Introduction
DISCLAIMER:
The land of Valcrest, its cities, history, as well as the Wolfpack and its rules, are my own creation and are not to be used without my consent. (As well as any of my characters).
This RP is, as of this moment, full and no longer accepting.
Thank you.
Blackbird26 – Your friendly GM. ^_^
[The White Shadows]
I was told as a child that the Land of Valcrest was blessed by the Gods with its beauty and magic. Now, I’m no longer certain of such fact. Centuries of war have ripped the beauty of this Land, now only a shadow of its former glory remains, kept alive by old tales and legends. The magic now is simply viewed as a tool to be used by one side or another as an advantage in battle. No one speaks of blessings nowadays… I wonder what the Gods would have to say about that.
I’m no longer a child now, and I can go as far as to say I was never truly innocent, growing up where I did. I know for a fact that Blackhurst was a city of Enlightened. The scholars who once lived there only sought knowledge on their own origins, they never thought their actions would cause the Land to self-destruct; they simply wanted to understand where they came from. It was an innocent quest for knowledge that led us here. They found what they were looking for... And were killed for their knowledge.
Surely, those people were being naïve. They should have kept quiet as to what they were doing, they should have kept what they discovered a secret. If they had, none of this would have happened. I assume, no living person outside of my clan knows how exactly this war has started. Dani Rivers was the last outsider to hear the story. I violated the laws of this clan by telling her, we are sworn to secrecy, for obvious reasons. When the Enlightened started being killed I thought it might have some relation to that particular piece of history, so I thought I should tell her… I’m still not convinced that it was an unrelated incident, in spite of having no actual facts to back up those suspicions. Something about the whole thing resembles something I’ve read somewhere; however, I can’t quite remember what. I have read a lot of things in the past couple of decades.
I always tell my apprentices this:
The term “Enlightened” today is associated with a magical ability an individual possesses. It once meant being knowledgeable, wise. That is why we study. Being born with a specific ability doesn’t mean being born fully capable of mastering that ability. We are all born capable of great things, not all of us are capable of achieving that greatness, or even fully understand what greatness means. To most, greatness still means power. To most, power still means force.
Sounds very preachy, I know. I thought so too when I arrived in this place. The angry, impulsive child I was back then found it easier to simply curse the world for being as it is. Many similar children have arrived since then, now more than ever; orphaned, homeless and lost children. Filled with rage, void of any type of understanding; the perfect tools for any heartless egomaniac to use with the purpose of fulfilling its own delusions of grandeur. Some have been twisted to such purposes. I have even heard rumors of cults and sects being raised far in the south.
For me, it was difficult to accept the change I was being asked to make in my ways. It took me time to finally listen to what I was being told. My enlightenment was not the curse I believed it to be; the real curse was my lack of willingness to develop it. Fear, perhaps.
What does this have to do with anything? Well… Everything is relevant when it comes to this Land. Everything is connected in a way or another. Every action causes a reaction, if not now, in the future. The past is never truly dead… It sleeps, soundly, until one day it begins to stir in its sleep and causes the ground to shake, sometimes even crumble beneath our feet.
And so we fall; only time will tell when we will finally ever hit the bottom. That is… If there is even a bottom to hit after all.
Helena Turner – Leader of the White Shadows
A diary page left behind dated ten years ago. That was all Lena Turner left of herself for the ones who had followed her for 25 years.
A new dawn came for the White Shadows and many others followed. Now, three years later, they are barely starting to return to the ruins of Blackhurst where they once built their homes. One foot there, another one in the desert ruins of Brightvale. The healers were finally closer to what they once were, thanks to the endless efforts of Lena’s young daughter. However, their numbers are now severely reduced, and the unbreakable faith that once drove them to die for their beliefs was, in the very least, shaken. Many healers deserted, a great number of them left Valcrest for good after having seeing the war reach the only safe place left. It was undeniable that those people were not prepared for such a thing. For those who stayed, however, there was still the never-ending and exhausting task of providing help to those who needed it.
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[The Desert]
Legends tell that the Goddess called Heart was one the most rebellious of the 14 children of the Gods that fathered Valcrest. Impulsive and irrational, some would say. Her passion for the mortal beings only matched by her anger towards Mother and Father for forcing her to leave them and the forest where she and her twin made their home. She revolted and chose a mortal man to father her children, encouraging her siblings to do the same so that, this way, they would never truly leave Valcrest. Unlike her brothers and sisters, Heart became attached to her children and so, she used her powers to summons the packs of wolves that lived in the snow covered lands to the north into the forest as her final gift to the children of the forest, explaining to them that the wolves were always true to their hearts and loyal to their family and so, as long as they remained together, they would always be protected. She warned them that they would always be stronger as long as they were able to remain as one.
Heart’s twin brother, Mind, on the other hand, was not one to grow attachments to any mortal creature. He left his children in Valcrest for the sake of maintaining balance in the world, for without reason there could be no order. He used his sister’s gift to pass his teachings to his sons and daughters, telling them to always remember that the wolves always maintained a hierarchy and every member of the pack played his part for no task was unimportant. The leader should always be the wisest, strongest and most respected amongst the members; otherwise he would be challenged and cast aside.
And so, when Heart and Mind left Valcrest, they left behind their clan, today known as The Wolfpack.
This legend has been told to children of the Wolfpack as a bedtime story for generations. It was Crystal’s favorite as a child and it was also Dani’s favorite way to remind her of her responsibilities. Ever since she was little she would hear her mother say that the Pack had two leaders to represent the Twins, because if only one person ruled the clan alone, there could never be balance, and without it the clan would fall.
Now, however, Crystal Rivers stood in a very difficult position. Exiled to the desert for the past three years, she had her hands tied as her clan fell to pieces. The Wolfpack was no more. What was left was barely recognizable as the proud assassin clan that it once was. The people who once lived there still lived there, for the most part, but the clan was no more: that was how she saw it.
The betrayal had been painful. Not only the assassination attempt that left her very close to death, but the attacks on her parents’ honor after everything they had done for the clan.
The few people who had followed Crys into the desert didn’t complain about the new life, in fact, most of them seemed to think that it was far better than what they had three years ago. Life in the desert was less conflicted, and they mostly enjoyed the company of the mercenary clan that had taken them in, as well as few remaining healers.
Even so, Crys couldn’t seem to get over the fact that the Wolfpack had fallen apart under her command and, of the few choices she was left with, she was still tempted to try and salvage the past somehow, knowing very well that there was probably nothing left to save by now.
[The Wolfpack]
Once upon a time, the Wolfpack stood tall, proud, and untouchable. Those days ended with the appearance of a group of men and women called the Wolf Hunters. Those people, who called themselves victims of the assassins, terrorized the clan for generations. Killing, without mercy, anyone that stood between them and their targets, they posed a severe threat to the Pack’s survival.
In one night, one damned night, the Hunters attacked the camp. In one blow they took out all the recruits, most of the instructors, and of the leader’s family… Only one survived. That night came to be remembered as the Red Night and, until this day, it remains as the biggest massacre to ever occur within the Pack’s territory.
In the morning that followed such massacre, a young Dani Rivers, shortly after burying her parents and twelve year old sister, along with great part of the clan, announced that she would declare war on the Wolf Hunters and that she would not rest until every live lost that night was avenged.
Two long years and many lives later, the Wolfpack celebrated their victory over the Wolf Hunters. The clan was rebuilt and thrived for over 20 years after that under Dani’s command.
The above story was the official tale that had been told to every new arrival and to all the children born in the clan ever since that fated night. Sean Fletcher had grown up believing it, and so did his brothers and sister, and everyone else in the clan.
However, that story was a lie.
Dani won the respect of her clan by winning a war that she fought out of guilt, not revenge. The truth, the actual truth, was that Dani had lied to her mother, to her clan, and brought a Wolf Hunter into their camp. Along with him, death followed. The Hunters raise hell to avenge the death of the boy named Sebastian, however… He was never dead to begin with, he was alive and well living amongst the assassins.
Now, almost thirty years later, after the truth has been exposed, the Pack tries to rid itself from its past and change under a new leadership. The situation of the assassins had improved, but the clan as a whole suffered a severe blow by having the most important part of their history exposed as a lie. Those who remained under the new leadership are struggling to stay together, even with all that has improved. The truth is: the Pack is yet to find its place in the world again.
THE PLOT:
Three years have passed since Shadows of The Past. The several factions, as well as the cities, have cleaned up the debris left by the final battles/parties/storms, and attempted to move on with their lives in the best way they could. Some of them now find themselves struggling to simply leave the past behind, others attempting to build a new future from scratch. Others are finding that things can in fact get worse than they have ever been before. Some are even catching a small glimpse of light in the end of a long period of uncertainty.
The fighting amongst the factions seems to have cooled off for the first time in a long while. In spite of the of the peaceful that it gives to the Land at first glance, some wonder if this is really peace, or if war is simply evolving into a much more silent killer.
Which is the actual truth, or if the truth is something else entirely, beyond what simple mortal minds can grasp… That, only time will tell.
THE HISTORY:
Official story of Valcrest:
The land of Valcrest originally consisted of five great cities and some smaller villages. It has a vast forest and one great river that run from one side of the land to the other. The first two cities to be created there were Blackpond and Newhaven. These two cities exist ever since there is a record of human life in Valcrest and they co-existed in harmony for many centuries until the other cities were built and the land started to expand. Several power struggles started to shake the peaceful existence of the two cities, after many years of minor disputes, the two cities finally declared war. Out of the three other cities, the city of Elffort took the side of Blackpond and the city of Brightvale took the side of Newhaven.
The fifth city, Blackhurst, decided to remain neutral. Ironically it was the first to be attacked.
After the great war that raged for many years across the land of Valcrest, out of the five cities that existed there, only two remained. Originally in opposite sides of a dispute that has been long forgotten, the cities of Blackpond and Newhaven continue to fight each other until this day.
THE LAND:
1. Valcrest: The land of Valcrest was once rich and full of life. Now its territory is only a shadow of what it once was. Most of the population is now concentrated around the forest, the two remaining cities and the plains and the desert. The mountains to the south and the ruined town of Effort remain unpopulated until this day, only visited by those who leave the land through that path, which are a rare few, since the easiest way out of Valcrest is through the north.
a) The Woods (Center of the land): The great forest is the center of Valcrest and, at present time, the most populated area. Deep inside of the forest, lies the territory of the assassin clan; the Wolfpack. The small mercenary groups that could once be found there have now disappeared, fled from the Pack’s sudden urge to take over the territory of the forest. The open trails that cross the forest and lead to the nearby cities are mostly respected and watched from a distance by the assassins, but straying from them may cause anyone, even the most experienced tracker, to become lost. Wandering into the wrong territory unannounced is something that can get any person killed fast.
Several small streams can be found amongst the trees, but only one bigger lake is present, in the outskirts of the Wolfpack territory, making it off limits to any human outsider that walks that forest.
Wildlife is abundant as well as other sources of food. Mostly wild boar, rabbit, and deer can be found easily for hunting purposes. No one has actually been attacked by predators larger than a snake in these woods, but it is told that wolves live there as well, and in quiet nights their howling can be heard in any point of the forest. Adjacent to the forest and at a distance sometimes considered uncomfortable, are the two remaining cities of Valcrest. No more than a day on foot can get a traveler from one city to another and from any one of them to the depths of the forest.
b) The Plains (West): This territory now is far less inhabited than it once was. However where the ruins of Blackhurst now lie, the healers once made their home. It has been three years since the army of Blackpond chased the White Shadows away from their home, and only now they are starting to come back. The still fertile soil, once used to grow healing herbs, flowers and spices are now void. One or two food crops are currently planted there, mainly for the purpose of keeping the few healers that have returned fed.
The healers once received supplies from the two cities; however, after fleeing to the desert, the healers have cut their ties with all factions involved in the war, and accept the same amount of aid as they provide: None. They help those who reach their camp and advice anyone who is in need of help controlling their enlightened ability, but now the once open territory of the White Shadows is only available to a chosen few, and members of the Crimson Shadows have been placed at their gates to make sure of it.
A long, long, time ago in this territory, the great city of Blackhurst once stood proud and tall. The city looked like one ever growing village, the houses and shops mixed together and scattered within its stone walls, The ruler’s home only recognizable for being larger and more isolated. The army mostly consisted of archers that guarded the walls and could shower attackers with arrows at miles away… Once past them though, the city was defenseless. Most people who lived on the inside of the city walls were scholars, medics and teachers, peaceful and educated people. Outside the walls smaller villages formed as ramifications of the larger city area, those villages were composed mostly of hunters and craftsmen, as well as their families. When Blackhurst suffered its defeat in battle the villages stood and their inhabitants refused to leave. As consequence, many massacres occurred in that area. It is rumored that most of the population of the city consisted of Enlightened and that was the actual reason behind the furious attacks on the city and its population. Both sides carried too much fear of what would happen should Blackhurst choose to get involved in the dispute. Those, however, are only rumors. The true motives behind the destruction of Blackhurst are, until this day, unknown.
c) The Desert (South): To the South of the forest lays a small wasteland where the merchant city of Brightvale once stood. The people who once occupied the city of Brightvale were experienced horsemen and sturdy travelers. Some were known to brag about traveling to the furthest lands known to men in order to acquire their goods, and therefore had seen it all. The Completely deserted once the city was destroyed, the area was rarely visited and only inhabited by a few bandits and runaways that preyed on any unsuspecting and bold adventurers that crossed the territory. Most people saw no point on going through these parts unless the person was leaving Valcrest forever or in need of hiding, however a few years following the abandonment of Brightvale, the mercenary group known as the Crimson Shadows claimed the territory of Brightvale as rightfully theirs. From then on, they made sure no travelers were harm unless they posed a threat to the clan, many times they escorted travelers through the desert and to the mountains, for a small fee, of course.
The mercenary group consists of descendants of the people of Brightvale and Effort; brave warriors as well as a friendly and talkative bunch, the Crimson will extend their welcome to anyone who is in need of shelter, for a night or longer, as long as the traveler is smart enough not to abuse their good will.
Currently the ruins of Brightvale have become a refuge to great part of the White Shadows as well as a, small, exiled group of assassins. Protected and assisted by the Crimson, by the order of their leader.
d) The Mountains (Further South): Beyond the desert, snowcapped mountains determine the limits of the Land. Protected by the stone walls of the mountains, the brave men and women of Effort once lived. The people that once lived there were known as proud warriors and horsemen. They were also known for their mining skills and for fabricating the first explosives seen in Valcrest. They were not the most educated people in the land, but were honorable and proud men and women. A population made extinct when they marched into war beside Blackpond and went into direct confrontation with the nearby city of Brightvale. Having their supplies cut short and their territory being the constant target of attacks… Effort also came to an end. The mines and homes left abandoned until this day.
2. The city of Blackpond (North end of the forest): The city of Blackpond is one of the most ancient and traditional cities to ever exist in Valcrest, its creation only preceded by that of Newhaven. The war with the neighboring city has left its marks on the proud kingdom, but through everything and anything; it has survived.
King Rory had ruled Blackpond for many decades. He was loved and respected within the city walls, as well as Commander Hastings. For the most part, the mass of Blackpond’s population, even though struggling against poor living conditions, had faith in their leader and were proud of their city’s warrior spirit. The city had its problems, it was clear, but what they lacked in wealth or beauty they made up for in spirit. A city filled with warriors and survivors, admired even by its enemies for never allowing itself to break or bend.
However, sorrow filled the city when word spread of the events that occurred in the castle. The news of their King being murdered would by his most trusted officer, along with the news of Hastings’ death spread quickly, first throughout the castle, then across the city streets. Not long after, it became known that Rory had a son.
Under the new leadership, Blackpond seems to have gradually lost the little order it had left when it came to its living conditions, and in the short period of three years, it has slipped into complete and total chaos. Crime rules the street and no punishments are given to those who rape, murder, steal, and vandalize as they please. It’s every man for himself and women and children are safer (in theory) locked on the inside of the house. Even then, when the people of Blackpond leave their homes, there’s no guarantee they will be back unscathed.
These days, anyone who wanders into the, once mighty, city of Blackpond can immediately see that something is very wrong with the city, however, those who are wise enough to know their place would never dare say it; and those who aren’t are usually never seen or heard of again.
3. The City of Newhaven (East end of the forest): Newhaven is nowhere near its former glory, but it’s slowly getting there. With the announcement that those responsible for the killing of their king, and the news of a new heir to take the throne, great part of the rage and fear that once roamed the city streets has subsided. In three years, the people of Newhaven are finally beginning to see a light in the end of a four year struggle to regain its former balance. However, Newhaven is far from being free of problems.
Even with the efforts of the City Guards and Knights combined, the rate of smaller crimes has gone up considerably due to the number of citizens to lose their homes, families, or businesses during the several attacks the city has endured. Small gangs of thieves have begun to form on the less privileged areas of the city, making it now impossible for people to walk the streets unarmed as they once used to. Some businesses are being closed as others are reopening. The economy in Newhaven is not at its possible worst, but it’s fragile. The city funds are growing slim, and there has been talk amongst the city council (and rumors amongst the population) of increasing taxes. Still, even if still shaky, order seems to have slowly been restored to city, especially since Blackpond seems to have lost its interest in attacking Newhaven, ever since the death of their most beloved ruler.
4. Assassin’s Camp (Within the forest): Between the grounds of the two cities, deep inside the forest, lies a clan of assassins, they name themselves the “ Wolfpack”, or simply the Pack” and they have prospered for years eliminating targets on both sides of the feud. The camp consists of one huge clearing surrounded by woods and several hidden paths that lead across them. Inside the clearing there are several cabins made of logs, and also a few tents. One big, more secluded cabin is the home of leaders. In the very center of the camp there is one big camp fire which is lit every night.
In the last three years the Pack has suffered with internal disputes after their leader was thought to be dead and then was discovered to be alive. However, the young woman was unfit to fight properly to maintain the leadership of the clan, and was forced to flee to the desert. A few actives followed after their former leader that night as well. Ever since, many others have considered abandoning the clan as well. The Wolfpack is actually in a better place than it was three years ago, however their place in the world in uncertain and the tense relations between the clan and its former members, as well as the Crimson Shadows, has made living a little bit more difficult; to say the very least.
The land of Valcrest, its cities, history, as well as the Wolfpack and its rules, are my own creation and are not to be used without my consent. (As well as any of my characters).
This RP is, as of this moment, full and no longer accepting.
Thank you.
Blackbird26 – Your friendly GM. ^_^
[The White Shadows]
I was told as a child that the Land of Valcrest was blessed by the Gods with its beauty and magic. Now, I’m no longer certain of such fact. Centuries of war have ripped the beauty of this Land, now only a shadow of its former glory remains, kept alive by old tales and legends. The magic now is simply viewed as a tool to be used by one side or another as an advantage in battle. No one speaks of blessings nowadays… I wonder what the Gods would have to say about that.
I’m no longer a child now, and I can go as far as to say I was never truly innocent, growing up where I did. I know for a fact that Blackhurst was a city of Enlightened. The scholars who once lived there only sought knowledge on their own origins, they never thought their actions would cause the Land to self-destruct; they simply wanted to understand where they came from. It was an innocent quest for knowledge that led us here. They found what they were looking for... And were killed for their knowledge.
Surely, those people were being naïve. They should have kept quiet as to what they were doing, they should have kept what they discovered a secret. If they had, none of this would have happened. I assume, no living person outside of my clan knows how exactly this war has started. Dani Rivers was the last outsider to hear the story. I violated the laws of this clan by telling her, we are sworn to secrecy, for obvious reasons. When the Enlightened started being killed I thought it might have some relation to that particular piece of history, so I thought I should tell her… I’m still not convinced that it was an unrelated incident, in spite of having no actual facts to back up those suspicions. Something about the whole thing resembles something I’ve read somewhere; however, I can’t quite remember what. I have read a lot of things in the past couple of decades.
I always tell my apprentices this:
The term “Enlightened” today is associated with a magical ability an individual possesses. It once meant being knowledgeable, wise. That is why we study. Being born with a specific ability doesn’t mean being born fully capable of mastering that ability. We are all born capable of great things, not all of us are capable of achieving that greatness, or even fully understand what greatness means. To most, greatness still means power. To most, power still means force.
Sounds very preachy, I know. I thought so too when I arrived in this place. The angry, impulsive child I was back then found it easier to simply curse the world for being as it is. Many similar children have arrived since then, now more than ever; orphaned, homeless and lost children. Filled with rage, void of any type of understanding; the perfect tools for any heartless egomaniac to use with the purpose of fulfilling its own delusions of grandeur. Some have been twisted to such purposes. I have even heard rumors of cults and sects being raised far in the south.
For me, it was difficult to accept the change I was being asked to make in my ways. It took me time to finally listen to what I was being told. My enlightenment was not the curse I believed it to be; the real curse was my lack of willingness to develop it. Fear, perhaps.
What does this have to do with anything? Well… Everything is relevant when it comes to this Land. Everything is connected in a way or another. Every action causes a reaction, if not now, in the future. The past is never truly dead… It sleeps, soundly, until one day it begins to stir in its sleep and causes the ground to shake, sometimes even crumble beneath our feet.
And so we fall; only time will tell when we will finally ever hit the bottom. That is… If there is even a bottom to hit after all.
Helena Turner – Leader of the White Shadows
A diary page left behind dated ten years ago. That was all Lena Turner left of herself for the ones who had followed her for 25 years.
A new dawn came for the White Shadows and many others followed. Now, three years later, they are barely starting to return to the ruins of Blackhurst where they once built their homes. One foot there, another one in the desert ruins of Brightvale. The healers were finally closer to what they once were, thanks to the endless efforts of Lena’s young daughter. However, their numbers are now severely reduced, and the unbreakable faith that once drove them to die for their beliefs was, in the very least, shaken. Many healers deserted, a great number of them left Valcrest for good after having seeing the war reach the only safe place left. It was undeniable that those people were not prepared for such a thing. For those who stayed, however, there was still the never-ending and exhausting task of providing help to those who needed it.
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[The Desert]
Legends tell that the Goddess called Heart was one the most rebellious of the 14 children of the Gods that fathered Valcrest. Impulsive and irrational, some would say. Her passion for the mortal beings only matched by her anger towards Mother and Father for forcing her to leave them and the forest where she and her twin made their home. She revolted and chose a mortal man to father her children, encouraging her siblings to do the same so that, this way, they would never truly leave Valcrest. Unlike her brothers and sisters, Heart became attached to her children and so, she used her powers to summons the packs of wolves that lived in the snow covered lands to the north into the forest as her final gift to the children of the forest, explaining to them that the wolves were always true to their hearts and loyal to their family and so, as long as they remained together, they would always be protected. She warned them that they would always be stronger as long as they were able to remain as one.
Heart’s twin brother, Mind, on the other hand, was not one to grow attachments to any mortal creature. He left his children in Valcrest for the sake of maintaining balance in the world, for without reason there could be no order. He used his sister’s gift to pass his teachings to his sons and daughters, telling them to always remember that the wolves always maintained a hierarchy and every member of the pack played his part for no task was unimportant. The leader should always be the wisest, strongest and most respected amongst the members; otherwise he would be challenged and cast aside.
And so, when Heart and Mind left Valcrest, they left behind their clan, today known as The Wolfpack.
This legend has been told to children of the Wolfpack as a bedtime story for generations. It was Crystal’s favorite as a child and it was also Dani’s favorite way to remind her of her responsibilities. Ever since she was little she would hear her mother say that the Pack had two leaders to represent the Twins, because if only one person ruled the clan alone, there could never be balance, and without it the clan would fall.
Now, however, Crystal Rivers stood in a very difficult position. Exiled to the desert for the past three years, she had her hands tied as her clan fell to pieces. The Wolfpack was no more. What was left was barely recognizable as the proud assassin clan that it once was. The people who once lived there still lived there, for the most part, but the clan was no more: that was how she saw it.
The betrayal had been painful. Not only the assassination attempt that left her very close to death, but the attacks on her parents’ honor after everything they had done for the clan.
The few people who had followed Crys into the desert didn’t complain about the new life, in fact, most of them seemed to think that it was far better than what they had three years ago. Life in the desert was less conflicted, and they mostly enjoyed the company of the mercenary clan that had taken them in, as well as few remaining healers.
Even so, Crys couldn’t seem to get over the fact that the Wolfpack had fallen apart under her command and, of the few choices she was left with, she was still tempted to try and salvage the past somehow, knowing very well that there was probably nothing left to save by now.
[The Wolfpack]
Once upon a time, the Wolfpack stood tall, proud, and untouchable. Those days ended with the appearance of a group of men and women called the Wolf Hunters. Those people, who called themselves victims of the assassins, terrorized the clan for generations. Killing, without mercy, anyone that stood between them and their targets, they posed a severe threat to the Pack’s survival.
In one night, one damned night, the Hunters attacked the camp. In one blow they took out all the recruits, most of the instructors, and of the leader’s family… Only one survived. That night came to be remembered as the Red Night and, until this day, it remains as the biggest massacre to ever occur within the Pack’s territory.
In the morning that followed such massacre, a young Dani Rivers, shortly after burying her parents and twelve year old sister, along with great part of the clan, announced that she would declare war on the Wolf Hunters and that she would not rest until every live lost that night was avenged.
Two long years and many lives later, the Wolfpack celebrated their victory over the Wolf Hunters. The clan was rebuilt and thrived for over 20 years after that under Dani’s command.
The above story was the official tale that had been told to every new arrival and to all the children born in the clan ever since that fated night. Sean Fletcher had grown up believing it, and so did his brothers and sister, and everyone else in the clan.
However, that story was a lie.
Dani won the respect of her clan by winning a war that she fought out of guilt, not revenge. The truth, the actual truth, was that Dani had lied to her mother, to her clan, and brought a Wolf Hunter into their camp. Along with him, death followed. The Hunters raise hell to avenge the death of the boy named Sebastian, however… He was never dead to begin with, he was alive and well living amongst the assassins.
Now, almost thirty years later, after the truth has been exposed, the Pack tries to rid itself from its past and change under a new leadership. The situation of the assassins had improved, but the clan as a whole suffered a severe blow by having the most important part of their history exposed as a lie. Those who remained under the new leadership are struggling to stay together, even with all that has improved. The truth is: the Pack is yet to find its place in the world again.
THE PLOT:
Three years have passed since Shadows of The Past. The several factions, as well as the cities, have cleaned up the debris left by the final battles/parties/storms, and attempted to move on with their lives in the best way they could. Some of them now find themselves struggling to simply leave the past behind, others attempting to build a new future from scratch. Others are finding that things can in fact get worse than they have ever been before. Some are even catching a small glimpse of light in the end of a long period of uncertainty.
The fighting amongst the factions seems to have cooled off for the first time in a long while. In spite of the of the peaceful that it gives to the Land at first glance, some wonder if this is really peace, or if war is simply evolving into a much more silent killer.
Which is the actual truth, or if the truth is something else entirely, beyond what simple mortal minds can grasp… That, only time will tell.
THE HISTORY:
Official story of Valcrest:
The land of Valcrest originally consisted of five great cities and some smaller villages. It has a vast forest and one great river that run from one side of the land to the other. The first two cities to be created there were Blackpond and Newhaven. These two cities exist ever since there is a record of human life in Valcrest and they co-existed in harmony for many centuries until the other cities were built and the land started to expand. Several power struggles started to shake the peaceful existence of the two cities, after many years of minor disputes, the two cities finally declared war. Out of the three other cities, the city of Elffort took the side of Blackpond and the city of Brightvale took the side of Newhaven.
The fifth city, Blackhurst, decided to remain neutral. Ironically it was the first to be attacked.
After the great war that raged for many years across the land of Valcrest, out of the five cities that existed there, only two remained. Originally in opposite sides of a dispute that has been long forgotten, the cities of Blackpond and Newhaven continue to fight each other until this day.
THE LAND:
1. Valcrest: The land of Valcrest was once rich and full of life. Now its territory is only a shadow of what it once was. Most of the population is now concentrated around the forest, the two remaining cities and the plains and the desert. The mountains to the south and the ruined town of Effort remain unpopulated until this day, only visited by those who leave the land through that path, which are a rare few, since the easiest way out of Valcrest is through the north.
a) The Woods (Center of the land): The great forest is the center of Valcrest and, at present time, the most populated area. Deep inside of the forest, lies the territory of the assassin clan; the Wolfpack. The small mercenary groups that could once be found there have now disappeared, fled from the Pack’s sudden urge to take over the territory of the forest. The open trails that cross the forest and lead to the nearby cities are mostly respected and watched from a distance by the assassins, but straying from them may cause anyone, even the most experienced tracker, to become lost. Wandering into the wrong territory unannounced is something that can get any person killed fast.
Several small streams can be found amongst the trees, but only one bigger lake is present, in the outskirts of the Wolfpack territory, making it off limits to any human outsider that walks that forest.
Wildlife is abundant as well as other sources of food. Mostly wild boar, rabbit, and deer can be found easily for hunting purposes. No one has actually been attacked by predators larger than a snake in these woods, but it is told that wolves live there as well, and in quiet nights their howling can be heard in any point of the forest. Adjacent to the forest and at a distance sometimes considered uncomfortable, are the two remaining cities of Valcrest. No more than a day on foot can get a traveler from one city to another and from any one of them to the depths of the forest.
b) The Plains (West): This territory now is far less inhabited than it once was. However where the ruins of Blackhurst now lie, the healers once made their home. It has been three years since the army of Blackpond chased the White Shadows away from their home, and only now they are starting to come back. The still fertile soil, once used to grow healing herbs, flowers and spices are now void. One or two food crops are currently planted there, mainly for the purpose of keeping the few healers that have returned fed.
The healers once received supplies from the two cities; however, after fleeing to the desert, the healers have cut their ties with all factions involved in the war, and accept the same amount of aid as they provide: None. They help those who reach their camp and advice anyone who is in need of help controlling their enlightened ability, but now the once open territory of the White Shadows is only available to a chosen few, and members of the Crimson Shadows have been placed at their gates to make sure of it.
A long, long, time ago in this territory, the great city of Blackhurst once stood proud and tall. The city looked like one ever growing village, the houses and shops mixed together and scattered within its stone walls, The ruler’s home only recognizable for being larger and more isolated. The army mostly consisted of archers that guarded the walls and could shower attackers with arrows at miles away… Once past them though, the city was defenseless. Most people who lived on the inside of the city walls were scholars, medics and teachers, peaceful and educated people. Outside the walls smaller villages formed as ramifications of the larger city area, those villages were composed mostly of hunters and craftsmen, as well as their families. When Blackhurst suffered its defeat in battle the villages stood and their inhabitants refused to leave. As consequence, many massacres occurred in that area. It is rumored that most of the population of the city consisted of Enlightened and that was the actual reason behind the furious attacks on the city and its population. Both sides carried too much fear of what would happen should Blackhurst choose to get involved in the dispute. Those, however, are only rumors. The true motives behind the destruction of Blackhurst are, until this day, unknown.
c) The Desert (South): To the South of the forest lays a small wasteland where the merchant city of Brightvale once stood. The people who once occupied the city of Brightvale were experienced horsemen and sturdy travelers. Some were known to brag about traveling to the furthest lands known to men in order to acquire their goods, and therefore had seen it all. The Completely deserted once the city was destroyed, the area was rarely visited and only inhabited by a few bandits and runaways that preyed on any unsuspecting and bold adventurers that crossed the territory. Most people saw no point on going through these parts unless the person was leaving Valcrest forever or in need of hiding, however a few years following the abandonment of Brightvale, the mercenary group known as the Crimson Shadows claimed the territory of Brightvale as rightfully theirs. From then on, they made sure no travelers were harm unless they posed a threat to the clan, many times they escorted travelers through the desert and to the mountains, for a small fee, of course.
The mercenary group consists of descendants of the people of Brightvale and Effort; brave warriors as well as a friendly and talkative bunch, the Crimson will extend their welcome to anyone who is in need of shelter, for a night or longer, as long as the traveler is smart enough not to abuse their good will.
Currently the ruins of Brightvale have become a refuge to great part of the White Shadows as well as a, small, exiled group of assassins. Protected and assisted by the Crimson, by the order of their leader.
d) The Mountains (Further South): Beyond the desert, snowcapped mountains determine the limits of the Land. Protected by the stone walls of the mountains, the brave men and women of Effort once lived. The people that once lived there were known as proud warriors and horsemen. They were also known for their mining skills and for fabricating the first explosives seen in Valcrest. They were not the most educated people in the land, but were honorable and proud men and women. A population made extinct when they marched into war beside Blackpond and went into direct confrontation with the nearby city of Brightvale. Having their supplies cut short and their territory being the constant target of attacks… Effort also came to an end. The mines and homes left abandoned until this day.
2. The city of Blackpond (North end of the forest): The city of Blackpond is one of the most ancient and traditional cities to ever exist in Valcrest, its creation only preceded by that of Newhaven. The war with the neighboring city has left its marks on the proud kingdom, but through everything and anything; it has survived.
King Rory had ruled Blackpond for many decades. He was loved and respected within the city walls, as well as Commander Hastings. For the most part, the mass of Blackpond’s population, even though struggling against poor living conditions, had faith in their leader and were proud of their city’s warrior spirit. The city had its problems, it was clear, but what they lacked in wealth or beauty they made up for in spirit. A city filled with warriors and survivors, admired even by its enemies for never allowing itself to break or bend.
However, sorrow filled the city when word spread of the events that occurred in the castle. The news of their King being murdered would by his most trusted officer, along with the news of Hastings’ death spread quickly, first throughout the castle, then across the city streets. Not long after, it became known that Rory had a son.
Under the new leadership, Blackpond seems to have gradually lost the little order it had left when it came to its living conditions, and in the short period of three years, it has slipped into complete and total chaos. Crime rules the street and no punishments are given to those who rape, murder, steal, and vandalize as they please. It’s every man for himself and women and children are safer (in theory) locked on the inside of the house. Even then, when the people of Blackpond leave their homes, there’s no guarantee they will be back unscathed.
These days, anyone who wanders into the, once mighty, city of Blackpond can immediately see that something is very wrong with the city, however, those who are wise enough to know their place would never dare say it; and those who aren’t are usually never seen or heard of again.
3. The City of Newhaven (East end of the forest): Newhaven is nowhere near its former glory, but it’s slowly getting there. With the announcement that those responsible for the killing of their king, and the news of a new heir to take the throne, great part of the rage and fear that once roamed the city streets has subsided. In three years, the people of Newhaven are finally beginning to see a light in the end of a four year struggle to regain its former balance. However, Newhaven is far from being free of problems.
Even with the efforts of the City Guards and Knights combined, the rate of smaller crimes has gone up considerably due to the number of citizens to lose their homes, families, or businesses during the several attacks the city has endured. Small gangs of thieves have begun to form on the less privileged areas of the city, making it now impossible for people to walk the streets unarmed as they once used to. Some businesses are being closed as others are reopening. The economy in Newhaven is not at its possible worst, but it’s fragile. The city funds are growing slim, and there has been talk amongst the city council (and rumors amongst the population) of increasing taxes. Still, even if still shaky, order seems to have slowly been restored to city, especially since Blackpond seems to have lost its interest in attacking Newhaven, ever since the death of their most beloved ruler.
4. Assassin’s Camp (Within the forest): Between the grounds of the two cities, deep inside the forest, lies a clan of assassins, they name themselves the “ Wolfpack”, or simply the Pack” and they have prospered for years eliminating targets on both sides of the feud. The camp consists of one huge clearing surrounded by woods and several hidden paths that lead across them. Inside the clearing there are several cabins made of logs, and also a few tents. One big, more secluded cabin is the home of leaders. In the very center of the camp there is one big camp fire which is lit every night.
In the last three years the Pack has suffered with internal disputes after their leader was thought to be dead and then was discovered to be alive. However, the young woman was unfit to fight properly to maintain the leadership of the clan, and was forced to flee to the desert. A few actives followed after their former leader that night as well. Ever since, many others have considered abandoning the clan as well. The Wolfpack is actually in a better place than it was three years ago, however their place in the world in uncertain and the tense relations between the clan and its former members, as well as the Crimson Shadows, has made living a little bit more difficult; to say the very least.
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 14 authors
2 Days After the Ball
It was the first real day that Lazurus could get settled in. Everything on this day was unimportant. Everyone in the castle understood that Ella had been through a lot and that she needed rest. Lazurus, on the other hand, didn’t ever rest. He took this alone time as a chance to scower through Ella’s things. He wanted to get to know her just a little better. There was nothing too special in the room. It was a Rich blue color and kept a rather queen-ish theme that was expected from a queen. A couple of books on a shelf and a boat load of clothing in the closet. A chess set, a desk, a few notes from her secret, not-so-secret lover under her mattress. She was more or less a girl who was privileged, but not for her entire life so she didn’t exactly know what to do with those privileges. Any good royal would have an entire lifetime before being crowned to get to know this privilege. Ella didn’t have that luxury. It was really all that he could gather from the room.
You are a special kind of boring, Ella. Lazurus said.
What did you expect to find in my room? Unlike you scum, there are people who would actually be interested in knowing things about me. I don’t keep important things in my room. There’s a room only known the White Knights and the queen that is used for things like that. Ella replied.
Then tell me where—
Am I really pregnant? Ella asked.
Yeah. But what do you expect after fooling around like you did?
I was going to be a mother and you took that away from me!
You took it away from yourself, Ella. You are the one who was foolish enough to get yourself killed. I was just there to intervene. Lazurus said.
Ella took a moment. It was true, what he was saying to her. But she couldn’t help to be sort of excited. To be a mother… although, how would she ever be a mother if she was already dead. She couldn’t control her body. There was no way. She could only do stuff if Lazurus allowed her to. It was a depressing reality.
Although, Lazurus did seem surprised when she talked to him at the party. She obviously had some sort of control. Maybe there was a way that she could take control of Lazurus. If that was the case, she could live out the rest of her life normally. She could be the Queen. She could have her child and she could even marry Conrad. Things could be so much better!
I hope you go to hell. Ella said.
Lazurus didn’t say anything, but she knew that it bothered him.
Blackpond- 5 Days After the Ball
It was a struggle for Rita. Things had gone from bad to worse in Blackpond and she had to pick up the broken pieces and replace them with fresh new ones. The only way she could do it, however, was to use the broken pieces to make the new ones. It wasn’t her favorite of plans, but it was the best she had. The fact that she was disembodied seemed like nothing compared to the challenges that she had to face now.
She needed an army, and there was only one place where she could gather one large enough to take down the ruling of Blackpond with a single display of brute force, Blackpond’s favorite method of force.
It all started with a connection that she had made by making friends with some city guards who supported her cause. They spoke to those who ran the security in the dungeons and found out who could be trusted. Within only twelve hours of gathering the information she needed, she was looking towards the dastardly side of Blackpond’s crime syndicates. These were people who could be trusted far less, but with the fallacious promises of protection once Rita was in control of Blackpond, she gathered enough money to be used for a sizable bribe and a little more for extra measure. Sent out, the bribe allowed Rita passage through the dungeons without any trouble. It even gained her admittance into the underground city, where she was planning to go.
Rita literally saw no one on her way to the dungeon. No guards blocked her way or even made an appearance. She didn’t take any chances though. She brought twelve of the finest fighters that she could find to join her. Money could buy a person many things, but if there was one thing money could never buy, it was a guarantee. Standing at the door, she looked at her fighters and signaled them to stand down. She was going to go in alone. Maybe not the smartest thing, but again, a group of 13 Knightly-looking people walking into a room might have looked like a deathly cleansing waiting to happen. Going in alone was actually the safer approach, no matter how much others wanted to convince her otherwise.
She took the key from her belt and put it into the hole. Twisting it, it made a screeching sound, until finally, a click. She swung the door open and felt the stingy air breeze past her. It wasn’t like the first time she had visited. The air was actually fresh when she last visited. This was very different.
The bodies were everywhere. Not a single one more than a day past their expiration. It was a sea of bodies, not a single one of them living, but even in this horrific mess, something was wrong. When she was in the city the first time, it was a bustling ground that functioned better than its above ground counterpart was. It was a strange thing to her, seeing that most of these people were criminals. Now, at least a quarter of them were dead. The rest… missing.
“Lionel!” Rita shouted out to the door.
The door whooshed open with a gust a wind that flowed past Rita’s hair. Then she felt a stinging sensation through her body as she heard Lionel’s sword clang against the ground. Rita turned around to see a ghost. Lionel obviously had never fought in the war. There were no words for him to speak. He just walked forward. A face caught his eye. A breathy mumble escaped his mouth as he walked past Rita to see the face closer. When he got close enough, he confirmed what he knew was already true. He ran to the body and collapsed on top it.
Rita walked over slowly. She didn’t expect that he’d actually recognize a face in the crowd of faces in this underground city, but in Blackpond, everyone probably knew someone who ended up down here. She just stood beside him. He wasn’t crying, but he wasn’t happy.
Franklin spoke. “Her name was Yishka. She was my partner in my revolution. She was captured when we stormed the castle. I didn’t even know that this place existed.”
“It was a nice place to live in. Better than the shithole above. I’m sure she was actually quite content here.” There was a long pause between the two. “I doubt that there’ll be any, but have everyone search for survivors. I’m going to search around the rest of these dungeons and see if I can figure anything out.”
Rita took one more look at the bodies all around her and then she left the room. When she walked out, the 12 other warriors were waiting for an order. She just motioned them into the room with a wave of her hand and kept walking. She was sure that Lionel would do a fine job at relaying her orders and she wasn’t really in the mood for it. She ventured into other parts of the city that were far better known to her than this area. Her particular interest was in the room where Ella had been held all those years ago. If she was to find anyone from the underground city who was still alive, it would have been there.
She knew the path all too well. She heard all too much about the whole Ella ordeal from Lamya. It had to be the place she went. She walked into the next hall. It was more of a large room than a hall, but for some reason, it was called a hall. This is when she was caught off guard. The room was entirely dark. She knew this tactic all too well. It was exactly what they did when Mageria had come to take back Ella. They had a room completely blackened out by enlightenment. She was told this story so many times that she knew exactly where Jacy was hiding. Rita took her sword out and swung it towards the direction where Jacy should have been, but nothing connected. Instead, she was thrown for a loop. The room came to light and a face was right in front of her. Rita’s first reaction was to back away, but the owner of the face had already grabbed Rita by the neck and wouldn’t let go. Behind Rita, a sword poked her. There was no doubt that it was Jacy. The face in front of her: Lamya.
“Where’s the city?” Rita choked.
“Have you ever met a man named Lionel? He’s a nice guy. I decided to take him out on a date. Want to see?” Lamya let go of Rita and she felt the blade point direct her around. Behind her, a horror. A set made up of 12 dead bodies. Two chairs and a table with a candle and some food set atop it. A still living, but badly beaten Lionel sat in one of the chairs made from his dead comrade. The scariest part of it all was how Lionel seemed unwilling to struggle at all. He’d just given up. She hadn’t Lionel more than ten minutes before and it was as if he was just ready for death. What had happened to him?
Lamya walked up to the table. She reached over and under to the side that Rita couldn’t see. When she got up, she was holding a pitcher with a crimson liquid in it. She poured the liquid into a glass on the table. When the glass was about half full, she reached into the pitcher and grabbed a dark red clump from the bottom and plopped it into the glass, making it splash everywhere. She put the glass on the table and then cut the bonds that held Lionel. He didn’t even move an inch. He’d truly given up.
When Lamya was finished, she walked around the table to sit on her fleshy chair. “Go ahead, Lionel. Have a drink.”
That was the first moment that Rita saw Lionel feel emotion. His eyes widened and some color came back to his pallid face. He reached for the cup with a shaking arm and clasped onto it in the same way a crossbow would hold its arrows. He lifted it, but his shaking caused him to spill a small portion of the crimson liquid onto the ground. Slowly he brought it to his mouth. A little hint of contempt crossed over his face right before he put the cup against his mouth. He leaned his head back and gulped down the metallic liquid. Then came the clot. Before Lionel could even chew it so he could eat it, Lamya jumped across the table and placed her fingers over his nose. This forced him to swallow it whole, but it was too much. The clot didn’t make it past his windpipe and he started to choke.
“Oh little Lionel. Don’t do this to me. We were having a good time. Sure, we have our differences, and I know we fought earlier, but we can get through this. You don’t need to be angry anymore.” Finally, Lionel managed to pass it, but he didn’t look good. “Oh, thank the Twins!” Lamya kissed him passionately and he just fell to the floor, lifeless. Was the blood poisoned? What was the clot really? Rita couldn’t make proper sense of it all!
“You bitch!” Rita belted.
“Those were your best warriors, Rita? You’re going to have to do better than that. Jacy and I dealt with them all alone. Do you really want to go to the ends of hell with me? You see, the difference between the two of us is that in our limits. I don’t have them. You either stoop to my level or I’ll… well you can guess. I’ve already done in enough people you know to be able to prove a point… haven’t I. Now get out of here and come at me when you’re actually ready to put up a fight.”
6 Days After the Ball
The old Inn: it was exactly where Rita expected to find her. She had heard rumors over the week and a half after the party that she had stayed in town. It wasn't exactly Rita's business anymore to know why she was there, but if she could find out, it might be her best interest to make it her interest.
Rita cautiously walked up to the door. Knowing exactly what it was like to be in hiding, it was always in the hider's best interest to set up traps in their safe house in case an intruder wanted to poke around. To prevent any of these accidents, Rita treated it if she was visiting someone's house. She knocked.
"Are you sure there's enough room down here for this?" Nicholas asked, watching as Crys paced around the biggest room of the underground level of the Inn. "We need the smaller areas for storage, otherwise we could break the walls and open the space up."
"It'll be tight, but we'll manage. We need to at least store liquor in the other rooms, we can store other supplies upstairs, it'll work." She stated, smiling contently at the man. "It's not the best training area we've ever had, but it'll surely work."
"What about weapons?" Nicholas questioned, pacing around the basement himself.
"Patience, my friend... We have no allies to arm just yet. For what it's worth though, I'm working on it."
Nicholas chuckled a bit nervously. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to question you so much, I..."
"Its alright. If I'm putting you in charge of running the Inn it is your job to know these things and it's your right to question me." Crys reassured her fellow assassin with a small pat on the shoulder. "We're making great progress Nick, and the results will start showing soon, you'll see."
"I guess you're right, Crys. I'm just a bit anxious I guess... I know that once we're fully operational it's going to draw a lot of attention."
"Well, that's a part of it, I'm afraid." She whispered softly. "We'll be prepared when the time comes, I'm sure of it."
"Excuse me, Crys..." A voice called from the top of the stairs that led to the ground floor. "We... Uh... There's someone at the door."
Crys frowned slightly in confusion; the only people who knew they were there wouldn't be knocking on the door. "How odd. I suppose I should go check to see who it is."
Nicholas chuckled at her calm response. "Okay, so we've decided to make a training room down here, yes? I'll get to work on that."
"Yes, we've decided, I trust you to take care of it as you see fit. I'll be back as soon as I can." Crys replied to the man, starting to make her way to and up the staircase. The area of the bar was mostly functional and to Blackpond standards it was actually looking pretty fancy, but the front of the building, the exterior, was still the same as it had been since the Wolves left the city, they were very careful to not alert too many people of their presence just yet so this person was either very perceptive or simply knew enough about her to guess her whereabouts. Whichever the case, she wanted to know who this person was. That didn't mean she would simply open her door for a stranger. Instead she exited through a side door and walked her way to the person standing outside the establishment. "I recognize you, from the party. You were fighting not far from me on the dance floor." She stated casually. "We're not open for business yet."
Rita would have been caught off guard if it wasn't for her new perspective on life. Literally. She had her vision backed far enough away that she would be able to see the entire front of the Inn. She was even able to see at the side, where Crystal had stepped through her secret door. Regardless, she acted as surprised when Crystal spoke to her. She jumped a bit at the sound of the voice and turned to see her.
"I'm not here for a drink or a place to stay Miss Rivers." Rita went right to business. "The name's Rita, former commander of the Blackpond army and new found coordinator in the efforts that are now being made against the oppressive Blackpond leadership. I've come to speak about creating a symbiotic relationship between your people and mine. Even if you don't, there is a lot of information that your people will want to know if you are to want any success here and I'm willing to give it all up to you." Rita motioned for the door. "I'd like to speak with you more, but the streets have ears. In fact," Rita had her vision focused on a street adjacent to the one that they were on, "there are some informants to the Blackpond leadership that are well known to me who are closing in on our location very quickly. On my way here, I broke from their trail, but it seems that they are on the verge of finding me. If you want, turn me away, but know that you have nothing to lose from speaking to me."
Crys chuckled a bit under her breath at how direct the woman was, it was a rare thing nowadays to have someone state what they actually wanted instead of wasting time hiding behind false pretenses. Of course, she did know who Rita was, Jake had done a very thorough job of filling her in on all the details she might have missed of the ball, and he had already mentioned the woman to her when he told her of his time in the city dungeons. "Alright." She agreed, opening the door to the Inn and motioning for Rita to enter, following after her and closing the door after herself. "Please call me Crys, Rita. Now I'd offer you tea, but we don't really have any so I guess we might as well be more direct." She said, motioning for one of the few tables in the place the seemed to be clear of any messes, most of them were covered with random bits of wood and assorted tools as some of the men had been working on fixing or replacing some of the still broken furniture. The assassins present in the room immediately stopped what they were doing as they entered, but lingered around until Crys very discreetly indicated that she wanted them to leave. Once the room was empty except for herself and her guest, Crys continued. "I know the general rule is that one can never have too many allies, Rita, but I've gotten into the habit as of late of choosing mine with extreme care. So I hope you understand that the first thing I want to know before we go any further into this conversation is how you expect a possible relationship between my people and yours to be beneficial to your cause. As you can see we're not exactly functional in any way at this point. My entire group consists of no more than 75 assassins, most of which lack proper experience, and our presence in this city consists of only a fraction of those assassins. I don't question for a second the amount of aid you could provide us, but I wonder why you would bother to offer."
Next to Blackpond Castle, the Inn was one of the nicest places in Blackpond. Everything in the room spoke of wealth and that was something that very few people in Blackpond had. Even the richest of those in Blackpond most likely couldn't afford a place with such a nice interior. It still obviously had some work to do, but it didn't matter. She would be coming to this Inn all the time now that she knew how nice it was.
"I met your mother once. It was a brief encounter, probably several years before you were born. She assassinated my husband, who was on Blackpond's council just before the dissolution of council into the true monarchy that Blackpond has now.
Not long after his death, I was approached by a member of the Wolf Hunters. His name was Sebastian Rivers. I accepted his offer. For several years, I was taught how to fight assassins. It is in itself far different from fighting an army. One of the most common of tactics was creating the false contract. You'd hire an assassin for a contract that doesn't exist. It is all a trap and you'd ambush the assassin. Those less experienced assassins who would come with a partner were a little more difficult, but it was still an applicable strategy."
Reaching into the breast of her loose fitting epaulette, she grabbed a small bottle with a dirty-gold liquid from the neck between two fingers. In between the adjacent fingers, she pulled out two shot glasses. She placed them all onto the table and uncorked the bottle. Pouring equal amounts into the glasses, she looked up at Crystal. "I prefer alchohol over tea." She smiled. "If you want it, it is there, but no pressure." She winked and then took her shot.
"Anyways..." She poured herself another shot and continued with her story. "... the month before the death of the Wolf Hunters, I was told of a planned attack directly on the Wolfpack. I was no strategist at the time, but I saw it for what it was and what it was was a death wish. I told them that they should stick to old tactics, but they were greedy. The Wolfpack was at a low point in their history so they thought they could act greedy. I didn't want to be a part of it. I left and decided to join the Blackpond army. There were better ways to make a difference in the world." She took another shot and filled the glass again. She didn't know if she was going to take her next shot, but she thought she might as well pour it anyways. "I know how to kill an assassin, but I don't know how to fight a war against assassins. You'd be far more capable of that than I am. If not for anything else, I want you for your experience. Your mother, she ruined my life, but she turned out to be a good leader and I know that Sebastian was a good leader too, from personal experience. As a Rivers, I expect no less from you. I believe we have intersecting goals. That is why I've come to you."
Crys listened to Rita in silence, the expression on her face showing a mix of surprise and curiosity towards the fact this woman knew so much of her parents; she wasn't expecting to hear any of that and it caught her a bit off guard. Once Rita was finished speaking, Crys reached out to the shot glass that was placed before her on the table, casually sniffing its contents before drinking and placing the empty glass back on the table. "I see." She spoke softly, making a long pause as she went into a moment of thinking, her fingers lightly tapping the surface of the wooden table. "I can't say I've come here with the exact purpose of waging war, but I won't deny you any help should you need it. I don't know how much help I can provide however, the way these people operate is unlike anything I have ever seen in my life time. I don't fear them, but I'm not too proud to admit that they have bested me and I still have no idea how they did it. My purpose here, for the moment, is to learn what I can and then make an informed decision on whether a war is necessary. As you know all too well, every war, no matter how small, always brings casualties and I'd like to avoid those as much as possible." Leaning back in her seat, Crys fell into a another small moment of silence, a small smile crossing her features. It was funny how she always found herself having these conversations; first with Theron, who had his father killed by the Pack, then Mageria who lost her entire family by the hands of the clan, and now Rita whose husband had been taken out by her mother. "So, Rita, if you don't mind me asking... Who was the man you killed at the party?"
When Crystal asked her question, Rita instantly grabbed her shot glass and took a sip. She didn't want it necessarily as much as she needed it at that moment. She didn't pour another for herself though. That was going to be it. She could already feel the buzz from the other shots she took. Anymore and she was afraid she'd go past her tipping point. She did, however, pour another for Crystal if she wanted it.
"The man I killed. Well..." She was lost for words, but then she remembered something. She reached into her jacket one more time and pulled out a book. "I think this book can explain it better than I can." She handed Crystal the book and allowed her to scan through it. "Your answer will be on the second last page with writing in it. Turns out the Royals of the cities, even the really old cities passed around this diary of sorts between each other. From what I can tell, Ella was the one who broke with tradition and gave it to a non-royal. Namely, Sean. Since then, it’s been passed on to more non-royals and finally to me. You might as well take it and write something in it too. You seem important enough." Rita winked again. "Since we are playing the question game, I guess it’s my turn. If waging war isn't your main focus, what is? Is there something I can do to help. I have a sizable and fairly well trained force at my disposal, including Sean's little protégé girl, Ari. I also have a fair amount of intel that you'll need to know, both about the assassins and Blackpond. If you are going to stick your nose into such affairs, I can't stress enough how important this information will be to you."
Crys took the book that had been offered to her, holding it closed in her hand as she nodded, an amused smile crossing her features at Rita's question. "My main focus, my goal per se, is a pretty modest one really. I'm going to renovate this bar, open it up for business and keep it open. If that goes well I plan on doing the same with every shop and home in this neighborhood. Meanwhile, if there's anything else I can do to help the city, then of course I'll do it. If there's a war I'll gladly offer my assistance in fighting it, but right now I personally feel it's just as important to show that the damage that has been done to this city can still be undone." She shrugged casually, taking the refilled glass and drinking her second shot. "It may sound foolish I suppose, but I honestly don't see any point in what these so called assassin are doing aside from spreading chaos, so I believe the best course of action is to establish some sort of order from the
chaos they've created. So that is what I intend on doing, or rather I intend to encourage the people here to do. We're merely here to make sure they are not intimidated any further. Aside from that..." Crys sighed softly. "We've had word of certain people that have been operating in the city that we have been looking out for, these people are said to be involved in child kidnapping slavery, prostitution, and many other things that simply do not go well with me and my people. We are hunting for them. If in the future you or any under your command hear of any occurrences of that sort, I would like to be informed as soon as possible; some of my people have rather personal reasons to be after these elements." Crys sighed softly, her fingers lightly tapping the cover of the book she held in her hands. "I'm sure Sean will be pleased to know his recruit is in good company." She mentioned, a bit of amusement clear in her tone. "And of course any information you have to give me, Rita, will be greatly appreciated; the more we know of our opponents the better. If there's something else you may need to know from me in return, don't be afraid to ask. For an assassin I have considerably little to hide at this point in time."
"Alright." Rita sighed and she began. "I know a lot, but what I should first discuss with you is what I know of the assassins who have taken rule over the city. The one you probably know the best is Rick. Rick seems to be the person who is in charge of most menial things in the Assassin's order, as well as taking full reigns over what goes on in Blackpond. He is rather arrogant and easily fixates of things. He is able to teleport where ever he wants. Lazurus is one of the ones who is more messed up if you ask me. He brings the dead back to life and you can tell by the way he likes. I haven't personally seen it, but he collects blood in jars. He doesn't need them for any enlightenment. I think he drinks it. Then we have Simon. Simon can't speak like we all do. He only speaks through thoughts. Because he's mute, he has an inflated sense of his telepathic abilities. Sandere is someone I don't know much about. He appears from time to time when one of the assassins has hurt themselves. He usually appears with a random Blackpond street kid as some sacrifice to heal people. That's all I really know. Then there is the four elemental users. I don't know their names and they don't really have any personalities for themselves. It is more or less what Vorso wants them to be. Vorso is the one in charge. He likes to keep in the shadows, but from what I know, he's the real enforcer of the group."
Rita took a moment and shook her head before she continued. "Then there is Lamya. For as much as I've been around Lamya, I can honestly say that I know nothing worth wild about her. She is the epitome of crazy. She only really appears if she wants something from you, but she never lets you know. She is manipulative in a way that she never lets you know what she wants you to do, but you somehow manage to do it anyways. Maybe its because she's not entirely sure what she wants either? I don't know. Stay away from her. If she starts speaking to you, run the other way. The only way to avoid her psychopathy is to avoid it all together. Good luck if you can manage."
"Now... there is also a matter that is far too pressing for me to ignore. There's a city underneath Blackpond. Filled with criminals. I went there to try to gather more supporters for my cause the other day, but they are all gone. The only thing that remains is about a quarter of the citizens in that city are lying down there, dead. I don't know what it is for exactly, but Lamya has an army that is far stronger than anything I'd be able to produce with all of those citizens and I have no idea where they went. Hundreds of people are nowhere to be found and I heard nothing about any odd activities from any of my sources. It worries me. If there is any questions, I'll do my best to answer."
Crys listened carefully to everything Rita had to say, registering every bit of relevant information for when she'd need it in the future. It was really nothing new to Crys what the woman had to say about Lamya and Rick, but she knew nothing of the others and she couldn't deny that it was valuable information to have. She didn't seem too shocked at what the woman told her of the underground prisoners; Jake had already told her about that as well, but the absence of the prisoners, nearly all of them at once, was somewhat concerning. "If you can't find them, odds are they're not in the city... And if they're not in this city there is only one other place where one is likely to take an army. Let's face it, there's little left to destroy around here anyway." She responded, heaving a long deep sigh. "What happened to the bodies of those people in the underground city?" She asked simply, not elaborating on why she wanted to know such a thing and moving on. "I'd advise you, Rita, if I were to give any advice, to consider the possibility of reaching out to the former Black Knights, I think they're calling themselves Ravens now. You've met one of them in the dungeons already; the man responsible for my mother's Death as you so kindly reminded him. Newhaven, as of late, has its own reasons to want these assassins gone as it seems that what has happened to their Queen during the ball fits the work of someone who can raise the dead... The Wolfpack would be more than willing to assist as well I'm sure, but I'm not sure I'd advise you to go to them; things have not been the same since I left, I'm afraid." Crys smirked at the last words, a very discreet trace of bitterness in her smile that lasted for only a fraction of a second. "I have to ask though, why are you still fighting for Blackpond? Are you actually fighting for Blackpond, or are you just fighting against these people?"
Rita looked at Crystal completely seriously. Her eyes were parted just enough that the pearly whites could only just be seen. She parted her lips for a moment, but only just slightly before she shut them again. What was she fighting for? "I fight for a belief, Crystal. What that belief is; I'm not really certain. What I am certain about is, no matter what that belief is, it is better than the shadow that has fallen over Valcrest."
Newhaven- 1 Week After the Ball
It was the first official council meeting since Ella had come back from the Ball. In fact, it was the only council meeting that the councilmen had told Ella of. The council had things to talk about in terms of the troubles that had occurred in the week after Ella's arrival. Mageria no longer seemed to support her at all. It made everyone wonder what had happened at that party. Some councilmen were even at the party, but not a single one could really figure out what happened.
"Shall we kick things off?" Ella Quickly asked.
"The first issue is rather pressing. A large number of citizens of Blackpond are sitting outside the gates. They've all claimed that they see the war that is about to break of out Blackpond and..."
"Let them in." Ella interrupted.
"But my Queen, there is not enough room in the city."
"Then we'll make room. Mr. Bennett, I want immediate action on the construction of the West end of Newhaven. And by immediate, I mean now. Tell the guards to start letting people in too."
"No."
Mageria's voice was quiet, but carried clearly. She stepped forwards, her eyes glittering strangely in the light. She was dressed in her uniform of Captain of the Black Guard, but she still wore the coat that was decorated with the pattern of Raven's feathers. No more than half of the old Guard had returned, choosing instead to stay out in the woods. It was said that they were still intensely loyal to her, and her alone.
Mageria walked forwards, her hands clasped behind her, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. Anybody looking at her could see that she was armed to the teeth. Now that was her privilege and duty, to always be armed. But she seemed to carry herself differently now, not as if she was on guard, but as if she was ready to attack. As she walked carefully along the table, the light coming in the windows highlighted the sudden presence of stark white in her hair, as if it was frosted touched. It also highlighted the new hollows under her cheekbones. Mageria was a woman being driven to the limit of her strength and it showed. For a moment she wavered, her strength of will failing her. Could she do this? Then she drew a deep breath, steeling herself. She knew what she had to do.
"The purpose of the Black Guard, is to protect Newhaven against any threat, by any means. Today, it is my duty to carry this out." She stood tall and grim, eyes black as night. "With great responsibility, comes great power. At any time, if both Captains are in agreement, they can call for the abdication of the ruler of Newhaven." From the shadows opposite her, Thomas also stepped out, an equally grim alabaster statue. And if the puppet before you was real, that is what we would do. But not today." Mageria drew a deep breath, her voice ringing out. "The Queen is dead and an imposter sits on the throne of Newhaven!"
-----------
Outside the window, Sham had been waiting for the entire morning. She had hidden herself away on Mageria's orders, waiting for the proper moment. Mageria didn't really believe that she could talk any sense into anybody, but she thought she could make a good distraction.
"Keep going Bennett. Don't worry about anyone getting in your way. Conrad and the city guard have an obligation to the Queen to carry out their duties. So do the White Knights but for reasons that aren't entirely understandable to me, the White Knights can no longer be trusted." She nodded to another dark corner of the room where Conrad walked out of. His sword was drawn and as he walked passed Thomas, he bumped his shoulder.
"This is a military coup." Ella said calmly replied to Mageria and her White Knight counterpart. "I'm a reasonable woman Mageria, but there comes a point where enough is enough. It surprises me that when my father was killed and replaced by an impostor that you were completely incapable of doing your job to protect Newhaven. If you did your job then, maybe Blackpond would have fallen by now!"It was obvious to everyone in the room how angry Ella was getting. It was uncharacteristic of her, but not necessarily uncharacteristic of a pregnant woman so it didn't seem out of place. "Now." She paused again, throwing her hand up to the top of the table and stabbing a dagger into the wood. "Mageria... if you are actually serious about kicking me off this throne then do it. Otherwise, get the hell out of my council room."
"I failed once. When the King died. I failed again. When Ella died. I will not fail again."
Mageria smiled thinly, like a knife slash. "False Queen, I would be glad to leave, forever if you like. So long as you agree to stand before the White Shadows, before their mind readers, and have them state that you are who you seem."
Ella stopped, not speaking for several moments. For a painfully long five minutes every eye in the council room stared at her while he tried to put things into perspective. "The White Shadows have proven to be an extremely bias group in the past couple of years. They have been very clearly and very secretively been taking sides in this war over the past years. I can trust them as well as I can trust a Black Traitor's mouth." Ella stood up, staring daggers at Mageria. Lazurus knew that Mageria had won this battle, but he still intended on winning the war.
When Ella had gotten up, the entire room bowed. (This is an OOC note. If you intend on having Mageria bow, I would like to mention it here, but I will wait for a PM from you confirming that before I add it into the text) She waved them all off and people stood back up. Then she looked at Mageira again. "Come now Mageria. These accusations have gone too far. Let the coup begin already. Otherwise you are wasting my your time, my time and the council's time."
Mageria stood straight, refusing to bow before one who didn't deserve it. "The Black Knights are traitors. The White Knights are traitors as well. Now the White Shadows are biased and you stand ready to throw the gates of the city open to the huddled masses fleeing Blackpond in the hopes of a better life." She took a few slow steps forward, living shadow in a pool of light. "This is all very out of character; for the ruler of Newhaven, that we know so well. A change so very.... sudden. It is almost as if you seek to cut us off from everybody that we have trusted in the past." She smiled grimly. "The White Shadows are neutral to every conflict. They avoid the double dealing and back stabbing of the rest of Valcrest like the plague it is." Her voice suddenly rang like the clash of blade against blade. "You will stand before the White Shadows and be declared to be whom you claim or you shall be restrained in a secure location until you give birth. Those are your options."
"Since Lana's disappearance and afterwords, her death, the White Shadows have been less and less what they used to represent. Since Dani's death, this has been going on with the Wolfpack. My Brother's death marked the end of what Newhaven represented. and Blackpond's loss of their king has marked the end of what they represent. I would say something about the Black Knights too, but that would just be rude. Regardless, everything that Valcrest used to be has changed. Newhaven has always been on the forefront of change and I plan on making this change better, not only for Newhaven, but for Valcrest. A good start to that is letting the refugees in. It will bolster the already illustrious reputation of Newhaven." Ella snarly remarked.
She walked towards the nearest window. It looked down at the city in full view. It was a bright day and there was barely a cloud in the sky. It made seeing the hundreds of Blackpond refugees waiting at the gate more than visible. If she looked close enough, she would be able to see each individual head bobbing about. "Now," she said, still looking out the window, "there is the ultimatum that you've given me. Trust the White Shadows to be honest or trust you to run a city. The White Shadows don't help the Wolfpack anymore, from what I've heard. I don't know if I can trust--"
Down at the city gates, she could see that the refugees were starting to be let in. She turned around and looked at Mageria. "It looks like you'll have to restrain me."
Mageria sighed slightly. If that's the way you're going to play it, you murderous bastard....
Mageria whistled sharply. Sham, who had been hanging under the windowsill, burst into sharp action. She pushed off from the wall, turning and flipping so that she landed feet first inside the room. The miniature crossbow she held in one hand only held one bolt, but one bolt was all she needed. She took one step forwards and jammed the point into the chest of the False Queen. "Aye then, you'll be wanting not to make any sudden moves."
Around the room, there was a clatter as those who's alligence lay with the person they thought was the Queen drew their weapons and were disarmed by those who were loyal to Mageria and Thomas.
"That. Is. Enough." Mageria's voice was cold as the heart of winter.
Newhaven-1 Week 6 Days After the Ball
Luckas groaned slightly under his breath as he wandered the halls of the Newhaven Castle. He had decided at random to check things out before going back to the Ravens’ camp. He hadn’t been in the city in over a month, even less the castle, and he wondered if the place had changed from its previous dreadfully boring state. It didn’t seem like there was much difference to be honest. If anything the place had gotten even more boring without the children roaming the halls and the random visits of assassins and formerly deceased members of the military. As he started to think it was about time to give up and go home he caught a curious sight; about three or four men were guarding one single door as if all of the demons in hell would run loose in the castle if it happened to open. Luckas didn’t need as much as a second glance to recognize Black Guard when he saw it. Upon his approach the men immediately blocked his path and ordered him to turn away. Luckas stood, hesitantly for a moment or so. Usually this wouldn’t be enough to hold him back, but as of late he and the Captain had a silent agreement of sorts; as long he posed no threat to her people they wouldn’t mind him wandering in and out of camp. The terms were simple enough that there wasn’t ever a need to talk about it; it simply was. He didn’t like to admit it, but access to the encampment was really important to Luckas, and he’d rather not lose that little privilege he’d gained.
Smiling innocently he looked from one Guard to another and then tried to peek through the little barred window on the center of the door, but unable to see past the men. “Whaaat are you guys keeping in there?” Luke questioned, seeming quite curious and amused, even when the four guards stood menacingly blocking his path in silence. Luckas sighed. “Not feeling chatty, then? I getcha.” He chucked. “I’d be grumpy too if I had to stand here all day. I bet you guys are really tired, huh? I’m tired too you know, been traveling a while.” Luke sighed, faking a yawn, holding back a smirk as he saw one of the men mimic his gesture and discreetly yawn as well. “In fact, I am very, veeery, sleepy... I you are all sleepy too, right. So... Very... Sleeepy...” Luckas continued, his voice lowering to a near whisper, but somehow still getting through to the men, one or two of them starting to sway where they stood in a bit of a stupor. “Yes, if I was standing there all day I’d probably be thinking to myself ‘boy, I’d really love to close my eyes for a bit.’, why don’t you guys try that, just for a second, hm? Just for a little while... Close your eyes... Just for a second.... You know you want to...”
It worked. It was almost ridiculous how well it worked. One by one the men started to fall to the floor, slipping out of consciousness and into a deep slumber. “Well, that was easy...” Luckas mumbled, approaching the door and peeking into the room. What he saw inside caused him to snort in amusement. “Of course.” He muttered under his breath before raising his voice and addressing the person inside the cell. “Poor little Ella... Your family has such an annoying habit of getting captured and impersonated. I don’t know if that’s sad or hilarious, honestly.”
"Yes." Lazurus huffed. "Because Mageria is known for her impersonations."
Luckas snickered softly. "Captain has her talents, even I'm forced to admit that..." He said simply, shrugging at his own words. "...But personally, I know far better impersonators. Some of them so good at what they do that if they choose to take your place, your own mom won't know the difference... And given enough time you may even actually start believing they're for real and you're the fake. Some people would surely benefit from a lesson or two from such impersonators in my opinion. Too many amateurs out there getting murdered by wolves and locked up in jail cells... It's just awkward for everyone."
Lazurus laughed. It was a uncharacteristic laugh. "I'm not going to give you the satisfaction. I can tell you're one of those types of people. Those people who like to beat around the bush until they seem to figure things out unsuspectingly. How dreadfully boring is that!"
Lazurus looked at Luke dead in the eyes. For a moment, it was Lazurus' deadly glare, but a moment of desperation slipped into the eyes. Then intense anger and a moment's thought of self-harm. Then Lazurus continued. "You think what a handful of people who still trust Mageria believe. I don't know how you haven't been arrested yet. Martial Law is in effect out there. Must me a helluva sight. She's got a woman coming over--a Healer--to read my thoughts... you want to do me a favor?"
"I'm amused that you think you could possibly satisfy me in anyway." Luckas replied calmly, arching an eyebrow in a mildly curious expression. "I honestly don't understand why everyone feels the need to tell me what kind of person I am... Even if I don't know that for myself by now it's highly unlikely I'll take someone else's word on it. Just seems like a ridiculous waste of energy." He sighed softly. "I doubt anyone here could arrest me, if they could they would have long ago." Luckas leaned against the door with both hands, pressing his forehead against its surface for a moment as if in deep thought, before raising his head again and snickering. "Why would I want to do you favors? We don't know each other. And I don't do favors."
"Kid, in the end, it doesn't matter much what you think of yourself. It is what others think of you that really affect the way you live your life. Does it matter what Life thought of himself? No. It is what people think of him that lasts in our memories. Quit trying to be a clever. If you do me a favor, I'll let you talk to Ella without a fight."
"Come on, Life? That's stupidest possible comparison. Seriously, people need to really shut up about the Twins already. It's been thousands of years since they actually mattered for something other than people's need to create increasingly uninventive analogies." Luckas shook his head. "And if it's what others think of me that really matters maybe you all should be preaching to each other until you reach an understanding of what kind of person I am instead of annoying me with your opinions, since my thoughts on the subject are simply irrelevant; but again that would be an even greater waste of energy, so my point still stands. Truth of the matter though... Is that in the end nothing will matter... Because it will be the end." Luckas replied simply, shrugging once again. "But fine: Assuming I have any interest in speaking with Ella, and assuming I'd actually even consider you an obstacle; which I really don't. Pray tell... What the hell do you want?"
Lazurus just sat back--as that was all he could do--as he listened to Luke. He just proved his point. Luke thought that the Twins were a waste of time. That was all that mattered to him and therefore, it was all that mattered about the Twins. He wondered for a moment if Luke was smart enough to figure it out. He decided that he wasn't. "As someone who has never experienced 'the end', I feel that I'm under qualified to make claims of what it might be. I just use it as a reference point more than anything." Lazurus snorted. "Now will you kill a guard for me? That's all I ask of you."
"Hmm... I'm not really in a killing mood right now." Luckas stated simply. "Since you did me the kindness of not going on about how my opinions clearly prove your point in some way I really don't give a shit about, I'll make you a deal... I'll talk to Ella, whether you let me or not; I'm not asking permission, and if in the meantime someone happens to find me here, where I'm clearly not supposed to be... I'll take care of 'em. We'll leave it up to fate, or whatever other uninventive analogies you happen to believe in, whether you get your way or not. Yes?"
"We have a deal." Lazurus smiled a devilish smile.
"We'll see." Luckas stated, smiling back through the door and giving a slight glance at his surroundings before putting his focus on the imprisoned 'Queen' inside the cell. The scenery changing from the grey castle walls to an open grass field lit up in gold from a bright sun above, empty for miles and miles except for himself and Ella, no another living thing in sight; even less another person. Luckas had made sure to shut the necromancer off from the conversation, so he would not be able to hear or see anything other than what was happening in reality; which was Luckas standing in silence outside the door. Luke snorted and looked around with a frown in his expression, squinting some at the sudden brightness. "I wanted something outdoorsy, but I think I might have overdone it just a bit. I don't usually put much thought into these illusions, but I felt like giving it a shot." He spoke, walking around a bit in a wide circle as if testing to see how real the ground felt beneath his feet. "So, Little Ella... I'm a bit curious... What does death feel like? Does it hurt?"
Ella was taken by surprise. She had no idea what had just happened, but the face was familiar. She had the urge to reply despite the content of the question. She wasn't too happy about answering it though and it showed in her tone. "I don't know. I haven't really died, have I?"
"I think that it depends if you believe in afterlife. If you do, then you are technically already dead because you are no longer occupying a human body of your own. You are dead and so is the man in control of your body, although it doesn't seem like it to either of you. If you believe that after you die there's nothing because you simply cease to exist; body and soul, then you're alive because you haven't ceased to exist yet." Luckas shrugged. "You look pretty dead to me. So... Does it hurt?”
"I guess not then." Ella shirked. "How the hell did you even get into my head anyways?" Ella wasn't really sure about anything at the moment. It was all too much for her to really handle. She was experiencing the world again. She could feel the breeze and the grass under her feet. The sweet scent of the flowers wafted into her nose as she heard the wind through the grass. This man created this world for her to talk to her. She even had her own body. He could control the mind. Part of it was enlightenment, but after entering the mind, it comes down to skill. "Would you be able to help me?"
Luckas sighed softly, sitting in the grass with his legs crossed like a child, staring at Ella with amused interest. "Technically, I'm not in your head, Little Ella... I'm in his head... Without going into complex and boring explanations, at this point your mind exists as a voice in his head." He answered. "The only way I could possibly help you would be to kill your body. Then you, him and little Ella Jr, will all discover whether there is an afterlife or not after all. If you want, I can do that. Other than that, I don't think there's anything I can do to remedy your situation."
Ella wasn't satisfied with that answer. It wasn't what she needed. She needed to know that there was another way out. "NO!" She yelled! "I'm in control! I'm not just a voice in his head! That is my head that he is using!" Ella started to cry. It was an uncontrollable sobbing sound. The kind of crying that was in no way flattering on any human being. "He's not controlling me right now. He's even surprised that I can strike up conversations with him at my own whim! I need to know that there's another way! Please."
Luckas groaned a bit under his breath. He absolutely hated pleading, but he sat through it because he knew he could only really do this once. "There's a certain amount of power involved with being a voice in someone's head. I would know. And there's much that you can do to get back at him before you run out of time, if you put effort into it; but in the end... You can't really save yourself. You could have before it came to this, but now it's too late." He replied calmly. "Your heart stopped beating, Little Ella... You died. You just didn't cease to exist. Death, in a physical sense, is rather permanent. What keeps your body functioning right now, I imagine, is the necromancer's control, so if he goes your body stops functioning and vice-versa."
Ella tried her best to control her sobbing. She tensed her neck up and tried to set her breath. It wasn't perfect, but it was way better than before. "I can force him out of control of my body then? But I don't get it. Why can't I control my body afterwords? I heard something about a White Knight who harbored the body of the son of Death. How is this different?"
"A necromancer is someone who can control dead bodies, usually from the outside like someone controlling a string puppet.What this guy managed to do somehow is that, by giving up his own body, he is be able to control yours from the inside instead, like a hand puppet. So even though you breathe, your heart beats and every other part of your body is still functional, it's only functional due to his enlightenment. Since his original body has died, he depends on this body to exist, but since this body is technically not alive, without the necromancer's control it will shut down." Luckas explained, not really stopping to ask himself how he even knew all of this. He just did somehow. "It's different from the Son of Death only in because the Son of Death was a Demigod. His soul was able to endure certain periods of time without a body so he learned to jump from carrier body to another in order to technically live forever. Since his soul was not entirely human though, It was too much for a human body to bear for too long without changing in some horrific way. That is what happened to Sir Daniel. I've been in his mind, granted far more briefly than I've been in yours, and there was very little humanity still left in him. Captain did him a huge favor by slaying the Beast he became." Luckas stopped talking for a second, going into a moment of thought and remembering his brief encounter with the thing. After a while though he shook his head and continued speaking. "If you want to you can push him out, yes, but there is simply no way to bring your body back to life once you do."
Ella understood what Luke was saying all too well. If she wanted to get rid of Lazurus, she was going to have to give up her life. She wanted control. Was control of her body for a brief moment worth her death? If not, Lazurus might be able to live for far longer and she would never... no. She didn't want to think about it anymore.
"I think a lot of people misunderstand you. You don't exactly make a good impression on people and you have qualities that many would see as unredeamable. You really do have a sweet heart somewhere in all the black you wear." Ella said, but then her expression changed. She was no longer herself, not even in her mind. "Someone's coming." Said Lazurus through Ella's voice.
Wolf Camp- 1 Week, 6 Days After the Ball
Evin was sure that he wasn’t the only one who was having trouble sleeping. The entire camp was probably having trouble sleeping. Even the forest was in a state of unrest. The wolves, deep in the forest were howling nonstop. Things weren’t right.
Wolf Camp- 2 Weeks After the Ball
Tradition is very thread on which the fabric of society functions. Each generation uses it as their own personal crutch. They only know life through tradition and there is no other way in which society could ever function. But from generation, to generation, the newer generation always proves them wrong. Suddenly, one doesn’t need to be dipped into the water as a child to become enlightened. There is no correlation between water and enlightenment and the new generation proves it. That is what they said when they did it, at least. There’s no real way to test it though, so people just believed it.
This urge of the new generation to push away the traditions of the older generation had to do with an urge that each generation had. Each generation has an urge to be better than their parents. It was something that was undoubtedly similar among every generation that had ever existed. It was what made Sean do what he did and it was what compelled Evin to try to stop him at all costs. It is also what made him so rebellious against Dani, no matter how good a friend she was to him. In the end, the one tradition that never changed was the tradition of breaking tradition.
These were the thoughts that ran across Evin’s mind while he sat by the bonfire at the Wolf camp again. Last time he was there, some assassins were spending their time drinking away; breaking with tradition. Not unlike Evin probably would have done in his youth, but he valued the tradition of abstaining from drinking too much to have ever broken that tradition. It was just one of those things that may not have made much sense, but to have lived through a horrific attack on the Wolfpack in more than one occasion, he knew how detrimental such a gluttonous action could be.
Evin noticed something. A loud noise and then a change in the crowd. It was a shift in the atmosphere almost too subtle to be detected. Two Wolves made quite sudden and abrupt movements. An instant change of direction, nearly in unison was all that this movement was. This action, however, could easily be hidden by what Evin would call a ‘oh yeah!’ moment where they realized that there was something important in the camp that they had to do which was at the opposite direction of where they were going. This told Evin nothing other than they might have forgotten something, but it was when the rest of the assassins walking around camp took notice to them and started to walk just a slight bit slower and looked around in a way only an assassin looked in. Something was about to happen. It was Evin’s hope that this distraction, whatever it was, would be enough to make his move.
Evin sat up from the log he was on and grabbed the axe that was positioned next to it. Doing his best to look like the average worker that he was, he moved along the group of assassins as if he knew that there was nothing going on. If he made them aware that he understood such intricacies of the movements of assassins as a mere worker, he might have found himself in trouble. It was more of a testament to Evin’s skill that he could do what he did though.
As he made it past the crowds, he found himself in the almost strenuously familiar path. A path that he had traveled down more times than anyone could count, for both good and for bad reasons. This, by far was going to be for the worst of all reasons. He took his time walking down the path towards the Alpha’s cabin. Maybe it was his stupidity that didn’t make him rush or maybe it was the nerves. Not much of it mattered in the end because regardless, the only end Evin saw was one of absolutes. There was absolutely going to be an end to a war spanning three years between Sean and Evin. No matter how far it took him, it was absolutely going to end with an absolute. Nothing more, nothing less.
When Evin got close enough to see the cabin, the door opened. Before he could see who was at the door, he threw the axe towards the door, hitting the frame just beside where Sean’s head would be. It was just a warning. Evin wanted to at least start the fight on equal footing.
Evin quickly realized that the figure at the door was not the same height as the axe at all. The figure was slightly taller. Evin knew exactly who it was.
“Evin, I don’t have time for this! Let me through!” Franklin yelled from the door.
Evin’s reaction was nothing but what was to expected of Evin. Daggers were drawn quicker than a wolf’s bite and within moments, he was right in front of Franklin and it all came with a flash of the eyes. Franklin had a sabre with a very thick and heavy blade out and he quickly deflected that first shot.
“This isn’t a joke Evin!” Franklin barked out, but it was all in vain. Evin continued at him relentlessly. Never too hard to block, but also never too easy to dodge. Evin wanted to end this quickly. “Enough!” Franklin finally yelled. The shock of it all made Evin flinch, in which time Franklin disarmed Evin and grabbed him. Evin seemed petrified as Franklin took Evin’s shoulders and rolled onto his back, kicking Evin into the sturdy wood table inside the cabin. The force was so strong, but the table didn’t even move. It wasn’t that the table was nailed down to the floor, it was just so heavy.
Evin was disoriented. The actions happened so fast that he didn’t even have a moment to figure out what had just happened. Franklin was way past his prime, but he was still a fierce fighter and Evin knew that all too well. In all his confusion, Evin still made sure that Franklin couldn’t escape him. Evin saw, through a blur, Franklin leaving. Franklin seemed only to take three steps before Evin could feel the tug on his hand, then a thud. Franklin was on the floor. Evin dragged the thin line holding Franklin until he was inside the cabin too. The whole time, Franklin tried desperately to untie the rope.
The two of them stood up seemingly equal; without weapons. Where Franklin’s weapon had gone seemed a mystery to both. Evin still couldn’t see the room straight. The room was a set of gears in motion which distorted Evin’s vision in several spinning circlets. This distorted vision made it hard to tell if the pull he felt next was his disorientation or something else.
Turns out it was something else. Franklin had grabbed the wire that was attached to him and pulled Evin towards him. This made Evin snap back into reality. The time it took to do so was the time that Franklin had to completely eliminate the gap between the two. This was a mutual agreement between the assassins and they both knew it. They had bonded each other literally and figuratively with the wire. It was literally what connected them and figuratively, it was connected them to a death pact. As it was the only thing they both held, it was considered by both assassins to be their weapon; a shared weapon between foes. One of them was going to die by it.
The fight began in fantastic force. Evin was the first to make a strong move. It was a quick tug upwards. An attempt to see if he would lose his grip of the rope or not more than anything significant. Franklin, however, pulled down on the rope, which gave Evin the perfect opportunity to use the torque to his advantage. Franklin had the same idea and it just left them back at square one. Evin then leaned into the rope, causing tension between them. It wasn’t exactly enough so, he moved a step back, at which point, he could see Franklin losing position. Evin quickly gave himself some slack and Franklin stumbled backwards. Evin didn’t let Franklin get his footing though, he instead ran towards the stumbling man, but Franklin used the slack to his advantage, even as he was stumbled. Franklin let himself fall once Evin was close enough. He put his hand on the ground and then used his hand to slide himself on the ground, maneuvering right under Evin’s feet until he was behind him.
Evin saw this and knew exactly what was about to happen. Stopping himself from the momentum he’d created was more impossible. Instead, he did the best he could by planting his feet into the ground with as much force as he could. Almost at the exact time he was expecting it, the tug. It was a sudden grab at the bottom of his pants, right at the crotch from the rope that worked its way up until it reached his hand, at which point there was no longer any slack from the rope. The momentum had to go somewhere. Evin’s had was pulled along with the rope down between his legs. Soon enough the rest of his body followed as it turned inside-out on itself. Once he did a full flip, he landed flat on with a hard thump. By this point, it was too late for Evin to react. Franklin was now right behind him and he used the slack that Evin had created for him to wrap tightly around his neck. Evin had only the chance to catch his breath after the flip and it wasn’t a particularly good one. Not only was there that, but there was also a sharp object pointed directly at his spine.
Evin’s instant reaction was to try to catch his breath, but of course, there was nothing going in or out. His next reaction was to grab at his neck, but he didn’t allow himself to do that. He knew that if he made any movements that Franklin would kill him right there. Everything he did had to be subtle enough that an assassin wouldn’t be able to notice. His hand was something that he wouldn’t be able to see unless he was looking over his shoulder at him. That was something he had to his advantage, but there was little time. He had to be quick, but he couldn’t make anything obvious. As quickly as he could—but not in any panicked rush—he unravelled some of the rope in his hand, creating some more slack. Just as there was about enough slack to make his move, he started to feel an unusual sense of calm. He didn’t even want to do anything anymore. It was this feeling of complete complacent content; a euphoric escape to eternity unlike anything he had ever felt. Things went grey and a black slowly followed along until everything was black. Then a second black started to surround the first black. It was a darkness disembodied from any known darkness. It was truly the most fearful thing that he had ever seen in his lifetime. It was deaths dress covering him to bring him to the end…
…nothing….
…more nothing….
…a disembodied scream…
… as the color came back to him, the scream became less disembodied and more distant; somewhere in the camp. Again, Evin tried to breathe, but quickly, he remembered the predicament he was left in. With even less breath than before, he did his job with more fervour than before. With the slack on his side again, he was able to stretch himself forward and slightly to the left. With this time, Evin took the chance to breathe again. The dagger stabbed into his side instead of his spine. Then he stood, as the rope tightened onto him again. Now, however, there was far more free rope to play around with.
Evin turned around to face Franklin again. He was already trying to manipulate the rope, but Evin, still being choked by the rope kicked Franklin in the gut, pushing him back and jolting Evin towards him by the neck. Evin, however was prepared for this jolt. He gave himself a chance to manipulate the rope himself. Evin had the upper hand for this moment. He didn’t worry so much about the fact that he still couldn’t breathe at the moment and rather, focused on putting Franklin in the same predicament. But it wasn’t going to work. Evin saw it. He saw exactly what Franklin was going to do. He tried for subtly, but Evin knew Franklin’s work all too well. Evin let go out the rope and twisted himself out of his bonds just before Franklin tried to pull hind down. Franklin’s tug was a strong one and it gave him all the rope, including what was at the very end of it. Evin turned around and the dagger, still stuck in his back popped, out and flew right towards Franklin. Hitting him right in the chest, it knocked Franklin right over. Evin ran up towards him and punched the dagger further into Franklin’s chest.
“You always taught me how to fight with a rope, but you never once taught me to put a dagger at the end of the rope. You were a good mentor, but by the Twins, you are about as stubborn as Life himself.” Evin smiled at Franklin.
Franklin didn’t say anything. He was still up for a fight. But with the dagger in his chest, it was only a matter of time. Franklin tried to punch him, but Evin dodged it and grabbed his hand.
Franklin cringed and then sighed. “I knew that it was a matter of time. Perry was my best student. He was better than me before he even graduated. When you killed him those few years back, I knew that you were officially the best student that I ever graduated.” He coughed. “When I was appointed as the Beta, I knew I this was going to come, but I planned to make it different. As your mentor, I’d like to make one request.” Evin opened his mouth to ask what it was, but nothing came out. “Make my death a sceptical. The Wolfpack is already in frenzy. I was going to save her, but you got in my way. I know you aren’t only here for me and Sean. You are here to bring down the Wolfpack this time. And if not, you’re a liar!”
24 Years Ago
The training area for the Wolfpack was under renovation. There were improvements being made to it to make it better than it ever had been. To the unconventional, however, this construction zone was better than any fully functional training zone could be. The constantly changing, not fully finished conditions allowed for variables that a fully functioning are couldn’t give.
Evin flew through the area, dodging workers as he tried to get away from his follower. Evin saw his chance. A large tree had been cut and hollowed out. It was the perfect spot to hide away.
His attempt was to blend with the crowds. He grabbed hats and coats right off workers. He even managed to steal some tools. When he was well enough blended, he made a straight for the hollowed-out trunk. He reached up to get inside of it, but someone from inside grabbed his hand and yanked him up. With one swoop, Evin found himself inside the trunk and held up.
“Pretending to be someone you aren’t isn’t becoming.” The voice of Franklin said to Evin.
“I’m not pretending.”
“Then you’re lying.” He said starkly. “Quit hiding behind something you aren’t and stop running. Do you run away from your targets?” Evin shook his head, ‘no’. “Then why would you ever run from your killer?”
“He’s my killer!” Evin exclaimed.
“You fear Death? You can’t fear Death and dedicate your life to Death all in one. Why even train to be a killer if you fear to be killed? All you are is a liar.”
Present
The camp was back to normal. It was as if nothing had happened. People around the campfire told stories of both lore and what they ate for breakfast that day or how their sleeps were interrupted by the commotion from the wolves howls the previous night. Some workers were coming back with firewood, completely unaware of what had just happened. There were some other people walking by as if they didn’t know what had gone on. Evin knew they knew exactly what happened.
Evin and Franklin observed from the branch of a tree. While Evin was holding Franklin there under duress, Franklin didn’t try anything, like yell for help. He was rather complacent, given his situation. Around his neck a very thin wire tied as a noose. The two of them just looked at the camp. It was the last time that the camp would ever be like this. Today, it was either Evin or Sean. Either way, the camp was going to fall to shambles after. He knew that and Franklin knew that. Evin hid his feelings towards it all well, but Franklin knew. Evin could just feel it. Franklin knew.
“Evin,” Franklin interrupted the silence. “I believe in the Wolfpack. I don’t necessarily believe that it is in the right place right now. That doesn’t mean, however, that I thought everything was in the right place when Dani ran things either. One day it may find its roots again, but I don’t think we’ll ever see that. It will be long after our death. It can only get worse before it gets better. Are you sure that you’re ready to see what will happen to the Wolfpack after this?” Evin nodded, ‘yes’. “I know I’m not. Let’s just get this over with.”
Evin fell silent. The features of his face well defined by the shadows created by the lines he had created. He didn’t want to do this, but it was going to be done. He had to uphold himself to the same standard he had before or he was just a fraud. Franklin himself would agree.
With one movement, Evin pushed Franklin from the branch and jumped off the tree. He only knew something was wrong when his feet didn’t hit the ground. In fact, they did exactly the opposite. Still in air, his legs swept up from under him and he found himself hanging upside down by his legs. Then his back hit something. Franklin’s dead body whacked him with a force of dead weight that felt almost like being hit head on by a house. Then, the cool sting of metal against his neck. The assassins were quick to react. Three blades were right against his neck by three different assassins. Then two other assassins stood there with blades drawn, but backed away in case Evin tried anything funny.
“That bastard.” Evin chuckled under his breath, but he knew the rest could probably hear him. Franklin had managed to tie the wire around Evin’s leg while he was distracted by the goings on around the camp. When he pushed Franklin off and jumped down, Franklin’s weight was used as an anchor to keep Evin suspended in air with him. It was such a brilliant way to win a fight, even after death.
The assassins had been talking, but Evin had been distracted. “… no! He is Sean’s to deal with.”
“We’ve got him here. Let’s have some fun. Grab some sticks and we can get started.”
Two Hours Later
Evin took off his shoes and rolled his pants up to his knees. For some reason he had the urge to walk into the icy waters of the lake. The numbing pain surged through his body, giving him chills up and down his spine when the icy water contacted his toes. He didn't worry much about Sean behind him, even though he was in no condition to fight, he knew Sean wouldn’t attempt to strike him. There was so much to be expected from this place, yet it was sort of a letdown. Evin tried to stretch out his arms wide as if he was ready for a big hug, like he would do in his happier moments when he was alone by the lake back in his glory days. This only caused Evin to let out a deathly grunt. Hunching in defeat, he let the blood sink from his mouth, into the lake.
"You know," he said, slowly turning around, "there was a time where it was so refreshing to go down by this lake. I could really find a deep place to meditate and I'd always feel ten times better after spending time here. Now there is something different. I can't explain it."
He coughed and took his feet out of the frigid water, drying them off as best he could with the bloodied sleeve of his coat. He unrolled his pants and put his shoes back on. He covered his mouth with the same sleeve and coughed a few more times before continuing. "You know what's really funny? This entire time, we've been at war with each other. I focused so much on Heart while you focused more or less on Mind, but neither Heart nor Mind can find wisdom. Mind is too focused on information to ever think about knowledge and Heart too focused on passion and love. If I can't find wisdom from this damn lake anymore, where will I find it? Without this wisdom, I can't find a reason not to continue to fight. We—no everyone—everyone is a damn fool in this conflict. Wisdom is just another shadow that can be forgotten in this fucked up conflict we created and for that, one of us will eventually have to die. If the other ever wants to find real wisdom, that is what needs to be done."
Sean stood silent, leaning into the trunk of a tree as he watched Evin go into the lake. His expression was stripped of any distinguishable emotion as he stared at the man, there was no room left within his eyes not even for the usual rage and contempt at this point, only an emotionless void. He remained silent as Evin spoke, only responding with a weary sigh as the man turned to face him, but eventually breaking his silence, his voice soft as though it took him effort to raise his tone above a whisper. “Wisdom... Is that actually supposed to mean something, Bana? I doubt there’s any real wisdom left to be found in this Land... 'Wisdom’ is just another word we use to make our crap justifiable; or rather the lack of it, but can we really lack something we never truly had? No, I don’t think so. You can’t find a reason to stop fighting because you don’t want one. People like you, like me, it’s what we do; we fight, because if we don't then what else is there? No amount of wisdom could ever change that. At least I never fooled myself into thinking Death would bring me anything other than itself. I think that’s something you never understood about me. That’s why, last time we spoke, you couldn't figure out my motives... I wanted revenge, yes, but I never expected it to bring me anything, I never hoped it would make me better... I wanted it because, in my opinion, it was fair. Not even actual justice can change the past though... Neither can wisdom. I've made my peace with that early in life.”
Evin put his hands in his pockets and allowed his slouch to take over. Leaning into his slouch, he let his head lower to even things out causing his uncouth hair act as a drape for his eyes. Evin couldn't see Sean and so the opposite seemed only to be a fair assumption. He was pretty heedless in listening to Sean, only really taking time to catch the main idea of what he was saying. "Stupid." Evin whispered. "Fucking stupid." He wiped his face and looked up.
"Are you telling me that you killed Crystal for no reason other than your own satisfaction? I always said it Sean Fletcher, but I will never mean it more than I mean it today. You are crazy. Did you ever feel remorse for the people you assassinated? Did you feel remorse when you thought you'd killed Crystal?"
Evin sat himself down on the cold and damp forest floor. The snow was all nearly gone with an exception or two where tree cover would protect some patches of the earth from the some more than others. Placing his head just on the line that marked the top of his head and his forehead, he sat there, slouching more than ever with his pointy elbows seeming to penetrate his crossed legs. His hands clenched tightly around causing his hair to fall victim to the sudden pull. He looked up again, this time everything about him said he was fighting back anger. "With me here, as vulnerable as I am, why haven't you done it yet? Why haven't you killed me?"
Sean heaved a weary sigh as he listened to Evin, a trace of a chuckle escaping under his breath, although completely unamused. "No, Bana. That's the opposite of what I said actually. I've tried to kill Crys knowing it wouldn't bring me peace, or enjoyment, but because I felt her life was as important to Dani as Theron's death was to me... So at the time it seemed only fair to take it away. In a moment of anger I may have felt some level of satisfaction in watching her suffer, I won’t deny that, but once it seemed as though it was over... It really brought me no enjoyment.”
Going silent for a few moments, Sean slid his back down the tree trunk he’d been leaning against, crouching as if meaning to place himself in Evin’s eye level, as though he was addressing a small child. “If I was still the same spiteful boy I was three years ago, Bana, you’d be dead for sure right now. If I still cared to hurt Crys... Then maybe that would matter... As is though; your life has never mattered less to me than it does right now. Beside... If my life these past years has taught me anything, is that dying for some things is not nearly as painful as living with them.”
Evin couldn't agree more with what Sean had said. Death was an escape from Life. "Three and a half years ago I promised you hell. You said I couldn't do it, that I didn't know what hell was to you, but I promised myself that I'd find out." Evin tried to laugh, but it only came out as a hampered and depressing cough. "I think I figured out what hell is to you now. Wanna know how that makes me feel?" He waited for the response that wasn't coming. "Like hell!" Evin final answered in Sean's absence.
“Hell is filled with good intentions.” Sean muttered darkly, his hazel eyes staring at Evin as though he was transparent and Sean could see right past him. “You want to know something funny, Bana?” He asked, simply moving on without expecting any answers; his tone nowhere near amused. “Dani was the only one who knew what I wanted to do... She figured me out as soon as the thought crossed my mind for the first time, but you can’t really punish someone for their thoughts, right? So she simply told me to reconsider, she said I should think of the path I was about to take, that once you let hate rule your every decision you’ll eventually become what you hate. I see that now... True enlightenment, it seems, always comes just a moment too late, doesn’t it?”
Evin found himself stuck like a fly to honey paper. Lost for words and unable to even open his mouth. He nodded, but then shook his head before he finally said something. "Are your intentions really good though?" Evin completely ignored the rest of what Sean said. "I'm Sebastian and you are Dani at this moment. You can choose to kill me now or you can forgive me and I can possibly continue to terrorize the Wolfpack."
He lifted himself off the ground in a haggard way and stood, still slouched over at them. He lifted his arms to his side and then quickly let them go limp and cocked his head forward. "You think enlightenment comes too late and maybe that's true, but it is never too late to start searching for it." Evin walked towards Sean and wretched the messiest weapon that he had on him from his coat. He dropped it on the ground in front of them. "Do it now or drown your sorrows much like you've done to the Wolfpack."
“Good is a relative term, Bana... Lena once told me that she believed no man truly chooses evil, rather they mistake it for happiness.” Sean replied simply. “For the purpose of this conversation, however, it’s a lot easier to say that the nature of my intentions doesn’t really matter. I’ll save my explanations for someone who may actually care to hear them, if you don’t mind.” Sean stood slowly, still leaning against the tree trunk as though it was the only thing keeping him on his feet. Evin’s next words causing him to shake his head all the while he spoke as though simply being forced to hear them was an insult. “You’re always trying to end things on your terms, aren’t you? Last time we spoke you gave me two choices basically, I should challenge you or you would give me hell... Now you’re giving me two choices again, but the difference this time, Evin, is that you are in no position to do so. I’m not giving you death nor am I giving you forgiveness, because the way I see it you don’t deserve either one. So now I’m giving you two choices Bana, you can find a way to drag your pathetic carcass to where Crys can hear you and tell her to meet me here in four weeks’ time to settle this in a fair fight, or you can sit on your ass and die of your injuries right here. I don’t care which one you choose, all I know is that my little sister died today, and I sure as hell won’t allow her death to be forgotten, brushed aside, or shadowed by the end of your pathetic life.”
It was the first real day that Lazurus could get settled in. Everything on this day was unimportant. Everyone in the castle understood that Ella had been through a lot and that she needed rest. Lazurus, on the other hand, didn’t ever rest. He took this alone time as a chance to scower through Ella’s things. He wanted to get to know her just a little better. There was nothing too special in the room. It was a Rich blue color and kept a rather queen-ish theme that was expected from a queen. A couple of books on a shelf and a boat load of clothing in the closet. A chess set, a desk, a few notes from her secret, not-so-secret lover under her mattress. She was more or less a girl who was privileged, but not for her entire life so she didn’t exactly know what to do with those privileges. Any good royal would have an entire lifetime before being crowned to get to know this privilege. Ella didn’t have that luxury. It was really all that he could gather from the room.
You are a special kind of boring, Ella. Lazurus said.
What did you expect to find in my room? Unlike you scum, there are people who would actually be interested in knowing things about me. I don’t keep important things in my room. There’s a room only known the White Knights and the queen that is used for things like that. Ella replied.
Then tell me where—
Am I really pregnant? Ella asked.
Yeah. But what do you expect after fooling around like you did?
I was going to be a mother and you took that away from me!
You took it away from yourself, Ella. You are the one who was foolish enough to get yourself killed. I was just there to intervene. Lazurus said.
Ella took a moment. It was true, what he was saying to her. But she couldn’t help to be sort of excited. To be a mother… although, how would she ever be a mother if she was already dead. She couldn’t control her body. There was no way. She could only do stuff if Lazurus allowed her to. It was a depressing reality.
Although, Lazurus did seem surprised when she talked to him at the party. She obviously had some sort of control. Maybe there was a way that she could take control of Lazurus. If that was the case, she could live out the rest of her life normally. She could be the Queen. She could have her child and she could even marry Conrad. Things could be so much better!
I hope you go to hell. Ella said.
Lazurus didn’t say anything, but she knew that it bothered him.
Blackpond- 5 Days After the Ball
It was a struggle for Rita. Things had gone from bad to worse in Blackpond and she had to pick up the broken pieces and replace them with fresh new ones. The only way she could do it, however, was to use the broken pieces to make the new ones. It wasn’t her favorite of plans, but it was the best she had. The fact that she was disembodied seemed like nothing compared to the challenges that she had to face now.
She needed an army, and there was only one place where she could gather one large enough to take down the ruling of Blackpond with a single display of brute force, Blackpond’s favorite method of force.
