Echo of People-ing 101 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
individualized) wrote2022-03-24 02:32 am
individualized) wrote2022-03-24 02:32 am
History
Content Warnings: Violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, mention of torture
There once was a girl who was awakened as a Baskerville, a special human tasked with maintaining the time-recording realm known as the Abyss. They did this by making Contracts with its Chains, which they would use as their partners. However, this particular girl was an anomaly who was unable to control the power she had been given, and slowly she began to lose her mind. Her Chain, Duldee, used its ability to create and control a temporary personality (called Duldum) in other people on its own Contractor. This was to try to slow her descent into madness and protect the pieces of herself that she was losing. The girl took to calling these other selves "Echo", and because their existences were finite, many were created as her condition worsened. After an unknown amount of time, the girl, who had come to be known as Zwei or Noise, was on the brink of her heart shattering completely. That was when this Echo came to be inside her.
Echo was immediately put into place as the personal servant of Vincent Nightray, who was of one of the Four Great Dukedoms which now guarded the Abyss through the organization Pandora. Apart from serving him, she was expected to perform surveillance and undercover investigation. She also had to do a lot of fighting and, in line with the usual tasks for the Nightray family, likely assisted in murders and assassinations. Occasionally, she ran errands for Vincent as well, such as delivering things to his brother Gilbert. During one of these drop-offs, she passed a teenage boy just outside who was barely conscious. She took little notice of him, but while on a subsequent mission to capture an Illegal Contractor's son and hold him as a hostage, she encountered him again. He was Oz Vessalius, of one of the other dukedoms, and he kept trying to insert himself into her task even though she threatened to kill him if he got in the way, eventually saying that since he cared about the child then it was his business too. He also kept calling her "Eko-chan" despite her constant corrections. Echo and Oz both ended up in a battle with the Contractor before he was killed by Vincent, after which she departed with her master.
Some time later, Vincent sent Echo to kidnap Sharon, the heir of the Rainsworth duchy, to use her as a bargaining chip against Xerxes Break. When Break arrived, both Echo and Sharon were poisoned by Vincent, Echo only to serve as an example that he possessed a working antidote. Still recovering from the poisoning, when Vincent dropped the antidote despite getting what he wanted from Break, Echo leapt up and caught it before the vial could shatter and effectively saved Sharon's life.
Echo was next seen on a rooftop observing the St. Bridget's Day Festival but was approached by Oz, who dragged her down to actually take part in the festivities. She donned one of the costumes, got the mascot doll, and spent much of the day there, but Oz noted that she didn't seem to be having fun. Echo said it was because she didn't know what that word meant, and, after Oz told her it was okay to do so, ended up venting about everything that annoyed her about Vincent for the first time. She was then distracted by the fireworks show beginning, and dragged Oz off to take a closer look. Echo wondered if the feeling she had could be what he had been talking about. As the festival ended, Oz put a clip with a blue feather in Echo's hair, but she was the only one who knew what that was supposed to signify and soon walked away blushing. He then thanked her for saving Sharon, and Echo replied she did it because of his earlier comment that if you care, it's also your business. She tried to thank him for that day, but both were knocked unconscious by a surge of his B-Rabbit powers. Echo made it back to the Nightray manor after that, but after being beaten by Vincent just because he was in a bad mood, she was ordered to let Noise regain control and forced to the background.
Inevitably, Noise got in trouble after Break seriously wounded her, and Echo returned to protect her while she was healing. She tried to curiously watch the tea party Oscar Vessalius threw at Pandora Headquarters, but was once again dragged into participating by Oz. She was next seen as Vincent's security during Oz's ill-fated coming-of-age party, only appearing when the cult lead by the host began attacking people. She incapacitated or killed many of the attacking fanatics and helped the others try to end their scheme, following which she disappeared with Vincent.
She resurfaced later with her master as well as the new head of the Baskervilles, Leo. Echo was left to keep Alice, Oz's "Chain", distracted as other plot points happened elsewhere. Their protracted sparring lead to Echo witnessing when Oz lost control of his powers as Jack Vessalius took over his body and revealed what an evil mastermind he was. Because of that, Oz was taken into custody to be executed and Echo went to his cell to check on him, using the doll she got on St. Bridget's Day as a bribe so she could speak to him alone. She very awkwardly tried to cheer him up, and after Oz explained that he was really just a doll and essentially nothing, she became upset and gave him a big hug through the bars of his cell. She was forced to leave when the captors returned for Oz.
