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It started after the split, when she noticed that she was the only she but didn't want to be. Rachel was supposed be Roman's crazy but graceful twin sister. A duchess who ruled over her kingdom and, to everyone's surprise, actually cared for her subjects, (preferring to kidnap and torture Roman's instead). And she was, at first.
After the split as Thomas was entering highschool Rachel began to notice things about herself, small at first. She noticed that she preferred male attire rather than the fancy gowns and flowy dresses that the mindscape seemed to exclusively fill her closet with. It wasn't a problem seeing as she was still creativity and could just summon whatever she wanted, including clothes, it was just something she happened to notice in passing.
She noticed that having her long, normally messy hair, up or tucked into her crown she rarely wore made her look alot like her twin, which sometimes made her smile for reasons unknown to her. How when her servants would occasionally slip up and call her sir instead of ma'am, would make her feel light and giddy rather than enrage her. But the biggest thing she noticed came to her after one of her tantrums.
Rachel having tantrums was normal to everyone in the mindscape. After a fight with her other half to something not going her way or even just random bouts of rage and madness. Anything could set her off. Today it was a fight with her brother. She had went to annoy him and his kingdom in order to ignore the weird knot that she had noticed in her chest recently.
"Oh Ro-Ro!~ How's my favorite goodie goodie brother doing hm?~" Roman sighed and put his quill down, pausing the story he was writing for Thomas to present to his english class the next day. "What do you want Rach? I'm busy." Rachel giggled at the annoyed look and wrinkles already forming on her brother's face, "What? I cant come by and say hello to my favorite boring bard?~" she asked in mock upset.
"No Rach, you cant, because last time you wanted to 'say hello' my side of the imagination ended up on fire. That's why I'd like to politely tell you to leave." Roman rolled his eyes and turned back to his work. Rachel frowned then grinned when she was struck by a great idea. She slowly made her way to the door before opening it and closing as if she left, then quietly made her way over to her brother. She peered over his shoulder at his paper before rolling her eyes at the disgustingly boring classic hero story her brother was currently focused on. Smiling sharply she summoned a bottle of strange black goo, determined to cause delightful chaos.
~~~
Needless to say chaos she did cause. Roman's work was ruined and in return her mouth was momentarily glued shut. Only Logic coming in and forcing them to separate stopped their destructive battle in the lights sides. As she made her way back to her room Rachel felt that knot in her chest tighten and her frustration turned to anger.
She slammed her door open hard enough that it bounced off the moldy walls and broke off the hinge. She picked up the first thing within reach, a rock covered with blood sores, and threw it. The second she heard it make contact and cause another hole in the wall she snapped. Summoning her morning star she turned into a hurricane. Screaming, cursing and destroying everything in her path. Smashing furniture and walls, screaming out profanities in her blind rage.
This went on for hours, as do most of her tantrums, before she finally looked up and saw herself in the mirror. Something about her reflection was wrong. Staring at her long braided hair, overdone makeup, her slim curvy figure, all of it, until her eyes settled onto her chest. She froze and just stared. She couldn't describe her feelings in that moment, a terrible cocktails of anger, disgust and resentment. She dropped her morning star and slowly made her way over to her large elaborate mirror, studying herself for awhile before growling and punching the glass as hard as she could, which caused her whole arm to go through the mirror and into the wall.
Pain barely registering Rachel ripped her arm back and yanked a particularly big shard of the mirror glass from her gushing arm. Holding the shard tightly she grabbed her braid and cut to off in one quick slice, catching her neck just a bit before falling to the ground.
Rachel looked at herself in what little remained of the mirror and couldn't help but stare. Though choppy and uneven her hair was short, about to the base of her skull, and her makeup was mostly washed away by- wait? Are those tears?
Bring her bloody hand up and lightly touching her cheek she pulled back to reveal hot salty tears. She felt a smile creep up her cheeks and gripped her how short hair and couldn't help but laugh.
She laughed at the absurdity of the tears, at the pain in her arm now making itself known, at the anger that seemed to disappear as if it was never there, but mostly she laughed in relief.
Relief at the weight that seemed to lift off her shoulders, relief that she finally understood what's been eating away at her for the past couple of months...relief because that painful sickening knot that's made its home in her chest seemed to dissipate just slightly at the sight of her hair falling from her person.
She laughed and couldn't stop laughing, tears not stopping with bloody hands gripping her hair like letting go may cause it to grow back. Madness and insanity taking over, making her forget existence itself. Nothing existed anymore, nothing mattered anymore. All that mattered was that Rachel 'Creativity' Sanders died along with any evidence that she ever did.
~~~
That's how Janus found her. Surrounded by broken glass, hair, blood and piles of burning clothes. "Rachel? What's going on? I heard your tantrum quiet down and smelled smoke. Are you alright?" Janus asked, trying to remain calm and unfazed by the state of the room.