It all started with a connection that she had made by making friends with some city guards who supported her cause. They spoke to those who ran the security in the dungeons and found out who could be trusted. Within only twelve hours of gathering the information she needed, she was looking towards the dastardly side of Blackpond’s crime syndicates. These were people who could be trusted far less, but with the fallacious promises of protection once Rita was in control of Blackpond, she gathered enough money to be used for a sizable bribe and a little more for extra measure. Sent out, the bribe allowed Rita passage through the dungeons without any trouble. It even gained her admittance into the underground city, where she was planning to go.
Rita literally saw no one on her way to the dungeon. No guards blocked her way or even made an appearance. She didn’t take any chances though. She brought twelve of the finest fighters that she could find to join her. Money could buy a person many things, but if there was one thing money could never buy, it was a guarantee. Standing at the door, she looked at her fighters and signaled them to stand down. She was going to go in alone. Maybe not the smartest thing, but again, a group of 13 Knightly-looking people walking into a room might have looked like a deathly cleansing waiting to happen. Going in alone was actually the safer approach, no matter how much others wanted to convince her otherwise.
She took the key from her belt and put it into the hole. Twisting it, it made a screeching sound, until finally, a click. She swung the door open and felt the stingy air breeze past her. It wasn’t like the first time she had visited. The air was actually fresh when she last visited. This was very different.
The bodies were everywhere. Not a single one more than a day past their expiration. It was a sea of bodies, not a single one of them living, but even in this horrific mess, something was wrong. When she was in the city the first time, it was a bustling ground that functioned better than its above ground counterpart was. It was a strange thing to her, seeing that most of these people were criminals. Now, at least a quarter of them were dead. The rest… missing.
“Lionel!” Rita shouted out to the door.
The door whooshed open with a gust a wind that flowed past Rita’s hair. Then she felt a stinging sensation through her body as she heard Lionel’s sword clang against the ground. Rita turned around to see a ghost. Lionel obviously had never fought in the war. There were no words for him to speak. He just walked forward. A face caught his eye. A breathy mumble escaped his mouth as he walked past Rita to see the face closer. When he got close enough, he confirmed what he knew was already true. He ran to the body and collapsed on top it.
Rita walked over slowly. She didn’t expect that he’d actually recognize a face in the crowd of faces in this underground city, but in Blackpond, everyone probably knew someone who ended up down here. She just stood beside him. He wasn’t crying, but he wasn’t happy.
Franklin spoke. “Her name was Yishka. She was my partner in my revolution. She was captured when we stormed the castle. I didn’t even know that this place existed.”
“It was a nice place to live in. Better than the shithole above. I’m sure she was actually quite content here.” There was a long pause between the two. “I doubt that there’ll be any, but have everyone search for survivors. I’m going to search around the rest of these dungeons and see if I can figure anything out.”
Rita took one more look at the bodies all around her and then she left the room. When she walked out, the 12 other warriors were waiting for an order. She just motioned them into the room with a wave of her hand and kept walking. She was sure that Lionel would do a fine job at relaying her orders and she wasn’t really in the mood for it. She ventured into other parts of the city that were far better known to her than this area. Her particular interest was in the room where Ella had been held all those years ago. If she was to find anyone from the underground city who was still alive, it would have been there.
She knew the path all too well. She heard all too much about the whole Ella ordeal from Lamya. It had to be the place she went. She walked into the next hall. It was more of a large room than a hall, but for some reason, it was called a hall. This is when she was caught off guard. The room was entirely dark. She knew this tactic all too well. It was exactly what they did when Mageria had come to take back Ella. They had a room completely blackened out by enlightenment. She was told this story so many times that she knew exactly where Jacy was hiding. Rita took her sword out and swung it towards the direction where Jacy should have been, but nothing connected. Instead, she was thrown for a loop. The room came to light and a face was right in front of her. Rita’s first reaction was to back away, but the owner of the face had already grabbed Rita by the neck and wouldn’t let go. Behind Rita, a sword poked her. There was no doubt that it was Jacy. The face in front of her: Lamya.
“Where’s the city?” Rita choked.
“Have you ever met a man named Lionel? He’s a nice guy. I decided to take him out on a date. Want to see?” Lamya let go of Rita and she felt the blade point direct her around. Behind her, a horror. A set made up of 12 dead bodies. Two chairs and a table with a candle and some food set atop it. A still living, but badly beaten Lionel sat in one of the chairs made from his dead comrade. The scariest part of it all was how Lionel seemed unwilling to struggle at all. He’d just given up. She hadn’t Lionel more than ten minutes before and it was as if he was just ready for death. What had happened to him?
Lamya walked up to the table. She reached over and under to the side that Rita couldn’t see. When she got up, she was holding a pitcher with a crimson liquid in it. She poured the liquid into a glass on the table. When the glass was about half full, she reached into the pitcher and grabbed a dark red clump from the bottom and plopped it into the glass, making it splash everywhere. She put the glass on the table and then cut the bonds that held Lionel. He didn’t even move an inch. He’d truly given up.
When Lamya was finished, she walked around the table to sit on her fleshy chair. “Go ahead, Lionel. Have a drink.”
That was the first moment that Rita saw Lionel feel emotion. His eyes widened and some color came back to his pallid face. He reached for the cup with a shaking arm and clasped onto it in the same way a crossbow would hold its arrows. He lifted it, but his shaking caused him to spill a small portion of the crimson liquid onto the ground. Slowly he brought it to his mouth. A little hint of contempt crossed over his face right before he put the cup against his mouth. He leaned his head back and gulped down the metallic liquid. Then came the clot. Before Lionel could even chew it so he could eat it, Lamya jumped across the table and placed her fingers over his nose. This forced him to swallow it whole, but it was too much. The clot didn’t make it past his windpipe and he started to choke.
“Oh little Lionel. Don’t do this to me. We were having a good time. Sure, we have our differences, and I know we fought earlier, but we can get through this. You don’t need to be angry anymore.” Finally, Lionel managed to pass it, but he didn’t look good. “Oh, thank the Twins!” Lamya kissed him passionately and he just fell to the floor, lifeless. Was the blood poisoned? What was the clot really? Rita couldn’t make proper sense of it all!
“You bitch!” Rita belted.
“Those were your best warriors, Rita? You’re going to have to do better than that. Jacy and I dealt with them all alone. Do you really want to go to the ends of hell with me? You see, the difference between the two of us is that in our limits. I don’t have them. You either stoop to my level or I’ll… well you can guess. I’ve already done in enough people you know to be able to prove a point… haven’t I. Now get out of here and come at me when you’re actually ready to put up a fight.”
6 Days After the Ball
The old Inn: it was exactly where Rita expected to find her. She had heard rumors over the week and a half after the party that she had stayed in town. It wasn't exactly Rita's business anymore to know why she was there, but if she could find out, it might be her best interest to make it her interest.
Rita cautiously walked up to the door. Knowing exactly what it was like to be in hiding, it was always in the hider's best interest to set up traps in their safe house in case an intruder wanted to poke around. To prevent any of these accidents, Rita treated it if she was visiting someone's house. She knocked.
"Are you sure there's enough room down here for this?" Nicholas asked, watching as Crys paced around the biggest room of the underground level of the Inn. "We need the smaller areas for storage, otherwise we could break the walls and open the space up."
"It'll be tight, but we'll manage. We need to at least store liquor in the other rooms, we can store other supplies upstairs, it'll work." She stated, smiling contently at the man. "It's not the best training area we've ever had, but it'll surely work."
"What about weapons?" Nicholas questioned, pacing around the basement himself.
"Patience, my friend... We have no allies to arm just yet. For what it's worth though, I'm working on it."
Nicholas chuckled a bit nervously. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to question you so much, I..."
"Its alright. If I'm putting you in charge of running the Inn it is your job to know these things and it's your right to question me." Crys reassured her fellow assassin with a small pat on the shoulder. "We're making great progress Nick, and the results will start showing soon, you'll see."
"I guess you're right, Crys. I'm just a bit anxious I guess... I know that once we're fully operational it's going to draw a lot of attention."
"Well, that's a part of it, I'm afraid." She whispered softly. "We'll be prepared when the time comes, I'm sure of it."
"Excuse me, Crys..." A voice called from the top of the stairs that led to the ground floor. "We... Uh... There's someone at the door."
Crys frowned slightly in confusion; the only people who knew they were there wouldn't be knocking on the door. "How odd. I suppose I should go check to see who it is."
Nicholas chuckled at her calm response. "Okay, so we've decided to make a training room down here, yes? I'll get to work on that."
"Yes, we've decided, I trust you to take care of it as you see fit. I'll be back as soon as I can." Crys replied to the man, starting to make her way to and up the staircase. The area of the bar was mostly functional and to Blackpond standards it was actually looking pretty fancy, but the front of the building, the exterior, was still the same as it had been since the Wolves left the city, they were very careful to not alert too many people of their presence just yet so this person was either very perceptive or simply knew enough about her to guess her whereabouts. Whichever the case, she wanted to know who this person was. That didn't mean she would simply open her door for a stranger. Instead she exited through a side door and walked her way to the person standing outside the establishment. "I recognize you, from the party. You were fighting not far from me on the dance floor." She stated casually. "We're not open for business yet."
Rita would have been caught off guard if it wasn't for her new perspective on life. Literally. She had her vision backed far enough away that she would be able to see the entire front of the Inn. She was even able to see at the side, where Crystal had stepped through her secret door. Regardless, she acted as surprised when Crystal spoke to her. She jumped a bit at the sound of the voice and turned to see her.
"I'm not here for a drink or a place to stay Miss Rivers." Rita went right to business. "The name's Rita, former commander of the Blackpond army and new found coordinator in the efforts that are now being made against the oppressive Blackpond leadership. I've come to speak about creating a symbiotic relationship between your people and mine. Even if you don't, there is a lot of information that your people will want to know if you are to want any success here and I'm willing to give it all up to you." Rita motioned for the door. "I'd like to speak with you more, but the streets have ears. In fact," Rita had her vision focused on a street adjacent to the one that they were on, "there are some informants to the Blackpond leadership that are well known to me who are closing in on our location very quickly. On my way here, I broke from their trail, but it seems that they are on the verge of finding me. If you want, turn me away, but know that you have nothing to lose from speaking to me."
Crys chuckled a bit under her breath at how direct the woman was, it was a rare thing nowadays to have someone state what they actually wanted instead of wasting time hiding behind false pretenses. Of course, she did know who Rita was, Jake had done a very thorough job of filling her in on all the details she might have missed of the ball, and he had already mentioned the woman to her when he told her of his time in the city dungeons. "Alright." She agreed, opening the door to the Inn and motioning for Rita to enter, following after her and closing the door after herself. "Please call me Crys, Rita. Now I'd offer you tea, but we don't really have any so I guess we might as well be more direct." She said, motioning for one of the few tables in the place the seemed to be clear of any messes, most of them were covered with random bits of wood and assorted tools as some of the men had been working on fixing or replacing some of the still broken furniture. The assassins present in the room immediately stopped what they were doing as they entered, but lingered around until Crys very discreetly indicated that she wanted them to leave. Once the room was empty except for herself and her guest, Crys continued. "I know the general rule is that one can never have too many allies, Rita, but I've gotten into the habit as of late of choosing mine with extreme care. So I hope you understand that the first thing I want to know before we go any further into this conversation is how you expect a possible relationship between my people and yours to be beneficial to your cause. As you can see we're not exactly functional in any way at this point. My entire group consists of no more than 75 assassins, most of which lack proper experience, and our presence in this city consists of only a fraction of those assassins. I don't question for a second the amount of aid you could provide us, but I wonder why you would bother to offer."
Next to Blackpond Castle, the Inn was one of the nicest places in Blackpond. Everything in the room spoke of wealth and that was something that very few people in Blackpond had. Even the richest of those in Blackpond most likely couldn't afford a place with such a nice interior. It still obviously had some work to do, but it didn't matter. She would be coming to this Inn all the time now that she knew how nice it was.
"I met your mother once. It was a brief encounter, probably several years before you were born. She assassinated my husband, who was on Blackpond's council just before the dissolution of council into the true monarchy that Blackpond has now.
Not long after his death, I was approached by a member of the Wolf Hunters. His name was Sebastian Rivers. I accepted his offer. For several years, I was taught how to fight assassins. It is in itself far different from fighting an army. One of the most common of tactics was creating the false contract. You'd hire an assassin for a contract that doesn't exist. It is all a trap and you'd ambush the assassin. Those less experienced assassins who would come with a partner were a little more difficult, but it was still an applicable strategy."
Reaching into the breast of her loose fitting epaulette, she grabbed a small bottle with a dirty-gold liquid from the neck between two fingers. In between the adjacent fingers, she pulled out two shot glasses. She placed them all onto the table and uncorked the bottle. Pouring equal amounts into the glasses, she looked up at Crystal. "I prefer alchohol over tea." She smiled. "If you want it, it is there, but no pressure." She winked and then took her shot.
"Anyways..." She poured herself another shot and continued with her story. "... the month before the death of the Wolf Hunters, I was told of a planned attack directly on the Wolfpack. I was no strategist at the time, but I saw it for what it was and what it was was a death wish. I told them that they should stick to old tactics, but they were greedy. The Wolfpack was at a low point in their history so they thought they could act greedy. I didn't want to be a part of it. I left and decided to join the Blackpond army. There were better ways to make a difference in the world." She took another shot and filled the glass again. She didn't know if she was going to take her next shot, but she thought she might as well pour it anyways. "I know how to kill an assassin, but I don't know how to fight a war against assassins. You'd be far more capable of that than I am. If not for anything else, I want you for your experience. Your mother, she ruined my life, but she turned out to be a good leader and I know that Sebastian was a good leader too, from personal experience. As a Rivers, I expect no less from you. I believe we have intersecting goals. That is why I've come to you."
Crys listened to Rita in silence, the expression on her face showing a mix of surprise and curiosity towards the fact this woman knew so much of her parents; she wasn't expecting to hear any of that and it caught her a bit off guard. Once Rita was finished speaking, Crys reached out to the shot glass that was placed before her on the table, casually sniffing its contents before drinking and placing the empty glass back on the table. "I see." She spoke softly, making a long pause as she went into a moment of thinking, her fingers lightly tapping the surface of the wooden table. "I can't say I've come here with the exact purpose of waging war, but I won't deny you any help should you need it. I don't know how much help I can provide however, the way these people operate is unlike anything I have ever seen in my life time. I don't fear them, but I'm not too proud to admit that they have bested me and I still have no idea how they did it. My purpose here, for the moment, is to learn what I can and then make an informed decision on whether a war is necessary. As you know all too well, every war, no matter how small, always brings casualties and I'd like to avoid those as much as possible." Leaning back in her seat, Crys fell into a another small moment of silence, a small smile crossing her features. It was funny how she always found herself having these conversations; first with Theron, who had his father killed by the Pack, then Mageria who lost her entire family by the hands of the clan, and now Rita whose husband had been taken out by her mother. "So, Rita, if you don't mind me asking... Who was the man you killed at the party?"
When Crystal asked her question, Rita instantly grabbed her shot glass and took a sip. She didn't want it necessarily as much as she needed it at that moment. She didn't pour another for herself though. That was going to be it. She could already feel the buzz from the other shots she took. Anymore and she was afraid she'd go past her tipping point. She did, however, pour another for Crystal if she wanted it.
"The man I killed. Well..." She was lost for words, but then she remembered something. She reached into her jacket one more time and pulled out a book. "I think this book can explain it better than I can." She handed Crystal the book and allowed her to scan through it. "Your answer will be on the second last page with writing in it. Turns out the Royals of the cities, even the really old cities passed around this diary of sorts between each other. From what I can tell, Ella was the one who broke with tradition and gave it to a non-royal. Namely, Sean. Since then, it’s been passed on to more non-royals and finally to me. You might as well take it and write something in it too. You seem important enough." Rita winked again. "Since we are playing the question game, I guess it’s my turn. If waging war isn't your main focus, what is? Is there something I can do to help. I have a sizable and fairly well trained force at my disposal, including Sean's little protégé girl, Ari. I also have a fair amount of intel that you'll need to know, both about the assassins and Blackpond. If you are going to stick your nose into such affairs, I can't stress enough how important this information will be to you."
Crys took the book that had been offered to her, holding it closed in her hand as she nodded, an amused smile crossing her features at Rita's question. "My main focus, my goal per se, is a pretty modest one really. I'm going to renovate this bar, open it up for business and keep it open. If that goes well I plan on doing the same with every shop and home in this neighborhood. Meanwhile, if there's anything else I can do to help the city, then of course I'll do it. If there's a war I'll gladly offer my assistance in fighting it, but right now I personally feel it's just as important to show that the damage that has been done to this city can still be undone." She shrugged casually, taking the refilled glass and drinking her second shot. "It may sound foolish I suppose, but I honestly don't see any point in what these so called assassin are doing aside from spreading chaos, so I believe the best course of action is to establish some sort of order from the
chaos they've created. So that is what I intend on doing, or rather I intend to encourage the people here to do. We're merely here to make sure they are not intimidated any further. Aside from that..." Crys sighed softly. "We've had word of certain people that have been operating in the city that we have been looking out for, these people are said to be involved in child kidnapping slavery, prostitution, and many other things that simply do not go well with me and my people. We are hunting for them. If in the future you or any under your command hear of any occurrences of that sort, I would like to be informed as soon as possible; some of my people have rather personal reasons to be after these elements." Crys sighed softly, her fingers lightly tapping the cover of the book she held in her hands. "I'm sure Sean will be pleased to know his recruit is in good company." She mentioned, a bit of amusement clear in her tone. "And of course any information you have to give me, Rita, will be greatly appreciated; the more we know of our opponents the better. If there's something else you may need to know from me in return, don't be afraid to ask. For an assassin I have considerably little to hide at this point in time."
"Alright." Rita sighed and she began. "I know a lot, but what I should first discuss with you is what I know of the assassins who have taken rule over the city. The one you probably know the best is Rick. Rick seems to be the person who is in charge of most menial things in the Assassin's order, as well as taking full reigns over what goes on in Blackpond. He is rather arrogant and easily fixates of things. He is able to teleport where ever he wants. Lazurus is one of the ones who is more messed up if you ask me. He brings the dead back to life and you can tell by the way he likes. I haven't personally seen it, but he collects blood in jars. He doesn't need them for any enlightenment. I think he drinks it. Then we have Simon. Simon can't speak like we all do. He only speaks through thoughts. Because he's mute, he has an inflated sense of his telepathic abilities. Sandere is someone I don't know much about. He appears from time to time when one of the assassins has hurt themselves. He usually appears with a random Blackpond street kid as some sacrifice to heal people. That's all I really know. Then there is the four elemental users. I don't know their names and they don't really have any personalities for themselves. It is more or less what Vorso wants them to be. Vorso is the one in charge. He likes to keep in the shadows, but from what I know, he's the real enforcer of the group."
Rita took a moment and shook her head before she continued. "Then there is Lamya. For as much as I've been around Lamya, I can honestly say that I know nothing worth wild about her. She is the epitome of crazy. She only really appears if she wants something from you, but she never lets you know. She is manipulative in a way that she never lets you know what she wants you to do, but you somehow manage to do it anyways. Maybe its because she's not entirely sure what she wants either? I don't know. Stay away from her. If she starts speaking to you, run the other way. The only way to avoid her psychopathy is to avoid it all together. Good luck if you can manage."
"Now... there is also a matter that is far too pressing for me to ignore. There's a city underneath Blackpond. Filled with criminals. I went there to try to gather more supporters for my cause the other day, but they are all gone. The only thing that remains is about a quarter of the citizens in that city are lying down there, dead. I don't know what it is for exactly, but Lamya has an army that is far stronger than anything I'd be able to produce with all of those citizens and I have no idea where they went. Hundreds of people are nowhere to be found and I heard nothing about any odd activities from any of my sources. It worries me. If there is any questions, I'll do my best to answer."
Crys listened carefully to everything Rita had to say, registering every bit of relevant information for when she'd need it in the future. It was really nothing new to Crys what the woman had to say about Lamya and Rick, but she knew nothing of the others and she couldn't deny that it was valuable information to have. She didn't seem too shocked at what the woman told her of the underground prisoners; Jake had already told her about that as well, but the absence of the prisoners, nearly all of them at once, was somewhat concerning. "If you can't find them, odds are they're not in the city... And if they're not in this city there is only one other place where one is likely to take an army. Let's face it, there's little left to destroy around here anyway." She responded, heaving a long deep sigh. "What happened to the bodies of those people in the underground city?" She asked simply, not elaborating on why she wanted to know such a thing and moving on. "I'd advise you, Rita, if I were to give any advice, to consider the possibility of reaching out to the former Black Knights, I think they're calling themselves Ravens now. You've met one of them in the dungeons already; the man responsible for my mother's Death as you so kindly reminded him. Newhaven, as of late, has its own reasons to want these assassins gone as it seems that what has happened to their Queen during the ball fits the work of someone who can raise the dead... The Wolfpack would be more than willing to assist as well I'm sure, but I'm not sure I'd advise you to go to them; things have not been the same since I left, I'm afraid." Crys smirked at the last words, a very discreet trace of bitterness in her smile that lasted for only a fraction of a second. "I have to ask though, why are you still fighting for Blackpond? Are you actually fighting for Blackpond, or are you just fighting against these people?"
Rita looked at Crystal completely seriously. Her eyes were parted just enough that the pearly whites could only just be seen. She parted her lips for a moment, but only just slightly before she shut them again. What was she fighting for? "I fight for a belief, Crystal. What that belief is; I'm not really certain. What I am certain about is, no matter what that belief is, it is better than the shadow that has fallen over Valcrest."
Newhaven- 1 Week After the Ball
It was the first official council meeting since Ella had come back from the Ball. In fact, it was the only council meeting that the councilmen had told Ella of. The council had things to talk about in terms of the troubles that had occurred in the week after Ella's arrival. Mageria no longer seemed to support her at all. It made everyone wonder what had happened at that party. Some councilmen were even at the party, but not a single one could really figure out what happened.
"Shall we kick things off?" Ella Quickly asked.
"The first issue is rather pressing. A large number of citizens of Blackpond are sitting outside the gates. They've all claimed that they see the war that is about to break of out Blackpond and..."
"Let them in." Ella interrupted.
"But my Queen, there is not enough room in the city."
"Then we'll make room. Mr. Bennett, I want immediate action on the construction of the West end of Newhaven. And by immediate, I mean now. Tell the guards to start letting people in too."
"No."
Mageria's voice was quiet, but carried clearly. She stepped forwards, her eyes glittering strangely in the light. She was dressed in her uniform of Captain of the Black Guard, but she still wore the coat that was decorated with the pattern of Raven's feathers. No more than half of the old Guard had returned, choosing instead to stay out in the woods. It was said that they were still intensely loyal to her, and her alone.
Mageria walked forwards, her hands clasped behind her, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. Anybody looking at her could see that she was armed to the teeth. Now that was her privilege and duty, to always be armed. But she seemed to carry herself differently now, not as if she was on guard, but as if she was ready to attack. As she walked carefully along the table, the light coming in the windows highlighted the sudden presence of stark white in her hair, as if it was frosted touched. It also highlighted the new hollows under her cheekbones. Mageria was a woman being driven to the limit of her strength and it showed. For a moment she wavered, her strength of will failing her. Could she do this? Then she drew a deep breath, steeling herself. She knew what she had to do.
"The purpose of the Black Guard, is to protect Newhaven against any threat, by any means. Today, it is my duty to carry this out." She stood tall and grim, eyes black as night. "With great responsibility, comes great power. At any time, if both Captains are in agreement, they can call for the abdication of the ruler of Newhaven." From the shadows opposite her, Thomas also stepped out, an equally grim alabaster statue. And if the puppet before you was real, that is what we would do. But not today." Mageria drew a deep breath, her voice ringing out. "The Queen is dead and an imposter sits on the throne of Newhaven!"
-----------
Outside the window, Sham had been waiting for the entire morning. She had hidden herself away on Mageria's orders, waiting for the proper moment. Mageria didn't really believe that she could talk any sense into anybody, but she thought she could make a good distraction.
"Keep going Bennett. Don't worry about anyone getting in your way. Conrad and the city guard have an obligation to the Queen to carry out their duties. So do the White Knights but for reasons that aren't entirely understandable to me, the White Knights can no longer be trusted." She nodded to another dark corner of the room where Conrad walked out of. His sword was drawn and as he walked passed Thomas, he bumped his shoulder.
"This is a military coup." Ella said calmly replied to Mageria and her White Knight counterpart. "I'm a reasonable woman Mageria, but there comes a point where enough is enough. It surprises me that when my father was killed and replaced by an impostor that you were completely incapable of doing your job to protect Newhaven. If you did your job then, maybe Blackpond would have fallen by now!"It was obvious to everyone in the room how angry Ella was getting. It was uncharacteristic of her, but not necessarily uncharacteristic of a pregnant woman so it didn't seem out of place. "Now." She paused again, throwing her hand up to the top of the table and stabbing a dagger into the wood. "Mageria... if you are actually serious about kicking me off this throne then do it. Otherwise, get the hell out of my council room."
"I failed once. When the King died. I failed again. When Ella died. I will not fail again."
Mageria smiled thinly, like a knife slash. "False Queen, I would be glad to leave, forever if you like. So long as you agree to stand before the White Shadows, before their mind readers, and have them state that you are who you seem."
Ella stopped, not speaking for several moments. For a painfully long five minutes every eye in the council room stared at her while he tried to put things into perspective. "The White Shadows have proven to be an extremely bias group in the past couple of years. They have been very clearly and very secretively been taking sides in this war over the past years. I can trust them as well as I can trust a Black Traitor's mouth." Ella stood up, staring daggers at Mageria. Lazurus knew that Mageria had won this battle, but he still intended on winning the war.
When Ella had gotten up, the entire room bowed. (This is an OOC note. If you intend on having Mageria bow, I would like to mention it here, but I will wait for a PM from you confirming that before I add it into the text) She waved them all off and people stood back up. Then she looked at Mageira again. "Come now Mageria. These accusations have gone too far. Let the coup begin already. Otherwise you are wasting my your time, my time and the council's time."
Mageria stood straight, refusing to bow before one who didn't deserve it. "The Black Knights are traitors. The White Knights are traitors as well. Now the White Shadows are biased and you stand ready to throw the gates of the city open to the huddled masses fleeing Blackpond in the hopes of a better life." She took a few slow steps forward, living shadow in a pool of light. "This is all very out of character; for the ruler of Newhaven, that we know so well. A change so very.... sudden. It is almost as if you seek to cut us off from everybody that we have trusted in the past." She smiled grimly. "The White Shadows are neutral to every conflict. They avoid the double dealing and back stabbing of the rest of Valcrest like the plague it is." Her voice suddenly rang like the clash of blade against blade. "You will stand before the White Shadows and be declared to be whom you claim or you shall be restrained in a secure location until you give birth. Those are your options."
"Since Lana's disappearance and afterwords, her death, the White Shadows have been less and less what they used to represent. Since Dani's death, this has been going on with the Wolfpack. My Brother's death marked the end of what Newhaven represented. and Blackpond's loss of their king has marked the end of what they represent. I would say something about the Black Knights too, but that would just be rude. Regardless, everything that Valcrest used to be has changed. Newhaven has always been on the forefront of change and I plan on making this change better, not only for Newhaven, but for Valcrest. A good start to that is letting the refugees in. It will bolster the already illustrious reputation of Newhaven." Ella snarly remarked.
She walked towards the nearest window. It looked down at the city in full view. It was a bright day and there was barely a cloud in the sky. It made seeing the hundreds of Blackpond refugees waiting at the gate more than visible. If she looked close enough, she would be able to see each individual head bobbing about. "Now," she said, still looking out the window, "there is the ultimatum that you've given me. Trust the White Shadows to be honest or trust you to run a city. The White Shadows don't help the Wolfpack anymore, from what I've heard. I don't know if I can trust--"
Down at the city gates, she could see that the refugees were starting to be let in. She turned around and looked at Mageria. "It looks like you'll have to restrain me."
Mageria sighed slightly. If that's the way you're going to play it, you murderous bastard....
Mageria whistled sharply. Sham, who had been hanging under the windowsill, burst into sharp action. She pushed off from the wall, turning and flipping so that she landed feet first inside the room. The miniature crossbow she held in one hand only held one bolt, but one bolt was all she needed. She took one step forwards and jammed the point into the chest of the False Queen. "Aye then, you'll be wanting not to make any sudden moves."
Around the room, there was a clatter as those who's alligence lay with the person they thought was the Queen drew their weapons and were disarmed by those who were loyal to Mageria and Thomas.
"That. Is. Enough." Mageria's voice was cold as the heart of winter.
Newhaven-1 Week 6 Days After the Ball
Luckas groaned slightly under his breath as he wandered the halls of the Newhaven Castle. He had decided at random to check things out before going back to the Ravens’ camp. He hadn’t been in the city in over a month, even less the castle, and he wondered if the place had changed from its previous dreadfully boring state. It didn’t seem like there was much difference to be honest. If anything the place had gotten even more boring without the children roaming the halls and the random visits of assassins and formerly deceased members of the military. As he started to think it was about time to give up and go home he caught a curious sight; about three or four men were guarding one single door as if all of the demons in hell would run loose in the castle if it happened to open. Luckas didn’t need as much as a second glance to recognize Black Guard when he saw it. Upon his approach the men immediately blocked his path and ordered him to turn away. Luckas stood, hesitantly for a moment or so. Usually this wouldn’t be enough to hold him back, but as of late he and the Captain had a silent agreement of sorts; as long he posed no threat to her people they wouldn’t mind him wandering in and out of camp. The terms were simple enough that there wasn’t ever a need to talk about it; it simply was. He didn’t like to admit it, but access to the encampment was really important to Luckas, and he’d rather not lose that little privilege he’d gained.
Smiling innocently he looked from one Guard to another and then tried to peek through the little barred window on the center of the door, but unable to see past the men. “Whaaat are you guys keeping in there?” Luke questioned, seeming quite curious and amused, even when the four guards stood menacingly blocking his path in silence. Luckas sighed. “Not feeling chatty, then? I getcha.” He chucked. “I’d be grumpy too if I had to stand here all day. I bet you guys are really tired, huh? I’m tired too you know, been traveling a while.” Luke sighed, faking a yawn, holding back a smirk as he saw one of the men mimic his gesture and discreetly yawn as well. “In fact, I am very, veeery, sleepy... I you are all sleepy too, right. So... Very... Sleeepy...” Luckas continued, his voice lowering to a near whisper, but somehow still getting through to the men, one or two of them starting to sway where they stood in a bit of a stupor. “Yes, if I was standing there all day I’d probably be thinking to myself ‘boy, I’d really love to close my eyes for a bit.’, why don’t you guys try that, just for a second, hm? Just for a little while... Close your eyes... Just for a second.... You know you want to...”
It worked. It was almost ridiculous how well it worked. One by one the men started to fall to the floor, slipping out of consciousness and into a deep slumber. “Well, that was easy...” Luckas mumbled, approaching the door and peeking into the room. What he saw inside caused him to snort in amusement. “Of course.” He muttered under his breath before raising his voice and addressing the person inside the cell. “Poor little Ella... Your family has such an annoying habit of getting captured and impersonated. I don’t know if that’s sad or hilarious, honestly.”
"Yes." Lazurus huffed. "Because Mageria is known for her impersonations."
Luckas snickered softly. "Captain has her talents, even I'm forced to admit that..." He said simply, shrugging at his own words. "...But personally, I know far better impersonators. Some of them so good at what they do that if they choose to take your place, your own mom won't know the difference... And given enough time you may even actually start believing they're for real and you're the fake. Some people would surely benefit from a lesson or two from such impersonators in my opinion. Too many amateurs out there getting murdered by wolves and locked up in jail cells... It's just awkward for everyone."
Lazurus laughed. It was a uncharacteristic laugh. "I'm not going to give you the satisfaction. I can tell you're one of those types of people. Those people who like to beat around the bush until they seem to figure things out unsuspectingly. How dreadfully boring is that!"
Lazurus looked at Luke dead in the eyes. For a moment, it was Lazurus' deadly glare, but a moment of desperation slipped into the eyes. Then intense anger and a moment's thought of self-harm. Then Lazurus continued. "You think what a handful of people who still trust Mageria believe. I don't know how you haven't been arrested yet. Martial Law is in effect out there. Must me a helluva sight. She's got a woman coming over--a Healer--to read my thoughts... you want to do me a favor?"
"I'm amused that you think you could possibly satisfy me in anyway." Luckas replied calmly, arching an eyebrow in a mildly curious expression. "I honestly don't understand why everyone feels the need to tell me what kind of person I am... Even if I don't know that for myself by now it's highly unlikely I'll take someone else's word on it. Just seems like a ridiculous waste of energy." He sighed softly. "I doubt anyone here could arrest me, if they could they would have long ago." Luckas leaned against the door with both hands, pressing his forehead against its surface for a moment as if in deep thought, before raising his head again and snickering. "Why would I want to do you favors? We don't know each other. And I don't do favors."
"Kid, in the end, it doesn't matter much what you think of yourself. It is what others think of you that really affect the way you live your life. Does it matter what Life thought of himself? No. It is what people think of him that lasts in our memories. Quit trying to be a clever. If you do me a favor, I'll let you talk to Ella without a fight."
"Come on, Life? That's stupidest possible comparison. Seriously, people need to really shut up about the Twins already. It's been thousands of years since they actually mattered for something other than people's need to create increasingly uninventive analogies." Luckas shook his head. "And if it's what others think of me that really matters maybe you all should be preaching to each other until you reach an understanding of what kind of person I am instead of annoying me with your opinions, since my thoughts on the subject are simply irrelevant; but again that would be an even greater waste of energy, so my point still stands. Truth of the matter though... Is that in the end nothing will matter... Because it will be the end." Luckas replied simply, shrugging once again. "But fine: Assuming I have any interest in speaking with Ella, and assuming I'd actually even consider you an obstacle; which I really don't. Pray tell... What the hell do you want?"
Lazurus just sat back--as that was all he could do--as he listened to Luke. He just proved his point. Luke thought that the Twins were a waste of time. That was all that mattered to him and therefore, it was all that mattered about the Twins. He wondered for a moment if Luke was smart enough to figure it out. He decided that he wasn't. "As someone who has never experienced 'the end', I feel that I'm under qualified to make claims of what it might be. I just use it as a reference point more than anything." Lazurus snorted. "Now will you kill a guard for me? That's all I ask of you."
"Hmm... I'm not really in a killing mood right now." Luckas stated simply. "Since you did me the kindness of not going on about how my opinions clearly prove your point in some way I really don't give a shit about, I'll make you a deal... I'll talk to Ella, whether you let me or not; I'm not asking permission, and if in the meantime someone happens to find me here, where I'm clearly not supposed to be... I'll take care of 'em. We'll leave it up to fate, or whatever other uninventive analogies you happen to believe in, whether you get your way or not. Yes?"
"We have a deal." Lazurus smiled a devilish smile.
"We'll see." Luckas stated, smiling back through the door and giving a slight glance at his surroundings before putting his focus on the imprisoned 'Queen' inside the cell. The scenery changing from the grey castle walls to an open grass field lit up in gold from a bright sun above, empty for miles and miles except for himself and Ella, no another living thing in sight; even less another person. Luckas had made sure to shut the necromancer off from the conversation, so he would not be able to hear or see anything other than what was happening in reality; which was Luckas standing in silence outside the door. Luke snorted and looked around with a frown in his expression, squinting some at the sudden brightness. "I wanted something outdoorsy, but I think I might have overdone it just a bit. I don't usually put much thought into these illusions, but I felt like giving it a shot." He spoke, walking around a bit in a wide circle as if testing to see how real the ground felt beneath his feet. "So, Little Ella... I'm a bit curious... What does death feel like? Does it hurt?"
Ella was taken by surprise. She had no idea what had just happened, but the face was familiar. She had the urge to reply despite the content of the question. She wasn't too happy about answering it though and it showed in her tone. "I don't know. I haven't really died, have I?"
"I think that it depends if you believe in afterlife. If you do, then you are technically already dead because you are no longer occupying a human body of your own. You are dead and so is the man in control of your body, although it doesn't seem like it to either of you. If you believe that after you die there's nothing because you simply cease to exist; body and soul, then you're alive because you haven't ceased to exist yet." Luckas shrugged. "You look pretty dead to me. So... Does it hurt?”
"I guess not then." Ella shirked. "How the hell did you even get into my head anyways?" Ella wasn't really sure about anything at the moment. It was all too much for her to really handle. She was experiencing the world again. She could feel the breeze and the grass under her feet. The sweet scent of the flowers wafted into her nose as she heard the wind through the grass. This man created this world for her to talk to her. She even had her own body. He could control the mind. Part of it was enlightenment, but after entering the mind, it comes down to skill. "Would you be able to help me?"
Luckas sighed softly, sitting in the grass with his legs crossed like a child, staring at Ella with amused interest. "Technically, I'm not in your head, Little Ella... I'm in his head... Without going into complex and boring explanations, at this point your mind exists as a voice in his head." He answered. "The only way I could possibly help you would be to kill your body. Then you, him and little Ella Jr, will all discover whether there is an afterlife or not after all. If you want, I can do that. Other than that, I don't think there's anything I can do to remedy your situation."
Ella wasn't satisfied with that answer. It wasn't what she needed. She needed to know that there was another way out. "NO!" She yelled! "I'm in control! I'm not just a voice in his head! That is my head that he is using!" Ella started to cry. It was an uncontrollable sobbing sound. The kind of crying that was in no way flattering on any human being. "He's not controlling me right now. He's even surprised that I can strike up conversations with him at my own whim! I need to know that there's another way! Please."
Luckas groaned a bit under his breath. He absolutely hated pleading, but he sat through it because he knew he could only really do this once. "There's a certain amount of power involved with being a voice in someone's head. I would know. And there's much that you can do to get back at him before you run out of time, if you put effort into it; but in the end... You can't really save yourself. You could have before it came to this, but now it's too late." He replied calmly. "Your heart stopped beating, Little Ella... You died. You just didn't cease to exist. Death, in a physical sense, is rather permanent. What keeps your body functioning right now, I imagine, is the necromancer's control, so if he goes your body stops functioning and vice-versa."
Ella tried her best to control her sobbing. She tensed her neck up and tried to set her breath. It wasn't perfect, but it was way better than before. "I can force him out of control of my body then? But I don't get it. Why can't I control my body afterwords? I heard something about a White Knight who harbored the body of the son of Death. How is this different?"
"A necromancer is someone who can control dead bodies, usually from the outside like someone controlling a string puppet.What this guy managed to do somehow is that, by giving up his own body, he is be able to control yours from the inside instead, like a hand puppet. So even though you breathe, your heart beats and every other part of your body is still functional, it's only functional due to his enlightenment. Since his original body has died, he depends on this body to exist, but since this body is technically not alive, without the necromancer's control it will shut down." Luckas explained, not really stopping to ask himself how he even knew all of this. He just did somehow. "It's different from the Son of Death only in because the Son of Death was a Demigod. His soul was able to endure certain periods of time without a body so he learned to jump from carrier body to another in order to technically live forever. Since his soul was not entirely human though, It was too much for a human body to bear for too long without changing in some horrific way. That is what happened to Sir Daniel. I've been in his mind, granted far more briefly than I've been in yours, and there was very little humanity still left in him. Captain did him a huge favor by slaying the Beast he became." Luckas stopped talking for a second, going into a moment of thought and remembering his brief encounter with the thing. After a while though he shook his head and continued speaking. "If you want to you can push him out, yes, but there is simply no way to bring your body back to life once you do."
Ella understood what Luke was saying all too well. If she wanted to get rid of Lazurus, she was going to have to give up her life. She wanted control. Was control of her body for a brief moment worth her death? If not, Lazurus might be able to live for far longer and she would never... no. She didn't want to think about it anymore.
"I think a lot of people misunderstand you. You don't exactly make a good impression on people and you have qualities that many would see as unredeamable. You really do have a sweet heart somewhere in all the black you wear." Ella said, but then her expression changed. She was no longer herself, not even in her mind. "Someone's coming." Said Lazurus through Ella's voice.
Wolf Camp- 1 Week, 6 Days After the Ball
Evin was sure that he wasn’t the only one who was having trouble sleeping. The entire camp was probably having trouble sleeping. Even the forest was in a state of unrest. The wolves, deep in the forest were howling nonstop. Things weren’t right.
Wolf Camp- 2 Weeks After the Ball
Tradition is very thread on which the fabric of society functions. Each generation uses it as their own personal crutch. They only know life through tradition and there is no other way in which society could ever function. But from generation, to generation, the newer generation always proves them wrong. Suddenly, one doesn’t need to be dipped into the water as a child to become enlightened. There is no correlation between water and enlightenment and the new generation proves it. That is what they said when they did it, at least. There’s no real way to test it though, so people just believed it.
This urge of the new generation to push away the traditions of the older generation had to do with an urge that each generation had. Each generation has an urge to be better than their parents. It was something that was undoubtedly similar among every generation that had ever existed. It was what made Sean do what he did and it was what compelled Evin to try to stop him at all costs. It is also what made him so rebellious against Dani, no matter how good a friend she was to him. In the end, the one tradition that never changed was the tradition of breaking tradition.
These were the thoughts that ran across Evin’s mind while he sat by the bonfire at the Wolf camp again. Last time he was there, some assassins were spending their time drinking away; breaking with tradition. Not unlike Evin probably would have done in his youth, but he valued the tradition of abstaining from drinking too much to have ever broken that tradition. It was just one of those things that may not have made much sense, but to have lived through a horrific attack on the Wolfpack in more than one occasion, he knew how detrimental such a gluttonous action could be.
Evin noticed something. A loud noise and then a change in the crowd. It was a shift in the atmosphere almost too subtle to be detected. Two Wolves made quite sudden and abrupt movements. An instant change of direction, nearly in unison was all that this movement was. This action, however, could easily be hidden by what Evin would call a ‘oh yeah!’ moment where they realized that there was something important in the camp that they had to do which was at the opposite direction of where they were going. This told Evin nothing other than they might have forgotten something, but it was when the rest of the assassins walking around camp took notice to them and started to walk just a slight bit slower and looked around in a way only an assassin looked in. Something was about to happen. It was Evin’s hope that this distraction, whatever it was, would be enough to make his move.
Evin sat up from the log he was on and grabbed the axe that was positioned next to it. Doing his best to look like the average worker that he was, he moved along the group of assassins as if he knew that there was nothing going on. If he made them aware that he understood such intricacies of the movements of assassins as a mere worker, he might have found himself in trouble. It was more of a testament to Evin’s skill that he could do what he did though.
As he made it past the crowds, he found himself in the almost strenuously familiar path. A path that he had traveled down more times than anyone could count, for both good and for bad reasons. This, by far was going to be for the worst of all reasons. He took his time walking down the path towards the Alpha’s cabin. Maybe it was his stupidity that didn’t make him rush or maybe it was the nerves. Not much of it mattered in the end because regardless, the only end Evin saw was one of absolutes. There was absolutely going to be an end to a war spanning three years between Sean and Evin. No matter how far it took him, it was absolutely going to end with an absolute. Nothing more, nothing less.
When Evin got close enough to see the cabin, the door opened. Before he could see who was at the door, he threw the axe towards the door, hitting the frame just beside where Sean’s head would be. It was just a warning. Evin wanted to at least start the fight on equal footing.
Evin quickly realized that the figure at the door was not the same height as the axe at all. The figure was slightly taller. Evin knew exactly who it was.
“Evin, I don’t have time for this! Let me through!” Franklin yelled from the door.
Evin’s reaction was nothing but what was to expected of Evin. Daggers were drawn quicker than a wolf’s bite and within moments, he was right in front of Franklin and it all came with a flash of the eyes. Franklin had a sabre with a very thick and heavy blade out and he quickly deflected that first shot.
“This isn’t a joke Evin!” Franklin barked out, but it was all in vain. Evin continued at him relentlessly. Never too hard to block, but also never too easy to dodge. Evin wanted to end this quickly. “Enough!” Franklin finally yelled. The shock of it all made Evin flinch, in which time Franklin disarmed Evin and grabbed him. Evin seemed petrified as Franklin took Evin’s shoulders and rolled onto his back, kicking Evin into the sturdy wood table inside the cabin. The force was so strong, but the table didn’t even move. It wasn’t that the table was nailed down to the floor, it was just so heavy.
Evin was disoriented. The actions happened so fast that he didn’t even have a moment to figure out what had just happened. Franklin was way past his prime, but he was still a fierce fighter and Evin knew that all too well. In all his confusion, Evin still made sure that Franklin couldn’t escape him. Evin saw, through a blur, Franklin leaving. Franklin seemed only to take three steps before Evin could feel the tug on his hand, then a thud. Franklin was on the floor. Evin dragged the thin line holding Franklin until he was inside the cabin too. The whole time, Franklin tried desperately to untie the rope.
The two of them stood up seemingly equal; without weapons. Where Franklin’s weapon had gone seemed a mystery to both. Evin still couldn’t see the room straight. The room was a set of gears in motion which distorted Evin’s vision in several spinning circlets. This distorted vision made it hard to tell if the pull he felt next was his disorientation or something else.
Turns out it was something else. Franklin had grabbed the wire that was attached to him and pulled Evin towards him. This made Evin snap back into reality. The time it took to do so was the time that Franklin had to completely eliminate the gap between the two. This was a mutual agreement between the assassins and they both knew it. They had bonded each other literally and figuratively with the wire. It was literally what connected them and figuratively, it was connected them to a death pact. As it was the only thing they both held, it was considered by both assassins to be their weapon; a shared weapon between foes. One of them was going to die by it.
The fight began in fantastic force. Evin was the first to make a strong move. It was a quick tug upwards. An attempt to see if he would lose his grip of the rope or not more than anything significant. Franklin, however, pulled down on the rope, which gave Evin the perfect opportunity to use the torque to his advantage. Franklin had the same idea and it just left them back at square one. Evin then leaned into the rope, causing tension between them. It wasn’t exactly enough so, he moved a step back, at which point, he could see Franklin losing position. Evin quickly gave himself some slack and Franklin stumbled backwards. Evin didn’t let Franklin get his footing though, he instead ran towards the stumbling man, but Franklin used the slack to his advantage, even as he was stumbled. Franklin let himself fall once Evin was close enough. He put his hand on the ground and then used his hand to slide himself on the ground, maneuvering right under Evin’s feet until he was behind him.
Evin saw this and knew exactly what was about to happen. Stopping himself from the momentum he’d created was more impossible. Instead, he did the best he could by planting his feet into the ground with as much force as he could. Almost at the exact time he was expecting it, the tug. It was a sudden grab at the bottom of his pants, right at the crotch from the rope that worked its way up until it reached his hand, at which point there was no longer any slack from the rope. The momentum had to go somewhere. Evin’s had was pulled along with the rope down between his legs. Soon enough the rest of his body followed as it turned inside-out on itself. Once he did a full flip, he landed flat on with a hard thump. By this point, it was too late for Evin to react. Franklin was now right behind him and he used the slack that Evin had created for him to wrap tightly around his neck. Evin had only the chance to catch his breath after the flip and it wasn’t a particularly good one. Not only was there that, but there was also a sharp object pointed directly at his spine.
Evin’s instant reaction was to try to catch his breath, but of course, there was nothing going in or out. His next reaction was to grab at his neck, but he didn’t allow himself to do that. He knew that if he made any movements that Franklin would kill him right there. Everything he did had to be subtle enough that an assassin wouldn’t be able to notice. His hand was something that he wouldn’t be able to see unless he was looking over his shoulder at him. That was something he had to his advantage, but there was little time. He had to be quick, but he couldn’t make anything obvious. As quickly as he could—but not in any panicked rush—he unravelled some of the rope in his hand, creating some more slack. Just as there was about enough slack to make his move, he started to feel an unusual sense of calm. He didn’t even want to do anything anymore. It was this feeling of complete complacent content; a euphoric escape to eternity unlike anything he had ever felt. Things went grey and a black slowly followed along until everything was black. Then a second black started to surround the first black. It was a darkness disembodied from any known darkness. It was truly the most fearful thing that he had ever seen in his lifetime. It was deaths dress covering him to bring him to the end…
…nothing….
…more nothing….
…a disembodied scream…
… as the color came back to him, the scream became less disembodied and more distant; somewhere in the camp. Again, Evin tried to breathe, but quickly, he remembered the predicament he was left in. With even less breath than before, he did his job with more fervour than before. With the slack on his side again, he was able to stretch himself forward and slightly to the left. With this time, Evin took the chance to breathe again. The dagger stabbed into his side instead of his spine. Then he stood, as the rope tightened onto him again. Now, however, there was far more free rope to play around with.
Evin turned around to face Franklin again. He was already trying to manipulate the rope, but Evin, still being choked by the rope kicked Franklin in the gut, pushing him back and jolting Evin towards him by the neck. Evin, however was prepared for this jolt. He gave himself a chance to manipulate the rope himself. Evin had the upper hand for this moment. He didn’t worry so much about the fact that he still couldn’t breathe at the moment and rather, focused on putting Franklin in the same predicament. But it wasn’t going to work. Evin saw it. He saw exactly what Franklin was going to do. He tried for subtly, but Evin knew Franklin’s work all too well. Evin let go out the rope and twisted himself out of his bonds just before Franklin tried to pull hind down. Franklin’s tug was a strong one and it gave him all the rope, including what was at the very end of it. Evin turned around and the dagger, still stuck in his back popped, out and flew right towards Franklin. Hitting him right in the chest, it knocked Franklin right over. Evin ran up towards him and punched the dagger further into Franklin’s chest.
“You always taught me how to fight with a rope, but you never once taught me to put a dagger at the end of the rope. You were a good mentor, but by the Twins, you are about as stubborn as Life himself.” Evin smiled at Franklin.
Franklin didn’t say anything. He was still up for a fight. But with the dagger in his chest, it was only a matter of time. Franklin tried to punch him, but Evin dodged it and grabbed his hand.
Franklin cringed and then sighed. “I knew that it was a matter of time. Perry was my best student. He was better than me before he even graduated. When you killed him those few years back, I knew that you were officially the best student that I ever graduated.” He coughed. “When I was appointed as the Beta, I knew I this was going to come, but I planned to make it different. As your mentor, I’d like to make one request.” Evin opened his mouth to ask what it was, but nothing came out. “Make my death a sceptical. The Wolfpack is already in frenzy. I was going to save her, but you got in my way. I know you aren’t only here for me and Sean. You are here to bring down the Wolfpack this time. And if not, you’re a liar!”
24 Years Ago
The training area for the Wolfpack was under renovation. There were improvements being made to it to make it better than it ever had been. To the unconventional, however, this construction zone was better than any fully functional training zone could be. The constantly changing, not fully finished conditions allowed for variables that a fully functioning are couldn’t give.
Evin flew through the area, dodging workers as he tried to get away from his follower. Evin saw his chance. A large tree had been cut and hollowed out. It was the perfect spot to hide away.
His attempt was to blend with the crowds. He grabbed hats and coats right off workers. He even managed to steal some tools. When he was well enough blended, he made a straight for the hollowed-out trunk. He reached up to get inside of it, but someone from inside grabbed his hand and yanked him up. With one swoop, Evin found himself inside the trunk and held up.
“Pretending to be someone you aren’t isn’t becoming.” The voice of Franklin said to Evin.
“I’m not pretending.”
“Then you’re lying.” He said starkly. “Quit hiding behind something you aren’t and stop running. Do you run away from your targets?” Evin shook his head, ‘no’. “Then why would you ever run from your killer?”
“He’s my killer!” Evin exclaimed.
“You fear Death? You can’t fear Death and dedicate your life to Death all in one. Why even train to be a killer if you fear to be killed? All you are is a liar.”
Present
The camp was back to normal. It was as if nothing had happened. People around the campfire told stories of both lore and what they ate for breakfast that day or how their sleeps were interrupted by the commotion from the wolves howls the previous night. Some workers were coming back with firewood, completely unaware of what had just happened. There were some other people walking by as if they didn’t know what had gone on. Evin knew they knew exactly what happened.
Evin and Franklin observed from the branch of a tree. While Evin was holding Franklin there under duress, Franklin didn’t try anything, like yell for help. He was rather complacent, given his situation. Around his neck a very thin wire tied as a noose. The two of them just looked at the camp. It was the last time that the camp would ever be like this. Today, it was either Evin or Sean. Either way, the camp was going to fall to shambles after. He knew that and Franklin knew that. Evin hid his feelings towards it all well, but Franklin knew. Evin could just feel it. Franklin knew.
“Evin,” Franklin interrupted the silence. “I believe in the Wolfpack. I don’t necessarily believe that it is in the right place right now. That doesn’t mean, however, that I thought everything was in the right place when Dani ran things either. One day it may find its roots again, but I don’t think we’ll ever see that. It will be long after our death. It can only get worse before it gets better. Are you sure that you’re ready to see what will happen to the Wolfpack after this?” Evin nodded, ‘yes’. “I know I’m not. Let’s just get this over with.”
Evin fell silent. The features of his face well defined by the shadows created by the lines he had created. He didn’t want to do this, but it was going to be done. He had to uphold himself to the same standard he had before or he was just a fraud. Franklin himself would agree.
With one movement, Evin pushed Franklin from the branch and jumped off the tree. He only knew something was wrong when his feet didn’t hit the ground. In fact, they did exactly the opposite. Still in air, his legs swept up from under him and he found himself hanging upside down by his legs. Then his back hit something. Franklin’s dead body whacked him with a force of dead weight that felt almost like being hit head on by a house. Then, the cool sting of metal against his neck. The assassins were quick to react. Three blades were right against his neck by three different assassins. Then two other assassins stood there with blades drawn, but backed away in case Evin tried anything funny.
“That bastard.” Evin chuckled under his breath, but he knew the rest could probably hear him. Franklin had managed to tie the wire around Evin’s leg while he was distracted by the goings on around the camp. When he pushed Franklin off and jumped down, Franklin’s weight was used as an anchor to keep Evin suspended in air with him. It was such a brilliant way to win a fight, even after death.
The assassins had been talking, but Evin had been distracted. “… no! He is Sean’s to deal with.”
“We’ve got him here. Let’s have some fun. Grab some sticks and we can get started.”
Two Hours Later
Evin took off his shoes and rolled his pants up to his knees. For some reason he had the urge to walk into the icy waters of the lake. The numbing pain surged through his body, giving him chills up and down his spine when the icy water contacted his toes. He didn't worry much about Sean behind him, even though he was in no condition to fight, he knew Sean wouldn’t attempt to strike him. There was so much to be expected from this place, yet it was sort of a letdown. Evin tried to stretch out his arms wide as if he was ready for a big hug, like he would do in his happier moments when he was alone by the lake back in his glory days. This only caused Evin to let out a deathly grunt. Hunching in defeat, he let the blood sink from his mouth, into the lake.
"You know," he said, slowly turning around, "there was a time where it was so refreshing to go down by this lake. I could really find a deep place to meditate and I'd always feel ten times better after spending time here. Now there is something different. I can't explain it."
He coughed and took his feet out of the frigid water, drying them off as best he could with the bloodied sleeve of his coat. He unrolled his pants and put his shoes back on. He covered his mouth with the same sleeve and coughed a few more times before continuing. "You know what's really funny? This entire time, we've been at war with each other. I focused so much on Heart while you focused more or less on Mind, but neither Heart nor Mind can find wisdom. Mind is too focused on information to ever think about knowledge and Heart too focused on passion and love. If I can't find wisdom from this damn lake anymore, where will I find it? Without this wisdom, I can't find a reason not to continue to fight. We—no everyone—everyone is a damn fool in this conflict. Wisdom is just another shadow that can be forgotten in this fucked up conflict we created and for that, one of us will eventually have to die. If the other ever wants to find real wisdom, that is what needs to be done."
Sean stood silent, leaning into the trunk of a tree as he watched Evin go into the lake. His expression was stripped of any distinguishable emotion as he stared at the man, there was no room left within his eyes not even for the usual rage and contempt at this point, only an emotionless void. He remained silent as Evin spoke, only responding with a weary sigh as the man turned to face him, but eventually breaking his silence, his voice soft as though it took him effort to raise his tone above a whisper. “Wisdom... Is that actually supposed to mean something, Bana? I doubt there’s any real wisdom left to be found in this Land... 'Wisdom’ is just another word we use to make our crap justifiable; or rather the lack of it, but can we really lack something we never truly had? No, I don’t think so. You can’t find a reason to stop fighting because you don’t want one. People like you, like me, it’s what we do; we fight, because if we don't then what else is there? No amount of wisdom could ever change that. At least I never fooled myself into thinking Death would bring me anything other than itself. I think that’s something you never understood about me. That’s why, last time we spoke, you couldn't figure out my motives... I wanted revenge, yes, but I never expected it to bring me anything, I never hoped it would make me better... I wanted it because, in my opinion, it was fair. Not even actual justice can change the past though... Neither can wisdom. I've made my peace with that early in life.”
Evin put his hands in his pockets and allowed his slouch to take over. Leaning into his slouch, he let his head lower to even things out causing his uncouth hair act as a drape for his eyes. Evin couldn't see Sean and so the opposite seemed only to be a fair assumption. He was pretty heedless in listening to Sean, only really taking time to catch the main idea of what he was saying. "Stupid." Evin whispered. "Fucking stupid." He wiped his face and looked up.
"Are you telling me that you killed Crystal for no reason other than your own satisfaction? I always said it Sean Fletcher, but I will never mean it more than I mean it today. You are crazy. Did you ever feel remorse for the people you assassinated? Did you feel remorse when you thought you'd killed Crystal?"
Evin sat himself down on the cold and damp forest floor. The snow was all nearly gone with an exception or two where tree cover would protect some patches of the earth from the some more than others. Placing his head just on the line that marked the top of his head and his forehead, he sat there, slouching more than ever with his pointy elbows seeming to penetrate his crossed legs. His hands clenched tightly around causing his hair to fall victim to the sudden pull. He looked up again, this time everything about him said he was fighting back anger. "With me here, as vulnerable as I am, why haven't you done it yet? Why haven't you killed me?"
Sean heaved a weary sigh as he listened to Evin, a trace of a chuckle escaping under his breath, although completely unamused. "No, Bana. That's the opposite of what I said actually. I've tried to kill Crys knowing it wouldn't bring me peace, or enjoyment, but because I felt her life was as important to Dani as Theron's death was to me... So at the time it seemed only fair to take it away. In a moment of anger I may have felt some level of satisfaction in watching her suffer, I won’t deny that, but once it seemed as though it was over... It really brought me no enjoyment.”
Going silent for a few moments, Sean slid his back down the tree trunk he’d been leaning against, crouching as if meaning to place himself in Evin’s eye level, as though he was addressing a small child. “If I was still the same spiteful boy I was three years ago, Bana, you’d be dead for sure right now. If I still cared to hurt Crys... Then maybe that would matter... As is though; your life has never mattered less to me than it does right now. Beside... If my life these past years has taught me anything, is that dying for some things is not nearly as painful as living with them.”
Evin couldn't agree more with what Sean had said. Death was an escape from Life. "Three and a half years ago I promised you hell. You said I couldn't do it, that I didn't know what hell was to you, but I promised myself that I'd find out." Evin tried to laugh, but it only came out as a hampered and depressing cough. "I think I figured out what hell is to you now. Wanna know how that makes me feel?" He waited for the response that wasn't coming. "Like hell!" Evin final answered in Sean's absence.
“Hell is filled with good intentions.” Sean muttered darkly, his hazel eyes staring at Evin as though he was transparent and Sean could see right past him. “You want to know something funny, Bana?” He asked, simply moving on without expecting any answers; his tone nowhere near amused. “Dani was the only one who knew what I wanted to do... She figured me out as soon as the thought crossed my mind for the first time, but you can’t really punish someone for their thoughts, right? So she simply told me to reconsider, she said I should think of the path I was about to take, that once you let hate rule your every decision you’ll eventually become what you hate. I see that now... True enlightenment, it seems, always comes just a moment too late, doesn’t it?”
Evin found himself stuck like a fly to honey paper. Lost for words and unable to even open his mouth. He nodded, but then shook his head before he finally said something. "Are your intentions really good though?" Evin completely ignored the rest of what Sean said. "I'm Sebastian and you are Dani at this moment. You can choose to kill me now or you can forgive me and I can possibly continue to terrorize the Wolfpack."
He lifted himself off the ground in a haggard way and stood, still slouched over at them. He lifted his arms to his side and then quickly let them go limp and cocked his head forward. "You think enlightenment comes too late and maybe that's true, but it is never too late to start searching for it." Evin walked towards Sean and wretched the messiest weapon that he had on him from his coat. He dropped it on the ground in front of them. "Do it now or drown your sorrows much like you've done to the Wolfpack."
“Good is a relative term, Bana... Lena once told me that she believed no man truly chooses evil, rather they mistake it for happiness.” Sean replied simply. “For the purpose of this conversation, however, it’s a lot easier to say that the nature of my intentions doesn’t really matter. I’ll save my explanations for someone who may actually care to hear them, if you don’t mind.” Sean stood slowly, still leaning against the tree trunk as though it was the only thing keeping him on his feet. Evin’s next words causing him to shake his head all the while he spoke as though simply being forced to hear them was an insult. “You’re always trying to end things on your terms, aren’t you? Last time we spoke you gave me two choices basically, I should challenge you or you would give me hell... Now you’re giving me two choices again, but the difference this time, Evin, is that you are in no position to do so. I’m not giving you death nor am I giving you forgiveness, because the way I see it you don’t deserve either one. So now I’m giving you two choices Bana, you can find a way to drag your pathetic carcass to where Crys can hear you and tell her to meet me here in four weeks’ time to settle this in a fair fight, or you can sit on your ass and die of your injuries right here. I don’t care which one you choose, all I know is that my little sister died today, and I sure as hell won’t allow her death to be forgotten, brushed aside, or shadowed by the end of your pathetic life.”
The setting changes from Newhaven to Raven's Nest
Raven’s Nest: 6 Days After The Ball, Early Afternoon
Jake was slightly distracted with brushing Shadow's coat; a task that was slightly unnerving for the horse, and had Jake running the risk of being kicked for if he took too much time to do, but it was something Indrani had taught him was important, not only to keep the horse healthy, but also to form a bond. "Hush now, you big baby." He muttered at the horse as he started to grow impatient, neighing and snorting loudly in annoyance. "Shadow... Knock it off, I'm almost done, and then you can have a treat, okay?" He promised, patting the horse comfortingly. Shadow seemed to calm at the offer, holding still so Jake could finish the work. "There ya go... Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked, gently stroking Shadow's neck as he rummaged through his bag. "No apples left... But... Huh... Behold: A carrot!" He exclaimed, faking excitement at the discovery as he offered the horse his reward for holding still.
"You... Need some human friends, Killer." A voice called from behind him in a tone of laughter. "I thought it was the prison that was messing with your head, but you definitely haven't gotten any less strange on the outside."
"Irv... I have human friends. Thank you." Jake chuckled. "And Shadow is just as smart as any of them, and more so than a few."
"Well, talking to a horse is less strange than singing to a stuffed dog..."
"Dragon. And I wasn't singing to it." Jake protested.
"Dragon, whatever..." Irvin laughed. "Still, man; not healthy. I'm starting to fear for your sanity."
"Alright, let's say there's something to worry about... What does it matter to you?" Jake asked turning to face the boy.
"Well... Let's just say I'd like you to remain sane, since you did promise to help me." He smiled a slightly devious smile. "That's why I got you something."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "You 'got' me something? And who did you 'get it' from?"
Irvin chuckled. "You know me too well..." He shook his head in amusement and revealed something he'd been holding behind his back. "I got it from that redhead lady you were staring at."
Jake's face turned completely white when his eyes locked on the teddy bear Irvin held in his hands... Taking in every little detail and stitch on the stuffed animal as if looking for something, anything, that proved this wasn't the bear he thought it was. His gaze rose to meet Irvin's as he clenched his fists at his sides. "You had no right to take this, what the hell were you thinking?!" He muttered, a sudden spark of anger lighting up his eyes as he glared at the boy. He took a deep breath to calm his tone as he added. "Go back and return it, right now!"
"Man relax, it's just a stuffed animal... Thought it'd be a good ice breaker if you found it... You need to make some friends."
"Take it back now!" Jake muttered.
"Fine, gee... What the hell is it with you and stuffed animals? Really, man, I think you have a problem." Irvin mumbled, looking a little confused by Jake's overreaction.
Essence had promised Lily that drawing, and sadly it had taken longer than she meant. The young girl wandered over to her fire that afternoon, holding tight to a teddy bear in a surcoat, Puppy tight on her heels. Tala happily ran over to the Wolfhound, the two pouncing and playing carefree, now ignoring both Ess and Lily as they talked, Ess presenting Lily with a detailed black and white drawing of what she thought a dragon should look like. The child beamed, bouncing with excitement as she offered her bear for Ess to hold so she could look at the picture better.
"This is Sir Penic, Knight Cap'n of the Order of the Eternal Light." Lily stated proudly. “Be careful with him, he’s been through a lot.”
Quirking a brow, Ess’ smile turned slightly sad as she took the stuffed bear from the child, her fingers trailing along the sun emblem upon the surcoat. “He’s very handsome. You know, I have a Knight Bear as well, isn’t that funny? Course he’s not a Captain.”
Lily smiled, rocking on her heels. “Oh, can I meet him? He can come to our next tea party!”
Gently handing back Sir Penic, Ess stood only to disappear in her tent. “Huh...I swore...” Ess’ eyes scanned quickly over the pile of blankets, lightly kicking some pillows about, thinking maybe the stuffy was buried on accident. When still, she found nothing, her brows furrowed in annoyance, trying to think on where she would have placed him. Leaving the tent Ess playfully bowed towards Lily. “I’m sorry Miss Lily, but it seems my Sir Knight has gone off on a mission and is not around. I will have him come by when I do find him...”
Lily nodded, giggling a bit as she turned around calling Puppy to follow as she went back towards the Captain’s cabin. “Thank you Miss Ess, I have to be back for lunch now. Bye!”
Shaking her head, Essence let out a frustrated growl. She knew it didn’t just get up and walk away and there was no reason for her to move it. “It was there this morning...” She muttered to herself as she began walking towards the center of camp.
Irvin told Jake he would take the bear and return it, but that's not exactly what he did, as Jake come to discover not so long after, when returning to his cot and finding it hidden inside his bag. "That little... Thieving... Lying... Unreliable... Son of a..." Jake growled loudly holding the teddy in his hands. grabbing his bag and hiding it back inside before walking out to find Irvin. He was going to make the kid take back what he stole one way or another, or so help him.
Irvin was quietly watching the movement at camp, he hadn't gotten to know a lot of people there, aside the ones he came with and the Captain, but time to change that. It wasn't long until he spotted the woman, visibly frustrated by his little thievery walking a fast pace to the center of camp.The moment he spotted her, he moved and walked a straight line in her direction as if he didn't see her, looking to the ground as if looking for something. If he kept walking straight he would've walked right past her, but last minute he took a step to the side, so that he collided with her. This was something Irvin did when he wanted to pick pockets, and for that he'd rather there be a crowd around, but it didn't matter in this case; he wasn't picking the woman's pocket, although his hand did unnecessarily brush up against her backside in the moment of impact. Can't waste a good bump-in with nothing, right? "Ow!" He exclaimed, faking surprise as he looked up to face the woman. "I'm so very sorry. Miss! I swear I didn't see you there." He stated, looking genuinely embarrassed. "Please accept my apologies."
Essence had seen the teenager out of the corner of her eye when he collided into her, her attention trying to pinpoint what could have happened with her nostalgic teddy. Her eyes softened in surprise, a curious grin curling her lips when she felt the boy’s hand trail along her back side, the silver outline of her irises standing out against their lilac illumination. Fingers instantly went along her waist, habitually confirming the dagger on her left hip, nodding politely. “Guess I wasn’t paying much attention either where I was going...” The gentle whisper of her voice sang. “Apology accepted for the bump...” Slowly she leaned into the boy, her fingers trailing lightly down the arm that had touched her, tracing along his wrist. Suddenly her brows narrowed when her fingers clasped tightly around the boy’s wrist, her other hand unsheathing her blade, simply holding it against his hand; the blade already nicking his flesh from the razor like edges. “..But not for poor manners boy..” She hissed, a venomous tone snaking from her lips. The silver from her blade glimmered reflecting a few rays of sunlight, giving the relic the appearance of a new forge, yet it was older than herself, that much she knew. “Tell me why I shouldn’t take your perverted hand from that arm of yours?”
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy!" Irvin exclaimed, his blue eyes widening when he felt the blade against his flesh. "I'm not a pervert, I didn't mean it like that, I swear!" Sure he could break free, if he really wanted to, but using his enlightenment on a lady was something he wouldn't do for anything short of a death threat. "I just thought you're pretty is all... Can't you take a compliment?" He asked, with a little smirk. "You're honestly too pretty to be this tense. Now, how about you let me go and we start this conversation again, huh? I promise I'll keep my hands in sight. And my name's Irvin, by the way."
Ess stared intently at the boy for a few minutes, eyes scanning him from head to toe. In her silence she responded by stepping back, lifting the dagger away from Irvin’s flesh. Tilting her head curiously she twirled the hilt of the blade along her fingers as she answered him, her tone back to its gentle, almost hypnotic grace. “Essence...” Clearing her throat she tucked the blade back at her hip. “You need to learn better ways to pay a woman a compliment, or you may end up ticking off the wrong people. I have a friend who is much less forgiving than myself.” A chilling giggle permeated the air. “How old are you anyway, Irvin? You got a lot of nerve for someone who is barely a man yet, hmm?” With a sigh, Ess saw Tala cross behind a few trees, out of her peripheral line of vision, also appearing to be searching for something as her nose trailed along the ground furiously. She was moving slower than normal, but her belly was getting larger. Ess shook her head, forcing herself to focus at the boy. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m a bit preoccupied at the moment...I seem to have lost something quite dear to me. A momento, if one would call it.”
"Well, perhaps you can teach me manners, Miss Essence, I'd surely appreciate that." Irvin replied with a little playful grin, raising his hands to her line of sight as promised. "And I'm fifteen." He added, finally letting his gaze fall on the woman's face, he flinched slightly as he found her familiar somehow. "Your eyes are very different, but... Funny... They remind me of something familiar..." He mumbled, a small frown forming itself and then slowly fading as he shook his head and went on talking. "And I've encountered less forgiving people before, yet I am in one piece... Just because I haven't fended for myself now, doesn't mean that I can't if needed." He opened a smile and nodded when she said she was looking for something. "Oh, what is it? Maybe I can help you look? I'll do it as a thank you for not cutting off my hand."
Jake had looked for Irvin where he usually liked to hide, he was sure the little weasel would be hiding after pulling something like that, but apparently he wasn't... As Jake spotted the kid and who he was speaking to, he just wanted to kill. He couldn't however, not right then, so he made himself invisible and waited to get the kid alone.
Essence mumbled something about fifteen year old boys, shrugging her shoulders. “You’re not a stalker now too, hmm?” Chuckling she waved a hand, dismissing her comment, not expecting an answer. “Manners are part of common sense. You want respect, you give it. Simple. No one wants to feel inferior by definition, that’s the best way to think about it.” She kept her gaze locked upon the boy, her expression blank when he mentioned her eyes. It was an observation she couldn’t avoid by anyone, mostly because she knew they were very unique and never had she come across another similar. “Some take it as a sign I’m enlightened, but honestly my father said it runs in the family...I have my mother’s eyes, so I was told.”
Ess turned at a sudden bark, to see Tala staring at the side of a building. Why, she didn’t quite understand as the wolf simply turned in circles, obviously catching the scent of something. “Tala! What are you....” Turning back towards Irvin she apologized for her distraction, muttering, “Damn crazy wolf...” She began walking around Irvin and forward, still speaking to him, expecting him to follow. “It’ll sound silly to you, I’m sure. It was a gift, that I have not parted with for over fifteen years and now it’s just gone. It’s...” She rolled her eyes, a bit of honest embarrassment peeking through. “It’s a teddy bear, dressed as a Black Knight.”
Irvin tilted his head curiously in response to Essence's remark on having her mother's eyes... He couldn't shake off the odd feeling of familiarity, wasn't just the eyes; she was familiar to him. "You... Have any family in Blackpond? Just curious." He asked, following after her quickly as he noticed the wolf had seemingly discovered something, except there was nothing there to be seen and Irvin winced slightly behind the woman's back honestly hoping that wasn't Jake, because if it was he'd be in some serious trouble later.
Jake didn't notice he was cornered until it was a bit too late and he heard a bark, he looked away from where was watching the boy and the woman talk to see that a wolf had caught his scent, and that seemed to have drawn the woman's attention as she was suddenly walking his way; Irvin right behind her. Jake held back a sigh, thinking that he'd get back at Irvin for this somehow, at some point... He hid behind the building he'd been leaning against, just out of sight of where the woman and the boy had been standing, and deactivated his enlightenment, waiting to get caught.
“The only...living family that I know of, is my older brother...” Ess trailed off muttering incoherently. “..and that won’t be for much longer...” Essence’ head snapped over at Irvin curiously, thinking out loud, “Fifteen...fifteen...hmm too young...” Her eyes again trailed up and down over the boy before she followed Tala, talking over her shoulder at Irvin. “...I may also have a son somewhere here in Valcrest, but he was taken from me, so I’ve never met him..I am from Blackhurst originally...my town was burnt to the ground...I haven’t lived in Blackpond in...about fourteen years...” When she reached Tala she paused, eyeing the wolf as she started to growl a bit but it quickly faded into a whine. Ess’ mind wandered off to why this boy was asking random questions of her, but gradually pushed it aside, attributing it to his youth. “Tala...what is your-” Ess peeked around the corner, spotting a man, only half paying attention since she simply reached down to grab the wolf by her scruff. “Why are you bothering this man Tala...come on....” Glancing up she gave a sweet smile. “I’m sorry sir...Tala here is very curious and too smart for her own good sometimes.”
After the wolf backed off, Ess looked up at the gentleman who stood before them. Her smile fading when she didn’t recognize the man. “...I don’t believe...we’ve been introduced....I’m the Captain’s new recruit...” Ess didn’t finish giving her name, slightly startled when she caught the man’s eyes, her own widening in a momentary shock. They were so blue, a heart melting sadness seemed to linger behind them that gave her a chilling feeling. She hadn’t seen that color since she was a child. With a sigh, she snapped herself out of it, noting she was staring and internally scolded herself for her gap in reality. It had happened before, when she thought she saw her friend running through the streets of Newhaven, making it a point to chase the boy down because she swore it was her friend who had passed away so many years prior.. Grief had made things hard for her and she had to remember to keep a grip on the present, not the past. Ess didn’t even remember at that point to finish her sentence but turned away back towards her wolf. “Tala...go find the bear...go on..find him...” The wolf whined up at Ess not exactly understanding at first, tilting her head, ears perked quizzically before a throaty bark left her and she trotted off again down the beaten path. Ess began to excuse herself as she moved to follow.
Jake was sure his heart had stopped beating for a moment when he felt the woman's eyes lock on his and he felt as if he had something caught in his throat; even after forcing a cough to clear it up he was still unable to say a word to respond to her, he simply stood there staring blankly, until she turned away to leave. He was almost starting to feel a bit of relief, despite the fact that he knew he had what she was looking for right in his bag and he needed to take care of it.
Irv stayed behind with Jake watching his friend with confusion in his eyes, he didn't know the man for long, that was true, but he had never seemed to Irvin like the type to freeze that way in front of a woman unless there was something wrong. "You alright killer?" The boy called out, as his friend still seemed frozen where he stood. "Jake?" Irv called again,giving the man a nudge.
Jake shook his head slightly, opening his mouth to answer Irvin, but stopping himself as the wolf had sniffed her way down the path and made a turn right back to him, sniffing at his bag. Jake twitched slightly and gave Irvin an angered glare.
The boy gave Jake a slightly apologetic look, hoping that he wouldn't kill him for this later and mouthed the words. "Sorry, Killer."
Jake heaved a long deep sigh, knowing that this might not end up so well and he needed to be careful with his words.
Essence only took a few steps, quirking a brow as her eyes followed her wolf around a few buildings and back to the man’s side, her attention all upon the bag he possessed. Her eyes flashed momentarily, making her way back slowly only to freeze when she heard the name, ‘Jake.’ How odd she felt suddenly, noting the strange way the black haired man was staring at her, not able to dismiss the familiar name mentally, yet her brows narrowed as she motioned towards Tala. “You...either have something she likes...or ...you have something that doesn’t belong to you...” Clearing her throat she added coyly, dragging out the man’s name, “...Which is it...Jaaake...?”
Ess bit down on her lip, between her and Tala they managed to keep the man cornered when she closed in on him. “Who...are you?” She muttered suspiciously. “...Why haven’t I seen you before? Your eyes...are not something I would forget...reminds me of someone...” Absently she began twirling her fingers around a couple of her red curls, tugging lightly she repeatedly straightened and released those curls, watching as they quickly bunched back into their bounce.
Jake felt very, very, vulnerable where he stood. He was cornered and the way he was shocked there was no way he would be able to lie his way out of it; in fact, he wasn't sure if he wanted to lie. Truth was bound to come out sooner or later and lying now could make it all considerably worse. He opened his mouth to speak, but he had no voice, and he must have looked somewhat lost and pathetic, because Irvin decided to try and rescue him somehow.
"Look, Essence, I..."
"Irvin, piss off." Jake managed to mutter out.
Irvin turned his head to look at Jake with a little bit of shock in his eyes. "But, Jake..."
"Go check on Shadow for me... I got this." Jake insisted. When Irvin didn't move he pushed further, his tone a little more forceful. "Go, kid!"
Irvin didn't need to be told one more time, he gave Ess a little apologetic look and walked away. Jake waited until the kid was out of reach, and then he slowly pulled the teddy bear from his bag. "The kid takes things, and hides them, when he wants to meet someone... It's a habit... I apologize for the trouble." He said, offering her the bear, but keeping his gaze away from hers as he spoke. "I was in Blackpond, this past month, I assume that's why we haven't met. I was just reinstated as a Knight before I left to check on a lead... I didn't have time to get acquainted with the newer members of the Guard." He answered. Jake's gaze lingered for a moment on her as she tugged on her curls and released, feeling chills down his spine at the sight.
Ess looked between Irvin and Jake, not quite sure what was going on which only increased her suspicion; she gave a slight wave to Irvin as he walked away. As soon as she saw Jake pull the bear from the bag, a high pitched noise pierced her ears, his voice echoing in her head as all details around the bear faded. Her jaw dropped in surprise hearing him, but still not absorbing the words at first. She didn’t reach for the bear, instead her fingers found her left cheek, trailing along the scar that beamed across her pale skin when the glow from her eyes deepened and burned in the memory that replaced her vision.
17 years ago...
“You know, you don't have to say you're sorry, or explain anything if you don't want to. We can just play.” Her friend had told her, trying to distract from whatever she had been through while they were apart. "Here..." He pulled the bag up and dug his hand into it, but didn't pull it out again before explaining. “.....I didn't know your birthday, but she said you don't need a reason to give someone a gift, so... She made this for you.” As he said that he pulled a teddy bear from the bag; a small bear made of fabric and stuffed with sawdust. It was nothing extraordinary, but its most interesting feature was the little black tunic engraved with a crescent moon and a little wooden sword attached to its hand. “It was my idea, you know, while you don't go to Newhaven you can have a Knight of your own.”
Essence stretched her neck, as the memory faded, her eyes growing suddenly tired, a soft growl shot in Jake’s direction as she gently gripped the bear by the arm when she took it back. She had possessed this stuffy while she still healed from the wretched scar now along her face, and she didn‘t realize how much it represented a little piece of beauty in a world of gore, until that moment when she got it back. “Why....am I being focused on today? First he frisks me...and I almost chopped off his hand...now you’re saying he likes to steal from people to find an excuse to meet them?!” Her voice started off quiet yet grew to almost a shriek as she continued back down to a whisper. “..She said...Black Knights were the scariest...” Her fingers poked at the bear’s flat nose, looking away and back towards the man. “Who....are you?” She prodded again, noticing how he again was staring at her and had not answered her completely.
“..She said...Black Knights were the scariest...”
The whispered words caught Jake's ears and he closed his eyes for a split second his entire body tensing as if he was desperately trying to hold still. When he opened them again he sighed softly. "Irvin... He's not a bad person, he just has some very bad habits... Don't hold it against him, he won't do it again." His eyes sparkled a little brighter for a moment. "Good people can do bad things sometimes, I was told." He shrugged slightly. "I am... A ghost with no name... That's what makes Black Knights the scariest, I think." His eyes locked on the little teddy bear and he involuntarily smiled, the words escaping him before he could think them through. "Aren't you a little too grown up for toys?"
“Good people can do bad things sometimes, I was told."
Again, Ess froze, tiny beads of sweat appearing along her forehead as her heart began to pound in her chest at the familiar words. Over and over she kept telling herself it was just a coincidence, but that didn’t stop her tongue from moving as she muttered a natural response.
“Technically Jake, bad people can do good things too and that may not make them good either.” She glanced around a bit shocked at her words, trying to keep her mind from drifting back into a memory. “...You don’t seem very scary to me, now...and well...” Ess’ head began to throb, feeling slightly dizzy, yet she played it off forcing a smile. This was unreal. Her own words shattered her focus, her own voice calling from afar as she remembered having this conversation once before.
“Most important...Trust your gut. Make your own decisions on people, because not everybody agrees on life, so just make sure to agree with you.”
Ess gave a tap at her teddy bear’s nose and smirked, a strange giggle shaking her. “I have finally snapped...full blown hallucinations. Everyone is haunted now, except now my ghost has aged.” Tala began to whine again, her cold nose nuzzling Ess’ free hand, sensing the sudden heightened mood, a small drop of blood appeared along her nostril as she began to shake. “What are you looking at?” Ess said almost casually, yet after the words left her lips, she tensed, growing afraid of what would come next. How far would her mind go this time? How long would it last? “It’s never simple..it’s never black and white..” Shaking her head in a subtle denial she began rambling softly to herself, as if she was trying to talk herself out of this. Again she looked up, “I said...what are you looking at Blue Eyes?”
Blackpond, 17 years ago...
"Jacob, will you please stay close to me?"
Jake sighed annoyed as he turned back to look at his sister, pacing backwards. "I know where I'm going, Jess. I'm not a baby anymore, geez!" He replied, turning back to where he was headed and continuing to walk, only to be stopped by a hand gripping him by the shoulder.
"Baby or not, you're still my little brother. You go where I go." She argued. "Besides, father will be home for supper and you need to help clean the house, so we can't stay long."
"Father said he would be home for supper last week too. And he didn't even show. He just sent uncle Nate instead." Jake pointed out, before looking up at his sister and frowning. "Besides, cleaning is girl stuff."
Jessica giggled softly. "Oh, is that so?" She asked, ruffling his hair playfully.
"Stop that." he complained, pushing her away.
She only laughed more. "Wow, you are so cranky this morning. You're like a tiny old man." She joked. "I think I'll get you a tiny little cane to walk around with."
Jake laughed out. "Shut up. Why are you so weird?"
"Oh, so you can laugh." She replied. "I was thinking maybe you were sick or something." Then she stopped walking and sighed. "Fine, Jakey... You can go have a look around while I get supplies, but the moment I call you we'll go home and clean up: No whining. Deal?"
Jake grinned widely and nodded in agreement. "Deal."
"And what will you not do?" She asked.
"I will not disturb the shop keepers, or go anywhere with strangers. And if something happens I should look for a guard and tell them my name." He recited. "I know, okay? Can I go now?" He asked, with a smile.
"Fine, go ahead." Jess told him. "But remember: The moment I call..."
Jake was already running his way across the market, without waiting for the end of the sentence. The market was Jake's favorite place in the world, especially in the morning. So he walked around watching as the street vendors tried to push their merchandise on everyone that passed by. Each one of them claiming to be selling the best and the cheapest of whatever product they had; it was funny how they always found a good answer for everything, and how convincing they could sound even when telling a customer the complete opposite to what they had just told the one before. Jess would often repeat that lying was a bad thing to do, but apparently those people had no one to teach them those things.
Absently Jake pulled a wooden sword he always carried on his belt and began swinging it around aimlessly as he walked past the clothing stores without giving them a glance. A little bit up the street the City Guard was taking a man away for stealing a bag of coins, so the boy stopped to watch curiously as they dragged the man away; one of them discreetly slipping the stolen coin purse into his own pocket.
Essence turned her gaze back to the street to find a small boy staring over to her right. She watched out of the corner of her eye the City Guard taking possession of a criminal. She thought she saw one of the guards put something in his pocket, but she could not see for sure.
“Would not surprise me,” Ess hissed.
Looking back towards the blue eyed boy, Ess pushed herself off the window and began to approach him. She could not help smiling as she looked over the child with envy. He was gripping a practice sword that he was swinging about as he stared at the guards to her right. So much innocence and ignorance. Not a bruise on him that she could see. He probably had a family who loved him; something she barely remembered.
Essence stopped behind the boy, standing at least a foot taller than him, her shoulder length, red curls fluffy and full of static from the morning heat. She was dressed in a long green tunic, that stopped at her thighs, black trousers and calf high boots. Pulling at her sleeves she attempted to hide her bruises, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to herself.
Gently she whispered, “Whatcha staring at blue eyes?”
Jake was distracted watching the man begging not to go to prison. His father always said that thieves were bad men, that if a man steals he would do any other mean thing; which meant they were liars too. Suddenly he was startled by a soft whisper behind him. He turned to look at the older girl who had asked what he was looking at. He tilted his head to one side as he looked at her. "Nothing." He replied. "And the name's Jake." He asked, still swinging the practice sword from side to side absently, watching her with curious eyes. He'd never seen her before, suppose that made her a stranger, but she was just a girl, so how dangerous could she really be? "I've never seen you before. Are you from around here? What's your name? Are you here alone?" He started, asking every question that crossed his mind without even taking a breath, until he stopped, made a pause and spoke again. "Your eyes are purple." He pointed out. "I've never seen anyone with purple eyes before."
Ess was not surprised by how friendly the child was. He was, after all, young and naive. Her smile broadened extensively, her violet orbs sparkling in delight at the child and his sudden burst of questions.
“Hi Jake.” She said sweetly, her voice soft as she raised it from a whisper. “I’m Essence...my friends can call me Ess. I do live around here, but I am not from here.”
Glancing quickly about she returned her gaze back to the child. “I am not alone, I am here with you.” She beamed, making sure her master’s dogs had not been sent to find her yet. Perhaps her absence still went un-noticed. “What about you? As big as you are, surly you are not alone?” She did not wish to offend the young lad, as he was at the age of wanting independence.
She shrugged lightly at the child’s observation of her eyes, chuckling as they glowed suddenly before dimming back to their normal tone. “This has always been the color of my eyes...Guess that is just how I was born.” She trailed off, pointing at the child, “Just like yours are a handsome blue.”
Ess took a deep breath and peered back towards the Guards disappearing down the street with their suspect. “You know Jake...” She began... “life is not always black and white.” Motioning towards the Guards. “I feel sad for that fellow. Maybe he was just trying to feed his family. You never know.”
Her smile faded as she took in the boy’s reaction. Someone that young should understand that sometimes we do not nice things to survive, but not all of us are bad people. As if in a daze, she began massaging her bruised arms. “Sometimes, we do what we need to do to live another day, Jake...If we like it or not.”
Jake had dropped his bag to the floor in his shock as he caught the woman's reaction; Ess thought she was hallucinating, or she was hoping that she was, he couldn't quite tell... He didn't know whether he'd rather feed that illusion or shatter it to bits... He knew what he believed was right, but he was terrified at the idea of doing either. Heaving a sigh he replied to her, in a whisper. "Nothing. And the name's Jake." He locked his eyes on her and added. "You're not crazy, Ess... I'm not a hallucination... I'm just sorry you had to find out this way." As he said that, he pulled the golden locket he had tucked inside his shirt. Just like Nate had, he knew she would recognize the jewelry. "I'm real. I'm not dead." He mumbled. "I didn't want you to find out this way..." He repeated.
Essence looked genuinely confused, her eyes no longer glowing, the violet so dark they almost looked black when she stared at Jake. Maybe she didn’t hear right. Maybe it was a trick. It just wasn’t possible. A sudden manic laugh erupted deep from within her belly, slowly shaking her head. “No...” She muttered defiantly between her laughter when she took in sharp breaths here and there. Ess appeared to be thoroughly amused for a moment. “Bloody telepaths...that’s what you are...another dark haired man trying to prod into my mind...into my memories...What does this illusion help you gain? Hmm?” As her gaze fell upon the golden locket, she felt her blood boil, her paper white skin beaming red when several veins began to bulge out along her temples, branching off around her eyes. “Where the hell did you get that!? That’s not yours!”
Tala was circling Ess in her excitement until the woman grew angry, causing the wolf to stand defensively between Jake and Ess, hackles raised, teeth peeking out slightly with only a hint of a growl. Essence flinched, her fingers tapping along the hilt of her dagger as she continued. “You are lying..you are a lie...good trick..I can do something like that too....but Jacob Turner is dead....and THAT, is MY sister’s....HIS sister’s locket...I’ll kill you....” She hissed, moving closer towards the man who called himself Jake.
Jake shook his head furiously at her words, trying to find a way to get her to believe him. "No, no, no, no.... Jessie made me wear it, she made me wear it when I left the house that morning... She didn't want me to go by myself, but I insisted I was big enough already... Me and my stupid pride... I should had let her go with me... I shouldn't have left her..." His fist had clenched around the golden piece, tears sparkling in his eyes, but not failing. "And I know... I know what you can do... I've seen you do it." Jake's mind was blurry and he felt an ache in his temples as he tried to find some argument, something only the two of them would know. "Jacob Bear." He stated, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Jess made him for you, for your birthday, although we never knew when your birthday was. She was up all night working on it, didn't stop until it was finished." He gave a shaky breath as he tried to go on speaking. "She was so excited about it too... Thought up every little detail..." Jake rubbed his eyes slowly as he added. "I shouldn't have left her... I shouldn't have left you... I promised... Forever and ever... I broke it."
Essence whispered, “Jacob Bear...?” Halting in mid step she looked down at her side where the stuffed Black Knight dangled from her hand, her voice softening a bit, contradicting the bulge of the veins as they began to spread beneath her eyes and across the bridge of her nose. Slowly, tears began forming in the corner of her eyes, yet were not clear but a deep crimson that began staining her cheeks as they fell. “It ....was so you’d always be with me...” A throaty growl vibrated along her lips as she tried to deny the obvious. She was fighting so hard to not listen, to not believe because it wasn’t possible. Again her voice rose, “You’re a liar! You can see in my head! Maybe you are in my head! I saw the grave!” Her free hand unsheathed the blade at her side in a subtle motion, standing nose to nose against what she believed to be an illusion still.
13 years ago...
The Coming Storm
Hurt Falls Apart
Essence had been riding towards BlackPond for hours now, the power of her fury and broken heart causing her to never break or pause. She had kept back the tears, the idea of this being a lie keeping her going until she discovered the truth on her own. It began to rain now, 'How fitting,’ she thought grimly. The hood of her cloak would not remain over her hair with the wind whipping across her form, matching her fury. Curly locks straightened and clung at her skin, the cold downpour soaking her to the bone.
Ess did not regret her anger at the messenger for his returning of her letters. That had been the first clue, but when the young man spoke of her friend’s death, Ess couldn’t contain herself and had punched the man square in the face. Tossing a small bag of coin to the floor she spat, “Take your payment and go!” Leaving moments later, she had begun her journey back to her own personal hell.
Squinting through the prickly, thorn like rain drops, she saw the torch light emanating from the city ahead. Pulling on the reins of the stolen horse she rode, she slowed its pace as she entered the main gate. Still not pausing to be questioned she made her way to the cemetery, a set of fresh graves standing out against the gloom of the early evening. Coming to a sudden halt, Ess hopped down from the saddle, jogging towards the tombstones. Several candles were burnt down to almost nothing, flower petals scattered across the stone from the current storm.
“Please don’t let it be him...”Ess prayed frantically to herself. Her violet orbs fell upon the names, her brows narrowing in anger as she screamed out in defiance at the stones. Falling to her knees, her fists began pounding against the earth, finding their way to the tombstone. With several cracks she had broken her hand, yet she ignored the physical pain as it was nothing compared to the realization of her loss. Ess disappeared in her blind rage, cursing the Twins, herself, and even her friend. Her wails of despair echoed into the city, carried off by the storm in a haunting mockery of her pain. She had met her breaking point that she had tried so hard to keep away from; she had fallen off her precipice disappearing into the abyss of sorrow.
Essence’s sobs over took her, causing her to collapse at the foot of the stone where she stayed throughout the night, refusing to take shelter from the cursed storm. Any time her sobs began to slow enough to breath, she would cry out into the thunder above in question. What had this boy done to deserve this? The memory of her friend and his strength only caused her to break into a pattern of wails again. Even after the storm broke in the early hours of the morning, she was still awake, almost hugging the gravestone, her sobs tearless now. Ess absently noted the broken fingers of her left hand as she shuffled to her feet, covered in thick streaks of mud, she made her way over to the horse. Withdrawing a journal and a pen she began writing a letter to her friend, the last she would ever give him.
Jake,
I should of been here to protect you, to help you in your time of need as you have helped me. I shouldn’t of left so soon. I have failed to return your kindness, and for that I will suffer out the rest of my days. Thank you for your gift of friendship, showing me there was good in this world. Now that all that was good in my life is dead, it seems the evil has won today; it’s poisoned claws tearing through my heart. I never expressed how much you meant to me, please forgive my ignorance, thinking I would have more time. All we have is today Blue Eyes, so now that we part ways please know that I love you my friend. I am a coward, not worthy of your friendship, but I am happy to have known it. It hurts so much that you're gone, I’m not sure if it would have been less painful to have never known you. I don’t regret you or the time we spent under our great oak tree or playing within your hideout. I only fear I will never get over losing you. I hope you found peace, wherever you are now.
Love Always and Forever,
Your Friend
Essence
Tearing the page from the book Ess folded the paper and tucked it away under a smaller rock by Jake’s grave. It was a long time before she rose to her feet again, her fingers touching her lips she passed the kiss to the stone.
“Goodbye Blue Eyes.” She gasped, before climbing back onto the horse, making her way out of the city as quickly as possible. Never would she return to the agony that was Blackpond.
The memory swelled within her heart, a sickening tremor shooting along her chest causing her knees to buckle unexpectedly. A small trickle of blood bubbled along her ear canal, dripping off her earlobe as her emotions became harder to keep in check. Since she had come to the camp, she made it a point to almost never use her gift, but at that moment she wanted to hide; her mind demanded to be someone else. Denial is a powerful tool when used properly, but in that moment she was drowning, unable to breathe. Ess thought she had gotten past that pain; that she had learned to live with it. It was in that moment though, it all came rushing back, hitting her harder than the first time, with a mocking laughter. The laughter was coming from her, the tone of her voice suddenly deeper as her form began to shift into a mural of different figures and features, swirling together like the colors of a setting sun; the only thing constant was the blood and the violet of her eyes.
"Yes, there was a grave, but I was never in it, Ess... They never found a body, because there was none to find!"
Blackpond 10 years ago...
Jake had left Lionel at the inn after convincing the older boy to let him go to the cemetery by himself, that he needed privacy. He did. It wasn’t an easy thing for him to even think of, visiting Jess’ grave, even less an easy thing to accomplish. He stood for a long while at the cemetery gates, eyes locked on the line of graves, faintly wondering where all those people had gone after all; where Jessica had gone. Could she see him? Could she hear him after all? Was it really true that she would never leave him? He used to believe, but now he simply wondered… He questioned. Sometimes he wished she could see, that he was alive and well, that he was protected… Sometimes he wished she couldn’t see how hurt he still was, how much he missed her, how much he wished he’d gone with her. Jake knew his sister would rather see him alive and happy, but sometimes he felt he couldn’t do both.
Tears already blurring his sight, Jake finally took a long deep breath as he began to pace into the burial grounds, slowly walking the little paths amongst the headstones to where he knew his family was waiting. The line of graves ended, however, rather unexpectedly, with his own name. He flinched before the grey, smaller stone, his full name marked the date of Jess’ death as if he’d died with her… Painfully ironic… After a moment of staring he crouched down, to get a closer look, his palm reaching for the dirt where his empty casket rested. As he ran his hand across the soil he felt something there, and as he brushed the dirt aside his eyes caught a piece of paper sticking out from under a rock. Carefully he dug around it and removed the rock, retrieving the old and stained piece of paper. He stood up straight as he unfolded it, his eyes scanning the blurry letters on the stained sheet; he couldn’t make out all the words, only a small section of the writing was still legible. It read:
“It hurts so much that you’re gone, I’m not sure if it would have been less painful to have never known you. I don’t regret you or the time we spent under our great oak tree or playing within your hideout. I only fear I will never get over losing you. I hope you found peace, wherever you are now.”
Jake stood frozen, for what it seemed like forever, and the feeling in itself was so familiar it burned. He read the words over and over, all the while it was as if a familiar voice whispered them from a distance; realization hitting him with one painful blow… He was dead. He had been dead for the past three years… He was dead to the world.
Jake folded the stained sheet of paper and pushed into his pocket, his hands shaking as he turned away from the graves, without saying goodbye to his sister as he planned. He just kept walking away, as far away, as fast as he could.
. . .
Jake wasn’t even sure how he made it back to camp, but he had. He simply walked into the encampment and rushed his way to his room, locking himself inside, he curled up on the bed, rereading the letter over and over, pain growing inside his chest as if it was going to explode and tear him apart. He’d thought of Essence, he’d thought of finding her once his training was completed and he was free to roam… It was something he had looked forward to, it had kept him sane, kept him moving on, but now… He wasn’t sure of anything anymore. He was dead to his friend, he had been dead and buried for three years; what if she forgot about him? He cursed at himself for not writing, for not letting her know right away what happened. He let out a shaky sigh as he moved to the fireplace with the letter crushed inside a clenched fist, tears running down his face… It was too late, he decided… Best to just stay dead… Why bring it all back… He wasn’t even that same boy anymore… That boy had died three years ago… Jake heaved a shaky breath as he let the paper fall into the flames. “Forever and ever…” He whispered, a hint of bitterness in his tone, his hands still shivering in anger. Jake couldn’t help being angry at himself for what he was doing, but he forced himself to believe it was best to leave things as they were, that he should stay dead, and the more he tried to convince himself, the angrier he got, turning away from the fire he quickly dove under his bed, searching for a small leather book he had hidden there, he crawled from under the bed and sat on the floor for moment, gripping the book tightly and staring at the flames; his body tense and shivering in his rage… He was so tense that he jumped up as someone knocked on the door, and Crys called for him. He ignored as much as he could, but eventually he came to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t leave. He quickly tossed the book under the bed, and went to answer the door.
Jake had closed his eyes for a moment at the memory, the rage he felt at himself then coming back to him as he realized just how much this had hurt his friend. As he opened his eyes he flinched slightly, his eyes widening as he saw Ess' face change; that in itself wasn't what caught him by surprise exactly, it was some of the faces she changed to that made him very uneasy... Well, there was Aiden, and Mageria, which she obviously knew from the guard, but there were other people Jake knew, like Lena and Allison... Even his own face as a young boy... Jake stood in a shock for a few moments, staring at Ess with a perplexed look in his eyes.
Blackpond 17 years ago...
...A small smile creeped along her lips. “I try not to be sad Jake, I’m sorry. It’s hard to feel anything else when you're someone else’s property and not in charge of your own life.” She spoke simply without anger or happiness, almost empty.
“Jake?” She stared at her friend curiously as his expression suddenly changed. She couldn’t make out the feeling behind it exactly for sure. Ess had not attempted to change her visage and in fact had not had that incident occur since the night before she met Jake. This Enlightenment was not under control by any means, heightened and triggered by intense emotions. She was still looking out from her violet eyes, her soul still intact so to speak; yet there sitting before the young boy, was now the image of an older boy. Fire red hair, pale skin painted in freckles appearing thicker in build at around the age of seventeen. It was an awkward sight, when a boy spoke only to have a girl’s voice. Ess still hadn’t realized that she had transformed once again into her brother’s form as she continued to look over Jake.
Jake smiled slightly at what Ess said to him, but he couldn't smile completely, quietly trying to think of something he could do to make her feel better. He didn't understand what she meant when she said she was property. Property is something you own, how could someone own another person? It didn't make sense to him at all. As he tried to make sense of that in his head, he looked down for a moment, wasn't even for long, but it was enough for him to miss what had happened just before his eyes. As he looked up again, his blue eyes widened in an expression of shock as he saw a much older boy sitting where his friend used to be; the shock increasing as the 'boy' spoke in his friend’s voice.
Jake stood up slowly, sincerely frightened, but not wanting to show it. For a long while he simply stared, his eyes examining the strange face before him, but eventually locking in the familiar violet gaze; it was his friend's eyes, his friend's voice, but everything else was different. Finally he managed to stutter a few words. "W-what... H-how... H-how are you doing this?" He mumbled, motioning with his hand as if to reach for the 'boy's' face, but stopping halfway through and pulling away thinking that maybe he shouldn't. Eyes still widened in shock, the child didn't know whether he could believe his eyes or not, it was all too confusing for him to comprehend.
Ess felt something had changed now, she saw confusion within Jake’s eyes. She had reached out with a delay towards Jake’s hand but missed it as he pulled away, noticing her hands now. They were larger, thicker than hers really were. In a sudden sob, she began patting her face, her hair...all had changed. She didn’t know what to do and suddenly began to panic. Sliding backwards along the ground, she backed herself into a corner, her breathing becoming harsh in quick gasps. Her body trembled and shook violently as if she were submerged into a pile of snow, she turned her head and began dry heaving like a dog with a hairball. She curled up in a ball, hugging her knees into her chest, her hood tucked tightly over her face so Jake couldn’t see her any longer.
“I dunno what’s wrong with me....Jake...”She wailed as her body gave up and she laid there crying heavily for some time. When she went to catch her breath, she sat up, her features back to their normal doll like qualities except her nose had begun to bleed, dripping like the rain off a roof.
Jake didn't move. Between confusion and panic, he didn't know what to do, so he stood. He stood for what seemed like a long time, yet again. And he would have stood for much longer, or worse: he would've run, wasn't for the fact that he suddenly remembered what he had promised just moments ago. Feeling a bit of shame stir up in his chest, Jake finally moved faced the corner where the girl had curled up in; she looked like herself again, and now Jake felt worse to realize she had been sitting there crying all the while he was standing there. Finally, he decided on what to do and picked up the candle he had placed on the ground and walked to the bag again, pulling a piece of cloth from it.