Later, after Oz escaped, Echo appeared near the end of their escape route saying she'd go with Oz. As she ran forward, though, Noise took control and fatally stabbed Oz's uncle Oscar. She then revealed to the main characters that she was Zwei Baskerville, who'd already tormented them several times. Echo was devastated by this, and Noise cruelly taunted her, then pointed out that she would be disappearing soon just like all the other temporary Echoes before her.
After things really went downhill in the story, Echo tried to stop Noise from torturing Ada Vessalius, Oz's sister whom Vincent had been "courting", after dragging her into the Abyss. She went so far as to temporarily force herself into control to protect Ada from a Chain Noise tried to use to finish her off. When Oz eventually arrived to stop Noise, Echo began begging her to leave because she didn't want to face him. Noise tried to use this to abuse Echo into submission by talking about how much he must hate her for killing Oscar, but Oz did not oblige and said that Echo was different from her.
Noise was temporarily stopped by a gunshot wound, but pushed forward again later to look for Vincent despite the fact that she was nearly at her limit both mentally and physically. Meanwhile Echo was starting to vanish from existence inside of her. Once the completely unhinged Noise found Vincent, Echo realized that Duldee had started trying to control their Contractor's body itself. Echo's protests to the Chain lead Duldee to point out that she was starting to sound like a human instead of its puppet, and therefore it moved to finish getting rid of her existence. Finally, a cry of her (incorrect) name from Oz got Echo to accept herself as her own existence with her own will.
Echo kept fighting Duldee to protect Noise until she could help the girl finally remember herself and what she'd really wanted. Her heart at peace and Duldee destroyed, Noise let go to move toward her eternal rest, leaving the emancipated Echo alone in their body. That body, however, had reached its own limit due to Echo's battle against Duldee and, as happens when Baskervilles die, was turning to sand. Echo used the time she had left to thank Oz not only for helping with her self-realization, but also for everything on St. Bridget's Day. Trying to get her attention, Oz finally said her name correctly. This made Echo smile for the very first time just as her body completely disintegrated.
There once was a girl who was awakened as a Baskerville, a special human tasked with maintaining the time-recording realm known as the Abyss. They did this by making Contracts with its Chains, which they would use as their partners. However, this particular girl was an anomaly who was unable to control the power she had been given, and slowly she began to lose her mind. Her Chain, Duldee, used its ability to create and control a temporary personality (called Duldum) in other people on its own Contractor. This was to try to slow her descent into madness and protect the pieces of herself that she was losing. The girl took to calling these other selves "Echo", and because their existences were finite, many were created as her condition worsened. After an unknown amount of time, the girl, who had come to be known as Zwei or Noise, was on the brink of her heart shattering completely. That was when this Echo came to be inside her.
Echo was immediately put into place as the personal servant of Vincent Nightray, who was of one of the Four Great Dukedoms which now guarded the Abyss through the organization Pandora. Apart from serving him, she was expected to perform surveillance and undercover investigation. She also had to do a lot of fighting and, in line with the usual tasks for the Nightray family, likely assisted in murders and assassinations. Occasionally, she ran errands for Vincent as well, such as delivering things to his brother Gilbert. During one of these drop-offs, she passed a teenage boy just outside who was barely conscious. She took little notice of him, but while on a subsequent mission to capture an Illegal Contractor's son and hold him as a hostage, she encountered him again. He was Oz Vessalius, of one of the other dukedoms, and he kept trying to insert himself into her task even though she threatened to kill him if he got in the way, eventually saying that since he cared about the child then it was his business too. He also kept calling her "Eko-chan" despite her constant corrections. Echo and Oz both ended up in a battle with the Contractor before he was killed by Vincent, after which she departed with her master.
Some time later, Vincent sent Echo to kidnap Sharon, the heir of the Rainsworth duchy, to use her as a bargaining chip against Xerxes Break. When Break arrived, both Echo and Sharon were poisoned by Vincent, Echo only to serve as an example that he possessed a working antidote. Still recovering from the poisoning, when Vincent dropped the antidote despite getting what he wanted from Break, Echo leapt up and caught it before the vial could shatter and effectively saved Sharon's life.