That's was quickly changed when the crazed creativity turned to face the deceitful snake. "O-Oh my stars! Rachel! What happened?! Oh fuck there's so much blood!" Janus ran to the unmoving side and gently grabbed her arm, now covered in blood, and pulled her to sit on the floor as the scaley side summoned the huge med kit they kept for when things got this messy.
"Don't call me that. I'm not Rachel." The dark side said with a eerie splitting grin. Janus looked up from where he was currently cleaning and disinfecting the wounds, "Rachel what are you talking about? Is this one of your psychological mind games? Because it's not funny." The dark side in question jumped up and started screaming, gripping her hair and jerking around as if trying to escape an invisible straight jacket. "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! IM NOT RACHEL! IM NOT! STOP CALLING ME THAT! IM NOT RACHEL!"
Janus watch as Rachel(?) flailed and kept screaming before taking a deep breath and trying to calm the nearly feral side down. "Okay! Hey it's okay! That's fine! Your not Rachel! I believe you! Your. Not. Rachel." Janus said firmly. It seems to work as the dark side calms down and stares at Janus, frozen and now scarcely silent.
Janus takes another deep breath to calm his nerves, "So your not Rachel. That's fine. May I ask then who you are?" Janus tried to slightly smile to try and appear less worried than he was.
The crazed darkside looked at him for a moment before relaxing and giggling, "Remus! My names Remus!" Janus relaxed and smiled gently, "Well Remus, my name is Janus. It's an honor to meet you." Janus bowed slightly.
Remus smiles bowed in return, "And to you as well. I, The Great Duke Remus, am pleased to make your acquaintance."
~~~
Virgil was the first person that got to officially meet Remus. He had finally come out of his room to see a man sitting with Janus in the darksides dining room. He immediately got on the defensive, ready to either fight this stranger or run back to his room. Janus spotted him and smiled gently, "Ah Virgil, how awful of you to come down. Please come and join us for dinner."
Virgil tensed as the man turned around to face him, only to immediately relax in confusion, "Rach-" "Remus! Remus is actually going to behave tonight!" Janus quickly yelled, cutting off and spooking Virgil.
Remus looked at Virgil and smirked, "What's the matter emo? Never seen a man sit before?"
Virgil's eyebrows raised, before coming back down when he realized what was going on, smirking and rolling his eyes as he made his way to the table, "No, I just never seen one as disgusting be let onto a house, let alone for dinner."
~~~
The next to meet Remus was Logan. He had entered the darkside in order to ask Deceit of he had seen his book on philosophy and poetry, when he saw the creative side lying upside on the couch and painting at the same time.
"I can only theorize that painting while letting yourself hang in such a way would make it harder, no?" Remus looked over to Logan and snickered, "well I can think of better things to do in this position.~" Logan rolled his eyes and took in Remus is new appreciate, "I take it he/him pronouns would be preferred?" He asked, not one to metaphorically beat around the bush.
Remus lit up and quietly sat up, nodding furiously, "Duke Remus at your service~"
~~~
Patton was next. He was sitting in the living room on the lightside knitting and humming to himself when Remus wandered in. Patton took quick notice of his visitor and immediately put down his needles, giving all his attention to the side. "Hey Kiddo! Whatcha looking for?"
Remus jumped and quickly turned to the moral side, not having noticed he was there in the first place. Covering up his surprise with a smirk he waltzed over towards Patton and leaned over him. "I'm working on a bit of a personal project and was looking to steal my brothers sewing kit. Happen to know where he hides it?~"
Patton crossed his arms in disapproval at Remus willingness to theft, "Dont you have your own? Why steal?" Remus just cackled, "Because it pisses off my dear brother when his things go missing."
Closing his eyes and sighing Patton shook his head, "Rachel-"
"Remus"
Patton looked up confused
"what?"
"My name is Remus. I'm The Duke."
Patton took a second before he got it and nodded, "Remus." He started, smiling softly, "A wonderful name for a grounded duke of he starts another fight with his brother." Patton said as he grabbed his needles and went back to his knitting, listening as Remus scoffed and left.
~~~
Contrary to what alot may think, Remus actually care alot about his twin. So when he finds himself outside his brothers door, pacing and nervous, he almost backs out. He takes a deep breath and reminds himself, "My name is Remus and I'm The Duke Of Chaos."
Knocking is easy, waiting is torture. Biting his lip nervously Remus was ready to leave and try again never when he heard the lock click and knob turn.
"Rach if your trying to set up one of your dumb pranks I swear-" Roman finally looked at Remus and froze. Remus took the opportunity to quickly explain. "My name is Remus and I'm The Duke of Chaos! Rachel doesn't exist anymore and I use he/him pronouns and a-and-" Remus was cut off when Roman grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug, stopping his rambling.
It was only then that Remus realized he was crying, hot tears running down his cheeks and into the beginning of his mustache. He was trying to stop his tears to push Roman off when Roman whispered in his ear, making Remus suddenly cling to him and returned the hug.
"My name is Roman And I'm The Prince Of Creativity and I love my Brother Remus..."