Rue: Trinity Epilogue

Awakening from their blackout a few hours prior  , Rue finds themself back home, safe but missing something very important to them.

Rue awakens with a gasp, their heart still racing from the same nightmare that has been plaguing them for days. What throws them, though, is not the nightmare, but their current surroundings.   Last they remembered, they had been in Sigarda, feeding a fireball to an old hag  . There had been something after that, but the memory is a little fuzzy - something about arms? - and they have no idea how they ended up on Rachel’s sofa with a thin blanket draped over them. They squeeze the beaver plushie on their chest, their ears picking up on some shuffling movement in the kitchen.   "Oh, are they?" mutters the voice of Rachel from the kitchen, before wandering out into the living room, still wearing the spectral spectacles, as the translucent form of Jasmine follows swiftly behind, "Well, hello there, sleep head. How are we feeling?"   “I… Okay? I guess?” Rue says uncertainly, pushing themself to sit upright on the sofa. The moment they do, their head starts spinning a little, and it jogs a fuzzy memory of Frank lifting them up, “What time is it?”   "It's just gone nine PM," Jasmine interjects, smiling as she makes eye-contact with Rue, "That was one impressive nap."   "I saved you some dinner, if you're hungry," Rachel continues, taking a seat on the couch nearby.   “Nine?!” Rue echoes incredulously, looking out the window as if to confirm that the sun has actually set. Sure enough, it appears as if it’s just gotten dark, the last of the summer light still lingering on the horizon. Rubbing a hand over their face, Rue lets out a groan, muttering “crap…” under their breath.   The longer they’re awake, the more their memory comes back to them. They had lost it when the hag attacked Warp, they’d been terrified to be too late to help yet another teammate, but the exhaustion that they’d felt afterwards had been too much. With the Huntress telling them that it would take weeks before they could get the Book of Lost Souls, Rue had felt that same despair that had been driving them forward for days flare up, but their body couldn’t keep up with it.   “Did Frank bring me back here?”   "Yes, he did. He's worried about you," Rachel begins.   "We all are," Jasmine continues, trying to keep her tone level and sympathetic, "We need you to stop, Rue. This self-destructive path you're on won't help Allyson, and it certainly isn't helping you."   "I've been where you are, Rue," Rachel says, casting a meaningful look in Jasmine’s direction, "It almost cost me my life, and that of my baby. This isn't a burden that lies only with you. Everyone wants to get her back, and all you're doing by going on like this is ensuring that we're at risk of losing you too."   ''Don't you think I know that?'' Rue sighs dejectedly, their gaze downcast. ''I know that I need to stop, but I can't,'' The moment they start, Rue feels that overwhelming feeling again, the buzzing under their skin returning tenfold, ''It's not just the nightmares. Every hour I spend asleep is an hour that I'm not looking for her, it's an hour where I'm not keeping my promise. Rationally speaking I know that I'm not helping anyone like this, but I can't stop... I don't know how...''   Rachel falters a little as she can't help but understand the unfortunate logic in what Rue is saying. With a pained look passing between her and Jasmine, she continues, "Okay, okay. I can see why you'd think that. Why don't you tell me what you've got so far and we can go from there?"   Rue eyes the pair of them suspiciously, but they relent with a nod when they see that they genuinely seem willing to help, ''Yeah, okay...'' They start, reaching into their pocket... They check their other pocket, patting themself down as they scan their surroundings.   ''Oh no...'' Standing up, their legs still half-tangled in the thin blanket, Rue starts frantically throwing the cushions off the sofa, crouching down to look underneath, ''No, no, no, no, no, where is it?!''   "Woah," Rachel says as both women's eyes widen at the sudden unexplained panic, "Rue? Rue. What's going on? Have you lost something?"   ''My notebook,'' They say, visibly distraught. They pull at their hair with a shaky hand, eyes still roaming their surroundings in the hope that they've simply overlooked it. ''I always have it with me, but it's not here!'' Their breathing is starting to speed up, what little colour they'd gotten back after sleeping for hours completely drained once more, ''I-I had it in Sigarda, I was taking notes of what we need for the Hell portal and the banishment...'' Getting back up from the floor, they kick the blanket aside with wobbly legs. Telekinetically grabbing their boots from where Rachel left them by the front door, they precariously balance on one leg, putting the first one on.   "Wait, Rue. Slow down a moment," Rachel says, trying to ease the situation as she and their ghostly friend flounder slightly, "Where do you think you're going?"   ''Back to the Inn,'' Rue says matter-of-factly, not sparing them a glance. ''I must've dropped it there - in the cellar or when fighting that swamp hag, I don't know,'' They move on to their second boot, hopping around when they nearly lose their balance again. ''I have to find it!''   "Just a minute!" Rachel shouts, catching Rue slightly by surprise and taking a decisive stand between them and the door, crossing her arms and giving them a thoroughly scolding look, "You don't know that it is there, and Sigarda is over an hour away by car! Your little blast off power may be quick in a pinch, but how many do you think you can do in a row? And in your state!? And what if you get there and it's not even there? Have you maybe considered that it may have fallen out of your pocket in Frank's car before he carried your unconscious, stupid ass up here!?"   Effectively stopped in their tracks, Rue stares at Rachel incredulously as the pregnant woman proceeds her scolding of them. The tension in the air that follows is suffocating Rue, their ears burning as they slump down onto the edge of the sofa with their head in their hands, “I need it back…” They mumble desperately. There’s a tremor to their voice, their shoulders visibly shaking, “I need her back…”   "Well, go about it the smart way, or I'll have to kick your ass," she says, poking Rue in the shoulder and bringing their attention back to her, taking full advantage of the fact that she's one of the few who can without causing a panic attack, "All you need right now is to get a grip," she continues, her potent mix of compassion and frustration evident in every word, "Now before you and I drive back to Sigarda, why don't you give Frank a call and see if he's seen it?"   Rue’s head shoots up at the suggestion, their eyes wide, “Oh god, what if he read it?” They say, looking at Rachel like a deer caught in headlights.   "I thought you said you trusted him?" She says, raising one brow.   “I do, but-“ Rue takes a shaky breath, pulling on the collar of their hoodie, the fabric feeling too restrictive around their neck. “It’s not just notes in there…” Letting out an embarrassed groan, they drop their head in their hands again. “It’d be like him reading my diary.”   "Oh god," Rachel says, trying to hide a slight grin as she places her hands on her hips, "You didn't put your latest crush in there, did you?"   Rue lets out another groan, sinking down the side of the sofa and onto the ground. “I should’ve just burned those letters…”   "Wait, you did?" Rachel responds, suddenly deadpan as she's taken by surprise, sparing a glance at Jasmine who simply shrugs in response.   “No crushes,” Comes the muffled response, only a messy mop of hair visible as Rue further curls in on themself. “Just everything else…”   "Well fuck," Rachel says, matter-of-factly, "Then you'd better hurry up and make that call."   After mumbling something incoherently, Rue reaches into their pocket, taking out their phone and looking up Frank’s number. They continue to stare at the screen, their thumb hovering over the call button. Their eyes flick back and forth between the phone and Rachel, and they pout a little as they mutter “I’m sorry for being a stupid ass…”.   "It's okay, Rue," Rachel says, her face softening once again, "You're a bit like our moody little sister. We anticipate you being a stupid ass," with that, she playfully jabs Rue in the arms before moving back towards her bedroom, "I'll get dressed, and if we need to drive down there, we can."   The jab elicits a small smile from Rue. They slowly pick themself up from the floor, phone still in hand, and start pacing around the living room. Taking a deep breath to ease their nerves, they unlock the screen and press the dial button .