Echo was next seen on a rooftop observing the St. Bridget's Day Festival but was approached by Oz, who dragged her down to actually take part in the festivities. She donned one of the costumes, got the mascot doll, and spent much of the day there, but Oz noted that she didn't seem to be having fun. Echo said it was because she didn't know what that word meant, and, after Oz told her it was okay to do so, ended up venting about everything that annoyed her about Vincent for the first time. She was then distracted by the fireworks show beginning, and dragged Oz off to take a closer look. Echo wondered if the feeling she had could be what he had been talking about. As the festival ended, Oz put a clip with a blue feather in Echo's hair, but she was the only one who knew what that was supposed to signify and soon walked away blushing. He then thanked her for saving Sharon, and Echo replied she did it because of his earlier comment that if you care, it's also your business. She tried to thank him for that day, but both were knocked unconscious by a surge of his B-Rabbit powers. Echo made it back to the Nightray manor after that, but after being beaten by Vincent just because he was in a bad mood, she was ordered to let Noise regain control and forced to the background.
Inevitably, Noise got in trouble after Break seriously wounded her, and Echo returned to protect her while she was healing. She tried to curiously watch the tea party Oscar Vessalius threw at Pandora Headquarters, but was once again dragged into participating by Oz. She was next seen as Vincent's security during Oz's ill-fated coming-of-age party, only appearing when the cult lead by the host began attacking people. She incapacitated or killed many of the attacking fanatics and helped the others try to end their scheme, following which she disappeared with Vincent.
She resurfaced later with her master as well as the new head of the Baskervilles, Leo. Echo was left to keep Alice, Oz's "Chain", distracted as other plot points happened elsewhere. Their protracted sparring lead to Echo witnessing when Oz lost control of his powers as Jack Vessalius took over his body and revealed what an evil mastermind he was. Because of that, Oz was taken into custody to be executed and Echo went to his cell to check on him, using the doll she got on St. Bridget's Day as a bribe so she could speak to him alone. She very awkwardly tried to cheer him up, and after Oz explained that he was really just a doll and essentially nothing, she became upset and gave him a big hug through the bars of his cell. She was forced to leave when the captors returned for Oz.
Later, after Oz escaped, Echo appeared near the end of their escape route saying she'd go with Oz. As she ran forward, though, Noise took control and fatally stabbed Oz's uncle Oscar. She then revealed to the main characters that she was Zwei Baskerville, who'd already tormented them several times. Echo was devastated by this, and Noise cruelly taunted her, then pointed out that she would be disappearing soon just like all the other temporary Echoes before her.
After things really went downhill in the story, Echo tried to stop Noise from torturing Ada Vessalius, Oz's sister whom Vincent had been "courting", after dragging her into the Abyss. She went so far as to temporarily force herself into control to protect Ada from a Chain Noise tried to use to finish her off. When Oz eventually arrived to stop Noise, Echo began begging her to leave because she didn't want to face him. Noise tried to use this to abuse Echo into submission by talking about how much he must hate her for killing Oscar, but Oz did not oblige and said that Echo was different from her.
Noise was temporarily stopped by a gunshot wound, but pushed forward again later to look for Vincent despite the fact that she was nearly at her limit both mentally and physically. Meanwhile Echo was starting to vanish from existence inside of her. Once the completely unhinged Noise found Vincent, Echo realized that Duldee had started trying to control their Contractor's body itself. Echo's protests to the Chain lead Duldee to point out that she was starting to sound like a human instead of its puppet, and therefore it moved to finish getting rid of her existence. Finally, a cry of her (incorrect) name from Oz got Echo to accept herself as her own existence with her own will.
Echo kept fighting Duldee to protect Noise until she could help the girl finally remember herself and what she'd really wanted. Her heart at peace and Duldee destroyed, Noise let go to move toward her eternal rest, leaving the emancipated Echo alone in their body. That body, however, had reached its own limit due to Echo's battle against Duldee and, as happens when Baskervilles die, was turning to sand. Echo used the time she had left to thank Oz not only for helping with her self-realization, but also for everything on St. Bridget's Day. Trying to get her attention, Oz finally said her name correctly. This made Echo smile for the very first time just as her body completely disintegrated.