As he left the lit candle on top a chair, closer to Ess he walked over to her and put the cloth in her hands. "You need a hankie." He said, awkwardly trying to smile. "Do you feel sick? If you feel sick I can run and get Jess, she always knows what to do." He offered. Then he went silent for a while. "My... My mom... She could make things float. I was very little, but I remember... She used to make my toys float so I'd stop crying" He mumbled, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. "I'm not scared anymore." He added.
Jake locked his eyes with hers, a concerned frown marking his features as he reached down to grasp her shoulder trying to get her attention. "Essence, you need calm yourself. You're bleeding." He stated, shaking his head still trying to find arguments to reason with her that he was alive. "I still have your drawings... Every letter... I have a picture Jess drew of our mom, she was really proud of it wanted to send it to you, but was afraid to, she made me keep it so I could show you whenever we saw each other again, 'doesn't matter how long it takes', she said." He stopped talking, and forced a breath. "I'm not a liar... I'm not an illusion... I'm just... A bad friend."
Mageria had been alerted when the fight started, mostly because it involved the new people in camp and it wasn't for sure if she was needed to break it up or if the others should start laying bets. Mageria would have let it go, but she really didn't need bloodshed at the moment and she knew that Essence tended to have a hair trigger. She pushed out the door, able to hear raised voices but not much more. By the time she got there, Essence was in some sort of shock, shifting so rapidly that it couldn't be kept under control, bleeding from the ears and eyes.
"What the hell is going on?" She snarled at Jake. Pushing between the two of them, she slapped the girl sharply across the face, in the hopes of shocking her out of whatever it was that had hold of her. It didn't help. In fact, if anything it made it worse.
"Tears of the Twins." Mageria gripped the girl by the shoulders, knowing that if she didn't get her to stop she was going to be dead or the next thing to it very quickly. She needed some sort of shock, worse than a slap.
Acting quickly, Mageria ducked and hauled Essence over one shoulder, turning and running towards the river. While it might have been a heavy load to the average woman, Mageria had been wearing armor for most of her life and the girl didn't weigh much more than a full suit. So she wasn't even close to out of breath when she got to the bank, which meant that she didn't even stop, just wading out to about thigh deep; then with a silent prayer that she was doing the right thing, she simply dumped the girl off her shoulder into the river, making sure that she wouldn't hit her head, but at the same time making sure that she was completely soaked in the icy water.
Essence had pulled her shoulder free from Jake’s grip with a growl. “Don’t bloody touch me!” She keeled over as a sharp pain ran down along her back dropping both her dagger and Bear and when she stood Mageria had planted herself between Ess and Jake. When the Captain slapped her across the face, Ess never noted the pain, yet her bleeds worsened, also leaking along her nose like a fountain. The next thing she knew she was screaming in shock at the sudden icy cold river, stabbing her flesh like tiny knives all over body. Fighting the bit of current, she crawled out of the river to her feet, panting in the pain, yet even though her features were now her own, she appeared to be still bleeding. “..I’m sorry...I need to..get out of here...” Ess muttered wildly, shaking her head as she wiped at her face. A mix of embarrassment, anger, and sorrow had enveloped her and she couldn’t bare to have the Captain look at her this way as she began to wander away from the river, and down the beaten path away from the camp.
"I don't . . . bloody. . . think so." Mageria actually growled as she grabbed Essence by one arm, twisting it around and frog marching her back towards her cabin. "You want to sulk off into the woods and brood for a week, fine. I don't know what the hell is going on, but you ARE NOT walking out there in wet clothes. I've put too much damn work into you for you to go off and do such a boneheaded STUPID maneuver. I don't care where you go, but you WILL dry off and you WILL get warm and you WILL take care of yourself because you ARE not alone anymore and you DO have people who give a damn about whether or not you freeze to death." Mageria had managed to keep her voice relatively low during all of this, but she was getting increasingly angry. Reaching the center part of the camp, she planted one hand in the middle of Essence's shoulders and pushed, propelling her forwards.
"I don't know what you decide to do tonight, but the first thing you will do is go get warm. Now MARCH!" Mageria emphasized this by pointing off towards the barracks and cabins, then crossing her arms and waiting, stone faced until she did so.
“Ow..ow.....alright alright...I’m going!” Ess muttered when the Captain forced her forward, wincing at the pain of her arm in the awkward position. Even though her mind was in a fog, she heard every word Mageria spoke, piercing through her brain like burrow holes digging to the core, causing her head to ache. She knew she was right, but she was in a haze, having nothing to say to that, the Captain successfully making her feel the fool. It was what she needed though, even if in her shock, the revelation of her grief was too strong at the moment for her to think with reason. When the Captain released her and commanded her to take care of herself, Ess’ head fell as she shuffled forward, not even looking as she found her way into the barracks to sit by the fire. One of the women, the one with the familiar scar, approached Ess from the side, resting a hand lightly upon her shoulder.
“Talon...here..you can change into these..” The woman spoke calmly and when Ess turned to look at her, the woman smiled indifferently to Ess’ condition and didn’t ask a single question but offered her name instead. “Deidra...”
------
Mageria stared after Essence as she walked away, then scanned around the clearing. Jake still happened to be standing around, clutching a . . . stuffed bear? Mageria strode over, ice starting to crackle on her boots.
"Jake, a word if you please?" Continuing with the theme thus far, she grabbed Jake by the arm and pulled him along in her wake, ignoring his yelp. Pushing open the door to her cabin, she thumped down the stairs and fell into one of the chairs, leaning down to struggle with the ice clogged laces.
"Now, you know me Jake. I usually try to stay out of my people's business. But this is causing more trouble than I can ignore. So," She got one boot off and set it on a stand to dry next to the fire.
"What is it between you and Essence?"
Jake was still numb by shock and his only move was to pick the little Black Knight bear off the floor, as well as the dagger Essence had dropped. He barely reacted when Mageria dragged him away, he didn't see where they were going, he didn't really care. His mind was filled with things said and done between two children long ago, his hand still clinging to Jacob Bear as if the toy was the only thing keeping him calm at the moment. Despite his stupor, he heard what Mageria was saying, and he responded to her, although his eyes were still locked on the stuffed bear. "Ess and I met a long a time ago in Blackpond. Think, I was six then, she was, I don't know, twelve, thirteen... Doesn't matter." He cleared his throat, trying to get his voice to sound clearer, although it made no difference. "She became very close to me and to my sister too, Jess always wanted a little sister I knew that..." His voice softened to less than a whisper and he paused, again trying to make himself audible again. "I'm assuming you are aware of her past, so I don't need to explain why, but she left for Newhaven about three years later. After Jess got killed and I 'disappeared', everyone assumed I had been killed too, they put up a gravestone with my name, and so... Ess thought I had been killed then. I didn't know she thought I was dead until much later, but I... Never looked for her. I never told her the truth, and I have been avoiding her presence since I arrived and saw she was here. I didn't want her to just recognize me... But then... I don't see how anything could've made this better." He finished his talking and simply stood, staring the little bear in the eyes still.
Mageria sighed as she pulled her other boot off and propped it up.
"No, there really wasn't any way that could have gone better. But a great many it could have gone worse." She sat back and put her feet up to warm next to the fire.
"I can't say anything to what happened between you in the past. I'm far better at hacking people to bits with a sword than I am at patching up a relationship. Although, that's how Ev and I got over hating each other; we just stabbed each other a couple of times." She stood up and walked over to Jake, putting one hand on his shoulder.
"Jake, the two of you will work through this. It was a bad shock, yes. But to have somebody I loved, somebody that I thought was dead come back to me. . ." She shrugged, pain and regret clear in her eyes before they became shuttered again. "I would give anything for that. If only so that I could punch them in the nose for upsetting me." She squeezed his shoulder gently to make sure that she had his attention.
"Give it time and don't give up. You two were like family once. To get a second chance? That's the Twins blessings."
Jake heaved a shaky sigh and nodded his head slowly as Mageria spoke. He wanted, needed, to believe something good would come of this, even if he couldn't quite forgive himself for the pain he was putting his friend through. After a little while longer he let out a little cough, trying to clear his throat, before pushing the little stuffed bear onto Mageria's hands. "Will you... Will you please give this back to her? I think it's best I give her space... Until she decides she's ready to punch me in the nose or something. I think, that's the best I can do." He tried to force a smile, but couldn't pull it off; his eyes lowering to the ground as he turned to leave, hoping to just be alone for a moment. "Thanks, Captain... For everything."
Mageria smiled and put the bear gently in a cabinet. It wouldn't do for any of the children to see it and think that they could play with it. "You might want to be careful with the whole punching in the nose thing. I have been training Ess for a while now, so she might just stab you. Or light you on fire. Or poison you. Or tie you up in a tree upside down covered in honey for the bears. Or . . . ." She let her voice trail off with a crooked grin. Her people had vivid imaginations.
"Jake." Her voice stopped him as he left, perhaps just for a moment. "Pain is something we learn from. Here, we've all had a lot of pain. But we've lived through it. And we've found other people who will understand that. She just needs time. That's one of the gifts the Twins have given us." She gently clasped his shoulder for a moment. "It will come out alright in the end."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few hours went by and all Ess wanted to do was go for a walk, but the bleeds had only slowed not ceased. “It happens....I’ll be fine.” She’d argue with the medics, only to have them threaten to go get the Captain if she kept arguing, moving Essence to silence each time. Deidra had given Ess a change of clothes and was humming a soothing tune as she casually brushed out the knots in Ess’ long curly hair. “Aiden’s outside you know...he wants to see how you are doing..but I told him we were having girl time...” Deidra winked. Ess simply nodded, using a handkerchief to wipe at her nose here and there, basking in her own silence as her mind raced. She didn’t want to see anybody, not even Deidra, but decided she liked having her hair brushed as it was a bit calming against her thoughts.
‘I wished for this...didn’t I? For him to be alive....then why can’t I accept this? Maybe it’s a mistake....maybe it’s denial. It’s been so long...a decade, and to think he’s been in the same city I have, from time to time. Why didn’t he ever try to find me? Did I ever really mean anything? Maybe he just realized I wasn’t worth much of anything..just like the rest of the lot of ‘em.’ Essence growled at herself, pulling away from Deidra to stand closer towards the fire, fighting off the urge to sob, to break something, to scream even; she simply stood staring into the deep orange embers. Absently she pushed aside a few black feathers from her eyes, tucking them to behind her right ear. “Pathetic...” She whispered in a muffled gasp, working to keep herself calm. “Why can’t I just be happy to have what I thought was lost? No....he is still lost...the boy I knew would have searched out for me...the boy I knew perhaps is dead then. I don’t know who that man is, but he’s not my friend....he’s a shadow..’ Ess didn’t know if she was more annoyed with the fact a MAN caused her to fall apart like this, that she could let someone get so close where it could be her demise or that she was falling into the same path again with someone who can hurt her just as bad if not worse. Did she really believe her own words that it was worth the risk, for a bit of happiness? To feel loved? She couldn’t decide if Jake was just lost, or if it was all a lie and Ess didn’t understand what hurt more. Should she even try to help him? Maybe it was all a sick joke; a game of some oddity. ‘Wouldn’t be the first time...’ She scolded to herself. ‘Should of learned my lesson with Jemma.’ Ess couldn’t help but scoff at herself for that thought, knowing she’d go insane in her loneliness and would not probably be alive if it hadn’t been for her friend. He probably didn’t even know the influence he had over her, but then again, was it false?
Essence was shaking, her skin was flushed from the fire, she felt like she was about to jump out of her skin. With a forceful amount of control Ess rose slowly, casually running her fingers along a small pouch upon the rock mantel fireplace, rolling the leather piece into her hand.
“Bone needles...” Deidra said with a sigh, chuckling a bit when Ess smiled wide, a twinkle of creativity sparkling from her orbs. “What the boys been using with a string of dyes made from the smoke of an oily nut and ash soot, when they tattoo each other.” The woman paused when Ess peeked inside the pouch. “I was thinking of tiny black feathers along my left temple....something to remind me of family and strength...more of what I’ve gained than lost..”
Ess looked up at Deidra nodding absently, “..Strength.....” She whispered, feeling her skin flush with a heat as if her insides were burning like the fire before her. Shaking her curls loose, they draped along her neck, hiding the trail of crimson that trickled from her ear canal making her a bit uneasy so that she turned abruptly for the door. “I’ll bring these back later...” Bowing her head politely, Deidra didn’t argue with her, only pointed out in silence a few vials of black, sticky sap Ess would need for her current task, if she understood correctly.
Deidra shot one of the medics a look when he went to protest Ess’ departure, causing him to stay where he was, a bit defeated. Waiting patiently at her heels of course was Tala, her tail thumping slowly against the snow before the wolf trotted after her friend. Ess didn’t see Aiden as she made her way to her tent, although he was around, lingering along the tree line he hung back knowing she needed her space. Smart man.
After boiling some water in a kettle and cleaning the bone needles, Ess settled herself inside her tent, Tala guarding the entrance; periodically peeking her snout past the flap to check on Ess. She had dressed in her favorite green dress, the one that was worn from many years of use (the one Jess had actually given her when she lived in BlackPond), sliding her arms out of the sleeves so that her chest was exposed just above her bust line. After positioning a mirror before her she stared for some time up at her tapestry that hung from the ceiling of her tent; a dying oak surrounded in flames that never burned. It was almost poetic at that moment how she saw herself as that oak, crumbling under pressure, yet never disappearing. With an eerie smile she began lightly inking an outline of the oak engulfed in flames along her chest, extending out along the base of her neck and shoulders. When she was satisfied, she rolled out all the tools before her, including an old bottle of some type of scotch whiskey, guzzling a few sips of the liquid courage before she began the painful prodding and scarring of her own flesh with the tiny teeth like ends of the bone needles.
Surprisingly the outline itself of the tree didn’t hurt as much as she assumed it would, besides the few times the tiny cluster of bone needles jabbed too deep, causing her to muffle a cry behind tight lips, Tala whining softly here and there as the hours passed. Gently she would dab with a warm cloth as specks of blood appeared along her flesh, like cherry blossoms in the spring, only to be smothered in the ink and soot so that it was more than a scar upon her chest. She managed to finish off half a bottle of the liquor before the repeated pricking along already tender areas began to release a subtle whine from her lips, her hand trembling in the details. Gradually she added wisps of smoke, veins along the base of the trunk that seemed to sprout from her breasts, and bark within the leafless branches with the occasional attempt at shading substance to her artwork.
The drinking had done two things: One, ironically it had slowed her bleeds from nose, eyes and ears to almost nothing; while two expectedly, making her blood thinner and not clotting normally as it should. Essence was forced to take frequent breaks, putting pressure along the sore spots in an attempt to slow the speckled bleeding, tears streaking her cheeks as the pain grew. It was a temporary distraction to the agony her insides swelled with and finally when she couldn’t focus enough anymore, she stopped to dress and roll out a thin layer of linen across the wounds. Standing with a sway, Ess stumbled out of the tent almost tripping over Tala as usual, and just began walking across the bridge away from camp, bottle still in hand and her wolf following as expected.
~~~
Aiden had spent the past few hours hanging out at Ess’ fire, keeping it burning with something to eat for when she got back; his small way of staying out of her hair but trying to be helpful. Laying lazily upon the log beside the flames, staring up at the starless sky he began to drift off to sleep in the comforting silence from the late night slumber of camp. His mind was trailing off to how he needed one more day to finish Tala’s kennel for her and her pups when he heard his furry friend cry out, breaking the silence. There came the familiar haunting wail, echoing into the vast shadows, shattering Aiden’s thoughts. At first he remained still, a smile curling his lips as he basked in comforting howls that dragged on for minutes at a time, pausing then starting again. A forlorned cry choked into a whine, that carried on, sinking deep inside Aiden, eyes snapping open in alert. His smile quickly faded, rising to a vertical posture he gathered his surroundings to determine which direction the screams of the wolf were coming from before he bolted off into a mad dash. Something was wrong, at the very least off in the piercing sob like howls that swelled higher and higher as he closed in deep into the thicket along the outskirts of camp. “..I’m here.. Tala...”
~~~
Essence groaned, rolling over a few times in the slush where her body had managed to melt some of the snow. Her form halted against Tala’s as she arched her back howling sadly into the night. When she tried to open her eyes, she found her vision was blurred, a sticky residue was caked at the corners of her eyes, her hair saturated in the same sticky substance. “Ugh....what the...” Ess voice cracked, her fingers lightly clawing at Tala’s paws. “Arr.....stop that Tala.....my head.....” Crawling along her belly, Ess knocked her now empty bottle aside with a sigh, the wolf finally falling to silence only to cover Ess’ face in kisses. She was too tired to fight off Tala’s advances of cleaning up her face and had only crawled a few feet before she turned over onto her back, panting heavily she fought off a wave of sobs. In her attempt to catch her breath she began coughing and gagging, occasionally spitting up more blood in addition to that which already stained her gown, hair and skin. Ess didn’t hear the flutter of footsteps coming to a sliding stop when she began dry heaving.
Aiden began to panic when Tala’s cries stopped, but heaved a sigh of relief when he turned a corner and came to a small clearing, the sounds of gurgling and spitting alerting him to Ess. He was practically glued to her side, his hand already gently pulling her hair from out her face. “Talon...breathe love..breathe....” He whispered soothingly, the deep tone sending chills down her spine as she realized who was there. “Essence.....Ess.....what’s wrong....are you hurt? So much blood...”
“Bloody hell....just...out of booze...” She chuckled between coughs, her throat dry and hoarse from the fit. Aiden helped Ess sit up, resting her back against his thigh as he shook his head, caramel eyes sadly scanning over the woman. It looked worse than it was, since her dress and skin was streaked with blood from her bleeds. When his gaze came to her chest his eyes narrowed, a soft growl of concern creeping in. “What...did you do to yourself Ess? You plan on bleeding to death in the woods?”
“..Hush you....it’s pretty....you’ll see....” Ess snickered. “Or...maybe you won’t....either way...” Her words trailed off into a small tangent of hiccups, her seemingly amused expression fading into soft sobs. “They...all run away....” The next few words were barely audible, Aiden assuming they were incoherent mutterings as she continued, him simply speaking over her to calm herself and to let him help her. “..Luuuuckaas...” She whispered under her breath. “Where...are you....not...angry...” Ess’ eyes closed slowly, her body tensing a bit, using her bit of strength to lean into Aiden, his forehead lightly touching hers as he attempted to coax her to stand. To his surprise his lips suddenly met Ess’ as she pressed into him, her fingers clawing through his hair, his own arms cradling her hourglass form, as her mind vanished from consciousness. Her head fell loose from his grasp, soft lips teasingly peeled away from his own. Aiden’s jaw dropped in awe when his tongue caught the taste of iron, discovering his bottom lip was bleeding. Staring only a moment, he shuffled to a squatting position, one arm supporting Ess’ back and the other slinking beneath her knees lifting her as he stood. “Rest now....” Aiden held Ess tight against his chest, whistling for Tala to follow as he made his way back to camp to the medic’s cabin. Rest indeed was what the woman needed.
Jake was slightly distracted with brushing Shadow's coat; a task that was slightly unnerving for the horse, and had Jake running the risk of being kicked for if he took too much time to do, but it was something Indrani had taught him was important, not only to keep the horse healthy, but also to form a bond. "Hush now, you big baby." He muttered at the horse as he started to grow impatient, neighing and snorting loudly in annoyance. "Shadow... Knock it off, I'm almost done, and then you can have a treat, okay?" He promised, patting the horse comfortingly. Shadow seemed to calm at the offer, holding still so Jake could finish the work. "There ya go... Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked, gently stroking Shadow's neck as he rummaged through his bag. "No apples left... But... Huh... Behold: A carrot!" He exclaimed, faking excitement at the discovery as he offered the horse his reward for holding still.
"You... Need some human friends, Killer." A voice called from behind him in a tone of laughter. "I thought it was the prison that was messing with your head, but you definitely haven't gotten any less strange on the outside."
"Irv... I have human friends. Thank you." Jake chuckled. "And Shadow is just as smart as any of them, and more so than a few."
"Well, talking to a horse is less strange than singing to a stuffed dog..."
"Dragon. And I wasn't singing to it." Jake protested.
"Dragon, whatever..." Irvin laughed. "Still, man; not healthy. I'm starting to fear for your sanity."
"Alright, let's say there's something to worry about... What does it matter to you?" Jake asked turning to face the boy.
"Well... Let's just say I'd like you to remain sane, since you did promise to help me." He smiled a slightly devious smile. "That's why I got you something."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "You 'got' me something? And who did you 'get it' from?"
Irvin chuckled. "You know me too well..." He shook his head in amusement and revealed something he'd been holding behind his back. "I got it from that redhead lady you were staring at."
Jake's face turned completely white when his eyes locked on the teddy bear Irvin held in his hands... Taking in every little detail and stitch on the stuffed animal as if looking for something, anything, that proved this wasn't the bear he thought it was. His gaze rose to meet Irvin's as he clenched his fists at his sides. "You had no right to take this, what the hell were you thinking?!" He muttered, a sudden spark of anger lighting up his eyes as he glared at the boy. He took a deep breath to calm his tone as he added. "Go back and return it, right now!"
"Man relax, it's just a stuffed animal... Thought it'd be a good ice breaker if you found it... You need to make some friends."
"Take it back now!" Jake muttered.
"Fine, gee... What the hell is it with you and stuffed animals? Really, man, I think you have a problem." Irvin mumbled, looking a little confused by Jake's overreaction.
Essence had promised Lily that drawing, and sadly it had taken longer than she meant. The young girl wandered over to her fire that afternoon, holding tight to a teddy bear in a surcoat, Puppy tight on her heels. Tala happily ran over to the Wolfhound, the two pouncing and playing carefree, now ignoring both Ess and Lily as they talked, Ess presenting Lily with a detailed black and white drawing of what she thought a dragon should look like. The child beamed, bouncing with excitement as she offered her bear for Ess to hold so she could look at the picture better.
"This is Sir Penic, Knight Cap'n of the Order of the Eternal Light." Lily stated proudly. “Be careful with him, he’s been through a lot.”
Quirking a brow, Ess’ smile turned slightly sad as she took the stuffed bear from the child, her fingers trailing along the sun emblem upon the surcoat. “He’s very handsome. You know, I have a Knight Bear as well, isn’t that funny? Course he’s not a Captain.”
Lily smiled, rocking on her heels. “Oh, can I meet him? He can come to our next tea party!”
Gently handing back Sir Penic, Ess stood only to disappear in her tent. “Huh...I swore...” Ess’ eyes scanned quickly over the pile of blankets, lightly kicking some pillows about, thinking maybe the stuffy was buried on accident. When still, she found nothing, her brows furrowed in annoyance, trying to think on where she would have placed him. Leaving the tent Ess playfully bowed towards Lily. “I’m sorry Miss Lily, but it seems my Sir Knight has gone off on a mission and is not around. I will have him come by when I do find him...”
Lily nodded, giggling a bit as she turned around calling Puppy to follow as she went back towards the Captain’s cabin. “Thank you Miss Ess, I have to be back for lunch now. Bye!”
Shaking her head, Essence let out a frustrated growl. She knew it didn’t just get up and walk away and there was no reason for her to move it. “It was there this morning...” She muttered to herself as she began walking towards the center of camp.
Irvin told Jake he would take the bear and return it, but that's not exactly what he did, as Jake come to discover not so long after, when returning to his cot and finding it hidden inside his bag. "That little... Thieving... Lying... Unreliable... Son of a..." Jake growled loudly holding the teddy in his hands. grabbing his bag and hiding it back inside before walking out to find Irvin. He was going to make the kid take back what he stole one way or another, or so help him.
Irvin was quietly watching the movement at camp, he hadn't gotten to know a lot of people there, aside the ones he came with and the Captain, but time to change that. It wasn't long until he spotted the woman, visibly frustrated by his little thievery walking a fast pace to the center of camp.The moment he spotted her, he moved and walked a straight line in her direction as if he didn't see her, looking to the ground as if looking for something. If he kept walking straight he would've walked right past her, but last minute he took a step to the side, so that he collided with her. This was something Irvin did when he wanted to pick pockets, and for that he'd rather there be a crowd around, but it didn't matter in this case; he wasn't picking the woman's pocket, although his hand did unnecessarily brush up against her backside in the moment of impact. Can't waste a good bump-in with nothing, right? "Ow!" He exclaimed, faking surprise as he looked up to face the woman. "I'm so very sorry. Miss! I swear I didn't see you there." He stated, looking genuinely embarrassed. "Please accept my apologies."
Essence had seen the teenager out of the corner of her eye when he collided into her, her attention trying to pinpoint what could have happened with her nostalgic teddy. Her eyes softened in surprise, a curious grin curling her lips when she felt the boy’s hand trail along her back side, the silver outline of her irises standing out against their lilac illumination. Fingers instantly went along her waist, habitually confirming the dagger on her left hip, nodding politely. “Guess I wasn’t paying much attention either where I was going...” The gentle whisper of her voice sang. “Apology accepted for the bump...” Slowly she leaned into the boy, her fingers trailing lightly down the arm that had touched her, tracing along his wrist. Suddenly her brows narrowed when her fingers clasped tightly around the boy’s wrist, her other hand unsheathing her blade, simply holding it against his hand; the blade already nicking his flesh from the razor like edges. “..But not for poor manners boy..” She hissed, a venomous tone snaking from her lips. The silver from her blade glimmered reflecting a few rays of sunlight, giving the relic the appearance of a new forge, yet it was older than herself, that much she knew. “Tell me why I shouldn’t take your perverted hand from that arm of yours?”
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy!" Irvin exclaimed, his blue eyes widening when he felt the blade against his flesh. "I'm not a pervert, I didn't mean it like that, I swear!" Sure he could break free, if he really wanted to, but using his enlightenment on a lady was something he wouldn't do for anything short of a death threat. "I just thought you're pretty is all... Can't you take a compliment?" He asked, with a little smirk. "You're honestly too pretty to be this tense. Now, how about you let me go and we start this conversation again, huh? I promise I'll keep my hands in sight. And my name's Irvin, by the way."
Ess stared intently at the boy for a few minutes, eyes scanning him from head to toe. In her silence she responded by stepping back, lifting the dagger away from Irvin’s flesh. Tilting her head curiously she twirled the hilt of the blade along her fingers as she answered him, her tone back to its gentle, almost hypnotic grace. “Essence...” Clearing her throat she tucked the blade back at her hip. “You need to learn better ways to pay a woman a compliment, or you may end up ticking off the wrong people. I have a friend who is much less forgiving than myself.” A chilling giggle permeated the air. “How old are you anyway, Irvin? You got a lot of nerve for someone who is barely a man yet, hmm?” With a sigh, Ess saw Tala cross behind a few trees, out of her peripheral line of vision, also appearing to be searching for something as her nose trailed along the ground furiously. She was moving slower than normal, but her belly was getting larger. Ess shook her head, forcing herself to focus at the boy. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m a bit preoccupied at the moment...I seem to have lost something quite dear to me. A momento, if one would call it.”
"Well, perhaps you can teach me manners, Miss Essence, I'd surely appreciate that." Irvin replied with a little playful grin, raising his hands to her line of sight as promised. "And I'm fifteen." He added, finally letting his gaze fall on the woman's face, he flinched slightly as he found her familiar somehow. "Your eyes are very different, but... Funny... They remind me of something familiar..." He mumbled, a small frown forming itself and then slowly fading as he shook his head and went on talking. "And I've encountered less forgiving people before, yet I am in one piece... Just because I haven't fended for myself now, doesn't mean that I can't if needed." He opened a smile and nodded when she said she was looking for something. "Oh, what is it? Maybe I can help you look? I'll do it as a thank you for not cutting off my hand."
Jake had looked for Irvin where he usually liked to hide, he was sure the little weasel would be hiding after pulling something like that, but apparently he wasn't... As Jake spotted the kid and who he was speaking to, he just wanted to kill. He couldn't however, not right then, so he made himself invisible and waited to get the kid alone.
Essence mumbled something about fifteen year old boys, shrugging her shoulders. “You’re not a stalker now too, hmm?” Chuckling she waved a hand, dismissing her comment, not expecting an answer. “Manners are part of common sense. You want respect, you give it. Simple. No one wants to feel inferior by definition, that’s the best way to think about it.” She kept her gaze locked upon the boy, her expression blank when he mentioned her eyes. It was an observation she couldn’t avoid by anyone, mostly because she knew they were very unique and never had she come across another similar. “Some take it as a sign I’m enlightened, but honestly my father said it runs in the family...I have my mother’s eyes, so I was told.”
Ess turned at a sudden bark, to see Tala staring at the side of a building. Why, she didn’t quite understand as the wolf simply turned in circles, obviously catching the scent of something. “Tala! What are you....” Turning back towards Irvin she apologized for her distraction, muttering, “Damn crazy wolf...” She began walking around Irvin and forward, still speaking to him, expecting him to follow. “It’ll sound silly to you, I’m sure. It was a gift, that I have not parted with for over fifteen years and now it’s just gone. It’s...” She rolled her eyes, a bit of honest embarrassment peeking through. “It’s a teddy bear, dressed as a Black Knight.”
Irvin tilted his head curiously in response to Essence's remark on having her mother's eyes... He couldn't shake off the odd feeling of familiarity, wasn't just the eyes; she was familiar to him. "You... Have any family in Blackpond? Just curious." He asked, following after her quickly as he noticed the wolf had seemingly discovered something, except there was nothing there to be seen and Irvin winced slightly behind the woman's back honestly hoping that wasn't Jake, because if it was he'd be in some serious trouble later.
Jake didn't notice he was cornered until it was a bit too late and he heard a bark, he looked away from where was watching the boy and the woman talk to see that a wolf had caught his scent, and that seemed to have drawn the woman's attention as she was suddenly walking his way; Irvin right behind her. Jake held back a sigh, thinking that he'd get back at Irvin for this somehow, at some point... He hid behind the building he'd been leaning against, just out of sight of where the woman and the boy had been standing, and deactivated his enlightenment, waiting to get caught.
“The only...living family that I know of, is my older brother...” Ess trailed off muttering incoherently. “..and that won’t be for much longer...” Essence’ head snapped over at Irvin curiously, thinking out loud, “Fifteen...fifteen...hmm too young...” Her eyes again trailed up and down over the boy before she followed Tala, talking over her shoulder at Irvin. “...I may also have a son somewhere here in Valcrest, but he was taken from me, so I’ve never met him..I am from Blackhurst originally...my town was burnt to the ground...I haven’t lived in Blackpond in...about fourteen years...” When she reached Tala she paused, eyeing the wolf as she started to growl a bit but it quickly faded into a whine. Ess’ mind wandered off to why this boy was asking random questions of her, but gradually pushed it aside, attributing it to his youth. “Tala...what is your-” Ess peeked around the corner, spotting a man, only half paying attention since she simply reached down to grab the wolf by her scruff. “Why are you bothering this man Tala...come on....” Glancing up she gave a sweet smile. “I’m sorry sir...Tala here is very curious and too smart for her own good sometimes.”
After the wolf backed off, Ess looked up at the gentleman who stood before them. Her smile fading when she didn’t recognize the man. “...I don’t believe...we’ve been introduced....I’m the Captain’s new recruit...” Ess didn’t finish giving her name, slightly startled when she caught the man’s eyes, her own widening in a momentary shock. They were so blue, a heart melting sadness seemed to linger behind them that gave her a chilling feeling. She hadn’t seen that color since she was a child. With a sigh, she snapped herself out of it, noting she was staring and internally scolded herself for her gap in reality. It had happened before, when she thought she saw her friend running through the streets of Newhaven, making it a point to chase the boy down because she swore it was her friend who had passed away so many years prior.. Grief had made things hard for her and she had to remember to keep a grip on the present, not the past. Ess didn’t even remember at that point to finish her sentence but turned away back towards her wolf. “Tala...go find the bear...go on..find him...” The wolf whined up at Ess not exactly understanding at first, tilting her head, ears perked quizzically before a throaty bark left her and she trotted off again down the beaten path. Ess began to excuse herself as she moved to follow.
Jake was sure his heart had stopped beating for a moment when he felt the woman's eyes lock on his and he felt as if he had something caught in his throat; even after forcing a cough to clear it up he was still unable to say a word to respond to her, he simply stood there staring blankly, until she turned away to leave. He was almost starting to feel a bit of relief, despite the fact that he knew he had what she was looking for right in his bag and he needed to take care of it.
Irv stayed behind with Jake watching his friend with confusion in his eyes, he didn't know the man for long, that was true, but he had never seemed to Irvin like the type to freeze that way in front of a woman unless there was something wrong. "You alright killer?" The boy called out, as his friend still seemed frozen where he stood. "Jake?" Irv called again,giving the man a nudge.
Jake shook his head slightly, opening his mouth to answer Irvin, but stopping himself as the wolf had sniffed her way down the path and made a turn right back to him, sniffing at his bag. Jake twitched slightly and gave Irvin an angered glare.
The boy gave Jake a slightly apologetic look, hoping that he wouldn't kill him for this later and mouthed the words. "Sorry, Killer."
Jake heaved a long deep sigh, knowing that this might not end up so well and he needed to be careful with his words.
Essence only took a few steps, quirking a brow as her eyes followed her wolf around a few buildings and back to the man’s side, her attention all upon the bag he possessed. Her eyes flashed momentarily, making her way back slowly only to freeze when she heard the name, ‘Jake.’ How odd she felt suddenly, noting the strange way the black haired man was staring at her, not able to dismiss the familiar name mentally, yet her brows narrowed as she motioned towards Tala. “You...either have something she likes...or ...you have something that doesn’t belong to you...” Clearing her throat she added coyly, dragging out the man’s name, “...Which is it...Jaaake...?”
Ess bit down on her lip, between her and Tala they managed to keep the man cornered when she closed in on him. “Who...are you?” She muttered suspiciously. “...Why haven’t I seen you before? Your eyes...are not something I would forget...reminds me of someone...” Absently she began twirling her fingers around a couple of her red curls, tugging lightly she repeatedly straightened and released those curls, watching as they quickly bunched back into their bounce.
Jake felt very, very, vulnerable where he stood. He was cornered and the way he was shocked there was no way he would be able to lie his way out of it; in fact, he wasn't sure if he wanted to lie. Truth was bound to come out sooner or later and lying now could make it all considerably worse. He opened his mouth to speak, but he had no voice, and he must have looked somewhat lost and pathetic, because Irvin decided to try and rescue him somehow.
"Look, Essence, I..."
"Irvin, piss off." Jake managed to mutter out.
Irvin turned his head to look at Jake with a little bit of shock in his eyes. "But, Jake..."
"Go check on Shadow for me... I got this." Jake insisted. When Irvin didn't move he pushed further, his tone a little more forceful. "Go, kid!"
Irvin didn't need to be told one more time, he gave Ess a little apologetic look and walked away. Jake waited until the kid was out of reach, and then he slowly pulled the teddy bear from his bag. "The kid takes things, and hides them, when he wants to meet someone... It's a habit... I apologize for the trouble." He said, offering her the bear, but keeping his gaze away from hers as he spoke. "I was in Blackpond, this past month, I assume that's why we haven't met. I was just reinstated as a Knight before I left to check on a lead... I didn't have time to get acquainted with the newer members of the Guard." He answered. Jake's gaze lingered for a moment on her as she tugged on her curls and released, feeling chills down his spine at the sight.
Ess looked between Irvin and Jake, not quite sure what was going on which only increased her suspicion; she gave a slight wave to Irvin as he walked away. As soon as she saw Jake pull the bear from the bag, a high pitched noise pierced her ears, his voice echoing in her head as all details around the bear faded. Her jaw dropped in surprise hearing him, but still not absorbing the words at first. She didn’t reach for the bear, instead her fingers found her left cheek, trailing along the scar that beamed across her pale skin when the glow from her eyes deepened and burned in the memory that replaced her vision.
17 years ago...
“You know, you don't have to say you're sorry, or explain anything if you don't want to. We can just play.” Her friend had told her, trying to distract from whatever she had been through while they were apart. "Here..." He pulled the bag up and dug his hand into it, but didn't pull it out again before explaining. “.....I didn't know your birthday, but she said you don't need a reason to give someone a gift, so... She made this for you.” As he said that he pulled a teddy bear from the bag; a small bear made of fabric and stuffed with sawdust. It was nothing extraordinary, but its most interesting feature was the little black tunic engraved with a crescent moon and a little wooden sword attached to its hand. “It was my idea, you know, while you don't go to Newhaven you can have a Knight of your own.”
Essence stretched her neck, as the memory faded, her eyes growing suddenly tired, a soft growl shot in Jake’s direction as she gently gripped the bear by the arm when she took it back. She had possessed this stuffy while she still healed from the wretched scar now along her face, and she didn‘t realize how much it represented a little piece of beauty in a world of gore, until that moment when she got it back. “Why....am I being focused on today? First he frisks me...and I almost chopped off his hand...now you’re saying he likes to steal from people to find an excuse to meet them?!” Her voice started off quiet yet grew to almost a shriek as she continued back down to a whisper. “..She said...Black Knights were the scariest...” Her fingers poked at the bear’s flat nose, looking away and back towards the man. “Who....are you?” She prodded again, noticing how he again was staring at her and had not answered her completely.
“..She said...Black Knights were the scariest...”
The whispered words caught Jake's ears and he closed his eyes for a split second his entire body tensing as if he was desperately trying to hold still. When he opened them again he sighed softly. "Irvin... He's not a bad person, he just has some very bad habits... Don't hold it against him, he won't do it again." His eyes sparkled a little brighter for a moment. "Good people can do bad things sometimes, I was told." He shrugged slightly. "I am... A ghost with no name... That's what makes Black Knights the scariest, I think." His eyes locked on the little teddy bear and he involuntarily smiled, the words escaping him before he could think them through. "Aren't you a little too grown up for toys?"
“Good people can do bad things sometimes, I was told."
Again, Ess froze, tiny beads of sweat appearing along her forehead as her heart began to pound in her chest at the familiar words. Over and over she kept telling herself it was just a coincidence, but that didn’t stop her tongue from moving as she muttered a natural response.
“Technically Jake, bad people can do good things too and that may not make them good either.” She glanced around a bit shocked at her words, trying to keep her mind from drifting back into a memory. “...You don’t seem very scary to me, now...and well...” Ess’ head began to throb, feeling slightly dizzy, yet she played it off forcing a smile. This was unreal. Her own words shattered her focus, her own voice calling from afar as she remembered having this conversation once before.
“Most important...Trust your gut. Make your own decisions on people, because not everybody agrees on life, so just make sure to agree with you.”
Ess gave a tap at her teddy bear’s nose and smirked, a strange giggle shaking her. “I have finally snapped...full blown hallucinations. Everyone is haunted now, except now my ghost has aged.” Tala began to whine again, her cold nose nuzzling Ess’ free hand, sensing the sudden heightened mood, a small drop of blood appeared along her nostril as she began to shake. “What are you looking at?” Ess said almost casually, yet after the words left her lips, she tensed, growing afraid of what would come next. How far would her mind go this time? How long would it last? “It’s never simple..it’s never black and white..” Shaking her head in a subtle denial she began rambling softly to herself, as if she was trying to talk herself out of this. Again she looked up, “I said...what are you looking at Blue Eyes?”
Blackpond, 17 years ago...
"Jacob, will you please stay close to me?"
Jake sighed annoyed as he turned back to look at his sister, pacing backwards. "I know where I'm going, Jess. I'm not a baby anymore, geez!" He replied, turning back to where he was headed and continuing to walk, only to be stopped by a hand gripping him by the shoulder.
"Baby or not, you're still my little brother. You go where I go." She argued. "Besides, father will be home for supper and you need to help clean the house, so we can't stay long."
"Father said he would be home for supper last week too. And he didn't even show. He just sent uncle Nate instead." Jake pointed out, before looking up at his sister and frowning. "Besides, cleaning is girl stuff."
Jessica giggled softly. "Oh, is that so?" She asked, ruffling his hair playfully.
"Stop that." he complained, pushing her away.
She only laughed more. "Wow, you are so cranky this morning. You're like a tiny old man." She joked. "I think I'll get you a tiny little cane to walk around with."
Jake laughed out. "Shut up. Why are you so weird?"
"Oh, so you can laugh." She replied. "I was thinking maybe you were sick or something." Then she stopped walking and sighed. "Fine, Jakey... You can go have a look around while I get supplies, but the moment I call you we'll go home and clean up: No whining. Deal?"
Jake grinned widely and nodded in agreement. "Deal."
"And what will you not do?" She asked.
"I will not disturb the shop keepers, or go anywhere with strangers. And if something happens I should look for a guard and tell them my name." He recited. "I know, okay? Can I go now?" He asked, with a smile.
"Fine, go ahead." Jess told him. "But remember: The moment I call..."
Jake was already running his way across the market, without waiting for the end of the sentence. The market was Jake's favorite place in the world, especially in the morning. So he walked around watching as the street vendors tried to push their merchandise on everyone that passed by. Each one of them claiming to be selling the best and the cheapest of whatever product they had; it was funny how they always found a good answer for everything, and how convincing they could sound even when telling a customer the complete opposite to what they had just told the one before. Jess would often repeat that lying was a bad thing to do, but apparently those people had no one to teach them those things.
Absently Jake pulled a wooden sword he always carried on his belt and began swinging it around aimlessly as he walked past the clothing stores without giving them a glance. A little bit up the street the City Guard was taking a man away for stealing a bag of coins, so the boy stopped to watch curiously as they dragged the man away; one of them discreetly slipping the stolen coin purse into his own pocket.
Essence turned her gaze back to the street to find a small boy staring over to her right. She watched out of the corner of her eye the City Guard taking possession of a criminal. She thought she saw one of the guards put something in his pocket, but she could not see for sure.
“Would not surprise me,” Ess hissed.
Looking back towards the blue eyed boy, Ess pushed herself off the window and began to approach him. She could not help smiling as she looked over the child with envy. He was gripping a practice sword that he was swinging about as he stared at the guards to her right. So much innocence and ignorance. Not a bruise on him that she could see. He probably had a family who loved him; something she barely remembered.
Essence stopped behind the boy, standing at least a foot taller than him, her shoulder length, red curls fluffy and full of static from the morning heat. She was dressed in a long green tunic, that stopped at her thighs, black trousers and calf high boots. Pulling at her sleeves she attempted to hide her bruises, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to herself.
Gently she whispered, “Whatcha staring at blue eyes?”
Jake was distracted watching the man begging not to go to prison. His father always said that thieves were bad men, that if a man steals he would do any other mean thing; which meant they were liars too. Suddenly he was startled by a soft whisper behind him. He turned to look at the older girl who had asked what he was looking at. He tilted his head to one side as he looked at her. "Nothing." He replied. "And the name's Jake." He asked, still swinging the practice sword from side to side absently, watching her with curious eyes. He'd never seen her before, suppose that made her a stranger, but she was just a girl, so how dangerous could she really be? "I've never seen you before. Are you from around here? What's your name? Are you here alone?" He started, asking every question that crossed his mind without even taking a breath, until he stopped, made a pause and spoke again. "Your eyes are purple." He pointed out. "I've never seen anyone with purple eyes before."
Ess was not surprised by how friendly the child was. He was, after all, young and naive. Her smile broadened extensively, her violet orbs sparkling in delight at the child and his sudden burst of questions.
“Hi Jake.” She said sweetly, her voice soft as she raised it from a whisper. “I’m Essence...my friends can call me Ess. I do live around here, but I am not from here.”
Glancing quickly about she returned her gaze back to the child. “I am not alone, I am here with you.” She beamed, making sure her master’s dogs had not been sent to find her yet. Perhaps her absence still went un-noticed. “What about you? As big as you are, surly you are not alone?” She did not wish to offend the young lad, as he was at the age of wanting independence.
She shrugged lightly at the child’s observation of her eyes, chuckling as they glowed suddenly before dimming back to their normal tone. “This has always been the color of my eyes...Guess that is just how I was born.” She trailed off, pointing at the child, “Just like yours are a handsome blue.”
Ess took a deep breath and peered back towards the Guards disappearing down the street with their suspect. “You know Jake...” She began... “life is not always black and white.” Motioning towards the Guards. “I feel sad for that fellow. Maybe he was just trying to feed his family. You never know.”
Her smile faded as she took in the boy’s reaction. Someone that young should understand that sometimes we do not nice things to survive, but not all of us are bad people. As if in a daze, she began massaging her bruised arms. “Sometimes, we do what we need to do to live another day, Jake...If we like it or not.”
Jake had dropped his bag to the floor in his shock as he caught the woman's reaction; Ess thought she was hallucinating, or she was hoping that she was, he couldn't quite tell... He didn't know whether he'd rather feed that illusion or shatter it to bits... He knew what he believed was right, but he was terrified at the idea of doing either. Heaving a sigh he replied to her, in a whisper. "Nothing. And the name's Jake." He locked his eyes on her and added. "You're not crazy, Ess... I'm not a hallucination... I'm just sorry you had to find out this way." As he said that, he pulled the golden locket he had tucked inside his shirt. Just like Nate had, he knew she would recognize the jewelry. "I'm real. I'm not dead." He mumbled. "I didn't want you to find out this way..." He repeated.
Essence looked genuinely confused, her eyes no longer glowing, the violet so dark they almost looked black when she stared at Jake. Maybe she didn’t hear right. Maybe it was a trick. It just wasn’t possible. A sudden manic laugh erupted deep from within her belly, slowly shaking her head. “No...” She muttered defiantly between her laughter when she took in sharp breaths here and there. Ess appeared to be thoroughly amused for a moment. “Bloody telepaths...that’s what you are...another dark haired man trying to prod into my mind...into my memories...What does this illusion help you gain? Hmm?” As her gaze fell upon the golden locket, she felt her blood boil, her paper white skin beaming red when several veins began to bulge out along her temples, branching off around her eyes. “Where the hell did you get that!? That’s not yours!”
Tala was circling Ess in her excitement until the woman grew angry, causing the wolf to stand defensively between Jake and Ess, hackles raised, teeth peeking out slightly with only a hint of a growl. Essence flinched, her fingers tapping along the hilt of her dagger as she continued. “You are lying..you are a lie...good trick..I can do something like that too....but Jacob Turner is dead....and THAT, is MY sister’s....HIS sister’s locket...I’ll kill you....” She hissed, moving closer towards the man who called himself Jake.
Jake shook his head furiously at her words, trying to find a way to get her to believe him. "No, no, no, no.... Jessie made me wear it, she made me wear it when I left the house that morning... She didn't want me to go by myself, but I insisted I was big enough already... Me and my stupid pride... I should had let her go with me... I shouldn't have left her..." His fist had clenched around the golden piece, tears sparkling in his eyes, but not failing. "And I know... I know what you can do... I've seen you do it." Jake's mind was blurry and he felt an ache in his temples as he tried to find some argument, something only the two of them would know. "Jacob Bear." He stated, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Jess made him for you, for your birthday, although we never knew when your birthday was. She was up all night working on it, didn't stop until it was finished." He gave a shaky breath as he tried to go on speaking. "She was so excited about it too... Thought up every little detail..." Jake rubbed his eyes slowly as he added. "I shouldn't have left her... I shouldn't have left you... I promised... Forever and ever... I broke it."
Essence whispered, “Jacob Bear...?” Halting in mid step she looked down at her side where the stuffed Black Knight dangled from her hand, her voice softening a bit, contradicting the bulge of the veins as they began to spread beneath her eyes and across the bridge of her nose. Slowly, tears began forming in the corner of her eyes, yet were not clear but a deep crimson that began staining her cheeks as they fell. “It ....was so you’d always be with me...” A throaty growl vibrated along her lips as she tried to deny the obvious. She was fighting so hard to not listen, to not believe because it wasn’t possible. Again her voice rose, “You’re a liar! You can see in my head! Maybe you are in my head! I saw the grave!” Her free hand unsheathed the blade at her side in a subtle motion, standing nose to nose against what she believed to be an illusion still.
13 years ago...
The Coming Storm
Hurt Falls Apart
Essence had been riding towards BlackPond for hours now, the power of her fury and broken heart causing her to never break or pause. She had kept back the tears, the idea of this being a lie keeping her going until she discovered the truth on her own. It began to rain now, 'How fitting,’ she thought grimly. The hood of her cloak would not remain over her hair with the wind whipping across her form, matching her fury. Curly locks straightened and clung at her skin, the cold downpour soaking her to the bone.
Ess did not regret her anger at the messenger for his returning of her letters. That had been the first clue, but when the young man spoke of her friend’s death, Ess couldn’t contain herself and had punched the man square in the face. Tossing a small bag of coin to the floor she spat, “Take your payment and go!” Leaving moments later, she had begun her journey back to her own personal hell.
Squinting through the prickly, thorn like rain drops, she saw the torch light emanating from the city ahead. Pulling on the reins of the stolen horse she rode, she slowed its pace as she entered the main gate. Still not pausing to be questioned she made her way to the cemetery, a set of fresh graves standing out against the gloom of the early evening. Coming to a sudden halt, Ess hopped down from the saddle, jogging towards the tombstones. Several candles were burnt down to almost nothing, flower petals scattered across the stone from the current storm.
“Please don’t let it be him...”Ess prayed frantically to herself. Her violet orbs fell upon the names, her brows narrowing in anger as she screamed out in defiance at the stones. Falling to her knees, her fists began pounding against the earth, finding their way to the tombstone. With several cracks she had broken her hand, yet she ignored the physical pain as it was nothing compared to the realization of her loss. Ess disappeared in her blind rage, cursing the Twins, herself, and even her friend. Her wails of despair echoed into the city, carried off by the storm in a haunting mockery of her pain. She had met her breaking point that she had tried so hard to keep away from; she had fallen off her precipice disappearing into the abyss of sorrow.
Essence’s sobs over took her, causing her to collapse at the foot of the stone where she stayed throughout the night, refusing to take shelter from the cursed storm. Any time her sobs began to slow enough to breath, she would cry out into the thunder above in question. What had this boy done to deserve this? The memory of her friend and his strength only caused her to break into a pattern of wails again. Even after the storm broke in the early hours of the morning, she was still awake, almost hugging the gravestone, her sobs tearless now. Ess absently noted the broken fingers of her left hand as she shuffled to her feet, covered in thick streaks of mud, she made her way over to the horse. Withdrawing a journal and a pen she began writing a letter to her friend, the last she would ever give him.
Jake,
I should of been here to protect you, to help you in your time of need as you have helped me. I shouldn’t of left so soon. I have failed to return your kindness, and for that I will suffer out the rest of my days. Thank you for your gift of friendship, showing me there was good in this world. Now that all that was good in my life is dead, it seems the evil has won today; it’s poisoned claws tearing through my heart. I never expressed how much you meant to me, please forgive my ignorance, thinking I would have more time. All we have is today Blue Eyes, so now that we part ways please know that I love you my friend. I am a coward, not worthy of your friendship, but I am happy to have known it. It hurts so much that you're gone, I’m not sure if it would have been less painful to have never known you. I don’t regret you or the time we spent under our great oak tree or playing within your hideout. I only fear I will never get over losing you. I hope you found peace, wherever you are now.
Love Always and Forever,
Your Friend
Essence
Tearing the page from the book Ess folded the paper and tucked it away under a smaller rock by Jake’s grave. It was a long time before she rose to her feet again, her fingers touching her lips she passed the kiss to the stone.
“Goodbye Blue Eyes.” She gasped, before climbing back onto the horse, making her way out of the city as quickly as possible. Never would she return to the agony that was Blackpond.
The memory swelled within her heart, a sickening tremor shooting along her chest causing her knees to buckle unexpectedly. A small trickle of blood bubbled along her ear canal, dripping off her earlobe as her emotions became harder to keep in check. Since she had come to the camp, she made it a point to almost never use her gift, but at that moment she wanted to hide; her mind demanded to be someone else. Denial is a powerful tool when used properly, but in that moment she was drowning, unable to breathe. Ess thought she had gotten past that pain; that she had learned to live with it. It was in that moment though, it all came rushing back, hitting her harder than the first time, with a mocking laughter. The laughter was coming from her, the tone of her voice suddenly deeper as her form began to shift into a mural of different figures and features, swirling together like the colors of a setting sun; the only thing constant was the blood and the violet of her eyes.
"Yes, there was a grave, but I was never in it, Ess... They never found a body, because there was none to find!"
Blackpond 10 years ago...
Jake had left Lionel at the inn after convincing the older boy to let him go to the cemetery by himself, that he needed privacy. He did. It wasn’t an easy thing for him to even think of, visiting Jess’ grave, even less an easy thing to accomplish. He stood for a long while at the cemetery gates, eyes locked on the line of graves, faintly wondering where all those people had gone after all; where Jessica had gone. Could she see him? Could she hear him after all? Was it really true that she would never leave him? He used to believe, but now he simply wondered… He questioned. Sometimes he wished she could see, that he was alive and well, that he was protected… Sometimes he wished she couldn’t see how hurt he still was, how much he missed her, how much he wished he’d gone with her. Jake knew his sister would rather see him alive and happy, but sometimes he felt he couldn’t do both.
Tears already blurring his sight, Jake finally took a long deep breath as he began to pace into the burial grounds, slowly walking the little paths amongst the headstones to where he knew his family was waiting. The line of graves ended, however, rather unexpectedly, with his own name. He flinched before the grey, smaller stone, his full name marked the date of Jess’ death as if he’d died with her… Painfully ironic… After a moment of staring he crouched down, to get a closer look, his palm reaching for the dirt where his empty casket rested. As he ran his hand across the soil he felt something there, and as he brushed the dirt aside his eyes caught a piece of paper sticking out from under a rock. Carefully he dug around it and removed the rock, retrieving the old and stained piece of paper. He stood up straight as he unfolded it, his eyes scanning the blurry letters on the stained sheet; he couldn’t make out all the words, only a small section of the writing was still legible. It read:
“It hurts so much that you’re gone, I’m not sure if it would have been less painful to have never known you. I don’t regret you or the time we spent under our great oak tree or playing within your hideout. I only fear I will never get over losing you. I hope you found peace, wherever you are now.”
Jake stood frozen, for what it seemed like forever, and the feeling in itself was so familiar it burned. He read the words over and over, all the while it was as if a familiar voice whispered them from a distance; realization hitting him with one painful blow… He was dead. He had been dead for the past three years… He was dead to the world.
Jake folded the stained sheet of paper and pushed into his pocket, his hands shaking as he turned away from the graves, without saying goodbye to his sister as he planned. He just kept walking away, as far away, as fast as he could.
. . .
Jake wasn’t even sure how he made it back to camp, but he had. He simply walked into the encampment and rushed his way to his room, locking himself inside, he curled up on the bed, rereading the letter over and over, pain growing inside his chest as if it was going to explode and tear him apart. He’d thought of Essence, he’d thought of finding her once his training was completed and he was free to roam… It was something he had looked forward to, it had kept him sane, kept him moving on, but now… He wasn’t sure of anything anymore. He was dead to his friend, he had been dead and buried for three years; what if she forgot about him? He cursed at himself for not writing, for not letting her know right away what happened. He let out a shaky sigh as he moved to the fireplace with the letter crushed inside a clenched fist, tears running down his face… It was too late, he decided… Best to just stay dead… Why bring it all back… He wasn’t even that same boy anymore… That boy had died three years ago… Jake heaved a shaky breath as he let the paper fall into the flames. “Forever and ever…” He whispered, a hint of bitterness in his tone, his hands still shivering in anger. Jake couldn’t help being angry at himself for what he was doing, but he forced himself to believe it was best to leave things as they were, that he should stay dead, and the more he tried to convince himself, the angrier he got, turning away from the fire he quickly dove under his bed, searching for a small leather book he had hidden there, he crawled from under the bed and sat on the floor for moment, gripping the book tightly and staring at the flames; his body tense and shivering in his rage… He was so tense that he jumped up as someone knocked on the door, and Crys called for him. He ignored as much as he could, but eventually he came to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t leave. He quickly tossed the book under the bed, and went to answer the door.
Jake had closed his eyes for a moment at the memory, the rage he felt at himself then coming back to him as he realized just how much this had hurt his friend. As he opened his eyes he flinched slightly, his eyes widening as he saw Ess' face change; that in itself wasn't what caught him by surprise exactly, it was some of the faces she changed to that made him very uneasy... Well, there was Aiden, and Mageria, which she obviously knew from the guard, but there were other people Jake knew, like Lena and Allison... Even his own face as a young boy... Jake stood in a shock for a few moments, staring at Ess with a perplexed look in his eyes.
Blackpond 17 years ago...
...A small smile creeped along her lips. “I try not to be sad Jake, I’m sorry. It’s hard to feel anything else when you're someone else’s property and not in charge of your own life.” She spoke simply without anger or happiness, almost empty.
“Jake?” She stared at her friend curiously as his expression suddenly changed. She couldn’t make out the feeling behind it exactly for sure. Ess had not attempted to change her visage and in fact had not had that incident occur since the night before she met Jake. This Enlightenment was not under control by any means, heightened and triggered by intense emotions. She was still looking out from her violet eyes, her soul still intact so to speak; yet there sitting before the young boy, was now the image of an older boy. Fire red hair, pale skin painted in freckles appearing thicker in build at around the age of seventeen. It was an awkward sight, when a boy spoke only to have a girl’s voice. Ess still hadn’t realized that she had transformed once again into her brother’s form as she continued to look over Jake.
Jake smiled slightly at what Ess said to him, but he couldn't smile completely, quietly trying to think of something he could do to make her feel better. He didn't understand what she meant when she said she was property. Property is something you own, how could someone own another person? It didn't make sense to him at all. As he tried to make sense of that in his head, he looked down for a moment, wasn't even for long, but it was enough for him to miss what had happened just before his eyes. As he looked up again, his blue eyes widened in an expression of shock as he saw a much older boy sitting where his friend used to be; the shock increasing as the 'boy' spoke in his friend’s voice.
Jake stood up slowly, sincerely frightened, but not wanting to show it. For a long while he simply stared, his eyes examining the strange face before him, but eventually locking in the familiar violet gaze; it was his friend's eyes, his friend's voice, but everything else was different. Finally he managed to stutter a few words. "W-what... H-how... H-how are you doing this?" He mumbled, motioning with his hand as if to reach for the 'boy's' face, but stopping halfway through and pulling away thinking that maybe he shouldn't. Eyes still widened in shock, the child didn't know whether he could believe his eyes or not, it was all too confusing for him to comprehend.
Ess felt something had changed now, she saw confusion within Jake’s eyes. She had reached out with a delay towards Jake’s hand but missed it as he pulled away, noticing her hands now. They were larger, thicker than hers really were. In a sudden sob, she began patting her face, her hair...all had changed. She didn’t know what to do and suddenly began to panic. Sliding backwards along the ground, she backed herself into a corner, her breathing becoming harsh in quick gasps. Her body trembled and shook violently as if she were submerged into a pile of snow, she turned her head and began dry heaving like a dog with a hairball. She curled up in a ball, hugging her knees into her chest, her hood tucked tightly over her face so Jake couldn’t see her any longer.
“I dunno what’s wrong with me....Jake...”She wailed as her body gave up and she laid there crying heavily for some time. When she went to catch her breath, she sat up, her features back to their normal doll like qualities except her nose had begun to bleed, dripping like the rain off a roof.
Jake didn't move. Between confusion and panic, he didn't know what to do, so he stood. He stood for what seemed like a long time, yet again. And he would have stood for much longer, or worse: he would've run, wasn't for the fact that he suddenly remembered what he had promised just moments ago. Feeling a bit of shame stir up in his chest, Jake finally moved faced the corner where the girl had curled up in; she looked like herself again, and now Jake felt worse to realize she had been sitting there crying all the while he was standing there. Finally, he decided on what to do and picked up the candle he had placed on the ground and walked to the bag again, pulling a piece of cloth from it.
As he left the lit candle on top a chair, closer to Ess he walked over to her and put the cloth in her hands. "You need a hankie." He said, awkwardly trying to smile. "Do you feel sick? If you feel sick I can run and get Jess, she always knows what to do." He offered. Then he went silent for a while. "My... My mom... She could make things float. I was very little, but I remember... She used to make my toys float so I'd stop crying" He mumbled, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. "I'm not scared anymore." He added.
Jake locked his eyes with hers, a concerned frown marking his features as he reached down to grasp her shoulder trying to get her attention. "Essence, you need calm yourself. You're bleeding." He stated, shaking his head still trying to find arguments to reason with her that he was alive. "I still have your drawings... Every letter... I have a picture Jess drew of our mom, she was really proud of it wanted to send it to you, but was afraid to, she made me keep it so I could show you whenever we saw each other again, 'doesn't matter how long it takes', she said." He stopped talking, and forced a breath. "I'm not a liar... I'm not an illusion... I'm just... A bad friend."
Mageria had been alerted when the fight started, mostly because it involved the new people in camp and it wasn't for sure if she was needed to break it up or if the others should start laying bets. Mageria would have let it go, but she really didn't need bloodshed at the moment and she knew that Essence tended to have a hair trigger. She pushed out the door, able to hear raised voices but not much more. By the time she got there, Essence was in some sort of shock, shifting so rapidly that it couldn't be kept under control, bleeding from the ears and eyes.
"What the hell is going on?" She snarled at Jake. Pushing between the two of them, she slapped the girl sharply across the face, in the hopes of shocking her out of whatever it was that had hold of her. It didn't help. In fact, if anything it made it worse.
"Tears of the Twins." Mageria gripped the girl by the shoulders, knowing that if she didn't get her to stop she was going to be dead or the next thing to it very quickly. She needed some sort of shock, worse than a slap.
Acting quickly, Mageria ducked and hauled Essence over one shoulder, turning and running towards the river. While it might have been a heavy load to the average woman, Mageria had been wearing armor for most of her life and the girl didn't weigh much more than a full suit. So she wasn't even close to out of breath when she got to the bank, which meant that she didn't even stop, just wading out to about thigh deep; then with a silent prayer that she was doing the right thing, she simply dumped the girl off her shoulder into the river, making sure that she wouldn't hit her head, but at the same time making sure that she was completely soaked in the icy water.
Essence had pulled her shoulder free from Jake’s grip with a growl. “Don’t bloody touch me!” She keeled over as a sharp pain ran down along her back dropping both her dagger and Bear and when she stood Mageria had planted herself between Ess and Jake. When the Captain slapped her across the face, Ess never noted the pain, yet her bleeds worsened, also leaking along her nose like a fountain. The next thing she knew she was screaming in shock at the sudden icy cold river, stabbing her flesh like tiny knives all over body. Fighting the bit of current, she crawled out of the river to her feet, panting in the pain, yet even though her features were now her own, she appeared to be still bleeding. “..I’m sorry...I need to..get out of here...” Ess muttered wildly, shaking her head as she wiped at her face. A mix of embarrassment, anger, and sorrow had enveloped her and she couldn’t bare to have the Captain look at her this way as she began to wander away from the river, and down the beaten path away from the camp.
"I don't . . . bloody. . . think so." Mageria actually growled as she grabbed Essence by one arm, twisting it around and frog marching her back towards her cabin. "You want to sulk off into the woods and brood for a week, fine. I don't know what the hell is going on, but you ARE NOT walking out there in wet clothes. I've put too much damn work into you for you to go off and do such a boneheaded STUPID maneuver. I don't care where you go, but you WILL dry off and you WILL get warm and you WILL take care of yourself because you ARE not alone anymore and you DO have people who give a damn about whether or not you freeze to death." Mageria had managed to keep her voice relatively low during all of this, but she was getting increasingly angry. Reaching the center part of the camp, she planted one hand in the middle of Essence's shoulders and pushed, propelling her forwards.
"I don't know what you decide to do tonight, but the first thing you will do is go get warm. Now MARCH!" Mageria emphasized this by pointing off towards the barracks and cabins, then crossing her arms and waiting, stone faced until she did so.
“Ow..ow.....alright alright...I’m going!” Ess muttered when the Captain forced her forward, wincing at the pain of her arm in the awkward position. Even though her mind was in a fog, she heard every word Mageria spoke, piercing through her brain like burrow holes digging to the core, causing her head to ache. She knew she was right, but she was in a haze, having nothing to say to that, the Captain successfully making her feel the fool. It was what she needed though, even if in her shock, the revelation of her grief was too strong at the moment for her to think with reason. When the Captain released her and commanded her to take care of herself, Ess’ head fell as she shuffled forward, not even looking as she found her way into the barracks to sit by the fire. One of the women, the one with the familiar scar, approached Ess from the side, resting a hand lightly upon her shoulder.
“Talon...here..you can change into these..” The woman spoke calmly and when Ess turned to look at her, the woman smiled indifferently to Ess’ condition and didn’t ask a single question but offered her name instead. “Deidra...”
------
Mageria stared after Essence as she walked away, then scanned around the clearing. Jake still happened to be standing around, clutching a . . . stuffed bear? Mageria strode over, ice starting to crackle on her boots.
"Jake, a word if you please?" Continuing with the theme thus far, she grabbed Jake by the arm and pulled him along in her wake, ignoring his yelp. Pushing open the door to her cabin, she thumped down the stairs and fell into one of the chairs, leaning down to struggle with the ice clogged laces.
"Now, you know me Jake. I usually try to stay out of my people's business. But this is causing more trouble than I can ignore. So," She got one boot off and set it on a stand to dry next to the fire.
"What is it between you and Essence?"
Jake was still numb by shock and his only move was to pick the little Black Knight bear off the floor, as well as the dagger Essence had dropped. He barely reacted when Mageria dragged him away, he didn't see where they were going, he didn't really care. His mind was filled with things said and done between two children long ago, his hand still clinging to Jacob Bear as if the toy was the only thing keeping him calm at the moment. Despite his stupor, he heard what Mageria was saying, and he responded to her, although his eyes were still locked on the stuffed bear. "Ess and I met a long a time ago in Blackpond. Think, I was six then, she was, I don't know, twelve, thirteen... Doesn't matter." He cleared his throat, trying to get his voice to sound clearer, although it made no difference. "She became very close to me and to my sister too, Jess always wanted a little sister I knew that..." His voice softened to less than a whisper and he paused, again trying to make himself audible again. "I'm assuming you are aware of her past, so I don't need to explain why, but she left for Newhaven about three years later. After Jess got killed and I 'disappeared', everyone assumed I had been killed too, they put up a gravestone with my name, and so... Ess thought I had been killed then. I didn't know she thought I was dead until much later, but I... Never looked for her. I never told her the truth, and I have been avoiding her presence since I arrived and saw she was here. I didn't want her to just recognize me... But then... I don't see how anything could've made this better." He finished his talking and simply stood, staring the little bear in the eyes still.
Mageria sighed as she pulled her other boot off and propped it up.
"No, there really wasn't any way that could have gone better. But a great many it could have gone worse." She sat back and put her feet up to warm next to the fire.
"I can't say anything to what happened between you in the past. I'm far better at hacking people to bits with a sword than I am at patching up a relationship. Although, that's how Ev and I got over hating each other; we just stabbed each other a couple of times." She stood up and walked over to Jake, putting one hand on his shoulder.
"Jake, the two of you will work through this. It was a bad shock, yes. But to have somebody I loved, somebody that I thought was dead come back to me. . ." She shrugged, pain and regret clear in her eyes before they became shuttered again. "I would give anything for that. If only so that I could punch them in the nose for upsetting me." She squeezed his shoulder gently to make sure that she had his attention.
"Give it time and don't give up. You two were like family once. To get a second chance? That's the Twins blessings."
Jake heaved a shaky sigh and nodded his head slowly as Mageria spoke. He wanted, needed, to believe something good would come of this, even if he couldn't quite forgive himself for the pain he was putting his friend through. After a little while longer he let out a little cough, trying to clear his throat, before pushing the little stuffed bear onto Mageria's hands. "Will you... Will you please give this back to her? I think it's best I give her space... Until she decides she's ready to punch me in the nose or something. I think, that's the best I can do." He tried to force a smile, but couldn't pull it off; his eyes lowering to the ground as he turned to leave, hoping to just be alone for a moment. "Thanks, Captain... For everything."
Mageria smiled and put the bear gently in a cabinet. It wouldn't do for any of the children to see it and think that they could play with it. "You might want to be careful with the whole punching in the nose thing. I have been training Ess for a while now, so she might just stab you. Or light you on fire. Or poison you. Or tie you up in a tree upside down covered in honey for the bears. Or . . . ." She let her voice trail off with a crooked grin. Her people had vivid imaginations.
"Jake." Her voice stopped him as he left, perhaps just for a moment. "Pain is something we learn from. Here, we've all had a lot of pain. But we've lived through it. And we've found other people who will understand that. She just needs time. That's one of the gifts the Twins have given us." She gently clasped his shoulder for a moment. "It will come out alright in the end."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few hours went by and all Ess wanted to do was go for a walk, but the bleeds had only slowed not ceased. “It happens....I’ll be fine.” She’d argue with the medics, only to have them threaten to go get the Captain if she kept arguing, moving Essence to silence each time. Deidra had given Ess a change of clothes and was humming a soothing tune as she casually brushed out the knots in Ess’ long curly hair. “Aiden’s outside you know...he wants to see how you are doing..but I told him we were having girl time...” Deidra winked. Ess simply nodded, using a handkerchief to wipe at her nose here and there, basking in her own silence as her mind raced. She didn’t want to see anybody, not even Deidra, but decided she liked having her hair brushed as it was a bit calming against her thoughts.
‘I wished for this...didn’t I? For him to be alive....then why can’t I accept this? Maybe it’s a mistake....maybe it’s denial. It’s been so long...a decade, and to think he’s been in the same city I have, from time to time. Why didn’t he ever try to find me? Did I ever really mean anything? Maybe he just realized I wasn’t worth much of anything..just like the rest of the lot of ‘em.’ Essence growled at herself, pulling away from Deidra to stand closer towards the fire, fighting off the urge to sob, to break something, to scream even; she simply stood staring into the deep orange embers. Absently she pushed aside a few black feathers from her eyes, tucking them to behind her right ear. “Pathetic...” She whispered in a muffled gasp, working to keep herself calm. “Why can’t I just be happy to have what I thought was lost? No....he is still lost...the boy I knew would have searched out for me...the boy I knew perhaps is dead then. I don’t know who that man is, but he’s not my friend....he’s a shadow..’ Ess didn’t know if she was more annoyed with the fact a MAN caused her to fall apart like this, that she could let someone get so close where it could be her demise or that she was falling into the same path again with someone who can hurt her just as bad if not worse. Did she really believe her own words that it was worth the risk, for a bit of happiness? To feel loved? She couldn’t decide if Jake was just lost, or if it was all a lie and Ess didn’t understand what hurt more. Should she even try to help him? Maybe it was all a sick joke; a game of some oddity. ‘Wouldn’t be the first time...’ She scolded to herself. ‘Should of learned my lesson with Jemma.’ Ess couldn’t help but scoff at herself for that thought, knowing she’d go insane in her loneliness and would not probably be alive if it hadn’t been for her friend. He probably didn’t even know the influence he had over her, but then again, was it false?
Essence was shaking, her skin was flushed from the fire, she felt like she was about to jump out of her skin. With a forceful amount of control Ess rose slowly, casually running her fingers along a small pouch upon the rock mantel fireplace, rolling the leather piece into her hand.
“Bone needles...” Deidra said with a sigh, chuckling a bit when Ess smiled wide, a twinkle of creativity sparkling from her orbs. “What the boys been using with a string of dyes made from the smoke of an oily nut and ash soot, when they tattoo each other.” The woman paused when Ess peeked inside the pouch. “I was thinking of tiny black feathers along my left temple....something to remind me of family and strength...more of what I’ve gained than lost..”
Ess looked up at Deidra nodding absently, “..Strength.....” She whispered, feeling her skin flush with a heat as if her insides were burning like the fire before her. Shaking her curls loose, they draped along her neck, hiding the trail of crimson that trickled from her ear canal making her a bit uneasy so that she turned abruptly for the door. “I’ll bring these back later...” Bowing her head politely, Deidra didn’t argue with her, only pointed out in silence a few vials of black, sticky sap Ess would need for her current task, if she understood correctly.
Deidra shot one of the medics a look when he went to protest Ess’ departure, causing him to stay where he was, a bit defeated. Waiting patiently at her heels of course was Tala, her tail thumping slowly against the snow before the wolf trotted after her friend. Ess didn’t see Aiden as she made her way to her tent, although he was around, lingering along the tree line he hung back knowing she needed her space. Smart man.
After boiling some water in a kettle and cleaning the bone needles, Ess settled herself inside her tent, Tala guarding the entrance; periodically peeking her snout past the flap to check on Ess. She had dressed in her favorite green dress, the one that was worn from many years of use (the one Jess had actually given her when she lived in BlackPond), sliding her arms out of the sleeves so that her chest was exposed just above her bust line. After positioning a mirror before her she stared for some time up at her tapestry that hung from the ceiling of her tent; a dying oak surrounded in flames that never burned. It was almost poetic at that moment how she saw herself as that oak, crumbling under pressure, yet never disappearing. With an eerie smile she began lightly inking an outline of the oak engulfed in flames along her chest, extending out along the base of her neck and shoulders. When she was satisfied, she rolled out all the tools before her, including an old bottle of some type of scotch whiskey, guzzling a few sips of the liquid courage before she began the painful prodding and scarring of her own flesh with the tiny teeth like ends of the bone needles.
Surprisingly the outline itself of the tree didn’t hurt as much as she assumed it would, besides the few times the tiny cluster of bone needles jabbed too deep, causing her to muffle a cry behind tight lips, Tala whining softly here and there as the hours passed. Gently she would dab with a warm cloth as specks of blood appeared along her flesh, like cherry blossoms in the spring, only to be smothered in the ink and soot so that it was more than a scar upon her chest. She managed to finish off half a bottle of the liquor before the repeated pricking along already tender areas began to release a subtle whine from her lips, her hand trembling in the details. Gradually she added wisps of smoke, veins along the base of the trunk that seemed to sprout from her breasts, and bark within the leafless branches with the occasional attempt at shading substance to her artwork.
The drinking had done two things: One, ironically it had slowed her bleeds from nose, eyes and ears to almost nothing; while two expectedly, making her blood thinner and not clotting normally as it should. Essence was forced to take frequent breaks, putting pressure along the sore spots in an attempt to slow the speckled bleeding, tears streaking her cheeks as the pain grew. It was a temporary distraction to the agony her insides swelled with and finally when she couldn’t focus enough anymore, she stopped to dress and roll out a thin layer of linen across the wounds. Standing with a sway, Ess stumbled out of the tent almost tripping over Tala as usual, and just began walking across the bridge away from camp, bottle still in hand and her wolf following as expected.
~~~
Aiden had spent the past few hours hanging out at Ess’ fire, keeping it burning with something to eat for when she got back; his small way of staying out of her hair but trying to be helpful. Laying lazily upon the log beside the flames, staring up at the starless sky he began to drift off to sleep in the comforting silence from the late night slumber of camp. His mind was trailing off to how he needed one more day to finish Tala’s kennel for her and her pups when he heard his furry friend cry out, breaking the silence. There came the familiar haunting wail, echoing into the vast shadows, shattering Aiden’s thoughts. At first he remained still, a smile curling his lips as he basked in comforting howls that dragged on for minutes at a time, pausing then starting again. A forlorned cry choked into a whine, that carried on, sinking deep inside Aiden, eyes snapping open in alert. His smile quickly faded, rising to a vertical posture he gathered his surroundings to determine which direction the screams of the wolf were coming from before he bolted off into a mad dash. Something was wrong, at the very least off in the piercing sob like howls that swelled higher and higher as he closed in deep into the thicket along the outskirts of camp. “..I’m here.. Tala...”
~~~
Essence groaned, rolling over a few times in the slush where her body had managed to melt some of the snow. Her form halted against Tala’s as she arched her back howling sadly into the night. When she tried to open her eyes, she found her vision was blurred, a sticky residue was caked at the corners of her eyes, her hair saturated in the same sticky substance. “Ugh....what the...” Ess voice cracked, her fingers lightly clawing at Tala’s paws. “Arr.....stop that Tala.....my head.....” Crawling along her belly, Ess knocked her now empty bottle aside with a sigh, the wolf finally falling to silence only to cover Ess’ face in kisses. She was too tired to fight off Tala’s advances of cleaning up her face and had only crawled a few feet before she turned over onto her back, panting heavily she fought off a wave of sobs. In her attempt to catch her breath she began coughing and gagging, occasionally spitting up more blood in addition to that which already stained her gown, hair and skin. Ess didn’t hear the flutter of footsteps coming to a sliding stop when she began dry heaving.
Aiden began to panic when Tala’s cries stopped, but heaved a sigh of relief when he turned a corner and came to a small clearing, the sounds of gurgling and spitting alerting him to Ess. He was practically glued to her side, his hand already gently pulling her hair from out her face. “Talon...breathe love..breathe....” He whispered soothingly, the deep tone sending chills down her spine as she realized who was there. “Essence.....Ess.....what’s wrong....are you hurt? So much blood...”
“Bloody hell....just...out of booze...” She chuckled between coughs, her throat dry and hoarse from the fit. Aiden helped Ess sit up, resting her back against his thigh as he shook his head, caramel eyes sadly scanning over the woman. It looked worse than it was, since her dress and skin was streaked with blood from her bleeds. When his gaze came to her chest his eyes narrowed, a soft growl of concern creeping in. “What...did you do to yourself Ess? You plan on bleeding to death in the woods?”
“..Hush you....it’s pretty....you’ll see....” Ess snickered. “Or...maybe you won’t....either way...” Her words trailed off into a small tangent of hiccups, her seemingly amused expression fading into soft sobs. “They...all run away....” The next few words were barely audible, Aiden assuming they were incoherent mutterings as she continued, him simply speaking over her to calm herself and to let him help her. “..Luuuuckaas...” She whispered under her breath. “Where...are you....not...angry...” Ess’ eyes closed slowly, her body tensing a bit, using her bit of strength to lean into Aiden, his forehead lightly touching hers as he attempted to coax her to stand. To his surprise his lips suddenly met Ess’ as she pressed into him, her fingers clawing through his hair, his own arms cradling her hourglass form, as her mind vanished from consciousness. Her head fell loose from his grasp, soft lips teasingly peeled away from his own. Aiden’s jaw dropped in awe when his tongue caught the taste of iron, discovering his bottom lip was bleeding. Staring only a moment, he shuffled to a squatting position, one arm supporting Ess’ back and the other slinking beneath her knees lifting her as he stood. “Rest now....” Aiden held Ess tight against his chest, whistling for Tala to follow as he made his way back to camp to the medic’s cabin. Rest indeed was what the woman needed.
The setting changes from Raven's Nest to The Manor
[The Manor - 5 days after Castle Ball, late night]
[Flashback – Newhaven, approximately 16 years in the past]
The boy’s hands were pressed against his ears with all the strength he had in him, but still the screaming was horrifying; he didn’t know what exactly was happening, but he wouldn’t dare open his eyes. Trying to shut out the screaming of one voice only made the shouting of the other sound louder… The words piercing through his ears painfully: “LIAR! CHEATER! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!”
The child was shivering in fear and pain, tears silently running down his face as he was curled up on the blood soaked floor; eyes still tightly shut. All of a sudden a second pair of, equally small, hands covered his own and successfully drowned out all the sound, and there he sat, in the silence… In darkness… For what seemed like forever… Until a female scream echoed so high no amount of sheltering could keep it from reaching his ears… And the boy opened his eyes to his mother’s terrified figure. Her eyes locked on him, and on the other boy who had been trying to help cover his ears, and she froze for a brief moment of hesitation before moving to drag both toddlers by their hands out of the house... Still covered in blood.
. . . .
“Hey, wake up, little boy!” A girl’s voice pierced through the young boy’s ears and he was startled by it. The bad men had told him and his brother that they were just playing a game, that as soon as they were done, his mommy would come and get him. He didn’t know how long ago that was, it seemed like it was so long ago… He couldn’t remember. Too long. Way too long.
“What’s your name?” She spoke again. “I know you can talk, I heard you calling your mommy when they brought the two of you in.” She stated.
The boy simply shivered, shaking his head in negatives over and over, his eyes wide in terror, as he crawled away from where the girl was standing.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me.” She assured him. “I have to call you something though… I know! Luckas! You could be a Luckas!” She giggled. “I’ll call you Lukey… You know, you remind me of my brother a little bit. He’s not here anymore, they sent him away a while ago, so now he’s gone, but they can’t get rid of me though.” She stated proudly. She extended a curious look towards the quieter boy in the corner. “Hey there, I almost didn’t see you!” She said.
Luke’s brother didn’t react, he simply sat in the corner, wide eyed and staring blankly.
“I’ll call you something too… Hmmm.... How about... Matthew? That’s a nice name. Matt…” She smiled sweetly at the both of them. “Listen, I know it’s scary down here, but you have to trust me when I say you’ll be alright.” She smiled at Luckas, since he was, unlike Matt, looking at her curiously. “My name is Samantha, by the way. You can call me Sam. Can you say it? Sam.”
Luckas shook his head again, the horrified look still in his eyes.
Sam smiled. “Don’t be afraid, Lukey, it’s alright. You know why? I’ll tell you a secret, try to remember it…” She paced to the limits of a line that was drawn on the floor, limiting the space where the boys were allowed to go, and crouched down, speaking in a tone slightly above a whisper. “You are much stronger than they’ll ever know. One day, they’ll be the ones afraid of you.” She stopped, tensing a little when noises were heard coming from upstairs. She smiled. “Remember that, okay Lukey? I’ll come back later.”
. . . . . .
He had tried to get out. The door was left open and he took one step outside… One step before it all went to hell.
Luckas didn’t bother to try and defend himself, or fight back, it was worse than just taking the punishment… He had learned that the hard way. He didn’t listen to the curses being shouted at him, he didn’t care for the pain, he never cried or whined anymore, he just let it happen, and afterwards he lay, still, as motionless as possible waiting for the pain to go away; sooner or later, it always did. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been laying on the cold ground before the door opened and someone entered; the footsteps too light to be one of his ‘handlers’. Sam.
“Oh… Damn it... Lukey…” The girl whispered. “You can’t even move, can you?”
At the words, Luckas tried to push himself up, but the girl was right, he was too weak to do it.
“It’ll be alright… You’ll see… I’ll take care of you.” She stated in a soft whisper.
Luckas couldn’t move, but internally he panicked when he felt hands on him… That was not allowed, definitely not allowed, he couldn’t get in trouble again, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was carried and laid comfortingly in blankets, opening one of his eyes slightly to look up at the older girl as she lifted his head to make him take a drink of water. “There you go sweetie. I know it hurts, but it’ll get better. I promise.”
Sammy stopped talking after that, and simply sat beside him, humming softly a soft melody that Luckas had never heard before. It soothed him, almost made the pain go away, and soon he drifted off to sleep.
[Flashback – Some dark place of the past, about 13 years ago]
(Inspirational Music: Down in a Hole – Alice in Chains)
“You were warned! Repeatedly, Samantha! And you know this is what happens when you break my rules!” The man shouted, mercilessly beating the young girl down, kicking and stomping her on the floor. The sound of crying was joined by the sickening sound of breaking bones and soon enough, she couldn’t even cry anymore.
The six year old boy simply watched with tears running down his face as the one person who had ever shown him kindness was broken down before his eyes. Once the man left the basement, the boy crawled as close as he could to the girl without crossing the line drawn on the stone ground, but he couldn’t reach her. After a moment of hesitation he crossed the line completely. Sitting next to the fifteen year old girl the boy struggled against yet another rule, reaching out his hand and withdrawing it before it touched her face. Her eyes were open, two green lights in the dark cold room. Her breathing was soft and slow as if breathing alone was just too exhausting. He couldn’t. He didn’t have the courage to touch her, but he needed to get her attention somehow. He needed her to know he was there. It took a lot of effort, especially after being silent for as long as he had, but he managed to get his voice to sound just loud enough to be heard, never above a whisper. “S-Sam…” He stammered, calling her name like she had always asked him to.
The girl opened a faint smile, her eyes closing slowly. “You did it… Lukey… I’m so proud.” She whispered. “D-don’t let them… Decide… Who you are… Y-you’re stronger… Remember?” She managed to mumble, reaching for the boy and gently brushing a few strands of black hair away from his eyes.
Luke shuddered at the touch. He wanted to pull away from it, but didn’t have it in him to deny his friend of that moment. He felt she wasn’t going to make it, he could almost see life leaving her body, little by little, at every breath. Knowing that he couldn’t possibly help her, he did the one thing he knew he could do: He curled up on the cold ground as well and snuggled close to her, a bit startled when she wrapped one arm around him and much more so to hear her sobbing, even so, he didn’t move away from her, rather he turned his back so he didn’t have to look. She was slipping away, so he would let her hold him, but he wasn’t going to watch; he couldn’t. Slowly, the sobbing stopped and the room fell silent. He could feel her heart beating slowly and her breath beginning to fade into nothing. It didn’t take long, soon she was gone, but Luckas still couldn’t move out of her embrace. His black eyes caught his brother where he sat; he hadn’t moved from his habitual corner the whole time. Matthew was simply watching the scene with a blank expression in his eyes as if he couldn’t really see a thing. With a shaky breath, Luckas closed his eyes. “Sam.” He whispered again, before drifting into sleep.
When Luckas woke up in the morning he felt himself choke as someone was holding him up by the back of his shirt and the collar was pressing against his throat. The unusual amount of light flooding the basement meant that the door was wide open. Once the boy felt he could open his eyes, he noticed he was being held up over the girl’s dead body. “Look at her! See what you did, you little piece of shit? You killed her! That’s what happens when you disobey, you little freak!” With an angry growl the boy was forcefully thrown across the room, pain invading his body as he collided with the stone wall. “Stay on that side of the line!”
More and more the man shouted, but Luckas wasn’t listening. The boy’s eyes were fixed on the pretty, lifeless, features of the girl lying on the dirty floor. Did he kill her? Had he done that? He couldn’t remember anymore, his mind was blurry, his head hurt… How could he have killed her? She was the only one who ever cared for him. He couldn’t have… It couldn’t be…
Boots blocked his view as the man stood before him, forcing him to listen. “You are a killer, a monster, and that is all you’ll ever be. Accept it, embrace it, and learn to play by the rules. It’s the only way to ever leave this room alive.”
Luckas opened his eyes and sat up in a panic, finding a pair of yellow eyes staring at him in the dark; he tilted his head intrigued at the sight, almost forgetting his nightmares as he made out Sam’s form in the darkness; he had never seen her eyes light up that way, and he couldn’t understand what that meant. “Sammy?” He mumbled, still a little groggy.
“You were calling my name.” She whispered; the yellow light fading into the usual dark green and making the room completely dark again. “Is everything alright?”
“Just bad dreams...” He mumbled. “Why are you always in my room?”
“My house...” She chuckled.
“Yeah, yeah…” He sighed.
“I like watching you sleep, it’s interesting. Does it disturb you?” She asked.
“I don’t know.” He replied. “What do you mean interesting?”
“You mumble things, and you whine sometimes… It’s interesting to watch.” She answered, standing up from her chair. “I can leave if you want.”
“No!” Luckas caught himself objecting before he even thought about it. “I mean, you don’t have to… If you don’t want to…” He mumbled.
She chuckled and stepped away from the door, walking to his bed and sitting on the edge. “What were you dreaming?” She asked, in a soft tone.
“Just… Old memories...” He shrugged, trying to hide the shaking in his hands by slipping them under the covers.
“I heard you calling ‘mommy’.” Sam stated simply, her eyes fixed on him. “And I remember when I last heard that.”
“Please, Sam… I don’t want to talk about it.” He muttered.
“I understand, do you want me to just stay, is that it?”
Luke nodded, resting his head over his knees. “Matt covered my ears.” He mumbled. “Who was covering his?”
“What are you…?” Sam stopped herself mid-sentence and heaved a little sigh. “Never mind.”
“I couldn’t see her face… I really don’t remember anymore… Even now…” He mumbled, raising his head to look at her. “My mother… Why can’t I remember?”
“No one remembers that early in life, Lukey… Don’t push yourself too far with this. I said I will find her for you.”
“Did you ever find your mother, Sammy?” He muttered. “What makes it so much easier to find mine?”
“My mother was…” Sam took a deep breath before she continued. “My mother was a captive of the Brotherhood, so to speak. See, the cause would be compromised if the Master was to have a child with someone tainted by Enlightened blood. It became tradition for the Master to bring a woman of pure blood from outside the Land, from Terra, to bear him children… Whether she wanted to or not. And by a woman I mean a female old enough to bear children, which can be just as young as an eleven year old, interesting, huh?” She pulled her legs up on the bed and scooted over closer to him, but still keeping a respectful distance. “That’s what I know of her; she was somewhere between eleven and twenty years old, from Terra, not a hint of enlightened blood on her… And as soon as she got pregnant she was sent back. I was born and then brought to my father a few months later and no one ever spoke of her again.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Sammy.” Luke mumbled, glancing towards her and taking notice of the fact she had gotten closer.
Sam just shrugged. “It doesn’t matter really.”
“Your father seemed like a pleasant man.” Luke muttered.
She snickered. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Did you kill him?” Luke asked, lifting his head as he heard an audible ‘meow’ coming from outside the door.
Sam chuckled and stood up, answering his question as she walked to the door. “Not with my own hands, but I was there.” She opened the door and a scruffy-looking white cat, with big pointy ears, immediately crossed the doorway, meowing incessantly and rubbing up against her legs until she finally picked it up in her arms and hugged it gently. “Seth, sweetie… Why are you wandering about at this hour?” She asked, gently rubbing the cat between his pointy ears. “You miss mommy, huh? You spoiled little brat…” She chuckled, shutting the door before walking back towards the bed and sitting back down, dropping the cat beside her on the sheets. She gave Luke a rather apologetic look. “If I toss him out, he will scratch the door and meow until your ears bleed… I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Luke muttered, glancing away as the cat began wandering around the bed and sniffing everything. It was actually not okay, Luke really disliked cats, but he didn’t want Sam to leave, so if he had to put up with the cat he would.
“I can go and take him back to my room, it’s perfectly fine.” She offered, already beginning to stand up when she felt a firm grip on her wrist.
“Please stay.” Luke whispered, releasing Sam rather quickly as Seth hissed at him; pointy ears flattened against its skull and back arched in an intimidating gesture. That wasn’t what scared Luckas however; it was the cat’s right eye… It had turned red for a split second before fading to a pale blue, unlike his other eye, which was of a similar pale tone, but green.
Sam chuckled softly. “Seth, don’t be a meanie.” She scolded. “I’m sorry, Lukey, he’s just a bit territorial.” She stated, pulling the cat onto her lap.
“His eye…” Luke mumbled. “What…?”
Sam sighed. “Yes… Seth and my other cat Pandora are rescued from my father’s crazy plan to imprint animals… He made me try to give them telepathic abilities… It didn’t work, well… Not completely.”
“Not completely?” Luckas asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Seth and Pandora are the only two survivors out of twelve kittens. They didn’t quite develop an ability of their own though, they only became telepathically bound to me.” She explained, absently stroking the cat’s fur. Seth curled up into a ball in her lap, emitting a low purr and closing his mismatched eyes. “I’ve had them for seven years now. I think cats are so much better than dogs. They’re only loyal if they respect you, they cannot be tamed… And they do not need you.”
“What is the point of having them, then?” Luckas asked. “I don’t like cats, they’re unreliable.”
“They’re far more reliable than humans will ever be.” Sam retorted.
“That… That may be true.” Luke stated, rubbing his eyes and letting out a yawn. “But being more reliable than people is not much of a feat, now is it? Plus, at least dogs give a shit.”
“Dogs are needy, and stupid.” Sam stated simply. “Fine though… Let’s just disagree on this and lay this discussion to rest before it gets violent.”
Luckas chuckled. “Huh… Never thought that’d get a rise out of you ‘Mistress’. You’re always so collected.”
Sam laughed softly. “Go back to sleep boy… You’re tired.”
Luckas laid himself down with a weary sigh, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion, but not very eager to fall back asleep. “You know, I like you better this way…” He mumbled.
“What way?” Sam asked, leaning back against the headboard and watching him with the corner of her eyes.
“When you act like yourself.” He answered. “I like you, Sammy. I don’t always like how you act though…” Luckas answered, closing his eyes. “You need to laugh more.”
She sighed softly. “You don’t know what my self is like Luckas… I’m not that kid in the basement anymore.”
“Sure you are… In the end, I think that’s all we’ll ever be.” Luckas replied, immediately drifting off to sleep.
[The Manor - 6 days after Castle Ball, early afternoon]
“Luuukey...”
A familiar voice sounded in the room, almost singing his name cheerfully, as Luckas simply lay across his bed slightly entertained with a book. “What.” He mumbled, not surprised at the fact he hadn’t heard the door open, still trying to keep his focus on the pages.
“What?” Sam’s voice repeated a bit coldly and slightly menacingly. “Who do you think you are to talk to me that way, Pet?”
Her tone was enough to make any other Brother wet his pants, but Luckas knew his Mistress a little better than that. “Hmph.” He mumbled, raising his eyes from the book to find her standing beside his bed, arms crossed over her chest and a severe expression in her eyes. “I’m no one’s pet, and you better remember that.” Luke replied in a low growl.
Sam giggled in response, sitting on the bed facing him. “Such a rebellious little puppy you are, Lukey, love… What is making you so cranky? Tell me….” She snickered. “Is it because of the nightmares, huh? I could keep you company again tonight, maybe… Check under your bed for monsters and all… Or pretty ladies, we all know how scary those can be.”
“Shut up.” Was all Luke managed to say as he set the book aside and sat up straight, his face so close to hers they were breathing the same air, his eyes glowing red in clear rage, his fists clenched tightly; not at all amused by Sam’s playful comments.
Sam didn’t seem frightened by his response at all. “Would you rather I pretend not to know why you’ve been spending your days locked in your room lately?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “You obviously miss your little girlfriend, so why don’t you just go see her?”
“She’s not my ‘little girlfriend’, and I thought you didn’t want me to see her.” Luke replied, the anger still in his tone. “If it goes against your wishes, Mistress, then I have no reason to do so.”
“Maybe not, but what I really wished for is that you did not want to see her anymore, but you clearly do, so it doesn’t matter…” She heaved a small sigh and gently stroked the side of his face with the back of her hand. “It doesn’t matter.” She repeated in a soft whisper, lowering her hand from his cheek and reaching for the book he had tossed aside, skimming through its pages casually. “For someone who doesn’t believe in the Gods, you read through mythology books too often.” She stated.
“I like the stories.” He answered, taking the book from her, not wanting her to see it had Annie’s name on the back cover. “Tell me Sam… Do you think it was the Gods’ powers that corrupted the humans, or humanity that corrupted the Gods? Have you ever wondered, if they really cared for the humans and that’s why they wanted to stay?”
“I think… They had their own selfish reasons to want to stay. I don’t think they could care, except maybe Heart, but there are selfish and harmful ways of caring as well.” She stated.
“Are there harmful ways of caring? Like what?” He asked.
“Well, everything can be harmful if it’s excessive, Luckas... Even love...Especially love...” Sam said with a little shrug. “Like… Thinking you know what is best for someone, but not taking their will into consideration. Like clinging to someone and not knowing how to let go… For instance.”
“What if they couldn’t help it?” Luckas asked, now leaning back and resting his back against the headboard. “What if they tried not to get attached, not to get involved, but just couldn’t help it?” He paused, taking notice, by how Sam’s expression had changed, that she understood exactly what he meant. “Hypothetically, of course.” He added.
“I think… I think those hypotheticals of yours are not hypothetical enough for me to answer impartially, Luckas. If you wanted to know my opinion, truly, on what this is truly about… I’d tell you that it will only end badly. Much like the Twins’ involvement ended badly, even if they did care for the humans, it didn’t turn out well for them to go against the natural order of things.”
“I’m not sure I follow…” Luckas mumbled.
“I think you do; this is not my business, or at least it won’t be until it interferes with our cause directly, but I think you should forget this woman, Luckas; because in the end of it all she is going to die. Sure, everyone will die someday, but she will die as a result of your actions, even if not directly, and you will be left with choosing between living with that fact, or dying as well. That’s how I see it ending.” She replied, leaning back on the bed for a moment, planting both her hands on the mattress and resting her weight on them as she stared up at the ceiling. “You will suffer, or die, and I will suffer for losing you, and she will be dead either way.”
“Why?” Luckas asked, almost to himself, his voice sounding slightly like the whining of a kid seeing his favorite toy being taken away.
“For the same reason wolves don’t befriend bunny rabbits Luckas. You’re a predator, and she is… Well… Prey. I wish I could put it in prettier terms, but it is what it is. She is no different from the ones you killed, on my command, and the others you are yet to kill, and we haven’t gotten to that yet, but… One day her time will come. Who knows then, you might have to kill her as well. What will you do then?”
“I will do what I have to do.” Luckas stated, raising an eyebrow as if the question was taken as an insult. “I swore my allegiance, now haven’t I?”
Sam snickered. “Down, boy.” She sighed softly. “I’m simply trying to help you Luke. I don’t think you fully understand the consequences of this, ‘friendship’ of yours. I think you underestimate the ways in which this can affect you. You know, I’d hate to lose my favorite pet.” She stated, with a playful grin.
“Perhaps you would rather I forget this whole thing and spend my free time curled up at your feet?” He asked in a slightly annoyed tone.
She sat up straight letting her gaze fall from the patterns of the ceiling and onto his face. “And what if I do?” She smiled. “Is that so evil of me?”
Luckas chuckled softly. “Yes, yes it is Sammy. What did you say about clinging to someone and not knowing when to let go?”
Sam fell into a laughing fit for a couple of minutes at the words. “Oh, you poor innocent puppy…” She chuckled. “You should know by now that I don’t ever let go.”
[The Manor - 6 days after Castle Ball, late night]
”Where am I?”
“Does that even matter now?”
“I don’t know... I’m not sure... I don’t know who I am anymore.”
“Have you ever truly known that? Does anyone ever truly know?”
“I was certain of things…”
“You can never be certain of anything”
“I don’t want to die without knowing what’s truly real.”
“You are already dead, Brother, no matter what is real.”
The darkness was absolute. If there was such thing as complete and absolute absence of light, this was it. It was as if nothing existed but the haunting voices that whispered as if coming from every direction at once, and still… All was empty.
“Do you know Brother, what fear truly feels like? Have you ever screamed in terror? You have never felt such things, have you? Because you are already dead.”
“I have.”
“Show me.”
“What?”
“Show me fear… Scream for me…” The voice laughed maniacally when there was no reply from Luckas. “See? You are dead and just don’t know it…”
The laughter continued for what seemed like forever and finally Luckas could feel himself standing in the center of an empty room; that same dreaded basement where he spent most of his childhood years. He knew he was standing there somehow, but for some reason he still couldn’t see anything. The shadows seemed to swallow him whole and all he saw was black.
“A man with nothing to lose is a dead man. If you fear nothing, you have nothing, and so you are dead. You died here. Why fight then? Surrender.”
“I have people now.” Luckas argued. “I’m not ready to let go.”
“People? Look, we both know how that ends.” The voice mocked. “People judge, and expect things and when you eventually let them down they abandon you. Theyl betray you, and you’re left all alone with your thoughts again. Just you and your thoughts… Just like old times… Wouldn’t that be delightful?” The voice said, exploding into giggles. “Just you and me, Brother… Like old times…”
The light went on in the room, somehow. There were no torches, lamps, or windows, but there was light now, as if it appeared out of nowhere. The pitch black became a light yellow, as if Luke was surrounded by sunlight, even if not warm. All was light, except one thing: In front of Luckas there was a large mirror that seemed to extend through an entire wall. Or at least he believed it to be a mirror, since its surface was jet black, and nothing could be seen in it but darkness. Still, Luckas was sure that it was a mirror for some reason. As he stared into it, trying to see something inside, he thought he saw shadows move. He thought he saw eyes in the dark, and as he tried to get a better look he definitely heard voices, whispers, calling his name from the shadows, calling him in different ways and different voices, some familiar, others not…
“Brother…”
“Luke…”
“Luckas…”
“My Dear Luckas…”
“Foolish boy…”
“Little vermin…”
“Lukey…”
“Luckas…”
“What are you?”
“Who are you?”
“Please… Don’t…”
“I beg you… Have mercy!”
“If you didn’t want me to like you Luckas, then you most definitely are going about it the wrong way.”
“In the end, you'll always be someone's pet, because you're too weak to function without someone on the other end of your leash.”
“… I saw something in you that I didn’t want to let die…”
“I’m sure no one would give a crap if I let you wander off and drop dead somewhere, but I’m still not going to let it happen.”
“Will it hurt?”
The voices were constant and, even in whispers, they seemed to get louder and louder somehow. Familiar voices, people he liked, hated, strangers, victims, all of them mixed inside his head trying to tell him who he was, what he was, where he belonged… Or that he simply didn’t belong at all. It all brought an ache to his temples and chest and he felt as if he was suffocating. Placing both palms on the dark surface, he leaned against the black mirror, pushing against it as if the gesture would somehow vent his anger and frustration, but, in reality, it did no such thing. He closed his eyes, or at least he must have, because next thing he knew, watching him from the darkness were a crowd of glowing eyes of all shapes and colors, a few of them recognized as familiar: Sam’s green eyes, Lena’s blue, Ess’ violet, and every other he ever encountered… Every mind he’s ever met… Luckas was lost in watching the shadows. At one point or another he swore he could see silhouettes moving amongst their dark surroundings. He felt like he wanted to join them, but it didn’t matter how much he pressed against the surface of the mirror, it would not let him pass. That was when he heard it again… Not just any voice, THE voice. This time it didn't seem to come from everywhere at once; it was right in front of him and that was when Luckas saw what he first thought was his own reflection, and it spoke: “You died here, you just don’t know it. You died here with me, so long ago…”
Before Luckas realized that he wasn’t really looking at himself, even though the person in the mirror did in fact mirror him, the ‘image’ pushed against him. Suddenly he felt skin against his hands as the ‘image’s’ hands pushed against them. Luckas stared into its eyes, same as his, the face, the hair, everything, but the smile… Much deeper, far more psychotic, and absolutely delighted… That was Matthew’s face. “Matt…” Luke whispered, stumbling back under his force. Mathew let him take his distance, but always walking towards him, slowly, his smile widening at every step.
“Did you really think you were free of me?” Matthew’s voice sounded much like his, only it echoed as if he spoke from the bottom of an abyss. “I will always be with you, brother, another part of you; the strongest part of you. I am your shadow and you may leave me behind, but I will never truly leave you.”
Luckas was shaking, fear taking over him at the sight of his twin; Matthew couldn’t be alive, Luke knew as much, but the sight of him just caused him panic even so. “You’re dead.” He mumbled. “You’re not real.”
“Oh, but neither are you, brother.” Matthew replied, his grin widening, as manic as it had ever been. “Now, little brother… Scream for me… Show me fear… See what I see… Isn’t that what you always wanted?”
