’t your fault, and you’re not alone anymore. As long as I’m alive I promise I will never let him hurt you again. I'll put him in the ground no matter how many times they bring him back.”

“Dammit Riley!” Tzeitel stiffened at first, ready to really blast the repellent pheromones one more time even if it exhausted her, but she could feel the beginning of a headache coming on warning her to stop it. She slumped against the speedster, tears streaming down her face. “It never stops.”

Riley pulled her over to a log and sat down before pulling her into his lap in a comforting embrace. “I know and we didn’t have the time to help you out after the village fell” he spoke rubbing her back “That changes now not just for your sake but for Ami and Cody. We have to be better so they don’t suffer as we had.”

“Fine.” Tzeitel said tiredly, too exhausted to fight anymore. Her shoulders slumped. “Ami was so upset the other night… She figured out what Canestone did to me. She’s too young to know about that.”

“Unfortunately kids are too curious for their own good sometimes” Riley replied “She’s worried about you and wants to help. The best way to fix is to talk to Frisk and Leimomi and maybe spend a couple of days in the underground.””

“I would have told her when she was old enough.” Tzeitel said, touching her neck scars. She sighed. “I guess.”

“I know you were talking about getting some tattoos” Riley replied “How about some based off of Cody and Ami?”

"I don't know… it doesn't seem right somehow." Tzeitel said.

“What about having Cody heal your scars” Riley suggested.

Tzeitel gave Riley a horrified look. "No. Of course not."

“It’s not going to hurt him” Riley replied “whatever Orion did fixed that part of his powers.”

"Using that much power would have to cost him something. They're just scars. I hate seeing them but he should be saving his power for life threatening injuries." Tzeitel said. "Besides, I don't want Cody seeing the scars."

"Just a suggestion" Riley replied " now you want to head back or stay here for a bit longer?"

Tzeitel kind of just wanted to hide from the world forever. But she could not abandon her kids, or her friends that she had been pushing away. “I guess I can go back…”

"I'll take us back to the house so you can talk to your kids before heading out," he said, scooping Tzeitel up before appearing in the living room.

Tzeitel walked over to the room Cody had been staying in and knocked on the door. “Cody?”