A Jaded Life

Chapter 1313

Coaxing people gently did not come easily to me. The best I could do was mentally overlay Jess with an image of Luna from last year, before her increased levels had caused her to mature rapidly, and go from there. When dealing with a child you wanted to raise, harsh and abrupt language didn’t serve you well; it would only cause them to shrink back into themselves. I had a feeling that Jess would react similarly, that any attempt to give her what some might call ‘tough love’ would only force her deeper into her shell, so slow, gentle and steady was the only path forward.

Again, the more I gently coaxed, subtly poked and prodded with the slightest tease in my voice, the more I wondered if I should try my hand at a more direct, magical approach. It would be so simple to smother her worries, to flood her mind with bliss, but that was no long-term solution. Instead, it would probably only make things worse in the long run, similar to an addiction to pain medication.

But didn’t doctors prescribe such medication at the start, to help the body cope with trauma? Wouldn’t a similar logic indicate that giving her some short-term relief might allow her mind to cope with trauma, and negative consequences could be alleviated with care and a measured approach?

“You are looking about to keel over,” I eventually told Jess, making sure to soften anything that might be perceived as harsh in my statement.

“I don’t want to see that again!” She immediately grew agitated, looking on the verge of tears.

“There might be a way around that,” I kept my voice gentle, “But it depends on your consent.” I paused, taking a deep breath while trying to find the right words to convey what I wanted her to hear, not just the words but, more importantly, the intent behind those words.

“I have some ability in Mind Magic. It allows me to assert some control over the Minds and memories of others, though the skill has numerous limits and limitations. Using it, I should be able to blunt the impact those memories have on you, at least for a time. That way, I can give you a few days of uninterrupted and calm sleep, something you desperately need.”

After I finished those words, I immediately started to wonder if I had misstepped. Someone already traumatised from mind control and brainwashing, partially by way of memory manipulation, would probably react poorly to my suggestion, but I didn’t have a better way to facilitate her rest. And she truly needed that comfortable sleep, or her situation would deteriorate seriously, and soon.

“What are those limits? What could you do to me?” she asked, her voice surprisingly hopeful, though tainted with apprehension.

“That’s difficult to say,” I admitted, “I’ve been hard pressed to practise, there is only so much I can do with my own mind, and I’m obviously not willing to experiment with the mind of either of my daughters. And when it comes to some animal out there in the wild, Mind Magic isn’t the tool I’d reach for, though I did try a few compulsions. But if those would work on a sapient mind as they do on some random animal?” I couldn’t help but shrug as I made sure to downplay my abilities and, obviously, avoid any mention of my previous experiments.

“But you think you can help me?” she asked, the hope in her voice overtaking the apprehension.

“It wouldn’t be the first time I used it to help someone sleep, not even the first time I helped someone rest after they suffered trauma. My only hesitation stems from your experience with mental manipulation and a fear that I might trigger some subconscious rejection or something like that. You were violated with something far too similar to the magic I would use, which can give rise to some unforeseen complications,” I admitted, getting an understanding nod in response. Hopefully, this will prevent any trouble if my actions come to light later, though I should probably give Maggie a heads-up. Just in case.

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“How do we do this?” Jess asked after a few minutes spent mostly in companionable silence as she considered my offer.

“The easiest way would be to move you in with my daughter and me. Luna ended up in my bed anyway, so we should be able to give you the other bed, and I can gently put your mind to sleep and keep away the dreams, so you can get a full night of rest,” I mused, already planning out the different steps needed to accomplish that.

For a moment, Jess just stared at me, slightly confused. “Why would your daughter share your bed?”

“Sometimes, for shared warmth, sometimes for simple companionship and human closeness, sometimes because she stumbled into the wrong bed after a late-night trip to the bathroom,” I grinned, “Luna carries a few secrets, but they are not mine to share,” I admitted, not willing to go into the whole issue of Luna’s chronological age, and her greatly accelerated physical and mental maturity. It truly wasn’t my secret to share.

“Okay,” Jess frowned, but accepted my words, clearly hearing that I wouldn’t talk about that further. “Let’s do this,” she added after a moment, rising from her seat, only to stumble on exhausted legs.

I managed to catch her as I quickly got up myself, unwilling to let a pregnant woman fall.

On the way back to town, I stuck a little closer to her, just in case she stumbled again, but nothing happened. I could hear a few animals in the distance, but no beast was foolish enough to challenge me, even if they would gladly make a snack out of Jess. Something I warned her about, just in case she decided to go on walks without me during the night.

Before dropping off Jess at the room Luna and I shared, I quickly filled Maggie in regarding the planned treatment. Not with too many details, I made sure to respect Jess’ privacy, but I gave her the relevant information and had Jess confirm that she wanted that treatment. I’d have preferred to speak with Maggie one-on-one, but I also wanted to make sure that everyone was informed and the impacted parties, namely Jess, had given their consent.

Then, we headed back to the room, and I quickly filled in Luna. My dear daughter didn’t mind at all; she immediately offered her bed before I even managed to get to that point, doing her best to make Jess feel welcome.

“Now, make yourself comfortable,” I told Jess, after she had changed into some simple, loose clothing for bed.

Once she was in bed, I gently placed my hands on either side of her head, and, even without any active magic, I could feel the roiling emotions within her mind scream at me. The trauma the poor young woman had suffered was quite severe, and was made even worse by Sunna’s wards that had buried the memories, preventing them from being processed, while Jess had been forced to continue on. It was like building something new atop a broken foundation, and now the foundation was opening into a sinkhole. If this had gone on longer, the damage would probably be irreparable, unless a miracle occurred.

Gently humming to myself, I started to weave delicate strands of magic, slowly but surely binding the trauma, securing it so it wouldn't rattle through her mind at all times. I would have to make sure that the bindings wouldn’t keep her from remembering it, or maybe we would have to keep meeting, and I would slowly loosen the bindings I was now putting into her mind at a controlled rate, allowing her to process the trauma over time. Not all at once, as she was currently forced to endure it.

As I worked, I could see her eyes close, and the tension start to drain from her face as she slowly relaxed. It was quite fascinating to watch, especially as I could also sense her thoughts at the same time.

Slowly, but surely, she was falling into a deep sleep, aided along by my mental manipulation, until I was confident that her dreams wouldn’t disturb her during this night’s rest.

Finally, I slowly untangled myself from her mind, leaving the bindings behind as I withdrew, making sure that I didn’t disturb anything on the way out. Then, once I had fully left her mind, I slowly rose from my position at the top of her bed and walked over to my own bed, where Luna was already waiting.

“Do you think you can help?” she asked, compassion clear in her voice.

“Yes, I think so,” I nodded, “And I’m afraid she’ll need all the help she can get, given her circumstances,” I added, still uncertain what to do with that piece of information.

“We’ll find a way,” she asserted, her confidence bringing a small grin to my face. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be the one to shatter that confidence.