Luckas continued to walk away until he felt cold stone press against his back; he was cornered, and even though he knew Matthew’s gift could never hurt him, that he was dead, that this could not be real… None of it mattered. The only thought in him was that if Matthew got to him, he would never let go… He would drag him to hell with him… Perhaps that was his fate, but he didn’t want to go just yet.
As the twin neared, Luke realized that he was now holding something; it felt like a knife, it was a knife… And without a flinch Luke buried it in Matthew’s chest the moment he was close enough, but he must have closed his eyes again, because when he opened them again Matthew was smiling as wide as ever; triumphant. “You’re dead Luckas, you just don’t know it.” He whispered.
Luckas looked down… He was never the one holding the knife, it seemed. Matthew’s hand was the one on the handle, pushing the blade slowly, straight through Luke’s chest.
“Alone, Luckas; you and me… In the dark… Forever… That’s how it ends.”
Luckas woke up abruptly, his right hand gripping the front of his shirt, shivers crawling their way up and down his spine. His chest ached as if a blade had in fact gone through it, and sweat was soaking his clothes and hair. “It’s not real... not real... It’s not real...” He muttered under his breath, trying to will the shivering away. “I’m not dead... It’s not real... I’m not dead yet... Not yet... Not yet...”
It took Luckas a few minutes to steady himself, open his eyes, and allow himself to slip back into the present, to the real world, or what was left of it. It was still dark outside his window, the sky was clear and in the dark room he could still see some stars sparkling in the dark blue background above, the house was silent as it usually was and everything seemed perfectly normal. Luckas inhaled slowly and forced himself to breathe it all out; his hands still shaking from the very vivid dream. The memory of his dead twin unpleasantly and persistently clinging to his mind. The words spoken still lingering in the background: “In the dark... Forever...”
Luckas couldn’t remember ever being this frightened before. It wasn’t full blown terror, but it was the closest he had ever been. If it had been for real, then perhaps... Luckas snickered softly under his breath, running one hand through his sweaty hair as he forced himself to get out of bed. As soon as his bare feet touched the stone floor, however, he felt little claws sinking into his ankle painfully. “Argh, damn it, Seth!” He shouted, picking the cat up by his neck, ignoring the several more scratches to his arm, and tossing it out the bedroom door, slamming it shut and muttering. “Stupid fleabag!” On his way back Luckas froze where he stood, the corner of his eye catching his reflexion on a mirror on the wall, without much thought to it, he picked up one of the sheets and covered the mirror with. “I said not yet.” he mumbled.
-About an hour later-
“How come you’re not in bed Lukey? Is it about your little girlfriend?” Sam asked, sitting across from Luckas on one of the kitchen tables and snatching a cookie from the plate that was place in between them on the wooden surface.
“Why must you keep calling her that, Sam? Luke muttered, fiddling with the cookies he’d stolen from the pantry, but not eating. “And what makes you say that?”
“Because it annoys you; but also because I have eyes and I’m not dumb.” She leaned over the table, resting her chin in her hands, and snickered. “I heard you call for her in your sleep. Were you having a wet dream or something?”
“No. I was just randomly naming people I know.” He muttered sarcastically. “It wasn’t even about her.... And stop spying on me.”
“You don’t want me to stop spying on you. I’ve asked you at least four times if I was bothering you and you avoided the question altogether. You like it that I watch you sleep, makes you feel safe, but you don’t want to admit it and you don’t want to lie about it; so you avoid answering.”
Luckas sighed softly and stuffed a whole cookie in his mouth to keep himself occupied as he chewed on it in silence.
“How come you don’t have a nickname for me like everyone else?” Sam asked curiously.
Luke swallowed hard and coughed slightly before answering. “I do… It’s ‘Sammy’. Why, you don’t like that?” He took a sip of water. “And it’s not everybody else…”
“Just the ones that matter.” Sam stated, with a little smirk. “...Whether it’s because you like them ot because you don’t... Do you forget who you’re talking to?”
Luke chuckled slightly under his breath. “Never.”
Sam sighed softly. “Lukey, why don’t you tell me what is troubling you? You might feel better, and maybe I can help.”
“If I… Give you a hypothetical… Will you promise to keep it a hypothetical and answer me honestly?”
“Sure, and I’m always honest.” Sam replied. “Tell me.”
“Let’s say you are incredibly good at chess.”
“I am incredibly good at chess.” She chuckled. “But please, go on.”
“You never lost a game, and the more you win the harder it is to find a worthy opponent. It starts to get too easy. Not any less fun, but less challenging... And you NEED the challenge. One day you run across a great opponent, you play and it ends in a draw, and every time you play after that it ends the same way. It doesn’t matter though, because the game is still exciting, never boring, even after it all starts to get familiar. Now, nothing about you has changed, you still feel the urge to win. In fact, a part of you feels a nearly uncontrollable urge to win. The problem is that if you beat this player, you will never get to play with this person again. The game ends.” Luckas let both his arms rest on the table and leaned forward, letting his chin rest over them as he stared into Sammy’s green eyes. “So now, what do you choose to do? A part of you desperately wants to win, but then there’s this other part of you that is terrified that if you do, you’ll never be able to enjoy the game the same way again.”
“What you are asking is whether I would choose to hold on to the certainty of ‘instant gratification’ or risk the mere possibility of ‘true happiness’.” She smiled softly. “Keeping this as a hypothetical as you asked me... I don’t think you can keep playing for a draw indefinitely, and if you don’t play to win you will eventually lose. So, I don’t see it as much of a choice really. I think the question is: How long can you stall before the inevitable happens? So I see it as there are two options; or you play to win and be temporarily satisfied with the victory, or you will eventually lose and be left with nothing.” She chuckled. “Well, of course, you can forfeit, but I know you’re just not that kind of player, are you, hun?” She reached out and placed a hand over Luke’s arm near his cheek. “Are you alright sweetie?”
“I guess. I’m just tired… Don’t want to go back to sleep.” He mumbled.
“What was your dream about?”
He sighed. “Choices… And lack of choices… Inevitability… Death…”
“Those can be frightening, I know.” She agreed. “Accepting fate is the most frightening part of being alive. Accepting that some things are not an option… Making sacrifices…” She smiled. “Remember when you asked if I believed I was the Goddess?”
“You said you didn’t know what you believed.” Luckas answered, with a nod.
“I don’t. I do know what I hope… I hope I’m not. You know why? Because in all the Myths, in all the stories… The only thing that doesn’t change is that Terra was lonely. Either she loved Duncan and watched him die, or she didn’t love him or anyone… If she was a Goddess she was put on this realm to betray her siblings… If she was a human she was used by the Gods… Me? I was born with a purpose to serve. Nothing more, nothing less… Maybe if I succeed I’ll have a chance of being more, but until then…”
“Why? Why not choose something different?”
“Because I believe, Luckas... I believe that after all the buildings crumble, all the ashes scatter, all the bodies are consumed by the earth… Those who live will see beauty as it only have been heard of in legends. Even with everything I had to put up with to make it happen… I think it’s worth it.”
“Enough to die for it? If you do what you plan, won’t it kill you?”
“I’m not sure, Lukey… It’s… Uncertain… How it affects my bloodline, since it’s something apart from true Enlightened, but not exactly from another source. I’ll only know then, but.... Probably, yes.”
Luckas was going to say something else, but he stopped himself as he felt a sharp pain in his temples that made him shoot up and sit up straight in his seat, rubbing his eyes. He felt something inside his chest he was unfamiliar with and a chill ran down his spine as he heard Ess’ voice echo inside his mind, calling his name… Something wasn’t right.
Slowly Sam’s voice began to sound faintly in the background, but he wasn’t listening. He simply stood up and started to walk out of the kitchen. “I’m going for a walk… Need to think…” He mumbled. With the corner of his eyes he was able to catch sight of Sam still watching him intently as he crossed the doorway… She was clearly not happy with this.
[Raven’s Camp - 8 days after Castle Ball, early evening]
Luckas had somewhat regretted walking out on Sam the way he had within only a few minutes of leaving the Manor. The sudden urge to run in the direction of the Raven’s Nest had faded some, but not disappeared entirely. It was there still, and he knew that unless he kept going it wouldn’t stop nagging at him. He had to take a longer route through the forest; the Wolves seemed uneasy for some reason and he felt was best to avoid going near their camp. He could handle if someone tried to hold him back, but he just didn’t want the distraction. For that reason, it took a few hours longer than he’d like to reach the camp.
The sun had already set on the second day of his trip by the time he finally reached his usual spot under the oak tree. It didn’t take too long to spot Essence where she sat, his first greetings going unanswered, confirming that in fact something wasn’t right, until she finally addressed him.
“Luckas, can you just stay...and keep me company...but not ask any questions?...If you want to know what the fuck is going on, I give you permission...go inside my brain...because I don't feel like discussing anything....I can't right now...." Her eyes were red and puffy, tired from her lack of sleep, yet she couldn't relax to that point. Her expression was empty, vacant of any further emotion, except the obvious sleep deprivation as she stared off into the fire...her tone so quiet, one had to put together the random pieces they understood into a coherent sentence.
Luckas stood staring for a while, trying to read something in her expression, but failing however; not that he couldn't tell something was wrong, that was pretty clear, but he couldn't even take a wild guess as to what sorts of feelings were hidden underneath the emptiness and exhaustion. He wondered if someone with a normal sense of empathy would see it differently, or if it was truly that concealed. Finally he simply nodded and quietly sat, not like he wasn't planning on staying either way. "I'll ask another time." He stated quietly.
Ess barely took notice of Luckas' movements as he went from standing to sitting not too far from where she herself remained positioned. Her mind faded in and out of the present, into blank thought, making her forget that she had even spoken which had been the first time that day any words had escaped her. Vaguely she realized her earlier visitors whom she acted as if she never noticed their presence, not answering their calls or concerns...almost like a waking coma. Was she at the point of not feeling emotions at all? Was she simply too drained to care or process? Or maybe she was just that good of an actress...to the point she could fool herself into insanity.
Luckas remained quiet where he sat, not bothering to pretend he wasn't staring, because that's exactly what he was doing. He didn't know what was happening and doubted he'd know what to do if he had the whole story. He heaved an audible sigh as if trying to get rid of the silence and yet not be too loud. He wondered if Captain would know what this was all about, but still he didn't want to move.
Ess took in a deep breath, as if she momentarily forgot to keep breathing, her fingers absently scratching along her collarbone, curious blood stained linen strips peeked out from beneath her shirt. She had argued for a while with the medics on their ‘advice’ to bandage her wounds, until she passed out from some drug one of them managed to slip into her water. She wasn’t ashamed of what she had done to herself, but wanted it to be shown off to the world, a piece of her soul peeking out from the darkness. Besides that, she hadn’t slept and in defiance to their orders, she managed to slip away when they had fallen asleep in a chair beside her. “Keep an eye on her...” The Captain had said. When they came looking for her, trying to coerce her back to the cabin she responded by unsheathing her relic blade, her eyes empty and almost black from the lack of glow they usually emanated. They left her alone after that, for the most part.
“Maybe you were right Luckas….maybe it’s not worth feeling….with all the pain and anger….just for the possibility of something good….to feel needed….to be loved….maybe it does just make us weak…..” Ess paused before incoherent mumbles escaped her, “…Shoulda…coulda…woulda…past is past….still haunting my future…what if it was all a lie….what if I’m a lie…” A shaky laugh startled the air, causing Ess to look around searching, but for what she didn’t know. “I no longer know my own worth.”
"Am I boring you? Did you lose interest yet?" A curious smile curled her lips.
"Boring me? Well, maybe just a little..." He answered with a little smirk, his expression seeming more lost in thought than actually bored. "Did I lose interest? Surprisingly, no."
“Have to say…I’m surprised as well. Course I’ve had a lot of surprises as of late…” Her tone grew dark, almost ominous as she turned back to the flames, the flicker of light dancing in her eyes. She literally bit down on her lip, letting the blood trickle down her chin slowly. Ess had much to think about, and yet there was this wall preventing her from processing much of the revelations. She was trying to connect the dots, and the more she realized the more her anger grew, so she kept pushing it aside until she could figure out how to approach it all. Ess knew it was only causing her more pain, as much as she tried to suppress it and not deal It wasn’t her way, yet she felt like giving up. If she faced it in that moment, she knew she would break down again. Were her beliefs wrong? Was she living a lie all this time? She felt so ashamed for the weakness she was showing. Why couldn’t she stay strong? Gradually the emotions floated across her face accompanied by a subtle chuckle which she choked down the second she realized her facade fading.
Luckas had gone quiet for a bit, thinking, mulling over Ess' statement that he was right. Was he right? His mind tracked back to the last time they discussed pain and what she had told him then. Finally he heaved a small impatient sigh. "What do you want to do, Lady?" He asked finally. "If you want to not feel, I can make you forget whatever it is that is troubling you. Even if, not so long ago, you told me that you would not do such a thing given the choice. Suppose that just means you lied to me and you don’t actually believe a word you said back then, which would also mean you’re just as full of shit as everyone else and I was wrong to think otherwise, but oh well…” He shrugged. “It’s like I said: people usually turn out to be disappointing one way or another.” He sighed heavily and shook his head in fake disappointment, a slightly amused smirk crossing his features. “Although, I must admit that is quite satisfying to finally be right about something, even if that something is that being a coward pays.”
If Luke was trying to get her to voice her thoughts, trying to get a rise out of her, it had worked. The violet glow appeared in her gaze, almost blocking out the darkness of her pupils in her sudden fury of anger. A deep growl in her voice, as if it were not her own; it was the push she needed. “You KNOW…I would not lie to you. Is it a crime to feel broken? To feel lost and not understand what I should do? Maybe I only feel what I was taught…what I came to believe was wrong, if people just run away and stop caring. I’m sorry I wanted so badly to have faith in something, to find my own purpose for being here.”
If Ess wasn’t so dehydrated, tears would have been flowing freely down her face. Her voice faded into a whisper as she turned finally to face Luckas. “Just let me wallow for a while until it passes, until I can make sense of it all….I don’t want to be like ‘them.’”
Luckas managed to control himself to keep from laughing; he couldn't help being amused, although something told him it wasn't quite the right sentiment in a situation like this. He let Ess talk and simply nodded quietly, a little smirk breaking through despite his efforts to keep a straight face. "Good." He stated simply, in response to her last statement, ignoring all the rest. After going silent for another moment he noticed the bandages showing under her shirt. "What did you do to yourself there, Lady?” He asked, raising an eyebrow and momentarily forgetting he’d decided not to ask questions yet.
A mixed eruption of emotions took over Ess, her fists clenching as she simply quirked a brow at Luke’s question and observation. She simply responded by gently pulling down her shirt, exposing the bandages just above her breasts to quickly rip off the linens. “Well, I discovered….the little secret you and Lena were in on…You know…about ‘Blue Eyes…..” Ess’ lips parted in a devilish grin as she continued. “What, you don’t like the tattoo? I thought it was….fitting….” She spat, letting the annoyance escape in her tone as she glanced down at the tattoo she had taken hours to crudely engrave into her flesh. It was an eerie oak tree, engulfed in flames, appearing unshaken in destruction. “Maybe when it heals some more…I can add some color…I dunno…whatcha think…..My Dear …Luckas…?”
"I see..." Luckas' amusement faded slowly and he flinched slightly, but now he understood a bit more what was going on. "Wasn't my place to tell... None of my business...” He mumbled, looking away from her. “And Lena..." He snorted out in annoyance. "I can't speak for her. Who knows what went through that woman's head?" He sighed. "So, what, you ran out of journal space and had to doodle on yourself? Honestly, Lady, I think it suits you."
Ess scoffed at Luckas’ reasons for keeping Jake’s identity to himself, rolling her eyes. “Please….I didn’t ask why….I think I understand why…and although I’m not happy about it…I get it….” She trailed off, leaving it at that….smiling just a bit as he commented her tattoo “Maybe the journal thing is growing tired….” She shrugged, scooting closer in his direction. “And…since when am I not your business? You are making it quite clear that I am.” Ess sighed, rubbing at her eyes, feeling a bit timid in saying anything else at this point. Not because she was afraid, but because she didn’t know now what she could talk about with Luke, per say. She just wasn’t sure what to feel at that point. Ess was clearly unhappy with him, and even after all they’ve been through thus far, he was still there. That meant more to her than he could ever know. She knew she wouldn’t stay upset with him for very long.
Luckas sighed softly at Ess’ words on knowing why he hadn’t told her the truth. He shook his head and kept quiet on the matter. When she asked about her being his business he smirked slightly and mumbled. "I didn't mean you, Lady. You are most definitely my business, whether you like it or not." He stated, firmly, even though his tone was so soft it was as if he wished she couldn't hear. He went quiet for a bit after that, his eyes examining her carefully. "You look like you haven't slept in a while. You should, you know, at least rest for a bit..." He pointed out, trying to sound severe, which just didn't sound much intimidating, surprisingly. “… And don’t make me force you, because I can do that, you know.”
Ess scooted again, so close this time she let her arm brush along Luke’s. Taking a deep breath she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. She didn’t care if he would try to brush her aside at her touch, because she had a feeling he may just let her. She caught his words that he spoke barely at a whisper, enough to catch the gist of what he said. “Well if you’re sticking around, who knows…I may actually get some sleep. I feel better when you’re here, even when I’m mad at you.” Ess pointedly sifted her arm beneath his, giving a slight squeeze. “Maybe the nightmares will stay away…”
Luckas winced only slightly, but he didn't pull away when Ess leaned into him, he simply shifted in his seat a little uncomfortably, but otherwise remained quiet. It wasn't quite what he meant, but she was resting so he thought it best not to complain. "Suppose I'll just have to stick around, then." He stated, heaving a small sigh.
Ess lifted her head and stared into Luke’s eyes. “Sorry….if I make you uncomfortable you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. I’ll manage.” Her eyes were questioning, a sad smile cracking along her lips as she let her hand find Luke’s. Gradually, she lightly traced his palm with her finger, trailing up and along each of his fingers. It tickled her how he appeared much warmer than she was at that moment, and how her body wanted to absorb the heat. She wondered for a minute if she was fevering or if it had something to do with all the blood she lost over a short period of time.
“You’re right, I don’t have to stay if I don’t want to.” Luckas stated simply, but didn’t move a muscle from where he was now, lowering his gaze as he mumbled. “…And I’m not that uncomfortable.” That was true, in a way… Although he wasn’t sure he understood whether Ess was mad at him or not after all. He spent the next few moments silently trying to control the urge to pull his hand away from her touch until it finally faded. “Maybe the nightmares will stay away… Wouldn’t that be nice?” He whispered quietly to himself.
Ess let out a shaky sigh, slipping her fingers between Luke’s. “So why stay then? Although I’m not complaining…” Ess decided to stand, still holding onto Luckas she rose from his side and took one step forward as her knees gave out from her, causing her to almost trip over Tala. “I don’t want to sleep, but perhaps I should.. Lay down.”
When Aiden didn’t find Ess in the medic’s cabin, he knew it was best to just check on her from afar and if need be, he could offer his assistance. She was weak but he knew if he upset her, she would not hesitate in making it known once again. For the most part she just sat by the fire either ignoring or scaring away visitors.
Aiden was only away for a few minutes, but when he had come back to his spot within a nearby tree line, he began cursing himself when he spotted Luckas beside Ess. The veins in his forehead began to protrude while his fingers clenched the crossbow along his back, quickly retrieving the readied contraption and taking aim.
His pointer finger loosened and remained just beside the trigger as he watched, waiting to see if Ess was in any immediate danger. After a few moments, his shoulders slumped, letting the device fall to his side. Hooking it to his belt he decided to approach the two, just reaching the fire light as Ess went to stand and stumbled to the ground. He picked up his pace and found his way to her other side, a sweet concerned expression crossing his face. “Essence….you can’t push yourself…now after the other day…..Please…”
Luckas simply heaved a small sigh. “Why ask me questions that you already know the answers to, Lady?” He said, standing with her since she hadn’t really let go of him yet, which was a good thing because she didn’t seem to have much strength left to even take a step without stumbling. “I think you’re right Lady, maybe you should lay down for a bit.” He agreed, putting a firm grip on her arm as if to support her weight if she were to stumble again. Distracted with that, Luckas didn’t quite notice Aiden until the man was right beside Ess. The sound of the man’s voice, caused him to tense, but he seemed to be able to keep his calm despite the fact it was clear Aiden had been watching; which Luckas immediately resented him for. With a slightly annoyed sigh, he shot Aiden a glare and stated in a slightly amused tone. “Better watch it Lady, I think you have one too many stalkers.”
Ess scowled at herself for practically almost falling into the fire pit, but smiled when she felt Luke’s grip on her arm. She opened her mouth to respond to him but was cut off by Aiden’s voice, turning abruptly towards him. “Yes yes….to the both of you…I did just say I was going to lie down. I’m fine thank you.” Essence went to step again and found both the men to have a grip on each of her arms, making it a bit impossible for her to go in one single direction. Pausing a moment she giggled, “I know he’s been keeping an eye on me as well Luckas, but since you are here I don’t think the concern is necessary, Aiden, although appreciated.” Aiden attempted to lead Ess in his direction towards the tent, frowning when Luke still had a hold on her. “I’ve got it, Luckas.” Gently Aiden bent his knees, moving his hand from her arm to support Ess’ back and the other lifting her legs as he picked her up into his arms, bringing her into him. “I was the one who found her the other day, Luckas…she could have died…while you were ….AWAY.” Aiden smirked a bit as he cradled Ess who stared up at him wide-eyed, her brows narrowing in defiance as she tried to squirm. “Aiden…I’m not helpless…I’m conscious…and I’m not bleeding out…kindly put me down now…” Ess stated firmly, her stomach knotting up in embarrassment.
The only reason Luckas let go of Ess’ arm to begin with was because he knew he was going to lose his calm, and he’d rather not have that happen while holding onto her. Despite wanting to cause Aiden severe pain simply for his presence, he wouldn’t have done much more than glare, at least for the moment, wasn’t for his insistence to pick Ess up without the least bit of warning, or consent. Ignoring Aiden’s mention of his absence, despite it being what stung him the most, Luckas opened a slightly menacing grin and growled softly, putting himself in front of the man. “For someone who attempted to lecture me on not knowing how to deal with a woman, mate, you don’t seem to be very good at listening to one when she speaks. Now, you heard the Lady say your concern is not needed, and to put her down… I suggest you do that before I feel the need to force you.” He muttered, a red sparkle flashing behind the black of his eyes.
Ess pushed against Aiden’s chest, still fidgeting as he set her down, steadying her as she regained her balance. Discretely, she gave a wink towards Luckas as she stood between the two men. “Aiden, you are being quite rude. Yes, I thank you for your help and concern, as I’ve stated before…” Ess abruptly turned her gaze back and forth between their faces as she spoke to both of them. “..And what is this about a lecture? Is there something I should know?” With a deep sigh she steadily walked around Aiden towards her tent, not taking any help from them. “Aiden…do not…ever try to cast blame on Luckas for something that is not his fault.” The violet in her eyes dimmed in their glow as she forced another smile. “Luckas? Are you still staying the night?” When Ess moved aside, Aiden took a step forward so that he towered over Luckas, staring down into his eyes. He didn’t tear his gaze aside as he answered Ess, “Apologies my friend, I was only trying to help you, since you did lose much blood.” Aiden kept quiet when asked about Luckas and his conversation weeks ago, quirking a brow when he was scolded for his words. . He wasn’t sure if she expected an apology for that, that which would never come for he believed Luckas was only around for whatever convenience it provided. Instead he turned his back on Luckas and followed Ess in concern to make sure she didn’t fall, making sure not to crowd her.
Unexpectedly he gasped at her words to Luckas to her invitation to stay. For the first time he admitted jealously, but held in his words as Ess leaned into him and thanked him again for his help. She gave him a gentle squeeze and added with a snarky grin. “Luckas, you’ll stay with me again, won’t you?” Aiden shot an angry glare over his shoulder at Luckas.
Luke smiled, looking up at Aiden as the man stood tall before him, not seeming intimidated in one bit and mouthing the words “nice try” when Ess scolded him on his words. He held Aiden’s gaze until the man turned away from him, at which point he replied to Ess’ question on the lecture. “Beast Boy and I had a chat a while back, nothing really important, but if you want I can show you sometime… Once you’ve gotten some sleep.” He answered with a shrug, responding to Ess’ question of whether or not he would stay by following after her and Aiden towards the tent. He hid his annoyance at the hug she gave the man, taking comfort in his anger when she asked him once again if he would stay. “Of course I’ll stay, Lady.” He answered with a confirming nod, smirking at Aiden as he went in the tent without a care, showing clearly that he’d slept there before.
Aiden’s caramel gaze hardened as he watched Luke, flinching at what he meant when he said he could ‘show’ Ess what they had discussed that night. Muttering to himself in disbelief he almost lunged after Luckas into Ess’ tent if he hadn’t softened at her embrace. As Luke disappeared, and was still within earshot, Aiden gently lifted Ess’ chin to stare in her eyes mouthing, “Are you sure?” Ess shrugged which only caused Aiden’s eyes to narrow. “Answer me this then….are you spoken for? Do you want me to give up?”
Ess’ jaw fell in awe at the abrupt questioning and in such an awkward time that she didn’t answer at first, her eyes fluttering frantically as if searching for the answer, moving to turn as if to look for Luckas, but Aiden gently held her firm. “Don’t look at him, look at me Essence…please.” Shaking her head she whispered back, “I want to be….” Squinting her eyes shut, she began to feel guilty for Aiden, not wanting to cause him pain; after all she was his friend even if sometimes it wasn’t easy.
Aiden released Ess, tugging lightly on one of her curls, “I know…you have things to sort out….guess we all do. But I saw you….I truly saw you. You can’t deny if HE wasn’t around, you’d give me an honest chance.”
Ess stepped back and sighed, opening her eyes once again, her expression cloaking the frantic array of thoughts flooding her brain. “I’m sorry Aiden…whatever you’re searching for…You won’t find it in me….maybe…coulda, shoulda….woulda…but I’m not what you need. If you won’t understand…or at least accept this…then we can’t be friends…” A sickening feeling crept up on Ess and she swallowed hard to keep herself focused.
Aiden nodded slowly, forcing a smile as he reached for her hand and attentively brought it to his lips before turning on his heels and walking away. “Goodnight Talon.” He said nothing else but simply noted to himself how she didn’t answer his question directly and it gave him a bit of false hope that he tucked away in case she changed her mind. He would show her loyalty, and be there when she called, if ever. ‘She never said to give up..’ He thought to himself.
“Aiden….” Ess stopped herself shaking her head as she let her friend walk away. What did she do? She didn’t understand what he meant about ‘truly seeing her.’ At this moment, she wasn’t even sure what she saw in herself. Ess breathed slowly, trying to calm her nerves, forcing to keep control of her enlightenment. Tala began whining at her feet as she looked up at the stars, the white sparkles blurring and starting to spin in steady circles above her before it all went black.
Luckas was quietly waiting for Aiden to leave. He had just sat quietly trying to control his urge to order the man to punch himself in the face, over and over until he fell unconscious. He caught bits and pieces of what was being said, he was honestly trying not to listen, deciding to keep himself calm for the moment, letting his mind wander elsewhere, to where he was technically supposed to be now, and to who might know where he’d gone… That was something he would have to be careful with for a while. It was only when he heard Tala whine that he let his full attention return to the present, and walked to where the wolf was standing next to a fallen Ess. He eyed Tala curiously for a moment. “You’ll not bite my head off now, will you?” He asked, crouching down to check that her pulse was regular and she didn’t have a high fever, before picking her up and getting her inside and tucking her under blankets. “I’m not helpless, I’m not unconscious… How ironic.” He whispered, amusement in his face as he sat down, keeping a watchful eye on Tala as the wolf curled up next to Ess. Luckas pulled his knees closer to his body and let his arms rest over them. Taking a deep breath and finally letting out some of his frustration, mumbling under his breath. “I got this Luckas… You were away, Luckas… Pathetic little hypocrite, was probably happy as hell that I wasn’t here. Doesn’t know when to shut up, doesn’t know how to back off… Will have to teach him a lesson… Who the hell does he think he is? I better not catch him lurking or I will gauge his freaking eyes out… The prick...”
Essence's form was still in her slumber, Tala curled up to keep her snug beneath the piles of blankets. Not much time had passed when Tala's head snapped up in alert, ears perked as she tilted her head in question with her intense stare upon Ess. The woman's face went from a peaceful expression to one of anguish when her brows furrowed and a subtle groan penetrated the silence.
Ess opened her eyes to find herself standing in the all too familiar open space, brown fog rolling in around her. She had a pretty good idea how this dream would go, and was happy to be in a state of sleep where she recognized that she was dreaming. At the series of giggles echoing around her, she sprinted forward in search of the oak tree, knowing she'd find the boy.
As the fog cleared, she almost rammed into the boy, who already was staring up at the oak tree just a few steps away. He turned around, deep blue eyes smiling up at Ess, causing her heart to melt while sending a fueled anger that made her soul tremble. "You're dead Jake....you broke your promises...."
When the boy spoke, it wasn't the voice of the child she remembered, but of the man who was now Jacob. "Forever and ever, Ess...sometimes the hardest ones to love...are the ones who need it most.."
Ess growled, "What does that even mean?!" She stared as the boy turned back around and proceeded to light the oak tree on fire. "No! What are you doing?!" Ess cried out, noticing that there was a new detail to the dream that wasn't there a moment ago. Another figure was tied to the oak as it went up in flames, the smoke making it impossible to tell who it could of been. Yet as the heat emanated off the undying branches, she felt herself screaming as she found herself surrounded by the blaze, the tips of the flames splitting open her flesh like a sausage with a crackling, wet sizzle. A chilling scream erupted from her lips: From the pain of burning flesh; from the pain of a loss she feared to endure.
Luckas' mind was beginning to drift off after he was done muttering his curses at Aiden. He rested his head over his arms, feeling sleep coming to him, but resisting it. For some reason he just didn't want to let his mind slip away just yet, as if he was waiting for something. It was just then he caught movement with just the corner of his eye and he turned to face where Ess was stirring in her sleep. He kept a close watch on the sleeping woman, a slightly concerned expression crossing him, but he was unsure of whether or not to wake her... That is until she screamed; at that moment Luckas jumped from where he was seated to try to shake her awake, meanwhile Tala began pawing at the blankets in an attempt to free Ess from them. "Lady, Lady, Lady... Wake up..." Luckas said, gently shaking her by the shoulder, but to no effect. He let out a slightly frustrated sigh, pulling the blankets off as he noticed the flush in her cheeks and lightly tapping the woman's face with the back of his hand. "Lady, wake up." He called. "Wake up." Finally he sighed, taking in a deep breath and shouting: "ESSENCE!", giving Ess one forceful shake.
Ess shot up straight, wide-eyed and panting to catch her breath as she clawed at the base of her neck along her tattoo. It was as if she were trying to pat herself to make sure she was still there, although she kept muttering something about fire. "I couldn't let him burn..." Ess fell into a temporary coughing fit, Tala licking at her face furiously as if the wolf was trying to cool her down. It was another moment before she actually saw where she was, looking from Tala to Luke a bit surprised, from the stares and in a daze from her confusion to what exactly was going on. Slowly she pulled in her knees, wrapping her arms around herself as she began to shake but she was far from cold, she felt like she was fevering and began kicking at the blankets at her feet annoyingly. "I'm awake now, right?"
"You're awake, Lady. Either that or we're both asleep." Luckas answered, trying to shake off the concern from his face as he pressed his palm against her forehead and added. "You're fevering, do you want me to get a medic? Or the Captain, I can go get the Captain." He dropped from his crouch onto a seating position next to her and tilting his head to the side and mumbling. "I think the tattoo suits you better than I thought." He ran his fingers through his hair absently. "Who was burning?"
Ess shook her head stubbornly, "I don't need to wake the Captain... or anyone else. I'm fine Luckas..." Ess smirked laying her head upon her hands and knees, watching him curiously. "Really, I am. This happened the last time I had this dream....course I didn't know all the details before.....and guess I still don't...." She shrugged at his question, an eerie feeling creeping up her back, cause the hairs to rise upon her arms. "Luckas....what do you mean the tattoo suits me better than you thought? ...Did you see? Or do you want me to use you for journal space, too?" Ess chuckled momentarily, cut off by another coughing fit, beads of sweat accumulating along her brow.
"Should I believe that when I saw you faint moments after saying you were fine?" Luckas asked, raising an eyebrow. "And I doubt you were this weak last time." He argued. "Do you know what people say? That one cannot die in their dreams?" He smirked. "Well, Lady, that's crap. Hang on." He stated standing up and walking out of the tent, returning a few minutes later with water and half a loaf of bread. He sat and parted the bread in half and pushed a piece to her. "Eat and drink, or I will wake up the Captain." He threatened, sitting the water bottle in between the two of them. "I did see... bits... Tried not to, but apparently that's not my decision anymore" He took a bite off the bread and sighed. "Supposed I should try and explain this now, well... Apparently when I tried to erase your memory five years ago that created some sort of link between us... And apparently you can randomly make me hear and see things that happen to you... Somehow... Lena explained to me that it has to do with how my mind was vulnerable when I tried fiddling with your memory, and how you fought back not to forget... Although, she wasn't sure why... Exactly..." He went quiet and took another bite of the bread, taking his time with chewing on it, before mumbling. "That's why I'm here."
Essence gave a defeated sigh, her eyes gentle as she surrendered and nodded, taking the piece of bread from Luckas and nibbling on it slowly. "You mean, like you do with that trick of yours...like you did to Jasper, getting him stuck in his head?" Ess picked up the water to take a sip and almost choked on it before forcing herself to keep down another swig. When Luckas began explaining that there was some oddity between them, Ess froze staring at her bread. Her mind began racing through her memories, her dreams prior to running into Luckas once again and then the past few weeks. She finished chewing another bite of her bread before her list of questions spewed forth from her lips. "Luckas...is that why I think you're here when you're not? What did you see? What have you seen? Does it work in reverse? ...Does this mean when you haunted my dreams....you weren't just a figment of my imagination?" Ess looked around the tent for her journal, roughly tossing her stuffed bear aside, not even wanting to look at it at the moment. "I wrote it all down..." Finally she stopped caring about where the journal was at the moment and just leaned into Luckas. "What do you mean that is why you're here? You worried about me, my Dear Luckas?" She whispered gently, Tala sniffing at her side for her leftover bread.
"Luckas...is that why I think you're here when you're not? What did you see? What have you seen? Does it work in reverse? ...Does this mean when you haunted my dreams....you weren't just a figment of my imagination?"
Luckas chuckled slightly at the list of questions taking another bite of bread. "I'm always here, it seems that's not my decision anymore either. I haven't seen much just... burning tree... I haven't seen anything before, just heard some things... Felt some things..." He gave a light shrug. "It may work in reverse, but I'm not sure. Did I haunt your dreams Lady? Perhaps you haunted mine." He said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know for sure though... I still can't remember what I dreamt back then." He stopped to think about it for a moment or two before whispering. "That would explain though... Because I felt I was there... I knew I couldn't be there."
As she asked if he worried, Luckas flinched only slightly, reaching for the water he took a sip, clearing his throat before replying. "I meant I came here, because you called for me. I heard you." He stated. "I wasn't worried exactly, but suppose if something were to happen to you that would leave a rather uncomfortable silence in my head." He said with a little smirk.
Essence listened to Luckas, finishing off all but one bite of bread which she held out in her hand for Tala; gently the wolf lapped up the bread with a huff and rested her head upon Ess leg, staring over at Luckas as if perplexed. "I guess, I find an amount of comfort that you're always with me then, and that I'm not losing my mind." She heaved a long sigh, her fingers lightly trailing over Tala's snout. "It's always your decision Luckas, because if you didn't want to be here, you don't have to be. I mean, couldn't you just turn off the link or something?" Ess kept her gaze upon Tala, her mind jumping from one thing to the next from all that had happened over the past week, absently wiping the sweat off her forehead, a few curls stuck to her cheek. A sudden giggle escaped her, "Oh the irony, who would have thought that we would be the voices in each other’s heads. I think it does work in reverse..." She pondered her last words a moment, shaking her head. "I heard you humming.... the first time I had the nightmare...back when I didn't know who the boy was.."
Ess grabbed the water from Luckas, drinking deeply, a small stream leaking out the sides of her mouth and down her chin. It did feel good, and she did go longer than meant to without food and water, but it seemed to hit her suddenly as she finished off the bottle. "You know...certain turn of events have made me think over a few things in my life....for the better and worse perhaps. But, I think knowing something and hearing the truth of it are very different. I mean...you say I know you pretty well, but guess certain things I need confirmation of. .." She paused a moment, not sure where she was going with this. "Well, just so you know...if something were to happen to you...I'd have more than an uncomfortable silence in my head. You being missed, I think, is only just tapping into the well." Ess absently rested her head on Luckas' shoulder, keeping her eyes averted from his, a surprising ache in her chest began to throb at her own words. She closed her eyes and again, saw the oak burning, realizing that she chose to burn instead of whomever was trapped against the flames. Not sure of what it all meant, she had a feeling she would indeed dream it again.
{Adam Gontier - Wicked Game}
Luke winced slightly. "You heard that?" He asked, a little bit uncomfortable. "You were scared, I could feel... And I couldn't calm myself to sleep." He sighed, opening a little smirk as he realized he could trigger this himself. "I'll try to keep it down next time." He went silent after that statement, closing his eyes as he let Ess speak. He wasn't quite sure he understood what she was saying and it was a bit frustrating. "What you mean by confirmation?" He asked, absently, so lost in his thinking he didn't even react to her resting her head on his shoulder. "If there's something you wish to know, I'd say it's best to ask, don't expect me to grasp some hidden meaning, or whatever..." He mumbled. "Not that I don't appreciate the knowledge that I would be missed, despite it being a lot less comforting than one would imagine, but it begs the question: Why?" He chuckled. "And before you begin lecturing me on how I need to deal with the fact you are my friend, yet again, let me explain that I honestly don't understand. As much as I don't understand what you mean when you say I don't have to be here, that it is a choice, when it's clearly not. I mean, yes one can say I choose to come and I could choose to leave and not come back, but then I can argue that I have tried. So is it a choice really?" He inquired. "Choices are rational, but there is a whole set of instincts programmed to manipulate our rational thinking, a whole part of our minds that works with the sole purpose of deciding things behind our backs, so... How can we ever know what we truly want? How can we truly choose anything?" He sighed. "I'm not complaining, I don't consider myself all that good at making choices..." He lowered his voice slightly and added. "...Maybe Lena was right after all." He followed that statement by shoving the last piece of bread in his mouth and chewing on it quietly thinking he might have spoken his mind a bit too much.
Ess snaked her arm behind her and Luckas, leaning into it for support as she readjusted herself along his shoulder. She thought long and hard on all he had just said, trying to figure out what she wanted to say and how. "Next time, I'll know it's you and not my mind snapping from reality, so no; you don't need to keep it down. I'm sure...feeling what I feel can't make a lot of sense or be comfortable.." Ess snickered at his familiar words, ones that she spoke that night in the Castle, "If there's something you wish to know, I'd say it's best to ask..." She opened her mouth to speak a few different times, a word or two escaping and then silence as she tried again, finally she opened with, "Do you wish to know my mind's reasons, or my heart’s? I am mostly an emotional driven woman, I'd admit, which I'm sure is obvious. And you don't understand everything with emotion and try to push it aside or deny yourself what you are truly feeling. I mean, you argue with the aspect of choices, when they are made rationally and irrationally, from our mind or heart or both. " Ess lifted her head, giving Luke a gentle smile as she stared into the familiar black orbs. "I'll tell you why, if you tell me why you came back? You have the choice to live with whatever you're feeling and just stay away, because a part of you believes it would be best. And don't say you don't know, because you do. You just have to admit that it's there, even if it doesn't make sense. Guess what, emotions don't always, and they can be driven by instinct." Ess reached out towards Luke's chin to make sure he was looking at her and paying attention at her words. "You, had the option and power to take me out. You still have it and you could of erased my mind if you thought it best. You didn't. You don't. I knew what you were doing, which is why ....I forgive you Luckas. But with all the anger, you still didn't make those choices." She pulled away and smiled, "Not that I’m complaining, because at this point, taking you away from my thoughts and memories would...take away a piece of me. Too much has been weaved into my soul to turn back now."
Luckas frowned, slightly more confused than he had been before, not exactly sure of what Ess expected him to answer exactly, what she wanted him to admit to... And he felt as if he had been given a riddle with the most obvious answer he just couldn't figure out, and his thinking led him to pull away from her a bit, moving so that there was a bit of space between them. Finally he replied to her first question with: "If 'both' is not an acceptable answer, then I suppose I'd rather you show me what I can't see for myself. Although, seeing and understanding are two separate things, and one does not always lead to the other." He went quiet for the following moments as he thought. "I don't know what you want me to say..." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I..." He heaved a small sigh as he searched for words. "I suppose I don't like the idea of that silence in my head... Or what used to be there before..."
Ess' smile faded as Luckas moved away from her, responding with herself lying down, her head propped upon her hand as she watched him. She saw the familiar dazed looked of Luke's inner workings, battling or searching... She wasn't quite sure. "You ask me a question which appears complicated for you to understand, when you are unsure of how to answer it back: Why be my friend? Why come back? I will answer to both my own reasons for being your friend: Mind and Heart." Turning over onto her back, she stared up at the painting of her burning Oak.
"Mind: It tells me from what you've shown me, I can trust you when it comes down to it. You won't intentionally hurt me, based on opportunities given but not taken. I see someone that I enjoy spending time with. You make me smile. You understand more about me than anyone, I feel. Maybe now that's because you've been in my head, or maybe because we have much in common. The simple things we enjoy, to the more intricate ones: Like our bloodlust. Although I have to admit, yours will always surpass mine." She gave a tired shrug. "You remind me what I need to focus on, when I’m not with it, when I show weakness. We, can teach as well as learn from each other. Even in our anger, and disagreements, we are still friends. But I guess that has to do with heart too. See both are so closely intertwined, it's hard to make sense out of it all. So I guess most of those things, is what you mean when you say, 'What you see..'"
Essence went quiet a moment, glancing at Luckas out the corner of her eye and then back up to her painting. With another sigh, she continued. "Heart: Ever since that day we met, my first instinct was fear, yes. But because I thought you were gonna be like all the rest of the men. When you weren't, that intrigued me. It made me curious and want to know more, especially when you began haunting my dreams for so long I saw you age, Luckas. I saw hate, pain, and excitement within your eyes through the passing years and when I found you, it gave me hope that dreams can be made real. I mean... I prayed for Jake to not be dead...even if I'm emotionally wrecked for it now....I will get over it...maybe....give him a rude awakening to who he ran away from." With a small giggle, she kept herself composed. "But, I’m losing track here...Luckas." She turned again to face him, hugging a pillow tight against her. "I'm afraid if I pour my heart out to you, I'll scare you away....but...I like you. I feel safe around you. You've helped me in ways, no one has. You've cared, even when you won't admit it. I want to help you in return and I want you to see what you have shown me as well: Not everyone is the same. In all honesty, I've never...." Ess released a shaky breath, tearing her gaze from his. "I...am happy to be your friend, even when you can be a royal pain in my ass. Why? Because the important things outweigh the trivial, because I've not felt this way about anyone; not even Jake. I've never shared as much with anyone... Do you understand? Not Aiden, not any man."
Ess pulled the pillow across her face. 'Just say it already.' She thought to herself. Yet she knew she couldn't. She couldn't even tell her best friend that she loved him, why should she be able to say what she was feeling now. 'Knowing and hearing are two separate things', she thought again. "When you and I were fighting...you asked me:’What do you want from me?’" She mumbled beneath the pillow, before peeking out to look at Luckas again. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again, glossy ripples reflecting off her violet orbs. "Just… You, Luckas."
Luckas listened carefully to what Ess was saying until the very last word, his face focused on his boots and his expression void of any emotion, aside from a slight grimace at the mention of Jake... That was a whole other story he'd have to deal with eventually. "Just me... Might be a little more than I am able to give at this time." He whispered softly, running both his hands through his hair, suddenly feeling very tired. "Here's what I know: Beast Boy says that I am a predator; and I am... I like being a predator, I enjoy killing... I would enjoy killing anything or anyone, in the moment at least... I've learned that about myself lately; a kill is a kill and it feels the same no matter the victim. I was stupid to ever think otherwise. Period. I would enjoy killing anyone in this camp." He snickered. "Some more than others, I'll admit, but the point being that what people say about me isn't wrong. I know you know this, but it just doesn't seem to matter. And I suppose... I keep waiting for the day when I'll be bored of you or that you suddenly see me the same way everyone else does, and the reason I am your friend is not even the fact that the day never comes, but the fact that I fear it and I fear the silence that would follow, and I hate it..." Luckas kept his eyes fixed on his shoes, not turning to look at Ess as he spoke. "Sometimes, I resent the fact that you've gotten so close, that you know me so well... That you care so much, and how easily that can hurt me... How weak it makes me... Now of all times I can't afford that. Still I come back because here is a place where I'm never bored and I don't have to worry, or hide. It has... Kept me sane... If I could dare refer to myself as such a thing…" He admitted, a little smirk breaking through his expression before he finally turned to face her leaning closer to where she was lying and whispering. "I like you... I care... I hate myself for it sometimes, but I can't help it. Is that what you wanted me to say, Lady? Is that what you need?"
Ess watched him intently, absorbing every single breath as a curious ache swelled inside her chest. She may never fully understand Luckas' need and desire to kill and not differentiate those that cross his path, but she still saw herself as different and even those around her. He made a choice every time he came to her 'home', one he openly admitted to battling with daily. Ess kept silent until he turned towards her, leaning closer just as several tears fell across her cheeks. Her voice was similar to a whisper, airy, mostly moved by breath alone with no tone. Not noticing as she spoke she leaned into him as well and smiled as more tears fell. "Luckas...You're not stupid....I may not know everything that you are going through, but.." Violet orbs shined through her tears disappearing and reappearing when she tried to force them back. "Sometimes, even though something inside me says otherwise, I think each time I see you will be the last. I mean, we only have today, so why not enjoy life while we are here. I guess I just needed you to know, and I needed to not feel delusional." Essence stretched her fingers slowly out towards Luckas' face but froze, heaving a shaky sigh. "I hate myself sometimes too, my Dear Luckas...No one really wants to be alone, and we all want to belong and feel safe." Boldly, Ess was so close to Luckas, her lips could graze his skin, yet she hovered as she spoke her last words, her voice rising a bit. "I'm not a greedy person… I'll take what you can give."
Luckas breathed in and out slowly, his eyes closing momentarily at the words; they felt foolishly comforting, and a perfect distraction from the fact that he was no longer a man with nothing to lose... He was human and he made it so the moment he allowed himself to care. He opened his eyes to realize how close Ess was to him, and he sighed at her last statement, slowly pulling his face away from hers, but reaching out to carefully wipe a trail of tears from her face with his sleeve. He didn't say anything more; he didn't think he could... He turned away and laid himself down to 'sleep', back turned to her, but eyes wide open as he whispered under his breath. "But you deserve it all, Lady."
Ess' head fell when Luke moved away after wiping at her tears to lie down, not hearing another word from her friend. A wave of guilt rushed over her for selfishly speaking her mind as much as she did. She would make herself be content with his friendship for however long it lasted. Ess wanted to remember to appreciate the time she was given and not dwell on what she couldn't have, even if it hurt. Slowly she pulled a blanket over her friend, making sure not to touch him, sliding back to her spot beside Tala. Nestling down beside her wolf she whispered, "I'm sorry..." Closing her eyes, several more tears squeezed out past her lashes, her breathing slowing as she focused to keep her emotions to herself. Ess very much wanted Luckas to know how sorry she was for causing any and all pain, and wished she could take it away. It was another moment before she realized she had lost control, unintentionally pushing her thoughts outward instead of keeping them in check. With a sigh she forced herself to relax, her mind still whispering, "I truly am sorry..."
[Flashback – Newhaven, approximately 16 years in the past]
The boy’s hands were pressed against his ears with all the strength he had in him, but still the screaming was horrifying; he didn’t know what exactly was happening, but he wouldn’t dare open his eyes. Trying to shut out the screaming of one voice only made the shouting of the other sound louder… The words piercing through his ears painfully: “LIAR! CHEATER! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!”
The child was shivering in fear and pain, tears silently running down his face as he was curled up on the blood soaked floor; eyes still tightly shut. All of a sudden a second pair of, equally small, hands covered his own and successfully drowned out all the sound, and there he sat, in the silence… In darkness… For what seemed like forever… Until a female scream echoed so high no amount of sheltering could keep it from reaching his ears… And the boy opened his eyes to his mother’s terrified figure. Her eyes locked on him, and on the other boy who had been trying to help cover his ears, and she froze for a brief moment of hesitation before moving to drag both toddlers by their hands out of the house... Still covered in blood.
. . . .
“Hey, wake up, little boy!” A girl’s voice pierced through the young boy’s ears and he was startled by it. The bad men had told him and his brother that they were just playing a game, that as soon as they were done, his mommy would come and get him. He didn’t know how long ago that was, it seemed like it was so long ago… He couldn’t remember. Too long. Way too long.
“What’s your name?” She spoke again. “I know you can talk, I heard you calling your mommy when they brought the two of you in.” She stated.
The boy simply shivered, shaking his head in negatives over and over, his eyes wide in terror, as he crawled away from where the girl was standing.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me.” She assured him. “I have to call you something though… I know! Luckas! You could be a Luckas!” She giggled. “I’ll call you Lukey… You know, you remind me of my brother a little bit. He’s not here anymore, they sent him away a while ago, so now he’s gone, but they can’t get rid of me though.” She stated proudly. She extended a curious look towards the quieter boy in the corner. “Hey there, I almost didn’t see you!” She said.
Luke’s brother didn’t react, he simply sat in the corner, wide eyed and staring blankly.
“I’ll call you something too… Hmmm.... How about... Matthew? That’s a nice name. Matt…” She smiled sweetly at the both of them. “Listen, I know it’s scary down here, but you have to trust me when I say you’ll be alright.” She smiled at Luckas, since he was, unlike Matt, looking at her curiously. “My name is Samantha, by the way. You can call me Sam. Can you say it? Sam.”
Luckas shook his head again, the horrified look still in his eyes.
Sam smiled. “Don’t be afraid, Lukey, it’s alright. You know why? I’ll tell you a secret, try to remember it…” She paced to the limits of a line that was drawn on the floor, limiting the space where the boys were allowed to go, and crouched down, speaking in a tone slightly above a whisper. “You are much stronger than they’ll ever know. One day, they’ll be the ones afraid of you.” She stopped, tensing a little when noises were heard coming from upstairs. She smiled. “Remember that, okay Lukey? I’ll come back later.”
. . . . . .
He had tried to get out. The door was left open and he took one step outside… One step before it all went to hell.
Luckas didn’t bother to try and defend himself, or fight back, it was worse than just taking the punishment… He had learned that the hard way. He didn’t listen to the curses being shouted at him, he didn’t care for the pain, he never cried or whined anymore, he just let it happen, and afterwards he lay, still, as motionless as possible waiting for the pain to go away; sooner or later, it always did. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been laying on the cold ground before the door opened and someone entered; the footsteps too light to be one of his ‘handlers’. Sam.
“Oh… Damn it... Lukey…” The girl whispered. “You can’t even move, can you?”
At the words, Luckas tried to push himself up, but the girl was right, he was too weak to do it.
“It’ll be alright… You’ll see… I’ll take care of you.” She stated in a soft whisper.
Luckas couldn’t move, but internally he panicked when he felt hands on him… That was not allowed, definitely not allowed, he couldn’t get in trouble again, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was carried and laid comfortingly in blankets, opening one of his eyes slightly to look up at the older girl as she lifted his head to make him take a drink of water. “There you go sweetie. I know it hurts, but it’ll get better. I promise.”
Sammy stopped talking after that, and simply sat beside him, humming softly a soft melody that Luckas had never heard before. It soothed him, almost made the pain go away, and soon he drifted off to sleep.
[Flashback – Some dark place of the past, about 13 years ago]
(Inspirational Music: Down in a Hole – Alice in Chains)
“You were warned! Repeatedly, Samantha! And you know this is what happens when you break my rules!” The man shouted, mercilessly beating the young girl down, kicking and stomping her on the floor. The sound of crying was joined by the sickening sound of breaking bones and soon enough, she couldn’t even cry anymore.
The six year old boy simply watched with tears running down his face as the one person who had ever shown him kindness was broken down before his eyes. Once the man left the basement, the boy crawled as close as he could to the girl without crossing the line drawn on the stone ground, but he couldn’t reach her. After a moment of hesitation he crossed the line completely. Sitting next to the fifteen year old girl the boy struggled against yet another rule, reaching out his hand and withdrawing it before it touched her face. Her eyes were open, two green lights in the dark cold room. Her breathing was soft and slow as if breathing alone was just too exhausting. He couldn’t. He didn’t have the courage to touch her, but he needed to get her attention somehow. He needed her to know he was there. It took a lot of effort, especially after being silent for as long as he had, but he managed to get his voice to sound just loud enough to be heard, never above a whisper. “S-Sam…” He stammered, calling her name like she had always asked him to.
The girl opened a faint smile, her eyes closing slowly. “You did it… Lukey… I’m so proud.” She whispered. “D-don’t let them… Decide… Who you are… Y-you’re stronger… Remember?” She managed to mumble, reaching for the boy and gently brushing a few strands of black hair away from his eyes.
Luke shuddered at the touch. He wanted to pull away from it, but didn’t have it in him to deny his friend of that moment. He felt she wasn’t going to make it, he could almost see life leaving her body, little by little, at every breath. Knowing that he couldn’t possibly help her, he did the one thing he knew he could do: He curled up on the cold ground as well and snuggled close to her, a bit startled when she wrapped one arm around him and much more so to hear her sobbing, even so, he didn’t move away from her, rather he turned his back so he didn’t have to look. She was slipping away, so he would let her hold him, but he wasn’t going to watch; he couldn’t. Slowly, the sobbing stopped and the room fell silent. He could feel her heart beating slowly and her breath beginning to fade into nothing. It didn’t take long, soon she was gone, but Luckas still couldn’t move out of her embrace. His black eyes caught his brother where he sat; he hadn’t moved from his habitual corner the whole time. Matthew was simply watching the scene with a blank expression in his eyes as if he couldn’t really see a thing. With a shaky breath, Luckas closed his eyes. “Sam.” He whispered again, before drifting into sleep.
When Luckas woke up in the morning he felt himself choke as someone was holding him up by the back of his shirt and the collar was pressing against his throat. The unusual amount of light flooding the basement meant that the door was wide open. Once the boy felt he could open his eyes, he noticed he was being held up over the girl’s dead body. “Look at her! See what you did, you little piece of shit? You killed her! That’s what happens when you disobey, you little freak!” With an angry growl the boy was forcefully thrown across the room, pain invading his body as he collided with the stone wall. “Stay on that side of the line!”
More and more the man shouted, but Luckas wasn’t listening. The boy’s eyes were fixed on the pretty, lifeless, features of the girl lying on the dirty floor. Did he kill her? Had he done that? He couldn’t remember anymore, his mind was blurry, his head hurt… How could he have killed her? She was the only one who ever cared for him. He couldn’t have… It couldn’t be…
Boots blocked his view as the man stood before him, forcing him to listen. “You are a killer, a monster, and that is all you’ll ever be. Accept it, embrace it, and learn to play by the rules. It’s the only way to ever leave this room alive.”
Luckas opened his eyes and sat up in a panic, finding a pair of yellow eyes staring at him in the dark; he tilted his head intrigued at the sight, almost forgetting his nightmares as he made out Sam’s form in the darkness; he had never seen her eyes light up that way, and he couldn’t understand what that meant. “Sammy?” He mumbled, still a little groggy.
“You were calling my name.” She whispered; the yellow light fading into the usual dark green and making the room completely dark again. “Is everything alright?”
“Just bad dreams...” He mumbled. “Why are you always in my room?”
“My house...” She chuckled.
“Yeah, yeah…” He sighed.
“I like watching you sleep, it’s interesting. Does it disturb you?” She asked.
“I don’t know.” He replied. “What do you mean interesting?”
“You mumble things, and you whine sometimes… It’s interesting to watch.” She answered, standing up from her chair. “I can leave if you want.”
“No!” Luckas caught himself objecting before he even thought about it. “I mean, you don’t have to… If you don’t want to…” He mumbled.
She chuckled and stepped away from the door, walking to his bed and sitting on the edge. “What were you dreaming?” She asked, in a soft tone.
“Just… Old memories...” He shrugged, trying to hide the shaking in his hands by slipping them under the covers.
“I heard you calling ‘mommy’.” Sam stated simply, her eyes fixed on him. “And I remember when I last heard that.”
“Please, Sam… I don’t want to talk about it.” He muttered.
“I understand, do you want me to just stay, is that it?”
Luke nodded, resting his head over his knees. “Matt covered my ears.” He mumbled. “Who was covering his?”
“What are you…?” Sam stopped herself mid-sentence and heaved a little sigh. “Never mind.”
“I couldn’t see her face… I really don’t remember anymore… Even now…” He mumbled, raising his head to look at her. “My mother… Why can’t I remember?”
“No one remembers that early in life, Lukey… Don’t push yourself too far with this. I said I will find her for you.”
“Did you ever find your mother, Sammy?” He muttered. “What makes it so much easier to find mine?”
“My mother was…” Sam took a deep breath before she continued. “My mother was a captive of the Brotherhood, so to speak. See, the cause would be compromised if the Master was to have a child with someone tainted by Enlightened blood. It became tradition for the Master to bring a woman of pure blood from outside the Land, from Terra, to bear him children… Whether she wanted to or not. And by a woman I mean a female old enough to bear children, which can be just as young as an eleven year old, interesting, huh?” She pulled her legs up on the bed and scooted over closer to him, but still keeping a respectful distance. “That’s what I know of her; she was somewhere between eleven and twenty years old, from Terra, not a hint of enlightened blood on her… And as soon as she got pregnant she was sent back. I was born and then brought to my father a few months later and no one ever spoke of her again.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Sammy.” Luke mumbled, glancing towards her and taking notice of the fact she had gotten closer.
Sam just shrugged. “It doesn’t matter really.”
“Your father seemed like a pleasant man.” Luke muttered.
She snickered. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Did you kill him?” Luke asked, lifting his head as he heard an audible ‘meow’ coming from outside the door.
Sam chuckled and stood up, answering his question as she walked to the door. “Not with my own hands, but I was there.” She opened the door and a scruffy-looking white cat, with big pointy ears, immediately crossed the doorway, meowing incessantly and rubbing up against her legs until she finally picked it up in her arms and hugged it gently. “Seth, sweetie… Why are you wandering about at this hour?” She asked, gently rubbing the cat between his pointy ears. “You miss mommy, huh? You spoiled little brat…” She chuckled, shutting the door before walking back towards the bed and sitting back down, dropping the cat beside her on the sheets. She gave Luke a rather apologetic look. “If I toss him out, he will scratch the door and meow until your ears bleed… I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Luke muttered, glancing away as the cat began wandering around the bed and sniffing everything. It was actually not okay, Luke really disliked cats, but he didn’t want Sam to leave, so if he had to put up with the cat he would.
“I can go and take him back to my room, it’s perfectly fine.” She offered, already beginning to stand up when she felt a firm grip on her wrist.
“Please stay.” Luke whispered, releasing Sam rather quickly as Seth hissed at him; pointy ears flattened against its skull and back arched in an intimidating gesture. That wasn’t what scared Luckas however; it was the cat’s right eye… It had turned red for a split second before fading to a pale blue, unlike his other eye, which was of a similar pale tone, but green.
Sam chuckled softly. “Seth, don’t be a meanie.” She scolded. “I’m sorry, Lukey, he’s just a bit territorial.” She stated, pulling the cat onto her lap.
“His eye…” Luke mumbled. “What…?”
Sam sighed. “Yes… Seth and my other cat Pandora are rescued from my father’s crazy plan to imprint animals… He made me try to give them telepathic abilities… It didn’t work, well… Not completely.”
“Not completely?” Luckas asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Seth and Pandora are the only two survivors out of twelve kittens. They didn’t quite develop an ability of their own though, they only became telepathically bound to me.” She explained, absently stroking the cat’s fur. Seth curled up into a ball in her lap, emitting a low purr and closing his mismatched eyes. “I’ve had them for seven years now. I think cats are so much better than dogs. They’re only loyal if they respect you, they cannot be tamed… And they do not need you.”
“What is the point of having them, then?” Luckas asked. “I don’t like cats, they’re unreliable.”
“They’re far more reliable than humans will ever be.” Sam retorted.
“That… That may be true.” Luke stated, rubbing his eyes and letting out a yawn. “But being more reliable than people is not much of a feat, now is it? Plus, at least dogs give a shit.”
“Dogs are needy, and stupid.” Sam stated simply. “Fine though… Let’s just disagree on this and lay this discussion to rest before it gets violent.”
Luckas chuckled. “Huh… Never thought that’d get a rise out of you ‘Mistress’. You’re always so collected.”
Sam laughed softly. “Go back to sleep boy… You’re tired.”
Luckas laid himself down with a weary sigh, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion, but not very eager to fall back asleep. “You know, I like you better this way…” He mumbled.
“What way?” Sam asked, leaning back against the headboard and watching him with the corner of her eyes.
“When you act like yourself.” He answered. “I like you, Sammy. I don’t always like how you act though…” Luckas answered, closing his eyes. “You need to laugh more.”
She sighed softly. “You don’t know what my self is like Luckas… I’m not that kid in the basement anymore.”
“Sure you are… In the end, I think that’s all we’ll ever be.” Luckas replied, immediately drifting off to sleep.
[The Manor - 6 days after Castle Ball, early afternoon]
“Luuukey...”
A familiar voice sounded in the room, almost singing his name cheerfully, as Luckas simply lay across his bed slightly entertained with a book. “What.” He mumbled, not surprised at the fact he hadn’t heard the door open, still trying to keep his focus on the pages.
“What?” Sam’s voice repeated a bit coldly and slightly menacingly. “Who do you think you are to talk to me that way, Pet?”
Her tone was enough to make any other Brother wet his pants, but Luckas knew his Mistress a little better than that. “Hmph.” He mumbled, raising his eyes from the book to find her standing beside his bed, arms crossed over her chest and a severe expression in her eyes. “I’m no one’s pet, and you better remember that.” Luke replied in a low growl.
Sam giggled in response, sitting on the bed facing him. “Such a rebellious little puppy you are, Lukey, love… What is making you so cranky? Tell me….” She snickered. “Is it because of the nightmares, huh? I could keep you company again tonight, maybe… Check under your bed for monsters and all… Or pretty ladies, we all know how scary those can be.”
“Shut up.” Was all Luke managed to say as he set the book aside and sat up straight, his face so close to hers they were breathing the same air, his eyes glowing red in clear rage, his fists clenched tightly; not at all amused by Sam’s playful comments.
Sam didn’t seem frightened by his response at all. “Would you rather I pretend not to know why you’ve been spending your days locked in your room lately?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “You obviously miss your little girlfriend, so why don’t you just go see her?”
“She’s not my ‘little girlfriend’, and I thought you didn’t want me to see her.” Luke replied, the anger still in his tone. “If it goes against your wishes, Mistress, then I have no reason to do so.”
“Maybe not, but what I really wished for is that you did not want to see her anymore, but you clearly do, so it doesn’t matter…” She heaved a small sigh and gently stroked the side of his face with the back of her hand. “It doesn’t matter.” She repeated in a soft whisper, lowering her hand from his cheek and reaching for the book he had tossed aside, skimming through its pages casually. “For someone who doesn’t believe in the Gods, you read through mythology books too often.” She stated.
“I like the stories.” He answered, taking the book from her, not wanting her to see it had Annie’s name on the back cover. “Tell me Sam… Do you think it was the Gods’ powers that corrupted the humans, or humanity that corrupted the Gods? Have you ever wondered, if they really cared for the humans and that’s why they wanted to stay?”
“I think… They had their own selfish reasons to want to stay. I don’t think they could care, except maybe Heart, but there are selfish and harmful ways of caring as well.” She stated.
“Are there harmful ways of caring? Like what?” He asked.
“Well, everything can be harmful if it’s excessive, Luckas... Even love...Especially love...” Sam said with a little shrug. “Like… Thinking you know what is best for someone, but not taking their will into consideration. Like clinging to someone and not knowing how to let go… For instance.”
“What if they couldn’t help it?” Luckas asked, now leaning back and resting his back against the headboard. “What if they tried not to get attached, not to get involved, but just couldn’t help it?” He paused, taking notice, by how Sam’s expression had changed, that she understood exactly what he meant. “Hypothetically, of course.” He added.
“I think… I think those hypotheticals of yours are not hypothetical enough for me to answer impartially, Luckas. If you wanted to know my opinion, truly, on what this is truly about… I’d tell you that it will only end badly. Much like the Twins’ involvement ended badly, even if they did care for the humans, it didn’t turn out well for them to go against the natural order of things.”
“I’m not sure I follow…” Luckas mumbled.
“I think you do; this is not my business, or at least it won’t be until it interferes with our cause directly, but I think you should forget this woman, Luckas; because in the end of it all she is going to die. Sure, everyone will die someday, but she will die as a result of your actions, even if not directly, and you will be left with choosing between living with that fact, or dying as well. That’s how I see it ending.” She replied, leaning back on the bed for a moment, planting both her hands on the mattress and resting her weight on them as she stared up at the ceiling. “You will suffer, or die, and I will suffer for losing you, and she will be dead either way.”
“Why?” Luckas asked, almost to himself, his voice sounding slightly like the whining of a kid seeing his favorite toy being taken away.
“For the same reason wolves don’t befriend bunny rabbits Luckas. You’re a predator, and she is… Well… Prey. I wish I could put it in prettier terms, but it is what it is. She is no different from the ones you killed, on my command, and the others you are yet to kill, and we haven’t gotten to that yet, but… One day her time will come. Who knows then, you might have to kill her as well. What will you do then?”
“I will do what I have to do.” Luckas stated, raising an eyebrow as if the question was taken as an insult. “I swore my allegiance, now haven’t I?”
Sam snickered. “Down, boy.” She sighed softly. “I’m simply trying to help you Luke. I don’t think you fully understand the consequences of this, ‘friendship’ of yours. I think you underestimate the ways in which this can affect you. You know, I’d hate to lose my favorite pet.” She stated, with a playful grin.
“Perhaps you would rather I forget this whole thing and spend my free time curled up at your feet?” He asked in a slightly annoyed tone.
She sat up straight letting her gaze fall from the patterns of the ceiling and onto his face. “And what if I do?” She smiled. “Is that so evil of me?”
Luckas chuckled softly. “Yes, yes it is Sammy. What did you say about clinging to someone and not knowing when to let go?”
Sam fell into a laughing fit for a couple of minutes at the words. “Oh, you poor innocent puppy…” She chuckled. “You should know by now that I don’t ever let go.”
[The Manor - 6 days after Castle Ball, late night]
”Where am I?”
“Does that even matter now?”
“I don’t know... I’m not sure... I don’t know who I am anymore.”
“Have you ever truly known that? Does anyone ever truly know?”
“I was certain of things…”
“You can never be certain of anything”
“I don’t want to die without knowing what’s truly real.”
“You are already dead, Brother, no matter what is real.”
The darkness was absolute. If there was such thing as complete and absolute absence of light, this was it. It was as if nothing existed but the haunting voices that whispered as if coming from every direction at once, and still… All was empty.
“Do you know Brother, what fear truly feels like? Have you ever screamed in terror? You have never felt such things, have you? Because you are already dead.”
“I have.”
“Show me.”
“What?”
“Show me fear… Scream for me…” The voice laughed maniacally when there was no reply from Luckas. “See? You are dead and just don’t know it…”
The laughter continued for what seemed like forever and finally Luckas could feel himself standing in the center of an empty room; that same dreaded basement where he spent most of his childhood years. He knew he was standing there somehow, but for some reason he still couldn’t see anything. The shadows seemed to swallow him whole and all he saw was black.
“A man with nothing to lose is a dead man. If you fear nothing, you have nothing, and so you are dead. You died here. Why fight then? Surrender.”
“I have people now.” Luckas argued. “I’m not ready to let go.”
“People? Look, we both know how that ends.” The voice mocked. “People judge, and expect things and when you eventually let them down they abandon you. Theyl betray you, and you’re left all alone with your thoughts again. Just you and your thoughts… Just like old times… Wouldn’t that be delightful?” The voice said, exploding into giggles. “Just you and me, Brother… Like old times…”
The light went on in the room, somehow. There were no torches, lamps, or windows, but there was light now, as if it appeared out of nowhere. The pitch black became a light yellow, as if Luke was surrounded by sunlight, even if not warm. All was light, except one thing: In front of Luckas there was a large mirror that seemed to extend through an entire wall. Or at least he believed it to be a mirror, since its surface was jet black, and nothing could be seen in it but darkness. Still, Luckas was sure that it was a mirror for some reason. As he stared into it, trying to see something inside, he thought he saw shadows move. He thought he saw eyes in the dark, and as he tried to get a better look he definitely heard voices, whispers, calling his name from the shadows, calling him in different ways and different voices, some familiar, others not…
“Brother…”
“Luke…”
“Luckas…”
“My Dear Luckas…”
“Foolish boy…”
“Little vermin…”
“Lukey…”
“Luckas…”
“What are you?”
“Who are you?”
“Please… Don’t…”
“I beg you… Have mercy!”
“If you didn’t want me to like you Luckas, then you most definitely are going about it the wrong way.”
“In the end, you'll always be someone's pet, because you're too weak to function without someone on the other end of your leash.”
“… I saw something in you that I didn’t want to let die…”
“I’m sure no one would give a crap if I let you wander off and drop dead somewhere, but I’m still not going to let it happen.”
“Will it hurt?”
The voices were constant and, even in whispers, they seemed to get louder and louder somehow. Familiar voices, people he liked, hated, strangers, victims, all of them mixed inside his head trying to tell him who he was, what he was, where he belonged… Or that he simply didn’t belong at all. It all brought an ache to his temples and chest and he felt as if he was suffocating. Placing both palms on the dark surface, he leaned against the black mirror, pushing against it as if the gesture would somehow vent his anger and frustration, but, in reality, it did no such thing. He closed his eyes, or at least he must have, because next thing he knew, watching him from the darkness were a crowd of glowing eyes of all shapes and colors, a few of them recognized as familiar: Sam’s green eyes, Lena’s blue, Ess’ violet, and every other he ever encountered… Every mind he’s ever met… Luckas was lost in watching the shadows. At one point or another he swore he could see silhouettes moving amongst their dark surroundings. He felt like he wanted to join them, but it didn’t matter how much he pressed against the surface of the mirror, it would not let him pass. That was when he heard it again… Not just any voice, THE voice. This time it didn't seem to come from everywhere at once; it was right in front of him and that was when Luckas saw what he first thought was his own reflection, and it spoke: “You died here, you just don’t know it. You died here with me, so long ago…”
Before Luckas realized that he wasn’t really looking at himself, even though the person in the mirror did in fact mirror him, the ‘image’ pushed against him. Suddenly he felt skin against his hands as the ‘image’s’ hands pushed against them. Luckas stared into its eyes, same as his, the face, the hair, everything, but the smile… Much deeper, far more psychotic, and absolutely delighted… That was Matthew’s face. “Matt…” Luke whispered, stumbling back under his force. Mathew let him take his distance, but always walking towards him, slowly, his smile widening at every step.
“Did you really think you were free of me?” Matthew’s voice sounded much like his, only it echoed as if he spoke from the bottom of an abyss. “I will always be with you, brother, another part of you; the strongest part of you. I am your shadow and you may leave me behind, but I will never truly leave you.”
Luckas was shaking, fear taking over him at the sight of his twin; Matthew couldn’t be alive, Luke knew as much, but the sight of him just caused him panic even so. “You’re dead.” He mumbled. “You’re not real.”
“Oh, but neither are you, brother.” Matthew replied, his grin widening, as manic as it had ever been. “Now, little brother… Scream for me… Show me fear… See what I see… Isn’t that what you always wanted?”
Luckas continued to walk away until he felt cold stone press against his back; he was cornered, and even though he knew Matthew’s gift could never hurt him, that he was dead, that this could not be real… None of it mattered. The only thought in him was that if Matthew got to him, he would never let go… He would drag him to hell with him… Perhaps that was his fate, but he didn’t want to go just yet.
As the twin neared, Luke realized that he was now holding something; it felt like a knife, it was a knife… And without a flinch Luke buried it in Matthew’s chest the moment he was close enough, but he must have closed his eyes again, because when he opened them again Matthew was smiling as wide as ever; triumphant. “You’re dead Luckas, you just don’t know it.” He whispered.
Luckas looked down… He was never the one holding the knife, it seemed. Matthew’s hand was the one on the handle, pushing the blade slowly, straight through Luke’s chest.
“Alone, Luckas; you and me… In the dark… Forever… That’s how it ends.”
Luckas woke up abruptly, his right hand gripping the front of his shirt, shivers crawling their way up and down his spine. His chest ached as if a blade had in fact gone through it, and sweat was soaking his clothes and hair. “It’s not real... not real... It’s not real...” He muttered under his breath, trying to will the shivering away. “I’m not dead... It’s not real... I’m not dead yet... Not yet... Not yet...”
It took Luckas a few minutes to steady himself, open his eyes, and allow himself to slip back into the present, to the real world, or what was left of it. It was still dark outside his window, the sky was clear and in the dark room he could still see some stars sparkling in the dark blue background above, the house was silent as it usually was and everything seemed perfectly normal. Luckas inhaled slowly and forced himself to breathe it all out; his hands still shaking from the very vivid dream. The memory of his dead twin unpleasantly and persistently clinging to his mind. The words spoken still lingering in the background: “In the dark... Forever...”
Luckas couldn’t remember ever being this frightened before. It wasn’t full blown terror, but it was the closest he had ever been. If it had been for real, then perhaps... Luckas snickered softly under his breath, running one hand through his sweaty hair as he forced himself to get out of bed. As soon as his bare feet touched the stone floor, however, he felt little claws sinking into his ankle painfully. “Argh, damn it, Seth!” He shouted, picking the cat up by his neck, ignoring the several more scratches to his arm, and tossing it out the bedroom door, slamming it shut and muttering. “Stupid fleabag!” On his way back Luckas froze where he stood, the corner of his eye catching his reflexion on a mirror on the wall, without much thought to it, he picked up one of the sheets and covered the mirror with. “I said not yet.” he mumbled.
-About an hour later-
“How come you’re not in bed Lukey? Is it about your little girlfriend?” Sam asked, sitting across from Luckas on one of the kitchen tables and snatching a cookie from the plate that was place in between them on the wooden surface.
“Why must you keep calling her that, Sam? Luke muttered, fiddling with the cookies he’d stolen from the pantry, but not eating. “And what makes you say that?”
“Because it annoys you; but also because I have eyes and I’m not dumb.” She leaned over the table, resting her chin in her hands, and snickered. “I heard you call for her in your sleep. Were you having a wet dream or something?”
“No. I was just randomly naming people I know.” He muttered sarcastically. “It wasn’t even about her.... And stop spying on me.”
“You don’t want me to stop spying on you. I’ve asked you at least four times if I was bothering you and you avoided the question altogether. You like it that I watch you sleep, makes you feel safe, but you don’t want to admit it and you don’t want to lie about it; so you avoid answering.”
Luckas sighed softly and stuffed a whole cookie in his mouth to keep himself occupied as he chewed on it in silence.
“How come you don’t have a nickname for me like everyone else?” Sam asked curiously.
Luke swallowed hard and coughed slightly before answering. “I do… It’s ‘Sammy’. Why, you don’t like that?” He took a sip of water. “And it’s not everybody else…”
“Just the ones that matter.” Sam stated, with a little smirk. “...Whether it’s because you like them ot because you don’t... Do you forget who you’re talking to?”
Luke chuckled slightly under his breath. “Never.”
Sam sighed softly. “Lukey, why don’t you tell me what is troubling you? You might feel better, and maybe I can help.”
“If I… Give you a hypothetical… Will you promise to keep it a hypothetical and answer me honestly?”
“Sure, and I’m always honest.” Sam replied. “Tell me.”
“Let’s say you are incredibly good at chess.”
“I am incredibly good at chess.” She chuckled. “But please, go on.”
“You never lost a game, and the more you win the harder it is to find a worthy opponent. It starts to get too easy. Not any less fun, but less challenging... And you NEED the challenge. One day you run across a great opponent, you play and it ends in a draw, and every time you play after that it ends the same way. It doesn’t matter though, because the game is still exciting, never boring, even after it all starts to get familiar. Now, nothing about you has changed, you still feel the urge to win. In fact, a part of you feels a nearly uncontrollable urge to win. The problem is that if you beat this player, you will never get to play with this person again. The game ends.” Luckas let both his arms rest on the table and leaned forward, letting his chin rest over them as he stared into Sammy’s green eyes. “So now, what do you choose to do? A part of you desperately wants to win, but then there’s this other part of you that is terrified that if you do, you’ll never be able to enjoy the game the same way again.”
“What you are asking is whether I would choose to hold on to the certainty of ‘instant gratification’ or risk the mere possibility of ‘true happiness’.” She smiled softly. “Keeping this as a hypothetical as you asked me... I don’t think you can keep playing for a draw indefinitely, and if you don’t play to win you will eventually lose. So, I don’t see it as much of a choice really. I think the question is: How long can you stall before the inevitable happens? So I see it as there are two options; or you play to win and be temporarily satisfied with the victory, or you will eventually lose and be left with nothing.” She chuckled. “Well, of course, you can forfeit, but I know you’re just not that kind of player, are you, hun?” She reached out and placed a hand over Luke’s arm near his cheek. “Are you alright sweetie?”
“I guess. I’m just tired… Don’t want to go back to sleep.” He mumbled.
“What was your dream about?”
He sighed. “Choices… And lack of choices… Inevitability… Death…”
“Those can be frightening, I know.” She agreed. “Accepting fate is the most frightening part of being alive. Accepting that some things are not an option… Making sacrifices…” She smiled. “Remember when you asked if I believed I was the Goddess?”
“You said you didn’t know what you believed.” Luckas answered, with a nod.
“I don’t. I do know what I hope… I hope I’m not. You know why? Because in all the Myths, in all the stories… The only thing that doesn’t change is that Terra was lonely. Either she loved Duncan and watched him die, or she didn’t love him or anyone… If she was a Goddess she was put on this realm to betray her siblings… If she was a human she was used by the Gods… Me? I was born with a purpose to serve. Nothing more, nothing less… Maybe if I succeed I’ll have a chance of being more, but until then…”
“Why? Why not choose something different?”
“Because I believe, Luckas... I believe that after all the buildings crumble, all the ashes scatter, all the bodies are consumed by the earth… Those who live will see beauty as it only have been heard of in legends. Even with everything I had to put up with to make it happen… I think it’s worth it.”
“Enough to die for it? If you do what you plan, won’t it kill you?”
“I’m not sure, Lukey… It’s… Uncertain… How it affects my bloodline, since it’s something apart from true Enlightened, but not exactly from another source. I’ll only know then, but.... Probably, yes.”
Luckas was going to say something else, but he stopped himself as he felt a sharp pain in his temples that made him shoot up and sit up straight in his seat, rubbing his eyes. He felt something inside his chest he was unfamiliar with and a chill ran down his spine as he heard Ess’ voice echo inside his mind, calling his name… Something wasn’t right.
Slowly Sam’s voice began to sound faintly in the background, but he wasn’t listening. He simply stood up and started to walk out of the kitchen. “I’m going for a walk… Need to think…” He mumbled. With the corner of his eyes he was able to catch sight of Sam still watching him intently as he crossed the doorway… She was clearly not happy with this.
[Raven’s Camp - 8 days after Castle Ball, early evening]
Luckas had somewhat regretted walking out on Sam the way he had within only a few minutes of leaving the Manor. The sudden urge to run in the direction of the Raven’s Nest had faded some, but not disappeared entirely. It was there still, and he knew that unless he kept going it wouldn’t stop nagging at him. He had to take a longer route through the forest; the Wolves seemed uneasy for some reason and he felt was best to avoid going near their camp. He could handle if someone tried to hold him back, but he just didn’t want the distraction. For that reason, it took a few hours longer than he’d like to reach the camp.
The sun had already set on the second day of his trip by the time he finally reached his usual spot under the oak tree. It didn’t take too long to spot Essence where she sat, his first greetings going unanswered, confirming that in fact something wasn’t right, until she finally addressed him.
“Luckas, can you just stay...and keep me company...but not ask any questions?...If you want to know what the fuck is going on, I give you permission...go inside my brain...because I don't feel like discussing anything....I can't right now...." Her eyes were red and puffy, tired from her lack of sleep, yet she couldn't relax to that point. Her expression was empty, vacant of any further emotion, except the obvious sleep deprivation as she stared off into the fire...her tone so quiet, one had to put together the random pieces they understood into a coherent sentence.
Luckas stood staring for a while, trying to read something in her expression, but failing however; not that he couldn't tell something was wrong, that was pretty clear, but he couldn't even take a wild guess as to what sorts of feelings were hidden underneath the emptiness and exhaustion. He wondered if someone with a normal sense of empathy would see it differently, or if it was truly that concealed. Finally he simply nodded and quietly sat, not like he wasn't planning on staying either way. "I'll ask another time." He stated quietly.
Ess barely took notice of Luckas' movements as he went from standing to sitting not too far from where she herself remained positioned. Her mind faded in and out of the present, into blank thought, making her forget that she had even spoken which had been the first time that day any words had escaped her. Vaguely she realized her earlier visitors whom she acted as if she never noticed their presence, not answering their calls or concerns...almost like a waking coma. Was she at the point of not feeling emotions at all? Was she simply too drained to care or process? Or maybe she was just that good of an actress...to the point she could fool herself into insanity.
Luckas remained quiet where he sat, not bothering to pretend he wasn't staring, because that's exactly what he was doing. He didn't know what was happening and doubted he'd know what to do if he had the whole story. He heaved an audible sigh as if trying to get rid of the silence and yet not be too loud. He wondered if Captain would know what this was all about, but still he didn't want to move.
Ess took in a deep breath, as if she momentarily forgot to keep breathing, her fingers absently scratching along her collarbone, curious blood stained linen strips peeked out from beneath her shirt. She had argued for a while with the medics on their ‘advice’ to bandage her wounds, until she passed out from some drug one of them managed to slip into her water. She wasn’t ashamed of what she had done to herself, but wanted it to be shown off to the world, a piece of her soul peeking out from the darkness. Besides that, she hadn’t slept and in defiance to their orders, she managed to slip away when they had fallen asleep in a chair beside her. “Keep an eye on her...” The Captain had said. When they came looking for her, trying to coerce her back to the cabin she responded by unsheathing her relic blade, her eyes empty and almost black from the lack of glow they usually emanated. They left her alone after that, for the most part.
“Maybe you were right Luckas….maybe it’s not worth feeling….with all the pain and anger….just for the possibility of something good….to feel needed….to be loved….maybe it does just make us weak…..” Ess paused before incoherent mumbles escaped her, “…Shoulda…coulda…woulda…past is past….still haunting my future…what if it was all a lie….what if I’m a lie…” A shaky laugh startled the air, causing Ess to look around searching, but for what she didn’t know. “I no longer know my own worth.”
"Am I boring you? Did you lose interest yet?" A curious smile curled her lips.
"Boring me? Well, maybe just a little..." He answered with a little smirk, his expression seeming more lost in thought than actually bored. "Did I lose interest? Surprisingly, no."
“Have to say…I’m surprised as well. Course I’ve had a lot of surprises as of late…” Her tone grew dark, almost ominous as she turned back to the flames, the flicker of light dancing in her eyes. She literally bit down on her lip, letting the blood trickle down her chin slowly. Ess had much to think about, and yet there was this wall preventing her from processing much of the revelations. She was trying to connect the dots, and the more she realized the more her anger grew, so she kept pushing it aside until she could figure out how to approach it all. Ess knew it was only causing her more pain, as much as she tried to suppress it and not deal It wasn’t her way, yet she felt like giving up. If she faced it in that moment, she knew she would break down again. Were her beliefs wrong? Was she living a lie all this time? She felt so ashamed for the weakness she was showing. Why couldn’t she stay strong? Gradually the emotions floated across her face accompanied by a subtle chuckle which she choked down the second she realized her facade fading.
Luckas had gone quiet for a bit, thinking, mulling over Ess' statement that he was right. Was he right? His mind tracked back to the last time they discussed pain and what she had told him then. Finally he heaved a small impatient sigh. "What do you want to do, Lady?" He asked finally. "If you want to not feel, I can make you forget whatever it is that is troubling you. Even if, not so long ago, you told me that you would not do such a thing given the choice. Suppose that just means you lied to me and you don’t actually believe a word you said back then, which would also mean you’re just as full of shit as everyone else and I was wrong to think otherwise, but oh well…” He shrugged. “It’s like I said: people usually turn out to be disappointing one way or another.” He sighed heavily and shook his head in fake disappointment, a slightly amused smirk crossing his features. “Although, I must admit that is quite satisfying to finally be right about something, even if that something is that being a coward pays.”
If Luke was trying to get her to voice her thoughts, trying to get a rise out of her, it had worked. The violet glow appeared in her gaze, almost blocking out the darkness of her pupils in her sudden fury of anger. A deep growl in her voice, as if it were not her own; it was the push she needed. “You KNOW…I would not lie to you. Is it a crime to feel broken? To feel lost and not understand what I should do? Maybe I only feel what I was taught…what I came to believe was wrong, if people just run away and stop caring. I’m sorry I wanted so badly to have faith in something, to find my own purpose for being here.”
If Ess wasn’t so dehydrated, tears would have been flowing freely down her face. Her voice faded into a whisper as she turned finally to face Luckas. “Just let me wallow for a while until it passes, until I can make sense of it all….I don’t want to be like ‘them.’”
Luckas managed to control himself to keep from laughing; he couldn't help being amused, although something told him it wasn't quite the right sentiment in a situation like this. He let Ess talk and simply nodded quietly, a little smirk breaking through despite his efforts to keep a straight face. "Good." He stated simply, in response to her last statement, ignoring all the rest. After going silent for another moment he noticed the bandages showing under her shirt. "What did you do to yourself there, Lady?” He asked, raising an eyebrow and momentarily forgetting he’d decided not to ask questions yet.
A mixed eruption of emotions took over Ess, her fists clenching as she simply quirked a brow at Luke’s question and observation. She simply responded by gently pulling down her shirt, exposing the bandages just above her breasts to quickly rip off the linens. “Well, I discovered….the little secret you and Lena were in on…You know…about ‘Blue Eyes…..” Ess’ lips parted in a devilish grin as she continued. “What, you don’t like the tattoo? I thought it was….fitting….” She spat, letting the annoyance escape in her tone as she glanced down at the tattoo she had taken hours to crudely engrave into her flesh. It was an eerie oak tree, engulfed in flames, appearing unshaken in destruction. “Maybe when it heals some more…I can add some color…I dunno…whatcha think…..My Dear …Luckas…?”
"I see..." Luckas' amusement faded slowly and he flinched slightly, but now he understood a bit more what was going on. "Wasn't my place to tell... None of my business...” He mumbled, looking away from her. “And Lena..." He snorted out in annoyance. "I can't speak for her. Who knows what went through that woman's head?" He sighed. "So, what, you ran out of journal space and had to doodle on yourself? Honestly, Lady, I think it suits you."
Ess scoffed at Luckas’ reasons for keeping Jake’s identity to himself, rolling her eyes. “Please….I didn’t ask why….I think I understand why…and although I’m not happy about it…I get it….” She trailed off, leaving it at that….smiling just a bit as he commented her tattoo “Maybe the journal thing is growing tired….” She shrugged, scooting closer in his direction. “And…since when am I not your business? You are making it quite clear that I am.” Ess sighed, rubbing at her eyes, feeling a bit timid in saying anything else at this point. Not because she was afraid, but because she didn’t know now what she could talk about with Luke, per say. She just wasn’t sure what to feel at that point. Ess was clearly unhappy with him, and even after all they’ve been through thus far, he was still there. That meant more to her than he could ever know. She knew she wouldn’t stay upset with him for very long.
Luckas sighed softly at Ess’ words on knowing why he hadn’t told her the truth. He shook his head and kept quiet on the matter. When she asked about her being his business he smirked slightly and mumbled. "I didn't mean you, Lady. You are most definitely my business, whether you like it or not." He stated, firmly, even though his tone was so soft it was as if he wished she couldn't hear. He went quiet for a bit after that, his eyes examining her carefully. "You look like you haven't slept in a while. You should, you know, at least rest for a bit..." He pointed out, trying to sound severe, which just didn't sound much intimidating, surprisingly. “… And don’t make me force you, because I can do that, you know.”
Ess scooted again, so close this time she let her arm brush along Luke’s. Taking a deep breath she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. She didn’t care if he would try to brush her aside at her touch, because she had a feeling he may just let her. She caught his words that he spoke barely at a whisper, enough to catch the gist of what he said. “Well if you’re sticking around, who knows…I may actually get some sleep. I feel better when you’re here, even when I’m mad at you.” Ess pointedly sifted her arm beneath his, giving a slight squeeze. “Maybe the nightmares will stay away…”
Luckas winced only slightly, but he didn't pull away when Ess leaned into him, he simply shifted in his seat a little uncomfortably, but otherwise remained quiet. It wasn't quite what he meant, but she was resting so he thought it best not to complain. "Suppose I'll just have to stick around, then." He stated, heaving a small sigh.
Ess lifted her head and stared into Luke’s eyes. “Sorry….if I make you uncomfortable you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. I’ll manage.” Her eyes were questioning, a sad smile cracking along her lips as she let her hand find Luke’s. Gradually, she lightly traced his palm with her finger, trailing up and along each of his fingers. It tickled her how he appeared much warmer than she was at that moment, and how her body wanted to absorb the heat. She wondered for a minute if she was fevering or if it had something to do with all the blood she lost over a short period of time.
“You’re right, I don’t have to stay if I don’t want to.” Luckas stated simply, but didn’t move a muscle from where he was now, lowering his gaze as he mumbled. “…And I’m not that uncomfortable.” That was true, in a way… Although he wasn’t sure he understood whether Ess was mad at him or not after all. He spent the next few moments silently trying to control the urge to pull his hand away from her touch until it finally faded. “Maybe the nightmares will stay away… Wouldn’t that be nice?” He whispered quietly to himself.
Ess let out a shaky sigh, slipping her fingers between Luke’s. “So why stay then? Although I’m not complaining…” Ess decided to stand, still holding onto Luckas she rose from his side and took one step forward as her knees gave out from her, causing her to almost trip over Tala. “I don’t want to sleep, but perhaps I should.. Lay down.”
When Aiden didn’t find Ess in the medic’s cabin, he knew it was best to just check on her from afar and if need be, he could offer his assistance. She was weak but he knew if he upset her, she would not hesitate in making it known once again. For the most part she just sat by the fire either ignoring or scaring away visitors.
Aiden was only away for a few minutes, but when he had come back to his spot within a nearby tree line, he began cursing himself when he spotted Luckas beside Ess. The veins in his forehead began to protrude while his fingers clenched the crossbow along his back, quickly retrieving the readied contraption and taking aim.
His pointer finger loosened and remained just beside the trigger as he watched, waiting to see if Ess was in any immediate danger. After a few moments, his shoulders slumped, letting the device fall to his side. Hooking it to his belt he decided to approach the two, just reaching the fire light as Ess went to stand and stumbled to the ground. He picked up his pace and found his way to her other side, a sweet concerned expression crossing his face. “Essence….you can’t push yourself…now after the other day…..Please…”
Luckas simply heaved a small sigh. “Why ask me questions that you already know the answers to, Lady?” He said, standing with her since she hadn’t really let go of him yet, which was a good thing because she didn’t seem to have much strength left to even take a step without stumbling. “I think you’re right Lady, maybe you should lay down for a bit.” He agreed, putting a firm grip on her arm as if to support her weight if she were to stumble again. Distracted with that, Luckas didn’t quite notice Aiden until the man was right beside Ess. The sound of the man’s voice, caused him to tense, but he seemed to be able to keep his calm despite the fact it was clear Aiden had been watching; which Luckas immediately resented him for. With a slightly annoyed sigh, he shot Aiden a glare and stated in a slightly amused tone. “Better watch it Lady, I think you have one too many stalkers.”
Ess scowled at herself for practically almost falling into the fire pit, but smiled when she felt Luke’s grip on her arm. She opened her mouth to respond to him but was cut off by Aiden’s voice, turning abruptly towards him. “Yes yes….to the both of you…I did just say I was going to lie down. I’m fine thank you.” Essence went to step again and found both the men to have a grip on each of her arms, making it a bit impossible for her to go in one single direction. Pausing a moment she giggled, “I know he’s been keeping an eye on me as well Luckas, but since you are here I don’t think the concern is necessary, Aiden, although appreciated.” Aiden attempted to lead Ess in his direction towards the tent, frowning when Luke still had a hold on her. “I’ve got it, Luckas.” Gently Aiden bent his knees, moving his hand from her arm to support Ess’ back and the other lifting her legs as he picked her up into his arms, bringing her into him. “I was the one who found her the other day, Luckas…she could have died…while you were ….AWAY.” Aiden smirked a bit as he cradled Ess who stared up at him wide-eyed, her brows narrowing in defiance as she tried to squirm. “Aiden…I’m not helpless…I’m conscious…and I’m not bleeding out…kindly put me down now…” Ess stated firmly, her stomach knotting up in embarrassment.
The only reason Luckas let go of Ess’ arm to begin with was because he knew he was going to lose his calm, and he’d rather not have that happen while holding onto her. Despite wanting to cause Aiden severe pain simply for his presence, he wouldn’t have done much more than glare, at least for the moment, wasn’t for his insistence to pick Ess up without the least bit of warning, or consent. Ignoring Aiden’s mention of his absence, despite it being what stung him the most, Luckas opened a slightly menacing grin and growled softly, putting himself in front of the man. “For someone who attempted to lecture me on not knowing how to deal with a woman, mate, you don’t seem to be very good at listening to one when she speaks. Now, you heard the Lady say your concern is not needed, and to put her down… I suggest you do that before I feel the need to force you.” He muttered, a red sparkle flashing behind the black of his eyes.
Ess pushed against Aiden’s chest, still fidgeting as he set her down, steadying her as she regained her balance. Discretely, she gave a wink towards Luckas as she stood between the two men. “Aiden, you are being quite rude. Yes, I thank you for your help and concern, as I’ve stated before…” Ess abruptly turned her gaze back and forth between their faces as she spoke to both of them. “..And what is this about a lecture? Is there something I should know?” With a deep sigh she steadily walked around Aiden towards her tent, not taking any help from them. “Aiden…do not…ever try to cast blame on Luckas for something that is not his fault.” The violet in her eyes dimmed in their glow as she forced another smile. “Luckas? Are you still staying the night?” When Ess moved aside, Aiden took a step forward so that he towered over Luckas, staring down into his eyes. He didn’t tear his gaze aside as he answered Ess, “Apologies my friend, I was only trying to help you, since you did lose much blood.” Aiden kept quiet when asked about Luckas and his conversation weeks ago, quirking a brow when he was scolded for his words. . He wasn’t sure if she expected an apology for that, that which would never come for he believed Luckas was only around for whatever convenience it provided. Instead he turned his back on Luckas and followed Ess in concern to make sure she didn’t fall, making sure not to crowd her.
Unexpectedly he gasped at her words to Luckas to her invitation to stay. For the first time he admitted jealously, but held in his words as Ess leaned into him and thanked him again for his help. She gave him a gentle squeeze and added with a snarky grin. “Luckas, you’ll stay with me again, won’t you?” Aiden shot an angry glare over his shoulder at Luckas.
Luke smiled, looking up at Aiden as the man stood tall before him, not seeming intimidated in one bit and mouthing the words “nice try” when Ess scolded him on his words. He held Aiden’s gaze until the man turned away from him, at which point he replied to Ess’ question on the lecture. “Beast Boy and I had a chat a while back, nothing really important, but if you want I can show you sometime… Once you’ve gotten some sleep.” He answered with a shrug, responding to Ess’ question of whether or not he would stay by following after her and Aiden towards the tent. He hid his annoyance at the hug she gave the man, taking comfort in his anger when she asked him once again if he would stay. “Of course I’ll stay, Lady.” He answered with a confirming nod, smirking at Aiden as he went in the tent without a care, showing clearly that he’d slept there before.
Aiden’s caramel gaze hardened as he watched Luke, flinching at what he meant when he said he could ‘show’ Ess what they had discussed that night. Muttering to himself in disbelief he almost lunged after Luckas into Ess’ tent if he hadn’t softened at her embrace. As Luke disappeared, and was still within earshot, Aiden gently lifted Ess’ chin to stare in her eyes mouthing, “Are you sure?” Ess shrugged which only caused Aiden’s eyes to narrow. “Answer me this then….are you spoken for? Do you want me to give up?”
Ess’ jaw fell in awe at the abrupt questioning and in such an awkward time that she didn’t answer at first, her eyes fluttering frantically as if searching for the answer, moving to turn as if to look for Luckas, but Aiden gently held her firm. “Don’t look at him, look at me Essence…please.” Shaking her head she whispered back, “I want to be….” Squinting her eyes shut, she began to feel guilty for Aiden, not wanting to cause him pain; after all she was his friend even if sometimes it wasn’t easy.
Aiden released Ess, tugging lightly on one of her curls, “I know…you have things to sort out….guess we all do. But I saw you….I truly saw you. You can’t deny if HE wasn’t around, you’d give me an honest chance.”
Ess stepped back and sighed, opening her eyes once again, her expression cloaking the frantic array of thoughts flooding her brain. “I’m sorry Aiden…whatever you’re searching for…You won’t find it in me….maybe…coulda, shoulda….woulda…but I’m not what you need. If you won’t understand…or at least accept this…then we can’t be friends…” A sickening feeling crept up on Ess and she swallowed hard to keep herself focused.
Aiden nodded slowly, forcing a smile as he reached for her hand and attentively brought it to his lips before turning on his heels and walking away. “Goodnight Talon.” He said nothing else but simply noted to himself how she didn’t answer his question directly and it gave him a bit of false hope that he tucked away in case she changed her mind. He would show her loyalty, and be there when she called, if ever. ‘She never said to give up..’ He thought to himself.
“Aiden….” Ess stopped herself shaking her head as she let her friend walk away. What did she do? She didn’t understand what he meant about ‘truly seeing her.’ At this moment, she wasn’t even sure what she saw in herself. Ess breathed slowly, trying to calm her nerves, forcing to keep control of her enlightenment. Tala began whining at her feet as she looked up at the stars, the white sparkles blurring and starting to spin in steady circles above her before it all went black.
Luckas was quietly waiting for Aiden to leave. He had just sat quietly trying to control his urge to order the man to punch himself in the face, over and over until he fell unconscious. He caught bits and pieces of what was being said, he was honestly trying not to listen, deciding to keep himself calm for the moment, letting his mind wander elsewhere, to where he was technically supposed to be now, and to who might know where he’d gone… That was something he would have to be careful with for a while. It was only when he heard Tala whine that he let his full attention return to the present, and walked to where the wolf was standing next to a fallen Ess. He eyed Tala curiously for a moment. “You’ll not bite my head off now, will you?” He asked, crouching down to check that her pulse was regular and she didn’t have a high fever, before picking her up and getting her inside and tucking her under blankets. “I’m not helpless, I’m not unconscious… How ironic.” He whispered, amusement in his face as he sat down, keeping a watchful eye on Tala as the wolf curled up next to Ess. Luckas pulled his knees closer to his body and let his arms rest over them. Taking a deep breath and finally letting out some of his frustration, mumbling under his breath. “I got this Luckas… You were away, Luckas… Pathetic little hypocrite, was probably happy as hell that I wasn’t here. Doesn’t know when to shut up, doesn’t know how to back off… Will have to teach him a lesson… Who the hell does he think he is? I better not catch him lurking or I will gauge his freaking eyes out… The prick...”
Essence's form was still in her slumber, Tala curled up to keep her snug beneath the piles of blankets. Not much time had passed when Tala's head snapped up in alert, ears perked as she tilted her head in question with her intense stare upon Ess. The woman's face went from a peaceful expression to one of anguish when her brows furrowed and a subtle groan penetrated the silence.
Ess opened her eyes to find herself standing in the all too familiar open space, brown fog rolling in around her. She had a pretty good idea how this dream would go, and was happy to be in a state of sleep where she recognized that she was dreaming. At the series of giggles echoing around her, she sprinted forward in search of the oak tree, knowing she'd find the boy.
As the fog cleared, she almost rammed into the boy, who already was staring up at the oak tree just a few steps away. He turned around, deep blue eyes smiling up at Ess, causing her heart to melt while sending a fueled anger that made her soul tremble. "You're dead Jake....you broke your promises...."
When the boy spoke, it wasn't the voice of the child she remembered, but of the man who was now Jacob. "Forever and ever, Ess...sometimes the hardest ones to love...are the ones who need it most.."
Ess growled, "What does that even mean?!" She stared as the boy turned back around and proceeded to light the oak tree on fire. "No! What are you doing?!" Ess cried out, noticing that there was a new detail to the dream that wasn't there a moment ago. Another figure was tied to the oak as it went up in flames, the smoke making it impossible to tell who it could of been. Yet as the heat emanated off the undying branches, she felt herself screaming as she found herself surrounded by the blaze, the tips of the flames splitting open her flesh like a sausage with a crackling, wet sizzle. A chilling scream erupted from her lips: From the pain of burning flesh; from the pain of a loss she feared to endure.
Luckas' mind was beginning to drift off after he was done muttering his curses at Aiden. He rested his head over his arms, feeling sleep coming to him, but resisting it. For some reason he just didn't want to let his mind slip away just yet, as if he was waiting for something. It was just then he caught movement with just the corner of his eye and he turned to face where Ess was stirring in her sleep. He kept a close watch on the sleeping woman, a slightly concerned expression crossing him, but he was unsure of whether or not to wake her... That is until she screamed; at that moment Luckas jumped from where he was seated to try to shake her awake, meanwhile Tala began pawing at the blankets in an attempt to free Ess from them. "Lady, Lady, Lady... Wake up..." Luckas said, gently shaking her by the shoulder, but to no effect. He let out a slightly frustrated sigh, pulling the blankets off as he noticed the flush in her cheeks and lightly tapping the woman's face with the back of his hand. "Lady, wake up." He called. "Wake up." Finally he sighed, taking in a deep breath and shouting: "ESSENCE!", giving Ess one forceful shake.
