2nd Idea [Accidental Visual]

[notgivinguponyou]

[With everything settling back down again, it should be the best time to relax. But it apparently was the opposite for Tadashi, who could be seen pacing around his room at the commune. His tail flicked with every turn, and the expression on his face was more agitated and troubled than normal for those who had seen him before.

Another passing turn had him pausing, finally noticing the scroll was open. And for a moment he almost seemed to glare at it, his hardened expression persisting as he debated whether to simply roll it up.

But it only lasted a moment before his expression softened, and he managed a small, if somewhat weary smile.]

Anyone feel like grabbing a drink?

...Or taking a walk. Or...something.

[It just seemed like he could use the company.]

Comments

[scattered_rose]

Something, but I could do without it endlessly turning over in my head.

[He skipped a step to paw a bit at the ground.]

I don't like sitting around doing nothing, and that's exactly what it feels like around here.

[notgivinguponyou]

So, just come up with back-up plans.

[scattered_rose]

You say that like I haven't been trying.

[He siiiiiiighed.] I just fall back into the same hole. If I had something here to concentrate on that might help, but I don't.

Like, fixing my gauntlets helped for a good while. Then the fighting, and all the crazy stuff. Now though... it's all back.

[notgivinguponyou]

Well, give it time...I'm sure something's bound to happen again. [Things didn't seem to stay the same for long.]

[scattered_rose]

So long as it's nothing like those blizzards were.

[notgivinguponyou]

Blizzards? ...Oh, you mean those...Windigo things? [That had been just a little before he arrived, but he had heard about them.]

[scattered_rose]

Yeah. [He shook his head, flinching lightly.] The effects the storm had...

[notgivinguponyou]

Yeah, I heard it got pretty bad...

[scattered_rose]

Ponies were fighting left and right, falling under the spell of the Windigoes and only making it worse.

I felt it myself for a while, until I... [It was here he stopped, not out of reluctance though. If anything, it sounded like it was something he wanted to talk about. Only needed to find the words.]

[notgivinguponyou]

...Until what? [He's not trying to rush Daniel. It was just to let him know he was listening.]

[scattered_rose]

[Maybe it was better to go back a bit.]

See... Ever since I lost my village, I, eh...

[Maybe not, because his words were still coming difficultly.]

I don't really know how to describe it. I get nightmares a lot, but I'm pretty used to those by now, and that'll happen, right? And sometimes I just feel out of sorts, set off by the weirdest things. [Tadashi already got a taste of that himself, last time.]

It's whenever my brain decides to... go back. It'll come if I'm thinking about it, or on its own, and sometimes there's warning but sometimes there's not.

[His footsteps slowed until he was moving forward almost distractedly, his ears going back as he looked down at, past, the ground at a diagonal.]

Like my present and my past mix together. I'll see... whatever's around me, but I'll see that day too. And I've learned to pull myself out of it, but it doesn't always work.

When the Windigoes attacked... it didn't work. The magic they had was too much, and I was lost in my memories. Might've done some real harm if another friend hadn't intervened.

[notgivinguponyou]

[Tadashi frowned as he listened, matching his pace with Daniel's.] Sounds like you get some pretty bad flashbacks... I'm sorry...that's gotta be rough.

[scattered_rose]

Rough, yeah... You kinda get used to it though, in its own way. How to cope afterwards, stuff like that.

[notgivinguponyou]

Yeah, but still...trying to cope with PTSD is a hard thing, especially on your own.

[scattered_rose]

[He blinked and brought his head up, looking at Tadashi.]

With what?

[He just rattled off a bunch of letters, what was that?]

[notgivinguponyou]

PTSD...Posttraumatic stress disorder. [He couldn't help his slightly puzzled expression. From the sounds of it, Daniel knew what he had, but...] It's a psychological disorder that can develop after witnessing or experiencing a traumatizing event.

[scattered_rose]

[He stopped where he was, letting Tadashi move on ahead of him. It was only when the other pony would stop and look that Daniel spoke, a sad sort of dawning realization on his face.]

I didn't know it had a name...

[notgivinguponyou]

[Tadashi hesitated, not sure what to do now. Then he slowly walked back towards Daniel.] Yeah...yeah, it's got a name. It happens more than you think it should. But with a name...it means that people have found ways to help it. Things to help...make it easier.

[scattered_rose]

I hadn't... ever thought about whether it had a name or not. Or that other people might have the same sort of experiences.

I've been so focused on what I need to do that it was just kind of... a thing to be endured, okay there was another nightmare, let's keep moving.

[notgivinguponyou]

You've...never talked to anyone about it before?

[scattered_rose]

[He made a gesture with his head that was half shake, half shrug, and glanced up at him.]

Never around anyone to talk to about it.

[Or anything, really.]

[notgivinguponyou]

[Tadashi frowns a bit, the gears in his head starting to rapidly turn.] Well...you're around others now.

[scattered_rose]

[He nodded vaguely.] I guess so, yeah.

[Crmsn seemed to know what was up. There's always him, and uh...]

[notgivinguponyou]

I'm sure we can find some people around here that can help you out... [There's bound to be some people.]

[scattered_rose]

[He blinked, looking up.]

"We"? Tadashi, I-