#io cannot trust strangers at first at all bc that might put them in danger

[incendiorum-arch]

io often does not feel safe. there are, perhaps, moments and breaths here and there where they forget their problems and breathe easy for a little while, but the vast majority of them time? io is extremely aware of the fact that they are being actively hunted by col's hounds. something that has become worse over the past few years, especially. because of this, io has bouts of hypervigilance. which are not... thrilling, for any party involved, as its incredibly hard to calm io down, and io is prone to lashing out if they think someone doesn't believe them about their worries, however existent or non-existent they are.

#◜❝ 𝙰𝙱𝙾𝚄𝚃. ⟩⟩ i’m losing myself to rage. ❞◞ #io cannot trust strangers at first at all bc that might put them in danger #they genuinely do not know who is a hound and who is not until they pinpoint clues #and sometimes io becomes very focused about trying to find those clues/monitor their surroundings/keep themself safe and alert #which absolutely disrupts home life and sleeping patterns too #its not just the hounds that did it either some of it stems from childhood abuse #child abuse mention tw #disrupted home life - locking doors. doublechecking locked doors. /triplechecking/. keeping an eye out through the windows. pacing. etc. #io very easily becomes obsessive about safety during these moments