Ess shot up straight, wide-eyed and panting to catch her breath as she clawed at the base of her neck along her tattoo. It was as if she were trying to pat herself to make sure she was still there, although she kept muttering something about fire. "I couldn't let him burn..." Ess fell into a temporary coughing fit, Tala licking at her face furiously as if the wolf was trying to cool her down. It was another moment before she actually saw where she was, looking from Tala to Luke a bit surprised, from the stares and in a daze from her confusion to what exactly was going on. Slowly she pulled in her knees, wrapping her arms around herself as she began to shake but she was far from cold, she felt like she was fevering and began kicking at the blankets at her feet annoyingly. "I'm awake now, right?"
"You're awake, Lady. Either that or we're both asleep." Luckas answered, trying to shake off the concern from his face as he pressed his palm against her forehead and added. "You're fevering, do you want me to get a medic? Or the Captain, I can go get the Captain." He dropped from his crouch onto a seating position next to her and tilting his head to the side and mumbling. "I think the tattoo suits you better than I thought." He ran his fingers through his hair absently. "Who was burning?"
Ess shook her head stubbornly, "I don't need to wake the Captain... or anyone else. I'm fine Luckas..." Ess smirked laying her head upon her hands and knees, watching him curiously. "Really, I am. This happened the last time I had this dream....course I didn't know all the details before.....and guess I still don't...." She shrugged at his question, an eerie feeling creeping up her back, cause the hairs to rise upon her arms. "Luckas....what do you mean the tattoo suits me better than you thought? ...Did you see? Or do you want me to use you for journal space, too?" Ess chuckled momentarily, cut off by another coughing fit, beads of sweat accumulating along her brow.
"Should I believe that when I saw you faint moments after saying you were fine?" Luckas asked, raising an eyebrow. "And I doubt you were this weak last time." He argued. "Do you know what people say? That one cannot die in their dreams?" He smirked. "Well, Lady, that's crap. Hang on." He stated standing up and walking out of the tent, returning a few minutes later with water and half a loaf of bread. He sat and parted the bread in half and pushed a piece to her. "Eat and drink, or I will wake up the Captain." He threatened, sitting the water bottle in between the two of them. "I did see... bits... Tried not to, but apparently that's not my decision anymore" He took a bite off the bread and sighed. "Supposed I should try and explain this now, well... Apparently when I tried to erase your memory five years ago that created some sort of link between us... And apparently you can randomly make me hear and see things that happen to you... Somehow... Lena explained to me that it has to do with how my mind was vulnerable when I tried fiddling with your memory, and how you fought back not to forget... Although, she wasn't sure why... Exactly..." He went quiet and took another bite of the bread, taking his time with chewing on it, before mumbling. "That's why I'm here."
Essence gave a defeated sigh, her eyes gentle as she surrendered and nodded, taking the piece of bread from Luckas and nibbling on it slowly. "You mean, like you do with that trick of yours...like you did to Jasper, getting him stuck in his head?" Ess picked up the water to take a sip and almost choked on it before forcing herself to keep down another swig. When Luckas began explaining that there was some oddity between them, Ess froze staring at her bread. Her mind began racing through her memories, her dreams prior to running into Luckas once again and then the past few weeks. She finished chewing another bite of her bread before her list of questions spewed forth from her lips. "Luckas...is that why I think you're here when you're not? What did you see? What have you seen? Does it work in reverse? ...Does this mean when you haunted my dreams....you weren't just a figment of my imagination?" Ess looked around the tent for her journal, roughly tossing her stuffed bear aside, not even wanting to look at it at the moment. "I wrote it all down..." Finally she stopped caring about where the journal was at the moment and just leaned into Luckas. "What do you mean that is why you're here? You worried about me, my Dear Luckas?" She whispered gently, Tala sniffing at her side for her leftover bread.
"Luckas...is that why I think you're here when you're not? What did you see? What have you seen? Does it work in reverse? ...Does this mean when you haunted my dreams....you weren't just a figment of my imagination?"
Luckas chuckled slightly at the list of questions taking another bite of bread. "I'm always here, it seems that's not my decision anymore either. I haven't seen much just... burning tree... I haven't seen anything before, just heard some things... Felt some things..." He gave a light shrug. "It may work in reverse, but I'm not sure. Did I haunt your dreams Lady? Perhaps you haunted mine." He said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know for sure though... I still can't remember what I dreamt back then." He stopped to think about it for a moment or two before whispering. "That would explain though... Because I felt I was there... I knew I couldn't be there."
As she asked if he worried, Luckas flinched only slightly, reaching for the water he took a sip, clearing his throat before replying. "I meant I came here, because you called for me. I heard you." He stated. "I wasn't worried exactly, but suppose if something were to happen to you that would leave a rather uncomfortable silence in my head." He said with a little smirk.
Essence listened to Luckas, finishing off all but one bite of bread which she held out in her hand for Tala; gently the wolf lapped up the bread with a huff and rested her head upon Ess leg, staring over at Luckas as if perplexed. "I guess, I find an amount of comfort that you're always with me then, and that I'm not losing my mind." She heaved a long sigh, her fingers lightly trailing over Tala's snout. "It's always your decision Luckas, because if you didn't want to be here, you don't have to be. I mean, couldn't you just turn off the link or something?" Ess kept her gaze upon Tala, her mind jumping from one thing to the next from all that had happened over the past week, absently wiping the sweat off her forehead, a few curls stuck to her cheek. A sudden giggle escaped her, "Oh the irony, who would have thought that we would be the voices in each other’s heads. I think it does work in reverse..." She pondered her last words a moment, shaking her head. "I heard you humming.... the first time I had the nightmare...back when I didn't know who the boy was.."
Ess grabbed the water from Luckas, drinking deeply, a small stream leaking out the sides of her mouth and down her chin. It did feel good, and she did go longer than meant to without food and water, but it seemed to hit her suddenly as she finished off the bottle. "You know...certain turn of events have made me think over a few things in my life....for the better and worse perhaps. But, I think knowing something and hearing the truth of it are very different. I mean...you say I know you pretty well, but guess certain things I need confirmation of. .." She paused a moment, not sure where she was going with this. "Well, just so you know...if something were to happen to you...I'd have more than an uncomfortable silence in my head. You being missed, I think, is only just tapping into the well." Ess absently rested her head on Luckas' shoulder, keeping her eyes averted from his, a surprising ache in her chest began to throb at her own words. She closed her eyes and again, saw the oak burning, realizing that she chose to burn instead of whomever was trapped against the flames. Not sure of what it all meant, she had a feeling she would indeed dream it again.
{Adam Gontier - Wicked Game}
Luke winced slightly. "You heard that?" He asked, a little bit uncomfortable. "You were scared, I could feel... And I couldn't calm myself to sleep." He sighed, opening a little smirk as he realized he could trigger this himself. "I'll try to keep it down next time." He went silent after that statement, closing his eyes as he let Ess speak. He wasn't quite sure he understood what she was saying and it was a bit frustrating. "What you mean by confirmation?" He asked, absently, so lost in his thinking he didn't even react to her resting her head on his shoulder. "If there's something you wish to know, I'd say it's best to ask, don't expect me to grasp some hidden meaning, or whatever..." He mumbled. "Not that I don't appreciate the knowledge that I would be missed, despite it being a lot less comforting than one would imagine, but it begs the question: Why?" He chuckled. "And before you begin lecturing me on how I need to deal with the fact you are my friend, yet again, let me explain that I honestly don't understand. As much as I don't understand what you mean when you say I don't have to be here, that it is a choice, when it's clearly not. I mean, yes one can say I choose to come and I could choose to leave and not come back, but then I can argue that I have tried. So is it a choice really?" He inquired. "Choices are rational, but there is a whole set of instincts programmed to manipulate our rational thinking, a whole part of our minds that works with the sole purpose of deciding things behind our backs, so... How can we ever know what we truly want? How can we truly choose anything?" He sighed. "I'm not complaining, I don't consider myself all that good at making choices..." He lowered his voice slightly and added. "...Maybe Lena was right after all." He followed that statement by shoving the last piece of bread in his mouth and chewing on it quietly thinking he might have spoken his mind a bit too much.
Ess snaked her arm behind her and Luckas, leaning into it for support as she readjusted herself along his shoulder. She thought long and hard on all he had just said, trying to figure out what she wanted to say and how. "Next time, I'll know it's you and not my mind snapping from reality, so no; you don't need to keep it down. I'm sure...feeling what I feel can't make a lot of sense or be comfortable.." Ess snickered at his familiar words, ones that she spoke that night in the Castle, "If there's something you wish to know, I'd say it's best to ask..." She opened her mouth to speak a few different times, a word or two escaping and then silence as she tried again, finally she opened with, "Do you wish to know my mind's reasons, or my heart’s? I am mostly an emotional driven woman, I'd admit, which I'm sure is obvious. And you don't understand everything with emotion and try to push it aside or deny yourself what you are truly feeling. I mean, you argue with the aspect of choices, when they are made rationally and irrationally, from our mind or heart or both. " Ess lifted her head, giving Luke a gentle smile as she stared into the familiar black orbs. "I'll tell you why, if you tell me why you came back? You have the choice to live with whatever you're feeling and just stay away, because a part of you believes it would be best. And don't say you don't know, because you do. You just have to admit that it's there, even if it doesn't make sense. Guess what, emotions don't always, and they can be driven by instinct." Ess reached out towards Luke's chin to make sure he was looking at her and paying attention at her words. "You, had the option and power to take me out. You still have it and you could of erased my mind if you thought it best. You didn't. You don't. I knew what you were doing, which is why ....I forgive you Luckas. But with all the anger, you still didn't make those choices." She pulled away and smiled, "Not that I’m complaining, because at this point, taking you away from my thoughts and memories would...take away a piece of me. Too much has been weaved into my soul to turn back now."
Luckas frowned, slightly more confused than he had been before, not exactly sure of what Ess expected him to answer exactly, what she wanted him to admit to... And he felt as if he had been given a riddle with the most obvious answer he just couldn't figure out, and his thinking led him to pull away from her a bit, moving so that there was a bit of space between them. Finally he replied to her first question with: "If 'both' is not an acceptable answer, then I suppose I'd rather you show me what I can't see for myself. Although, seeing and understanding are two separate things, and one does not always lead to the other." He went quiet for the following moments as he thought. "I don't know what you want me to say..." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I..." He heaved a small sigh as he searched for words. "I suppose I don't like the idea of that silence in my head... Or what used to be there before..."
Ess' smile faded as Luckas moved away from her, responding with herself lying down, her head propped upon her hand as she watched him. She saw the familiar dazed looked of Luke's inner workings, battling or searching... She wasn't quite sure. "You ask me a question which appears complicated for you to understand, when you are unsure of how to answer it back: Why be my friend? Why come back? I will answer to both my own reasons for being your friend: Mind and Heart." Turning over onto her back, she stared up at the painting of her burning Oak.
"Mind: It tells me from what you've shown me, I can trust you when it comes down to it. You won't intentionally hurt me, based on opportunities given but not taken. I see someone that I enjoy spending time with. You make me smile. You understand more about me than anyone, I feel. Maybe now that's because you've been in my head, or maybe because we have much in common. The simple things we enjoy, to the more intricate ones: Like our bloodlust. Although I have to admit, yours will always surpass mine." She gave a tired shrug. "You remind me what I need to focus on, when I’m not with it, when I show weakness. We, can teach as well as learn from each other. Even in our anger, and disagreements, we are still friends. But I guess that has to do with heart too. See both are so closely intertwined, it's hard to make sense out of it all. So I guess most of those things, is what you mean when you say, 'What you see..'"
Essence went quiet a moment, glancing at Luckas out the corner of her eye and then back up to her painting. With another sigh, she continued. "Heart: Ever since that day we met, my first instinct was fear, yes. But because I thought you were gonna be like all the rest of the men. When you weren't, that intrigued me. It made me curious and want to know more, especially when you began haunting my dreams for so long I saw you age, Luckas. I saw hate, pain, and excitement within your eyes through the passing years and when I found you, it gave me hope that dreams can be made real. I mean... I prayed for Jake to not be dead...even if I'm emotionally wrecked for it now....I will get over it...maybe....give him a rude awakening to who he ran away from." With a small giggle, she kept herself composed. "But, I’m losing track here...Luckas." She turned again to face him, hugging a pillow tight against her. "I'm afraid if I pour my heart out to you, I'll scare you away....but...I like you. I feel safe around you. You've helped me in ways, no one has. You've cared, even when you won't admit it. I want to help you in return and I want you to see what you have shown me as well: Not everyone is the same. In all honesty, I've never...." Ess released a shaky breath, tearing her gaze from his. "I...am happy to be your friend, even when you can be a royal pain in my ass. Why? Because the important things outweigh the trivial, because I've not felt this way about anyone; not even Jake. I've never shared as much with anyone... Do you understand? Not Aiden, not any man."
Ess pulled the pillow across her face. 'Just say it already.' She thought to herself. Yet she knew she couldn't. She couldn't even tell her best friend that she loved him, why should she be able to say what she was feeling now. 'Knowing and hearing are two separate things', she thought again. "When you and I were fighting...you asked me:’What do you want from me?’" She mumbled beneath the pillow, before peeking out to look at Luckas again. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again, glossy ripples reflecting off her violet orbs. "Just… You, Luckas."
Luckas listened carefully to what Ess was saying until the very last word, his face focused on his boots and his expression void of any emotion, aside from a slight grimace at the mention of Jake... That was a whole other story he'd have to deal with eventually. "Just me... Might be a little more than I am able to give at this time." He whispered softly, running both his hands through his hair, suddenly feeling very tired. "Here's what I know: Beast Boy says that I am a predator; and I am... I like being a predator, I enjoy killing... I would enjoy killing anything or anyone, in the moment at least... I've learned that about myself lately; a kill is a kill and it feels the same no matter the victim. I was stupid to ever think otherwise. Period. I would enjoy killing anyone in this camp." He snickered. "Some more than others, I'll admit, but the point being that what people say about me isn't wrong. I know you know this, but it just doesn't seem to matter. And I suppose... I keep waiting for the day when I'll be bored of you or that you suddenly see me the same way everyone else does, and the reason I am your friend is not even the fact that the day never comes, but the fact that I fear it and I fear the silence that would follow, and I hate it..." Luckas kept his eyes fixed on his shoes, not turning to look at Ess as he spoke. "Sometimes, I resent the fact that you've gotten so close, that you know me so well... That you care so much, and how easily that can hurt me... How weak it makes me... Now of all times I can't afford that. Still I come back because here is a place where I'm never bored and I don't have to worry, or hide. It has... Kept me sane... If I could dare refer to myself as such a thing…" He admitted, a little smirk breaking through his expression before he finally turned to face her leaning closer to where she was lying and whispering. "I like you... I care... I hate myself for it sometimes, but I can't help it. Is that what you wanted me to say, Lady? Is that what you need?"
Ess watched him intently, absorbing every single breath as a curious ache swelled inside her chest. She may never fully understand Luckas' need and desire to kill and not differentiate those that cross his path, but she still saw herself as different and even those around her. He made a choice every time he came to her 'home', one he openly admitted to battling with daily. Ess kept silent until he turned towards her, leaning closer just as several tears fell across her cheeks. Her voice was similar to a whisper, airy, mostly moved by breath alone with no tone. Not noticing as she spoke she leaned into him as well and smiled as more tears fell. "Luckas...You're not stupid....I may not know everything that you are going through, but.." Violet orbs shined through her tears disappearing and reappearing when she tried to force them back. "Sometimes, even though something inside me says otherwise, I think each time I see you will be the last. I mean, we only have today, so why not enjoy life while we are here. I guess I just needed you to know, and I needed to not feel delusional." Essence stretched her fingers slowly out towards Luckas' face but froze, heaving a shaky sigh. "I hate myself sometimes too, my Dear Luckas...No one really wants to be alone, and we all want to belong and feel safe." Boldly, Ess was so close to Luckas, her lips could graze his skin, yet she hovered as she spoke her last words, her voice rising a bit. "I'm not a greedy person… I'll take what you can give."
Luckas breathed in and out slowly, his eyes closing momentarily at the words; they felt foolishly comforting, and a perfect distraction from the fact that he was no longer a man with nothing to lose... He was human and he made it so the moment he allowed himself to care. He opened his eyes to realize how close Ess was to him, and he sighed at her last statement, slowly pulling his face away from hers, but reaching out to carefully wipe a trail of tears from her face with his sleeve. He didn't say anything more; he didn't think he could... He turned away and laid himself down to 'sleep', back turned to her, but eyes wide open as he whispered under his breath. "But you deserve it all, Lady."
Ess' head fell when Luke moved away after wiping at her tears to lie down, not hearing another word from her friend. A wave of guilt rushed over her for selfishly speaking her mind as much as she did. She would make herself be content with his friendship for however long it lasted. Ess wanted to remember to appreciate the time she was given and not dwell on what she couldn't have, even if it hurt. Slowly she pulled a blanket over her friend, making sure not to touch him, sliding back to her spot beside Tala. Nestling down beside her wolf she whispered, "I'm sorry..." Closing her eyes, several more tears squeezed out past her lashes, her breathing slowing as she focused to keep her emotions to herself. Ess very much wanted Luckas to know how sorry she was for causing any and all pain, and wished she could take it away. It was another moment before she realized she had lost control, unintentionally pushing her thoughts outward instead of keeping them in check. With a sigh she forced herself to relax, her mind still whispering, "I truly am sorry..."
The setting changes from The Manor to Raven's Nest
Dawn...Nine Days After the Ball...
Ess was in and out of sleep, tossing and turning in her stubbornness; the fight against sleep an epic fail. She startled herself out of a deep dream, not remembering what it was about as she simply stared at the empty spot beside her, both Luckas and Tala no longer in the tent. That realization left an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was trying to ignore. As she sat up, she immediately found her journal, remembering how she curiously couldn’t find it and how it was practically in her lap when she awoke. Without much thought, she habitually stuck the journal beneath her neckline, not bothering to change her clothes. Peeking outside, she only saw a mix of footprints, human and canine, descending away from her tent. Only a few stars were left in the sky as the light from the horizon seemed to melt the darkness away, touching every corner as far as she could see.
Essence’s expression seemed sad, her mind skipping between emptiness to the events of the evening before. With a sigh, she forced a smile, a sudden growl escaping her as she stood outside the tent, quickly bending down to slip on and lace her boots. Surprisingly she felt a soft brush of energy begin to swell within her belly, absently grabbing a bite of jerky before she began her morning run. Ess figured it was a good way to release some stress and whatever else that seemed to be growing inside her. Yet, by the end of her second lap, the adrenaline was overwhelming, her stomach knotting in a fury, her pores not only weeping from her exercise but her eyes as well. She knew she would explode in her wave of emotion if she didn’t face it and so she paused to gain control of her breathing before slowly making her way into camp in search of Jake.
“Wakey....wakey....Jakey.....” She whispered to herself, a curious sneer curling her lips. He appeared to be asleep and at first she just stared at the back of his head in silence, her brows relaxing for a moment before she stepped forward, her arms outstretched in an attempt to grab hold of his right leg and drag him off the bed, into the open air.
Jake slept for what felt like minutes, although in the back of his mind he knew it had to have been more than that. Still, his dreams didn’t allow him any actual rest and he couldn’t help but curse mentally when he realized he’d woken up before the sun was even out. Heaving an annoyed sigh, he didn’t bother to get up as he usually would and simply lay on his side, eyes stubbornly shut, trying to at least get some rest if he couldn’t go back to sleep.
It was in the moment when he was nearly slipping out of consciousness that he felt someone else there; he didn’t make much of it, he thought maybe one of the guys was there trying to mess with him for whatever reason, so when he felt whoever it was reach for his leg he pulled it back and turned, pointing a dagger at his ‘attacker’ as if he really had been scared out of sleep. It wasn’t one of the guys though, and Jake just froze where he lay, feeling the knife just slip out of his hand. “Wh-...?” He wanted to question, but he really had no clue of what he wanted to ask... As he looked up at Essence something in her eyes told him this wasn’t a friendly gesture.
An eerie giggle reverberated into the air, eyes casually following the dagger from Jake’s hand to the floor, her foot brushing it beneath the bed. Ess’ eye’s flashed a silvery violet, without a word she leaped at him, attempting to tackle him to the ground, yet he seemed to slip right out of her grip and onto the floor, quickly rolling to his feet. Ess screamed in frustration, her journal falling upon the bed when she turned to face him again. “Jacob Allen Turner! I swear...by the Twins...” Her eyes paused upon the leather book, a growl vibrating from her throat. In an uncaring haste she grabbed the journal and chucked it at his head, jumping to her feet to run at him again. “You...son of a...” Cutting herself off she practically rammed into him, both of them stumbling outside.
Jake’s mind was way too fuzzy for his own liking, even if he felt there was something he could say he’d never manage to think fast enough to do so; being hit in the head by a book surely didn’t help his senses and next thing he knew he’d been pushed outside and was clumsily trying to regain his balance. It actually took him a moment or so to understand that the impact he felt was from her slamming into him. “I’m not doing this.” He muttered, shaking his head as he actually managed to stand upright and face her.
"If you want to hit me, just hit me... I'm not fighting you." Jake stated, turning and beginning to walk away.
Ess walked up to Jake as his back turned, without hesitation, her fist colliding along his spine "Fine… Jacob." Casually she wiped at her nose, noticing it was beginning to run, the back of her hand spotted with a bit of blood.
Jake groaned, losing balance and stumbling forward for a moment on account of the impact and the pain that spread through his back, but he picked himself up rather quickly and turned to face her, spreading his arms open. "Fine, then go ahead; I can take it. I'm still not fighting you."
"You have no idea who you simply tossed away." Ess stepped forward, spinning about in a roundhouse kick at Jake’s face.....her voice stammering a moment, "Did you just not care?! Did you simply forget about me?!"
Jake did nothing to dodge the kick, he took the hit and this time it brought him down, and he stayed down with his back on the floor, feeling a bit dizzy, but he didn't hesitate to answer. "I wanted to sometimes... When I was angered enough at the world I wanted to forget, but I didn't, and I couldn't stop caring. I wanted to... I tried." Slowly he got back on his feet. "Are you through?"
Ess simply growled, fighting back the tears. "You have no idea what that did to me...I died that day...with you and Jess..." Ess Paused staring at Jake, her pale skin pulsing red in her fury as she ran at him, at the last second she side stepped, dragging her left leg across his knees, twisting her upper body, her elbow cutting hard towards Jake's chest. "Not even starting.."
Again, not a reaction to the incoming blows. Jake didn't seem to even mind the pain at this point, he was too numb. And It had been a while since he last felt that way. "I'm sorry... I am..." He muttered, holding back a small groan. "I didn't know at first... Took me three years to go back and see the grave... I was already dead to you... I made a choice. It hurt... Still does... I'm sorry..."
"You made a choice to abandon family...to be a...coward...." Ess paused to pick up a fallen wooden sword that lay upon the ground, moving to strike in a series of slashes and minor advances. "Selfish....it was only an accident....we ran into one another...You're sorry?" A cold laugh escaped her lips, violet orbs coruscating in a steady strobe.
"I was a kid, I was confused and I was angry!" Jake retorted, his voice rising as he finally began to defend himself, almost effortlessly however, blocking the wooden sword with his forearms. "And then I was ashamed, and scared, because I knew what I had done and I knew I was not the friend I promised I would be!" In mid blow he managed to evade the sword and grip her wrist. "And I am sorry."
Ess paused not trying to pull away from Jake's grip, eyes narrowing as she met his gaze. "I would...of not given up on you.....but maybe it's my fault....because I left you..." At those words, Ess twisted her wrist down and off to the side to escape, raising her knee towards his gut.
Jake would have honestly tried to defend this time if the words hadn't stunned him first; he felt the air escape him as Ess' knee hit him in the stomach, forcing himself to take a painful breath he muttered. "You had to go." The sentence ending in a small coughing fit as Jake fell to one knee. Catching one more breath, he forced a few more words: "I thought those who love us never truly leave."
The wooden blade simply rolled out of Ess' fingers at Jake's own words...at her words. Her knees gave way beside him, "Not as long as we remember...but.." Her voice grew weak, cracking as she evaded anymore tears, she was done with feeling weak. "You have no idea how much I missed you..." Ess' voice faded to a whisper. "I don't even know who you are now..."
Jake remained still for a few moments, breathing slowly until the pain began to subside so he could speak. "Most times, I don't know who I am either." He heaved a shaky sigh. "I just need you to understand this: I never forgot you... And I never stopped caring... I never tossed you away, as you say. I just... Thought that it was just too late... To live again..."
Ess shook her head, looking away from Jake to keep herself composed. She couldn't understand if she felt worse for his words or better as her stomach ached with her emotions she was clearly trying to hide, but doing quite the poor job of it. "....You needed that push...to make that change...I get it...but I just can't help to think what a better person I may have turned out to be, If I had my best friend." Heaving a heavy sigh she turned and open palmed Jake across the face hard. "Words Jacob Turner...Words....all I see from you...words can be empty without much to back them..." Pushing herself to her feet she stood over him, as if he were still a child. The insane urge to repeatedly kick Jake in the gut was sifting like sand through her limbs and it took everything she had to hold back that anger, causing her to shake. "I don't know if I'd call THIS living... Jake... Either" Her arms gestured between him and herself as she spoke, suggesting the present moment, referencing them both.
Jake chuckled, thinking of what Ess would say if she actually knew half of it. "Living... Like I said... May be too late, and maybe I won't make it before I run out of breaths for good, but I'm trying." He didn't stand, rather he sat on the ground and looked up at her, planting his palms on the ground behind him and leaning into them with a painful groan. "I can’t and I won’t ask or promise anything… Rather I’ll just wait for you to tell me what you want from me now… Or hit me some more… Either way you prefer.”
"I feel like I'm being punished for it all... I don't know what to do now....what's the point....I just...can't hate you....Do you treat everyone like this? Do you honestly think it's better for me to think you're dead? Maybe now I want you dead, because it would be easier than to have your ghost mocking me right now. I actually want to hate you right now, because you are making me relive all the pain and I feel like you've died all over again. Fuck you Jacob, for being such an asshole. I get it...people change...I've changed....I wish Jessica could see you now.... she'd back me. Or is she alive too, and you're keeping that from me? Speaking of which, your late Aunt and I met...and now I know why she was questioning all the drawings I have. She bloody knew you were alive and kept it from me! You're all fucking fucked up!"
Jake looked up raising an eyebrow curiously as Ess’ words. “What would you be punished for? I don’t understand. I’m sure Jess would agree with you, and no, she’s not alive, no need to worry.” He stated, a bitter tone taking to his voice as he touched the golden chain around his neck, but didn’t reach for the locket… Not this time. “I let you believe I was dead, because I felt that I was, because I wanted to be, and I didn’t want you to see me that way… Fine, it was selfish, it was stupid, but I promised I would protect you, and how the hell could I if I let my sister die and did nothing?” He shook his head, a bitter laughter escaping him. “After I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to her… I failed… I would have failed you… I failed a lot of other people since… Maybe it was for the best after all.” He stopped his laughter with a little snort as he added. “That was just Lena being herself… She had a habit of not telling people things… Wasn’t personal, I bet.”
Essence scoffed aloud in annoyance, not moving from where she stood, fingers clenching and unclenching as she spoke. "Being punished for my choices... For leaving you. I should have made you two come with me. You think you're the only one who feels responsible for what happened? I was away and you were a child, but apparently that doesn't stop us from blaming ourselves; believing we could of made a difference." Ess' bottom lip began to quiver as she continued to hold back tears. "I feel like you are punishing me for your own fears and foolish convictions, taking it out on me by letting me think you were dead. And now... Why is it up to me what I want? I never know what I really want because when I think I do, I can never have it. What do you expect from me right now? What do YOU want Jacob? You CHOSE to 'fail' me without even giving it a chance. Leaving me, brother, failed me."
Jake shook his head, slowly getting on his feet. “I never saw it as you leaving me. You said you wouldn’t, and I believed it. You couldn’t have convinced Jess to leave, because believe me: not even you could out-stubborn her, and you HAD TO go.” He sighed. “I suppose maybe knowing that doesn’t matter; just as me knowing I was just a kid doesn’t matter…” He sighed, running both hands over his eyes. “The day you left, the battle… That family we saw, do you remember? The little girl lay dead in her mother’s arms and her father… Rushed in the battle without a second thought to the fact he was leaving his wife behind to suffer. I promised myself I wouldn’t be like him… Truth is, when it came down to it… I was him. And I wasn’t him for a moment; I was him for years.” He forced out a laugh. “You know what I want? I want to go back to that moment in time and not be so weak. I want to look at you right now and just be happy, not hate myself for letting you down. I want… Peace, whatever the hell that means, and I...” He stopped to take a long deep breath, ignoring the aching in his muscles as he did so. “I suppose I wish we could just… Play.” He mumbled. “And I don’t expect anything really, Ess, I just… Hope you will forgive me one day… That you won’t hate me… Because I really have never stopped loving you.”
Ess was frozen in her daze as she listened to Jake's words, feeling a sudden and ironic cold nose at her hand, glancing down she nodded at Tala, sliding her fingers along the fluff of the wolf's cheek. She remembered the day she left Blackpond like it had just happened yesterday...
Blackpond about 14 years ago...
The End of the World
It seemed fitting that Ess would be the last one Derek saw, as he died by his own blade. His wretched screams filled her ears, an almost hypnotizing smile painted on her lips as she drove Derek’s own dagger into his scrotum, a final twist ending with the matching sword penetrating him through his heart. Retracting both blades, Ess wiped the blood off upon the fresh corpse, happy at her new claim. The sword and matching dagger seemed old, but in excellent condition with strange engravings upon the blade.
‘No use in wondering about it now.’ She stated to herself as she placed the weapons in their sheaths, attaching them to the belt around her waist. Picking up a leather bag she had stuffed numerous items inside (Knight Jacob Bear, journals, books, food, money), she ran for the door of the brothel, itching to make her escape forever from this hell hole.
She threw open the door, dodging an arrow as it shot by her head into the wall behind her. The battle had spilled into the streets, breaching the city gate. Horsemen galloped by in full armor, slashing at screaming civilians as they passed by; some tossing torches atop buildings creating wide spread panic. Warning bells echoed in her ears, sending people in all directions, some attempting to fight back, others trying to fight off the flames from burning their lives to the ground. The city guards were attempting to cut off the assault and drive the enemy back out of the city, slowly but surely. With the sun just setting and the sudden attack on Blackpond, Ess took full advantage of the moment. All she needed to do was say goodbye to Jake, making sure him and Jess were ok and give him something to remember her by. She would try to convince Jess that they should go with her, but she knew Jess wasn’t ready to leave Blackpond yet. So Ess would continue to write, she would promise to stay in touch one day seeing Jake again.
Essence ran hard, avoiding the main streets, taking every ally and shortcut she could find as she made her way deeper into the city to Jacob’s home. No light shown from inside the home and Ess wasn’t sure if anyone was even there. The battle had not reached this far as of yet, but the screams were coming closer. Ess drew her new sword from her hip, keeping it at the ready, her free hand banging on the door excitedly.
“Jake! Jess! Are you in there?!”
Jake had escaped his room in the middle of the night and gone to his hideout, simply out of spite. He had gotten angry at Jesse over nothing and had wanted her to worry; childish and stupid, yes, but he was angry and that's motive enough for a kid. However, when he wanted Jess to worry, this wasn't what he had in mind at all.
As the battle started he found that it would be very hard to get out of his hideout unnoticed. He was safe where he was, but he knew his sister wouldn't rest until she found him, she could get hurt or killed looking for him and he would never forgive himself if that happened; he desperately wanted her to know he was safe, but as he peeked through the grating of the basement he could see people running in fear as horsemen armored in Black rode across the main streets, swinging their swords and slashing at people that got in their way. Jake could smell fire and hear the screaming as people tried to escape or find a particular family member unaccounted for. Damn, it was scary out there.
Jessica had been looking all over for Jake. Whenever someone raided the city they locked themselves in the basement and waited out until it was safe, but the boy had escaped through his window at some point during the night and Jess couldn't find him anywhere. Nate, their dad's best friend, practically an uncle to them, and his two sons were also looking around the city, but no one had seen Jake. Jesse knew Jake was smart, he would hide in a safe place if he could, but she couldn't be sure that he had. If he saw her or any other familiar face, she knew he would show up, so she had to keep looking for him.
She had gone everywhere in their part of the city and the market, a small, armed, crossbow and an equally small quiver for protection. Aside from that weapon Jess only relied on luck to make sure she didn't get caught in some sort of commotion. She decided to go home and see if, by any chance, her brother hadn't found his way back. As he reached the front of the house she found Ess there knocking on the door. Her green eyes scanned the girl and noticed the weapons and bag... It didn't take long to realize what that meant. She stopped, behind the girl and shouted a little to be heard over the noises of battle. "Hey! Have you seen Jake? I can't find him anywhere. And are you leaving?" She asked, saying it all pretty fast, similar to how Jake talked when he was excited. Only Jess was simply preoccupied and in a hurry.
Essence jumped, slightly startled at Jess’ words. A worried, almost blank expression crossed over her face, hearing Jess couldn’t find Jake. Her fingers curled around the hilt of her sword, violet eyes staring into the older girls green orbs.
“Jake is not here? He’s not with you?” She asked a bit frantic, thinking to herself. There were only a couple places he would be, one for sure she knew of. “The brothel is burning as we speak, so now is a good as time as any to leave for Newhaven...they shouldn’t follow me...I hope..” She muttered quickly to Jess, only to add “You both should come with me! I could help take care of you two.” Ess’ eyes softened, already knowing the answer. A huge part of her did not want to leave Jake, but she couldn’t stay there anymore. She needed to find Jake to explain that to him. She would not leave without seeing him.
“I have a good idea where he is...It would be quicker if we split up..” She stated flatly, not giving Jess time to argue. “Go to the Oak, by the Market...it’s still standing last I saw...I will meet you there...-” Ess’ eyes widened, her arms flung out to grab hold of Jess, roughly pulling Jake’s sister towards herself as several horsemen almost trampled the girl. Battle cries echoed, mingling with the petrified screams of horses as several City Guards pushed back a small line of Black Riders.
“Watch yourself Jess.” Ess nodded respectfully at the girl and took off down some side alleys making her way towards Jake’s hideout. ‘Poor kid’ she thought to herself, knowing that building was in the center of the battle, more smoke rising from the city. It seemed Blackpond was pushing the slaughter back, but chaos roamed the streets brutally still. Ess peered from the alleyway, catching sight of a mother trampled to death, attempting to save her child. It was a little girl, no more than four who now lay quietly by her mother’s side, unmoving. There was plenty Ess hated about this city, but the common folk didn’t deserve this.
Somehow, Ess managed to stay hidden from the battle and slinked her way towards the grate of Jake’s hideout. As she approached, she heard the crack of wood and the sound of something falling with a loud crash. The building was on fire from above, spreading like water, flaming lumbar splattering in shards all around Ess as she dove to escape, slamming her head against the grate. ‘Freakin’ figures’, she thought to herself, a slight groan of pain escaping her lips.
“Jakey! ...Come out. It’s Ess..” Ess pushed herself to her feet, trying to open the grate. “Open up Jake, the hideout has been compromised! It’s on fire...and everyone is looking for you..”
Jake was quickly gathering anything remotely valuable to him that was kept in the hideout. He could smell the smoke coming from the building above and he wasn’t sure what would be left of his hiding spot once the fire spread, putting his hand near the big sealed door of the basement, it was still cool, so Jake knew he had time to spare. The problem then would be making it home in one piece. It was scary out there, but he needed to go now, there was no choice. He was finally finished putting everything into a bag: A couple of blankets that he had ‘borrowed’ from home, some food, his marbles and Drake; he had brought the dragon with him since he still needed him to sleep, as much as he hated to admit it to himself.
As he tied the bag shut, tightly, holding Drake under his arm, Jake heard his name called from outside. He smiled a bit, as he put the bag over his shoulder and ran to the grating. He couldn’t make out Ess voice over the sounds of the battle, but only two people ever called him ‘Jakey’, and Jess didn’t know about this place. “Stand back a bit!” He asked, as he found the grating a bit jammed, and was forced to kick it a few time to get it open; the metal bars popping out of their place and giving the boy room to get out in the open again.
Stepping out into the alley, Jake looked around all the destruction with wide eyes, sincerely hoping that his sister wasn’t wandering around in the middle of that mess trying to find him. “Shit.” He muttered, immediately wincing at the thought of what Jess would say if she caught him cursing. He turned to Ess and couldn’t help a smile even through his worries and the raiding of the city, but the smile shut for a moment when he noticed she had a packed bag. He looked around to make sure the people running and the fighting soldiers weren’t running their way, his eyes caught the sword she was carrying and he smiled again. “Yours is way cooler than mine.” He stated. “You said they were looking for me? You talked to Jess? Is she alright?” He asked as fast as he could, as usual. A loud crash coming from inside the burning building reminded the boy that it just wasn’t safe to stand there asking questions, and he jumped up slightly at the loud sound, immediately clinging to the older girl for comfort. “We should get out of here.” He mumbled, not liking how scared this whole thing made him.
Essence only heard the word ‘Back!’ and using the grate, she pushed away from it, the momentum flinging her back across the opposite wall as Jake kicked it open. She inhaled sharply, holding her breath before releasing it in relief as Jake popped out of the
basement. “Shit.. is right, Blue Eyes.” Ess stood straight, holding the sword idly by her side as she watched Jake’s gaze flutter from her face to her bag and down to her sword. For a moment, the destructive clammer faded into the background as reality hit her that this may be the last time she saw Jake... At least for a long time. Her lips twitched in a half smile as she raised the sword to look at, holding it out in the air between her and Jake. “It’s a little heavy....a parting gift from Derek...” She winked.
With her free arm, she wrapped it around Jake tight as he clung to her. “Jess if fine...she is going to meet us at our Oak...as long as it still stands.” Side-stepping, her hand clasped Jake’s hand roughly, dragging him behind her as she lead him down the alley, back through the maze she treaded to arrive at the hideout.
“It’s ok to be scared Jake.” Ess muttered as they rounded corner after corner, so far nothing causing them delay in their path. She noted bodies strewn about from the fallen citizens caught in the cross fire, her fingers firmly yet gently clasping Jake’s hair reassuringly with a squeeze, “Don’t look Jakey...” Ess tried to lead Jake as quickly as possible pass the heaps of bodies, knowing she couldn’t protect him from the world, and there were things he was going to learn if she liked it or not.
At those thoughts, the sound of wails could be heard coming from up ahead. Ess paused, halting Jake in their path, an exasperated breath escaping her before she peeked around the corner. A mother and father held what could only be their child, in their arms, screams of agony echoing into screams of blood and vengeance. The child, a young girl who had to be only a year or two younger than Jake, was bleeding out from a violent wound along her stomach. Ess watched, dumb struck, the man and woman’s sadness engulfing her heart as she listened to the dying girls last words: “Mommy... Don’t be sad...you still have Daddy to love you, and I will be watching you with Grandma from the clouds....” With the child’s last breath, the father let out a violent scream and in his rage he abandoned his wife to seek justice for his lost daughter. The scene was utterly heartbreaking, the mother continuing to run her fingers through her daughter’s hair as if she were sleeping. “Talena...stay with Mommy...”
Ess choked back tears, “Jake...we have to keep moving...”
Jake let Ess lead him through the chaos that was Blackpond. His friend had assured him that it was alright to be scared, and boy was he scared… His eyes were wide as he caught sight of people dropping dead and wounded all around. Men and women in armor clashed on the streets uncaring to the civilians who desperately tried to get away. The Black armored horsemen simply slashed everything that crossed their paths without care and the Blackpond Castle Guard had been called from the castle to fend them off. Jake knew the uniforms well and some of the men he had met before… A lot of them lay dead on the city streets, and the boy couldn’t help the thought that his father had died the exact same way. Such a stupid way to die… Stupid and pointless.
Suddenly the sound of pained screams gave the boy chills down his spine. Ess stopped and he practically collided with her. Peeking from behind his friend, his eyes sparkled with tears as he caught the scene. The little girl, not much younger than him, was trying to give her mother comfort as she took her last breath. It was a heartbreaking scene to watch, but Jake’s eyes lingered from the girl and the mother when the father left them. Jake’s gaze followed the man as he picked the sword of a fallen soldier and ran into battle. The boy lost the man in the confusion within seconds, but there was no doubt that he had gotten himself killed in his rage. What good that would ever do, Jake didn’t know.
“Jake...we have to keep moving...”
Reality...
Ess' breaths were agitated at the memory, responding with a nod as she whispered a name. "Talena....was the little girl's name...It's a name I've grown quite fond of, and use from time to time..." Her shoulders slumped a bit as she slowly approached Jake, her palms open to show she wasn't going to raise a hand at him again. "I'm sorry too, Jakey. I'm sorry we weren't around one another to remind us of some things that were lost… But…You didn't even try… you just gave up... even if you try and let yourself give a shit... that's better than abandoning the cause or loved ones... No more turning your back." Shuffling her feet lazily, Tala heeled by her side the entire time except when she paused a foot or so away from her friend, Tala began circling the man, sniffing curiously at his legs as she made several passes. "Do you want to make it right? Do you want to start over? We have so much to catch up on...." She finally forced a smile, relinquishing the tears the were overflowing her violaceous, fixed stare. "I do have to admit, one thing this has shown me, is that if you wish hard enough for something, it's possible it can come true....and I wished for you to come back... every single day... and now..." An eccentric giggle emerged from her, slow and quiet at first, causing her to comically choke for a second before she finished her sentence. "...and now… you're here."
“I’m here…” Jake whispered quietly, his eyes following Tala as she circled him, unsure of what he felt exactly at the moment. It was as if suddenly he had found a missing piece of himself and didn’t know how to glue it back together; a dull ache in his chest that had nothing to do with having been struck there. Still he managed a smile at Ess’ words to him, even if a bit awkwardly, honestly not knowing what to say to someone he had abandoned and not seen in fourteen years. “I do want to make it right, if I can… Start over…” He ran one hand through his hair, his motion slowing as he let his hand rest on the back of his neck, looking up for a moment. “I knew I’d have to stop running someday… Suppose I just needed a friendly beating…” He smirked a bit, before letting his gaze fall on his friend again. “And I hope you got all the hits you wanted out of your system, because it will never be this easy again.” He stated, his hand moving along his neck to reach for the golden chain, he pulled his sister’s locket from under his shirt, never forgetting her words to him about it. That believing in something was never a bad thing if it brought you comfort. Still fiddling with the chain he shook his head quietly. “So we’ve got over a decade of catching up to do and I’m sore… I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink… Since I’m old enough to drink now and all.” He stated, hoping the joking would distract him from the fact he still felt bad as hell. He didn’t want to start apologizing all over again though, he wanted to move on somehow.
Ess felt compelled to reach out for Jake, her form twitching slightly, showing her slight confusion what to do at that moment. Her eyes scanned over her friend slowly from head to toe, absorbing the extreme change from the boy she knew to this man, this stranger before her. She gave a genuine smile when he ran his fingers through his hair, "....Your hair does look better longer..." Finally she let herself stare into her friend's eyes, the flush of her cheeks diffusing back to her porcelain tone. Her fingers traced the scar upon her left cheek, trailing up towards her eye as she spoke, “Did you miss me that much you had to get a matching scar?” Slowly she shook her head, an amused grin threatening to stretch across her face. “I hope your story is more interesting than mine.” She joked. It still didn't seem real, but like a dream; a detached form of reality that made her still wonder in the back of her mind if she had finally gone insane. Playfully she bowed at his words explaining he wouldn't take a beating from her again. "Well Jake, I'm like you now....but still training under the Captain. I'd hope next time you would give me a challenge...we can 'play' and perhaps teach each other a few things." Essence turned her head down towards her feet a moment in silence before looking up again. "...It's a little weird being the short one now...you know...but guess it was expected..." She didn't hold back a chuckle as she nodded at the sound of a drink and gestured for Jake to follow back towards her camp fire. "I hope you can hold your liquor boy..." She teased.
Everything seemed to stand still, Ess only focusing on her friend as they took turns discussing the past decade and a half: Their choices, their thoughts, their mistakes, their enemies, and even sharing a few laughs here and there. Before Essence knew it, the sun had gone down, a warm wind tossing her curls along her cheeks. Just like the changing of the seasons, came the differences but yet the familiar and expected details could still be found in one another. Her heart ached for her friend as she searched for that innocence she once saw in him, now apparently shattered. Ess wanted better for him; she wanted him to have a childhood different from her own, yet no one was safe. After a few more drinks and some silence, just staring at each other as if in awe, Ess finally broke the eeriness. Essence smiled, turning around to stare at the white oak behind her. “Seems our past does tend to follow and shape us through life, hmm?” With a deep sigh her eyes found her best friend once again. "I think Jacob; I can forgive you, if you can forgive me. I didn't turn out quite how I promised either, but then again I guess no one does."
Jake couldn't help a small grin from forming itself at the comment on his hair; it was like going back in time for a moment, and it brought him fond memories of the several times he and Jessica had argued over the length of his hair. It had been a long time since he’d thought of happy memories, it was comforting. His eyes sparkled a brighter tone of blue as Ess mentioned him giving her a challenge, now that she wasn’t angry at him, a little spar could prove to be quite fun. He laughed out as she led him towards the fire. “Who are you calling a boy, now?”
Time: It was such a funny thing to Jake how it could freeze or fly by in an instant, with Essence it always seemed to go one way or another and that just hadn’t changed. It had been quite a while since the last time he’d lost track of time in a conversation, and as they talked he became more and more aware of how much he had changed, how alone he had been and how much he had actually missed his friend. Through the course of the conversation he had mentioned his assassin training, Sean, how he left the Pack, mercenary work, joining the Black Knights, leaving the Black Knights… Time spent with the White Shadows and in the Desert… Of course, details here and there were left out, and Jake found himself referring to Crys as ‘a friend’ and Dani as ‘the Alpha’ throughout the entire conversation, not even coming close to the subject of Dani’s death and his involvement in it. Not because he felt the need to hide anything, but because he couldn’t bring himself to think of it still. Those were things better discussed in the future. His Enlightenment was left out on purpose, not forgetting the possibility of a spar in the near future; he was sure that would be the very best moment to show it.
Jake smiled cheerfully when Ess mentioned she could forgive him if he could forgive her as well. “Not that I think there’s anything to forgive, but I can forgive you. And we’re both here after all… So I think we could have done a lot worse.” He stated with a gentle nod.
Ess was in and out of sleep, tossing and turning in her stubbornness; the fight against sleep an epic fail. She startled herself out of a deep dream, not remembering what it was about as she simply stared at the empty spot beside her, both Luckas and Tala no longer in the tent. That realization left an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was trying to ignore. As she sat up, she immediately found her journal, remembering how she curiously couldn’t find it and how it was practically in her lap when she awoke. Without much thought, she habitually stuck the journal beneath her neckline, not bothering to change her clothes. Peeking outside, she only saw a mix of footprints, human and canine, descending away from her tent. Only a few stars were left in the sky as the light from the horizon seemed to melt the darkness away, touching every corner as far as she could see.
Essence’s expression seemed sad, her mind skipping between emptiness to the events of the evening before. With a sigh, she forced a smile, a sudden growl escaping her as she stood outside the tent, quickly bending down to slip on and lace her boots. Surprisingly she felt a soft brush of energy begin to swell within her belly, absently grabbing a bite of jerky before she began her morning run. Ess figured it was a good way to release some stress and whatever else that seemed to be growing inside her. Yet, by the end of her second lap, the adrenaline was overwhelming, her stomach knotting in a fury, her pores not only weeping from her exercise but her eyes as well. She knew she would explode in her wave of emotion if she didn’t face it and so she paused to gain control of her breathing before slowly making her way into camp in search of Jake.
“Wakey....wakey....Jakey.....” She whispered to herself, a curious sneer curling her lips. He appeared to be asleep and at first she just stared at the back of his head in silence, her brows relaxing for a moment before she stepped forward, her arms outstretched in an attempt to grab hold of his right leg and drag him off the bed, into the open air.
Jake slept for what felt like minutes, although in the back of his mind he knew it had to have been more than that. Still, his dreams didn’t allow him any actual rest and he couldn’t help but curse mentally when he realized he’d woken up before the sun was even out. Heaving an annoyed sigh, he didn’t bother to get up as he usually would and simply lay on his side, eyes stubbornly shut, trying to at least get some rest if he couldn’t go back to sleep.
It was in the moment when he was nearly slipping out of consciousness that he felt someone else there; he didn’t make much of it, he thought maybe one of the guys was there trying to mess with him for whatever reason, so when he felt whoever it was reach for his leg he pulled it back and turned, pointing a dagger at his ‘attacker’ as if he really had been scared out of sleep. It wasn’t one of the guys though, and Jake just froze where he lay, feeling the knife just slip out of his hand. “Wh-...?” He wanted to question, but he really had no clue of what he wanted to ask... As he looked up at Essence something in her eyes told him this wasn’t a friendly gesture.
An eerie giggle reverberated into the air, eyes casually following the dagger from Jake’s hand to the floor, her foot brushing it beneath the bed. Ess’ eye’s flashed a silvery violet, without a word she leaped at him, attempting to tackle him to the ground, yet he seemed to slip right out of her grip and onto the floor, quickly rolling to his feet. Ess screamed in frustration, her journal falling upon the bed when she turned to face him again. “Jacob Allen Turner! I swear...by the Twins...” Her eyes paused upon the leather book, a growl vibrating from her throat. In an uncaring haste she grabbed the journal and chucked it at his head, jumping to her feet to run at him again. “You...son of a...” Cutting herself off she practically rammed into him, both of them stumbling outside.
Jake’s mind was way too fuzzy for his own liking, even if he felt there was something he could say he’d never manage to think fast enough to do so; being hit in the head by a book surely didn’t help his senses and next thing he knew he’d been pushed outside and was clumsily trying to regain his balance. It actually took him a moment or so to understand that the impact he felt was from her slamming into him. “I’m not doing this.” He muttered, shaking his head as he actually managed to stand upright and face her.
"If you want to hit me, just hit me... I'm not fighting you." Jake stated, turning and beginning to walk away.
Ess walked up to Jake as his back turned, without hesitation, her fist colliding along his spine "Fine… Jacob." Casually she wiped at her nose, noticing it was beginning to run, the back of her hand spotted with a bit of blood.
Jake groaned, losing balance and stumbling forward for a moment on account of the impact and the pain that spread through his back, but he picked himself up rather quickly and turned to face her, spreading his arms open. "Fine, then go ahead; I can take it. I'm still not fighting you."
"You have no idea who you simply tossed away." Ess stepped forward, spinning about in a roundhouse kick at Jake’s face.....her voice stammering a moment, "Did you just not care?! Did you simply forget about me?!"
Jake did nothing to dodge the kick, he took the hit and this time it brought him down, and he stayed down with his back on the floor, feeling a bit dizzy, but he didn't hesitate to answer. "I wanted to sometimes... When I was angered enough at the world I wanted to forget, but I didn't, and I couldn't stop caring. I wanted to... I tried." Slowly he got back on his feet. "Are you through?"
Ess simply growled, fighting back the tears. "You have no idea what that did to me...I died that day...with you and Jess..." Ess Paused staring at Jake, her pale skin pulsing red in her fury as she ran at him, at the last second she side stepped, dragging her left leg across his knees, twisting her upper body, her elbow cutting hard towards Jake's chest. "Not even starting.."
Again, not a reaction to the incoming blows. Jake didn't seem to even mind the pain at this point, he was too numb. And It had been a while since he last felt that way. "I'm sorry... I am..." He muttered, holding back a small groan. "I didn't know at first... Took me three years to go back and see the grave... I was already dead to you... I made a choice. It hurt... Still does... I'm sorry..."
"You made a choice to abandon family...to be a...coward...." Ess paused to pick up a fallen wooden sword that lay upon the ground, moving to strike in a series of slashes and minor advances. "Selfish....it was only an accident....we ran into one another...You're sorry?" A cold laugh escaped her lips, violet orbs coruscating in a steady strobe.
"I was a kid, I was confused and I was angry!" Jake retorted, his voice rising as he finally began to defend himself, almost effortlessly however, blocking the wooden sword with his forearms. "And then I was ashamed, and scared, because I knew what I had done and I knew I was not the friend I promised I would be!" In mid blow he managed to evade the sword and grip her wrist. "And I am sorry."
Ess paused not trying to pull away from Jake's grip, eyes narrowing as she met his gaze. "I would...of not given up on you.....but maybe it's my fault....because I left you..." At those words, Ess twisted her wrist down and off to the side to escape, raising her knee towards his gut.
Jake would have honestly tried to defend this time if the words hadn't stunned him first; he felt the air escape him as Ess' knee hit him in the stomach, forcing himself to take a painful breath he muttered. "You had to go." The sentence ending in a small coughing fit as Jake fell to one knee. Catching one more breath, he forced a few more words: "I thought those who love us never truly leave."
The wooden blade simply rolled out of Ess' fingers at Jake's own words...at her words. Her knees gave way beside him, "Not as long as we remember...but.." Her voice grew weak, cracking as she evaded anymore tears, she was done with feeling weak. "You have no idea how much I missed you..." Ess' voice faded to a whisper. "I don't even know who you are now..."
Jake remained still for a few moments, breathing slowly until the pain began to subside so he could speak. "Most times, I don't know who I am either." He heaved a shaky sigh. "I just need you to understand this: I never forgot you... And I never stopped caring... I never tossed you away, as you say. I just... Thought that it was just too late... To live again..."
Ess shook her head, looking away from Jake to keep herself composed. She couldn't understand if she felt worse for his words or better as her stomach ached with her emotions she was clearly trying to hide, but doing quite the poor job of it. "....You needed that push...to make that change...I get it...but I just can't help to think what a better person I may have turned out to be, If I had my best friend." Heaving a heavy sigh she turned and open palmed Jake across the face hard. "Words Jacob Turner...Words....all I see from you...words can be empty without much to back them..." Pushing herself to her feet she stood over him, as if he were still a child. The insane urge to repeatedly kick Jake in the gut was sifting like sand through her limbs and it took everything she had to hold back that anger, causing her to shake. "I don't know if I'd call THIS living... Jake... Either" Her arms gestured between him and herself as she spoke, suggesting the present moment, referencing them both.
Jake chuckled, thinking of what Ess would say if she actually knew half of it. "Living... Like I said... May be too late, and maybe I won't make it before I run out of breaths for good, but I'm trying." He didn't stand, rather he sat on the ground and looked up at her, planting his palms on the ground behind him and leaning into them with a painful groan. "I can’t and I won’t ask or promise anything… Rather I’ll just wait for you to tell me what you want from me now… Or hit me some more… Either way you prefer.”
"I feel like I'm being punished for it all... I don't know what to do now....what's the point....I just...can't hate you....Do you treat everyone like this? Do you honestly think it's better for me to think you're dead? Maybe now I want you dead, because it would be easier than to have your ghost mocking me right now. I actually want to hate you right now, because you are making me relive all the pain and I feel like you've died all over again. Fuck you Jacob, for being such an asshole. I get it...people change...I've changed....I wish Jessica could see you now.... she'd back me. Or is she alive too, and you're keeping that from me? Speaking of which, your late Aunt and I met...and now I know why she was questioning all the drawings I have. She bloody knew you were alive and kept it from me! You're all fucking fucked up!"
Jake looked up raising an eyebrow curiously as Ess’ words. “What would you be punished for? I don’t understand. I’m sure Jess would agree with you, and no, she’s not alive, no need to worry.” He stated, a bitter tone taking to his voice as he touched the golden chain around his neck, but didn’t reach for the locket… Not this time. “I let you believe I was dead, because I felt that I was, because I wanted to be, and I didn’t want you to see me that way… Fine, it was selfish, it was stupid, but I promised I would protect you, and how the hell could I if I let my sister die and did nothing?” He shook his head, a bitter laughter escaping him. “After I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to her… I failed… I would have failed you… I failed a lot of other people since… Maybe it was for the best after all.” He stopped his laughter with a little snort as he added. “That was just Lena being herself… She had a habit of not telling people things… Wasn’t personal, I bet.”
Essence scoffed aloud in annoyance, not moving from where she stood, fingers clenching and unclenching as she spoke. "Being punished for my choices... For leaving you. I should have made you two come with me. You think you're the only one who feels responsible for what happened? I was away and you were a child, but apparently that doesn't stop us from blaming ourselves; believing we could of made a difference." Ess' bottom lip began to quiver as she continued to hold back tears. "I feel like you are punishing me for your own fears and foolish convictions, taking it out on me by letting me think you were dead. And now... Why is it up to me what I want? I never know what I really want because when I think I do, I can never have it. What do you expect from me right now? What do YOU want Jacob? You CHOSE to 'fail' me without even giving it a chance. Leaving me, brother, failed me."
Jake shook his head, slowly getting on his feet. “I never saw it as you leaving me. You said you wouldn’t, and I believed it. You couldn’t have convinced Jess to leave, because believe me: not even you could out-stubborn her, and you HAD TO go.” He sighed. “I suppose maybe knowing that doesn’t matter; just as me knowing I was just a kid doesn’t matter…” He sighed, running both hands over his eyes. “The day you left, the battle… That family we saw, do you remember? The little girl lay dead in her mother’s arms and her father… Rushed in the battle without a second thought to the fact he was leaving his wife behind to suffer. I promised myself I wouldn’t be like him… Truth is, when it came down to it… I was him. And I wasn’t him for a moment; I was him for years.” He forced out a laugh. “You know what I want? I want to go back to that moment in time and not be so weak. I want to look at you right now and just be happy, not hate myself for letting you down. I want… Peace, whatever the hell that means, and I...” He stopped to take a long deep breath, ignoring the aching in his muscles as he did so. “I suppose I wish we could just… Play.” He mumbled. “And I don’t expect anything really, Ess, I just… Hope you will forgive me one day… That you won’t hate me… Because I really have never stopped loving you.”
Ess was frozen in her daze as she listened to Jake's words, feeling a sudden and ironic cold nose at her hand, glancing down she nodded at Tala, sliding her fingers along the fluff of the wolf's cheek. She remembered the day she left Blackpond like it had just happened yesterday...
Blackpond about 14 years ago...
The End of the World
It seemed fitting that Ess would be the last one Derek saw, as he died by his own blade. His wretched screams filled her ears, an almost hypnotizing smile painted on her lips as she drove Derek’s own dagger into his scrotum, a final twist ending with the matching sword penetrating him through his heart. Retracting both blades, Ess wiped the blood off upon the fresh corpse, happy at her new claim. The sword and matching dagger seemed old, but in excellent condition with strange engravings upon the blade.
‘No use in wondering about it now.’ She stated to herself as she placed the weapons in their sheaths, attaching them to the belt around her waist. Picking up a leather bag she had stuffed numerous items inside (Knight Jacob Bear, journals, books, food, money), she ran for the door of the brothel, itching to make her escape forever from this hell hole.
She threw open the door, dodging an arrow as it shot by her head into the wall behind her. The battle had spilled into the streets, breaching the city gate. Horsemen galloped by in full armor, slashing at screaming civilians as they passed by; some tossing torches atop buildings creating wide spread panic. Warning bells echoed in her ears, sending people in all directions, some attempting to fight back, others trying to fight off the flames from burning their lives to the ground. The city guards were attempting to cut off the assault and drive the enemy back out of the city, slowly but surely. With the sun just setting and the sudden attack on Blackpond, Ess took full advantage of the moment. All she needed to do was say goodbye to Jake, making sure him and Jess were ok and give him something to remember her by. She would try to convince Jess that they should go with her, but she knew Jess wasn’t ready to leave Blackpond yet. So Ess would continue to write, she would promise to stay in touch one day seeing Jake again.
Essence ran hard, avoiding the main streets, taking every ally and shortcut she could find as she made her way deeper into the city to Jacob’s home. No light shown from inside the home and Ess wasn’t sure if anyone was even there. The battle had not reached this far as of yet, but the screams were coming closer. Ess drew her new sword from her hip, keeping it at the ready, her free hand banging on the door excitedly.
“Jake! Jess! Are you in there?!”
Jake had escaped his room in the middle of the night and gone to his hideout, simply out of spite. He had gotten angry at Jesse over nothing and had wanted her to worry; childish and stupid, yes, but he was angry and that's motive enough for a kid. However, when he wanted Jess to worry, this wasn't what he had in mind at all.
As the battle started he found that it would be very hard to get out of his hideout unnoticed. He was safe where he was, but he knew his sister wouldn't rest until she found him, she could get hurt or killed looking for him and he would never forgive himself if that happened; he desperately wanted her to know he was safe, but as he peeked through the grating of the basement he could see people running in fear as horsemen armored in Black rode across the main streets, swinging their swords and slashing at people that got in their way. Jake could smell fire and hear the screaming as people tried to escape or find a particular family member unaccounted for. Damn, it was scary out there.
Jessica had been looking all over for Jake. Whenever someone raided the city they locked themselves in the basement and waited out until it was safe, but the boy had escaped through his window at some point during the night and Jess couldn't find him anywhere. Nate, their dad's best friend, practically an uncle to them, and his two sons were also looking around the city, but no one had seen Jake. Jesse knew Jake was smart, he would hide in a safe place if he could, but she couldn't be sure that he had. If he saw her or any other familiar face, she knew he would show up, so she had to keep looking for him.
She had gone everywhere in their part of the city and the market, a small, armed, crossbow and an equally small quiver for protection. Aside from that weapon Jess only relied on luck to make sure she didn't get caught in some sort of commotion. She decided to go home and see if, by any chance, her brother hadn't found his way back. As he reached the front of the house she found Ess there knocking on the door. Her green eyes scanned the girl and noticed the weapons and bag... It didn't take long to realize what that meant. She stopped, behind the girl and shouted a little to be heard over the noises of battle. "Hey! Have you seen Jake? I can't find him anywhere. And are you leaving?" She asked, saying it all pretty fast, similar to how Jake talked when he was excited. Only Jess was simply preoccupied and in a hurry.
Essence jumped, slightly startled at Jess’ words. A worried, almost blank expression crossed over her face, hearing Jess couldn’t find Jake. Her fingers curled around the hilt of her sword, violet eyes staring into the older girls green orbs.
“Jake is not here? He’s not with you?” She asked a bit frantic, thinking to herself. There were only a couple places he would be, one for sure she knew of. “The brothel is burning as we speak, so now is a good as time as any to leave for Newhaven...they shouldn’t follow me...I hope..” She muttered quickly to Jess, only to add “You both should come with me! I could help take care of you two.” Ess’ eyes softened, already knowing the answer. A huge part of her did not want to leave Jake, but she couldn’t stay there anymore. She needed to find Jake to explain that to him. She would not leave without seeing him.
“I have a good idea where he is...It would be quicker if we split up..” She stated flatly, not giving Jess time to argue. “Go to the Oak, by the Market...it’s still standing last I saw...I will meet you there...-” Ess’ eyes widened, her arms flung out to grab hold of Jess, roughly pulling Jake’s sister towards herself as several horsemen almost trampled the girl. Battle cries echoed, mingling with the petrified screams of horses as several City Guards pushed back a small line of Black Riders.
“Watch yourself Jess.” Ess nodded respectfully at the girl and took off down some side alleys making her way towards Jake’s hideout. ‘Poor kid’ she thought to herself, knowing that building was in the center of the battle, more smoke rising from the city. It seemed Blackpond was pushing the slaughter back, but chaos roamed the streets brutally still. Ess peered from the alleyway, catching sight of a mother trampled to death, attempting to save her child. It was a little girl, no more than four who now lay quietly by her mother’s side, unmoving. There was plenty Ess hated about this city, but the common folk didn’t deserve this.
Somehow, Ess managed to stay hidden from the battle and slinked her way towards the grate of Jake’s hideout. As she approached, she heard the crack of wood and the sound of something falling with a loud crash. The building was on fire from above, spreading like water, flaming lumbar splattering in shards all around Ess as she dove to escape, slamming her head against the grate. ‘Freakin’ figures’, she thought to herself, a slight groan of pain escaping her lips.
“Jakey! ...Come out. It’s Ess..” Ess pushed herself to her feet, trying to open the grate. “Open up Jake, the hideout has been compromised! It’s on fire...and everyone is looking for you..”
Jake was quickly gathering anything remotely valuable to him that was kept in the hideout. He could smell the smoke coming from the building above and he wasn’t sure what would be left of his hiding spot once the fire spread, putting his hand near the big sealed door of the basement, it was still cool, so Jake knew he had time to spare. The problem then would be making it home in one piece. It was scary out there, but he needed to go now, there was no choice. He was finally finished putting everything into a bag: A couple of blankets that he had ‘borrowed’ from home, some food, his marbles and Drake; he had brought the dragon with him since he still needed him to sleep, as much as he hated to admit it to himself.
As he tied the bag shut, tightly, holding Drake under his arm, Jake heard his name called from outside. He smiled a bit, as he put the bag over his shoulder and ran to the grating. He couldn’t make out Ess voice over the sounds of the battle, but only two people ever called him ‘Jakey’, and Jess didn’t know about this place. “Stand back a bit!” He asked, as he found the grating a bit jammed, and was forced to kick it a few time to get it open; the metal bars popping out of their place and giving the boy room to get out in the open again.
Stepping out into the alley, Jake looked around all the destruction with wide eyes, sincerely hoping that his sister wasn’t wandering around in the middle of that mess trying to find him. “Shit.” He muttered, immediately wincing at the thought of what Jess would say if she caught him cursing. He turned to Ess and couldn’t help a smile even through his worries and the raiding of the city, but the smile shut for a moment when he noticed she had a packed bag. He looked around to make sure the people running and the fighting soldiers weren’t running their way, his eyes caught the sword she was carrying and he smiled again. “Yours is way cooler than mine.” He stated. “You said they were looking for me? You talked to Jess? Is she alright?” He asked as fast as he could, as usual. A loud crash coming from inside the burning building reminded the boy that it just wasn’t safe to stand there asking questions, and he jumped up slightly at the loud sound, immediately clinging to the older girl for comfort. “We should get out of here.” He mumbled, not liking how scared this whole thing made him.
Essence only heard the word ‘Back!’ and using the grate, she pushed away from it, the momentum flinging her back across the opposite wall as Jake kicked it open. She inhaled sharply, holding her breath before releasing it in relief as Jake popped out of the
basement. “Shit.. is right, Blue Eyes.” Ess stood straight, holding the sword idly by her side as she watched Jake’s gaze flutter from her face to her bag and down to her sword. For a moment, the destructive clammer faded into the background as reality hit her that this may be the last time she saw Jake... At least for a long time. Her lips twitched in a half smile as she raised the sword to look at, holding it out in the air between her and Jake. “It’s a little heavy....a parting gift from Derek...” She winked.
With her free arm, she wrapped it around Jake tight as he clung to her. “Jess if fine...she is going to meet us at our Oak...as long as it still stands.” Side-stepping, her hand clasped Jake’s hand roughly, dragging him behind her as she lead him down the alley, back through the maze she treaded to arrive at the hideout.
“It’s ok to be scared Jake.” Ess muttered as they rounded corner after corner, so far nothing causing them delay in their path. She noted bodies strewn about from the fallen citizens caught in the cross fire, her fingers firmly yet gently clasping Jake’s hair reassuringly with a squeeze, “Don’t look Jakey...” Ess tried to lead Jake as quickly as possible pass the heaps of bodies, knowing she couldn’t protect him from the world, and there were things he was going to learn if she liked it or not.
At those thoughts, the sound of wails could be heard coming from up ahead. Ess paused, halting Jake in their path, an exasperated breath escaping her before she peeked around the corner. A mother and father held what could only be their child, in their arms, screams of agony echoing into screams of blood and vengeance. The child, a young girl who had to be only a year or two younger than Jake, was bleeding out from a violent wound along her stomach. Ess watched, dumb struck, the man and woman’s sadness engulfing her heart as she listened to the dying girls last words: “Mommy... Don’t be sad...you still have Daddy to love you, and I will be watching you with Grandma from the clouds....” With the child’s last breath, the father let out a violent scream and in his rage he abandoned his wife to seek justice for his lost daughter. The scene was utterly heartbreaking, the mother continuing to run her fingers through her daughter’s hair as if she were sleeping. “Talena...stay with Mommy...”
Ess choked back tears, “Jake...we have to keep moving...”
Jake let Ess lead him through the chaos that was Blackpond. His friend had assured him that it was alright to be scared, and boy was he scared… His eyes were wide as he caught sight of people dropping dead and wounded all around. Men and women in armor clashed on the streets uncaring to the civilians who desperately tried to get away. The Black armored horsemen simply slashed everything that crossed their paths without care and the Blackpond Castle Guard had been called from the castle to fend them off. Jake knew the uniforms well and some of the men he had met before… A lot of them lay dead on the city streets, and the boy couldn’t help the thought that his father had died the exact same way. Such a stupid way to die… Stupid and pointless.
Suddenly the sound of pained screams gave the boy chills down his spine. Ess stopped and he practically collided with her. Peeking from behind his friend, his eyes sparkled with tears as he caught the scene. The little girl, not much younger than him, was trying to give her mother comfort as she took her last breath. It was a heartbreaking scene to watch, but Jake’s eyes lingered from the girl and the mother when the father left them. Jake’s gaze followed the man as he picked the sword of a fallen soldier and ran into battle. The boy lost the man in the confusion within seconds, but there was no doubt that he had gotten himself killed in his rage. What good that would ever do, Jake didn’t know.
“Jake...we have to keep moving...”
Reality...
Ess' breaths were agitated at the memory, responding with a nod as she whispered a name. "Talena....was the little girl's name...It's a name I've grown quite fond of, and use from time to time..." Her shoulders slumped a bit as she slowly approached Jake, her palms open to show she wasn't going to raise a hand at him again. "I'm sorry too, Jakey. I'm sorry we weren't around one another to remind us of some things that were lost… But…You didn't even try… you just gave up... even if you try and let yourself give a shit... that's better than abandoning the cause or loved ones... No more turning your back." Shuffling her feet lazily, Tala heeled by her side the entire time except when she paused a foot or so away from her friend, Tala began circling the man, sniffing curiously at his legs as she made several passes. "Do you want to make it right? Do you want to start over? We have so much to catch up on...." She finally forced a smile, relinquishing the tears the were overflowing her violaceous, fixed stare. "I do have to admit, one thing this has shown me, is that if you wish hard enough for something, it's possible it can come true....and I wished for you to come back... every single day... and now..." An eccentric giggle emerged from her, slow and quiet at first, causing her to comically choke for a second before she finished her sentence. "...and now… you're here."
“I’m here…” Jake whispered quietly, his eyes following Tala as she circled him, unsure of what he felt exactly at the moment. It was as if suddenly he had found a missing piece of himself and didn’t know how to glue it back together; a dull ache in his chest that had nothing to do with having been struck there. Still he managed a smile at Ess’ words to him, even if a bit awkwardly, honestly not knowing what to say to someone he had abandoned and not seen in fourteen years. “I do want to make it right, if I can… Start over…” He ran one hand through his hair, his motion slowing as he let his hand rest on the back of his neck, looking up for a moment. “I knew I’d have to stop running someday… Suppose I just needed a friendly beating…” He smirked a bit, before letting his gaze fall on his friend again. “And I hope you got all the hits you wanted out of your system, because it will never be this easy again.” He stated, his hand moving along his neck to reach for the golden chain, he pulled his sister’s locket from under his shirt, never forgetting her words to him about it. That believing in something was never a bad thing if it brought you comfort. Still fiddling with the chain he shook his head quietly. “So we’ve got over a decade of catching up to do and I’m sore… I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink… Since I’m old enough to drink now and all.” He stated, hoping the joking would distract him from the fact he still felt bad as hell. He didn’t want to start apologizing all over again though, he wanted to move on somehow.
Ess felt compelled to reach out for Jake, her form twitching slightly, showing her slight confusion what to do at that moment. Her eyes scanned over her friend slowly from head to toe, absorbing the extreme change from the boy she knew to this man, this stranger before her. She gave a genuine smile when he ran his fingers through his hair, "....Your hair does look better longer..." Finally she let herself stare into her friend's eyes, the flush of her cheeks diffusing back to her porcelain tone. Her fingers traced the scar upon her left cheek, trailing up towards her eye as she spoke, “Did you miss me that much you had to get a matching scar?” Slowly she shook her head, an amused grin threatening to stretch across her face. “I hope your story is more interesting than mine.” She joked. It still didn't seem real, but like a dream; a detached form of reality that made her still wonder in the back of her mind if she had finally gone insane. Playfully she bowed at his words explaining he wouldn't take a beating from her again. "Well Jake, I'm like you now....but still training under the Captain. I'd hope next time you would give me a challenge...we can 'play' and perhaps teach each other a few things." Essence turned her head down towards her feet a moment in silence before looking up again. "...It's a little weird being the short one now...you know...but guess it was expected..." She didn't hold back a chuckle as she nodded at the sound of a drink and gestured for Jake to follow back towards her camp fire. "I hope you can hold your liquor boy..." She teased.
Everything seemed to stand still, Ess only focusing on her friend as they took turns discussing the past decade and a half: Their choices, their thoughts, their mistakes, their enemies, and even sharing a few laughs here and there. Before Essence knew it, the sun had gone down, a warm wind tossing her curls along her cheeks. Just like the changing of the seasons, came the differences but yet the familiar and expected details could still be found in one another. Her heart ached for her friend as she searched for that innocence she once saw in him, now apparently shattered. Ess wanted better for him; she wanted him to have a childhood different from her own, yet no one was safe. After a few more drinks and some silence, just staring at each other as if in awe, Ess finally broke the eeriness. Essence smiled, turning around to stare at the white oak behind her. “Seems our past does tend to follow and shape us through life, hmm?” With a deep sigh her eyes found her best friend once again. "I think Jacob; I can forgive you, if you can forgive me. I didn't turn out quite how I promised either, but then again I guess no one does."
Jake couldn't help a small grin from forming itself at the comment on his hair; it was like going back in time for a moment, and it brought him fond memories of the several times he and Jessica had argued over the length of his hair. It had been a long time since he’d thought of happy memories, it was comforting. His eyes sparkled a brighter tone of blue as Ess mentioned him giving her a challenge, now that she wasn’t angry at him, a little spar could prove to be quite fun. He laughed out as she led him towards the fire. “Who are you calling a boy, now?”
Time: It was such a funny thing to Jake how it could freeze or fly by in an instant, with Essence it always seemed to go one way or another and that just hadn’t changed. It had been quite a while since the last time he’d lost track of time in a conversation, and as they talked he became more and more aware of how much he had changed, how alone he had been and how much he had actually missed his friend. Through the course of the conversation he had mentioned his assassin training, Sean, how he left the Pack, mercenary work, joining the Black Knights, leaving the Black Knights… Time spent with the White Shadows and in the Desert… Of course, details here and there were left out, and Jake found himself referring to Crys as ‘a friend’ and Dani as ‘the Alpha’ throughout the entire conversation, not even coming close to the subject of Dani’s death and his involvement in it. Not because he felt the need to hide anything, but because he couldn’t bring himself to think of it still. Those were things better discussed in the future. His Enlightenment was left out on purpose, not forgetting the possibility of a spar in the near future; he was sure that would be the very best moment to show it.
Jake smiled cheerfully when Ess mentioned she could forgive him if he could forgive her as well. “Not that I think there’s anything to forgive, but I can forgive you. And we’re both here after all… So I think we could have done a lot worse.” He stated with a gentle nod.
The setting changes from Raven's Nest to Valcrest
[White Shadows Camp, 10 days after the Castle Ball]
“No. Absolutely not.” Annie stated, her dark eyes glaring at Alistair in anger. “This is not an option.”
“This is our ONLY option, Annie. His body can’t take much more, it’s going to shut down. Slowing down the process is not doing him any good.” Alistair argued, his tone calm as he held the girl’s gaze. “We can’t save Isaac, Annie. There is just not enough time to find an answer, and we don’t even know if an answer would lead to a cure. We don’t even know what this actually is. Maybe there aren’t any answers; maybe this is just... what it is.”
“There is an answer. If my mother was searching for it, it’s there somewhere. I know that. Maybe we’re just not asking the right questions.” Annie mumbled in response, looking away from her friend and heaving a weary sigh. There was cold wind blowing across the plains that morning; it was still dark, but the sky was clear and once the Sun began to rise its light would flood the ruins and the white tents of the encampment. A bright sunny day it would be, but to the healers it was bound to feel hopelessly dark. “How much longer could we keep him under sedatives?”
“Maybe another week, at best, but... At this point it is unlikely he would ever wake up. I know Lena was against doing things like this, and until recently I would have agreed with her, but this is too much. It’s not right to keep doing this to him, we are the only family he still has in this world, we owe him... Something, anything, better than this.”
“I love Isaac too, Al. You know that, but... If we do this, then what are we? Who are we? Who am I if everything I believe in, everything I’ve lived for, means nothing in a moment like this? What does this make me?”
“Human, Annie. Painfully and undeniably human. This moment, and every time you look back on it until the day you die, will only ever serve the purpose of reminding you that no matter what God you follow, no matter what you believe or how hard you try... You are only human. You’ll always want to bend the world to your will, but you can’t. Your soul is a trap set to make you fail, and it’s also the one thing in this world that you can never fully escape. You were the one who taught me that, remember? Accepting fate also means accepting that sometimes we are small, powerless and insignificant, it also means accepting impossible choices and the inevitability of living with them.” Alistair heaved a long sigh, wrapping one arm around Annie and pulling her into a hug in an attempt to comfort the girl. “Listen, I know that right now you wish more than anything that this wasn’t in your hands, but denying it won’t change anything. We fought for him, as hard as we could, but now it’s time to let him go.”
Annie was silent as Alistair spoke, for the first time his ability to remain perfectly calm in these situations wasn’t helping her cope, she felt exhausted just standing there and thinking of the possibilities. She leaned into Alistair and closed her eyes for a moment, she wanted to scream, but all she managed was a choked sob. Alistair had a point and she knew it, if there was any chance to save Isaac he would be the first to look for it, but the truth was that they were far from an answer and their friend was on the last of his strength. “I don’t think I can do this.” She whispered finally, pulling away from the hug and noting the several tear stains left on Alistair’s shirt. She didn’t realized she had been crying until just then.
“I haven’t ask you to do it, I’ve asked you to let me.” Alistair said, a sad smile crossing his features as he stared at her. “It should be me, don’t you think?”
“Al... I... Are you sure? He’s your best friend.” Annie asked, her tone concerned as she looked from Alistair to the entrance of the small tent where Isaac had be left to rest.
“As sure as someone can be about something like this.” Alistair retorted simply. “If we’re going to go through with this, Annie, we should do it while most of the camp is still asleep.” He warned.
“Alright, just... Give me a moment.” She mumbled, going past Alistair and into the tent.
Isaac was lying motionless in a sleeping mat, he seemed to be sound asleep, but a closer look showed that he was breathing with some difficulty as though he was in pain, a reddish glow appearing random intervals underneath his closed lids. He was clearly suffering despite his unconscious state and in the past day it had gotten considerably worse. Annie kneeled beside Isaac breathing deep as she watched her friend sleep for a few seconds in silence before finally speaking to him. “I don’t know if you can hear me, in some way, maybe you can but I’ll never know, right? I know that you would probably say it doesn’t matter, that this is more for me than it is for you; we see it every day. I honestly wish I could be stronger for you, my friend, that I didn’t feel the need to do this, because I know that if you can hear me it’ll probably just hurt you more. I am so... So sorry...” She paused, letting out a shaky breath before speaking again. “You are a good man, Isaac, you are... a wonderful friend. I don’t know what I would have done these past couple of years if you hadn’t been here to help me. And now here we are... After everything, this is the only help I can offer you...” With a shaky hand she covered the man’s eyes, closing hers as she mumbled a prayer under her breath. “...May you find peace in your next life, brother... And know that you are not forgotten.”
As Annie left the tent she let Alistair pass her by, not turning around to watch him enter, or waiting to see him exit. She walked away until the sun started to rise, streaks of golden orange coloring the sky as light began spread across the plains. It wasn’t long before the camp was filled with sounds of people getting ready for the day... It wasn’t much longer until all sound faded into a devastated silence.
----------------------------------------------------
[Flashback - The woods outside of Blackpond, 10 years ago]
“You’ll never make it back in time... You shouldn’t go by yourself... You’re going to pick a bar fight aren’t you?...” Dastan was mumbling under his breath, his tone somewhere between annoyed and amused as he recited Indrani’s words on his way home. He was supposed to have been back the night before, but he did in fact have too much at the city Inn and he did in fact get himself into a fight; which was visible by a very noticeable bruise on the left side of his face, and he knew he was bound to hear a very big ‘I told you so’ when he reached the desert. It was not a big deal though; he was sure Indrani had done just fine in his absence.
The night breeze was cool and soft in the forest, the sky was clear and the moonlight was sneaking in through the branches of the trees above. The forest was as quiet as a forest could be and Dastan was pleased to think that his journey home would be a peaceful one. Little did he know that he wasn’t really alone in the forest that night. Not minding where he was going, Dastan eventually stumbled upon an encampment of Blackpond soldiers that seemed to be ready to ambush some Newhaven men near a little village just ahead. And before he knew it he found himself with swords pointed at him from every direction. They questioned him, but he refused to answer them and it was at some point during their questions and their beatings that Dastan felt his mind starting to slip away into a complete void. He tried to fight that feeling, he tried to stop the darkness from coming to life, but when he felt a blade starting to slide across his neck he let go for the sake of keeping his life.
Next thing he knew he was waking up, a groan escaping his lips as he tried in vain to push himself up from the floor; his body too weak to respond, his eyes only half open to the sight of red coloring the earth around him, dead soldiers lying motionless, some of them in truly gruesome ways, the sickening smell of death rising from the blood stained ground. He could feel the pain from the beatings and the weakness of overusing his enlightenment, but he couldn’t remember what had happened. He knew what had happened, but he had absolutely no memory of it.
. . . . . . . . . .
[Flashback - The Desert, 13 years ago]
“Cheer up little brother! You don’t seem like you’re having fun, it’s a party!”
A loud and cheerful voice sounded in Dastan’s ears, accompanied by a firm pat on the back that nearly made him drop the bowl of stew he’d been silently staring at. Mumbling a curse under his breath he lifted his head to face his older brother. “Yes, Vikram, it’s my birthday, I know there’s a party.” He responded, starting to idly dig into his dinner, his dark eyes glancing at a group of people chatting and dancing by one of the many fires lit around the encampment; their shadows flickering as they danced along the sand and the surface of the rocks around them. “It happened again this morning... Right before sunrise... It’s been four years of living with this curse and I’m not getting any stronger... I’m not getting any closer to controlling this...”
“You’re thinking too much, little brother.” Vikram argued. “All this tension is doing you no good. And what have I told you, huh? There is no such thing as curses... You are not cursed, kid.”
“Then I am sick. Either way, something is not right with me.” Dastan argued, quickly glancing at his brother before turning his eyes back to the dancing shadows, taking a bite of his cold food.
“That’s bullshit. It’s complete and total bullshit, you hear me?” Vikram argued. “Even if it wasn’t, let’s say you are cursed, or sick, or whatever you want to call it. Have you hurt anyone?”
“No.” Dastan muttered.
“No. Have you suffered any episodes at all aside from the random whispers you’ve been hearing?” Vikram insisted.
“No, but...”
“No. You’re fine, brother.” The older boy assured him. “If you believe you are fated, then why not at least enjoy life while your sanity still seems intact instead of just sitting by yourself and worrying about the past and the future? If your days are counted, that’s one more reason to make the most of them, right?” Vikram nudged his younger brother, nearly knocking the plate of food from his lap. “Am I right or am I right? Huh? Huh?”
“Knock it off.” Dastan muttered, snorting a bit of a chuckle under his breath. “Yes, you’re right... I guess... I just don’t like the thought of ending up like him.”
“Dastan, you weren’t there. I mean, you were, but you were less than just a baby. All you know is what people whispered behind your back. You can’t let this dictate the course of your life. It’s not healthy. For anyone. Alright? Now... I’m ordering you to go have some fun on your birthday.”
“You’re ordering me?” Dastan laughed. “Are you kidding?”
“No, little brother, I’m not.”
“Vik, really... I just want to have my dinner and go to bed.”
“You turn sixteen today. You’re a man... It’s about time you start enjoying some of the benefits of being a man.” Vikram stated knowingly, nudging Dastan yet again and nodding towards a group of girls. “You’ve been eyeing Lila for months now, why don’t you talk to her?”
“I’m terrible with girls, that’s why. You know that. I’ll say something stupid and she’ll reject me.” Dastan muttered, chewing more of his food and muttering things under his breath.
“Well, that’s your worst mistake there. Don’t be afraid. It doesn’t matter if you say something stupid or not; you’re the clan leader’s brother and you’re almost as good looking as he is; half your work is done. As long as you are confident and respectful you’ll do fine. If she rejects you just remember to stay confident; don’t let it shake you and don’t be offended. Never be offended with a girl for saying no to you. She has every right to say no to you. If she doesn’t think you’re worth her time it’s your job to prove otherwise, only jerks act like they deserve a girl’s attention simply for being there. Do you understand?”
“I guess... Basically don’t be a jerk.” Dastan stated, nodding. “Seems simple enough.”
“It’s harder than it looks sometimes. It’s tough to be rejected, it’s frustrating, and believe me; you’ll hate it. Most guys react badly even if they don’t mean to and that’s what most girls expect to see. That’s why it matters so much to be different. Even if you get a ‘no thank you’ from a girl, if you take it the right way you may still have a chance to change her mind later. So don’t aim for a yes, just go for a smile. Go up to her, say something flattering and ask her to dance with you.”
Dastan flinched for a second, staring at the girl as though he was considering the idea, but eventually the boy shook his head. “Another night, maybe.”
Vikram sighed softly. “Brother, listen to me; there is no other night. This is the only night there is, and that’s the way it has to be... If you don’t live your life right now, one day you’ll wake up and it’ll have passed you by.”
“You’re drunk.” Dastan pointed out as though that one fact disproved every good point his brother had made.
“Yessir, I am... And a happy drunk. Better than being sober and sulking like some people.” He chuckled softly, ruffling Dastan’s hair. “I’ve given you my advice, little brother... It is yours to do with as you wish...”
[The Desert, 11 days after the Castle Ball]
“Shaykh.”
Dastan opened his eyes at the call, taking a few moments to make out Jackson’s voice. “What is it?” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. “What time is it?” He groaned, the clarity beginning to bother his eyes.
“A couple of hours past noon.” Jackson replied, handing Dastan a flask of water. “Alistair is here to see you, he says it’s important.”
“Hmph.” Dastan mumbled, drinking half the water in one large gulp. “How long was I out this time, what day is it?”
“It’s been over a full day, and you really don’t look so good.” Jackson replied, for a moment his tone was a perfect impression of Indrani’s in its severity. “You’ve been overdoing it lately, even by your standards. The others are starting to talk.”
“I have drank much more than this before.” Dastan argued, his sight beginning to clear, as his eyes got used to the light flooding the temple.
“Not by yourself. No one has seen you in camp in over four days.” Jackson sighed. “Listen, I know you’re depressed about Indrani leaving and what happened between you two... It’s understandable... No one will blame you for missing her, but you need to make an effort.”
“I’m not depressed, Jackson, I’m... My head is a bit messed up right now, that’s all. I thought it would be better to sort it out myself, without everyone constantly watching me.” Dastan sighed, scratching the back of his head.
“How’s that working out for you, boss?” Jackson asked, arching an eyebrow at Dastan.
“Fantastic.” Dastan muttered. “Didn’t you say Alistair wanted to see me?”
“He’s waiting downstairs. There’s some food there for you as well. I’ll tell him you’ll be right down; try not to fall asleep again while putting on shoes.” Jackson replied, leaving Dastan alone in the room.
“Once. That happened once.” Dastan muttered in response. “I had been awake for three days for heavens sake.” Looking around the room Dastan eventually found his boots and a clean shirt to wear, making his way to the ground level of the temple, where Alistair was waiting for him. The former healer didn’t look too well himself, he looked as though he hadn’t slept in days. “You look like shit.”
“You’d know a thing or two about that wouldn’t you?” Alistair retorted, briefly standing from the stone bench he’d been sitting on, sitting back down as Dastan sat across from him. Jackson had left each man a bowl of stew and half a loaf of bread, Alistair having finished off his food while waiting for Dastan; only a empty bowl left at his side.
Dastan didn’t respond, first picking up the bowl and digging into the food in silence until he was halfway through the bowl of stew. “Alright...” He started, pulling apart a piece of bread and stuffing it into his mouth as he spoke. “What brings you, friend? Jackson said it was important.”
“How are you feeling?” Alistair asked simply, his eyes examining the mercenary as if trying to evaluate his state of mind.
“That’s what was so important? I’m alright, I guess. I’ve been sleeping a bit more than usual, but according to general opinion that’s just depression.”
“Mhm... Do you remember what we talked about when we last saw each other?”
“You said you’d keep that conversation between us.” Dastan pointed out, setting his bowl down and glaring at Alistair.
“And I have, despite not being required to; I’m not sworn to secrecy anymore.” Alistair smiled calmly at Dastan. “It’s not just you though. I take you heard about Isaac?”
“Yes... I heard he had some sort of episode, is he alright?”Dastan asked, continuing to munch on the bread.
“He’s dead.” Alistair replied shortly. “So I guess he is alright now in a way.”
Oh... I’m sorry to hear that, I know you two were close... How’s Annie taking it?”
“Not too well. No one is taking it well, Isaac was very well liked.” Alistair sighed softly, rubbing his eyes and glancing around the main hall of the temple in silence. “Weren’t you planning to rebuild this place?”
“We had plans to do renovations, yes, before those outlanders invaded our territory. We had some major setbacks since then.” Dastan answered. “What does Isaac have to do with me?”
“It’s not just Isaac, Dastan; it’s everyone. Every enlightened in Valcrest is or will be experiencing debilitating symptoms.”
“Is or will be? So you’re saying everyone will inevitably fall ill in some way?”
“No. I’m saying that every enlightened in Valcrest will inevitably start showing symptoms of an illness. For what I gather everyone is already ill; even if they don’t feel it yet. It has been going on for a while now... Lena was the first to feel it, that’s why she left in search of answers.”
“I take it she didn’t find any.” Dastan questioned, finishing his bread and brushing a few crumbs that had fallen on his clothes.
“No.” Alistair shrugged. “We’re trying to pick up her research, Annie has been trying obsessively to decode her notes, but not much progress has been made so far. I’ve come to tell you this for two reasons; first because I thought you needed to know that what is happening to you is most likely due to this unknown illness, but also because once this becomes public, and it will soon, people will begin to panic and most likely try to leave Valcrest in order to escape the sickness.”
“Will that work?
“I doubt it. I suggest you secure your encampment as best as you can. Once people realize how bad the situation really is... Things are going to snap out of control.”
“I see, but... These hallucinations of mine... The voices... I always had them since I was a kid. Lena said they were a part of my enlightenment somehow.” Dastan questioned. “I just thought....”
“The spit personality effect is a common occurrence with summoning abilities like yours; a part of your mind is projected onto the shadow golem and disassociates from the rest of your consciousness. It’s not debilitating and perfectly manageable as long as you take your precautions; you’ve been nothing but cautious for the past ten years, so I’m pretty sure that these blackout episodes you’ve been having are a clear sign of illness.” Alistair explained. “I know that what happened to your father seems to suggest otherwise, Dastan, but you have always been perfectly capable of controlling this.”
Dastan sighed deeply, hiding his face in his hands for a moment before looking up at Alistair again, rubbing his temples as he muttered.“Not anymore though, right? It’s going to keep getting worse and there’s nothing I can do. Just like what happened with Isaac.”
“Probably, yes.” Alistair replied. “Dastan, don’t do anything stupid. You have time.”
“How much time? You don’t really know, do you? I don’t want to wait until I hurt someone, so what are my options really?” Dastan shook his head, a frustrated groan escaping him.
“You haven’t hurt anyone yet. You need to make someone aware of your situation, someone you trust, so they can help you. Trying to manage this alone will only make things worse.”
“I guess.” Dastan agreed, standing up with a groan. “Suppose I should warn the other enlightened in the clan; I’ll gather them all tonight and give them the news.”
“If anyone starts showing symptoms, you have them come to us, we may not have an idea how to stop this yet, but we have ways to make the condition more manageable. In some cases at least; didn’t do Isaac any good.”
“Way to be optimistic man.” Dastan chuckled. “Alright though, I’ll tell my people that if they start feeling sick they should look you up. Hopefully Annie makes some progress on those notes, and soon.”
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[Raven’s Nest - 12 days after the Castle Ball]
Jake had a slightly frustrating afternoon with Irvin... Trying to teach the kid to fight wasn’t as easy as he thought it’d be. He was smart, and was good at stopping Jake’s attempts at going invisible, unfortunately he was unable to do that and keep his guard up as well. When trying to correct the boy Jake quickly discovered that he’d have to teach the kid a lesson in humility first, make him understand that this was not something he could cheat his way through. The training session ended with Irv walking out on him; something Jake would have to punish him for the next day.
As he thought about the training session, Jake had set up a small camouflaged tent, a little further away from camp, but still close enough to hear if there was something out of ordinary going on. The tent was something Ali had gotten for him after he repeatedly avoided the question of where he’d been sleeping. She didn’t insist on the question and didn’t say that she obviously knew he just hadn’t bothered with a place of his own... She simply pushed the tent on him. Ever since that he’d been moving his little camp, unable to find a spot that pleased him, but this seemed to be a very good place to settle down, finally.
Once done with the work he dragged his bags and set up his sleeping mat inside staring idly at the bag that contained his most personal valuables, the journal book Ess had tossed on him inside of it as well; he hadn’t really read it, he wanted to, but wasn’t sure if he really should... It was just one more doubt in the back of his mind. Lifting his head, Jake was sure he heard something outside... Something too subtle to be one of the Guard or another friend paying a visit.
As quietly as he could he stepped outside and looked around, not seeing anyone. As he turned around, however, he slammed into something, or someone, the sound of a familiar giggle immediately causing his every muscle to tense and his eyes to narrow as he looked down at Luckas.
“Shame on you Jakey... Whatever happened to those reflexes of yours, huh?”
“You little.... Piece of... Son of...” Jake muttered out, pulling Luckas onto his feet by the front of his shirt. “You knew! You knew and you knew she was here!!!”
Luckas chuckled. “Oh, you silly boy... I thought I had told you! You mean you didn’t understand who I was talking about? Seriously?” He asked, faking a shocked expression and pushing Jake’s hand away from his clothes. “Careful, there... These are new.” He scolded.
Jake’s face contorted in an angered expression as he pulled the little golden dagger Luckas had used to threaten him. He pointed the dagger at the other man’s face. “You talked to Crys... What was that about?”
“Crys... Crys...” Luckas mumbled, tapping his own cheek with his fingertips as if trying to remember the name. “Pretty redhead... Sweet personality... Blind as a bat?” He asked raising an eyebrow. “Oh, she rescued me when I found myself a little short on coin. Remind me to repay her at some point.”
“Stay the hell away from her, or I swear... By all the Twins... I’ll...”
“Kill me?” Luckas sighed, rolling his eyes impatiently. “Haven’t we gone through this one already? I mean... How many times are you going to nearly beat me senseless and then change your mind and foolishly turn your back on me? Not that I’m complaining... I enjoy your little hissy fits, they’re kind of adorable, but not very productive.”
“I mean it!” Jake muttered. “Stay away from her... Both of them...”
“Ah... Now we seem to have a problem, Jakey... See, like I said... Crys is pretty and she has a lovely personality, but not quite my type... I was never one to enjoy the company of empaths for too long. As for the other part of this ‘them’ you refer to... I’m sorry, but no.” He snickered. “Well... Except I’m not really sorry.”
“What’s in it for you?” Jake asked, his tone a little more calm, although his grip on the dagger had tightened considerably.
“That’s a good question... And I’d tell you... Except that’s really none of your damn business. Hell, I can’t barely give a proper answer to myself... And it’s pretty much in my interest to know don’t you think? I’d like to kill her, maybe... but I’m not sure I’d like it if she was dead... Kind of a problem, wouldn’t you agree?” Luckas asked, as if seriously expecting some form of advice on whether or not to kill. “I mean... Killing someone is a big decision, you know... It’s not like I can undo it if I don’t like the results... Hmm... Decisions... Decisions...”
Jake’s hand was firmly gripping the dagger, now pressed to Luckas’ throat, his anger slowly rising at Luke’s words; he couldn’t stop thinking about how easy it would be to just slit his throat right there... And it would. Luckas didn’t really seem to mind, or acknowledge the blade.
Tala, almost appearing like a faded projection of Ess’ soul, had been watching as she trotted forward, ears perked on alert. The back of her fur was spiked along her neck and shoulder blades, a soft grunt like growl revealing her presence, Ess only steps behind her. Arms crossed across her chest, Ess’ fingertips tapped lightly along the hilt of her sword, tilting her head curiously as she came to a stop. She was quiet for a few moments, standing so she could see into both the men’s eyes; Jake’s intense with a threatening glare and Luckas’ somewhat comical and maybe even mocking. Clearing her throat, Ess spoke slow and unhindered to make sure both the boys heard her. “Jake, I thought you wanted to ….uh Play? Didn’t think you would get started without me....” A small smile touched her face, quirking a brow at Luckas. “..You jealous you weren’t invited, Luckas?” As her eyes scanned over the two, her violet orbs widened in simple amazement when she noticed the small, golden dagger that was pressed against Luckas’ throat. Not that she didn’t notice the threatening pose Jake was in, but the object itself caused her to fall back into silence. Slowly she unfolded her arms, her smile closing as she rested one hand gently upon Jake’s shoulder, the other reaching out towards the dagger. Ess wanted to hold it, to prove to herself it was the same from memory. “...I can’t believe how...tiny the blade is....” She snickered. “I remember how that would hang from your belt, and how conspicuous it was then.....” Her tone softened. “I can’t believe...you still have it...” Her fingers rested lightly upon Jake’s hand.
Ess wasn’t sure what exactly was going on between the two men, yet her focus momentarily had left the situation and more on the object before her, the only thing keeping her in the moment was the gentle growl coming from her wolf, expressing her dissatisfaction with the situation.
Jake couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of disappointment at the interruption, but then... It was probably better off, for the moment at least. Besides, if he did kill Luckas, this wasn’t the blade to use. He’d never taken a life with that blade, and something told him it wasn’t the time to start. Slowly, he lowered the little dagger, eyes shining in an ice cold glare as he stared at Luckas for yet a few moments before turning his attention to Ess and opening a soft smile towards her. “Of course I kept this... I always keep everything. Besides...” He chuckled. “Best gift ever.” He said, nodding along to his words as he offered her the hilt of the tiny knife.
Once the blade was away from his skin Luckas crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared from Jake to Ess with a severe look in his eyes; mimicking a child being ignored by all of the adults in the room. “Excuse me...” He called. “Yes, I am. I am very jealous. I mean... How dare you... HOW DARE YOU play with others behind my back? I thought we had something special! I mean... Were you just leading me on all this time? That’s just cruel. It’s a cruel thing to do Jake, and I’m hurt right now!”
Jake had calmed himself considerably by Ess’ presence alone, but he was not amused in the slightest and he turned to Luckas abruptly as if he was going to take a swing at him, although he simply glared at the man and muttered. “By all the Gods in the Afterlife... Shut that stupid mouth of yours before I lose it completely!”
Ess’ smile faded some as she turned over the blade in her hand, her thoughts interrupted by an annoyed Luckas running his mouth at her. Out of spite, she lazily turned her gaze towards Luke, brows narrowing in pure perplexion. “What.....is....your drama, Luckas? First off...” Her voice went from confused to matter of fact like. “....Jake and I were going to train.....and second....” Ess sighed shaking the dagger at Luckas, using it to point between him and Jake as she spoke. “You think I’m going to have fire fun without you? If you haven’t noticed or listened to anything I’ve told you, then you are most obviously ignoring the fact that Jake is like my brother..and you and I....” Ess paused giving a sweet smile and small wink. “...Our...definition of play is not quite the same as Jake’s and I’s. I mean..who else can I trust to hide the bodies with.” She couldn’t hold back a series of giggles at her own words. Ess may have been upset and annoyed with the knowledge that Luckas held and the connection she had to Jake; how he knew and kept it to himself, but that was only at first. Now she simply smiled, finding Luckas’ reaction kind of adorable, making her think back on a previous conversation. “I know....I know....You don’t like sharing, My Dear Luckas....” Ess handed back the golden dagger to Jake and lightly patted his arm. “Quiet, relax, I don’t understand what all the tension is about...” Her mind wandered back to the dagger for a moment, remembering how she had given it to Jake for his birthday and that was the same time he had given her ‘Jacob Bear’. It was kind of ironic how she never celebrated her birthday since that day, not even sure when it should have been anyhow. Still, every year she wrote to Jake in her journal, quietly celebrating his birthday even when she believed he was gone. Ess even went as far as baking cinnamon cookies, but never eating them, remembering it was something Jake had liked when he was young.
Luckas listened to Ess in silence and with the same serious look plastered on his face, although he felt the strongest urge to laugh he’d ever felt once he caught the expression on Jake’s face at her words. Finally he tilted his head to the side, closing one eye as he seemed to go into deep thought, after a moment or two he heaved a ridiculously exaggerated sigh and replied. “Fine... I suppose I can forgive the two of you.” He declared, nodding slightly and opening a little playful grin. “And well... See... Lady... Jake is cranky because I was just calmly explaining to him that I’m not going away and he can’t make me. I don’t think he believes me, but maybe Beast Boy can tell him.”
Jake simply stood, glaring at Luckas in anger still, his expression shifting discretely to one of revulsion at some of Ess’ words, but he made himself keep quiet about it, for the time being at least. Quietly he finally made himself look away from Luckas to put the little dagger away in its sheath, after which he stated. “I’m not cranky. I hate you, and I want you gone. Not just from my presence, but from existence, because honestly the simple fact that you breathe makes me sick to my stomach.”
“Oh, come on... You’re being a little over-dramatic now, don’t you think?” Luckas raised an eyebrow at Jake. “I don’t think the situation calls for something like this...”
“You killed my aunt and you took her memories!” Jake exclaimed. “You don’t even want to know what I think this situations calls for.”
Luckas sighed. “I did not... DID NOT... Kill Lena. Most definitely, I did NOT take her memories.” He stated, giving a little shrug. “She was weak and she pushed herself and I don’t have a clue of how I ended up with her memories at all.”
“I don’t believe you.” Jake stated simply. “You never really made it a point of hiding the fact you wanted to kill her.”
“I wanted to be able to kill her, yes. I never hid that, that’s true. And I did attack her, that is also true, but... If she was in her perfect health she wouldn’t have died... That... Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” Luckas grinned as he asked the question. “So tell me something, if you want me to admit I killed Lena... Did you kill Dani Rivers?”
Jake lowered his head, a small bitter chuckle escaping him as he ran one hand through his hair. “You... Have got some nerve...” He muttered. “I’ll give you that. With that said... Luckas...” Jake lifted his head to glare at Luckas with a look of absolute hatred in his eyes. “If you dare speak her name again... Even if it kills me, I will crush you. Are we clear? You have no right to even speak that woman’s name.”
Luckas seemed rather unfazed by Jake’s anger, even though he realized that he was being absolutely serious in his threat. He simply gave a shrug and continued. “Fine. I won’t speak her name.” He replied. “Did you tell her that story though?” He turned to Ess with a curious look. “Did Jakey tell you that he... Uh... Killed his girlfriend’s mom?”
Tala had planted herself between the two men, sitting idly upon her haunches and panting heavily as she stared from one to the next. Essence quirked a brow, her expression seemingly amused, which wasn’t a total facade because she found Luckas’ reaction still somewhat adorable, but this mention of him ‘forgiving’ her sent the urge to smack him behind his head. She remained still however, shaking her head. “Sure...well long as I’m forgiven I guess..” She muttered sarcastically, her eyes falling to Tala at the mention of Aiden, a soft sigh escaping her when the color in her eyes faded some in a momentary saddened look. When the two began bickering back and forth, any trace of Essence’s amusement was clearly gone. Her gaze flickered between the two, her hands resting absently upon her hips before she turned back to Tala, the wolf no longer panting but ears perked curiously as she was staring back at Ess, awaiting her to speak. “I think...they are both being a bit overly dramatic, don’t you Tala?” She whispered sweetly. “..Don’t they seem like an old arranged, married couple or something?”
Rolling her eyes as it continued she spaced out, still staring at the wolf, contemplating the words that were being spoken. Ess didn’t know much about Lena or what exactly had occurred with the circumstances surrounding her death as Luke never wanted to really speak of it, so Ess had not pressured him. Now she was wondering if it had to do with Luckas trying to recover his past or whatever their ‘renegotiation’ had been that she remembered being mentioned back in the bell tower in Newhaven the night she first met Lena. Ideas swam around in Ess’ mind, not quite sure what was going on, a part of her sympathizing with Jake for his obvious grief in losing the woman she figured out was of relation. Ess’ lips parted as if to speak but was not finding a point to join the conversation until Luckas retorted Jake’s words mentioning ‘Dani Rivers.’ Blinking in confusion, Ess looked up at Jake, mentally disliking how much taller he was now than her and how it would take some getting use to. “..Rivers....? As in...Crystal Rivers?....Crys?....Was she your ‘friend’ you told me about in the wolf pack?” Her expression was solemn, actually saddened by the words spoken, not liking how it seemed she was being dragged into their bickering and forced to look at past events, someone else’s memories with a sheer lack of facts and pure ignorance. “Luckas...what the hell is wrong with you? And...YOU?” She motioned between Luckas and Jake as she spoke. “I don’t understand what personal vendettas you two have with each other and I don’t appreciate being tossed into the mix like this. Am I suppose to turn on each of you or one of you? Ugh...” Ess’ brows narrowed, her lips pursed in annoyance. “Well...there will be no killing of either of you while I’m around...unless it’s by me!” She barked, partially joking but getting her point across. “I have no problems having a civil conversation or debate or whatever but you two need to relax while I’m around or I’ll kick both your asses.” Glancing back down at Tala, the wolf was wagging her tail in agreement, adding a happy bark. “Honestly...I would love to hear more about this Rivers and Lena..but I will not push the conversations on either of you...it’s not my business...nor will I judge either of you, as I would be just a hypocrite, no?”
“Whoa, gee...” Luckas mumbled, idly scratching the back of his head. “I don’t get why you people are so tense, seriously...” His tone was slightly confused even though he was obviously, once again, playing the whole thing off as a joke. “I thought we were being civil, I mean... I have no broken ribs and I can breathe... It’s pretty much the friendliest conversation we’ve had.” He said with a little shrug. “There wouldn’t even be much of a problem really, if Jake would just admit that he is a whiny little hypocrite.”
“Shut the hell up!” Jake cut him off, but instead of giving in to his impulses and jumping at Luckas he turned around and walked a few steps away.
Luckas sighed and went on as if there had been no interruption. “Whiny little hypocrite, who thinks he’s oh so much better than me even though, in reality, he’s done pretty much the same shit all his life... And this is just another example, really. I mean sure... I accidentally killed Lena and I may have attacked a few healers, but hey... I was out of my mind, literally, what’s your excuse for killing the Alpha and half a dozen other assassins, Jake? You had orders?”
Jake sighed softly, trying for the sake of not turning this into the worst possible situation, to breathe away some of his rage. As he leaned against a nearby tree he shook his head, his tone still a bit shaky as he spoke but considerably more composed. “We are nothing alike, Luckas. I had orders, yes... To execute traitors and Dani’s death... As you well know, was out of my hands the moment she neglected to tell me she was ill. And even so, unlike you, I paid for what I’ve done. I don’t make excuses for myself, or hide to get away with... Shit, as you put it. So, really, you can use any bit of my memories to try and compare the two of us, if that’s what you want... It won’t change the fact that you are what you are... and if I was anything like you, you would not be standing right now.”
Luckas snickered. “If that’s so... Then how come you are? I mean... I am like me, but still, I haven’t killed you have I? I could have. I think the line you try to place between you and me is remorse, but your remorse is selfish... It’s barely remorse and more like... Self-pity. I mean, you killed all those people, but really... You paid? And they didn’t? Funny how I’m the psycho and I respect life more than you.”
Jake raised an eyebrow at Luckas. “Would you like me to remind you of the reason you gave me when you could have taken my life?”
“I remember it, thank you, but that’s precisely my point.” Luckas muttered, a little bit of annoyance showing in his voice.
“I don’t see that as being the same thing, but I’d rather not get into this right now...” Jake replied, taking another forceful breath to calm his temper. “And you are twisting my words if you think I felt one bit of remorse for killing people who betrayed their own oaths... Some for coin, others for some stupid notion that saving their pathetic lives was worth the deaths of their family. I have no respect for those lives whatsoever, and I never claimed to. As for Dani, like I said; I paid. I’m still paying. I might never be done paying. And this is the kind of thing you would know nothing of... See... I made a choice I felt was wrong, and since I actually have something called a conscience, I am going to have to live with it. Because, you know, for some people killing someone they don’t want dead is actually a serious matter.” Jake fell silent for a moment after that, feeling as if he might as well be trying to lecture the tree behind Luckas and it would be more effective, and deciding he was done with the pointless debating. “Dani Rivers was Crys’ mother. She was the Alpha of the Wolfpack for a little over twenty five years and, at her own request, I poisoned her. Was supposed to be a failed attempt at killing her, but she was sick, and she didn’t tell me, so the nearly fatal poison became extremely fatal and she died three hours after I had already left. I was in Newhaven when she died.” He explained, turning his attention to Ess. “And yes, Crys was my friend. Not so sure about now though.” He sighed softly and nodded towards Luckas. “As for him... I don’t know what is it with the two of you and I’m not sure I want to know... I’ll just tell you what I told everyone else; I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything, Ess. You are family to me, and Twins only know how much I respect the Captain, but I honestly can see a day when I’ll just hate this guy more.”
“Hmph..” Ess began in response to Luckas’ comment on no broken ribs. “...True...I haven’t broken any furniture over your head today...” Ess nodded towards Jake as she continued. “...and I haven’t kicked you in the face, ...so all in all we seem to be doing pretty good.” Ess laughed, shaking her head at Luckas calling Jake ‘whiny’, wondering if he thought the same of her sometimes. She simply glared at Luckas when he said that, showing her non approval for the comment, and still she kept quiet as the men spoke. The glare remained upon her face when she heard mention of Luckas’ opportune time to kill Jake and some coded reason for not doing it. It took much strength to keep her mouth shut, not wanting to interrupt Jake as he continued.
Ess marveled at Jake’s restraint, as she fully expected mockery or outrage when Luckas spoke of pity, remorse, or respect of life...especially with the obvious distaste for Luckas in general. Ess looked over into Luckas’ black orbs and thought she recognized a hint of honest interest in Jake’s response as he spoke and she did wonder if Luckas understood all he was saying, even if he had not experienced it. Yes experience was a big part in learning, but Ess was almost in tears as she listened to Jake recall what had occurred, trying to explain as best as possible the difficult decision he had made. Never had Ess experienced such a choice and she felt her heart drop at the idea: Killing someone you did not wish to see dead. Looking between the two, silent as Jake spoke, she didn’t fully realize how she had approached Jake, and was standing by his side. Shaking her head slowly, her eyes glistened with the threat of tears, her own mind wondering if she would ever be faced with the choice and if she did, she couldn’t think of what reason that may ever possibly send her over the edge, to force her hand against her heart. It would have to be something dreaded to change her heart; but going against it, she felt she would rather die herself.
When Jake turned to address her, she found herself leaning against him, her head along his arm. “....Do you still care for Crys? Have you talked to her? I think you should...” Ess’ eyes were still sad but she smiled when Jake mentioned her as family, lightly squeezing his arm. “I’m not trying to change either of you, so if you two dislike one another, that is not my business. Just try to remember if it’s worth it in the end.” Taking a deep breath she stepped back from Jake, her eyes falling back to Tala as she continued.
“I was taught as a child that I was soulless...there was nothing to me..no substance...no reason to think I was special...I was a puppet for someone else to use.....eventually I was given reasons to think for myself. I discovered the truth about myself little by little, learning what was right and wrong...remembering some of what was lost that also aided me into the right direction. ..Most of it was a darker direction...but I still feel it was right..all the same....hate was something I needed...something that could destroy me if I didn’t release it and face it...something that made me stronger. Now I walk the line that separates the night and day...not partial to any particular side...but more a companion, one who understands both the light and the darkness and decides for herself what is best for her. Don’t get me wrong...I won’t let hate rule me..especially when I’ve seen what else life holds that fuels our strengths and our reasons for living. So, please believe me when I say I understand ‘Hate’, but again, make sure it’s worth it.”
Violet orbs flashed in a subtle strobe like motion, even resembling how lightning stretched across a darkened sky, as her own words reminded her of her brother. It was different though, as she wanted him dead. His actions had changed her heart, and his betrayal deserved nothing less than what was to come. Ess didn’t voice what she was thinking, but simply looked up at Luke with a mischievous smile, a soft rosy glow appearing at her cheeks.
Luckas was really actually silent for the first time that night, and the serious expression on his face wasn’t a playful one. He was paying close attention to the things being said, trying to ignore just a tiny bit of genuine jealousy he was feeling. If he was perfectly honest, he didn’t really see Jake as threat, more like an annoyance, and he really had no interest in seeing him dead and overall it just seemed like too much work to get rid of an annoyance. Not worth the trouble. When Ess finished speaking and he caught her expression it reminded him of what Zeke had told him about her brother; it made him mentally question whether he should let her know he’d seen him as he doubted he could talk her out of hunting him down.
Jake had flinched slightly at Ess’ questions about Crys, at first not quite answering and simply nodding as a response. He couldn’t help but feel amusement as she went on talking, not for her words in itself but for how they suddenly made him feel like he was a six year old who didn’t know any better all over again. When she finished speaking he answered the questions, giving a little shrug. “I’ve tried talking to Crys, but she’s really angry at me... And she’s awfully stubborn...” He smirked. “You know the type. Even if she does forgive me, it’s not going to happen so soon. And might involve some violence, depending on circumstances... Not everyone can control their temper as well as you can.” He teased.
Luckas stifled a laugh at the comment. “Wouldn’t that make the world a lovely place...” He played, still half lost in his own thoughts, before letting the seriousness in his expression disappear completely. “Well, Lady... Not that I don’t enjoy the tension and aggressiveness we got going here... Because I do enjoy some aggressiveness... But if you want I can go take a walk and come back later. I don’t think I have anything I’d be willing to discuss in front of the kids.” He said, nodding towards Jake.
Essence sighed, giving Jake a playful push. “I know who Crys is, silly and yes I think I do know the stubborn type.” She chuckled. “If she’s anywhere near as angry as I was then I’m sure she may even surpass my temper, and maybe you need another good ass kicking. Best advice I can give, is to just not give up. Giving up is almost the same as not caring. And...if you want I can have a chat with her, not to try to sway her per say, but maybe to help you understand better.” Ess shrugged. “Hey...some people have it coming...and you’re one to talk about tempers, Jakey. Besides.” Ess smirked, glancing over at Luckas. “I don’t have a quick temper...I just have a quick reaction to bullshit..” Her eyes lit up when she caught Luckas’ comment, slowly approaching him while glancing over her shoulder back at Jake. “Oh, I got a great Idea! See, right there is something you two actually agreed on...and what if I end up being your ‘common ground?’” Ess giggled, her face scrunching up in amusement. “...No? Too soon?”
Clearing her throat, Ess nodded to Luckas about going for a walk, noting and tucking away in her mind how he didn’t respond to any of which Jake had explained earlier and wondered, oddly enough, if he was ‘ok’. She wasn’t exactly sure what he was thinking about at the moment and decided he probably needed time for himself anyways. “I’m gonna have dinner in a couple hours if you want some Luckas, you know I’ll expect you later anywho.” Ess winked slowly at Luckas, smiling when Tala trotted over towards him, unexpectedly nuzzling his hand with her nose. “Aww...think Tala wants to stalk you.”
Jake sighed scratching the back of his head as he muttered. “I think it’s safe to say she’d be a bit angrier than you... So... I’m not going to turn down any type of help. I sure as hell need it, and I’m sure she’d talk to you.” He snickered. “You two can bond over my stupidity.” He joked.
Luckas snickered. “Oooh, can I play? I can write a book on Jake’s stupidity.” He said, rolling his eyes as Jake glared at him again. “Oh, yeah... I’m not allowed to bond with the blind one... Fine then.” He agreed, frowning at him. “Party pooper.” He laughed, nodding at Ess as she told him she expected him later. “Sure Lady... You know I never eat unless you feed me, right?” He joked, nodding at Tala and starting to walk off. “Come on, Tala... I haven’t stalked the Captain in a while...” He told the wolf, absolutely sure it wouldn’t be as easy to go by unnoticed with a very pregnant wolf following after him.
“No. Absolutely not.” Annie stated, her dark eyes glaring at Alistair in anger. “This is not an option.”
“This is our ONLY option, Annie. His body can’t take much more, it’s going to shut down. Slowing down the process is not doing him any good.” Alistair argued, his tone calm as he held the girl’s gaze. “We can’t save Isaac, Annie. There is just not enough time to find an answer, and we don’t even know if an answer would lead to a cure. We don’t even know what this actually is. Maybe there aren’t any answers; maybe this is just... what it is.”
“There is an answer. If my mother was searching for it, it’s there somewhere. I know that. Maybe we’re just not asking the right questions.” Annie mumbled in response, looking away from her friend and heaving a weary sigh. There was cold wind blowing across the plains that morning; it was still dark, but the sky was clear and once the Sun began to rise its light would flood the ruins and the white tents of the encampment. A bright sunny day it would be, but to the healers it was bound to feel hopelessly dark. “How much longer could we keep him under sedatives?”
“Maybe another week, at best, but... At this point it is unlikely he would ever wake up. I know Lena was against doing things like this, and until recently I would have agreed with her, but this is too much. It’s not right to keep doing this to him, we are the only family he still has in this world, we owe him... Something, anything, better than this.”
“I love Isaac too, Al. You know that, but... If we do this, then what are we? Who are we? Who am I if everything I believe in, everything I’ve lived for, means nothing in a moment like this? What does this make me?”
“Human, Annie. Painfully and undeniably human. This moment, and every time you look back on it until the day you die, will only ever serve the purpose of reminding you that no matter what God you follow, no matter what you believe or how hard you try... You are only human. You’ll always want to bend the world to your will, but you can’t. Your soul is a trap set to make you fail, and it’s also the one thing in this world that you can never fully escape. You were the one who taught me that, remember? Accepting fate also means accepting that sometimes we are small, powerless and insignificant, it also means accepting impossible choices and the inevitability of living with them.” Alistair heaved a long sigh, wrapping one arm around Annie and pulling her into a hug in an attempt to comfort the girl. “Listen, I know that right now you wish more than anything that this wasn’t in your hands, but denying it won’t change anything. We fought for him, as hard as we could, but now it’s time to let him go.”
Annie was silent as Alistair spoke, for the first time his ability to remain perfectly calm in these situations wasn’t helping her cope, she felt exhausted just standing there and thinking of the possibilities. She leaned into Alistair and closed her eyes for a moment, she wanted to scream, but all she managed was a choked sob. Alistair had a point and she knew it, if there was any chance to save Isaac he would be the first to look for it, but the truth was that they were far from an answer and their friend was on the last of his strength. “I don’t think I can do this.” She whispered finally, pulling away from the hug and noting the several tear stains left on Alistair’s shirt. She didn’t realized she had been crying until just then.
“I haven’t ask you to do it, I’ve asked you to let me.” Alistair said, a sad smile crossing his features as he stared at her. “It should be me, don’t you think?”
“Al... I... Are you sure? He’s your best friend.” Annie asked, her tone concerned as she looked from Alistair to the entrance of the small tent where Isaac had be left to rest.
“As sure as someone can be about something like this.” Alistair retorted simply. “If we’re going to go through with this, Annie, we should do it while most of the camp is still asleep.” He warned.
“Alright, just... Give me a moment.” She mumbled, going past Alistair and into the tent.
Isaac was lying motionless in a sleeping mat, he seemed to be sound asleep, but a closer look showed that he was breathing with some difficulty as though he was in pain, a reddish glow appearing random intervals underneath his closed lids. He was clearly suffering despite his unconscious state and in the past day it had gotten considerably worse. Annie kneeled beside Isaac breathing deep as she watched her friend sleep for a few seconds in silence before finally speaking to him. “I don’t know if you can hear me, in some way, maybe you can but I’ll never know, right? I know that you would probably say it doesn’t matter, that this is more for me than it is for you; we see it every day. I honestly wish I could be stronger for you, my friend, that I didn’t feel the need to do this, because I know that if you can hear me it’ll probably just hurt you more. I am so... So sorry...” She paused, letting out a shaky breath before speaking again. “You are a good man, Isaac, you are... a wonderful friend. I don’t know what I would have done these past couple of years if you hadn’t been here to help me. And now here we are... After everything, this is the only help I can offer you...” With a shaky hand she covered the man’s eyes, closing hers as she mumbled a prayer under her breath. “...May you find peace in your next life, brother... And know that you are not forgotten.”
As Annie left the tent she let Alistair pass her by, not turning around to watch him enter, or waiting to see him exit. She walked away until the sun started to rise, streaks of golden orange coloring the sky as light began spread across the plains. It wasn’t long before the camp was filled with sounds of people getting ready for the day... It wasn’t much longer until all sound faded into a devastated silence.
----------------------------------------------------
[Flashback - The woods outside of Blackpond, 10 years ago]
“You’ll never make it back in time... You shouldn’t go by yourself... You’re going to pick a bar fight aren’t you?...” Dastan was mumbling under his breath, his tone somewhere between annoyed and amused as he recited Indrani’s words on his way home. He was supposed to have been back the night before, but he did in fact have too much at the city Inn and he did in fact get himself into a fight; which was visible by a very noticeable bruise on the left side of his face, and he knew he was bound to hear a very big ‘I told you so’ when he reached the desert. It was not a big deal though; he was sure Indrani had done just fine in his absence.
The night breeze was cool and soft in the forest, the sky was clear and the moonlight was sneaking in through the branches of the trees above. The forest was as quiet as a forest could be and Dastan was pleased to think that his journey home would be a peaceful one. Little did he know that he wasn’t really alone in the forest that night. Not minding where he was going, Dastan eventually stumbled upon an encampment of Blackpond soldiers that seemed to be ready to ambush some Newhaven men near a little village just ahead. And before he knew it he found himself with swords pointed at him from every direction. They questioned him, but he refused to answer them and it was at some point during their questions and their beatings that Dastan felt his mind starting to slip away into a complete void. He tried to fight that feeling, he tried to stop the darkness from coming to life, but when he felt a blade starting to slide across his neck he let go for the sake of keeping his life.
Next thing he knew he was waking up, a groan escaping his lips as he tried in vain to push himself up from the floor; his body too weak to respond, his eyes only half open to the sight of red coloring the earth around him, dead soldiers lying motionless, some of them in truly gruesome ways, the sickening smell of death rising from the blood stained ground. He could feel the pain from the beatings and the weakness of overusing his enlightenment, but he couldn’t remember what had happened. He knew what had happened, but he had absolutely no memory of it.
. . . . . . . . . .
[Flashback - The Desert, 13 years ago]
“Cheer up little brother! You don’t seem like you’re having fun, it’s a party!”
A loud and cheerful voice sounded in Dastan’s ears, accompanied by a firm pat on the back that nearly made him drop the bowl of stew he’d been silently staring at. Mumbling a curse under his breath he lifted his head to face his older brother. “Yes, Vikram, it’s my birthday, I know there’s a party.” He responded, starting to idly dig into his dinner, his dark eyes glancing at a group of people chatting and dancing by one of the many fires lit around the encampment; their shadows flickering as they danced along the sand and the surface of the rocks around them. “It happened again this morning... Right before sunrise... It’s been four years of living with this curse and I’m not getting any stronger... I’m not getting any closer to controlling this...”
“You’re thinking too much, little brother.” Vikram argued. “All this tension is doing you no good. And what have I told you, huh? There is no such thing as curses... You are not cursed, kid.”
“Then I am sick. Either way, something is not right with me.” Dastan argued, quickly glancing at his brother before turning his eyes back to the dancing shadows, taking a bite of his cold food.
“That’s bullshit. It’s complete and total bullshit, you hear me?” Vikram argued. “Even if it wasn’t, let’s say you are cursed, or sick, or whatever you want to call it. Have you hurt anyone?”
“No.” Dastan muttered.
“No. Have you suffered any episodes at all aside from the random whispers you’ve been hearing?” Vikram insisted.
“No, but...”
“No. You’re fine, brother.” The older boy assured him. “If you believe you are fated, then why not at least enjoy life while your sanity still seems intact instead of just sitting by yourself and worrying about the past and the future? If your days are counted, that’s one more reason to make the most of them, right?” Vikram nudged his younger brother, nearly knocking the plate of food from his lap. “Am I right or am I right? Huh? Huh?”
“Knock it off.” Dastan muttered, snorting a bit of a chuckle under his breath. “Yes, you’re right... I guess... I just don’t like the thought of ending up like him.”
“Dastan, you weren’t there. I mean, you were, but you were less than just a baby. All you know is what people whispered behind your back. You can’t let this dictate the course of your life. It’s not healthy. For anyone. Alright? Now... I’m ordering you to go have some fun on your birthday.”
“You’re ordering me?” Dastan laughed. “Are you kidding?”
“No, little brother, I’m not.”
“Vik, really... I just want to have my dinner and go to bed.”
“You turn sixteen today. You’re a man... It’s about time you start enjoying some of the benefits of being a man.” Vikram stated knowingly, nudging Dastan yet again and nodding towards a group of girls. “You’ve been eyeing Lila for months now, why don’t you talk to her?”
“I’m terrible with girls, that’s why. You know that. I’ll say something stupid and she’ll reject me.” Dastan muttered, chewing more of his food and muttering things under his breath.
“Well, that’s your worst mistake there. Don’t be afraid. It doesn’t matter if you say something stupid or not; you’re the clan leader’s brother and you’re almost as good looking as he is; half your work is done. As long as you are confident and respectful you’ll do fine. If she rejects you just remember to stay confident; don’t let it shake you and don’t be offended. Never be offended with a girl for saying no to you. She has every right to say no to you. If she doesn’t think you’re worth her time it’s your job to prove otherwise, only jerks act like they deserve a girl’s attention simply for being there. Do you understand?”
“I guess... Basically don’t be a jerk.” Dastan stated, nodding. “Seems simple enough.”
“It’s harder than it looks sometimes. It’s tough to be rejected, it’s frustrating, and believe me; you’ll hate it. Most guys react badly even if they don’t mean to and that’s what most girls expect to see. That’s why it matters so much to be different. Even if you get a ‘no thank you’ from a girl, if you take it the right way you may still have a chance to change her mind later. So don’t aim for a yes, just go for a smile. Go up to her, say something flattering and ask her to dance with you.”
Dastan flinched for a second, staring at the girl as though he was considering the idea, but eventually the boy shook his head. “Another night, maybe.”
Vikram sighed softly. “Brother, listen to me; there is no other night. This is the only night there is, and that’s the way it has to be... If you don’t live your life right now, one day you’ll wake up and it’ll have passed you by.”
“You’re drunk.” Dastan pointed out as though that one fact disproved every good point his brother had made.
“Yessir, I am... And a happy drunk. Better than being sober and sulking like some people.” He chuckled softly, ruffling Dastan’s hair. “I’ve given you my advice, little brother... It is yours to do with as you wish...”
[The Desert, 11 days after the Castle Ball]
“Shaykh.”
Dastan opened his eyes at the call, taking a few moments to make out Jackson’s voice. “What is it?” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. “What time is it?” He groaned, the clarity beginning to bother his eyes.
“A couple of hours past noon.” Jackson replied, handing Dastan a flask of water. “Alistair is here to see you, he says it’s important.”
“Hmph.” Dastan mumbled, drinking half the water in one large gulp. “How long was I out this time, what day is it?”
“It’s been over a full day, and you really don’t look so good.” Jackson replied, for a moment his tone was a perfect impression of Indrani’s in its severity. “You’ve been overdoing it lately, even by your standards. The others are starting to talk.”
“I have drank much more than this before.” Dastan argued, his sight beginning to clear, as his eyes got used to the light flooding the temple.
“Not by yourself. No one has seen you in camp in over four days.” Jackson sighed. “Listen, I know you’re depressed about Indrani leaving and what happened between you two... It’s understandable... No one will blame you for missing her, but you need to make an effort.”
“I’m not depressed, Jackson, I’m... My head is a bit messed up right now, that’s all. I thought it would be better to sort it out myself, without everyone constantly watching me.” Dastan sighed, scratching the back of his head.
“How’s that working out for you, boss?” Jackson asked, arching an eyebrow at Dastan.
“Fantastic.” Dastan muttered. “Didn’t you say Alistair wanted to see me?”
“He’s waiting downstairs. There’s some food there for you as well. I’ll tell him you’ll be right down; try not to fall asleep again while putting on shoes.” Jackson replied, leaving Dastan alone in the room.
“Once. That happened once.” Dastan muttered in response. “I had been awake for three days for heavens sake.” Looking around the room Dastan eventually found his boots and a clean shirt to wear, making his way to the ground level of the temple, where Alistair was waiting for him. The former healer didn’t look too well himself, he looked as though he hadn’t slept in days. “You look like shit.”
“You’d know a thing or two about that wouldn’t you?” Alistair retorted, briefly standing from the stone bench he’d been sitting on, sitting back down as Dastan sat across from him. Jackson had left each man a bowl of stew and half a loaf of bread, Alistair having finished off his food while waiting for Dastan; only a empty bowl left at his side.
Dastan didn’t respond, first picking up the bowl and digging into the food in silence until he was halfway through the bowl of stew. “Alright...” He started, pulling apart a piece of bread and stuffing it into his mouth as he spoke. “What brings you, friend? Jackson said it was important.”
“How are you feeling?” Alistair asked simply, his eyes examining the mercenary as if trying to evaluate his state of mind.
“That’s what was so important? I’m alright, I guess. I’ve been sleeping a bit more than usual, but according to general opinion that’s just depression.”
“Mhm... Do you remember what we talked about when we last saw each other?”
“You said you’d keep that conversation between us.” Dastan pointed out, setting his bowl down and glaring at Alistair.
“And I have, despite not being required to; I’m not sworn to secrecy anymore.” Alistair smiled calmly at Dastan. “It’s not just you though. I take you heard about Isaac?”
“Yes... I heard he had some sort of episode, is he alright?”Dastan asked, continuing to munch on the bread.
“He’s dead.” Alistair replied shortly. “So I guess he is alright now in a way.”
Oh... I’m sorry to hear that, I know you two were close... How’s Annie taking it?”
“Not too well. No one is taking it well, Isaac was very well liked.” Alistair sighed softly, rubbing his eyes and glancing around the main hall of the temple in silence. “Weren’t you planning to rebuild this place?”
“We had plans to do renovations, yes, before those outlanders invaded our territory. We had some major setbacks since then.” Dastan answered. “What does Isaac have to do with me?”
“It’s not just Isaac, Dastan; it’s everyone. Every enlightened in Valcrest is or will be experiencing debilitating symptoms.”
“Is or will be? So you’re saying everyone will inevitably fall ill in some way?”
“No. I’m saying that every enlightened in Valcrest will inevitably start showing symptoms of an illness. For what I gather everyone is already ill; even if they don’t feel it yet. It has been going on for a while now... Lena was the first to feel it, that’s why she left in search of answers.”
“I take it she didn’t find any.” Dastan questioned, finishing his bread and brushing a few crumbs that had fallen on his clothes.
“No.” Alistair shrugged. “We’re trying to pick up her research, Annie has been trying obsessively to decode her notes, but not much progress has been made so far. I’ve come to tell you this for two reasons; first because I thought you needed to know that what is happening to you is most likely due to this unknown illness, but also because once this becomes public, and it will soon, people will begin to panic and most likely try to leave Valcrest in order to escape the sickness.”
“Will that work?
“I doubt it. I suggest you secure your encampment as best as you can. Once people realize how bad the situation really is... Things are going to snap out of control.”
“I see, but... These hallucinations of mine... The voices... I always had them since I was a kid. Lena said they were a part of my enlightenment somehow.” Dastan questioned. “I just thought....”
“The spit personality effect is a common occurrence with summoning abilities like yours; a part of your mind is projected onto the shadow golem and disassociates from the rest of your consciousness. It’s not debilitating and perfectly manageable as long as you take your precautions; you’ve been nothing but cautious for the past ten years, so I’m pretty sure that these blackout episodes you’ve been having are a clear sign of illness.” Alistair explained. “I know that what happened to your father seems to suggest otherwise, Dastan, but you have always been perfectly capable of controlling this.”
Dastan sighed deeply, hiding his face in his hands for a moment before looking up at Alistair again, rubbing his temples as he muttered.“Not anymore though, right? It’s going to keep getting worse and there’s nothing I can do. Just like what happened with Isaac.”
“Probably, yes.” Alistair replied. “Dastan, don’t do anything stupid. You have time.”
“How much time? You don’t really know, do you? I don’t want to wait until I hurt someone, so what are my options really?” Dastan shook his head, a frustrated groan escaping him.
“You haven’t hurt anyone yet. You need to make someone aware of your situation, someone you trust, so they can help you. Trying to manage this alone will only make things worse.”
“I guess.” Dastan agreed, standing up with a groan. “Suppose I should warn the other enlightened in the clan; I’ll gather them all tonight and give them the news.”
“If anyone starts showing symptoms, you have them come to us, we may not have an idea how to stop this yet, but we have ways to make the condition more manageable. In some cases at least; didn’t do Isaac any good.”
“Way to be optimistic man.” Dastan chuckled. “Alright though, I’ll tell my people that if they start feeling sick they should look you up. Hopefully Annie makes some progress on those notes, and soon.”
---------------------------------------------------
[Raven’s Nest - 12 days after the Castle Ball]
Jake had a slightly frustrating afternoon with Irvin... Trying to teach the kid to fight wasn’t as easy as he thought it’d be. He was smart, and was good at stopping Jake’s attempts at going invisible, unfortunately he was unable to do that and keep his guard up as well. When trying to correct the boy Jake quickly discovered that he’d have to teach the kid a lesson in humility first, make him understand that this was not something he could cheat his way through. The training session ended with Irv walking out on him; something Jake would have to punish him for the next day.
As he thought about the training session, Jake had set up a small camouflaged tent, a little further away from camp, but still close enough to hear if there was something out of ordinary going on. The tent was something Ali had gotten for him after he repeatedly avoided the question of where he’d been sleeping. She didn’t insist on the question and didn’t say that she obviously knew he just hadn’t bothered with a place of his own... She simply pushed the tent on him. Ever since that he’d been moving his little camp, unable to find a spot that pleased him, but this seemed to be a very good place to settle down, finally.
Once done with the work he dragged his bags and set up his sleeping mat inside staring idly at the bag that contained his most personal valuables, the journal book Ess had tossed on him inside of it as well; he hadn’t really read it, he wanted to, but wasn’t sure if he really should... It was just one more doubt in the back of his mind. Lifting his head, Jake was sure he heard something outside... Something too subtle to be one of the Guard or another friend paying a visit.
As quietly as he could he stepped outside and looked around, not seeing anyone. As he turned around, however, he slammed into something, or someone, the sound of a familiar giggle immediately causing his every muscle to tense and his eyes to narrow as he looked down at Luckas.
“Shame on you Jakey... Whatever happened to those reflexes of yours, huh?”
“You little.... Piece of... Son of...” Jake muttered out, pulling Luckas onto his feet by the front of his shirt. “You knew! You knew and you knew she was here!!!”
Luckas chuckled. “Oh, you silly boy... I thought I had told you! You mean you didn’t understand who I was talking about? Seriously?” He asked, faking a shocked expression and pushing Jake’s hand away from his clothes. “Careful, there... These are new.” He scolded.
Jake’s face contorted in an angered expression as he pulled the little golden dagger Luckas had used to threaten him. He pointed the dagger at the other man’s face. “You talked to Crys... What was that about?”
“Crys... Crys...” Luckas mumbled, tapping his own cheek with his fingertips as if trying to remember the name. “Pretty redhead... Sweet personality... Blind as a bat?” He asked raising an eyebrow. “Oh, she rescued me when I found myself a little short on coin. Remind me to repay her at some point.”
“Stay the hell away from her, or I swear... By all the Twins... I’ll...”
“Kill me?” Luckas sighed, rolling his eyes impatiently. “Haven’t we gone through this one already? I mean... How many times are you going to nearly beat me senseless and then change your mind and foolishly turn your back on me? Not that I’m complaining... I enjoy your little hissy fits, they’re kind of adorable, but not very productive.”
“I mean it!” Jake muttered. “Stay away from her... Both of them...”
“Ah... Now we seem to have a problem, Jakey... See, like I said... Crys is pretty and she has a lovely personality, but not quite my type... I was never one to enjoy the company of empaths for too long. As for the other part of this ‘them’ you refer to... I’m sorry, but no.” He snickered. “Well... Except I’m not really sorry.”
“What’s in it for you?” Jake asked, his tone a little more calm, although his grip on the dagger had tightened considerably.
“That’s a good question... And I’d tell you... Except that’s really none of your damn business. Hell, I can’t barely give a proper answer to myself... And it’s pretty much in my interest to know don’t you think? I’d like to kill her, maybe... but I’m not sure I’d like it if she was dead... Kind of a problem, wouldn’t you agree?” Luckas asked, as if seriously expecting some form of advice on whether or not to kill. “I mean... Killing someone is a big decision, you know... It’s not like I can undo it if I don’t like the results... Hmm... Decisions... Decisions...”
Jake’s hand was firmly gripping the dagger, now pressed to Luckas’ throat, his anger slowly rising at Luke’s words; he couldn’t stop thinking about how easy it would be to just slit his throat right there... And it would. Luckas didn’t really seem to mind, or acknowledge the blade.
Tala, almost appearing like a faded projection of Ess’ soul, had been watching as she trotted forward, ears perked on alert. The back of her fur was spiked along her neck and shoulder blades, a soft grunt like growl revealing her presence, Ess only steps behind her. Arms crossed across her chest, Ess’ fingertips tapped lightly along the hilt of her sword, tilting her head curiously as she came to a stop. She was quiet for a few moments, standing so she could see into both the men’s eyes; Jake’s intense with a threatening glare and Luckas’ somewhat comical and maybe even mocking. Clearing her throat, Ess spoke slow and unhindered to make sure both the boys heard her. “Jake, I thought you wanted to ….uh Play? Didn’t think you would get started without me....” A small smile touched her face, quirking a brow at Luckas. “..You jealous you weren’t invited, Luckas?” As her eyes scanned over the two, her violet orbs widened in simple amazement when she noticed the small, golden dagger that was pressed against Luckas’ throat. Not that she didn’t notice the threatening pose Jake was in, but the object itself caused her to fall back into silence. Slowly she unfolded her arms, her smile closing as she rested one hand gently upon Jake’s shoulder, the other reaching out towards the dagger. Ess wanted to hold it, to prove to herself it was the same from memory. “...I can’t believe how...tiny the blade is....” She snickered. “I remember how that would hang from your belt, and how conspicuous it was then.....” Her tone softened. “I can’t believe...you still have it...” Her fingers rested lightly upon Jake’s hand.
Ess wasn’t sure what exactly was going on between the two men, yet her focus momentarily had left the situation and more on the object before her, the only thing keeping her in the moment was the gentle growl coming from her wolf, expressing her dissatisfaction with the situation.
Jake couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of disappointment at the interruption, but then... It was probably better off, for the moment at least. Besides, if he did kill Luckas, this wasn’t the blade to use. He’d never taken a life with that blade, and something told him it wasn’t the time to start. Slowly, he lowered the little dagger, eyes shining in an ice cold glare as he stared at Luckas for yet a few moments before turning his attention to Ess and opening a soft smile towards her. “Of course I kept this... I always keep everything. Besides...” He chuckled. “Best gift ever.” He said, nodding along to his words as he offered her the hilt of the tiny knife.
Once the blade was away from his skin Luckas crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared from Jake to Ess with a severe look in his eyes; mimicking a child being ignored by all of the adults in the room. “Excuse me...” He called. “Yes, I am. I am very jealous. I mean... How dare you... HOW DARE YOU play with others behind my back? I thought we had something special! I mean... Were you just leading me on all this time? That’s just cruel. It’s a cruel thing to do Jake, and I’m hurt right now!”
Jake had calmed himself considerably by Ess’ presence alone, but he was not amused in the slightest and he turned to Luckas abruptly as if he was going to take a swing at him, although he simply glared at the man and muttered. “By all the Gods in the Afterlife... Shut that stupid mouth of yours before I lose it completely!”
Ess’ smile faded some as she turned over the blade in her hand, her thoughts interrupted by an annoyed Luckas running his mouth at her. Out of spite, she lazily turned her gaze towards Luke, brows narrowing in pure perplexion. “What.....is....your drama, Luckas? First off...” Her voice went from confused to matter of fact like. “....Jake and I were going to train.....and second....” Ess sighed shaking the dagger at Luckas, using it to point between him and Jake as she spoke. “You think I’m going to have fire fun without you? If you haven’t noticed or listened to anything I’ve told you, then you are most obviously ignoring the fact that Jake is like my brother..and you and I....” Ess paused giving a sweet smile and small wink. “...Our...definition of play is not quite the same as Jake’s and I’s. I mean..who else can I trust to hide the bodies with.” She couldn’t hold back a series of giggles at her own words. Ess may have been upset and annoyed with the knowledge that Luckas held and the connection she had to Jake; how he knew and kept it to himself, but that was only at first. Now she simply smiled, finding Luckas’ reaction kind of adorable, making her think back on a previous conversation. “I know....I know....You don’t like sharing, My Dear Luckas....” Ess handed back the golden dagger to Jake and lightly patted his arm. “Quiet, relax, I don’t understand what all the tension is about...” Her mind wandered back to the dagger for a moment, remembering how she had given it to Jake for his birthday and that was the same time he had given her ‘Jacob Bear’. It was kind of ironic how she never celebrated her birthday since that day, not even sure when it should have been anyhow. Still, every year she wrote to Jake in her journal, quietly celebrating his birthday even when she believed he was gone. Ess even went as far as baking cinnamon cookies, but never eating them, remembering it was something Jake had liked when he was young.
Luckas listened to Ess in silence and with the same serious look plastered on his face, although he felt the strongest urge to laugh he’d ever felt once he caught the expression on Jake’s face at her words. Finally he tilted his head to the side, closing one eye as he seemed to go into deep thought, after a moment or two he heaved a ridiculously exaggerated sigh and replied. “Fine... I suppose I can forgive the two of you.” He declared, nodding slightly and opening a little playful grin. “And well... See... Lady... Jake is cranky because I was just calmly explaining to him that I’m not going away and he can’t make me. I don’t think he believes me, but maybe Beast Boy can tell him.”
Jake simply stood, glaring at Luckas in anger still, his expression shifting discretely to one of revulsion at some of Ess’ words, but he made himself keep quiet about it, for the time being at least. Quietly he finally made himself look away from Luckas to put the little dagger away in its sheath, after which he stated. “I’m not cranky. I hate you, and I want you gone. Not just from my presence, but from existence, because honestly the simple fact that you breathe makes me sick to my stomach.”
“Oh, come on... You’re being a little over-dramatic now, don’t you think?” Luckas raised an eyebrow at Jake. “I don’t think the situation calls for something like this...”
“You killed my aunt and you took her memories!” Jake exclaimed. “You don’t even want to know what I think this situations calls for.”
Luckas sighed. “I did not... DID NOT... Kill Lena. Most definitely, I did NOT take her memories.” He stated, giving a little shrug. “She was weak and she pushed herself and I don’t have a clue of how I ended up with her memories at all.”
“I don’t believe you.” Jake stated simply. “You never really made it a point of hiding the fact you wanted to kill her.”
“I wanted to be able to kill her, yes. I never hid that, that’s true. And I did attack her, that is also true, but... If she was in her perfect health she wouldn’t have died... That... Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” Luckas grinned as he asked the question. “So tell me something, if you want me to admit I killed Lena... Did you kill Dani Rivers?”
Jake lowered his head, a small bitter chuckle escaping him as he ran one hand through his hair. “You... Have got some nerve...” He muttered. “I’ll give you that. With that said... Luckas...” Jake lifted his head to glare at Luckas with a look of absolute hatred in his eyes. “If you dare speak her name again... Even if it kills me, I will crush you. Are we clear? You have no right to even speak that woman’s name.”
Luckas seemed rather unfazed by Jake’s anger, even though he realized that he was being absolutely serious in his threat. He simply gave a shrug and continued. “Fine. I won’t speak her name.” He replied. “Did you tell her that story though?” He turned to Ess with a curious look. “Did Jakey tell you that he... Uh... Killed his girlfriend’s mom?”
Tala had planted herself between the two men, sitting idly upon her haunches and panting heavily as she stared from one to the next. Essence quirked a brow, her expression seemingly amused, which wasn’t a total facade because she found Luckas’ reaction still somewhat adorable, but this mention of him ‘forgiving’ her sent the urge to smack him behind his head. She remained still however, shaking her head. “Sure...well long as I’m forgiven I guess..” She muttered sarcastically, her eyes falling to Tala at the mention of Aiden, a soft sigh escaping her when the color in her eyes faded some in a momentary saddened look. When the two began bickering back and forth, any trace of Essence’s amusement was clearly gone. Her gaze flickered between the two, her hands resting absently upon her hips before she turned back to Tala, the wolf no longer panting but ears perked curiously as she was staring back at Ess, awaiting her to speak. “I think...they are both being a bit overly dramatic, don’t you Tala?” She whispered sweetly. “..Don’t they seem like an old arranged, married couple or something?”
Rolling her eyes as it continued she spaced out, still staring at the wolf, contemplating the words that were being spoken. Ess didn’t know much about Lena or what exactly had occurred with the circumstances surrounding her death as Luke never wanted to really speak of it, so Ess had not pressured him. Now she was wondering if it had to do with Luckas trying to recover his past or whatever their ‘renegotiation’ had been that she remembered being mentioned back in the bell tower in Newhaven the night she first met Lena. Ideas swam around in Ess’ mind, not quite sure what was going on, a part of her sympathizing with Jake for his obvious grief in losing the woman she figured out was of relation. Ess’ lips parted as if to speak but was not finding a point to join the conversation until Luckas retorted Jake’s words mentioning ‘Dani Rivers.’ Blinking in confusion, Ess looked up at Jake, mentally disliking how much taller he was now than her and how it would take some getting use to. “..Rivers....? As in...Crystal Rivers?....Crys?....Was she your ‘friend’ you told me about in the wolf pack?” Her expression was solemn, actually saddened by the words spoken, not liking how it seemed she was being dragged into their bickering and forced to look at past events, someone else’s memories with a sheer lack of facts and pure ignorance. “Luckas...what the hell is wrong with you? And...YOU?” She motioned between Luckas and Jake as she spoke. “I don’t understand what personal vendettas you two have with each other and I don’t appreciate being tossed into the mix like this. Am I suppose to turn on each of you or one of you? Ugh...” Ess’ brows narrowed, her lips pursed in annoyance. “Well...there will be no killing of either of you while I’m around...unless it’s by me!” She barked, partially joking but getting her point across. “I have no problems having a civil conversation or debate or whatever but you two need to relax while I’m around or I’ll kick both your asses.” Glancing back down at Tala, the wolf was wagging her tail in agreement, adding a happy bark. “Honestly...I would love to hear more about this Rivers and Lena..but I will not push the conversations on either of you...it’s not my business...nor will I judge either of you, as I would be just a hypocrite, no?”
“Whoa, gee...” Luckas mumbled, idly scratching the back of his head. “I don’t get why you people are so tense, seriously...” His tone was slightly confused even though he was obviously, once again, playing the whole thing off as a joke. “I thought we were being civil, I mean... I have no broken ribs and I can breathe... It’s pretty much the friendliest conversation we’ve had.” He said with a little shrug. “There wouldn’t even be much of a problem really, if Jake would just admit that he is a whiny little hypocrite.”
“Shut the hell up!” Jake cut him off, but instead of giving in to his impulses and jumping at Luckas he turned around and walked a few steps away.
Luckas sighed and went on as if there had been no interruption. “Whiny little hypocrite, who thinks he’s oh so much better than me even though, in reality, he’s done pretty much the same shit all his life... And this is just another example, really. I mean sure... I accidentally killed Lena and I may have attacked a few healers, but hey... I was out of my mind, literally, what’s your excuse for killing the Alpha and half a dozen other assassins, Jake? You had orders?”
Jake sighed softly, trying for the sake of not turning this into the worst possible situation, to breathe away some of his rage. As he leaned against a nearby tree he shook his head, his tone still a bit shaky as he spoke but considerably more composed. “We are nothing alike, Luckas. I had orders, yes... To execute traitors and Dani’s death... As you well know, was out of my hands the moment she neglected to tell me she was ill. And even so, unlike you, I paid for what I’ve done. I don’t make excuses for myself, or hide to get away with... Shit, as you put it. So, really, you can use any bit of my memories to try and compare the two of us, if that’s what you want... It won’t change the fact that you are what you are... and if I was anything like you, you would not be standing right now.”
Luckas snickered. “If that’s so... Then how come you are? I mean... I am like me, but still, I haven’t killed you have I? I could have. I think the line you try to place between you and me is remorse, but your remorse is selfish... It’s barely remorse and more like... Self-pity. I mean, you killed all those people, but really... You paid? And they didn’t? Funny how I’m the psycho and I respect life more than you.”
Jake raised an eyebrow at Luckas. “Would you like me to remind you of the reason you gave me when you could have taken my life?”
“I remember it, thank you, but that’s precisely my point.” Luckas muttered, a little bit of annoyance showing in his voice.
“I don’t see that as being the same thing, but I’d rather not get into this right now...” Jake replied, taking another forceful breath to calm his temper. “And you are twisting my words if you think I felt one bit of remorse for killing people who betrayed their own oaths... Some for coin, others for some stupid notion that saving their pathetic lives was worth the deaths of their family. I have no respect for those lives whatsoever, and I never claimed to. As for Dani, like I said; I paid. I’m still paying. I might never be done paying. And this is the kind of thing you would know nothing of... See... I made a choice I felt was wrong, and since I actually have something called a conscience, I am going to have to live with it. Because, you know, for some people killing someone they don’t want dead is actually a serious matter.” Jake fell silent for a moment after that, feeling as if he might as well be trying to lecture the tree behind Luckas and it would be more effective, and deciding he was done with the pointless debating. “Dani Rivers was Crys’ mother. She was the Alpha of the Wolfpack for a little over twenty five years and, at her own request, I poisoned her. Was supposed to be a failed attempt at killing her, but she was sick, and she didn’t tell me, so the nearly fatal poison became extremely fatal and she died three hours after I had already left. I was in Newhaven when she died.” He explained, turning his attention to Ess. “And yes, Crys was my friend. Not so sure about now though.” He sighed softly and nodded towards Luckas. “As for him... I don’t know what is it with the two of you and I’m not sure I want to know... I’ll just tell you what I told everyone else; I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything, Ess. You are family to me, and Twins only know how much I respect the Captain, but I honestly can see a day when I’ll just hate this guy more.”
“Hmph..” Ess began in response to Luckas’ comment on no broken ribs. “...True...I haven’t broken any furniture over your head today...” Ess nodded towards Jake as she continued. “...and I haven’t kicked you in the face, ...so all in all we seem to be doing pretty good.” Ess laughed, shaking her head at Luckas calling Jake ‘whiny’, wondering if he thought the same of her sometimes. She simply glared at Luckas when he said that, showing her non approval for the comment, and still she kept quiet as the men spoke. The glare remained upon her face when she heard mention of Luckas’ opportune time to kill Jake and some coded reason for not doing it. It took much strength to keep her mouth shut, not wanting to interrupt Jake as he continued.
Ess marveled at Jake’s restraint, as she fully expected mockery or outrage when Luckas spoke of pity, remorse, or respect of life...especially with the obvious distaste for Luckas in general. Ess looked over into Luckas’ black orbs and thought she recognized a hint of honest interest in Jake’s response as he spoke and she did wonder if Luckas understood all he was saying, even if he had not experienced it. Yes experience was a big part in learning, but Ess was almost in tears as she listened to Jake recall what had occurred, trying to explain as best as possible the difficult decision he had made. Never had Ess experienced such a choice and she felt her heart drop at the idea: Killing someone you did not wish to see dead. Looking between the two, silent as Jake spoke, she didn’t fully realize how she had approached Jake, and was standing by his side. Shaking her head slowly, her eyes glistened with the threat of tears, her own mind wondering if she would ever be faced with the choice and if she did, she couldn’t think of what reason that may ever possibly send her over the edge, to force her hand against her heart. It would have to be something dreaded to change her heart; but going against it, she felt she would rather die herself.
When Jake turned to address her, she found herself leaning against him, her head along his arm. “....Do you still care for Crys? Have you talked to her? I think you should...” Ess’ eyes were still sad but she smiled when Jake mentioned her as family, lightly squeezing his arm. “I’m not trying to change either of you, so if you two dislike one another, that is not my business. Just try to remember if it’s worth it in the end.” Taking a deep breath she stepped back from Jake, her eyes falling back to Tala as she continued.
“I was taught as a child that I was soulless...there was nothing to me..no substance...no reason to think I was special...I was a puppet for someone else to use.....eventually I was given reasons to think for myself. I discovered the truth about myself little by little, learning what was right and wrong...remembering some of what was lost that also aided me into the right direction. ..Most of it was a darker direction...but I still feel it was right..all the same....hate was something I needed...something that could destroy me if I didn’t release it and face it...something that made me stronger. Now I walk the line that separates the night and day...not partial to any particular side...but more a companion, one who understands both the light and the darkness and decides for herself what is best for her. Don’t get me wrong...I won’t let hate rule me..especially when I’ve seen what else life holds that fuels our strengths and our reasons for living. So, please believe me when I say I understand ‘Hate’, but again, make sure it’s worth it.”
Violet orbs flashed in a subtle strobe like motion, even resembling how lightning stretched across a darkened sky, as her own words reminded her of her brother. It was different though, as she wanted him dead. His actions had changed her heart, and his betrayal deserved nothing less than what was to come. Ess didn’t voice what she was thinking, but simply looked up at Luke with a mischievous smile, a soft rosy glow appearing at her cheeks.
Luckas was really actually silent for the first time that night, and the serious expression on his face wasn’t a playful one. He was paying close attention to the things being said, trying to ignore just a tiny bit of genuine jealousy he was feeling. If he was perfectly honest, he didn’t really see Jake as threat, more like an annoyance, and he really had no interest in seeing him dead and overall it just seemed like too much work to get rid of an annoyance. Not worth the trouble. When Ess finished speaking and he caught her expression it reminded him of what Zeke had told him about her brother; it made him mentally question whether he should let her know he’d seen him as he doubted he could talk her out of hunting him down.
Jake had flinched slightly at Ess’ questions about Crys, at first not quite answering and simply nodding as a response. He couldn’t help but feel amusement as she went on talking, not for her words in itself but for how they suddenly made him feel like he was a six year old who didn’t know any better all over again. When she finished speaking he answered the questions, giving a little shrug. “I’ve tried talking to Crys, but she’s really angry at me... And she’s awfully stubborn...” He smirked. “You know the type. Even if she does forgive me, it’s not going to happen so soon. And might involve some violence, depending on circumstances... Not everyone can control their temper as well as you can.” He teased.
Luckas stifled a laugh at the comment. “Wouldn’t that make the world a lovely place...” He played, still half lost in his own thoughts, before letting the seriousness in his expression disappear completely. “Well, Lady... Not that I don’t enjoy the tension and aggressiveness we got going here... Because I do enjoy some aggressiveness... But if you want I can go take a walk and come back later. I don’t think I have anything I’d be willing to discuss in front of the kids.” He said, nodding towards Jake.
Essence sighed, giving Jake a playful push. “I know who Crys is, silly and yes I think I do know the stubborn type.” She chuckled. “If she’s anywhere near as angry as I was then I’m sure she may even surpass my temper, and maybe you need another good ass kicking. Best advice I can give, is to just not give up. Giving up is almost the same as not caring. And...if you want I can have a chat with her, not to try to sway her per say, but maybe to help you understand better.” Ess shrugged. “Hey...some people have it coming...and you’re one to talk about tempers, Jakey. Besides.” Ess smirked, glancing over at Luckas. “I don’t have a quick temper...I just have a quick reaction to bullshit..” Her eyes lit up when she caught Luckas’ comment, slowly approaching him while glancing over her shoulder back at Jake. “Oh, I got a great Idea! See, right there is something you two actually agreed on...and what if I end up being your ‘common ground?’” Ess giggled, her face scrunching up in amusement. “...No? Too soon?”
Clearing her throat, Ess nodded to Luckas about going for a walk, noting and tucking away in her mind how he didn’t respond to any of which Jake had explained earlier and wondered, oddly enough, if he was ‘ok’. She wasn’t exactly sure what he was thinking about at the moment and decided he probably needed time for himself anyways. “I’m gonna have dinner in a couple hours if you want some Luckas, you know I’ll expect you later anywho.” Ess winked slowly at Luckas, smiling when Tala trotted over towards him, unexpectedly nuzzling his hand with her nose. “Aww...think Tala wants to stalk you.”
Jake sighed scratching the back of his head as he muttered. “I think it’s safe to say she’d be a bit angrier than you... So... I’m not going to turn down any type of help. I sure as hell need it, and I’m sure she’d talk to you.” He snickered. “You two can bond over my stupidity.” He joked.
Luckas snickered. “Oooh, can I play? I can write a book on Jake’s stupidity.” He said, rolling his eyes as Jake glared at him again. “Oh, yeah... I’m not allowed to bond with the blind one... Fine then.” He agreed, frowning at him. “Party pooper.” He laughed, nodding at Ess as she told him she expected him later. “Sure Lady... You know I never eat unless you feed me, right?” He joked, nodding at Tala and starting to walk off. “Come on, Tala... I haven’t stalked the Captain in a while...” He told the wolf, absolutely sure it wouldn’t be as easy to go by unnoticed with a very pregnant wolf following after him.
The setting changes from Valcrest to Raven's Nest
12 Days After The Castle Ball....Dusk
Jake stood quietly staring until Luckas had gone far enough to be out of hearing range. Heaving a small sigh he gave Ess a curious look. “So, I think maybe I do want to know what is it with the two of you. Still have your dagger by the way.” He mumbled.
Ess’ smile faded, averting her gaze purposely away from Jake while moving towards the tree he was leaning against. As if she didn’t hear the question she reached up towards a low branch and clung to it, swinging casually before tucking in her legs, arms pulling her form up in a ball so that she could flip her legs up and over the branch, between her arms before releasing, hanging upside down. As she continued to swing she smiled. “...That’s where I left the dagger, I couldn’t really remember where I dropped it...I will be needing that back.” Ess giggled. “You look funny upside down...ha remember when we would swing from the Oak...”
Jake watched Ess with a mildly amused smile as she hung upside down from the tree, obviously not missing the fact that she was avoiding his questioning. “You dropped the dagger after you... Uh... pointed it at my face...” He chuckled. “I left Jacob Bear with the Captain, but I kept the knife because I wanted to have a better look at it. It’s pretty sharp, I cut myself with it three times.” He stated, pulling the dagger from his belt and offering it to her and heaving a little sigh. “And you’re avoiding my question, Ess. And I would know because I do that all the time.”
Unhooking her legs, she let herself fall to the ground a little ways, landing upon her hands, her feet quickly meeting the ground before she stood. Tossing her curls aside she nodded, taking the blade held out before her, tucking it along the hem of her pants and into her boot. “Yea, you should see the sword.” She smiled. “You should be more careful with it...last time I used it was on this guy named Scott...took away that...’Ego’ of his..” She paused, “No..wait....Was at the Ball when I saw Ebony again...Goes through flesh like butter.” Nodding at the whereabouts of her nostalgic bear she gave a tired shrug. “Why talk about it, when I know you are going to dislike anything I say about Luckas because you obviously and notedly stated how much you despise him.” Ess sighed, lavender eyes searching Jake’s deep blues. “He’s MY FRIEND...Jacob.” She stated firmly, her voice remaining soft as she spoke. “I’ve grown quite fond of him..and we have a bit of a....’history’ you could say.”
“I have seen the sword, remember?” Jake snickered. “The day you got it?” He sighed, sitting at the foot of the tree and scratching the back of his head, absently fiddling with a few longer strands of his hair as he spoke. “True, I do despise Luckas... I’m pretty sure I always will, but I’m not asking about Luckas, I’m asking about you. Don’t want you thinking you can’t talk to me because of this... I mean... I’m not trying to change you either, I’m just concerned. And I know you don’t want me to kill him, but if he was to hurt you then I’d just have to. I’m a reasonable guy, but I don’t like my family messed with, you know.” He held back an annoyed growl as he added. “Besides, he said he talked to Crys and know you were there too...”
“Aww, finally get to keep your promise to me, is that it? My own personal, Black Knight?” Ess smiled wide, the points of her teeth peeking out from her lips. “Of course I will not deter your concern, but I believe he won’t hurt me....He’s had too many chances...” Again she sighed, a momentarily confused look in her eyes when Jake mentioned Crys. “Oh...the Inn, when I first saw Crys stab Sheila with a Sai..” Ess giggled. “I don’t know what was said, they were only chatting maybe a minute..didn’t seem like anything you should be worrying about, if that’s where this is going..” Ess kneeled down before Jake, noticing how much darker it was getting now, eyes darting for some candles or something to help her eyes adjust. “I can give you the short version...and If you want the long version...just another reason to read the journal I know you still have.” Ess’ voice lowered timidly. “Maybe you’ll find a reason to not like me as much though...” She shrugged. “It’s up to you, Jakey.”
“I’d much appreciate it if Luckas would keep away from Crys... As you may or not have noticed, he’s not all too discreet about the things he’s seen in my head. I’m in enough trouble as is with her without him bringing up her mother or some other thing like that.” Jake said, still fiddling with his hair as he spoke, his eyes lighting up a brighter tone of blue as stopped to think, his mind tracking back to the things Aiden had told him... Not sure if he wanted to bring that up at all. “There are more ways to hurt someone than the obvious ones you know. So, what I think is that being so fond of Luckas may not be a good thing; no matter what his intentions are exactly...” He sighed, not sure if he was even making sense. “I was going to give that back to you... Wasn’t sure if you wanted me to have it or if you were just throwing the nearest thing or whatever... I just tucked it away in my bag with...” Jake trailed off as he suddenly remembered something and jumped up, rushing into the tent. “Hang on a minute!” He called, going through the dark tent until he found a lamp and got some light. Setting the lamp down he grabbed his bag and carefully went through it until he found what he’d rushed in there to get, stepping out a again holding the lamp and a folded sheet of paper, calmly sitting back by the tree and placing the lamp down. “Was going to build a fire, but got a bit interrupted there...” He mumbled quietly before unfolding the paper revealing the portrait of a woman, all in black and white except for bright blue eyes. “Here, I promised Jess that whenever I saw you again I would show you this first thing. It’s... My mom.”
Ess was contemplating how to delicately express her opinion back to Jake on his ideas when he seemed to interrupt himself with a sudden thought. The random excitement caused Ess to blink a few times in confusion before chuckling a bit, the scene reminding her of when he was little. It was nice to see that some things hadn’t changed, however small and subtle they may be. At the mention of Jess, a dull ache crept up from her stomach into her chest but Ess still smiled, her fingers outstretched to receive the drawing. Ess gasped in delight, remembering how she had given Jess some tips and ideas on how to draw something from memory, the girl wanting so very much to have something tangible to show Jake of their mother. “Jake....it’s...bea-.....your mom is beautiful....she looks like Jess...or...Jess looks like her...” She took in a deep breath, silently taking in the detail and how the eyes stood out amidst all the rest, similar to Ess’ own style. “....I miss her....” Ess whispered suddenly, still keeping her smile as she carefully handed the drawing back to Jake. “Speaking of drawings, the journal you can hold onto for a bit...read it and then give it back. There are...more drawings inside of it too. If you want..” Her voice cracked, “There’s a picture of Jess I re-did, I’m sure you’d like it. I’ve gotten much better, if you can believe it...course many of my drawings have taken on a..darker aspect, as of late....but honestly, she did a wonderful job, Jake.”
Shaking the distraction from mind, she backtracked to what she had been thinking of prior. “Jake...” She began, pausing in silence before continuing slowly, keeping her tone as gentle as possible. “ Luckas is my friend..so as my friend I treat him as an equal...I do not have him on some sort of leash...so if he desires to make friends or talk to whomever..he’s going to...and if you’re concerned about him mentioning things you’d rather him not, it seems like that’s your responsibility, not Luckas’. If there are things Crys does not know about..you best tell her soon because I know for a fact, us women tend to find out ALL. If she finds out from someone else or some other circumstance, you could lose any chance you have of holding onto her. Just saying.” As if trying to pick her next few words, her smile opened and closed, coinciding with her thoughts. “..I do appreciate the concern, but the idea of Luckas hurting me in other ways than the obvious, can be said about anyone...Even you Jake. I can’t live in fear and doubt all the days of my life...besides...there’s just something about him....Do you want me to start from the beginning? Even if you won’t agree, maybe you’ll understand why I feel and think the way I do..”
Jake simply nodded his way through the conversation regarding his sister, remembering how his reluctance to ever talk about her had been pointed out to him by Crys and Lena over and over as something he needed to deal with; even if he did agree with that, it wasn’t something he was willing to do right this moment. He stayed in his half-trance, looking down at the drawing as it was returned to him without actually seeing it through blurry eyes until the conversation went back to its previous subject.
He quietly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand as he heaved a sigh to Ess’ words. “My responsibilities to Crys have absolutely nothing to do with Luckas at all, which is precisely my point. What I tell her, where and when, is something I need to take care of myself, whenever I even get her to listen to me. Has nothing to do with Luckas. At all. The fact is that Luckas will say and do whatever the hell amuses him without giving a shit and this is something that matters to me. Nonetheless... I don’t recall asking you to put a gag on him or anything. If he is your friend as you say though, then maybe... Just maybe... He’d listen to you.” He muttered. “I’m not pulling this out of nowhere either, Ess... He’s done it before. Back then I could overlook it because it was not a big deal, but this is. Unlike him, I’m not a kid anymore and I should have the right to handle this like a man.” He ran a hand over his eyes and sighed. “Yes I’m being stupid and paranoid, it’s really THAT bad of a mess I’m in.” He chuckled softly, honestly trying to find some amusement in the whole thing. “As for how he can hurt you... Yes, that’s true. And all things considered I know that pointing this out makes me a hypocrite, but you know... Even though I want him as far away as possible, I’d hate to see you suffer because one day he decides to just up and vanish, or do something ridiculous and get himself stabbed in the face. I know there’s probably little to be done about that, but I’m just saying.” He snickered. “So there goes my favorite dream; stabbing Luckas in the face. Damn it.”
Taking to a more serious tone he nodded, finally folding the drawing again and looking her in the eyes. “If... You want to tell me, or try to explain things from your point of view, you know I’ll listen. I’m not quite so sure I can understand though.”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say then, that we agree Luckas shouldn’t interfere. I will mention something, but obviously I can’t make any promises....and yes you are paranoid, but not stupid, Jakey. Maybe stubborn...but that’s just a family trait, no?” Ess was quite moved how Jake continued to show his concern over her well being; mind, body and soul. She tried to force a disapproving glare when he mentioned stabbing Luckas in the face, but ended up covering her mouth trying to hide the series of giggles that plagued her. When she finally calmed she shook her head. “Remember Jakey, what I told you long ago about making your own decisions on life? That’s what I’m doing. I just want you to see that, and that’s what I mean by ‘understanding.’”
Ess closed her eyes, literally starting from the beginning in her summary of how she met Luckas. She felt somewhat shameful to mention what she had been doing to even put herself in such a situation in the middle of the night, and so her eyes remained shut, afraid of seeing disappointment from her friend. Ess summarized how she came up on him some time before Lena had ‘found’ him, momentarily interrupting his ‘meal’ and how he didn’t harm her but tried to erase her memory. Obviously that did not work, and even though she mentioned the dreams, she purposely left out the new information on how her and Luckas shared a telepathic link of some sort. Ess was afraid Jake would not understand; perhaps even believing that it had something to do with the reason she felt the way she did. She did spend much time explaining the irony in running into him again the night she met the Captain and finding out how he had taken care of a ‘small domestic problem’ or two since they began their acquaintance. Ess went over the Xypher encounter and how she met Lena and basically everything up to the other night. Yes, she understood his predatory nature. Yes, she had taken part in things Jake may disapprove of, but she also made sure to remind him of the things she told Jake of herself the night they were drinking.
“Maybe...I admit, I could be acting foolish.” Finally her eyes opened, shifting nervously from Jake’s to the lantern before her. “..It’s just every inch of my...’soul’ is telling me there’s more to this guy than he tends to show most of the world. I am beginning to think I’ve witnessed some of it. I do understand him, for at least a good portion of what I’ve seen. I see myself in some ways. That I don’t expect you to understand, but mostly because you know the part of me from when we were kids and now I’m not just that girl but something more. Something, I wonder if one day may turn you from me.” She allowed a slightly saddened sigh to escape her, her expression hinting at a look of defeat. “He’s just a friend, Jake. Least as far as I can tell, even though something inside me screams for more.” Her voice trailed off almost inaudible. “That probably just grosses you out I bet..but it’s the truth....I can’t help the way I feel, especially since I’ve never had this...these series of emotions.”
Jake remained still and silent as he listened; even when he felt like he wanted to say something he’d kept to himself, not wanting to interrupt. The whole time Jake’s expression was one of interest as he watched his friend’s face, trying to somewhat guess what she was thinking as she told her story. While he didn’t think he was successful, he could obviously tell that some of the things she was telling him were not easy ones to say and he thought maybe he caught a bit of apprehension in her tone, as if she was wary of his reaction in a way; a wariness that was later voiced, as she mentioned how she’d changed from the girl he knew as a kid.
Jake was silent until Ess had spoken her last word, and a few moments after she had finished speaking, feeling somewhat unsure of which of the many thoughts on his mind was the dominant one; especially regarding her particular feelings for Luckas. He couldn’t lie to himself and pretend it didn’t bother him. It bothered him very much, but he couldn’t judge someone for their feelings, right? Even if he disagreed, even if he disliked it... Even if it almost angered him a bit. He couldn’t judge, and he couldn’t impose his wishes and views on Ess; it would be an unfair and cruel thing to do, she didn’t deserve that and he wouldn’t be her friend if did so. After a nearly full minute of silence Jake heaved a soft sigh and finally spoke. “I’m not going to lie to you, Ess. There’s a great part of me that wishes you’d feel different, or at least not as much, and it frustrates me, but... Well... Crys once told me how it’s wrong to expect or demand that someone change what’s in their heart. That to ask someone to neglect or deny their feelings was like asking them to cut off a piece of themselves. I couldn’t possibly wish to cut off any piece of your heart even if that piece happens to be Luckas. And if I neglect the fact that he’s the one we’ve been talking about I’d say you deserve these feelings, they’re awfully important ones to feel. I can’t quite be happy with it, but I can... Understand... I guess...” He leaned back staring upwards as if trying to see some starlight amongst the tree branches above his head. “Doesn’t mean I won’t break his face next time he pisses me off though.” He added, annoyance in his tone although a slight amusement seemed to be hiding underneath. As he lowered his gaze back to Ess he gave a half smile. “I’m curious if you wondered something though... What if you hadn’t run into Luckas that first night, or later in the castle? Where do you think you would be?”
Essence relaxed a bit, her eyes closing again, a long breath escaping her as she nodded. “Perfectly fair....” Opening her eyes, she looked surprised, and what one would see as a look of pride as she spoke. “...When did you get so big, Jacob? I mean...you’re growing up...or you’ve grown up...just so odd, this time skip I’m experiencing.”Ess smiled, rolling her neck along her shoulders. “ Ah...you seem like you had some good people in your life...makes me feel better some for not being there...Crys, she sounds like good people...Makes me look forward even more to speak with her again.” Playfully she reached over and ruffled up his hair, giggling softly. “I will most definitely give you the same respect back, with this situation...with any situation. “
Essence began running her fingers through the ends of her curls thoughtfully at Jacob’s questions; tilting her head forward to that she was looking up, she began tugging at her bangs. “Hmm....I …” She sighed. “I can’t really answer that, can I? I mean, it didn’t happen that way and what is...can not be changed. But I get what you are asking....” Resting her chin in the palm of her hand, she propped up her head, elbow against her thigh. “Well....If I didn’t meet him the second time, I know I’d be still wondering about him. Either way, if I didn’t meet him in the first place or at least the second time, I know I’d still have found my way here; to the Captain, and to you. Maybe....I know there most likely wouldn’t have been the Xypher encounter...but those men in my house..then again, I may not be alive still. I was...” Ess paused, shaking her head slowly. “...I don’t know if this is a fair question, Jacob.” She sighed, moving to speak and then looking up at him, lost. “I...maybe would not know about my brother....about this miracle that I have a living son... Something, I’m sorry to say, you can not understand how it feels. Something that was stolen and then impossibly returned... maybe you do...” Ess trailed off, lightly massaging her temples, a bit of blood glistening along her bottom lip from where she bit down. “I was....in a very bad place before I met Luckas....I don’t wanna talk about it...” Ess shied away from Jake, holding her head still in her hands.
Jake heaved a small sigh, watching Essence with concern in his eyes. “I’m sorry, you’re right, it’s not a fair question. I know that. It’s not fair to even ask myself these things. Dwelling on what could have been, and what can never be, is an unfair thing. I think... Sometimes it’s just amusing, in a somewhat cruel way, how things turn out. When I was just a kid, right after Jess died I was given a choice to make and if I had chosen differently I wouldn’t have been in the forest, I would have been in Blackpond to answer your letters, and a lot of the painful things I’ve gone through wouldn’t have happened. And I think about that all the time. If I had chosen differently I wouldn’t have any reason to hate Luckas, because I would probably not have met him at all... And that’s a bit funny, I think. And yet, I probably wouldn’t know just about anyone I call a friend today.” He trailed off, thinking about it for a few moments. “Guess there’s just too many ‘what ifs’ in the world for one to keep track of... Millions of them for one single decision, I’d say... So I guess it is rather unfair of me to try to ask you to measure the impact anyone has had in your life.” He snickered. “Too much of this thinking and you’ll end up crazy like me.” He played.
Ess suddenly looked up, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. She slowly nodded, absorbing Jake’s words before shaking her head whispering, “I’m pretty sure I’m not considered sane, my friend.” Ess snickered. “I know I like how many things are turning out. I think some are a fair trade for the pain I’ve suffered, and some are not. Just an exchange of ups and downs, really. Reminds me....” Ess smiled, her eyes lighting up when she realized how this conversation kind of was similar to the one Luckas had with her the night of their ‘interrogation’ of Xypher. “..Reminds me of when I was asked basically if it was worth having memories...good or bad and if ignorance was really bliss. It ties in with disrupting who we are now. Maybe if someone wished to be..someone else...” Ess held back an ironic giggle. “I think sometimes we are just confused or lost. I know I was.”
“Hmm...” Jake mumbled, scratching the side of his head absently as he thought. “Ignorance can be somewhat blissful I think. In some cases. When it comes to personal memories though, I think that being left to wonder can be somewhat... Maddening. If you feel the need to find answers then you’re probably not better off without them.” He shrugged. “In general though... Ignorance can be blissful. I think there are things in the world that people are just not equipped to handle, and certain truths are amongst those things.” He snickered softly. “Lena always used to tell me that she believed fate to be the most frightening thing... I think that if I think about it I have to agree, I mean... It is surely frightening how little control we have over the person we turn out to be. Sometimes it seems like everyone else in our lives has more of a say on the matter than we do.” He opened a rather cheerful smile as he went back on the conversation a little and added. “Suppose I did have some great people in my life. And hopefully I will again soon enough.”
Ess nodded, still listening to Jake carefully. “Fate....is a scary thing...but exciting and amazing too. It baffles me how so many people I’ve met, know each other; how things have a tendency of working out better than expected, at least in the long run. It...makes me reflect quite a bit on who I was, who I still am and who I could be in the future. Lets not forget the simple fact of the matter, how amazing it is that we are still breathing.” Going silent, Ess gradually shuffled to her feet, her belly gurgling suddenly. “Before I forget...Captain said you could help me on the next level of my poison training..Is it true?” Ess smiled. “Funny, how I was dabbling in such things when we were little...I wish....I had more of the innocence you did as a child, Jake. I was always jealous and envious of it...was one of my favorite things about you when we were little. You reminded me how I wasn’t completely cold and empty inside...” She cut herself off with, “..It’s hard to explain...maybe you should just read the journal..It’s easier to see the change than explain it, I think, but no pressure...except the pictures...I do want you to look at them.”
Jacob smiled, absently reflecting on those strange little coincidences that seemed to just be way too common in Valcrest. Seemed as if everyone in the land was connected somehow, whether they realized it or not. His eyes following Ess’ movements as she stood, he interrupted his thinking and opened a slightly wicked grin at her question about poison training, remembering exactly how he got to learn it in the first place. “I can help you, sure. Are you sure you want me to though? Lena was my teacher, and I only know her methods... Twins bless the woman, but she was a maniac.” He chuckled, softly. “And why do you suppose I started in the first place? You used to hide your books in my secret basement... And Jess used to constantly tell me that the best way to write properly is to read everything you can get your hands on. I couldn’t understand most of it back then, but still... Some coincidences are not that coincidental, I’d say.” Looking up at her and not standing up himself, Jake tilted his head in thought. “You know... I think... No one stays innocent for as long as they should anymore. I wasn’t innocent for as long as I would have wanted, but suppose that in order to survive in this world... Something needs to be sacrificed, right?” He sighed, again looking upwards towards the hints of night sky amongst the branches. “I’ll be sure to read it soon, probably later tonight if I can’t bring myself to sleep again.” He smiled softly. “It’s about dinner time, I wouldn’t want to keep you from it too long. After all, Twins only know what’ll happen if you let your psychotic stalker go hungry.” He teased.
Ess’ eyes playfully widened, teasing a look of fright. “..Lena methods, eh?....Well, Captain’s orders...” Ess smiled. “..Why am I not surprised you found those books...always were too smart for your age.” Her smile dwindled to a slightly disappointed smirk. “..Guess it’s not all coincidences and ironies. It’s like you said though, some things maybe some people shouldn’t know because they can’t handle....yet..” Ess paused, following Jake’s gaze upwards towards the sky. “...You and I both know from experience, when faced with the ugly truths, we surprise even ourselves what we can understand and deal with. I personally am a believer in no secrets..no matter the cost. I would rather know what my brother has done, then continue on in this world in ‘Blissful ignorance’, especially if my knowing and my actions can stop him and help someone besides myself.” Turning to walk away she sighed, finding Jakes words on not sleeping and she froze. She stared Jake dead in the eye, void of any emotion, yet she was feeling a mix of concern and more of the eerie irony she felt earlier. “Jake...do you have nightmares too or do you just not sleep?” She went to speak again but smiled, shaking her head. “Eh...it’s all in there...everything one could hope to learn about me. But..I don’t sleep much either...at least lately.”
Wandering off into the shadows, she couldn’t see a thing in the darkness, yet she knew the grounds and it’s surroundings like the back of her hand now, knowing where to watch for fresh piles of wood, random mole holes and tree roots that snaked beneath her feet. Her childlike giggles echoed after her at the thought of an impatient Luckas waiting in his normal spot beside the Oak, and she only slowed her pace, a sweet smile curling her lips.
“Yes, but isn’t it selfish to expect others to be as strong as you are?” Jake whispered absently, replying to Ess’ statement about her brother, but also thinking of other unrelated things of his past. He simply nodded at her questioning on his lack of sleep, only then realizing he had mentioned it in the first place, and remaining silent just letting her speak further without giving any answers. He remained seated in his spot and somewhat lost in thought for a few moments even after Ess had wandered off, until finally he moved to enter his tent and return his sister’s drawing to its place inside his bag.
Jake stood quietly staring until Luckas had gone far enough to be out of hearing range. Heaving a small sigh he gave Ess a curious look. “So, I think maybe I do want to know what is it with the two of you. Still have your dagger by the way.” He mumbled.
Ess’ smile faded, averting her gaze purposely away from Jake while moving towards the tree he was leaning against. As if she didn’t hear the question she reached up towards a low branch and clung to it, swinging casually before tucking in her legs, arms pulling her form up in a ball so that she could flip her legs up and over the branch, between her arms before releasing, hanging upside down. As she continued to swing she smiled. “...That’s where I left the dagger, I couldn’t really remember where I dropped it...I will be needing that back.” Ess giggled. “You look funny upside down...ha remember when we would swing from the Oak...”
Jake watched Ess with a mildly amused smile as she hung upside down from the tree, obviously not missing the fact that she was avoiding his questioning. “You dropped the dagger after you... Uh... pointed it at my face...” He chuckled. “I left Jacob Bear with the Captain, but I kept the knife because I wanted to have a better look at it. It’s pretty sharp, I cut myself with it three times.” He stated, pulling the dagger from his belt and offering it to her and heaving a little sigh. “And you’re avoiding my question, Ess. And I would know because I do that all the time.”
Unhooking her legs, she let herself fall to the ground a little ways, landing upon her hands, her feet quickly meeting the ground before she stood. Tossing her curls aside she nodded, taking the blade held out before her, tucking it along the hem of her pants and into her boot. “Yea, you should see the sword.” She smiled. “You should be more careful with it...last time I used it was on this guy named Scott...took away that...’Ego’ of his..” She paused, “No..wait....Was at the Ball when I saw Ebony again...Goes through flesh like butter.” Nodding at the whereabouts of her nostalgic bear she gave a tired shrug. “Why talk about it, when I know you are going to dislike anything I say about Luckas because you obviously and notedly stated how much you despise him.” Ess sighed, lavender eyes searching Jake’s deep blues. “He’s MY FRIEND...Jacob.” She stated firmly, her voice remaining soft as she spoke. “I’ve grown quite fond of him..and we have a bit of a....’history’ you could say.”
“I have seen the sword, remember?” Jake snickered. “The day you got it?” He sighed, sitting at the foot of the tree and scratching the back of his head, absently fiddling with a few longer strands of his hair as he spoke. “True, I do despise Luckas... I’m pretty sure I always will, but I’m not asking about Luckas, I’m asking about you. Don’t want you thinking you can’t talk to me because of this... I mean... I’m not trying to change you either, I’m just concerned. And I know you don’t want me to kill him, but if he was to hurt you then I’d just have to. I’m a reasonable guy, but I don’t like my family messed with, you know.” He held back an annoyed growl as he added. “Besides, he said he talked to Crys and know you were there too...”
“Aww, finally get to keep your promise to me, is that it? My own personal, Black Knight?” Ess smiled wide, the points of her teeth peeking out from her lips. “Of course I will not deter your concern, but I believe he won’t hurt me....He’s had too many chances...” Again she sighed, a momentarily confused look in her eyes when Jake mentioned Crys. “Oh...the Inn, when I first saw Crys stab Sheila with a Sai..” Ess giggled. “I don’t know what was said, they were only chatting maybe a minute..didn’t seem like anything you should be worrying about, if that’s where this is going..” Ess kneeled down before Jake, noticing how much darker it was getting now, eyes darting for some candles or something to help her eyes adjust. “I can give you the short version...and If you want the long version...just another reason to read the journal I know you still have.” Ess’ voice lowered timidly. “Maybe you’ll find a reason to not like me as much though...” She shrugged. “It’s up to you, Jakey.”
“I’d much appreciate it if Luckas would keep away from Crys... As you may or not have noticed, he’s not all too discreet about the things he’s seen in my head. I’m in enough trouble as is with her without him bringing up her mother or some other thing like that.” Jake said, still fiddling with his hair as he spoke, his eyes lighting up a brighter tone of blue as stopped to think, his mind tracking back to the things Aiden had told him... Not sure if he wanted to bring that up at all. “There are more ways to hurt someone than the obvious ones you know. So, what I think is that being so fond of Luckas may not be a good thing; no matter what his intentions are exactly...” He sighed, not sure if he was even making sense. “I was going to give that back to you... Wasn’t sure if you wanted me to have it or if you were just throwing the nearest thing or whatever... I just tucked it away in my bag with...” Jake trailed off as he suddenly remembered something and jumped up, rushing into the tent. “Hang on a minute!” He called, going through the dark tent until he found a lamp and got some light. Setting the lamp down he grabbed his bag and carefully went through it until he found what he’d rushed in there to get, stepping out a again holding the lamp and a folded sheet of paper, calmly sitting back by the tree and placing the lamp down. “Was going to build a fire, but got a bit interrupted there...” He mumbled quietly before unfolding the paper revealing the portrait of a woman, all in black and white except for bright blue eyes. “Here, I promised Jess that whenever I saw you again I would show you this first thing. It’s... My mom.”
Ess was contemplating how to delicately express her opinion back to Jake on his ideas when he seemed to interrupt himself with a sudden thought. The random excitement caused Ess to blink a few times in confusion before chuckling a bit, the scene reminding her of when he was little. It was nice to see that some things hadn’t changed, however small and subtle they may be. At the mention of Jess, a dull ache crept up from her stomach into her chest but Ess still smiled, her fingers outstretched to receive the drawing. Ess gasped in delight, remembering how she had given Jess some tips and ideas on how to draw something from memory, the girl wanting so very much to have something tangible to show Jake of their mother. “Jake....it’s...bea-.....your mom is beautiful....she looks like Jess...or...Jess looks like her...” She took in a deep breath, silently taking in the detail and how the eyes stood out amidst all the rest, similar to Ess’ own style. “....I miss her....” Ess whispered suddenly, still keeping her smile as she carefully handed the drawing back to Jake. “Speaking of drawings, the journal you can hold onto for a bit...read it and then give it back. There are...more drawings inside of it too. If you want..” Her voice cracked, “There’s a picture of Jess I re-did, I’m sure you’d like it. I’ve gotten much better, if you can believe it...course many of my drawings have taken on a..darker aspect, as of late....but honestly, she did a wonderful job, Jake.”
Shaking the distraction from mind, she backtracked to what she had been thinking of prior. “Jake...” She began, pausing in silence before continuing slowly, keeping her tone as gentle as possible. “ Luckas is my friend..so as my friend I treat him as an equal...I do not have him on some sort of leash...so if he desires to make friends or talk to whomever..he’s going to...and if you’re concerned about him mentioning things you’d rather him not, it seems like that’s your responsibility, not Luckas’. If there are things Crys does not know about..you best tell her soon because I know for a fact, us women tend to find out ALL. If she finds out from someone else or some other circumstance, you could lose any chance you have of holding onto her. Just saying.” As if trying to pick her next few words, her smile opened and closed, coinciding with her thoughts. “..I do appreciate the concern, but the idea of Luckas hurting me in other ways than the obvious, can be said about anyone...Even you Jake. I can’t live in fear and doubt all the days of my life...besides...there’s just something about him....Do you want me to start from the beginning? Even if you won’t agree, maybe you’ll understand why I feel and think the way I do..”
Jake simply nodded his way through the conversation regarding his sister, remembering how his reluctance to ever talk about her had been pointed out to him by Crys and Lena over and over as something he needed to deal with; even if he did agree with that, it wasn’t something he was willing to do right this moment. He stayed in his half-trance, looking down at the drawing as it was returned to him without actually seeing it through blurry eyes until the conversation went back to its previous subject.
He quietly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand as he heaved a sigh to Ess’ words. “My responsibilities to Crys have absolutely nothing to do with Luckas at all, which is precisely my point. What I tell her, where and when, is something I need to take care of myself, whenever I even get her to listen to me. Has nothing to do with Luckas. At all. The fact is that Luckas will say and do whatever the hell amuses him without giving a shit and this is something that matters to me. Nonetheless... I don’t recall asking you to put a gag on him or anything. If he is your friend as you say though, then maybe... Just maybe... He’d listen to you.” He muttered. “I’m not pulling this out of nowhere either, Ess... He’s done it before. Back then I could overlook it because it was not a big deal, but this is. Unlike him, I’m not a kid anymore and I should have the right to handle this like a man.” He ran a hand over his eyes and sighed. “Yes I’m being stupid and paranoid, it’s really THAT bad of a mess I’m in.” He chuckled softly, honestly trying to find some amusement in the whole thing. “As for how he can hurt you... Yes, that’s true. And all things considered I know that pointing this out makes me a hypocrite, but you know... Even though I want him as far away as possible, I’d hate to see you suffer because one day he decides to just up and vanish, or do something ridiculous and get himself stabbed in the face. I know there’s probably little to be done about that, but I’m just saying.” He snickered. “So there goes my favorite dream; stabbing Luckas in the face. Damn it.”
Taking to a more serious tone he nodded, finally folding the drawing again and looking her in the eyes. “If... You want to tell me, or try to explain things from your point of view, you know I’ll listen. I’m not quite so sure I can understand though.”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say then, that we agree Luckas shouldn’t interfere. I will mention something, but obviously I can’t make any promises....and yes you are paranoid, but not stupid, Jakey. Maybe stubborn...but that’s just a family trait, no?” Ess was quite moved how Jake continued to show his concern over her well being; mind, body and soul. She tried to force a disapproving glare when he mentioned stabbing Luckas in the face, but ended up covering her mouth trying to hide the series of giggles that plagued her. When she finally calmed she shook her head. “Remember Jakey, what I told you long ago about making your own decisions on life? That’s what I’m doing. I just want you to see that, and that’s what I mean by ‘understanding.’”
Ess closed her eyes, literally starting from the beginning in her summary of how she met Luckas. She felt somewhat shameful to mention what she had been doing to even put herself in such a situation in the middle of the night, and so her eyes remained shut, afraid of seeing disappointment from her friend. Ess summarized how she came up on him some time before Lena had ‘found’ him, momentarily interrupting his ‘meal’ and how he didn’t harm her but tried to erase her memory. Obviously that did not work, and even though she mentioned the dreams, she purposely left out the new information on how her and Luckas shared a telepathic link of some sort. Ess was afraid Jake would not understand; perhaps even believing that it had something to do with the reason she felt the way she did. She did spend much time explaining the irony in running into him again the night she met the Captain and finding out how he had taken care of a ‘small domestic problem’ or two since they began their acquaintance. Ess went over the Xypher encounter and how she met Lena and basically everything up to the other night. Yes, she understood his predatory nature. Yes, she had taken part in things Jake may disapprove of, but she also made sure to remind him of the things she told Jake of herself the night they were drinking.
“Maybe...I admit, I could be acting foolish.” Finally her eyes opened, shifting nervously from Jake’s to the lantern before her. “..It’s just every inch of my...’soul’ is telling me there’s more to this guy than he tends to show most of the world. I am beginning to think I’ve witnessed some of it. I do understand him, for at least a good portion of what I’ve seen. I see myself in some ways. That I don’t expect you to understand, but mostly because you know the part of me from when we were kids and now I’m not just that girl but something more. Something, I wonder if one day may turn you from me.” She allowed a slightly saddened sigh to escape her, her expression hinting at a look of defeat. “He’s just a friend, Jake. Least as far as I can tell, even though something inside me screams for more.” Her voice trailed off almost inaudible. “That probably just grosses you out I bet..but it’s the truth....I can’t help the way I feel, especially since I’ve never had this...these series of emotions.”
Jake remained still and silent as he listened; even when he felt like he wanted to say something he’d kept to himself, not wanting to interrupt. The whole time Jake’s expression was one of interest as he watched his friend’s face, trying to somewhat guess what she was thinking as she told her story. While he didn’t think he was successful, he could obviously tell that some of the things she was telling him were not easy ones to say and he thought maybe he caught a bit of apprehension in her tone, as if she was wary of his reaction in a way; a wariness that was later voiced, as she mentioned how she’d changed from the girl he knew as a kid.
Jake was silent until Ess had spoken her last word, and a few moments after she had finished speaking, feeling somewhat unsure of which of the many thoughts on his mind was the dominant one; especially regarding her particular feelings for Luckas. He couldn’t lie to himself and pretend it didn’t bother him. It bothered him very much, but he couldn’t judge someone for their feelings, right? Even if he disagreed, even if he disliked it... Even if it almost angered him a bit. He couldn’t judge, and he couldn’t impose his wishes and views on Ess; it would be an unfair and cruel thing to do, she didn’t deserve that and he wouldn’t be her friend if did so. After a nearly full minute of silence Jake heaved a soft sigh and finally spoke. “I’m not going to lie to you, Ess. There’s a great part of me that wishes you’d feel different, or at least not as much, and it frustrates me, but... Well... Crys once told me how it’s wrong to expect or demand that someone change what’s in their heart. That to ask someone to neglect or deny their feelings was like asking them to cut off a piece of themselves. I couldn’t possibly wish to cut off any piece of your heart even if that piece happens to be Luckas. And if I neglect the fact that he’s the one we’ve been talking about I’d say you deserve these feelings, they’re awfully important ones to feel. I can’t quite be happy with it, but I can... Understand... I guess...” He leaned back staring upwards as if trying to see some starlight amongst the tree branches above his head. “Doesn’t mean I won’t break his face next time he pisses me off though.” He added, annoyance in his tone although a slight amusement seemed to be hiding underneath. As he lowered his gaze back to Ess he gave a half smile. “I’m curious if you wondered something though... What if you hadn’t run into Luckas that first night, or later in the castle? Where do you think you would be?”
Essence relaxed a bit, her eyes closing again, a long breath escaping her as she nodded. “Perfectly fair....” Opening her eyes, she looked surprised, and what one would see as a look of pride as she spoke. “...When did you get so big, Jacob? I mean...you’re growing up...or you’ve grown up...just so odd, this time skip I’m experiencing.”Ess smiled, rolling her neck along her shoulders. “ Ah...you seem like you had some good people in your life...makes me feel better some for not being there...Crys, she sounds like good people...Makes me look forward even more to speak with her again.” Playfully she reached over and ruffled up his hair, giggling softly. “I will most definitely give you the same respect back, with this situation...with any situation. “
Essence began running her fingers through the ends of her curls thoughtfully at Jacob’s questions; tilting her head forward to that she was looking up, she began tugging at her bangs. “Hmm....I …” She sighed. “I can’t really answer that, can I? I mean, it didn’t happen that way and what is...can not be changed. But I get what you are asking....” Resting her chin in the palm of her hand, she propped up her head, elbow against her thigh. “Well....If I didn’t meet him the second time, I know I’d be still wondering about him. Either way, if I didn’t meet him in the first place or at least the second time, I know I’d still have found my way here; to the Captain, and to you. Maybe....I know there most likely wouldn’t have been the Xypher encounter...but those men in my house..then again, I may not be alive still. I was...” Ess paused, shaking her head slowly. “...I don’t know if this is a fair question, Jacob.” She sighed, moving to speak and then looking up at him, lost. “I...maybe would not know about my brother....about this miracle that I have a living son... Something, I’m sorry to say, you can not understand how it feels. Something that was stolen and then impossibly returned... maybe you do...” Ess trailed off, lightly massaging her temples, a bit of blood glistening along her bottom lip from where she bit down. “I was....in a very bad place before I met Luckas....I don’t wanna talk about it...” Ess shied away from Jake, holding her head still in her hands.
Jake heaved a small sigh, watching Essence with concern in his eyes. “I’m sorry, you’re right, it’s not a fair question. I know that. It’s not fair to even ask myself these things. Dwelling on what could have been, and what can never be, is an unfair thing. I think... Sometimes it’s just amusing, in a somewhat cruel way, how things turn out. When I was just a kid, right after Jess died I was given a choice to make and if I had chosen differently I wouldn’t have been in the forest, I would have been in Blackpond to answer your letters, and a lot of the painful things I’ve gone through wouldn’t have happened. And I think about that all the time. If I had chosen differently I wouldn’t have any reason to hate Luckas, because I would probably not have met him at all... And that’s a bit funny, I think. And yet, I probably wouldn’t know just about anyone I call a friend today.” He trailed off, thinking about it for a few moments. “Guess there’s just too many ‘what ifs’ in the world for one to keep track of... Millions of them for one single decision, I’d say... So I guess it is rather unfair of me to try to ask you to measure the impact anyone has had in your life.” He snickered. “Too much of this thinking and you’ll end up crazy like me.” He played.
Ess suddenly looked up, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. She slowly nodded, absorbing Jake’s words before shaking her head whispering, “I’m pretty sure I’m not considered sane, my friend.” Ess snickered. “I know I like how many things are turning out. I think some are a fair trade for the pain I’ve suffered, and some are not. Just an exchange of ups and downs, really. Reminds me....” Ess smiled, her eyes lighting up when she realized how this conversation kind of was similar to the one Luckas had with her the night of their ‘interrogation’ of Xypher. “..Reminds me of when I was asked basically if it was worth having memories...good or bad and if ignorance was really bliss. It ties in with disrupting who we are now. Maybe if someone wished to be..someone else...” Ess held back an ironic giggle. “I think sometimes we are just confused or lost. I know I was.”
“Hmm...” Jake mumbled, scratching the side of his head absently as he thought. “Ignorance can be somewhat blissful I think. In some cases. When it comes to personal memories though, I think that being left to wonder can be somewhat... Maddening. If you feel the need to find answers then you’re probably not better off without them.” He shrugged. “In general though... Ignorance can be blissful. I think there are things in the world that people are just not equipped to handle, and certain truths are amongst those things.” He snickered softly. “Lena always used to tell me that she believed fate to be the most frightening thing... I think that if I think about it I have to agree, I mean... It is surely frightening how little control we have over the person we turn out to be. Sometimes it seems like everyone else in our lives has more of a say on the matter than we do.” He opened a rather cheerful smile as he went back on the conversation a little and added. “Suppose I did have some great people in my life. And hopefully I will again soon enough.”
Ess nodded, still listening to Jake carefully. “Fate....is a scary thing...but exciting and amazing too. It baffles me how so many people I’ve met, know each other; how things have a tendency of working out better than expected, at least in the long run. It...makes me reflect quite a bit on who I was, who I still am and who I could be in the future. Lets not forget the simple fact of the matter, how amazing it is that we are still breathing.” Going silent, Ess gradually shuffled to her feet, her belly gurgling suddenly. “Before I forget...Captain said you could help me on the next level of my poison training..Is it true?” Ess smiled. “Funny, how I was dabbling in such things when we were little...I wish....I had more of the innocence you did as a child, Jake. I was always jealous and envious of it...was one of my favorite things about you when we were little. You reminded me how I wasn’t completely cold and empty inside...” She cut herself off with, “..It’s hard to explain...maybe you should just read the journal..It’s easier to see the change than explain it, I think, but no pressure...except the pictures...I do want you to look at them.”
Jacob smiled, absently reflecting on those strange little coincidences that seemed to just be way too common in Valcrest. Seemed as if everyone in the land was connected somehow, whether they realized it or not. His eyes following Ess’ movements as she stood, he interrupted his thinking and opened a slightly wicked grin at her question about poison training, remembering exactly how he got to learn it in the first place. “I can help you, sure. Are you sure you want me to though? Lena was my teacher, and I only know her methods... Twins bless the woman, but she was a maniac.” He chuckled, softly. “And why do you suppose I started in the first place? You used to hide your books in my secret basement... And Jess used to constantly tell me that the best way to write properly is to read everything you can get your hands on. I couldn’t understand most of it back then, but still... Some coincidences are not that coincidental, I’d say.” Looking up at her and not standing up himself, Jake tilted his head in thought. “You know... I think... No one stays innocent for as long as they should anymore. I wasn’t innocent for as long as I would have wanted, but suppose that in order to survive in this world... Something needs to be sacrificed, right?” He sighed, again looking upwards towards the hints of night sky amongst the branches. “I’ll be sure to read it soon, probably later tonight if I can’t bring myself to sleep again.” He smiled softly. “It’s about dinner time, I wouldn’t want to keep you from it too long. After all, Twins only know what’ll happen if you let your psychotic stalker go hungry.” He teased.
Ess’ eyes playfully widened, teasing a look of fright. “..Lena methods, eh?....Well, Captain’s orders...” Ess smiled. “..Why am I not surprised you found those books...always were too smart for your age.” Her smile dwindled to a slightly disappointed smirk. “..Guess it’s not all coincidences and ironies. It’s like you said though, some things maybe some people shouldn’t know because they can’t handle....yet..” Ess paused, following Jake’s gaze upwards towards the sky. “...You and I both know from experience, when faced with the ugly truths, we surprise even ourselves what we can understand and deal with. I personally am a believer in no secrets..no matter the cost. I would rather know what my brother has done, then continue on in this world in ‘Blissful ignorance’, especially if my knowing and my actions can stop him and help someone besides myself.” Turning to walk away she sighed, finding Jakes words on not sleeping and she froze. She stared Jake dead in the eye, void of any emotion, yet she was feeling a mix of concern and more of the eerie irony she felt earlier. “Jake...do you have nightmares too or do you just not sleep?” She went to speak again but smiled, shaking her head. “Eh...it’s all in there...everything one could hope to learn about me. But..I don’t sleep much either...at least lately.”
Wandering off into the shadows, she couldn’t see a thing in the darkness, yet she knew the grounds and it’s surroundings like the back of her hand now, knowing where to watch for fresh piles of wood, random mole holes and tree roots that snaked beneath her feet. Her childlike giggles echoed after her at the thought of an impatient Luckas waiting in his normal spot beside the Oak, and she only slowed her pace, a sweet smile curling her lips.
“Yes, but isn’t it selfish to expect others to be as strong as you are?” Jake whispered absently, replying to Ess’ statement about her brother, but also thinking of other unrelated things of his past. He simply nodded at her questioning on his lack of sleep, only then realizing he had mentioned it in the first place, and remaining silent just letting her speak further without giving any answers. He remained seated in his spot and somewhat lost in thought for a few moments even after Ess had wandered off, until finally he moved to enter his tent and return his sister’s drawing to its place inside his bag.
[Raven’s Nest, 12 days after Castle Ball]
Luckas had tried to do some good stalking to occupy his time, but as he had suspected, it was somewhat troubling for him to go unnoticed with Tala hanging around. Not only that; but he couldn’t seem to actually find the Captain and there was really nothing else he could think of to entertain himself without causing trouble. He thought about chasing Beast Boy around and maybe mess with him, but changed his mind when he remembered how things went down last time he was face to face with him. It was quite possible that would end in even more trouble than simply causing trouble, so he let it go... For the time being, at least. So he did what he said he’d do in the first place, and just walked aimlessly for a bit; thoughts wandering freely through the ever-growing list of doubts in his mind, only occasionally allowing himself to focus on his surroundings to listen and pinpoint the sound of the wolf still following after him. He ended his walk when he found himself in his usual spot by the oak; seeing no one else around and not quite sure how long he’d walked or how long he’d have to wait.
Essence took her sweet time, stepping in short strides, dragging her heels lazily behind her. She was still smiling, pausing suddenly to hop to her left and then her right, spinning on her toes so that her curls flew out straight before burying her face. It took even longer for her to reach her tent, swaying her hips with every step, her arms appearing to float by her side as she danced to her own humming. A few hushed words were made audible here and there, but nothing that would make much sense to the onlooker. She appeared somewhat intoxicated; free and uncaring for a few moments. It was something she was not use to feeling as her mind was blissfully quiet, even with bits of her previous conversation with Jake trying to pierce through. Ess had spent more time than not, always worried about disappointing that boy. In life. In death. Not many people she held in such high regard so that she was truly frightened of them turning on her one day, and yet, even after all this time, her best friend was true to his words. Now, she was more curious what kinds of things he would ask her if he indeed read through her entire journal. It would be almost like looking into her mind as Luckas had once, except there was much even she still denied to write down. More like secrets she hadn’t even admitted to herself because she was afraid of a change of heart. Ess twirled again, her gaze staring up into the sky where she paused when she caught the glint of firelight from her camp, happy the flames were still going. Toning down her dancing a bit she grew louder in her singing. Simple sounds of vowels with no particular words spoken carried her closer. Ess felt like she was telling a story, but about what, she couldn’t know for sure; she simply remembered it was something her father use to sing when she was sad.
Luckas had been resting against the oak tree, eyes closed, not really minding his surroundings much as he waited. He didn’t know how long he’d been there, but he was pretty sure he’d been there longer in other occasions, he didn’t mind the wait at all. Only when he noticed Tala wandering off that he opened his eyes to look around. Didn’t take long for him to spot Ess making her way towards the camp, and seeming quite content. Jumping to his feet, Luckas walked in her direction with a somewhat childish curiosity showing on his face as he questioned, in a playful tone. “All that cheerfulness better be for seeing me, otherwise I might just have to throw another jealous fit.”
Ess’ eyes lit up, a silvery twinkle glittered in her stare when she saw Luckas approach. Absently she greeted Tala, her fingers sifting through the wolf’s fur, but she didn’t stop her approach, still skipping a bit here and there. Tilting her head, her eyes closed, a mischievous smile peeking from behind her curls. “..Has to be ‘All’ for you, aye? Well...I’d be lying if I said the idea of you hanging out to see me, doesn’t make me smile.” Her tone went to a slightly higher pitch in her amusement. “But, if your jealous fits are all like that one earlier...I’ll be honestly disappointed for future encounters....” Ess shrugged, pausing inches away from Luckas, leaning in curiously with a wink. “Besides, you want my attention, just say so.” When she turned her head, feathery like curls brushing against Luke’s face. Ess knelt beside the fire, adding some wood to the flames. Earlier she had skinned a rabbit; taking the heart, kidneys, and liver to cook in a pot for Tala while she leaned the hare across two mini pikes above the flames. It was about time to turn the roasting meat, her fingers sprinkling something unseen across the darkened flesh before turning back to Luckas, brushing her hands off along her pants. “Oh...come now...I hope you aren’t jealous of...well..Jake? It’s...different...” Ess stopped talking, shaking her head and just smiled at her friend.
Luckas snickered, even more amused than he already had been, tilting his head as he replied. “I’d hate to be a disappointment Lady, I’ll make sure to improve my hissy fits for future occasions.” He said, playfully raising his right hand as if taking an oath. “And well...” He forced a little cough to clear his throat. “Not all...” He grinned, leaving the sentence incomplete and just taking a seat, absently glancing towards the food as if it somehow gave him a bright idea, but not voicing whatever it was. “I’m sure I’ve mentioned it at some point... You’ll know it when I’m truly jealous. It’s not a pretty sight, I’d say.”
Ess sat before the fire, chuckling at Luckas’ words. “No...I’m sure it’s not pretty to see you truly jealous....but at the same time...” Her fingers reached behind her neck, gently massaging the sore muscles as she continued, but not finishing her sentence. “So...this...opportune time you had to...kill Jake...when was that?” Her eyes were kind as she searched to find Luckas, keeping her head still, trying to remedy the stiffness along her neck. Ess went on as if she didn’t care for his answer, when she really did but mostly out of curiosity. “I meant what I said you know...a while back...about being ok with you not telling me about Jake.” Ess sighed, her fingers temporarily tangled in her curls. “I think....it would have made things crazier than they got...and I may have not believed you...even though that sounds silly..”
Luckas tensed only slightly at Ess’ questions about killing Jake, he remembered exactly how that day just kept getting worse, it made him frown momentarily before giving a small shrug and answer. “Was after Lena died, after I left here...” He cleared his throat again, fixing his gaze on the roasting rabbit. “Jake kind of ambushed me in front of her grave and we had a little... Uh... Discussion.” Luckas ended his explanation at that and quickly moved to the next subject. “I figured you wouldn’t believe me... And I’d have to show you... And that would’ve been bad... That’s mostly why Lena didn’t tell though, my reasons were... only partially that.” He smirked a bit to himself, scratching the back of his head and absently tugging on the collar of his shirt as if trying to stretch it slightly.
“I know Luckas....I know...but gee how many bloody ‘discussions’ you plan on having with friends of mine?” Essence slowly shook head trying to hide the amusement in her face. “Crys is a friend...does that mean you’re going to have a ‘conversation’ with her too now?” She teased, thinking about where to find her and how to go about her attempt in helping Jake in his hole he dug himself. She was quiet for a time, occasionally rotating the rabbit over the flames, her smile fading while thinking over Jacob’s story about Cry’s mom. “...Poor...Jakey...” She whispered to herself before speaking louder. “...He’s got much to talk about with that girl...I just hope I can help give him that chance...” Ess stretched, pulling the pot of innards off the fire to cool for her wolf, before glancing back at Luckas. “..We know some things...are just best heard from those involved...some things are just not our business, right Luckas? I could only imagine being her and hearing certain things....lets say..from me...wouldn’t be appropriate...” Clearing her throat, she added with a giggle. “..I want to liiive.”
Luckas frowned slightly, an annoyed expression on his face. “I didn’t plan anything, was just minding my business... He started it... He always starts it...” Letting out a little snort he muttered. “And wasn’t even that bloody this time.” Resting his arms on his knees and leaning onto them, Luckas tilted his head curiously at the sudden mention of Crys. He snickered softly. “Oh, so we’re helping Jake, are we?” He shrugged. “I owe Crys one coin... or at least a drink... I said I’d repay her. I don’t see how that would end in a discussion. Besides... That woman is the last person in Valcrest I’d want to have a ‘discussion’ with, Lady. She’s scary... Like the Captain, but more scary.” He faked a little frightened shudder, before laughing softly. “You’d be surprised at how good I am at not saying... Certain things.” A trace of a sigh escaped him as he muttered under his breath. “Way too good, sometimes.”
Essence rolled her eyes, a soft laugh bouncing along her shoulders. “...Things tend to work out better when not planned anyways, no? Besides, it takes two, Luckas...you can’t put blame all onto one..somehow I doubt you didn’t have a hand in it all, but I digress.” Another laugh blurted out from her, “Ha! I believe you Luckas...in your chosen restraint depending on the circumstances...All has to do with what we ‘want’, yes? Sometimes...just sometimes, words or actions will escape us in heightened emotion, even if it is something subconsciously we are trying to hide. I’m sure you’ve seen plenty examples of such...” A random yawn cut off her current thought, her amused smile disappearing when darkened ideas clouded her violet gaze. Her mind was scattered, jumping from one thing to the next; it was unclear to why the sudden change in her expression except that her mind was always on the go and to be without some hefty burden weighing down upon her would be anything short of a miracle. Remaining silent, she reached for her dagger along her boot, freeing it from it’s sheath so she could dip the blade into a pot of boiling water before slicing up the cooked organs for Tala. Ess didn’t even say a word and the wolf was sitting quietly by her side, long shoelace like drool dripping towards the ground in anticipation.
Luckas snorted a bit. “Well, yes, but I’ve done my share of taking it... Even my patience has its limits, Lady.” He retorted, stubbornly refusing to take as much blame for anything as he obviously should; especially this. He didn’t insist on the subject any more than that, however. It was pretty much pointless, and he’d really rather think about anything else. He went silent for a moment or so, simply watching Ess with curious eyes, but then he started mumbling things under his breath here and there, not audibly enough to make out any actual words. “Heightened emotion...” He whispered, as he ended whatever ramblings he had going and fell completely silent, a small frown forming itself as he was clearly still thinking over something. Finally he seemed to come to some conclusion and spoke up. “You said... Jake is like your brother... What does that mean exactly?” He asked, seeming a bit confused. “I mean... You’re not related, and he’s not literally like your brother, and I think you probably wouldn’t want that all things considered, so... What’s it supposed to mean exactly?”
Ess’ tension soften slightly when she heard Luckas speak Jake’s name. She was still silent when she dropped diced liver and kidneys into a dish for Tala, whom inhaled the steaming morsels in seconds, happily. It had not dawned on her how her comparing Jake to a brother would cause Luckas to question her until that moment, her expression now remorseful. “...Well...Jake is most obviously not like my REAL brother in that he is not related or the fact he is nothing like that bastard Ian who betrayed... not just me, but himself..” Ess groaned, shaking her head. “Simply, Jake was my first and only friend for a long time. Both him and his sister accepted me for who I was and helped me realize the bull Ebony was trying to brainwash me with.” Sighing, she lazily slashed at the hind leg of the rabbit, the dagger cutting through so easily, for a moment it didn’t appear it had even touched the meat. Ess lightly tugged at the leg, tossing it on a pewter plate and handing it off to Luckas. “..He was the first boy, even as a child, who looked at me and saw something more...he looked up to me and it gave me a responsibility and strength to escape and better myself. To know I deserved it, was one of the hardest things I’ve faced in my life.” Ess cleared her throat. “That boy loves me in a manner that is innocent and...untainted by the normal lustful natures of men I am accustomed to. That is why he is like my brother.” Ess looked over at Luckas and smiled. “Family, doesn’t have to be in blood. Family is suppose to be trust, unconditional love and respect. No matter what, we will always have each other’s backs.”
“Hmm...” Luckas mumbled, looking down at the plate in his hands but ignoring the food completely. He couldn’t honestly say he understood, because he didn’t quite, but then he’d rather not mention he didn’t understand exactly. Finally he sighed and said what he thought he could safely say. “He’s what your real brother should’ve been... Then...” He frowned again for a moment, mentally scolding himself for being so soft all of a sudden; not long ago, something like this wouldn’t be enough to make killing someone out of the question. “So... What about your real brother... Have you... Heard anything?” Luckas changed the subject, somewhat, with the question, thinking it was best to ask it before saying anything else. Waiting for an answer he took a bite of his food and quietly chewed on it.
“He’s what your real brother should’ve been... Then...”
“...Exactly...” Ess breathed, her fingers raking through her curls repeatedly, in deep thought. Turning back towards the rabbit she sliced off a leg for herself, absently wiping at a stray tear that lingered along her lashes. Sitting down, Ess spent more time shredding the rabbit meat with her dagger than actually eating it, Luckas’ question hovering over her head. “Rumors...mostly...that and stories of....” Ess sighed, tossing some of the meat to Tala, not finishing her sentence. “Captain said she’s got some leads on some...concerns she has agreed to look into...I figured if Ian..” She twitched, a look of disgust for having to speak the name in her eyes. “...He may know more about the type of...underground business I was stolen into..and rumors are that it’s still very much alive.” Ess gripped her dagger and brutally stabbed at the rabbit carcass above the fire, leaving the blade embedded. “...That and I hear whispers of children disappearing...but no...nothing really on Ian’s location...I may just start blindly searching through Valcrest if I don’t hear anything soon...I feel like there’s something or someone I’m suppose to find.” Ess chuckled awkwardly. “Maybe it’s just myself.”
Luckas sighed, chewing on the rabbit meat for a bit longer than needed before swallowing hard, a little sigh escaping him as he took one more bite and again took his time with chewing. And then one more. After which he decided there was really not an easy way to go about this. “I... May... Know...” He mumbled simply. “I don’t think you’d want to go after him now though... I mean... It might not be the case to...” He groaned, trying to explain the best he could while not giving away the actual problem; which proved quite difficult. “It’s a bad idea. There’s things he’s mixed up in.”
Ess dropped her plate, Tala lapping up the fallen meat. Listening to Luckas, she hadn’t really paid attention to her own reaction, simply staring at her friend curiously. “You...may know? Well..I wouldn’t leave RIGHT now, my Dear Luckas..but what have you found out? How did you come across information? Have you seen him?” Ess took in a deep breath, her smile apologetic. “...Well, that is why I need to find him, Luckas. If he’s a part of things I should know about it to at least relay to the Captain, I need to find him.” Ess snarled as she breathed in , “He won’t be mixed up in anything for too much longer once I find him, anyways. I mean...what makes a difference if I go after him later? He will still be mixed up in things and if I can tone down the damage, I feel a bit of responsibility to do so. It’s always going to be dangerous...” Ess paused quirking a brow. “Why are you trying to disway me? Do you not want to have fiery fun?”
Luckas lowered his eyes completely, seeming to struggle against his own thoughts as he mumbled under his breath. “Nothing will ever be this dangerous, Lady.” Raising his head to meet Ess’ eyes he nodded. “I always want my fun, but I know you, Lady... You’re emotionally driven, as you yourself say, and if I tell you where he is you’ll want to hunt him down as soon as possible. It does make a difference; if you go after him later, it will be safer, I can see to it given enough time. This is... Bigger than you can understand.” He set down his plate, not feeling hungry anymore.
Ess held back a groan of frustration, taking a deep breath as she worked to keep her cool. Her smile tightened as she spoke, her tone still gentle. “...True...that’s pretty obvious what I will do with the information once given to me...but why do you get to make that decision for me?” She stood, moving closer to Luckas before kneeling so she was looking up at him, her hand resting lightly upon his arm. “Luckas...I understand this goes beyond just me and that’s why it’s so important. If you know something, you can’t just tease me like that and not say anything.”
“Sometimes Lady, you’re just too close to the picture to actually see it.” Luckas stated, sighing and looking away from her again with a frown. “I’m not deciding anything, I’m just... It’s not worth it... You shouldn’t go back there now.” He argued, standing up and moving a few steps away, a small frustrated growl escaping him. “If I tell you, will you wait?”
Essence was quiet for a moment, the light from her eyes flashing brightly as she stood back on her feet. She was beginning to lose her patience, feeling as if secrets were being kept and as if she were being treated like a child. “....Not....WORTH it?” Ess began, her voice taking on an icy, mocking edge. “Really....ok fine...lets put it this way. You can tell me or not tell me, but I’m going to act on it sooner than later. Giving me information will only help in my apparent ignorance, but I can make due without...always have.” Turning her back, she took another deep breath, her fist clenching as her hand rose to retrieve the blade within the rabbit, cleaning it off before placing it safely in her boot. At this point, she couldn’t hold still and began randomly cleaning, moving things around, adding wood to the fire; anything to keep her busy as she tried not to flip out at her friend.
“You speak as if I’m trying to take this from you.” Luckas said, a genuinely upset note in his voice. “Trust me, I understand how important this is, and I still say it’s not worth the risk. Is it too much to ask that you trust me with this? You’ll have all the answers eventually, I promise.” He paused just for a second as if trying to assimilate what exactly he was promising here. “I’ll tell you where he is, right now, if you promise you’ll wait.”
Essence felt her chest tighten, her breathing coming in shorter bursts as she continued to work to keep control. Emotionally driven... She thought to herself, but the woman couldn’t help it. Ess was torn at Luckas’ words on trust. “...You don’t understand...why it is worth the risk to me. What I don’t understand is why? You sound like you know more than just where Ian is, Luckas.” Ess picked up a block of wood and literally threw it into the fire. “I do trust you Luckas, but isn’t that the problem? Weren’t you the one who told me once that no one really trusts anyone? Maybe it’s you who doesn’t trust me.” The woman began to pace, anger clearly now painted upon her porcelain features and as it grew, hot tears formed behind her violet eyes. When she spoke, her tone was soft again, but shaky. “....Fine....I promise to wait....arguing like this will clearly not get us anywhere, and you obviously brought it up with the intention of giving me some sort of information...so ok.” Ess stopped, letting her legs give way as she gracefully sat cross legged upon the ground, resting her head in her hands, fingers tugging upon her curls, pulling the hair painfully along her scalp. She didn’t show any change in her expression, as she thought to herself, the only thing she did understand was not rushing into a situation where she gave herself no escape. She was at least sensible enough to plan ahead for that.
Luckas sighed. “Don’t I understand?” He muttered, but didn’t say anything more on that particular matter. “I know a bit more, but there are things I just can’t say right now... If you recall, I said... I still have promises left to keep. They involve... Not saying certain things for now.” He sighed softly yet again. “What I said... Is that people don’t trust because trust can’t be real when there’s doubt. Just because someone doesn’t tell you all their secrets, that doesn’t mean you’re not trusted, Lady. If you doubt their motives, then maybe you’re the one who lacks the ability to trust.” He shrugged his shoulders slightly. “Do you think I trust you?” He asked simply, with a little smirk, not giving her room to reply as he continued. “I saw him in Blackpond a while back. And some other place just out of the city some time before that.”
Ess didn’t move as Luckas spoke, mumbling under her breath here and there, “..Promises to who I wonder...” She sighed, “I assume you are meaning Lena...fine..I can respect promises...but don’t think I understand any better right now...” Ess meant it; she didn’t understand and she felt that was maybe why she was so unsure of what Luckas was saying and what he knew. She still felt no danger around him, and that was enough to calm her slightly when she thought how much she did actually trust him. Ess began to feel slightly guilty, especially when she reminded herself that he actually did care about her: ...."I like you... I care... I hate myself for it sometimes, but I can't help it. Is that what you wanted me to say, Lady? Is that what you need?"
Even with the memory, she still couldn’t be sure if Luckas did trust her, but perhaps that was her own self, doubting. Her fingers clenched even tighter along her scalp when he spoke of where Ian was seen and where she could most likely find him. It made sense. “..All the way back to the beginning...” She whispered, ignoring her own annoyance when she noted how Luckas said he saw him ..a while back.., not wanting to think more on it and the fact it was more information he knew about, keeping to himself . Even if the reasons were justified, even if it was so dangerous she didn’t comprehend, the idea would anger her in being left in the dark, so she simply sat in silence and nodded.
Luckas nodded thinking he maybe shouldn’t have said anything at all and this was bad idea, but it was a bit late for that now. It was stupid to even mention things he knew he couldn’t talk about and raise questions he wasn’t able to, or prepared, to answer. He could imagine how frustrating it is to have someone ask for your trust without being able to give anything back, he knew the feeling well, actually, if he thought about it. “I’m sorry, Lady... Maybe it would’ve been smarter of me to say nothing until the situation becomes more... Calm. I considered it, even. I guess I’m not as good at keeping things to myself as I should.” He scratched the back of his head a bit nervously and added. “Are you mad? You want me to go?”
Essence didn’t answer Luckas. She stood up, finally releasing her hair, the pain slowly fading as she once again went for her dagger and placed it by the fire with her sword. Purposely, she stared at Luckas then the weapons at her feet and began walking away, hoping the point would get across that she wasn’t going anywhere, especially without her weapons, but she couldn’t sit there any longer. Ess spoke softly, her voice cracking, “...Why do you ask questions to things you already know the answer to....sweetness....I need to go for a run or something...I’ll be back shortly.” Ess didn’t even wait for a response as she motioned for Tala to stay and took off in an urgent sprint, appearing as if she was trying to escape something. In a way, she was, but when it was an enemy she couldn’t yet face, she knew the anger would continue to eat at her until she acted. She didn’t plan on breaking her promise, per se. Ess would wait. Ess smiled as she disappeared into the darkness, knowing the run would help keep her leveled, at least until morning.
Essence indeed was not gone for long; maybe thirty minutes. She kept to her usual path, the same as her morning routine, except she paused a little ways from Jake’s camp. Spotting a light inside the tent she simply stared, trying to think of what she was going to do in the coming days. A part of her wanted to crawl beside her friend and cling to him for comfort while at the same time she did not wish to bring up anything that had to do with Luckas. She just couldn’t be sure how Jake would react exactly, but she knew he most likely would not approve. With a sigh, she turned on her heels and jogged back to Luckas. Coming to a stop was not as graceful this time but instead she collapsed upon the ground staring up at the stars, all traces of aggravation gone from her face even when she still felt it gnawing at her insides. Again she was silent, working to catch her breath before attempting to eat some dinner once more.
Luckas raised an eyebrow, watching silently as Ess wandered off before shrugging and mumbling under his breath. “I don’t.” After which he went to sit by the oak, leaning against the tree and crossing his arms over his chest as if preparing for a somewhat long wait. Heaving a sigh he muttered. “That surely went well... Still no broken bones...” He snickered softly, closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift off for the moment. Again he snickered, remembering how Lena would tease him by saying only the guilty sleep... Luckas couldn’t say he’d lost much sleep in his life. Only two occasions would come to mind where he’d been unable to sleep, maybe those were the only two occasions where his conscience had bothered him, or maybe there was another, less profound, reason; he wasn’t sure.
Luckas wasn’t sure if he had slept, if he’d been there for hours or minutes, if he had any particular thought or dreams in that time... Nothing. His wait was a blur, a stupor he snapped out of the moment he caught the sounds of movement in the camp again, sitting up to look at Ess for a moment or so, before leaning back against the tree again, still glancing at her with only one open eye. “You said... Children are disappearing?” He asked casually, as if talking about the weather or some other meaningless topic. “Where did you hear that?”
Essence was able to eat more than she thought before Luckas began asking his questions. She couldn’t help but think of herself and found the question’s answer nothing new but something that hadn’t changed for quite some time. “....What, you haven’t heard the rumors Luckas?” She retorted with a certain amount of faked shock in her tone, yet her eyes were lacking emotion. “...Children have been disappearing since before my time...some things just don’t change.” Ess sighed with annoyance, quite loud and almost childish as she dragged it out. “ People always talk, and maybe I didn’t pay as much close attention as I should, but the rumors all have a similar story.” She specifically had heard some haunting tales more recently but kept the origin of those to herself, not finding it so important. “...Children, Luckas...boys and girls all young...under the age of ten...from Blackpond, the countryside....I even heard a story about a man working to settle his debt with some nasty people, and gave up his two little girls in exchange.” There came back the emotion into Ess’ eyes, so intense that she could not even pretend to play off how much it bothered her, most certainly reminding her of herself. She almost choked on some food, pausing to drink from a flask at her side. “..Rumors...stories...Luckas...because if there were more than a few people able to show proof, the Captain would take this group who are starving for action and those people would be presented with such a bloody reckoning, the Twins would cry out in fear. At least..” She glanced over at Luckas, a curious, almost hungry glower at the idea created such a wicked smile, she gave herself shivers. “...at least...not yet...but soon...soon enough..”
Again she fell quiet, chewing her food quickly to push in as much as possible before she felt full. “Children..” She muttered to herself, suddenly her mind’s focus shifted some. “Luckas...did you ever figure out or remember who the man in the basement was? It’s just, you haven’t brought up anything about yourself in some time and I never found out how you were doing after all our arguing and you wigging out over Twins knows what.” Ess’ smile softened. “You know you can talk to me if you want....” Her words fell into a whisper. “If..you want..”
“Children.” Luckas muttered, a dark shade of red lighting up his eyes. “No I haven’t... It was supposed to have stopped... Was supposed to be over...” He trailed off, staring intently at nothing, with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. If this was what he thought it was, someone better give him some answers or things would get ugly really fast. For a long time he sat with that angered look in his eyes before finally snapping out of it, taking a deep calming breath before speaking. “Oh, I remember everything.” He answered, taking another long breath and closing his eyes as he continued. “I don’t know who that man was though, in particular... I wasn’t... Allowed to look at them. I would recognize voices, maybe, but I’m not sure. What I discovered was that... My father was killed, and my...” He let out an angry snort before forcing out the word. “Mother... She gave Matthew and I away, allegedly in return for the man who killed him. She’s... Still alive somewhere... For the moment at least.” He snickered. “As for the rest of them... I’m working on it... I know the man behind it all is dead, has been for a while now. If there was really justice in this world I would’ve found him alive, but can’t always get my way, right?”
Essence couldn’t ignore the change in Luckas’ voice if she even tried, the familiar, distinct distaste of betrayal and anger in his words. She hadn’t responded to much that he said except by moving closer towards him, leaning also against the Oak with still a good amount of space between them, enough to still see him without turning. “...I’m sorry Luckas...I’m sorry that it appears we have more in common than we could have ever imagined.” Her own anger stirred inside her, like fire burning through her veins when she thought about how her friend had endured a somewhat similar childhood. Both their fathers died; she was stolen and he was given away. Both were abused and still walked around with the after effects of whatever unimaginable things those people had tried to brainwash into them. She knew the fear and loneliness that he must have felt; if he still did, she couldn’t read him that way but didn’t change the fact she saw it in him. Closing her eyes she again saw the sad smile from her dreams and when she opened them, they glowed, a small, chilling, chuckle sifted through the air as Luckas finished speaking. “No...we can’t always get our way...but I promise you...if you need anything from me, I will gladly help you. You know this, right?” A sickening thought lingered in the back of her brain, one which she was trying to discredit; to give a reason to doubt it but the idea nagged at her. Finally she whispered, a hint of awkwardness in her words as if speaking her idea out loud would indeed make it true. “Luckas...my Dear, Dear Luckas...do you think....it’s all connected?” Surprisingly saying it out loud made her feel a bit better, her breaths coming slower and more easily, as if she was being smothered and suddenly someone ripped a pillow from her face to breathe. “I mean...what if it is connected to the rumors...what if you and I are connected...” Her words flowed rapidly, drifting off into incoherent mumbles, her mind racing to find some sort of answers. The ideas that ran rampant in her head did not ease her nerves, again thinking of her brother. Ess knew she wouldn’t wait long. “Still alive somewhere...for the moment at least..”
Luckas sighed, a bit of amusement crossing him as he glanced at her. “Don’t be sorry Lady, there are worse people to have things in common with. Don’t you think?” He asked in an honestly curious tone. “Better than not having anything in common with anyone, I’d say.” He lowered his head until his forehead touched his knees and he was curled up into a ball. “I know, I can count on you, Lady... If I need anything. I won’t forget.” He kept quiet, with his head down, lost in his own thoughts until Ess asked him if he thought it was all connected. At which point he lifted his head and turned to face her. “Isn’t it a fact that you and I are connected?” He asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling rather playfully. Thinking a bit on an actual answer, he shrugged. “I don’t know Lady... Not even sure if I have much of an opinion. I do know that the White Shadows believe, and Lena often told me, that in Valcrest everything is connected in some way. Something to do with the Myths, as usual, but I’m not sure why exactly they believe that... The most I can say I believe is that it’s possible.”
Ess snickered, “Having worse things in common with one another or others I’m sure is up for debate.” Playfully giving Luckas a poke in the side she laughed. “You best not forget it...even if you don’t need something, don’t be afraid to ask...or to just tell me how it is.” Standing up, she reached out and ruffled up Luckas’ hair, before moving towards her tent to bunk down for the night. “I know there’s a connection between us, Luckas..what I meant was more...if ..” Ess shook her head trailing off as she snuggled down into her bed, still in the same clothes and boots, not feeling like she could sleep but shutting her eyes all the same knowing she needed it. “..No nightmares tonight, please...” She whispered to herself as Tala nestled up beside her in the usual spot, leaving quite a bit of room for Luckas.
Luckas nodded quietly, only half listening as Ess spoke, still going over what he had just heard and what he thought he knew. The serious expression returning to him as he thought. “Trust... Doubt...” He mumbled to himself, shaking his head before finally giving up on making sense of things and going to try and get some sleep as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Essence awoke in complete darkness, the light from the fire dwindling down hours ago, a dull aching pinching between her eyes. Her face was half buried beneath her pile of pillows and the second she rolled off her belly, she realized her pillows were wet. As her eyes adjusted, her face felt sticky and cool, her fingers reaching up to discover her nose was bleeding. With a subtle sigh, she pinched her nostrils shut and tilted her head forward, crawling quietly to her feet. Raising a free hand she motioned towards Tala to remain, the wolf’s eyes barely open, still in a sleepy haze, her head resting comfortably upon Luckas’ back. Tala huffed out a breath, readjusting herself a bit before letting her eyes close once again. Ess tiptoed out of the tent, her eyes quickly glancing past a sleeping Luckas as she let the flap of the door fall shut.
Sitting upon the ground until the ache in her head began to fade, Ess released her nose, hoping the bleeds had at least slowed enough for her to clean her face before the blood began to cake and crust into a blackish rust. “Ugh...whhhy..” She whispered to herself, sipping at her flask and smiling. “..Never too early for a drink..” She held back a chuckle and listened, the camp so quiet she could hear Tala and Luckas breathing from behind her. Eventually her mind drifted back to the evening’s conversations between her, Jake, and Luckas. Every discussion somehow in someway led her back to thinking of her brother and in turn her anger crept back under her skin. ‘It’ll never...be over...’ She thought, scowling at the knowledge she was almost wishing she didn’t have, the ideas sickening her practically to tears. ..Doesn’t mean I’m going to stand around while it continues.. Ess stood, moving ever so silently, it was painfully slow, especially when she was practically holding her breath as she lightly stepped around to retrieve her relic blades and a few random supplies. Heel, toe, breathe was the pattern she moved before taking in a deep breath and holding it. Staring into her tent she watched Luckas for what seemed like minutes, slowly tugging at her cloak that was bunched up beside his foot. Her eyes widened when she thought she heard him stir, again freezing like a statue. When she was sure he wasn’t awake she fled into the shadows as fast as she could in her ridiculously slow movements to keep quiet, strapping her weapons along her waist.
“Shhh, boy...steady..” She whispered, patting Shockwave along his neck to calm his excited snorting and stomping. Ess led her horse by the reins, purposely walking a narrow path, passing beneath the guards that watched her from high above, a whistle signaling to her that she was spotted which she echoed back in return, her hand raised in a small wave. Her heart thudded loud in her ears as she wondered how angry the Captain would be with her once she awoke and found her note which she had stuck under the door before she left camp.
Captain,
I’ve apparently tricked myself into thinking you may not be as angry as I feared, because I am going after my brother. I am going back to where it all started, back to the beginning...As much as I try to do this on my own, I feel our mutual shadow may catch wind of this sooner than you. I promise to be back in no more than two days’ time, assuming I don’t get caught. If I feel it’s too risky, I’ll be back before nightfall.
Watch Tala for me,
Ess
Only when she thought she was far enough away, did she climb up on her horse. Leaning in to hug the stallion along his neck, he stirred, rearing up enough to push her sitting straight before bolting down the road with such a burst of energy, the wind tore the tears from her eyes.
The boy’s hands were pressed against his ears with all the strength he had in him, but still the screaming was horrifying; he didn’t know what exactly was happening, but he wouldn’t dare open his eyes. Trying to shut out the screaming of one voice only made the shouting of the other sound louder… The words piercing through his ears painfully: “LIAR! CHEATER! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!”
The child was shivering in fear and pain, tears silently running down his face as he was curled up on the blood soaked floor; eyes still tightly shut. All of a sudden a second pair of, equally small, hands covered his own and successfully drowned out all the sound, and there he sat, in the silence… In darkness… For what seemed like forever… Until a female scream echoed so high no amount of sheltering could keep it from reaching his ears… And the boy opened his eyes to his mother’s terrified figure. Her eyes locked on him, and on the other boy who had been trying to help cover his ears, and she froze for a brief moment of hesitation before moving to drag both toddlers by their hands out of the house... Still covered in blood.
Luckas opened his eyes and found himself curled up into a ball, hands covering his ears, shallow breaths escaping him in a quick succession. Once he remembered where he was he frowned, sincerely hoping he hadn’t mumbled anything in his sleep. The dream was odd to him, but still somewhat familiar; maybe he’d had it before, but didn’t remember, or maybe... Maybe it was something he’d lived. Luckas cursed his mind for bringing these memories up in the absolutely worst moments and rubbed his eyes, glancing around with half his attention still on the dream. He snapped out of his sleepiness rather quickly though when he realized Ess wasn’t there, his eyes widening slightly as he spotted blood on her pillows. He glanced from the pillow to Tala, finding the wolf seated and watching him curiously, and relaxed for a second taking the time to breathe before shooting out of the tent in a hurry. If the blood was something serious Tala wouldn’t be sitting there quiet, that much Luckas was sure of, but he wasn’t all too pleased with the alternative.
“Crazy... Emotional... Impulsive... Stubborn... Lady!” Luckas muttered angrily under his breath as he headed towards the exit of the encampment, turning to glance over his shoulder suddenly as he noticed Tala was at his heels. “Tala... No...” He sighed, looking at the wolf, but not stopping. “Stay.” He commanded, watching with the corner of his eyes as the wolf slowed down her pace for a bit as if to stop and then stubbornly continued after him. “How did I manage to get myself surrounded by stubborn females?” Luckas shook his head stopping and turning to face the wolf. “Tala... Stay...” He repeated firmly, unfazed by the wolf’s disapproving growl. “Don’t argue with me. Back to camp.” He muttered, tilting his head slightly trying to look severe although he really was more amused than anything at Tala’s all-too-familiar stubbornness. The wolf glared at him, still growling defiantly for a few moments before turning away and walking back through the path. Luckas shook his head as he continued to head away from the camp. He didn’t know if he’d manage to catch up with Ess or not, but at least he knew exactly where she was going.
The stallion slowed his pace, gradually from a rolling canter to a trot, Ess not even noticing when Shockwave meandered his way into the forest to drink from a small brook. Ess’ mind was no where on the present, but neither was she stuck on the past; she was focused on the many possibilities of the future. Would she even find Ian and exact a suffering comparable to the anger swelling inside her? What if she failed and simply returned back to the Nest empty handed, and with a wounded pride? Ess wasn’t even sure if she was strong enough to keep going, but she figured she would soon find out because her typical stubbornness refused to turn back. Closing her eyes she inhaled deeply as her horse came to a stop, realizing her heart was quieting, no longer in rhythm with the entrancing hoof beats. Instinctually she leaned back, swinging her right leg over before sliding down off the stallion. When her feet touched the ground she began walking across the brook, her eyes opening just as her feet sloshed and dragged through the cold water, kicking polished stones aside. Finding herself before a large maple tree she began to cling and climb across several branches until she was at least six or seven feet over the ground where she relaxed along a divett in the center where several branches twisted together. She paused to watch Shockwave for a moment, and then unhooked her flask from her waist and swallowed a few deep droughts. Again, her eyes closed, her fingers resting comfortably along the hilt of her blade. Ess didn’t mean to nod off, she only meant to give her horse a short rest before they continued on their way, perching up on higher ground to keep an eye out for travelers. It felt like seconds before her eyes opened, unknowing for how long she actually had them closed.
Luckas wasn’t sure how long exactly he had been walking, he knew for a fact though that he’d never really covered this much distance this fast. Although, to be fair, he was rarely in a hurry for any reason. The walk was silent, and boring, and it honestly just gave him unwanted time to go over his weird dream and his annoyance for having to chase after horse tracks instead of sleeping late, which was what he had originally planned to do, but then... Maybe it was stupid of him to not sleep with one eye open after what had been the topic of discussion. Maybe the topic of discussion was the cause of his nightmare... He shook his head to push it aside, not wanting to go there now. “Only the guilty sleep...” He muttered. “So what does that make me now?”
Another piece of land covered, and Luckas had followed the tracks to the horse itself, finding
the stallion by a small stream in the forest. It didn’t take him long to spot Ess up in one of the trees, but he didn’t fully look up at her, finding a small, somewhat flat, rock to sit on and rest a bit from the walk. Staring at a point just between his feet at the ground ahead, he rubbed his eyes a bit wearily as he muttered in a very audible tone. “You promised to wait. I don’t like it when people go behind my back.” He stated simply, his tone sounding similar to the one of an ill-tempered child. “Could have woken me up at least.”
Ess wasn’t surprised when she looked below to see Luckas, his words reaching her above in the branches, appearing as if she was expecting some scolding for taking off before dawn peeked above the horizon. Swinging her legs over a branch, she scooted away from the tree’s center, letting them dangle, resting one hand upon her knee, a sweet smile shining down at her friend. “I know what I promised...and I kept it, like I keep all of my promises.” Scrunching her face together in a playful expression she shrugged, “...and besides, you looked peaceful and adorable sleeping...I didn’t want to spoil Tala’s contentment..” Ess winked, using her arms she pushed herself off the branch letting herself fall to the ground, once touching, her body naturally rolled to minimize the impact before gracefully wheeling to her feet.
“If you know what you promised, then you didn’t keep it.” Luckas muttered, still staring at his feet. “I had specified I needed time to make this safe, so unless you believed I would do that overnight, in my sleep, you knew that when I asked if you’d wait I didn’t mean until morning. So either you didn’t keep your promise, or you don’t know what you promised... I’d like to know which. Very much.” He shook his head, and stood giving Ess an annoyed glare. “I wouldn’t have slept if I thought you’d sneak out on me, so maybe I trust you a bit too much, huh?”
Ess rolled her eyes, her amusement faded along with a groan of frustration. Turning her back on Luckas she stared down at her feet, arms crossing lightly across her chest. “..Nothing will ever be truly safe, Luckas..no matter how much we try to prepare ourselves or our environment. I technically stated I would wait...so I said I would do something, hence it was like a promise.” Ess glanced over her shoulder, her gaze frightfully bright, annoyed with the idea of being called out on something she didn’t feel she deserved. “I didn’t plan on running off..” She whispered, her voice finding it’s strength again as she continued. “..I...waited...and the few hours i waited....I honestly wonder Luckas how many children were hurt..” Ess spun around, purposely backing away from Luckas, shaking her head. “How many could have died...how many could have been taken? I’m tired of waiting. I don’t want to feel like i’m turning my back...looking the other way..like so many others did to me. Always an excuse to wait...to NOT do something about it.” The woman hissed in her growing anger and stormed off towards her horse, pausing to gently pat him along his mane. “This isn’t just about Ian. I don’t expect to take on the world today, but I also don’t plan on sitting around idle any longer.”
Luckas held his angry glare for a few more moments before he released a shaky sigh, trying to calm himself a bit, shaking his head while Ess spoke. “You said... ‘I promise to wait’... Don’t...” He shook his head again. “Just don’t make me any more promises, alright? Not unless you’re absolutely sure you can keep to your word... I don’t like the idea of having to analyze every goddamn word someone says to me just to be sure they’re not going behind my back. I don’t care how you justify it... You knew what it sounded like... You lied to me.” He ran his hand through his hair, breathing slowly for a few moments.
After a bit he calmed and his tone changed considerably, even though there was still a considerable level of annoyance underneath. “You really should have woke me up. I mean, what, did you expect me to just let you run off on your own? What kind of a stalker do you take me for, Lady?” He let out a little annoyed snort. “And I’m not used to waking up and not... seeing you...” He mumbled, in an almost not audible tone. “Quite unpleasant even without the bloody pillows.” He gave a small shrug, trying not to make much of his concern. “And I’m just as adorable when I’m awake, so that’s just no excuse Lady.” He added, crossing his arms in a mocked severe expression before taking an actual serious tone to his words. “Look, I understand that nothing is ever safe, I know that you need to do this and I understand why you need to do this... You don’t have to convince me, you know. I just expected you to take me seriously enough to at least not run out on your own into a situation I’ve already said it’s pretty damn risky. Blackpond in itself is no place to wander into alone these days, even less for something like this. It’s no use getting yourself into something you can’t get out of just for the sake of doing SOMETHING.” He concluded, rolling his eyes. “And then people say I’m the selfish brat.”
Essence was quiet for some time, listening to everything Luckas had to say before she spoke. “Screw....you, Luckas. See it as you will. It’s not like I woke up thinking, ‘Oh, how can I royally piss off one of my best friends, today? Maybe I am tired of having answers held over my head. Maybe I believed you would make it a point to stop me. It’s ok for YOU to go wandering around Blackpond by yourself, but me...? Ha! Do I really seem helpless or stupid enough to not understand when I should walk away if things were going to be harder than I could handle?” She scoffed. “Here we go, double standards...should I start listing off the ways?” Ess spat, still refusing to turn back around to face Luckas, as she forced her fingers outwards running through her horse’s mane, the minor focus keeping her fists from clenching. “Keeping things to yourself is the same as lying...” She sighed, her thoughts scattered as she tried not to overthink EVERYTHING that Luckas had said. Her body was still tense, although she let her voice soften, an almost sad tone hinting outward each time she breathed in. “...It’s no fun falling asleep next to someone only to wake up and find them gone...kinda lonely isn’t it?” Ess turned around, staring at the ground intently, one hand still stroking the horse’s neck. “...And the blood....it was nothing...a bit more than usual for nose bleeds...but nothing all the same..” She fell silent again, as if something Luckas had said struck a nerve, but instead of growing angry again she continued staring off at her feet, the violet glow of her eyes strobing in a hypnotic pattern. Ess wanted to just turn, climb onto her horse and leave Luckas where he stood but at the same time she felt herself metaphorically reaching out to him. Yet, there she stood. Tears formed in her eyes but never reached her lashes; tiny ripples skipping across her irises similar to a stone ricocheting across a lake.
“Who says I wander around Blackpond alone, now?” Luckas muttered, the angry glare returning to his eyes as he spoke. “But yes, Lady, double standards... I didn’t invent them, but they exist. I’m not sure I even want to think of what will happen on the day you actually decide to make me royally pissed... I see blood being shed on that day.” He snorted, digging the tip of his boot onto the dirt and occupying himself with stirring the soil with his foot. “And if you must know, if this had been about stopping you, at any moment, I could have done just that. I can stop you if I want to just as I can kill you if I want to, but you and I both know that what I can or not do is freaking irrelevant here. So, no. I was trying to warn you but apparently you didn’t listen to what I was saying... You just made those little assumptions of yours... and really... I can’t freaking believe I’m repeating this damn discussion again.” He sighed, stomping on the bit of stirred soil he’d been fiddling with. “I know you are not helpless and I know you are not stupid and it somewhat offends me that you would think I would even be here if I didn’t... I don’t waste my time on pathetic people, I think I’ve mentioned that to you in the castle, or something along those lines... I’ll repeat myself, for your benefit, Lady: You are too close to this whole thing to be able to see the whole picture clearly. It has nothing to do with your abilities in any way... It’s a simple fact.” Luckas went silent, eyes staring at his feet as he shuffled through the dirt, after a moment or so he shook his head and spoke again, in a sincerely confused tone. “I thought I was being considerate, but if you rather I wake you before I leave... You could have said so.”
Ess sighed, glancing up at Luckas, a bitter and jealous edge to her tone as she whispered with a hint of sarcasm, “..Oh..I forgot...you have other friends...maybe in BlackPond then? I had only assumed...” Letting her features soften she smiled, not even trying to hide the feeling behind her words. “...We all make assumptions, Luckas...we all look beyond the simple words spoken...and great..now that we have succeeded at offending each other in some way...do you think that brings us closer?” Ess snickered. “Do you think knowing how to get under one another’s skin...” She didn’t finish her thought, instead she shook it from her mind, stepping forward to reach for Luckas’ hand. “Are we done arguing now? It obviously is changing nothing...we are both stubborn but I’m sure you know the truth in this as well. Do you still want to come along? I’d rather you at my side anyways..” Ess’ stomach twisted, trying to push back her anger and the urge to smack Luckas across the back of his head. Keeping a smile, the glow of her eyes faded to a darker purple, almost grey, storm like aura. She remembered where she should be focusing her anger and was almost embarrassed how she let it escalate as much as it did, even if she felt she was right for her annoyance.
Ess slipped her fingers along Luke's hand and gave a squeeze before releasing. With an acrobatic ease she leaped back up on her horse, gesturing in the direction of BlackPond. "No time for a toss in the hay now, lets get going. That is..if you're not still mad at me?"
Luckas sighed softly, shaking his head. “I have no other friends... That’s not what I said...” He whispered. “Least I think not.” He shrugged, really not caring for the whole argument anymore and just wanting to move on. He shook his head once more before looking at Ess with a more relaxed expression. “Do our arguments ever change something, Lady? I’d say we’re doomed to eternally ‘agree to disagree’.” He snickered, slightly amused at the thought. “I’m only stubborn when I’m right, I’ll have you know.” He added, with a little smirk crossing his expression. “And of course I’m going, do you think I came all the way here just for a little spat?” He snickered again, trying for an innocent expression, but unable to pull it off. “Well, it’s not unlike me to do such a thing, but no... I’m keeping a close eye on you, Lady.” Giving Shockwave a slightly wary glance, he added. “Do I get a ride, or shall I race you there? I’m a pretty fast runner, you know.” He played.
Releasing an amused, sudden burst of breath, Essence smiled. “Eternally cursed to agree to disagree...” She trailed off, her eyes finally softening to an almost hopeful expression at the thought. Rolling her eyes she held back a chuckle. “I’m only stubborn when i’m right too...” Shaking her head she scooted forward, gently patting Shockwave along his side. “If you must keep such a ‘close’ eye on me, then by all means ride with me. I don’t doubt your speed, but I do doubt you outrunning my friend here.” The stallion shuffled where he stood, nostrils flaring with each breath, turning his head to eye Luckas as if inspecting him before he settled, nodding in submission. “Normally, I don’t recommend trying to ride Shockwave, but since i’m with you, I think he’ll be ok.” She stated with a hint of playful doubt.
Luckas nodded, he couldn’t say that riding was his favorite way to get around; he’d much rather walk any day, but he didn’t give much more thought to it since he obviously couldn’t outrun a horse and he did want to keep a close eye on Ess. After giving Shockwave another, rather nervous, look, Luckas climbed onto the horse, a bit awkwardly as if he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. “Still alive.” He stated, snickering. “I think we’re good. Now... I wonder... Since you did put me through all the hassle of chasing you down, do I get some fun time for my troubles? That assuming we actually get anywhere with this.” Luke asked, somewhat conformed with the fact he wasn’t going to get anywhere with trying to turn this in any other direction... Might as well have fun with it.
“Hassle....troubles?” Ess stated with a light, airy laugh. She sighed, looking thoughtful for a moment before leaning backwards so she pressed her back along Luckas’ chest, reaching for his arms which she pulled tightly around her waist before straightening. “I know it’ll be worth it...” Ess whispered with a teasing smile. “..I won’t promise you’ll have fun, but I will make sure to do all I can to give you the full opportunity to indulge...and if I can help it, I plan on keeping my promise of fiery fun..” Shockwave began moving in an impatient forward and backwards motion causing Ess’ smile to broaden. “Ok..ok...shhh...” Addressing Luckas, she spoke over her shoulder, “Now hold on, this guy here packs quite a-” Essence laughed as the stallion didn’t even wait for the gentle tap of her heels before bucking and then lunging forward into almost an immediate full gallop. Leaning into the horse, Ess rested one arm across her waist, the other along the back of his neck, her fingers gripping his reins firmly yet the hold was loose, giving the horse much slack as they moved with an unrelenting speed.
Luckas had tried to do some good stalking to occupy his time, but as he had suspected, it was somewhat troubling for him to go unnoticed with Tala hanging around. Not only that; but he couldn’t seem to actually find the Captain and there was really nothing else he could think of to entertain himself without causing trouble. He thought about chasing Beast Boy around and maybe mess with him, but changed his mind when he remembered how things went down last time he was face to face with him. It was quite possible that would end in even more trouble than simply causing trouble, so he let it go... For the time being, at least. So he did what he said he’d do in the first place, and just walked aimlessly for a bit; thoughts wandering freely through the ever-growing list of doubts in his mind, only occasionally allowing himself to focus on his surroundings to listen and pinpoint the sound of the wolf still following after him. He ended his walk when he found himself in his usual spot by the oak; seeing no one else around and not quite sure how long he’d walked or how long he’d have to wait.
Essence took her sweet time, stepping in short strides, dragging her heels lazily behind her. She was still smiling, pausing suddenly to hop to her left and then her right, spinning on her toes so that her curls flew out straight before burying her face. It took even longer for her to reach her tent, swaying her hips with every step, her arms appearing to float by her side as she danced to her own humming. A few hushed words were made audible here and there, but nothing that would make much sense to the onlooker. She appeared somewhat intoxicated; free and uncaring for a few moments. It was something she was not use to feeling as her mind was blissfully quiet, even with bits of her previous conversation with Jake trying to pierce through. Ess had spent more time than not, always worried about disappointing that boy. In life. In death. Not many people she held in such high regard so that she was truly frightened of them turning on her one day, and yet, even after all this time, her best friend was true to his words. Now, she was more curious what kinds of things he would ask her if he indeed read through her entire journal. It would be almost like looking into her mind as Luckas had once, except there was much even she still denied to write down. More like secrets she hadn’t even admitted to herself because she was afraid of a change of heart. Ess twirled again, her gaze staring up into the sky where she paused when she caught the glint of firelight from her camp, happy the flames were still going. Toning down her dancing a bit she grew louder in her singing. Simple sounds of vowels with no particular words spoken carried her closer. Ess felt like she was telling a story, but about what, she couldn’t know for sure; she simply remembered it was something her father use to sing when she was sad.
Luckas had been resting against the oak tree, eyes closed, not really minding his surroundings much as he waited. He didn’t know how long he’d been there, but he was pretty sure he’d been there longer in other occasions, he didn’t mind the wait at all. Only when he noticed Tala wandering off that he opened his eyes to look around. Didn’t take long for him to spot Ess making her way towards the camp, and seeming quite content. Jumping to his feet, Luckas walked in her direction with a somewhat childish curiosity showing on his face as he questioned, in a playful tone. “All that cheerfulness better be for seeing me, otherwise I might just have to throw another jealous fit.”
Ess’ eyes lit up, a silvery twinkle glittered in her stare when she saw Luckas approach. Absently she greeted Tala, her fingers sifting through the wolf’s fur, but she didn’t stop her approach, still skipping a bit here and there. Tilting her head, her eyes closed, a mischievous smile peeking from behind her curls. “..Has to be ‘All’ for you, aye? Well...I’d be lying if I said the idea of you hanging out to see me, doesn’t make me smile.” Her tone went to a slightly higher pitch in her amusement. “But, if your jealous fits are all like that one earlier...I’ll be honestly disappointed for future encounters....” Ess shrugged, pausing inches away from Luckas, leaning in curiously with a wink. “Besides, you want my attention, just say so.” When she turned her head, feathery like curls brushing against Luke’s face. Ess knelt beside the fire, adding some wood to the flames. Earlier she had skinned a rabbit; taking the heart, kidneys, and liver to cook in a pot for Tala while she leaned the hare across two mini pikes above the flames. It was about time to turn the roasting meat, her fingers sprinkling something unseen across the darkened flesh before turning back to Luckas, brushing her hands off along her pants. “Oh...come now...I hope you aren’t jealous of...well..Jake? It’s...different...” Ess stopped talking, shaking her head and just smiled at her friend.
Luckas snickered, even more amused than he already had been, tilting his head as he replied. “I’d hate to be a disappointment Lady, I’ll make sure to improve my hissy fits for future occasions.” He said, playfully raising his right hand as if taking an oath. “And well...” He forced a little cough to clear his throat. “Not all...” He grinned, leaving the sentence incomplete and just taking a seat, absently glancing towards the food as if it somehow gave him a bright idea, but not voicing whatever it was. “I’m sure I’ve mentioned it at some point... You’ll know it when I’m truly jealous. It’s not a pretty sight, I’d say.”
Ess sat before the fire, chuckling at Luckas’ words. “No...I’m sure it’s not pretty to see you truly jealous....but at the same time...” Her fingers reached behind her neck, gently massaging the sore muscles as she continued, but not finishing her sentence. “So...this...opportune time you had to...kill Jake...when was that?” Her eyes were kind as she searched to find Luckas, keeping her head still, trying to remedy the stiffness along her neck. Ess went on as if she didn’t care for his answer, when she really did but mostly out of curiosity. “I meant what I said you know...a while back...about being ok with you not telling me about Jake.” Ess sighed, her fingers temporarily tangled in her curls. “I think....it would have made things crazier than they got...and I may have not believed you...even though that sounds silly..”
Luckas tensed only slightly at Ess’ questions about killing Jake, he remembered exactly how that day just kept getting worse, it made him frown momentarily before giving a small shrug and answer. “Was after Lena died, after I left here...” He cleared his throat again, fixing his gaze on the roasting rabbit. “Jake kind of ambushed me in front of her grave and we had a little... Uh... Discussion.” Luckas ended his explanation at that and quickly moved to the next subject. “I figured you wouldn’t believe me... And I’d have to show you... And that would’ve been bad... That’s mostly why Lena didn’t tell though, my reasons were... only partially that.” He smirked a bit to himself, scratching the back of his head and absently tugging on the collar of his shirt as if trying to stretch it slightly.
“I know Luckas....I know...but gee how many bloody ‘discussions’ you plan on having with friends of mine?” Essence slowly shook head trying to hide the amusement in her face. “Crys is a friend...does that mean you’re going to have a ‘conversation’ with her too now?” She teased, thinking about where to find her and how to go about her attempt in helping Jake in his hole he dug himself. She was quiet for a time, occasionally rotating the rabbit over the flames, her smile fading while thinking over Jacob’s story about Cry’s mom. “...Poor...Jakey...” She whispered to herself before speaking louder. “...He’s got much to talk about with that girl...I just hope I can help give him that chance...” Ess stretched, pulling the pot of innards off the fire to cool for her wolf, before glancing back at Luckas. “..We know some things...are just best heard from those involved...some things are just not our business, right Luckas? I could only imagine being her and hearing certain things....lets say..from me...wouldn’t be appropriate...” Clearing her throat, she added with a giggle. “..I want to liiive.”
Luckas frowned slightly, an annoyed expression on his face. “I didn’t plan anything, was just minding my business... He started it... He always starts it...” Letting out a little snort he muttered. “And wasn’t even that bloody this time.” Resting his arms on his knees and leaning onto them, Luckas tilted his head curiously at the sudden mention of Crys. He snickered softly. “Oh, so we’re helping Jake, are we?” He shrugged. “I owe Crys one coin... or at least a drink... I said I’d repay her. I don’t see how that would end in a discussion. Besides... That woman is the last person in Valcrest I’d want to have a ‘discussion’ with, Lady. She’s scary... Like the Captain, but more scary.” He faked a little frightened shudder, before laughing softly. “You’d be surprised at how good I am at not saying... Certain things.” A trace of a sigh escaped him as he muttered under his breath. “Way too good, sometimes.”
Essence rolled her eyes, a soft laugh bouncing along her shoulders. “...Things tend to work out better when not planned anyways, no? Besides, it takes two, Luckas...you can’t put blame all onto one..somehow I doubt you didn’t have a hand in it all, but I digress.” Another laugh blurted out from her, “Ha! I believe you Luckas...in your chosen restraint depending on the circumstances...All has to do with what we ‘want’, yes? Sometimes...just sometimes, words or actions will escape us in heightened emotion, even if it is something subconsciously we are trying to hide. I’m sure you’ve seen plenty examples of such...” A random yawn cut off her current thought, her amused smile disappearing when darkened ideas clouded her violet gaze. Her mind was scattered, jumping from one thing to the next; it was unclear to why the sudden change in her expression except that her mind was always on the go and to be without some hefty burden weighing down upon her would be anything short of a miracle. Remaining silent, she reached for her dagger along her boot, freeing it from it’s sheath so she could dip the blade into a pot of boiling water before slicing up the cooked organs for Tala. Ess didn’t even say a word and the wolf was sitting quietly by her side, long shoelace like drool dripping towards the ground in anticipation.
Luckas snorted a bit. “Well, yes, but I’ve done my share of taking it... Even my patience has its limits, Lady.” He retorted, stubbornly refusing to take as much blame for anything as he obviously should; especially this. He didn’t insist on the subject any more than that, however. It was pretty much pointless, and he’d really rather think about anything else. He went silent for a moment or so, simply watching Ess with curious eyes, but then he started mumbling things under his breath here and there, not audibly enough to make out any actual words. “Heightened emotion...” He whispered, as he ended whatever ramblings he had going and fell completely silent, a small frown forming itself as he was clearly still thinking over something. Finally he seemed to come to some conclusion and spoke up. “You said... Jake is like your brother... What does that mean exactly?” He asked, seeming a bit confused. “I mean... You’re not related, and he’s not literally like your brother, and I think you probably wouldn’t want that all things considered, so... What’s it supposed to mean exactly?”
Ess’ tension soften slightly when she heard Luckas speak Jake’s name. She was still silent when she dropped diced liver and kidneys into a dish for Tala, whom inhaled the steaming morsels in seconds, happily. It had not dawned on her how her comparing Jake to a brother would cause Luckas to question her until that moment, her expression now remorseful. “...Well...Jake is most obviously not like my REAL brother in that he is not related or the fact he is nothing like that bastard Ian who betrayed... not just me, but himself..” Ess groaned, shaking her head. “Simply, Jake was my first and only friend for a long time. Both him and his sister accepted me for who I was and helped me realize the bull Ebony was trying to brainwash me with.” Sighing, she lazily slashed at the hind leg of the rabbit, the dagger cutting through so easily, for a moment it didn’t appear it had even touched the meat. Ess lightly tugged at the leg, tossing it on a pewter plate and handing it off to Luckas. “..He was the first boy, even as a child, who looked at me and saw something more...he looked up to me and it gave me a responsibility and strength to escape and better myself. To know I deserved it, was one of the hardest things I’ve faced in my life.” Ess cleared her throat. “That boy loves me in a manner that is innocent and...untainted by the normal lustful natures of men I am accustomed to. That is why he is like my brother.” Ess looked over at Luckas and smiled. “Family, doesn’t have to be in blood. Family is suppose to be trust, unconditional love and respect. No matter what, we will always have each other’s backs.”
“Hmm...” Luckas mumbled, looking down at the plate in his hands but ignoring the food completely. He couldn’t honestly say he understood, because he didn’t quite, but then he’d rather not mention he didn’t understand exactly. Finally he sighed and said what he thought he could safely say. “He’s what your real brother should’ve been... Then...” He frowned again for a moment, mentally scolding himself for being so soft all of a sudden; not long ago, something like this wouldn’t be enough to make killing someone out of the question. “So... What about your real brother... Have you... Heard anything?” Luckas changed the subject, somewhat, with the question, thinking it was best to ask it before saying anything else. Waiting for an answer he took a bite of his food and quietly chewed on it.
“He’s what your real brother should’ve been... Then...”
“...Exactly...” Ess breathed, her fingers raking through her curls repeatedly, in deep thought. Turning back towards the rabbit she sliced off a leg for herself, absently wiping at a stray tear that lingered along her lashes. Sitting down, Ess spent more time shredding the rabbit meat with her dagger than actually eating it, Luckas’ question hovering over her head. “Rumors...mostly...that and stories of....” Ess sighed, tossing some of the meat to Tala, not finishing her sentence. “Captain said she’s got some leads on some...concerns she has agreed to look into...I figured if Ian..” She twitched, a look of disgust for having to speak the name in her eyes. “...He may know more about the type of...underground business I was stolen into..and rumors are that it’s still very much alive.” Ess gripped her dagger and brutally stabbed at the rabbit carcass above the fire, leaving the blade embedded. “...That and I hear whispers of children disappearing...but no...nothing really on Ian’s location...I may just start blindly searching through Valcrest if I don’t hear anything soon...I feel like there’s something or someone I’m suppose to find.” Ess chuckled awkwardly. “Maybe it’s just myself.”
Luckas sighed, chewing on the rabbit meat for a bit longer than needed before swallowing hard, a little sigh escaping him as he took one more bite and again took his time with chewing. And then one more. After which he decided there was really not an easy way to go about this. “I... May... Know...” He mumbled simply. “I don’t think you’d want to go after him now though... I mean... It might not be the case to...” He groaned, trying to explain the best he could while not giving away the actual problem; which proved quite difficult. “It’s a bad idea. There’s things he’s mixed up in.”
Ess dropped her plate, Tala lapping up the fallen meat. Listening to Luckas, she hadn’t really paid attention to her own reaction, simply staring at her friend curiously. “You...may know? Well..I wouldn’t leave RIGHT now, my Dear Luckas..but what have you found out? How did you come across information? Have you seen him?” Ess took in a deep breath, her smile apologetic. “...Well, that is why I need to find him, Luckas. If he’s a part of things I should know about it to at least relay to the Captain, I need to find him.” Ess snarled as she breathed in , “He won’t be mixed up in anything for too much longer once I find him, anyways. I mean...what makes a difference if I go after him later? He will still be mixed up in things and if I can tone down the damage, I feel a bit of responsibility to do so. It’s always going to be dangerous...” Ess paused quirking a brow. “Why are you trying to disway me? Do you not want to have fiery fun?”
Luckas lowered his eyes completely, seeming to struggle against his own thoughts as he mumbled under his breath. “Nothing will ever be this dangerous, Lady.” Raising his head to meet Ess’ eyes he nodded. “I always want my fun, but I know you, Lady... You’re emotionally driven, as you yourself say, and if I tell you where he is you’ll want to hunt him down as soon as possible. It does make a difference; if you go after him later, it will be safer, I can see to it given enough time. This is... Bigger than you can understand.” He set down his plate, not feeling hungry anymore.
Ess held back a groan of frustration, taking a deep breath as she worked to keep her cool. Her smile tightened as she spoke, her tone still gentle. “...True...that’s pretty obvious what I will do with the information once given to me...but why do you get to make that decision for me?” She stood, moving closer to Luckas before kneeling so she was looking up at him, her hand resting lightly upon his arm. “Luckas...I understand this goes beyond just me and that’s why it’s so important. If you know something, you can’t just tease me like that and not say anything.”
“Sometimes Lady, you’re just too close to the picture to actually see it.” Luckas stated, sighing and looking away from her again with a frown. “I’m not deciding anything, I’m just... It’s not worth it... You shouldn’t go back there now.” He argued, standing up and moving a few steps away, a small frustrated growl escaping him. “If I tell you, will you wait?”
Essence was quiet for a moment, the light from her eyes flashing brightly as she stood back on her feet. She was beginning to lose her patience, feeling as if secrets were being kept and as if she were being treated like a child. “....Not....WORTH it?” Ess began, her voice taking on an icy, mocking edge. “Really....ok fine...lets put it this way. You can tell me or not tell me, but I’m going to act on it sooner than later. Giving me information will only help in my apparent ignorance, but I can make due without...always have.” Turning her back, she took another deep breath, her fist clenching as her hand rose to retrieve the blade within the rabbit, cleaning it off before placing it safely in her boot. At this point, she couldn’t hold still and began randomly cleaning, moving things around, adding wood to the fire; anything to keep her busy as she tried not to flip out at her friend.
“You speak as if I’m trying to take this from you.” Luckas said, a genuinely upset note in his voice. “Trust me, I understand how important this is, and I still say it’s not worth the risk. Is it too much to ask that you trust me with this? You’ll have all the answers eventually, I promise.” He paused just for a second as if trying to assimilate what exactly he was promising here. “I’ll tell you where he is, right now, if you promise you’ll wait.”
Essence felt her chest tighten, her breathing coming in shorter bursts as she continued to work to keep control. Emotionally driven... She thought to herself, but the woman couldn’t help it. Ess was torn at Luckas’ words on trust. “...You don’t understand...why it is worth the risk to me. What I don’t understand is why? You sound like you know more than just where Ian is, Luckas.” Ess picked up a block of wood and literally threw it into the fire. “I do trust you Luckas, but isn’t that the problem? Weren’t you the one who told me once that no one really trusts anyone? Maybe it’s you who doesn’t trust me.” The woman began to pace, anger clearly now painted upon her porcelain features and as it grew, hot tears formed behind her violet eyes. When she spoke, her tone was soft again, but shaky. “....Fine....I promise to wait....arguing like this will clearly not get us anywhere, and you obviously brought it up with the intention of giving me some sort of information...so ok.” Ess stopped, letting her legs give way as she gracefully sat cross legged upon the ground, resting her head in her hands, fingers tugging upon her curls, pulling the hair painfully along her scalp. She didn’t show any change in her expression, as she thought to herself, the only thing she did understand was not rushing into a situation where she gave herself no escape. She was at least sensible enough to plan ahead for that.
Luckas sighed. “Don’t I understand?” He muttered, but didn’t say anything more on that particular matter. “I know a bit more, but there are things I just can’t say right now... If you recall, I said... I still have promises left to keep. They involve... Not saying certain things for now.” He sighed softly yet again. “What I said... Is that people don’t trust because trust can’t be real when there’s doubt. Just because someone doesn’t tell you all their secrets, that doesn’t mean you’re not trusted, Lady. If you doubt their motives, then maybe you’re the one who lacks the ability to trust.” He shrugged his shoulders slightly. “Do you think I trust you?” He asked simply, with a little smirk, not giving her room to reply as he continued. “I saw him in Blackpond a while back. And some other place just out of the city some time before that.”
Ess didn’t move as Luckas spoke, mumbling under her breath here and there, “..Promises to who I wonder...” She sighed, “I assume you are meaning Lena...fine..I can respect promises...but don’t think I understand any better right now...” Ess meant it; she didn’t understand and she felt that was maybe why she was so unsure of what Luckas was saying and what he knew. She still felt no danger around him, and that was enough to calm her slightly when she thought how much she did actually trust him. Ess began to feel slightly guilty, especially when she reminded herself that he actually did care about her: ...."I like you... I care... I hate myself for it sometimes, but I can't help it. Is that what you wanted me to say, Lady? Is that what you need?"
Even with the memory, she still couldn’t be sure if Luckas did trust her, but perhaps that was her own self, doubting. Her fingers clenched even tighter along her scalp when he spoke of where Ian was seen and where she could most likely find him. It made sense. “..All the way back to the beginning...” She whispered, ignoring her own annoyance when she noted how Luckas said he saw him ..a while back.., not wanting to think more on it and the fact it was more information he knew about, keeping to himself . Even if the reasons were justified, even if it was so dangerous she didn’t comprehend, the idea would anger her in being left in the dark, so she simply sat in silence and nodded.
Luckas nodded thinking he maybe shouldn’t have said anything at all and this was bad idea, but it was a bit late for that now. It was stupid to even mention things he knew he couldn’t talk about and raise questions he wasn’t able to, or prepared, to answer. He could imagine how frustrating it is to have someone ask for your trust without being able to give anything back, he knew the feeling well, actually, if he thought about it. “I’m sorry, Lady... Maybe it would’ve been smarter of me to say nothing until the situation becomes more... Calm. I considered it, even. I guess I’m not as good at keeping things to myself as I should.” He scratched the back of his head a bit nervously and added. “Are you mad? You want me to go?”
Essence didn’t answer Luckas. She stood up, finally releasing her hair, the pain slowly fading as she once again went for her dagger and placed it by the fire with her sword. Purposely, she stared at Luckas then the weapons at her feet and began walking away, hoping the point would get across that she wasn’t going anywhere, especially without her weapons, but she couldn’t sit there any longer. Ess spoke softly, her voice cracking, “...Why do you ask questions to things you already know the answer to....sweetness....I need to go for a run or something...I’ll be back shortly.” Ess didn’t even wait for a response as she motioned for Tala to stay and took off in an urgent sprint, appearing as if she was trying to escape something. In a way, she was, but when it was an enemy she couldn’t yet face, she knew the anger would continue to eat at her until she acted. She didn’t plan on breaking her promise, per se. Ess would wait. Ess smiled as she disappeared into the darkness, knowing the run would help keep her leveled, at least until morning.
Essence indeed was not gone for long; maybe thirty minutes. She kept to her usual path, the same as her morning routine, except she paused a little ways from Jake’s camp. Spotting a light inside the tent she simply stared, trying to think of what she was going to do in the coming days. A part of her wanted to crawl beside her friend and cling to him for comfort while at the same time she did not wish to bring up anything that had to do with Luckas. She just couldn’t be sure how Jake would react exactly, but she knew he most likely would not approve. With a sigh, she turned on her heels and jogged back to Luckas. Coming to a stop was not as graceful this time but instead she collapsed upon the ground staring up at the stars, all traces of aggravation gone from her face even when she still felt it gnawing at her insides. Again she was silent, working to catch her breath before attempting to eat some dinner once more.
Luckas raised an eyebrow, watching silently as Ess wandered off before shrugging and mumbling under his breath. “I don’t.” After which he went to sit by the oak, leaning against the tree and crossing his arms over his chest as if preparing for a somewhat long wait. Heaving a sigh he muttered. “That surely went well... Still no broken bones...” He snickered softly, closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift off for the moment. Again he snickered, remembering how Lena would tease him by saying only the guilty sleep... Luckas couldn’t say he’d lost much sleep in his life. Only two occasions would come to mind where he’d been unable to sleep, maybe those were the only two occasions where his conscience had bothered him, or maybe there was another, less profound, reason; he wasn’t sure.
Luckas wasn’t sure if he had slept, if he’d been there for hours or minutes, if he had any particular thought or dreams in that time... Nothing. His wait was a blur, a stupor he snapped out of the moment he caught the sounds of movement in the camp again, sitting up to look at Ess for a moment or so, before leaning back against the tree again, still glancing at her with only one open eye. “You said... Children are disappearing?” He asked casually, as if talking about the weather or some other meaningless topic. “Where did you hear that?”
Essence was able to eat more than she thought before Luckas began asking his questions. She couldn’t help but think of herself and found the question’s answer nothing new but something that hadn’t changed for quite some time. “....What, you haven’t heard the rumors Luckas?” She retorted with a certain amount of faked shock in her tone, yet her eyes were lacking emotion. “...Children have been disappearing since before my time...some things just don’t change.” Ess sighed with annoyance, quite loud and almost childish as she dragged it out. “ People always talk, and maybe I didn’t pay as much close attention as I should, but the rumors all have a similar story.” She specifically had heard some haunting tales more recently but kept the origin of those to herself, not finding it so important. “...Children, Luckas...boys and girls all young...under the age of ten...from Blackpond, the countryside....I even heard a story about a man working to settle his debt with some nasty people, and gave up his two little girls in exchange.” There came back the emotion into Ess’ eyes, so intense that she could not even pretend to play off how much it bothered her, most certainly reminding her of herself. She almost choked on some food, pausing to drink from a flask at her side. “..Rumors...stories...Luckas...because if there were more than a few people able to show proof, the Captain would take this group who are starving for action and those people would be presented with such a bloody reckoning, the Twins would cry out in fear. At least..” She glanced over at Luckas, a curious, almost hungry glower at the idea created such a wicked smile, she gave herself shivers. “...at least...not yet...but soon...soon enough..”
Again she fell quiet, chewing her food quickly to push in as much as possible before she felt full. “Children..” She muttered to herself, suddenly her mind’s focus shifted some. “Luckas...did you ever figure out or remember who the man in the basement was? It’s just, you haven’t brought up anything about yourself in some time and I never found out how you were doing after all our arguing and you wigging out over Twins knows what.” Ess’ smile softened. “You know you can talk to me if you want....” Her words fell into a whisper. “If..you want..”
“Children.” Luckas muttered, a dark shade of red lighting up his eyes. “No I haven’t... It was supposed to have stopped... Was supposed to be over...” He trailed off, staring intently at nothing, with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. If this was what he thought it was, someone better give him some answers or things would get ugly really fast. For a long time he sat with that angered look in his eyes before finally snapping out of it, taking a deep calming breath before speaking. “Oh, I remember everything.” He answered, taking another long breath and closing his eyes as he continued. “I don’t know who that man was though, in particular... I wasn’t... Allowed to look at them. I would recognize voices, maybe, but I’m not sure. What I discovered was that... My father was killed, and my...” He let out an angry snort before forcing out the word. “Mother... She gave Matthew and I away, allegedly in return for the man who killed him. She’s... Still alive somewhere... For the moment at least.” He snickered. “As for the rest of them... I’m working on it... I know the man behind it all is dead, has been for a while now. If there was really justice in this world I would’ve found him alive, but can’t always get my way, right?”
Essence couldn’t ignore the change in Luckas’ voice if she even tried, the familiar, distinct distaste of betrayal and anger in his words. She hadn’t responded to much that he said except by moving closer towards him, leaning also against the Oak with still a good amount of space between them, enough to still see him without turning. “...I’m sorry Luckas...I’m sorry that it appears we have more in common than we could have ever imagined.” Her own anger stirred inside her, like fire burning through her veins when she thought about how her friend had endured a somewhat similar childhood. Both their fathers died; she was stolen and he was given away. Both were abused and still walked around with the after effects of whatever unimaginable things those people had tried to brainwash into them. She knew the fear and loneliness that he must have felt; if he still did, she couldn’t read him that way but didn’t change the fact she saw it in him. Closing her eyes she again saw the sad smile from her dreams and when she opened them, they glowed, a small, chilling, chuckle sifted through the air as Luckas finished speaking. “No...we can’t always get our way...but I promise you...if you need anything from me, I will gladly help you. You know this, right?” A sickening thought lingered in the back of her brain, one which she was trying to discredit; to give a reason to doubt it but the idea nagged at her. Finally she whispered, a hint of awkwardness in her words as if speaking her idea out loud would indeed make it true. “Luckas...my Dear, Dear Luckas...do you think....it’s all connected?” Surprisingly saying it out loud made her feel a bit better, her breaths coming slower and more easily, as if she was being smothered and suddenly someone ripped a pillow from her face to breathe. “I mean...what if it is connected to the rumors...what if you and I are connected...” Her words flowed rapidly, drifting off into incoherent mumbles, her mind racing to find some sort of answers. The ideas that ran rampant in her head did not ease her nerves, again thinking of her brother. Ess knew she wouldn’t wait long. “Still alive somewhere...for the moment at least..”
Luckas sighed, a bit of amusement crossing him as he glanced at her. “Don’t be sorry Lady, there are worse people to have things in common with. Don’t you think?” He asked in an honestly curious tone. “Better than not having anything in common with anyone, I’d say.” He lowered his head until his forehead touched his knees and he was curled up into a ball. “I know, I can count on you, Lady... If I need anything. I won’t forget.” He kept quiet, with his head down, lost in his own thoughts until Ess asked him if he thought it was all connected. At which point he lifted his head and turned to face her. “Isn’t it a fact that you and I are connected?” He asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling rather playfully. Thinking a bit on an actual answer, he shrugged. “I don’t know Lady... Not even sure if I have much of an opinion. I do know that the White Shadows believe, and Lena often told me, that in Valcrest everything is connected in some way. Something to do with the Myths, as usual, but I’m not sure why exactly they believe that... The most I can say I believe is that it’s possible.”
Ess snickered, “Having worse things in common with one another or others I’m sure is up for debate.” Playfully giving Luckas a poke in the side she laughed. “You best not forget it...even if you don’t need something, don’t be afraid to ask...or to just tell me how it is.” Standing up, she reached out and ruffled up Luckas’ hair, before moving towards her tent to bunk down for the night. “I know there’s a connection between us, Luckas..what I meant was more...if ..” Ess shook her head trailing off as she snuggled down into her bed, still in the same clothes and boots, not feeling like she could sleep but shutting her eyes all the same knowing she needed it. “..No nightmares tonight, please...” She whispered to herself as Tala nestled up beside her in the usual spot, leaving quite a bit of room for Luckas.
Luckas nodded quietly, only half listening as Ess spoke, still going over what he had just heard and what he thought he knew. The serious expression returning to him as he thought. “Trust... Doubt...” He mumbled to himself, shaking his head before finally giving up on making sense of things and going to try and get some sleep as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Essence awoke in complete darkness, the light from the fire dwindling down hours ago, a dull aching pinching between her eyes. Her face was half buried beneath her pile of pillows and the second she rolled off her belly, she realized her pillows were wet. As her eyes adjusted, her face felt sticky and cool, her fingers reaching up to discover her nose was bleeding. With a subtle sigh, she pinched her nostrils shut and tilted her head forward, crawling quietly to her feet. Raising a free hand she motioned towards Tala to remain, the wolf’s eyes barely open, still in a sleepy haze, her head resting comfortably upon Luckas’ back. Tala huffed out a breath, readjusting herself a bit before letting her eyes close once again. Ess tiptoed out of the tent, her eyes quickly glancing past a sleeping Luckas as she let the flap of the door fall shut.
Sitting upon the ground until the ache in her head began to fade, Ess released her nose, hoping the bleeds had at least slowed enough for her to clean her face before the blood began to cake and crust into a blackish rust. “Ugh...whhhy..” She whispered to herself, sipping at her flask and smiling. “..Never too early for a drink..” She held back a chuckle and listened, the camp so quiet she could hear Tala and Luckas breathing from behind her. Eventually her mind drifted back to the evening’s conversations between her, Jake, and Luckas. Every discussion somehow in someway led her back to thinking of her brother and in turn her anger crept back under her skin. ‘It’ll never...be over...’ She thought, scowling at the knowledge she was almost wishing she didn’t have, the ideas sickening her practically to tears. ..Doesn’t mean I’m going to stand around while it continues.. Ess stood, moving ever so silently, it was painfully slow, especially when she was practically holding her breath as she lightly stepped around to retrieve her relic blades and a few random supplies. Heel, toe, breathe was the pattern she moved before taking in a deep breath and holding it. Staring into her tent she watched Luckas for what seemed like minutes, slowly tugging at her cloak that was bunched up beside his foot. Her eyes widened when she thought she heard him stir, again freezing like a statue. When she was sure he wasn’t awake she fled into the shadows as fast as she could in her ridiculously slow movements to keep quiet, strapping her weapons along her waist.
“Shhh, boy...steady..” She whispered, patting Shockwave along his neck to calm his excited snorting and stomping. Ess led her horse by the reins, purposely walking a narrow path, passing beneath the guards that watched her from high above, a whistle signaling to her that she was spotted which she echoed back in return, her hand raised in a small wave. Her heart thudded loud in her ears as she wondered how angry the Captain would be with her once she awoke and found her note which she had stuck under the door before she left camp.
Captain,
I’ve apparently tricked myself into thinking you may not be as angry as I feared, because I am going after my brother. I am going back to where it all started, back to the beginning...As much as I try to do this on my own, I feel our mutual shadow may catch wind of this sooner than you. I promise to be back in no more than two days’ time, assuming I don’t get caught. If I feel it’s too risky, I’ll be back before nightfall.
Watch Tala for me,
Ess
Only when she thought she was far enough away, did she climb up on her horse. Leaning in to hug the stallion along his neck, he stirred, rearing up enough to push her sitting straight before bolting down the road with such a burst of energy, the wind tore the tears from her eyes.
The boy’s hands were pressed against his ears with all the strength he had in him, but still the screaming was horrifying; he didn’t know what exactly was happening, but he wouldn’t dare open his eyes. Trying to shut out the screaming of one voice only made the shouting of the other sound louder… The words piercing through his ears painfully: “LIAR! CHEATER! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!”
The child was shivering in fear and pain, tears silently running down his face as he was curled up on the blood soaked floor; eyes still tightly shut. All of a sudden a second pair of, equally small, hands covered his own and successfully drowned out all the sound, and there he sat, in the silence… In darkness… For what seemed like forever… Until a female scream echoed so high no amount of sheltering could keep it from reaching his ears… And the boy opened his eyes to his mother’s terrified figure. Her eyes locked on him, and on the other boy who had been trying to help cover his ears, and she froze for a brief moment of hesitation before moving to drag both toddlers by their hands out of the house... Still covered in blood.
Luckas opened his eyes and found himself curled up into a ball, hands covering his ears, shallow breaths escaping him in a quick succession. Once he remembered where he was he frowned, sincerely hoping he hadn’t mumbled anything in his sleep. The dream was odd to him, but still somewhat familiar; maybe he’d had it before, but didn’t remember, or maybe... Maybe it was something he’d lived. Luckas cursed his mind for bringing these memories up in the absolutely worst moments and rubbed his eyes, glancing around with half his attention still on the dream. He snapped out of his sleepiness rather quickly though when he realized Ess wasn’t there, his eyes widening slightly as he spotted blood on her pillows. He glanced from the pillow to Tala, finding the wolf seated and watching him curiously, and relaxed for a second taking the time to breathe before shooting out of the tent in a hurry. If the blood was something serious Tala wouldn’t be sitting there quiet, that much Luckas was sure of, but he wasn’t all too pleased with the alternative.
“Crazy... Emotional... Impulsive... Stubborn... Lady!” Luckas muttered angrily under his breath as he headed towards the exit of the encampment, turning to glance over his shoulder suddenly as he noticed Tala was at his heels. “Tala... No...” He sighed, looking at the wolf, but not stopping. “Stay.” He commanded, watching with the corner of his eyes as the wolf slowed down her pace for a bit as if to stop and then stubbornly continued after him. “How did I manage to get myself surrounded by stubborn females?” Luckas shook his head stopping and turning to face the wolf. “Tala... Stay...” He repeated firmly, unfazed by the wolf’s disapproving growl. “Don’t argue with me. Back to camp.” He muttered, tilting his head slightly trying to look severe although he really was more amused than anything at Tala’s all-too-familiar stubbornness. The wolf glared at him, still growling defiantly for a few moments before turning away and walking back through the path. Luckas shook his head as he continued to head away from the camp. He didn’t know if he’d manage to catch up with Ess or not, but at least he knew exactly where she was going.
The stallion slowed his pace, gradually from a rolling canter to a trot, Ess not even noticing when Shockwave meandered his way into the forest to drink from a small brook. Ess’ mind was no where on the present, but neither was she stuck on the past; she was focused on the many possibilities of the future. Would she even find Ian and exact a suffering comparable to the anger swelling inside her? What if she failed and simply returned back to the Nest empty handed, and with a wounded pride? Ess wasn’t even sure if she was strong enough to keep going, but she figured she would soon find out because her typical stubbornness refused to turn back. Closing her eyes she inhaled deeply as her horse came to a stop, realizing her heart was quieting, no longer in rhythm with the entrancing hoof beats. Instinctually she leaned back, swinging her right leg over before sliding down off the stallion. When her feet touched the ground she began walking across the brook, her eyes opening just as her feet sloshed and dragged through the cold water, kicking polished stones aside. Finding herself before a large maple tree she began to cling and climb across several branches until she was at least six or seven feet over the ground where she relaxed along a divett in the center where several branches twisted together. She paused to watch Shockwave for a moment, and then unhooked her flask from her waist and swallowed a few deep droughts. Again, her eyes closed, her fingers resting comfortably along the hilt of her blade. Ess didn’t mean to nod off, she only meant to give her horse a short rest before they continued on their way, perching up on higher ground to keep an eye out for travelers. It felt like seconds before her eyes opened, unknowing for how long she actually had them closed.
Luckas wasn’t sure how long exactly he had been walking, he knew for a fact though that he’d never really covered this much distance this fast. Although, to be fair, he was rarely in a hurry for any reason. The walk was silent, and boring, and it honestly just gave him unwanted time to go over his weird dream and his annoyance for having to chase after horse tracks instead of sleeping late, which was what he had originally planned to do, but then... Maybe it was stupid of him to not sleep with one eye open after what had been the topic of discussion. Maybe the topic of discussion was the cause of his nightmare... He shook his head to push it aside, not wanting to go there now. “Only the guilty sleep...” He muttered. “So what does that make me now?”
Another piece of land covered, and Luckas had followed the tracks to the horse itself, finding
the stallion by a small stream in the forest. It didn’t take him long to spot Ess up in one of the trees, but he didn’t fully look up at her, finding a small, somewhat flat, rock to sit on and rest a bit from the walk. Staring at a point just between his feet at the ground ahead, he rubbed his eyes a bit wearily as he muttered in a very audible tone. “You promised to wait. I don’t like it when people go behind my back.” He stated simply, his tone sounding similar to the one of an ill-tempered child. “Could have woken me up at least.”
Ess wasn’t surprised when she looked below to see Luckas, his words reaching her above in the branches, appearing as if she was expecting some scolding for taking off before dawn peeked above the horizon. Swinging her legs over a branch, she scooted away from the tree’s center, letting them dangle, resting one hand upon her knee, a sweet smile shining down at her friend. “I know what I promised...and I kept it, like I keep all of my promises.” Scrunching her face together in a playful expression she shrugged, “...and besides, you looked peaceful and adorable sleeping...I didn’t want to spoil Tala’s contentment..” Ess winked, using her arms she pushed herself off the branch letting herself fall to the ground, once touching, her body naturally rolled to minimize the impact before gracefully wheeling to her feet.
“If you know what you promised, then you didn’t keep it.” Luckas muttered, still staring at his feet. “I had specified I needed time to make this safe, so unless you believed I would do that overnight, in my sleep, you knew that when I asked if you’d wait I didn’t mean until morning. So either you didn’t keep your promise, or you don’t know what you promised... I’d like to know which. Very much.” He shook his head, and stood giving Ess an annoyed glare. “I wouldn’t have slept if I thought you’d sneak out on me, so maybe I trust you a bit too much, huh?”
Ess rolled her eyes, her amusement faded along with a groan of frustration. Turning her back on Luckas she stared down at her feet, arms crossing lightly across her chest. “..Nothing will ever be truly safe, Luckas..no matter how much we try to prepare ourselves or our environment. I technically stated I would wait...so I said I would do something, hence it was like a promise.” Ess glanced over her shoulder, her gaze frightfully bright, annoyed with the idea of being called out on something she didn’t feel she deserved. “I didn’t plan on running off..” She whispered, her voice finding it’s strength again as she continued. “..I...waited...and the few hours i waited....I honestly wonder Luckas how many children were hurt..” Ess spun around, purposely backing away from Luckas, shaking her head. “How many could have died...how many could have been taken? I’m tired of waiting. I don’t want to feel like i’m turning my back...looking the other way..like so many others did to me. Always an excuse to wait...to NOT do something about it.” The woman hissed in her growing anger and stormed off towards her horse, pausing to gently pat him along his mane. “This isn’t just about Ian. I don’t expect to take on the world today, but I also don’t plan on sitting around idle any longer.”
Luckas held his angry glare for a few more moments before he released a shaky sigh, trying to calm himself a bit, shaking his head while Ess spoke. “You said... ‘I promise to wait’... Don’t...” He shook his head again. “Just don’t make me any more promises, alright? Not unless you’re absolutely sure you can keep to your word... I don’t like the idea of having to analyze every goddamn word someone says to me just to be sure they’re not going behind my back. I don’t care how you justify it... You knew what it sounded like... You lied to me.” He ran his hand through his hair, breathing slowly for a few moments.
After a bit he calmed and his tone changed considerably, even though there was still a considerable level of annoyance underneath. “You really should have woke me up. I mean, what, did you expect me to just let you run off on your own? What kind of a stalker do you take me for, Lady?” He let out a little annoyed snort. “And I’m not used to waking up and not... seeing you...” He mumbled, in an almost not audible tone. “Quite unpleasant even without the bloody pillows.” He gave a small shrug, trying not to make much of his concern. “And I’m just as adorable when I’m awake, so that’s just no excuse Lady.” He added, crossing his arms in a mocked severe expression before taking an actual serious tone to his words. “Look, I understand that nothing is ever safe, I know that you need to do this and I understand why you need to do this... You don’t have to convince me, you know. I just expected you to take me seriously enough to at least not run out on your own into a situation I’ve already said it’s pretty damn risky. Blackpond in itself is no place to wander into alone these days, even less for something like this. It’s no use getting yourself into something you can’t get out of just for the sake of doing SOMETHING.” He concluded, rolling his eyes. “And then people say I’m the selfish brat.”
Essence was quiet for some time, listening to everything Luckas had to say before she spoke. “Screw....you, Luckas. See it as you will. It’s not like I woke up thinking, ‘Oh, how can I royally piss off one of my best friends, today? Maybe I am tired of having answers held over my head. Maybe I believed you would make it a point to stop me. It’s ok for YOU to go wandering around Blackpond by yourself, but me...? Ha! Do I really seem helpless or stupid enough to not understand when I should walk away if things were going to be harder than I could handle?” She scoffed. “Here we go, double standards...should I start listing off the ways?” Ess spat, still refusing to turn back around to face Luckas, as she forced her fingers outwards running through her horse’s mane, the minor focus keeping her fists from clenching. “Keeping things to yourself is the same as lying...” She sighed, her thoughts scattered as she tried not to overthink EVERYTHING that Luckas had said. Her body was still tense, although she let her voice soften, an almost sad tone hinting outward each time she breathed in. “...It’s no fun falling asleep next to someone only to wake up and find them gone...kinda lonely isn’t it?” Ess turned around, staring at the ground intently, one hand still stroking the horse’s neck. “...And the blood....it was nothing...a bit more than usual for nose bleeds...but nothing all the same..” She fell silent again, as if something Luckas had said struck a nerve, but instead of growing angry again she continued staring off at her feet, the violet glow of her eyes strobing in a hypnotic pattern. Ess wanted to just turn, climb onto her horse and leave Luckas where he stood but at the same time she felt herself metaphorically reaching out to him. Yet, there she stood. Tears formed in her eyes but never reached her lashes; tiny ripples skipping across her irises similar to a stone ricocheting across a lake.
“Who says I wander around Blackpond alone, now?” Luckas muttered, the angry glare returning to his eyes as he spoke. “But yes, Lady, double standards... I didn’t invent them, but they exist. I’m not sure I even want to think of what will happen on the day you actually decide to make me royally pissed... I see blood being shed on that day.” He snorted, digging the tip of his boot onto the dirt and occupying himself with stirring the soil with his foot. “And if you must know, if this had been about stopping you, at any moment, I could have done just that. I can stop you if I want to just as I can kill you if I want to, but you and I both know that what I can or not do is freaking irrelevant here. So, no. I was trying to warn you but apparently you didn’t listen to what I was saying... You just made those little assumptions of yours... and really... I can’t freaking believe I’m repeating this damn discussion again.” He sighed, stomping on the bit of stirred soil he’d been fiddling with. “I know you are not helpless and I know you are not stupid and it somewhat offends me that you would think I would even be here if I didn’t... I don’t waste my time on pathetic people, I think I’ve mentioned that to you in the castle, or something along those lines... I’ll repeat myself, for your benefit, Lady: You are too close to this whole thing to be able to see the whole picture clearly. It has nothing to do with your abilities in any way... It’s a simple fact.” Luckas went silent, eyes staring at his feet as he shuffled through the dirt, after a moment or so he shook his head and spoke again, in a sincerely confused tone. “I thought I was being considerate, but if you rather I wake you before I leave... You could have said so.”
Ess sighed, glancing up at Luckas, a bitter and jealous edge to her tone as she whispered with a hint of sarcasm, “..Oh..I forgot...you have other friends...maybe in BlackPond then? I had only assumed...” Letting her features soften she smiled, not even trying to hide the feeling behind her words. “...We all make assumptions, Luckas...we all look beyond the simple words spoken...and great..now that we have succeeded at offending each other in some way...do you think that brings us closer?” Ess snickered. “Do you think knowing how to get under one another’s skin...” She didn’t finish her thought, instead she shook it from her mind, stepping forward to reach for Luckas’ hand. “Are we done arguing now? It obviously is changing nothing...we are both stubborn but I’m sure you know the truth in this as well. Do you still want to come along? I’d rather you at my side anyways..” Ess’ stomach twisted, trying to push back her anger and the urge to smack Luckas across the back of his head. Keeping a smile, the glow of her eyes faded to a darker purple, almost grey, storm like aura. She remembered where she should be focusing her anger and was almost embarrassed how she let it escalate as much as it did, even if she felt she was right for her annoyance.
Ess slipped her fingers along Luke's hand and gave a squeeze before releasing. With an acrobatic ease she leaped back up on her horse, gesturing in the direction of BlackPond. "No time for a toss in the hay now, lets get going. That is..if you're not still mad at me?"
Luckas sighed softly, shaking his head. “I have no other friends... That’s not what I said...” He whispered. “Least I think not.” He shrugged, really not caring for the whole argument anymore and just wanting to move on. He shook his head once more before looking at Ess with a more relaxed expression. “Do our arguments ever change something, Lady? I’d say we’re doomed to eternally ‘agree to disagree’.” He snickered, slightly amused at the thought. “I’m only stubborn when I’m right, I’ll have you know.” He added, with a little smirk crossing his expression. “And of course I’m going, do you think I came all the way here just for a little spat?” He snickered again, trying for an innocent expression, but unable to pull it off. “Well, it’s not unlike me to do such a thing, but no... I’m keeping a close eye on you, Lady.” Giving Shockwave a slightly wary glance, he added. “Do I get a ride, or shall I race you there? I’m a pretty fast runner, you know.” He played.
Releasing an amused, sudden burst of breath, Essence smiled. “Eternally cursed to agree to disagree...” She trailed off, her eyes finally softening to an almost hopeful expression at the thought. Rolling her eyes she held back a chuckle. “I’m only stubborn when i’m right too...” Shaking her head she scooted forward, gently patting Shockwave along his side. “If you must keep such a ‘close’ eye on me, then by all means ride with me. I don’t doubt your speed, but I do doubt you outrunning my friend here.” The stallion shuffled where he stood, nostrils flaring with each breath, turning his head to eye Luckas as if inspecting him before he settled, nodding in submission. “Normally, I don’t recommend trying to ride Shockwave, but since i’m with you, I think he’ll be ok.” She stated with a hint of playful doubt.
Luckas nodded, he couldn’t say that riding was his favorite way to get around; he’d much rather walk any day, but he didn’t give much more thought to it since he obviously couldn’t outrun a horse and he did want to keep a close eye on Ess. After giving Shockwave another, rather nervous, look, Luckas climbed onto the horse, a bit awkwardly as if he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. “Still alive.” He stated, snickering. “I think we’re good. Now... I wonder... Since you did put me through all the hassle of chasing you down, do I get some fun time for my troubles? That assuming we actually get anywhere with this.” Luke asked, somewhat conformed with the fact he wasn’t going to get anywhere with trying to turn this in any other direction... Might as well have fun with it.
“Hassle....troubles?” Ess stated with a light, airy laugh. She sighed, looking thoughtful for a moment before leaning backwards so she pressed her back along Luckas’ chest, reaching for his arms which she pulled tightly around her waist before straightening. “I know it’ll be worth it...” Ess whispered with a teasing smile. “..I won’t promise you’ll have fun, but I will make sure to do all I can to give you the full opportunity to indulge...and if I can help it, I plan on keeping my promise of fiery fun..” Shockwave began moving in an impatient forward and backwards motion causing Ess’ smile to broaden. “Ok..ok...shhh...” Addressing Luckas, she spoke over her shoulder, “Now hold on, this guy here packs quite a-” Essence laughed as the stallion didn’t even wait for the gentle tap of her heels before bucking and then lunging forward into almost an immediate full gallop. Leaning into the horse, Ess rested one arm across her waist, the other along the back of his neck, her fingers gripping his reins firmly yet the hold was loose, giving the horse much slack as they moved with an unrelenting speed.
The setting changes from Raven's Nest to Valcrest
-Before Luckas goes and talks with Ella –
Mageria sat serenely in the Council chamber, smiling at the men who shuffled in. There was more than one who stared at her in disgust and disbelief. There was also more than a hint of rage in her smile. One by one they all sat down.
Adolf, one of the senior Councilmen was the one who sat forward and cleared his throat. “Cap….ahem. Lady Mageria. You have been exiled and stripped of your rank. Why is it that you now see fit to sit here, with us?” He waved one hand at the rest of the Council. Mageria had always liked Adolf, which was why she kept her tone respectful. “With all due respect to the Council. I left because the Queen asked me to, not because I was exiled. The Black Knights cannot be exiled. They may only be executed, and that by one of their own rank. It is in the laws set down long ago. She nodded over to Thomas, who sat across from her. “The White Knights have seen fit to welcome us back, during this time of troubles.” She smiled sweetly at the men, watching as they all shifted slightly in their seats. She had never really managed a sweet smile.
After that, ground rules of a sort were laid out. They had sent a fast messenger to the White Shadows, waiting for a telepath to answer the question of what had happened to the Queen. Mageria knew, as so she made as many plans as she could for when they would be forced to imprison the necromancer for the duration of the pregnancy.
-Later-
Thomas scowled at Mageria. “You could have been slightly more diplomatic with them.”
Mageria shrugged and started polishing a nick out of a practice sword. “Diplomacy is your thing. You smile, people trust you. I smile, they start looking for something to hide behind. I’ve never really understood it.”
Thomas rubbed his forehead, feeling the pulse of a migraine that never seemed to go away anymore. “That’s because you don’t smile. You bare your teeth, like you’re about to rip their throats out.”
“I do not!” Mageria exclaimed in slightly shocked and hurt tones.
“Mageria,” Thomas sighed. “You are a woman, in charge of what is well known to be a bloodthirsty amoral much of killers. You yourself confessed to killing the former Captain of the Black Knights, a man who actually earned the reputation that you now enjoy. And you wonder why people are uneasy?”
Mageria looked up and cocked an eyebrow. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
Thomas sighed. “Yes, actually. Things would be better if you weren’t around for a little bit. I can handle things here, I need you to be out of sight for a little bit. Go talk to your people, get them ready for what’s to come. Because it’s going to be hell.”
---------
Luckas was more careful than what was his usual going into he Raven's Nest that morning. He was aware that what he did in the castle had caused some trouble and so he made sure to not run into absolutely anyone on his way in. Of course he couldn't avoid Mageria, in fact he had gone there with every intention of running into her, but he felt it was best to not talk to anyone else before they spoke. So he found the woman, and lurked around her, patiently waiting until he managed to finally catch her alone. He didn't bother pretending the woman didn't know he was there, if she didn't it would be the first time. "Lovely day isn't it, Captain?" He greeted, stepping out from his hiding spot amongst the trees and looking around as if wondering if there was someone else lurking there besides himself. "Feels like we may be having some sunny days ahead, finally."
Mageria had been sitting next to the stream sharpening her sword when Luckas showed up. She had known he was there, of course. She would have known either way, but here in a place where she knew every sound and animal call, it wasn't even difficult. She didn't glance up, didn't pause; just kept pulling the whetstone along the edge of the blade.
"Luckas."
She didn't know why he had come, but given that he was trying so hard to be causal, it wasn't for any good reason.
"I'm thinking of calling you StormCrow. Every time you show up, things seem to go sideways. Why is that?"
"Oh?" Luckas asked, arching an eyebrow and staring at Mageria with an intrigued look in his eyes for a moment before letting a chuckle escape him. "Well, I wonder what reason you would ever have to call me, Captain. Not to mention that, as you probably know, I'm never too far away... I really wouldn't mind though; It's a neat name. Very ominous-sounding." He mused, chuckling some more under his breath. "As you are probably wondering... I'm here, instead of being in the area of the camp I usually prefer to roam, for a particular reason Captain. Ever since Lena's death I've been experiencing some... Episodes... I have these annoying little visions from time to time, and I suddenly know things I was not supposed to know; that only she knew. It's not conscious, I either have random flashes or I suddenly find myself knowing answers to questions I've never bothered to ask before. It's actually pretty useful, aside from being uncomfortable and confusing. Now, for instance, I know that the 'medicine' Lena's pet gave you with the intent to save your life was nothing more than a very powerful sedative mixed with some well chosen hallucinogenics... Opens doors in secluded areas of your mind so you can go inside. That's all it does; once inside you're on your own. None of the people they tried it on before ever awoke. You shouldn't have either. Considering every test ever performed with both my brother's victims and mine, surviving was an impossibility. So the question, this annoying, persistent, question in the back of my head... Remains... How did you do it?" The question hadn't really changed from the last time they had conversed, but the tone behind it was entirely different from the amused curiosity Luckas had always displayed when wondering about the matter; his tone was serious, almost uncharacteristically serious. If there had been an important motive behind his questioning before, it had suddenly become very apparent. If there hadn't been; then something had changed. "I need to know Captain, and if you can't really tell me, then I need to see."
Mageria's hands never slowed, her posture never changed, but there was a sudden tension in the air around her. Her gaze turned inwards for a moment, remembering.
Almost.... almost she could hear a whisper of a voice again.
"Well, if there was noting but some powerful halucenagens, then what happened in my mind wouldn't make much sense, would it? Just the ravings of a mind trying to turn itself inside out. And if nobody else survivned, why did I? Maybe your brother just didn't have a chance to finish what he started. Maybe he just did a bad job on me. And if not, Luckas, why in the name of the Twins do you think I would let you into my head?" Her voice was trying very hard to be causal, but failed slightly. "Your brother didn't manage to drive me to suicide, but I very much doubt that you would be so sloppy."
"For fucks sake." Luckas muttered under his breath, starting to feel a bit of annoyance. "It seems like even though you shared a one-sided telepathic link with my brother for a few moments before you bashed his head in, you still don't get how this works... Here's a few facts then, just for your benefit... Fact one: It is impossible to do this halfway, there is no way of doing a poor job of it, it's something that either is or isn't and in your case it sure as hell was. Fact two: The mind always tries to repair itself one way or another. Usually our consciousness gets in the way, rational thinking gets in the way... Because all it does is focus of the pain. And the pain screams at us to just give in.. And it screams... And screams... And SCREAMS... Until we finally do what it wants, shutting that off is the mind's best chance to heal; hence the sedatives. And hallucinations are simple projections of the things that dwell inside the very places my brother was oh so famous for attacking within his victims' minds. The hallucinogenics, as I said, open the doors to those dark corners where no one likes to go and exposes the problems. Lena was a lot of things, but she was never stupid; the concept was sound, in theory it should have worked, but it simply couldn't have because it just... never... bloody... did. Something was missing. Whatever it was, you seem to have found it and there is no amount of maybes that will erase that fact. So there: It is what it is, Captain. Your mind holds the key; salvation always comes with a fucking price."
Luckas went silent for a moment, taking his time to take a couple of breaths and maintain his tone as calm as he could. "Remember that last time we spoke of this I said that maybe we could help each other... That was just a friendly offer back then, now things have changed. So believe me, because you know I don't lie: You're going to need my help soon enough. As is though, you can either give me what I want, or you'll eventually be forced to kill me, because I'm not going to stop trying. It's as simple as that and you know it. You know that there's a great possibility that my answers fit some of your questions as well. You know that if my goal was to drive you insane or make you suicidal there are many ways I could do that just as easily by using the people around you instead of standing here and asking for permission. You also know that I may be many things as well, Captain, and insane may just be one of those things, but I'm not stupid either."
"I'll need your help Luckas? With what; the fact that I still have nightmares so real that I'll wake up with a sword in my hand? That I once had to start locking myself in my room because I kept waking up wandering the halls fully armed with no clue how I got there? The fact that I sometimes think I'm wading through rivers of blood while everybody I know or love floats past me and I know, I know deep down in the very core of my soul that it's my fault?" Mageria's hands still hasn't hesitated throughout her questions, but the tension in the air around her had become almost unbearable. She brought her sword up and slowly examined the edge of her blade, looking for nicks. Light shivered along the edge, evidence that her hands had started shaking. "Besides which, we've already established that you can't get in my mind. Some sort of mental scar tissue left behind by your dear brother."
"Or maybe you mean something else. What is it you've been doing, Luckas? What trouble have you been stirring up when you leave here?"
Luckas sighed softly, keeping silent for a long while as though he was thinking of words to say when in fact he was attempting to hold in the fit of laughter that inevitably escaped him so violently his knees gave in causing him to fall over. "Oh, excuse me Captain, I couldn't help myself, it's just..." He choked on his words and coughed for a few moments, waiting until he could breath normally before moving on. "I know what that's like, well, sort of... And yes, it's unpleasant, more so for you sentimental types than for someone like me, but... No, I can't help you with that. Well, in theory maybe I could, but I wouldn't consider that a solution to your problem. No... Forget that, we don't want to do that." He chuckled softly, shaking his thoughts away and moving onto more pressing matters. "That's all I will say; you will need my help. You'll know what for when it's time, unless of course you kill me, then you probably will never know. That'd be a shame, but that's just life."
Slowly Luckas stood up straight, wiping some dirt from his clothes as he mumbled. "Your nightmares seem real because you make it so, Captain. All those little things you believe you're to blame for... Well, you are because in your mind, for some stupid reason, at some point you decided to be. Blaming these things on the dead boy is a rather pathetic attitude the way I see it. If you choose to feed your inner demons you have only yourself to blame when they eventually bite your head off." He smirked. "What I'm saying is... You've always been fucked up in the head... You just didn't know it yet. Now you do; you can do something about it or you can sit in a corner when no one is watching and wallow in self-pity, it's not my business which one you go for and I honestly don't care. I have my own fucked up head to worry about and a list of things I'd like to get done before it eventually explodes, soo... Yes, that's true; I can't go into your mind if I try, but that's because you really, really, don't want me to. If you were to let me, then I could. And we would never have to speak of this again, which, believe me, is something I really look forward to. Probably more than you."
Mageria finally sheathed her sword, standing up and turning around. "You're right Luckas. I'm fucked up in the head, quite possibly more than anybody around here realizes." She smiled bitterly. "But you've got me all figured out, don't you? Too bad that you can't see what's right in front of your face. Because if you could, you'd know why I survived." She strapped her sword to her belt in an absent gesture while she talked. "I hope you enjoyed this little chat, Luckas. Because it's as close as you are ever going to get to the inside of my head, ever again." With that she turned and walked back towards the main body of Raven camp, gliding smoothly through the underbrush.
Luckas shook his head, steadily pacing after Mageria as she walked away. "It was not my intention to even try to figure you out, Captain and I never pretended to give enough of shit to go through the trouble, but fine... If you're through talking about yourself, let me ask you something else then, just out of curiosity; after you killed Matthew, what did they do with his body? Did they bury him somewhere or is he still rotting down there where you left him? Do you even know?"
Mageria glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Normally we bury the bodies of prisoners in a cemetery we had set aside for them. Even the condemned deserve a place of remembrance. But after that fight there were too many bodies to bury while the wounded still had to be tended, so they were cremated on a mass pyre and their names were inscribed on the wall."
"Their names..." Luckas muttered under his breath, a hint of disgust crossing his voice. "Fine." He stated simply. "One other reason I've come was to say that I had a chat with poor Little Ella. She finally understands that she's going to have to die, even if she can overpower the necromancer and regain control. Apparently she couldn't figure that one out on her own; as I suspected intelligence isn't much of a requirement to rule a city. At least she has the chance to make her peace with it now. Isn't it a sad day for Valcrest when the only one thoughtful enough to bother with these little details is the psychopath?"
Mageria sighed softly. "I wasn't sure that she could hear anything I would have said and there was no point in speaking to the necromancer. So, thank you for that. Of course, in order to have talked with her, you would have had to have gotten past my people who were guarding the room she was locked in. Given that you still want something from me, I'm guessing that you didn't do anything permanent to them, because you know what I would do to you in return. So. Was there any reason for your conversation and you telling me about it?"
"Don't think my reluctance to harm your people has something to do with this, Captain, or that it'll stop me if one of them... I'm going to assume you'll know who I mean... Gets on my bad side... But your boys at the castle, they just took a little nap. The other dude who walked in on me wasn't as lucky, but that was self-defense." Luckas shrugged simply at the questioning. "I don't know if there was a reason for our conversation, Captain, depends on what you'd consider a valid reason. I did offer to kill her, permanently, but she didn't take up on the offer; probably because of the kid, but then... What kind of life is it going to have anyway? If mommy, uncle, and grandpa are anything to go by... well... Best of luck to the little bugger. And I just thought you'd like to know... That she's not suffering as much as she could be. That's... comforting... I think? Common courtesy is something that hasn't yet died on me, Captain... You did warn me I was being sought after by someone after all; I appreciated that. I think you probably shouldn't have told her you killed Matt though... Sammy really, really, wanted to find us both alive. And she can be a pretty dangerous person when she doesn't get what she wants. Like me, but with less restraints. She didn't say anything, but when she asked me who did it and I said I didn't know, well... She wasn't happy."
Mageria shrugged. "Well, I thought it was better to tell her the truth than to sit there and smile at her before she found out on her own. I take it she has the family talent of getting into people's heads?" She stopped as a sudden thought occurred to her. "Does she know, what happened between your brother and I? And that you can't get in my head?" She tilted her head to the side. "Is that why you want to know what happened so desperately?"
"Family trait?" Luckas chuckled. "First, Sammy said I'm her brother, and in a way that's true, but we're not blood relatives. Second, do you not remember what I've told you Captain? I wasn't born like this... There's not a drop of enlightened blood in my entire family line as far as any known test can tell. That was why Lena spent so much time poking around my mind instead of tossing me in a dungeon cell and that's a part of the reason I need to know what happened. Sammy is enlightened, yes, but what I am, what my brother was... It's something else entirely. Like I said, she hasn't told me anything, I don't usually like to talk about Matthew and she respects that, but if I were to guess... Sammy knows what happened well enough. There's a lot of things she's not quite ready to tell me yet and if there's one thing I've learned these past weeks, however, is that my memory is an incredibly unreliable source of information. So... Maybe, I'll get back to you when I know more. Maybe, because I've already been twice as helpful to you in thirty seconds than you have been to me in months."
Mageria had turned to say something when she stopped suddenly, lips slightly parted as she reran the conversation in her head.
I wasn't born like this... There's not a drop of enlightened blood in my entire family line as far as any known test can tell.
She actually had forgotten that Luckas had told her that; but in her defense, a lot had been happening recently.
"Yes," she whispered, "they would need a lot of children for that......". She turned abruptly and strode quickly to her cabin, stepping over Puppy as he lay across the threshold and climbing the steps to her workroom. Pulling the journal from a cabinet, she started flipping through the pages, searching for a passage that she half remembered.
Luckas frowned, a look of confusion spreading across his features as he watched Mageria freeze in place and then suddenly wander off. "Wait what?" He mumbled, only catching a couple of words she had whispered. He froze for a second while the woman was already walking off, causing him to have to run for a couple of steps to catch up. Following after Mageria to the door of her cabin, Luke stopped for a moment to briefly scratch Puppy's ears before wandering inside and just hanging around there looking really confused, but deciding that he needed to know what exactly had prompted that reaction. "Captain?"
"Hmmm? Oh, sorry, come on up." Mageria's entire demeanor had changed, now that she had a problem that she could work on. She pulled out a think bundle of notes and started laying them out in chronological order. She looked up as Luckas came up the stairs and reached out to pull him over by one arm.
"Here, look at this." She gestured at a map of Valcrest, small carved stones laid out across it. "Each of these marks the place where a village was raided and destroyed over the years. The weird part was..." She started laying the notes from the journal out next to notes from her own records. "The weird part was that we never found enough bodies. An entire village destroyed and all we would find were the people who died during the fighting." She reached out and touched the journal laying to the side. "According to this, though, they were planned as, cargo raids. With people as the main target." She pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. "But it almost seemed like children were the main target, once you shift through the ramblings of that idiot. Which didn't make any sense, because children don't make good slaves." She carefully reached out and adjusted the position of a small ring of white unmarked stones. "Except if he wasn't selling them as slaves and instead, experiments? I doubt that this, what ever it was that happened to you and your brother, worked the first time. Which means that they needed lots of children to practice on." She reached out and tapped one finger on the journal. "I hope to meet him, someday."
Luckas stood, looking over the map, his expression seeming to darken for a moment as Mageria spoke. The word 'experiments' causing an involuntary twitch in the corner of his left eye. He couldn't remember everything, but he could remember well enough to know that his 'conditioning' or whatever they liked to call it had been far from pleasant. Throughout his silence Luke's face contorted in an expression of contempt and disgust as he tried to think of how many times they had tried this before it finally worked. Sam's words about her cats crossing his mind abruptly, her casually telling him how her father had made her attempt the imprint on twelve kittens, ten of which didn't survive... He and Matt were like those cats... There had been others before, but what about now?
Luckas heaved a deep sigh, his expression slowly changing to a void as he finally spoke. "I see... Well... There are things I can share and maybe they will help you, Captain. However, I have conditions. First: I've asked this before, but I'll ask again... Don't tell anyone that I'm not enlightened; absolutely no one. What was done or not to me is no one's business but my own. Second: Any information I have to give, believe it or don't believe it... Just don't ever ask me where I got it. These are my terms." Luckas stated simply, looking up from the map to stare Mageria in the eyes. "There is plenty I'm not going to tell you, Captain. I could, but I don't want to. There are many reasons for that, but the main reason is that at this point I don't feel I can trust you to trust me." Luckas paused for a moment, turning his attention to the map once again. "Lady mentioned to me a while back that children were being taken in Blackpond. I know that the person in charge of what was done to me is dead, because I have been searching for him. I've been digging around, I haven't found much about any recent activities, to be honest, but I can tell you some things I've learned about my past and of some places you can look for more information. That is, if my terms are acceptable to you."
"Agreed," Mageria didn't even hesitate before she spoke; if anything, children were her one weak spot. To keep this abomination from happening to any other child, she would make a deal with a demon. She met Luckas's eyes, her own expression as grave as his. She took a deep breath. "Help me make sure this doesn't happen again, Luckas, and I'll do my best to let you see why I survived."
"Alright." Luckas mumbled, not seeming too pleased with having to talk about these things, but suppose it was only fair. "I was born in Blackpond. When Matthew and I were around three or four years old our father was killed and out mother sold us to these people. She was not very good at her job apparently. I'm not sure how or when we were taken from there to Newhaven, I can't remember much of anything useful from that time except for voices. When Lena caught us playing with the Warlord Xypher in the Castle, I had recognized one of those voices in his mind. More recently I discovered the man's name is Bennett. He's a councilman in Newhaven still. He has been threatened very recently to keep his mouth shut about the past and if you do get him to speak no matter what anyone does to prevent it he is going to die or simply disappear. It seems the man in charge of the experiments offered us to Newhaven as an advantage in battle, he intended to raise a small army for sell, but since my brother and I proved to be too... Uncontrollable... The Newhaven people backed out of the deal, technically the whole operation was shut down. Mathew and I were to be killed, but..." Luckas shrugged slightly. "I don't know what happened next. I know they offered Blackpond the same deal, but they were already training their own assassins and good old Rory told them to fuck off... Look how well that ended for him..." Luckas snorted a slightly amused laugh at the irony and continued. "Like I said, the man who ordered this to be done to me is dead. The new leadership... Is something else entirely, something far more dangerous, far more subtle and far more deadly. And if, IF, they are taking children to do with them what was done to me and Mathew... They're not going to sell them out this time."
Luckas stopped talking for a while, crossing his arms over his chest. His tone was completely calm as he spoke, but there was noticeable tension in his posture as if speaking of any of this would immediately cause horrible things to happen to them both. He forced a deep breath before moving on. "In the past, oh, eight years or so, they have infiltrated Newhaven, Blackpond, the Wolfpack, the Crimson, and you can be damn sure that if they haven't infiltrated this camp yet they are at least watching closely. For what I understand, they have associates in powerful positions in several locations outside of Valcrest scattered across the continent. The only place they seem to shy away from is the White Shadows' territory, but with Lena gone the Shadows can't help even if they want to. They've pretty much taken over Blackpond at this point and the King doesn't seem to notice because he doesn't care, hell if he wasn't such a good distraction they would have taken him down and replaced him for someone more controllable by now; those assassins are only alive, basically, because they've been allowed to live. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, one other thing you can do is send a few of your guys into the city and try to get them into the fighting circuit, that's the only thing I've seen them allow outsiders into, and they'd surely see some stuff. The places aren't too hard to find if you go around the more quiet parts of town, the ones even the worse types seem a bit hesitant to wander through. I have to warn you though that those places are brutal and if anyone were to get killed down there you shouldn't expect to see any leftovers. I think it's not necessary to say that enlightened people are not very welcome in these places either." Luckas frowned, watching the leather journal Mageria had showed him, thinking on what she had told him. "This man, whoever he is, must serve some great purpose to them if he's still alive. Now that they're pretty much out in the open they've been eliminating anyone who has deeply involved in their affairs, but not this guy. I take it he must be important somehow."
Mageria laughed softly. "Important. Yes, you could say that." She absently started doodling the symbol she had seen over and over in the journal. "His name is Asher. He is, among other things, a weapons merchant. He sells to anybody with a bit of coin in their pocket, playing the Cities against each other. Till recently, he was living in that underground prison city in Blackpond. His currently location is unknown."
Mageria swallowed hard and held out the scrap of paper to Luckas. "The journal is in code, but this symbol repeats over and over, in reference to "Cattle". I believe that this is when he's selling the children." She waved one hand at the map. "Like I said, I think that I've narrowed down where their base might be. I've got some people out scouting the area now." She shrugged. "But if they happen to see children in trouble there.... I doubt that there will be much left after they get done with it."
"Asher..." Luckas mumbled under his breath as he stared at the symbol Mageria had sketched on a bit of paper. Of course he should have figured it would come up, but the fact that it was on this guy's journal was what surprised him, maybe Sam was wrong about how the symbol became known; if she knew that this guy had doodling it in his personal records it was doubtful that she would have let him get away with it. "I see..." He muttered. "I've seen the symbol before. That's about as much as I have to say on the matter." He replied shortly, clearly not wanting to dwell on the subject. "If I have any information on this Asher person or his whereabouts though I'll have no problem passing it along, or possibly fetching him personally, but then... I assume you'd prefer he'd be alive and sane enough to talk, yes? So maybe I shouldn't fetch him." Luckas opened a devious smile at the thought of hunting this guy, but then it was probably a bad idea to openly go after one of the Brotherhood's associates; Zeke would surely want his head for it. "One more thing Captain... I don't think I really need to tell you this, but just to be safe I will anyway; you shouldn't, under any circumstance, tell me about any plans. Not even if for some weird reason they involve setting my pants on fire; not even to give me fair warning, just don't tell me. Trust me, it wont be good for anyone if you do."
With that final warning Luckas silenced for a moment, wondering if he should or not mention this guy's journal to Sam. On one hand she might tell him something important, on the other... It may not go well in the long run. He needed to give that some thought. "I suppose..." He started. "...That's all the information I have to give at the moment, Captain."
Mageria nodded. “I promised if you helped that I would do my best to let you see what you wanted. Since there are things that you obviously don’t want to be told about…. It should happen before I make too many other plans.” Luckas opened him mouth to say something in return, then shut it with a snap. She was giving him what he wanted, no need to make her angry again. Instead he stepped forward and did his best to smile cheerfully. “I’m glad you finally came around to my way of things, Captain. Now if you could just relax….?” Mageria nodded and let her eyes fall half closed, taking deep, even berathes. Luckas leaned forward, concentrating…. It was like searching for an island in the mist. Every time he though he had a lock on the Captain’s mind, it slipped away again.
His eyes flared black several times before he sat back. “Captain, really. You need to let me in.”
Mageria sat up and glared right back. “I’m trying. I don’t even know how this happened in the first place.”
Luckas sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Just, try not to avoid me. Think of ripples on a pond or something.”
Mageria sighed and bowed her head, focusing on finding a still center in her mind. Her breath slowed and her face grew serene. Luckas leaned forward, cautiously reaching out again. This time he got the sense of walking through a dense fog, following somebody that he could almost see. He followed them for several minutes before what felt like a gust of wind blew away the fog and left him facing Mageria. They stood together in a shadow-drenched courtyard, just a few torches struggling to lift the gloom. Across from him Mageria stood in her Black Knight armor, heavily scared and dented here and there. It might have been a trick of the shadows, but it almost looked as if there were three people standing behind her; which wasn’t possible because he hadn’t invited anybody else along.
“You know Captain, a few plants would really brighten this place up.” Luckas couldn’t suppress the remark. When the woman could choose any sort of inner landscape, this was what you felt most at home in? Mageria shrugged. “You wanted to see what happened. It wasn’t exactly a vacation.” Luckas shrugged. “Whatever. Just show me and we can get this over with.”
Mageria winced, clearly not happy with the idea, but set her jaw and inclined her head. She rippled and vanished, and the scene wavered, before snapping into focus. Twin Mageria’s stood facing each other, one crazed and drenched in blood and one dressed in a simple tunic and leggings, her he=aid pulled back in a long tail. They seemed to be speaking to each other, but the sound was distorted, as if hear from the bottom of a well. Luckas moved closer, trying to get a grasp of what was going on, but the scene wavered and blurred, washing away like watercolors in the rain.
“DAMN IT CAPTAIN!!” he roared. He was so close and the stupid woman kept pulling away what he needed.
“You’re not going to get what you want that way.” A cool and slightly amused voice caused him to turn. The person who stood behind him…. Was not Mageria. Not completely. It was as if they were part of her, but a part that was separate on its own.
“Who the fuck are you?” It was a woman, dressed in an archaic black coat. It had a deep hood that covered her face, with a long white braid flowing down from it. The woman ignored the question. “You said it yourself earlier, this whole thing was about symbolism and hidden meanings. Did you really think you would understand it without a frame of reference?”
“Who. Are. You?” Luckas was rapidly loosing what little patience he had. Again, the woman ignored him.
“You need to know what happened. Are you willing to pay the price?” There was a brief flash of teeth in the darkness of her hood and she held out a hand. “It’s the only way you’ll get what you want.”
“Fine.” Luckas snarled. He reached out and grasped her hand in return. "What's the price?"
Again there was a feral gleam of teeth in the darkness. The hand grasping his clamped down until he could feel his bones creaking.
"Pain."
There was a brief twisting of his vision and then …. Somehow he was inside Mageria’s mind in a way that he had never experienced before. She/he stood across from the her/him that stood drenched in blood. It was as if all of the guilt and rage and evil thoughts they had ever had had been ripped away and stood before them, a personification of corruption. She/he could feel the horror of facing it and at the same was drawn to it. It was terrifying, being so out of balance. Somewhere in their mind there was a scream that went on and on and on……
Their opposite laughed insanely and leapt forwards, trying to strangle them with her/his bare hands. They screamed, feeling evil burning into their skin. They fought, but it was no use, they were too evenly matched. Mageria/Luckas tossed their head wildly. “No,” Luckas could feel his lips shaping the words as well as hers. “No, this is wrong. You are me. We are….balance.” The other froze for a moment and Mageria/Luckas took their chance. Lunging forwards, they wrapped their arms around the other, feeling corruption eating into their skin, into their selves, into their core.
The realization came suddenly. In order for Mathew to force one to face their evil, he had to draw it away from the rest of a person’s mind, making one half again into an innocent, before the burdens of the world descended upon them. When one was innocent, the idea of evil seems overwhelming. The first was always the harshest, staining the soul in a way that never washed clean. After that they became easier, as one became used to the weight of evil. But as he tore away the weight of evil, he also tore away the strength that came from facing the world. Mageria/Luckas realized that, knew that in order to face the world and make any difference for the better, they would have to accept the weight of that evil again.
Mageria/Luckas accepted evil back into their souls, feeling it etch itself into their selves, feeling the weight of a lifetime of harsh choices and sins and evil all burying them under what felt like the weight of a mountain. The evil worked it’s way deeper, forcing itself into every facet of their minds, staining them with blood that would never wash away….. And Mageria/Luckas accepted it, drew it in; because without it they would never have the strength to make the world a better place. And still the weight of that evil burned and burned and burned and she/he screamed………
Darkness descended.
Luckas spun in place, searching vainly for something to hold onto in the maelstrom that Mageria’s mind had become. He reached, looking for anything he could find. The same fog that had kept him out now made it almost impossible to find a way out. A snatch of a child’s laughter drew him in one direction, he followed it and found himself standing in a sunlit glad. A small girl ran past him, red hair flying. She looked over her shoulder and Luckas could see the hint of the woman she would become someday.
“Pappa!” she cried joyfully, running through the trees. “Pappa, come look!” she ran and was swung into the arms of a tall man, who threw her into the air with a laugh. “What is it now, my Ria?” The girl twisted around to point and caught sight of Luckas, gasping in fright. The scene twisted again, Mageria standing before him. She moaned and clutched at her temples, stumbling back a few steps. She bent over, gasping for breath and coughing. She looked up, teeth bared.
“Get. Out.”
In the real world, Mageria collapsed bonelessly to the floor, eyes rolling backwards.
----Later, After Essence collapses----
Darren didn't sleep much for the next few nights, staying up late to decode what he could as he waited for news on the Captain's return. It wasn't that he didn't know Mageria's time in the city was of great importance, he was just extremely antsy to find out as much information as he could to substantiate his theories. It didn’t help that the more time he spent on the journal, the harder it was to concentrate. He began obsessing, only taking breaks to eat, until finally he finished the first section. That was when he put the book down, if one could call it that as he tucked it back into his jacket. He couldn’t part with it, but at least he was trying to focus on something else. Anything else, really. Darren knew it wasn’t good for his sanity to have gone so long without sleep, but every time he closed his eyes he saw the little redheaded girl and felt nauseous.
Darren had heard Jake was back in camp, but only after the commotion the Captain broke up, took place. He had caught Irv leaving the scene prior but didn’t get to question him on the matter. He didn’t really care at the moment why Jake almost got stabbed, chalking it up to the bits he had procured when he shook the man’s hand. ‘Jake must really like his redheads.’ Darren thought to himself, snickering at the bits he overheard as he watched Aiden wait outside the medics cabin only to be turned away by one of the women who was with Essence. He waited another moment before making his way towards the Captain’s quarters, barely containing his haste. Mageria already seemed to have her hands full but he needed to see her and collaborate on what they both were able to discover. As he approached he saw Jake leaving, jokingly bumping his shoulder into the man’s side. “What is with you pissing off redheads, hm?” He half joked, but didn’t stop to wait for an answer. Darren felt his blood pounding in his ears when he revealed the journal from his jacket and went to knock on the door. He wanted to pound his fists against the door until he cracked the wood, but to the contrary the sound he made was soft; a little too quiet perhaps and he wondered if it would be overlooked as he went to knock again.
Mageria growled to herself as she finished pulling off her soaked clothing. The temperature had been hovering around freezing the past couple days and the damn river was cold. And now..... she listened and heard a soft repeat of the noise. Somebody was knocking.
She quickly wrapped herself in an old shirt and worn pants, noticing idly that they fit a bit looser than they used to. She didn't even glance at the mirror, knowing that there was more stark white showing in her hair than there used to be. Instead she grabbed a soft old knee length robe and wrapped it around herself as she went to the door, snagging a towel to try and wring some of the water from her hair.
"Darren," Mageria only raised one eyebrow at the man standing in the doorway. Given the journal in his hands, she could guess at what brought him to her door. "Please, come in." She lead him down the few steps into her sitting area, before kneeling down in front of the fire and throwing a few logs on. She warmed her hands for a moment before sitting down. "So, tell me. What have you learned?"
Where should I start? Darren thought to himself, standing and staring idly at the fire as the Captain tended to the flames. He inhaled a deep, shaky breath as he spoke, stuttering only at first. “We..Well..ok Irv made a copy of Asher’s ledger after Jake and him procured it for me, back in Blackpond and with all that came up at the Ball...I couldn’t wait to see what you had discovered so I worked to finish what I could in your absence. I found out my birth was apart of a business deal and that I apparently have siblings whom I’ve never met. Half sisters...Something that was going on between Ebony and my father. In his journal he talks about them as if they were experiments and that most were disappointments. He..also talks about his joy when he discovered I was a boy...his first son. I ...don’t understand what happened to the others…” Darren coughed, clearing his throat. “I do have my theories though...which leads me to you to ask what you have learned. This bit I can only guess was inventory or were transactions of sorts. He was smart in never placing names to incriminate any of his business partners or his dealings per say. Everything has a bit of poetic flare to it...and instead of inspiring...it sickens me.”
Darren flipped through the pages, pointing out bits and pieces to substantiate his findings as he showed the Captain before continuing. “...There’s much more….there’s a girl...who I can only imagine if she is still alive..is now a woman..but he obsesses over her...and it reads like he ‘saves’ her from the destruction of her village...but he gives her to someone who he dislikes but benefits from...and talks about her as a ‘Crone’. I’d like to think he means Ebony..but again only hints. When she is older...he talks about a love affair of sorts with her...and then again having his only son...which has to be me. There’s pages and pages of Asher talking about a business partner who got him where he is now, and how he hints at the man’s power, is unbelievable. If you knew my father...her fears no one or anything...except this man.” Darren paused and nodded as if motioning towards a particular part on the pages before the Captain. “See anything funny about the entries? Have you noticed a symbol that repeats itself anywhere else in the journal and especially when particular business dealings are mentioned? I don’t know what it means. Then, the Cattle he refers to. I believe...it may be a euphemism for… children.” Darren’s voice disappeared as he spoke the last word, casting his eyes towards the floor as if ashamed.
Lifting his head back up so his eyes met Mageria’s he continued, “Which is why I need to know what you found out. Not to mention I know for a fact what his last entry talks about. A few years ago, my father began my lessons with...explosives, which I’d like to think i’m pretty knowledgeable of at this point. Not to sound cocky but it leads to the point that I understand what these symbols stand for.” Leaning over the ledger he pointed at the bottom of the page. “..These are the components needed to create what is desired and he talks about getting massive amounts...but for what I don’t know. That is also why I need to find out what his dealings were and how often...there may be a pattern to everything. It must have to do with the reason I turned my back on Asher. You see...he was dealing weapons of all kinds to the major cities of Valcrest...and fueling the terror for YEARS...playing each one as a pawn against one another. Makes me think of a chess game..”
Darren trailed off, shaking his black curls roughly as if trying to shake off his disgust; as if there was something on him that was not coming off. He finally fell quiet, pondering if there was anything he failed to mention. "..But that's why I left my father and his business. I refused....to deal with those who are basically war profiteers."
"Darren... There's some things that once you know, they change the way you see the world. Very rarely are they good changes." She looked at his face and sighed. "Come along, there's something you need to see."
She lead the way up the winding staircase to her conference room. A map was laid out, small carved stones marking various locations in Valcrest.
"Assume that your father was moving cargo, whatever it was, that he wasn't getting lawfully. Easy enough to assume that, given that his journal is in code. Assume that he was getting large amounts of whatever it was, which could only get gotten by raiding. Each of these, is a village that was destroyed over the years. Some of the days match up. Enough for me to be sure. The thing is, all of these," she waved her hand again, briefly touching one of the stones. "All of these, indicate somewhere where there weren't enough bodies. It was never put together before now, but it's obvious that they were raided not only for the good but for the people too. And you're right." She pulled out a scrap of paper with the symbol drawn on it. "This most likely stands for children taken.....because this isn't the first time I've seen this. And if it's what I think it is, things are possibly worse than you know."
Darren obediently followed the Captain, quietly staring at the map of Valcrest laid out before him. “This world..will never be what I expected…” He whispered, absorbing the bits the Captain was connecting with the dates that coincided with the destruction of some of the villages destroyed out west. Darren pointed to a few different markings upon the map. “..If I remember my history correctly...those are the villages of Blackhurst, correct? I heard they are mere ruins now. I have never visited out West before. So...whomever my father is working with, you think had something to do with the destruction of those villages. And from what we’ve read, it seems he profited quite handsomely on their demise.” Darren sighed, shaking his head. “Do we know why the villages were destroyed? Were they casualties of war? What would someone want with so many children?”
Darren turned away from the map, flipping through the pages of the copy of his father’s journal, trying to ignore a dull headache that was forming between his eyes. “ I knew the Great Dragon would take her soul…” Darren muttered to himself, reaching to understand what it could mean, exactly. “...I read there were never any survivors….from those villages. Is that true? Not too sure what kind of information one would get from them…” Clearing his throat he changed the subject slightly, “Captain...was there anything recently dated? Maybe supplies to be moved? I know my father’s business has not halted, even away in prison. If only we could intercept...find proof of it all…”
Mageria hesitated and reached out, touching a small circle of stones set apart from the others. These were a plain white, where the others were carved or decorated in some way. "Here. One of the things I've learned as a commander is how to follow troupe and supply movements. From what I can understand from the movements reported in the journal, their base would be somewhere in this area. Darren" Mageria's voice cracked like a whip, halting him before he could move. "You need to consider why there were stealing children. Most of them didn't end up in the slave trade, we would have noticed that. Based on information I've gotten from other sources, I think." she swallowed carefully. "I think they've been experimenting on them. These aren't going to be people who you can go up against alone. We're going to do something about this, but if you try to rush in alone, I will have you restrained. We can't afford any slip ups that would warn them. This is going to have to be perfect." She turned and rested a hip against the table. "I need you to give me your word that you won't do anything stupid."
Darren pondered the Captain’s word carefully and nodded as he thought aloud, “...Not all were found dead...and you say because it would have been noticed...not all were put into slavery of some sorts. So why…” He paused, an exasperated and frustrated sigh escaping him as he looked at the Captain, his expression showing he had the answer and that it had been probably the most obvious. “...Replenishing their ranks….whoever they are..” Darren nodded. “...I understand and agree this is bigger than what we’ve been shown and it would take great numbers...maybe even an army...to take down the heart of it all. So yes, I will not go it alone because it would be foolish. I won’t mention anything to the others, but I should just make it clear that Irvin and Jacob Turner are the only one’s who know what I’ve been up to and have a clear interest in my findings. If you prefer, I will still be silent. Perhaps it would be better if you spoke with them...or at least Jake.”
Darren tucked the journal away in his jacket, taking one last look at the map before him. “..Asher...is not a stupid man, Captain. If he was out in the southwestern area of Valcrest, he most likely will be relocating, if not already moved. He would be splitting up his resources and whatever muscle he carries. Which means..if we search the nonconventional roads...those not normally traveled...we could get lucky.” Darren stood straight, a look of compliant obedience taking hold of his form. “..With your permission, Captain...I’d like to scout the area. Perhaps I can accompany one of your people?”
Mageria took a long look at the man standing in front of her and nodded gently. "Yes, I think you can. They will leave in the morning, so be sure to sleep well tonight. Pack for a scouting trip that will last for at least two weeks. It may be less than that, but better to be prepared." She smiled a bit crookedly. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Darren. And that you still want it, when you do."
Darren pondered the Captain’s word carefully and nodded as he thought aloud, “...Not all were found dead...and you say because it would have been noticed...not all were put into slavery of some sorts. So why…” He paused, an exasperated and frustrated sigh escaping him as he looked at the Captain, his expression showing he had the answer and that it had been probably the most obvious. “...Replenishing their ranks….whoever they are..” Darren nodded. “...I understand and agree this is bigger than what we’ve been shown and it would take great numbers...maybe even an army...to take down the heart of it all. So yes, I will not go it alone because it would be foolish. I won’t mention anything to the others, but I should just make it clear that Irvin and Jacob Turner are the only one’s who know what I’ve been up to and have a clear interest in my findings. If you prefer, I will still be silent. Perhaps it would be better if you spoke with them...or at least Jake.”
Darren tucked the journal away in his jacket, taking one last look at the map before him. “..Asher...is not a stupid man, Captain. If he was out in the southwestern area of Valcrest, he most likely will be relocating, if not already moved. He would be splitting up his resources and whatever muscle he carries. Which means..if we search the non conventional roads...those not normally traveled...we could get lucky.” Darren stood straight, a look of compliant obedience taking hold of his form. “..With your permission, Captain...I’d like to scout the area. Perhaps I can accompany one of your people?”
Mageria took a long look at the man standing in front of her and nodded gently. "Yes, I think you can. They will leave in the morning, so be sure to sleep well tonight. Pack for a scouting trip that will last for at least two weeks. It may be less than that, but better to be prepared." She smiled a bit crookedly. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Darren. And that you still want it, when you do."
Mageria sat serenely in the Council chamber, smiling at the men who shuffled in. There was more than one who stared at her in disgust and disbelief. There was also more than a hint of rage in her smile. One by one they all sat down.
Adolf, one of the senior Councilmen was the one who sat forward and cleared his throat. “Cap….ahem. Lady Mageria. You have been exiled and stripped of your rank. Why is it that you now see fit to sit here, with us?” He waved one hand at the rest of the Council. Mageria had always liked Adolf, which was why she kept her tone respectful. “With all due respect to the Council. I left because the Queen asked me to, not because I was exiled. The Black Knights cannot be exiled. They may only be executed, and that by one of their own rank. It is in the laws set down long ago. She nodded over to Thomas, who sat across from her. “The White Knights have seen fit to welcome us back, during this time of troubles.” She smiled sweetly at the men, watching as they all shifted slightly in their seats. She had never really managed a sweet smile.
After that, ground rules of a sort were laid out. They had sent a fast messenger to the White Shadows, waiting for a telepath to answer the question of what had happened to the Queen. Mageria knew, as so she made as many plans as she could for when they would be forced to imprison the necromancer for the duration of the pregnancy.
-Later-
Thomas scowled at Mageria. “You could have been slightly more diplomatic with them.”
Mageria shrugged and started polishing a nick out of a practice sword. “Diplomacy is your thing. You smile, people trust you. I smile, they start looking for something to hide behind. I’ve never really understood it.”
Thomas rubbed his forehead, feeling the pulse of a migraine that never seemed to go away anymore. “That’s because you don’t smile. You bare your teeth, like you’re about to rip their throats out.”
“I do not!” Mageria exclaimed in slightly shocked and hurt tones.
“Mageria,” Thomas sighed. “You are a woman, in charge of what is well known to be a bloodthirsty amoral much of killers. You yourself confessed to killing the former Captain of the Black Knights, a man who actually earned the reputation that you now enjoy. And you wonder why people are uneasy?”
Mageria looked up and cocked an eyebrow. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
Thomas sighed. “Yes, actually. Things would be better if you weren’t around for a little bit. I can handle things here, I need you to be out of sight for a little bit. Go talk to your people, get them ready for what’s to come. Because it’s going to be hell.”
---------
Luckas was more careful than what was his usual going into he Raven's Nest that morning. He was aware that what he did in the castle had caused some trouble and so he made sure to not run into absolutely anyone on his way in. Of course he couldn't avoid Mageria, in fact he had gone there with every intention of running into her, but he felt it was best to not talk to anyone else before they spoke. So he found the woman, and lurked around her, patiently waiting until he managed to finally catch her alone. He didn't bother pretending the woman didn't know he was there, if she didn't it would be the first time. "Lovely day isn't it, Captain?" He greeted, stepping out from his hiding spot amongst the trees and looking around as if wondering if there was someone else lurking there besides himself. "Feels like we may be having some sunny days ahead, finally."
Mageria had been sitting next to the stream sharpening her sword when Luckas showed up. She had known he was there, of course. She would have known either way, but here in a place where she knew every sound and animal call, it wasn't even difficult. She didn't glance up, didn't pause; just kept pulling the whetstone along the edge of the blade.
"Luckas."
She didn't know why he had come, but given that he was trying so hard to be causal, it wasn't for any good reason.
"I'm thinking of calling you StormCrow. Every time you show up, things seem to go sideways. Why is that?"
"Oh?" Luckas asked, arching an eyebrow and staring at Mageria with an intrigued look in his eyes for a moment before letting a chuckle escape him. "Well, I wonder what reason you would ever have to call me, Captain. Not to mention that, as you probably know, I'm never too far away... I really wouldn't mind though; It's a neat name. Very ominous-sounding." He mused, chuckling some more under his breath. "As you are probably wondering... I'm here, instead of being in the area of the camp I usually prefer to roam, for a particular reason Captain. Ever since Lena's death I've been experiencing some... Episodes... I have these annoying little visions from time to time, and I suddenly know things I was not supposed to know; that only she knew. It's not conscious, I either have random flashes or I suddenly find myself knowing answers to questions I've never bothered to ask before. It's actually pretty useful, aside from being uncomfortable and confusing. Now, for instance, I know that the 'medicine' Lena's pet gave you with the intent to save your life was nothing more than a very powerful sedative mixed with some well chosen hallucinogenics... Opens doors in secluded areas of your mind so you can go inside. That's all it does; once inside you're on your own. None of the people they tried it on before ever awoke. You shouldn't have either. Considering every test ever performed with both my brother's victims and mine, surviving was an impossibility. So the question, this annoying, persistent, question in the back of my head... Remains... How did you do it?" The question hadn't really changed from the last time they had conversed, but the tone behind it was entirely different from the amused curiosity Luckas had always displayed when wondering about the matter; his tone was serious, almost uncharacteristically serious. If there had been an important motive behind his questioning before, it had suddenly become very apparent. If there hadn't been; then something had changed. "I need to know Captain, and if you can't really tell me, then I need to see."
Mageria's hands never slowed, her posture never changed, but there was a sudden tension in the air around her. Her gaze turned inwards for a moment, remembering.
Almost.... almost she could hear a whisper of a voice again.
"Well, if there was noting but some powerful halucenagens, then what happened in my mind wouldn't make much sense, would it? Just the ravings of a mind trying to turn itself inside out. And if nobody else survivned, why did I? Maybe your brother just didn't have a chance to finish what he started. Maybe he just did a bad job on me. And if not, Luckas, why in the name of the Twins do you think I would let you into my head?" Her voice was trying very hard to be causal, but failed slightly. "Your brother didn't manage to drive me to suicide, but I very much doubt that you would be so sloppy."
"For fucks sake." Luckas muttered under his breath, starting to feel a bit of annoyance. "It seems like even though you shared a one-sided telepathic link with my brother for a few moments before you bashed his head in, you still don't get how this works... Here's a few facts then, just for your benefit... Fact one: It is impossible to do this halfway, there is no way of doing a poor job of it, it's something that either is or isn't and in your case it sure as hell was. Fact two: The mind always tries to repair itself one way or another. Usually our consciousness gets in the way, rational thinking gets in the way... Because all it does is focus of the pain. And the pain screams at us to just give in.. And it screams... And screams... And SCREAMS... Until we finally do what it wants, shutting that off is the mind's best chance to heal; hence the sedatives. And hallucinations are simple projections of the things that dwell inside the very places my brother was oh so famous for attacking within his victims' minds. The hallucinogenics, as I said, open the doors to those dark corners where no one likes to go and exposes the problems. Lena was a lot of things, but she was never stupid; the concept was sound, in theory it should have worked, but it simply couldn't have because it just... never... bloody... did. Something was missing. Whatever it was, you seem to have found it and there is no amount of maybes that will erase that fact. So there: It is what it is, Captain. Your mind holds the key; salvation always comes with a fucking price."
Luckas went silent for a moment, taking his time to take a couple of breaths and maintain his tone as calm as he could. "Remember that last time we spoke of this I said that maybe we could help each other... That was just a friendly offer back then, now things have changed. So believe me, because you know I don't lie: You're going to need my help soon enough. As is though, you can either give me what I want, or you'll eventually be forced to kill me, because I'm not going to stop trying. It's as simple as that and you know it. You know that there's a great possibility that my answers fit some of your questions as well. You know that if my goal was to drive you insane or make you suicidal there are many ways I could do that just as easily by using the people around you instead of standing here and asking for permission. You also know that I may be many things as well, Captain, and insane may just be one of those things, but I'm not stupid either."
"I'll need your help Luckas? With what; the fact that I still have nightmares so real that I'll wake up with a sword in my hand? That I once had to start locking myself in my room because I kept waking up wandering the halls fully armed with no clue how I got there? The fact that I sometimes think I'm wading through rivers of blood while everybody I know or love floats past me and I know, I know deep down in the very core of my soul that it's my fault?" Mageria's hands still hasn't hesitated throughout her questions, but the tension in the air around her had become almost unbearable. She brought her sword up and slowly examined the edge of her blade, looking for nicks. Light shivered along the edge, evidence that her hands had started shaking. "Besides which, we've already established that you can't get in my mind. Some sort of mental scar tissue left behind by your dear brother."
"Or maybe you mean something else. What is it you've been doing, Luckas? What trouble have you been stirring up when you leave here?"
Luckas sighed softly, keeping silent for a long while as though he was thinking of words to say when in fact he was attempting to hold in the fit of laughter that inevitably escaped him so violently his knees gave in causing him to fall over. "Oh, excuse me Captain, I couldn't help myself, it's just..." He choked on his words and coughed for a few moments, waiting until he could breath normally before moving on. "I know what that's like, well, sort of... And yes, it's unpleasant, more so for you sentimental types than for someone like me, but... No, I can't help you with that. Well, in theory maybe I could, but I wouldn't consider that a solution to your problem. No... Forget that, we don't want to do that." He chuckled softly, shaking his thoughts away and moving onto more pressing matters. "That's all I will say; you will need my help. You'll know what for when it's time, unless of course you kill me, then you probably will never know. That'd be a shame, but that's just life."
Slowly Luckas stood up straight, wiping some dirt from his clothes as he mumbled. "Your nightmares seem real because you make it so, Captain. All those little things you believe you're to blame for... Well, you are because in your mind, for some stupid reason, at some point you decided to be. Blaming these things on the dead boy is a rather pathetic attitude the way I see it. If you choose to feed your inner demons you have only yourself to blame when they eventually bite your head off." He smirked. "What I'm saying is... You've always been fucked up in the head... You just didn't know it yet. Now you do; you can do something about it or you can sit in a corner when no one is watching and wallow in self-pity, it's not my business which one you go for and I honestly don't care. I have my own fucked up head to worry about and a list of things I'd like to get done before it eventually explodes, soo... Yes, that's true; I can't go into your mind if I try, but that's because you really, really, don't want me to. If you were to let me, then I could. And we would never have to speak of this again, which, believe me, is something I really look forward to. Probably more than you."
Mageria finally sheathed her sword, standing up and turning around. "You're right Luckas. I'm fucked up in the head, quite possibly more than anybody around here realizes." She smiled bitterly. "But you've got me all figured out, don't you? Too bad that you can't see what's right in front of your face. Because if you could, you'd know why I survived." She strapped her sword to her belt in an absent gesture while she talked. "I hope you enjoyed this little chat, Luckas. Because it's as close as you are ever going to get to the inside of my head, ever again." With that she turned and walked back towards the main body of Raven camp, gliding smoothly through the underbrush.
Luckas shook his head, steadily pacing after Mageria as she walked away. "It was not my intention to even try to figure you out, Captain and I never pretended to give enough of shit to go through the trouble, but fine... If you're through talking about yourself, let me ask you something else then, just out of curiosity; after you killed Matthew, what did they do with his body? Did they bury him somewhere or is he still rotting down there where you left him? Do you even know?"
Mageria glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Normally we bury the bodies of prisoners in a cemetery we had set aside for them. Even the condemned deserve a place of remembrance. But after that fight there were too many bodies to bury while the wounded still had to be tended, so they were cremated on a mass pyre and their names were inscribed on the wall."
"Their names..." Luckas muttered under his breath, a hint of disgust crossing his voice. "Fine." He stated simply. "One other reason I've come was to say that I had a chat with poor Little Ella. She finally understands that she's going to have to die, even if she can overpower the necromancer and regain control. Apparently she couldn't figure that one out on her own; as I suspected intelligence isn't much of a requirement to rule a city. At least she has the chance to make her peace with it now. Isn't it a sad day for Valcrest when the only one thoughtful enough to bother with these little details is the psychopath?"
Mageria sighed softly. "I wasn't sure that she could hear anything I would have said and there was no point in speaking to the necromancer. So, thank you for that. Of course, in order to have talked with her, you would have had to have gotten past my people who were guarding the room she was locked in. Given that you still want something from me, I'm guessing that you didn't do anything permanent to them, because you know what I would do to you in return. So. Was there any reason for your conversation and you telling me about it?"
"Don't think my reluctance to harm your people has something to do with this, Captain, or that it'll stop me if one of them... I'm going to assume you'll know who I mean... Gets on my bad side... But your boys at the castle, they just took a little nap. The other dude who walked in on me wasn't as lucky, but that was self-defense." Luckas shrugged simply at the questioning. "I don't know if there was a reason for our conversation, Captain, depends on what you'd consider a valid reason. I did offer to kill her, permanently, but she didn't take up on the offer; probably because of the kid, but then... What kind of life is it going to have anyway? If mommy, uncle, and grandpa are anything to go by... well... Best of luck to the little bugger. And I just thought you'd like to know... That she's not suffering as much as she could be. That's... comforting... I think? Common courtesy is something that hasn't yet died on me, Captain... You did warn me I was being sought after by someone after all; I appreciated that. I think you probably shouldn't have told her you killed Matt though... Sammy really, really, wanted to find us both alive. And she can be a pretty dangerous person when she doesn't get what she wants. Like me, but with less restraints. She didn't say anything, but when she asked me who did it and I said I didn't know, well... She wasn't happy."
Mageria shrugged. "Well, I thought it was better to tell her the truth than to sit there and smile at her before she found out on her own. I take it she has the family talent of getting into people's heads?" She stopped as a sudden thought occurred to her. "Does she know, what happened between your brother and I? And that you can't get in my head?" She tilted her head to the side. "Is that why you want to know what happened so desperately?"
"Family trait?" Luckas chuckled. "First, Sammy said I'm her brother, and in a way that's true, but we're not blood relatives. Second, do you not remember what I've told you Captain? I wasn't born like this... There's not a drop of enlightened blood in my entire family line as far as any known test can tell. That was why Lena spent so much time poking around my mind instead of tossing me in a dungeon cell and that's a part of the reason I need to know what happened. Sammy is enlightened, yes, but what I am, what my brother was... It's something else entirely. Like I said, she hasn't told me anything, I don't usually like to talk about Matthew and she respects that, but if I were to guess... Sammy knows what happened well enough. There's a lot of things she's not quite ready to tell me yet and if there's one thing I've learned these past weeks, however, is that my memory is an incredibly unreliable source of information. So... Maybe, I'll get back to you when I know more. Maybe, because I've already been twice as helpful to you in thirty seconds than you have been to me in months."
Mageria had turned to say something when she stopped suddenly, lips slightly parted as she reran the conversation in her head.
I wasn't born like this... There's not a drop of enlightened blood in my entire family line as far as any known test can tell.
She actually had forgotten that Luckas had told her that; but in her defense, a lot had been happening recently.
"Yes," she whispered, "they would need a lot of children for that......". She turned abruptly and strode quickly to her cabin, stepping over Puppy as he lay across the threshold and climbing the steps to her workroom. Pulling the journal from a cabinet, she started flipping through the pages, searching for a passage that she half remembered.
Luckas frowned, a look of confusion spreading across his features as he watched Mageria freeze in place and then suddenly wander off. "Wait what?" He mumbled, only catching a couple of words she had whispered. He froze for a second while the woman was already walking off, causing him to have to run for a couple of steps to catch up. Following after Mageria to the door of her cabin, Luke stopped for a moment to briefly scratch Puppy's ears before wandering inside and just hanging around there looking really confused, but deciding that he needed to know what exactly had prompted that reaction. "Captain?"
"Hmmm? Oh, sorry, come on up." Mageria's entire demeanor had changed, now that she had a problem that she could work on. She pulled out a think bundle of notes and started laying them out in chronological order. She looked up as Luckas came up the stairs and reached out to pull him over by one arm.
"Here, look at this." She gestured at a map of Valcrest, small carved stones laid out across it. "Each of these marks the place where a village was raided and destroyed over the years. The weird part was..." She started laying the notes from the journal out next to notes from her own records. "The weird part was that we never found enough bodies. An entire village destroyed and all we would find were the people who died during the fighting." She reached out and touched the journal laying to the side. "According to this, though, they were planned as, cargo raids. With people as the main target." She pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. "But it almost seemed like children were the main target, once you shift through the ramblings of that idiot. Which didn't make any sense, because children don't make good slaves." She carefully reached out and adjusted the position of a small ring of white unmarked stones. "Except if he wasn't selling them as slaves and instead, experiments? I doubt that this, what ever it was that happened to you and your brother, worked the first time. Which means that they needed lots of children to practice on." She reached out and tapped one finger on the journal. "I hope to meet him, someday."
Luckas stood, looking over the map, his expression seeming to darken for a moment as Mageria spoke. The word 'experiments' causing an involuntary twitch in the corner of his left eye. He couldn't remember everything, but he could remember well enough to know that his 'conditioning' or whatever they liked to call it had been far from pleasant. Throughout his silence Luke's face contorted in an expression of contempt and disgust as he tried to think of how many times they had tried this before it finally worked. Sam's words about her cats crossing his mind abruptly, her casually telling him how her father had made her attempt the imprint on twelve kittens, ten of which didn't survive... He and Matt were like those cats... There had been others before, but what about now?
Luckas heaved a deep sigh, his expression slowly changing to a void as he finally spoke. "I see... Well... There are things I can share and maybe they will help you, Captain. However, I have conditions. First: I've asked this before, but I'll ask again... Don't tell anyone that I'm not enlightened; absolutely no one. What was done or not to me is no one's business but my own. Second: Any information I have to give, believe it or don't believe it... Just don't ever ask me where I got it. These are my terms." Luckas stated simply, looking up from the map to stare Mageria in the eyes. "There is plenty I'm not going to tell you, Captain. I could, but I don't want to. There are many reasons for that, but the main reason is that at this point I don't feel I can trust you to trust me." Luckas paused for a moment, turning his attention to the map once again. "Lady mentioned to me a while back that children were being taken in Blackpond. I know that the person in charge of what was done to me is dead, because I have been searching for him. I've been digging around, I haven't found much about any recent activities, to be honest, but I can tell you some things I've learned about my past and of some places you can look for more information. That is, if my terms are acceptable to you."
"Agreed," Mageria didn't even hesitate before she spoke; if anything, children were her one weak spot. To keep this abomination from happening to any other child, she would make a deal with a demon. She met Luckas's eyes, her own expression as grave as his. She took a deep breath. "Help me make sure this doesn't happen again, Luckas, and I'll do my best to let you see why I survived."
"Alright." Luckas mumbled, not seeming too pleased with having to talk about these things, but suppose it was only fair. "I was born in Blackpond. When Matthew and I were around three or four years old our father was killed and out mother sold us to these people. She was not very good at her job apparently. I'm not sure how or when we were taken from there to Newhaven, I can't remember much of anything useful from that time except for voices. When Lena caught us playing with the Warlord Xypher in the Castle, I had recognized one of those voices in his mind. More recently I discovered the man's name is Bennett. He's a councilman in Newhaven still. He has been threatened very recently to keep his mouth shut about the past and if you do get him to speak no matter what anyone does to prevent it he is going to die or simply disappear. It seems the man in charge of the experiments offered us to Newhaven as an advantage in battle, he intended to raise a small army for sell, but since my brother and I proved to be too... Uncontrollable... The Newhaven people backed out of the deal, technically the whole operation was shut down. Mathew and I were to be killed, but..." Luckas shrugged slightly. "I don't know what happened next. I know they offered Blackpond the same deal, but they were already training their own assassins and good old Rory told them to fuck off... Look how well that ended for him..." Luckas snorted a slightly amused laugh at the irony and continued. "Like I said, the man who ordered this to be done to me is dead. The new leadership... Is something else entirely, something far more dangerous, far more subtle and far more deadly. And if, IF, they are taking children to do with them what was done to me and Mathew... They're not going to sell them out this time."
Luckas stopped talking for a while, crossing his arms over his chest. His tone was completely calm as he spoke, but there was noticeable tension in his posture as if speaking of any of this would immediately cause horrible things to happen to them both. He forced a deep breath before moving on. "In the past, oh, eight years or so, they have infiltrated Newhaven, Blackpond, the Wolfpack, the Crimson, and you can be damn sure that if they haven't infiltrated this camp yet they are at least watching closely. For what I understand, they have associates in powerful positions in several locations outside of Valcrest scattered across the continent. The only place they seem to shy away from is the White Shadows' territory, but with Lena gone the Shadows can't help even if they want to. They've pretty much taken over Blackpond at this point and the King doesn't seem to notice because he doesn't care, hell if he wasn't such a good distraction they would have taken him down and replaced him for someone more controllable by now; those assassins are only alive, basically, because they've been allowed to live. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, one other thing you can do is send a few of your guys into the city and try to get them into the fighting circuit, that's the only thing I've seen them allow outsiders into, and they'd surely see some stuff. The places aren't too hard to find if you go around the more quiet parts of town, the ones even the worse types seem a bit hesitant to wander through. I have to warn you though that those places are brutal and if anyone were to get killed down there you shouldn't expect to see any leftovers. I think it's not necessary to say that enlightened people are not very welcome in these places either." Luckas frowned, watching the leather journal Mageria had showed him, thinking on what she had told him. "This man, whoever he is, must serve some great purpose to them if he's still alive. Now that they're pretty much out in the open they've been eliminating anyone who has deeply involved in their affairs, but not this guy. I take it he must be important somehow."
Mageria laughed softly. "Important. Yes, you could say that." She absently started doodling the symbol she had seen over and over in the journal. "His name is Asher. He is, among other things, a weapons merchant. He sells to anybody with a bit of coin in their pocket, playing the Cities against each other. Till recently, he was living in that underground prison city in Blackpond. His currently location is unknown."
Mageria swallowed hard and held out the scrap of paper to Luckas. "The journal is in code, but this symbol repeats over and over, in reference to "Cattle". I believe that this is when he's selling the children." She waved one hand at the map. "Like I said, I think that I've narrowed down where their base might be. I've got some people out scouting the area now." She shrugged. "But if they happen to see children in trouble there.... I doubt that there will be much left after they get done with it."
"Asher..." Luckas mumbled under his breath as he stared at the symbol Mageria had sketched on a bit of paper. Of course he should have figured it would come up, but the fact that it was on this guy's journal was what surprised him, maybe Sam was wrong about how the symbol became known; if she knew that this guy had doodling it in his personal records it was doubtful that she would have let him get away with it. "I see..." He muttered. "I've seen the symbol before. That's about as much as I have to say on the matter." He replied shortly, clearly not wanting to dwell on the subject. "If I have any information on this Asher person or his whereabouts though I'll have no problem passing it along, or possibly fetching him personally, but then... I assume you'd prefer he'd be alive and sane enough to talk, yes? So maybe I shouldn't fetch him." Luckas opened a devious smile at the thought of hunting this guy, but then it was probably a bad idea to openly go after one of the Brotherhood's associates; Zeke would surely want his head for it. "One more thing Captain... I don't think I really need to tell you this, but just to be safe I will anyway; you shouldn't, under any circumstance, tell me about any plans. Not even if for some weird reason they involve setting my pants on fire; not even to give me fair warning, just don't tell me. Trust me, it wont be good for anyone if you do."
With that final warning Luckas silenced for a moment, wondering if he should or not mention this guy's journal to Sam. On one hand she might tell him something important, on the other... It may not go well in the long run. He needed to give that some thought. "I suppose..." He started. "...That's all the information I have to give at the moment, Captain."
Mageria nodded. “I promised if you helped that I would do my best to let you see what you wanted. Since there are things that you obviously don’t want to be told about…. It should happen before I make too many other plans.” Luckas opened him mouth to say something in return, then shut it with a snap. She was giving him what he wanted, no need to make her angry again. Instead he stepped forward and did his best to smile cheerfully. “I’m glad you finally came around to my way of things, Captain. Now if you could just relax….?” Mageria nodded and let her eyes fall half closed, taking deep, even berathes. Luckas leaned forward, concentrating…. It was like searching for an island in the mist. Every time he though he had a lock on the Captain’s mind, it slipped away again.
His eyes flared black several times before he sat back. “Captain, really. You need to let me in.”
Mageria sat up and glared right back. “I’m trying. I don’t even know how this happened in the first place.”
Luckas sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Just, try not to avoid me. Think of ripples on a pond or something.”
Mageria sighed and bowed her head, focusing on finding a still center in her mind. Her breath slowed and her face grew serene. Luckas leaned forward, cautiously reaching out again. This time he got the sense of walking through a dense fog, following somebody that he could almost see. He followed them for several minutes before what felt like a gust of wind blew away the fog and left him facing Mageria. They stood together in a shadow-drenched courtyard, just a few torches struggling to lift the gloom. Across from him Mageria stood in her Black Knight armor, heavily scared and dented here and there. It might have been a trick of the shadows, but it almost looked as if there were three people standing behind her; which wasn’t possible because he hadn’t invited anybody else along.
“You know Captain, a few plants would really brighten this place up.” Luckas couldn’t suppress the remark. When the woman could choose any sort of inner landscape, this was what you felt most at home in? Mageria shrugged. “You wanted to see what happened. It wasn’t exactly a vacation.” Luckas shrugged. “Whatever. Just show me and we can get this over with.”
Mageria winced, clearly not happy with the idea, but set her jaw and inclined her head. She rippled and vanished, and the scene wavered, before snapping into focus. Twin Mageria’s stood facing each other, one crazed and drenched in blood and one dressed in a simple tunic and leggings, her he=aid pulled back in a long tail. They seemed to be speaking to each other, but the sound was distorted, as if hear from the bottom of a well. Luckas moved closer, trying to get a grasp of what was going on, but the scene wavered and blurred, washing away like watercolors in the rain.
“DAMN IT CAPTAIN!!” he roared. He was so close and the stupid woman kept pulling away what he needed.
“You’re not going to get what you want that way.” A cool and slightly amused voice caused him to turn. The person who stood behind him…. Was not Mageria. Not completely. It was as if they were part of her, but a part that was separate on its own.
“Who the fuck are you?” It was a woman, dressed in an archaic black coat. It had a deep hood that covered her face, with a long white braid flowing down from it. The woman ignored the question. “You said it yourself earlier, this whole thing was about symbolism and hidden meanings. Did you really think you would understand it without a frame of reference?”
“Who. Are. You?” Luckas was rapidly loosing what little patience he had. Again, the woman ignored him.
“You need to know what happened. Are you willing to pay the price?” There was a brief flash of teeth in the darkness of her hood and she held out a hand. “It’s the only way you’ll get what you want.”
“Fine.” Luckas snarled. He reached out and grasped her hand in return. "What's the price?"
Again there was a feral gleam of teeth in the darkness. The hand grasping his clamped down until he could feel his bones creaking.
"Pain."
There was a brief twisting of his vision and then …. Somehow he was inside Mageria’s mind in a way that he had never experienced before. She/he stood across from the her/him that stood drenched in blood. It was as if all of the guilt and rage and evil thoughts they had ever had had been ripped away and stood before them, a personification of corruption. She/he could feel the horror of facing it and at the same was drawn to it. It was terrifying, being so out of balance. Somewhere in their mind there was a scream that went on and on and on……
Their opposite laughed insanely and leapt forwards, trying to strangle them with her/his bare hands. They screamed, feeling evil burning into their skin. They fought, but it was no use, they were too evenly matched. Mageria/Luckas tossed their head wildly. “No,” Luckas could feel his lips shaping the words as well as hers. “No, this is wrong. You are me. We are….balance.” The other froze for a moment and Mageria/Luckas took their chance. Lunging forwards, they wrapped their arms around the other, feeling corruption eating into their skin, into their selves, into their core.
The realization came suddenly. In order for Mathew to force one to face their evil, he had to draw it away from the rest of a person’s mind, making one half again into an innocent, before the burdens of the world descended upon them. When one was innocent, the idea of evil seems overwhelming. The first was always the harshest, staining the soul in a way that never washed clean. After that they became easier, as one became used to the weight of evil. But as he tore away the weight of evil, he also tore away the strength that came from facing the world. Mageria/Luckas realized that, knew that in order to face the world and make any difference for the better, they would have to accept the weight of that evil again.
Mageria/Luckas accepted evil back into their souls, feeling it etch itself into their selves, feeling the weight of a lifetime of harsh choices and sins and evil all burying them under what felt like the weight of a mountain. The evil worked it’s way deeper, forcing itself into every facet of their minds, staining them with blood that would never wash away….. And Mageria/Luckas accepted it, drew it in; because without it they would never have the strength to make the world a better place. And still the weight of that evil burned and burned and burned and she/he screamed………
Darkness descended.
Luckas spun in place, searching vainly for something to hold onto in the maelstrom that Mageria’s mind had become. He reached, looking for anything he could find. The same fog that had kept him out now made it almost impossible to find a way out. A snatch of a child’s laughter drew him in one direction, he followed it and found himself standing in a sunlit glad. A small girl ran past him, red hair flying. She looked over her shoulder and Luckas could see the hint of the woman she would become someday.
“Pappa!” she cried joyfully, running through the trees. “Pappa, come look!” she ran and was swung into the arms of a tall man, who threw her into the air with a laugh. “What is it now, my Ria?” The girl twisted around to point and caught sight of Luckas, gasping in fright. The scene twisted again, Mageria standing before him. She moaned and clutched at her temples, stumbling back a few steps. She bent over, gasping for breath and coughing. She looked up, teeth bared.
“Get. Out.”
In the real world, Mageria collapsed bonelessly to the floor, eyes rolling backwards.
----Later, After Essence collapses----
Darren didn't sleep much for the next few nights, staying up late to decode what he could as he waited for news on the Captain's return. It wasn't that he didn't know Mageria's time in the city was of great importance, he was just extremely antsy to find out as much information as he could to substantiate his theories. It didn’t help that the more time he spent on the journal, the harder it was to concentrate. He began obsessing, only taking breaks to eat, until finally he finished the first section. That was when he put the book down, if one could call it that as he tucked it back into his jacket. He couldn’t part with it, but at least he was trying to focus on something else. Anything else, really. Darren knew it wasn’t good for his sanity to have gone so long without sleep, but every time he closed his eyes he saw the little redheaded girl and felt nauseous.
Darren had heard Jake was back in camp, but only after the commotion the Captain broke up, took place. He had caught Irv leaving the scene prior but didn’t get to question him on the matter. He didn’t really care at the moment why Jake almost got stabbed, chalking it up to the bits he had procured when he shook the man’s hand. ‘Jake must really like his redheads.’ Darren thought to himself, snickering at the bits he overheard as he watched Aiden wait outside the medics cabin only to be turned away by one of the women who was with Essence. He waited another moment before making his way towards the Captain’s quarters, barely containing his haste. Mageria already seemed to have her hands full but he needed to see her and collaborate on what they both were able to discover. As he approached he saw Jake leaving, jokingly bumping his shoulder into the man’s side. “What is with you pissing off redheads, hm?” He half joked, but didn’t stop to wait for an answer. Darren felt his blood pounding in his ears when he revealed the journal from his jacket and went to knock on the door. He wanted to pound his fists against the door until he cracked the wood, but to the contrary the sound he made was soft; a little too quiet perhaps and he wondered if it would be overlooked as he went to knock again.
Mageria growled to herself as she finished pulling off her soaked clothing. The temperature had been hovering around freezing the past couple days and the damn river was cold. And now..... she listened and heard a soft repeat of the noise. Somebody was knocking.
She quickly wrapped herself in an old shirt and worn pants, noticing idly that they fit a bit looser than they used to. She didn't even glance at the mirror, knowing that there was more stark white showing in her hair than there used to be. Instead she grabbed a soft old knee length robe and wrapped it around herself as she went to the door, snagging a towel to try and wring some of the water from her hair.
"Darren," Mageria only raised one eyebrow at the man standing in the doorway. Given the journal in his hands, she could guess at what brought him to her door. "Please, come in." She lead him down the few steps into her sitting area, before kneeling down in front of the fire and throwing a few logs on. She warmed her hands for a moment before sitting down. "So, tell me. What have you learned?"
Where should I start? Darren thought to himself, standing and staring idly at the fire as the Captain tended to the flames. He inhaled a deep, shaky breath as he spoke, stuttering only at first. “We..Well..ok Irv made a copy of Asher’s ledger after Jake and him procured it for me, back in Blackpond and with all that came up at the Ball...I couldn’t wait to see what you had discovered so I worked to finish what I could in your absence. I found out my birth was apart of a business deal and that I apparently have siblings whom I’ve never met. Half sisters...Something that was going on between Ebony and my father. In his journal he talks about them as if they were experiments and that most were disappointments. He..also talks about his joy when he discovered I was a boy...his first son. I ...don’t understand what happened to the others…” Darren coughed, clearing his throat. “I do have my theories though...which leads me to you to ask what you have learned. This bit I can only guess was inventory or were transactions of sorts. He was smart in never placing names to incriminate any of his business partners or his dealings per say. Everything has a bit of poetic flare to it...and instead of inspiring...it sickens me.”
Darren flipped through the pages, pointing out bits and pieces to substantiate his findings as he showed the Captain before continuing. “...There’s much more….there’s a girl...who I can only imagine if she is still alive..is now a woman..but he obsesses over her...and it reads like he ‘saves’ her from the destruction of her village...but he gives her to someone who he dislikes but benefits from...and talks about her as a ‘Crone’. I’d like to think he means Ebony..but again only hints. When she is older...he talks about a love affair of sorts with her...and then again having his only son...which has to be me. There’s pages and pages of Asher talking about a business partner who got him where he is now, and how he hints at the man’s power, is unbelievable. If you knew my father...her fears no one or anything...except this man.” Darren paused and nodded as if motioning towards a particular part on the pages before the Captain. “See anything funny about the entries? Have you noticed a symbol that repeats itself anywhere else in the journal and especially when particular business dealings are mentioned? I don’t know what it means. Then, the Cattle he refers to. I believe...it may be a euphemism for… children.” Darren’s voice disappeared as he spoke the last word, casting his eyes towards the floor as if ashamed.
Lifting his head back up so his eyes met Mageria’s he continued, “Which is why I need to know what you found out. Not to mention I know for a fact what his last entry talks about. A few years ago, my father began my lessons with...explosives, which I’d like to think i’m pretty knowledgeable of at this point. Not to sound cocky but it leads to the point that I understand what these symbols stand for.” Leaning over the ledger he pointed at the bottom of the page. “..These are the components needed to create what is desired and he talks about getting massive amounts...but for what I don’t know. That is also why I need to find out what his dealings were and how often...there may be a pattern to everything. It must have to do with the reason I turned my back on Asher. You see...he was dealing weapons of all kinds to the major cities of Valcrest...and fueling the terror for YEARS...playing each one as a pawn against one another. Makes me think of a chess game..”
Darren trailed off, shaking his black curls roughly as if trying to shake off his disgust; as if there was something on him that was not coming off. He finally fell quiet, pondering if there was anything he failed to mention. "..But that's why I left my father and his business. I refused....to deal with those who are basically war profiteers."
"Darren... There's some things that once you know, they change the way you see the world. Very rarely are they good changes." She looked at his face and sighed. "Come along, there's something you need to see."
She lead the way up the winding staircase to her conference room. A map was laid out, small carved stones marking various locations in Valcrest.
"Assume that your father was moving cargo, whatever it was, that he wasn't getting lawfully. Easy enough to assume that, given that his journal is in code. Assume that he was getting large amounts of whatever it was, which could only get gotten by raiding. Each of these, is a village that was destroyed over the years. Some of the days match up. Enough for me to be sure. The thing is, all of these," she waved her hand again, briefly touching one of the stones. "All of these, indicate somewhere where there weren't enough bodies. It was never put together before now, but it's obvious that they were raided not only for the good but for the people too. And you're right." She pulled out a scrap of paper with the symbol drawn on it. "This most likely stands for children taken.....because this isn't the first time I've seen this. And if it's what I think it is, things are possibly worse than you know."
Darren obediently followed the Captain, quietly staring at the map of Valcrest laid out before him. “This world..will never be what I expected…” He whispered, absorbing the bits the Captain was connecting with the dates that coincided with the destruction of some of the villages destroyed out west. Darren pointed to a few different markings upon the map. “..If I remember my history correctly...those are the villages of Blackhurst, correct? I heard they are mere ruins now. I have never visited out West before. So...whomever my father is working with, you think had something to do with the destruction of those villages. And from what we’ve read, it seems he profited quite handsomely on their demise.” Darren sighed, shaking his head. “Do we know why the villages were destroyed? Were they casualties of war? What would someone want with so many children?”
Darren turned away from the map, flipping through the pages of the copy of his father’s journal, trying to ignore a dull headache that was forming between his eyes. “ I knew the Great Dragon would take her soul…” Darren muttered to himself, reaching to understand what it could mean, exactly. “...I read there were never any survivors….from those villages. Is that true? Not too sure what kind of information one would get from them…” Clearing his throat he changed the subject slightly, “Captain...was there anything recently dated? Maybe supplies to be moved? I know my father’s business has not halted, even away in prison. If only we could intercept...find proof of it all…”
Mageria hesitated and reached out, touching a small circle of stones set apart from the others. These were a plain white, where the others were carved or decorated in some way. "Here. One of the things I've learned as a commander is how to follow troupe and supply movements. From what I can understand from the movements reported in the journal, their base would be somewhere in this area. Darren" Mageria's voice cracked like a whip, halting him before he could move. "You need to consider why there were stealing children. Most of them didn't end up in the slave trade, we would have noticed that. Based on information I've gotten from other sources, I think." she swallowed carefully. "I think they've been experimenting on them. These aren't going to be people who you can go up against alone. We're going to do something about this, but if you try to rush in alone, I will have you restrained. We can't afford any slip ups that would warn them. This is going to have to be perfect." She turned and rested a hip against the table. "I need you to give me your word that you won't do anything stupid."
Darren pondered the Captain’s word carefully and nodded as he thought aloud, “...Not all were found dead...and you say because it would have been noticed...not all were put into slavery of some sorts. So why…” He paused, an exasperated and frustrated sigh escaping him as he looked at the Captain, his expression showing he had the answer and that it had been probably the most obvious. “...Replenishing their ranks….whoever they are..” Darren nodded. “...I understand and agree this is bigger than what we’ve been shown and it would take great numbers...maybe even an army...to take down the heart of it all. So yes, I will not go it alone because it would be foolish. I won’t mention anything to the others, but I should just make it clear that Irvin and Jacob Turner are the only one’s who know what I’ve been up to and have a clear interest in my findings. If you prefer, I will still be silent. Perhaps it would be better if you spoke with them...or at least Jake.”
Darren tucked the journal away in his jacket, taking one last look at the map before him. “..Asher...is not a stupid man, Captain. If he was out in the southwestern area of Valcrest, he most likely will be relocating, if not already moved. He would be splitting up his resources and whatever muscle he carries. Which means..if we search the nonconventional roads...those not normally traveled...we could get lucky.” Darren stood straight, a look of compliant obedience taking hold of his form. “..With your permission, Captain...I’d like to scout the area. Perhaps I can accompany one of your people?”
Mageria took a long look at the man standing in front of her and nodded gently. "Yes, I think you can. They will leave in the morning, so be sure to sleep well tonight. Pack for a scouting trip that will last for at least two weeks. It may be less than that, but better to be prepared." She smiled a bit crookedly. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Darren. And that you still want it, when you do."
Darren pondered the Captain’s word carefully and nodded as he thought aloud, “...Not all were found dead...and you say because it would have been noticed...not all were put into slavery of some sorts. So why…” He paused, an exasperated and frustrated sigh escaping him as he looked at the Captain, his expression showing he had the answer and that it had been probably the most obvious. “...Replenishing their ranks….whoever they are..” Darren nodded. “...I understand and agree this is bigger than what we’ve been shown and it would take great numbers...maybe even an army...to take down the heart of it all. So yes, I will not go it alone because it would be foolish. I won’t mention anything to the others, but I should just make it clear that Irvin and Jacob Turner are the only one’s who know what I’ve been up to and have a clear interest in my findings. If you prefer, I will still be silent. Perhaps it would be better if you spoke with them...or at least Jake.”
Darren tucked the journal away in his jacket, taking one last look at the map before him. “..Asher...is not a stupid man, Captain. If he was out in the southwestern area of Valcrest, he most likely will be relocating, if not already moved. He would be splitting up his resources and whatever muscle he carries. Which means..if we search the non conventional roads...those not normally traveled...we could get lucky.” Darren stood straight, a look of compliant obedience taking hold of his form. “..With your permission, Captain...I’d like to scout the area. Perhaps I can accompany one of your people?”
Mageria took a long look at the man standing in front of her and nodded gently. "Yes, I think you can. They will leave in the morning, so be sure to sleep well tonight. Pack for a scouting trip that will last for at least two weeks. It may be less than that, but better to be prepared." She smiled a bit crookedly. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Darren. And that you still want it, when you do."
13 Days Post Ball...Valcrest..Just outside of Blackpond. Morning into Afternoon
A few hours had passed, Shockwave not slowing a bit in pace as he ran, Ess occasionally patting his neck encouragingly. Turning her head to the side she shouted back to Luckas, "You good, or do you need a quick break before we get closer?..." Ess wasn't sure exactly where in BlackPond Ian was, but she knew a few places she would start with. The idea of going back there was awkward, leaving a heavy feeling in her gut as she saw the city in the horizon.
Luke was feeling a little bit nauseous from the ride, but he sure as hell wouldn't admit it. Still he decided to keep his answers as short as possible "I'm fine!" Going back to Blackpond this way was making him slightly nervous, and more so for knowing that they were walking right into a trap. At the moment he only hoped he wasn't recognized by someone potentially dangerous before finding Ian.
Ess nodded, leaning towards the right, the Stallion feeling her change in direction easily. She would not of course go through the main gate and felt they should walk the rest of the way on foot once she found a spot to leave Shockwave. "Eaaasy now boy...." Ess sang gently to the horse who responded with a slow trot, making their way towards a cluster of trees still about a twenty minute walk from the city. "Easy..now.” She continued as she swung her right leg forward and slid off the horse before he came to a stop "Ok Luckas....gonna go the back way in.."
Luckas was more than pleased to get off the horse, but not as much as he was to not go through the main gates, still something made him uneasy and he felt himself absently reach for the back of his left shoulder as if something there stung, walking silently a few steps before replying. "Sounds like a plan." He stated, with a nod, his eyes discreetly checking their surroundings as they walked.
Ess stretched her body, checking her weapons at her waist before running her fingers through her curls. As her fingers passed her hair turned a dark brown, straightening in unison to the skin on her hands darkening to a golden tan. When she faced Luckas she smiled, the contours of her cheekbones lower than before, her eyes smaller and slanted slightly. She gradually began slowing her pace, as they neared a grate, where a stream of water trickled out. "This will lead us near where I use to live..."
Finally letting go of his shoulder Luke stretched slightly and breathed in and out, his eyes momentarily sparkling as if there was something hiding behind them. "You haven't been back here in how long? He asked suddenly, glancing at Ess' changed figure as they reached the grate. "City's changed quite a bit. Not as easy to find your way around as it used to be. Dare I suggest you stay close to me, or will I be accused of caring again?"
Ess bent down a bit, her fingers tightening around the grate as it didn't want to budge. Nodding as if this is what she expected she sat down, ignoring the steady stream of water, sending her feet forward several times, kicking at the grate until it came loose. Once she stood back up she grabbed the grate to replace it after them as they entered. "I know you mean well, if you won't admit it, believe what you will, My dear Luckas." Ess whispered, motioning for him to follow. "But you won't hear me arguing with your suggesting to stay close to you." She winked before disappearing through the tunnel.
Luckas chuckled. "Well, Lady... It's your family reunion, I'm just here to make sure it all goes as smoothly as possible. That's what I believe." Luckas stated following after Ess through the tunnel, shaking his head in amusement. "Wish you'd take all my suggestions that easily, but nooo..." *He chuckled. "Double standards, isn't it?" Heaving a sigh he added. "Not far from where we're headed... there are some seemingly abandoned buildings. I'd say we check those first. Some businesses run there." He said absently.
Ess made sure to replace the grate before they wandered in too far, letting Luckas take the lead. "Well if all your suggestions involved being close to you, then maybe I'd listen more." She giggled softly. "What double standard am I being accused of?” Ess trailed off as she saw a light appear at the end of the dark tunnel, faded and distant. She continued to whisper so that her voice would not echo. "They rebuilt since I was last here then...not surprising. What kind of businesses?" She asked casually.
Luckas chuckled. "I'll remember that. Well, if you trust my judgment only when it's convenient then it's also a double standard, no?" He joked as they neared the exit of the tunnel. "All sorts of businesses: Bars, illegal gambling, cock fighting, dog fighting, human fighting, weapon smuggling, pros...titution..." He trailed off for a second and snorted half annoyed at the things he'd seen in some of those places. "That's how I found Jasper." He added after a while, as they crossed the exit of the tunnel into the light.
Ess followed Luckas out the exit, silent for a few moments before she paused in her step. "You're right Luckas, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off that I'd only listen to your suggestions when convenient. This is just something I need to do." She still whispered, slowly her tone grew louder as she began to move once again. "...Did they rebuild that brothel then too?" She growled, keeping the glow of her eyes dim, not wanting to draw attention as they began to blend into a crowd, Ess playfully sneaking between several patrons without bumping them. She pulled her hood over herself, hiding her hair as she let the color change to a bright blond, remembering how Mageria told her to keep her disguise a constant change to keep up the deception.
"Of course I'm right." Luckas stated with a satisfied grin. "I understand that you need to do this, but there are safer ways than this." He said absently, slightly shrugging as they walked. "Not that talking about it matters right now." He added, moving towards a sort of center square amongst a few buildings that were boarded shut. "Not that same brothel, no." He replied to her question with a slight nod of his head."These places are different, all businesses legal and illegal run by the same people and not people anyone would like to mess with. On the outside, they seem nicer than the people you worked for, but they are without a doubt worse if crossed the wrong way. "There's a place here for every nasty habit. I'd guess gambling for a start." He said, choosing a path.
"When did you start speaking with a voice of reason?" She teased "I lived this life.....the life people either were apart of, or they simply ignored. You're preaching to the choir Luckas about the dementia of a person’s mind. Or have you forgotten what you've seen in my head? What I have never uttered to anyone.." Clearing her throat she followed Luckas to a building, alive with laughter and shouts of competition. "Ok...split up inside....I know how to blend" Ess smiled, letting the hood fall back, exposing her blond hair with brighter sun-kissed highlights, her eyes now wider like a doe, giving her the sweet and desirable persona. There were all sorts of gambling going on in this building: from card games to animal fighting upstairs, feathers drifting down from above. Ess started with the card players, a sultry smile curling her lips as she slid her arm along the shoulder of one man, whispering softly in his ear. The balding figure turned and smiled up at her, offering her a seat on his lap, which she graciously accepted, chatting away. At one point she made a bold move by placing a bet on a hand for the man, and to the bald man's surprise, won the pot.
"What part of staying close to me do you not get?" *Luckas muttered as Ess just walked out to blend in with the crowd. Shaking his head and heaving an annoyed sigh, he wandered to a small bar in one end of the room, tracing his index finger through the outlines of a crest marked into the surface of the wood. As the man tending the bar came to him, he ordered a shot of their strongest drink, and when he was given a price to pay, simply flashed his eyes red and received a frightened nod of acknowledgement, one eye always on Ess as he felt someone sneak up on him. "What are you doing, Brother?" *Zeke's voice sounded in his ear. "Who is your friend?" Luckas chuckled "Why are you always after me? You need a woman. I'm just showing my friend a good time." He replied downing the shot and waving the bartender for a refill. "There is still room for that in the brotherhood, no? Or do you have something I need to take care of this instant?" He inquired, turning to face the other man with an angry glare. "Because if you don't, be kind enough and piss off." He muttered, leaning closer to the man with a growl.
Ess stood up, excusing herself with a reluctant expression as if she was having a great time to get herself a drink. She found that table boring and the others who she spoke with were of no help as she casually hinted a question here and there between hands. Politely she shook their hands, her fingers caressing their palms playfully, stating how she would see them again. Ess glanced around, knowing full well where Luckas was, but acted like she lost sight of him, her hand covering her mouth in an innocent giggle as she walked up to the same bar, catching sight of someone speaking to Luke. She played into her familiar role, slipping her arm gently around Luke's waist as she leaned in and pecked his cheek. "Can I have one of those, sweetness?" She purred playfully, her fingers attentively twirling a lock of his hair.
Ezekiel opened a slight grin as Ess approached Luckas, looking from her to him as if he had just won the lottery. "Won't introduce us, Luke? That is so rude of you..." He chuckled. "Piss. Off." Luckas repeated, still glaring at the man and ignoring his provocations, not wanting to show just how much his desire to see him gone had increased with woman's presence and hoping he failed to notice the inconvenient reddish tone that had taken over the sides of his face. "I said I will see you later." He muttered, knowing he had said no such thing, but that he would understand that as the promise for an explanation. "Fine, I'll leave, but don't forget what you owe me, Luckas. The people I work for aren't quite as forgiving as I am." He smiled wickedly at Ess before walking away to join the crowds. Luckas snorted out in anger as he waved at the bartender again, and placed a shot for Ess. "You didn't give me a chance to say... They don't like..." He lowered his voice to a faint whisper. "They don't like Enlightened here. So if you don't lay low we'll be in serious trouble."
Essence kept her sweet smile, taking the shot happily as she leaned back into Luckas in a seductive manner, her lips just grazing his ear as she whispered back. "I got that hint when I was chatting with my new friends over there, their derogative joking and I played along just fine, sweetness. You...didn't look too happy to see that friend of yours...." Ess pulled back, leaving it at that, glancing upstairs then back to Luckas. "We going to check out the festivities upstairs?"
Luckas heaved a small sigh trying to not act bothered by the closeness. "You're going to get me killed one of these days, but there are definitely worse ways to go." He stated absently, a chuckle escaping him as he took his shot and pushed himself away from the counter, taking Ess by the hand and beginning to lead her towards a back room through which they could reach the upper level pushing through the groups of people rather easily and ignoring the stares of some who knew his face. He knew he'd have to deal with Zeke, but the man was the least of his troubles if compared to Sam. Whenever she got word of this there would be hell to pay. Up a rather shaky flight of stairs, the upper level was far less neat than the first floor, but the patrons there were far more serious gamblers. This was where people got into serious debts, and what generated most profits. Small rings were several fights took place at once were scattered around a great open hall as people took bets. Dogs, poultry and other animals were kept in cages or leashes awaiting their turns. People seemed to enjoy watching this, but Luke sincerely didn't see why.
Ess noted the stares Luckas got by some as they passed through the crowd, but made sure to keep her gaze averted, giving a rather tight squeeze of his hand. After she made it upstairs, she remained close to him, not wandering this time. Again she leaned into him so he would hear her against the rowdy noise of the men and women shouting. "Ok...so I don't want to get you killed....what next then? What do you want me to do?"
Luckas chuckled softly. "I was kidding Lady, I can take care of myself, but here's the deal..." He pointed to several men in grey clothing taking bets. "See the guys with the books? Anyone who comes here ends up owing money at some point, and if you owe money your name goes in the book. Once your name gets in that book, every other detail of your life does as well. They keep records so detailed they most likely know how many times their gamblers sneeze on a weekly basis. So, if you'd like to find someone and that person's owed money here, peeking at one of those would give all you need to know on that person." He snickered slightly and nodded towards one man in the farthest end of the hall. "He's new. Distracting him for two minutes would be enough."
Ess adjusted the bodice of her top and nodded. "More questions keep coming to mind...but here's me..giving you the benefit of the doubt..." She smiled, her lips brushing his cheek as she pulled away. "That one I meant." Ess slinked through the crowd, pausing here and there to watch curiously at the fights that were mercilessly occurring in the cages she passed. She couldn't help the sickening feeling and a soft burst of anger that filled her as she watched a dog fight; but by looking at her, one would think she was simply turned on by the event. She continued to smile, sauntering over towards the man that Luke pointed out. How Luke knew so much, made it clear how much time he'd spent lurking and such in this city. Once she reached the young man in grey, she 'accidentally' bumped into him as if another had caused it, giving her the motive to profusely apologize to the man for her clumsiness. He didn't seem to mind as he turned from his podium to speak with Ess. "I'm Talena..." She giggled playing into his obvious interest, her fingers teasing the flesh along his large forearms. At one point he leaned into Ess, running his fingers through her hair asking how long she planned on sticking around that day and when he could sneak away to buy her a drink. Coyly she played this game, keeping her eyes averted downwards for the most part, safeguarding the glow of her eyes while she worked.
Luckas couldn't help a small snicker at Ess' comment, but he was pretty sure the questions would eventually be asked one way or another. He let her go ahead and make her way to the man while he followed from a short distance, ending up amongst a small nearby group of gamblers watching a dog fight, the corner of his eyes watching as Ess faked being pushed into the book keeper. That was really all it took to put the man's attention completely on her. Luke had to admit he would be impressed if it just didn't annoy him so badly, luckily he didn't have time to think about it as he quietly made his way to the podium and leaned against it as if waiting for the man to finish his conversation, meanwhile peeking into the book and finding Ian's name on it, as well as where he spent great part of his time. Luke knew the place and it wasn't far, which meant getting out of that building, making him extremely happy. He then turned away from the podium faking annoyance for not being able to place a bet. He walked to wait by the stairs, but still casually keeping an eye on Ess to make sure there would be no trouble with the man.
Ess noticed Luckas from her peripheral vision as she kept her attention on the bookkeeper. Offering another apology when someone complained on the obvious distraction from being able to place their bet, the man turned back to his work with a promise to be available in an hour or so. Ess simply nodded as she turned about to 'wait for him' at the bar, stumbling a bit when she received a firm smack on her backside. Instantly she wanted to hit him, but she choked down her anger, using the red rushing to her cheeks as embarrassment when she forced a smile over her shoulder at him. When she made it to the stairs she walked past Luckas in case the bookkeeper was still watching, her smile turning into an annoyed glower as she brushed Luckas' arm, making her way down the stairs and towards the main door.
Luke gave about thirty seconds before following after Ess, through which he glared at the bookkeeper, making a mental note to do something painful to the man when he came back alone. He caught up with her downstairs heading for the exit door, but out of the corner of his eyes he caught three familiar figures, two dressed in dark blue and one all in black which was Ezekiel. Heaving a sigh, he caught Ess by the wrist and whispered quickly. "Leave, take a left and enter the third building down the road; it's another bar. If he's not there he will be." The moment he finished that sentence a hand gripped his shoulder. "I apologize friend, but apparently the higher-ups don't feel like waiting for an answer." The man stated, obviously not sorry in one bit. Luke nodded smirking as he replied, glaring at the man. "Oh, I'm sure you're broken hearted, Zeke." He then turned to Ess with a smile and nodded towards the door. "I'll catch up with you in five minutes. I promise."
Ess felt the familiar fingers upon her skin, so she didn't flinch when she was suddenly stopped in mid step by Luke, nodding to his words, her head snapping to attention as the man from before came up behind Luckas. The familiar sweet smile curled her lips as she nodded from Luckas to the dark skinned man, Zeke apparently was his name. Politely she bowed her head and slipped out the door of the establishment, making it a point to remember those faces she had just encountered. Luke had promised to meet up with her, but that didn't ease the hairs standing up along her arm. Something was most definitely going on and Luke didn't want Ess around at the moment, more than likely to do with what he said earlier: about the place not taking kindly to her gifts. She wasted no time, out the door taking a left like Luckas instructed and casually entered the third building down the street, where she found herself at the bar. A few moments went by and she was already three shots deep, as she kept to herself, acting uninterested in the gatherings around her while she tried to focus her mind on the task and not worrying about Luckas. Of course that was easier said than done.
The moment Ess was out the door Luckas turned to face the other two people Zeke had with him; both women, one dressed in only dark blue, but the other had dark blue robes with golden trims. Luckas literally twitched as the woman left to a backroom, silently motioning for him to follow her. He immediately complied, finding himself in a private room with her and the other woman in blue, who simply stood in the corner with her head bowed, and Zeke, who shut the door and stood blocking it. At this point the woman with the golden trims removed the hood of her cloak and glared at him with a severe look in her eyes. "What are you doing, playing with your meal, Luckas?"
Luke winced at the familiar words and simply mumbled. "How did you get here so fast?" The woman immediately slapped him across the face, the gesture stung, even if the blow in itself was weak. "Don't ever question me. What are you doing with her?"
Luckas didn't raise his eyes to meet Sam's as he replied. "I'm following my orders to get the information you wanted."
Sam snorted angrily. "How so? You're interfering with our plans Luke."
Luckas sighed. "Because it won't work. Even if you get her, and even if she knows something, you won't get it out of her by force. Me? I have her trust. I can get that information easily if you give me time. And if you still want to kill her afterwards, fine." He shrugged "What have you got to lose?"
Sam seemed to think about it for a second before she reached and gently caressed the reddish mark she had left on his cheek. "You make me proud Lukey, and that's why I will give you time, but don't you dare betray me. Are we clear?"
A few hours had passed, Shockwave not slowing a bit in pace as he ran, Ess occasionally patting his neck encouragingly. Turning her head to the side she shouted back to Luckas, "You good, or do you need a quick break before we get closer?..." Ess wasn't sure exactly where in BlackPond Ian was, but she knew a few places she would start with. The idea of going back there was awkward, leaving a heavy feeling in her gut as she saw the city in the horizon.
Luke was feeling a little bit nauseous from the ride, but he sure as hell wouldn't admit it. Still he decided to keep his answers as short as possible "I'm fine!" Going back to Blackpond this way was making him slightly nervous, and more so for knowing that they were walking right into a trap. At the moment he only hoped he wasn't recognized by someone potentially dangerous before finding Ian.
Ess nodded, leaning towards the right, the Stallion feeling her change in direction easily. She would not of course go through the main gate and felt they should walk the rest of the way on foot once she found a spot to leave Shockwave. "Eaaasy now boy...." Ess sang gently to the horse who responded with a slow trot, making their way towards a cluster of trees still about a twenty minute walk from the city. "Easy..now.” She continued as she swung her right leg forward and slid off the horse before he came to a stop "Ok Luckas....gonna go the back way in.."
Luckas was more than pleased to get off the horse, but not as much as he was to not go through the main gates, still something made him uneasy and he felt himself absently reach for the back of his left shoulder as if something there stung, walking silently a few steps before replying. "Sounds like a plan." He stated, with a nod, his eyes discreetly checking their surroundings as they walked.
Ess stretched her body, checking her weapons at her waist before running her fingers through her curls. As her fingers passed her hair turned a dark brown, straightening in unison to the skin on her hands darkening to a golden tan. When she faced Luckas she smiled, the contours of her cheekbones lower than before, her eyes smaller and slanted slightly. She gradually began slowing her pace, as they neared a grate, where a stream of water trickled out. "This will lead us near where I use to live..."
Finally letting go of his shoulder Luke stretched slightly and breathed in and out, his eyes momentarily sparkling as if there was something hiding behind them. "You haven't been back here in how long? He asked suddenly, glancing at Ess' changed figure as they reached the grate. "City's changed quite a bit. Not as easy to find your way around as it used to be. Dare I suggest you stay close to me, or will I be accused of caring again?"
Ess bent down a bit, her fingers tightening around the grate as it didn't want to budge. Nodding as if this is what she expected she sat down, ignoring the steady stream of water, sending her feet forward several times, kicking at the grate until it came loose. Once she stood back up she grabbed the grate to replace it after them as they entered. "I know you mean well, if you won't admit it, believe what you will, My dear Luckas." Ess whispered, motioning for him to follow. "But you won't hear me arguing with your suggesting to stay close to you." She winked before disappearing through the tunnel.
Luckas chuckled. "Well, Lady... It's your family reunion, I'm just here to make sure it all goes as smoothly as possible. That's what I believe." Luckas stated following after Ess through the tunnel, shaking his head in amusement. "Wish you'd take all my suggestions that easily, but nooo..." *He chuckled. "Double standards, isn't it?" Heaving a sigh he added. "Not far from where we're headed... there are some seemingly abandoned buildings. I'd say we check those first. Some businesses run there." He said absently.
Ess made sure to replace the grate before they wandered in too far, letting Luckas take the lead. "Well if all your suggestions involved being close to you, then maybe I'd listen more." She giggled softly. "What double standard am I being accused of?” Ess trailed off as she saw a light appear at the end of the dark tunnel, faded and distant. She continued to whisper so that her voice would not echo. "They rebuilt since I was last here then...not surprising. What kind of businesses?" She asked casually.
Luckas chuckled. "I'll remember that. Well, if you trust my judgment only when it's convenient then it's also a double standard, no?" He joked as they neared the exit of the tunnel. "All sorts of businesses: Bars, illegal gambling, cock fighting, dog fighting, human fighting, weapon smuggling, pros...titution..." He trailed off for a second and snorted half annoyed at the things he'd seen in some of those places. "That's how I found Jasper." He added after a while, as they crossed the exit of the tunnel into the light.
Ess followed Luckas out the exit, silent for a few moments before she paused in her step. "You're right Luckas, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off that I'd only listen to your suggestions when convenient. This is just something I need to do." She still whispered, slowly her tone grew louder as she began to move once again. "...Did they rebuild that brothel then too?" She growled, keeping the glow of her eyes dim, not wanting to draw attention as they began to blend into a crowd, Ess playfully sneaking between several patrons without bumping them. She pulled her hood over herself, hiding her hair as she let the color change to a bright blond, remembering how Mageria told her to keep her disguise a constant change to keep up the deception.
"Of course I'm right." Luckas stated with a satisfied grin. "I understand that you need to do this, but there are safer ways than this." He said absently, slightly shrugging as they walked. "Not that talking about it matters right now." He added, moving towards a sort of center square amongst a few buildings that were boarded shut. "Not that same brothel, no." He replied to her question with a slight nod of his head."These places are different, all businesses legal and illegal run by the same people and not people anyone would like to mess with. On the outside, they seem nicer than the people you worked for, but they are without a doubt worse if crossed the wrong way. "There's a place here for every nasty habit. I'd guess gambling for a start." He said, choosing a path.
"When did you start speaking with a voice of reason?" She teased "I lived this life.....the life people either were apart of, or they simply ignored. You're preaching to the choir Luckas about the dementia of a person’s mind. Or have you forgotten what you've seen in my head? What I have never uttered to anyone.." Clearing her throat she followed Luckas to a building, alive with laughter and shouts of competition. "Ok...split up inside....I know how to blend" Ess smiled, letting the hood fall back, exposing her blond hair with brighter sun-kissed highlights, her eyes now wider like a doe, giving her the sweet and desirable persona. There were all sorts of gambling going on in this building: from card games to animal fighting upstairs, feathers drifting down from above. Ess started with the card players, a sultry smile curling her lips as she slid her arm along the shoulder of one man, whispering softly in his ear. The balding figure turned and smiled up at her, offering her a seat on his lap, which she graciously accepted, chatting away. At one point she made a bold move by placing a bet on a hand for the man, and to the bald man's surprise, won the pot.
"What part of staying close to me do you not get?" *Luckas muttered as Ess just walked out to blend in with the crowd. Shaking his head and heaving an annoyed sigh, he wandered to a small bar in one end of the room, tracing his index finger through the outlines of a crest marked into the surface of the wood. As the man tending the bar came to him, he ordered a shot of their strongest drink, and when he was given a price to pay, simply flashed his eyes red and received a frightened nod of acknowledgement, one eye always on Ess as he felt someone sneak up on him. "What are you doing, Brother?" *Zeke's voice sounded in his ear. "Who is your friend?" Luckas chuckled "Why are you always after me? You need a woman. I'm just showing my friend a good time." He replied downing the shot and waving the bartender for a refill. "There is still room for that in the brotherhood, no? Or do you have something I need to take care of this instant?" He inquired, turning to face the other man with an angry glare. "Because if you don't, be kind enough and piss off." He muttered, leaning closer to the man with a growl.
Ess stood up, excusing herself with a reluctant expression as if she was having a great time to get herself a drink. She found that table boring and the others who she spoke with were of no help as she casually hinted a question here and there between hands. Politely she shook their hands, her fingers caressing their palms playfully, stating how she would see them again. Ess glanced around, knowing full well where Luckas was, but acted like she lost sight of him, her hand covering her mouth in an innocent giggle as she walked up to the same bar, catching sight of someone speaking to Luke. She played into her familiar role, slipping her arm gently around Luke's waist as she leaned in and pecked his cheek. "Can I have one of those, sweetness?" She purred playfully, her fingers attentively twirling a lock of his hair.
Ezekiel opened a slight grin as Ess approached Luckas, looking from her to him as if he had just won the lottery. "Won't introduce us, Luke? That is so rude of you..." He chuckled. "Piss. Off." Luckas repeated, still glaring at the man and ignoring his provocations, not wanting to show just how much his desire to see him gone had increased with woman's presence and hoping he failed to notice the inconvenient reddish tone that had taken over the sides of his face. "I said I will see you later." He muttered, knowing he had said no such thing, but that he would understand that as the promise for an explanation. "Fine, I'll leave, but don't forget what you owe me, Luckas. The people I work for aren't quite as forgiving as I am." He smiled wickedly at Ess before walking away to join the crowds. Luckas snorted out in anger as he waved at the bartender again, and placed a shot for Ess. "You didn't give me a chance to say... They don't like..." He lowered his voice to a faint whisper. "They don't like Enlightened here. So if you don't lay low we'll be in serious trouble."
Essence kept her sweet smile, taking the shot happily as she leaned back into Luckas in a seductive manner, her lips just grazing his ear as she whispered back. "I got that hint when I was chatting with my new friends over there, their derogative joking and I played along just fine, sweetness. You...didn't look too happy to see that friend of yours...." Ess pulled back, leaving it at that, glancing upstairs then back to Luckas. "We going to check out the festivities upstairs?"
Luckas heaved a small sigh trying to not act bothered by the closeness. "You're going to get me killed one of these days, but there are definitely worse ways to go." He stated absently, a chuckle escaping him as he took his shot and pushed himself away from the counter, taking Ess by the hand and beginning to lead her towards a back room through which they could reach the upper level pushing through the groups of people rather easily and ignoring the stares of some who knew his face. He knew he'd have to deal with Zeke, but the man was the least of his troubles if compared to Sam. Whenever she got word of this there would be hell to pay. Up a rather shaky flight of stairs, the upper level was far less neat than the first floor, but the patrons there were far more serious gamblers. This was where people got into serious debts, and what generated most profits. Small rings were several fights took place at once were scattered around a great open hall as people took bets. Dogs, poultry and other animals were kept in cages or leashes awaiting their turns. People seemed to enjoy watching this, but Luke sincerely didn't see why.
Ess noted the stares Luckas got by some as they passed through the crowd, but made sure to keep her gaze averted, giving a rather tight squeeze of his hand. After she made it upstairs, she remained close to him, not wandering this time. Again she leaned into him so he would hear her against the rowdy noise of the men and women shouting. "Ok...so I don't want to get you killed....what next then? What do you want me to do?"
Luckas chuckled softly. "I was kidding Lady, I can take care of myself, but here's the deal..." He pointed to several men in grey clothing taking bets. "See the guys with the books? Anyone who comes here ends up owing money at some point, and if you owe money your name goes in the book. Once your name gets in that book, every other detail of your life does as well. They keep records so detailed they most likely know how many times their gamblers sneeze on a weekly basis. So, if you'd like to find someone and that person's owed money here, peeking at one of those would give all you need to know on that person." He snickered slightly and nodded towards one man in the farthest end of the hall. "He's new. Distracting him for two minutes would be enough."
Ess adjusted the bodice of her top and nodded. "More questions keep coming to mind...but here's me..giving you the benefit of the doubt..." She smiled, her lips brushing his cheek as she pulled away. "That one I meant." Ess slinked through the crowd, pausing here and there to watch curiously at the fights that were mercilessly occurring in the cages she passed. She couldn't help the sickening feeling and a soft burst of anger that filled her as she watched a dog fight; but by looking at her, one would think she was simply turned on by the event. She continued to smile, sauntering over towards the man that Luke pointed out. How Luke knew so much, made it clear how much time he'd spent lurking and such in this city. Once she reached the young man in grey, she 'accidentally' bumped into him as if another had caused it, giving her the motive to profusely apologize to the man for her clumsiness. He didn't seem to mind as he turned from his podium to speak with Ess. "I'm Talena..." She giggled playing into his obvious interest, her fingers teasing the flesh along his large forearms. At one point he leaned into Ess, running his fingers through her hair asking how long she planned on sticking around that day and when he could sneak away to buy her a drink. Coyly she played this game, keeping her eyes averted downwards for the most part, safeguarding the glow of her eyes while she worked.
Luckas couldn't help a small snicker at Ess' comment, but he was pretty sure the questions would eventually be asked one way or another. He let her go ahead and make her way to the man while he followed from a short distance, ending up amongst a small nearby group of gamblers watching a dog fight, the corner of his eyes watching as Ess faked being pushed into the book keeper. That was really all it took to put the man's attention completely on her. Luke had to admit he would be impressed if it just didn't annoy him so badly, luckily he didn't have time to think about it as he quietly made his way to the podium and leaned against it as if waiting for the man to finish his conversation, meanwhile peeking into the book and finding Ian's name on it, as well as where he spent great part of his time. Luke knew the place and it wasn't far, which meant getting out of that building, making him extremely happy. He then turned away from the podium faking annoyance for not being able to place a bet. He walked to wait by the stairs, but still casually keeping an eye on Ess to make sure there would be no trouble with the man.
Ess noticed Luckas from her peripheral vision as she kept her attention on the bookkeeper. Offering another apology when someone complained on the obvious distraction from being able to place their bet, the man turned back to his work with a promise to be available in an hour or so. Ess simply nodded as she turned about to 'wait for him' at the bar, stumbling a bit when she received a firm smack on her backside. Instantly she wanted to hit him, but she choked down her anger, using the red rushing to her cheeks as embarrassment when she forced a smile over her shoulder at him. When she made it to the stairs she walked past Luckas in case the bookkeeper was still watching, her smile turning into an annoyed glower as she brushed Luckas' arm, making her way down the stairs and towards the main door.
Luke gave about thirty seconds before following after Ess, through which he glared at the bookkeeper, making a mental note to do something painful to the man when he came back alone. He caught up with her downstairs heading for the exit door, but out of the corner of his eyes he caught three familiar figures, two dressed in dark blue and one all in black which was Ezekiel. Heaving a sigh, he caught Ess by the wrist and whispered quickly. "Leave, take a left and enter the third building down the road; it's another bar. If he's not there he will be." The moment he finished that sentence a hand gripped his shoulder. "I apologize friend, but apparently the higher-ups don't feel like waiting for an answer." The man stated, obviously not sorry in one bit. Luke nodded smirking as he replied, glaring at the man. "Oh, I'm sure you're broken hearted, Zeke." He then turned to Ess with a smile and nodded towards the door. "I'll catch up with you in five minutes. I promise."
Ess felt the familiar fingers upon her skin, so she didn't flinch when she was suddenly stopped in mid step by Luke, nodding to his words, her head snapping to attention as the man from before came up behind Luckas. The familiar sweet smile curled her lips as she nodded from Luckas to the dark skinned man, Zeke apparently was his name. Politely she bowed her head and slipped out the door of the establishment, making it a point to remember those faces she had just encountered. Luke had promised to meet up with her, but that didn't ease the hairs standing up along her arm. Something was most definitely going on and Luke didn't want Ess around at the moment, more than likely to do with what he said earlier: about the place not taking kindly to her gifts. She wasted no time, out the door taking a left like Luckas instructed and casually entered the third building down the street, where she found herself at the bar. A few moments went by and she was already three shots deep, as she kept to herself, acting uninterested in the gatherings around her while she tried to focus her mind on the task and not worrying about Luckas. Of course that was easier said than done.
The moment Ess was out the door Luckas turned to face the other two people Zeke had with him; both women, one dressed in only dark blue, but the other had dark blue robes with golden trims. Luckas literally twitched as the woman left to a backroom, silently motioning for him to follow her. He immediately complied, finding himself in a private room with her and the other woman in blue, who simply stood in the corner with her head bowed, and Zeke, who shut the door and stood blocking it. At this point the woman with the golden trims removed the hood of her cloak and glared at him with a severe look in her eyes. "What are you doing, playing with your meal, Luckas?"
Luke winced at the familiar words and simply mumbled. "How did you get here so fast?" The woman immediately slapped him across the face, the gesture stung, even if the blow in itself was weak. "Don't ever question me. What are you doing with her?"
Luckas didn't raise his eyes to meet Sam's as he replied. "I'm following my orders to get the information you wanted."
Sam snorted angrily. "How so? You're interfering with our plans Luke."
Luckas sighed. "Because it won't work. Even if you get her, and even if she knows something, you won't get it out of her by force. Me? I have her trust. I can get that information easily if you give me time. And if you still want to kill her afterwards, fine." He shrugged "What have you got to lose?"
Sam seemed to think about it for a second before she reached and gently caressed the reddish mark she had left on his cheek. "You make me proud Lukey, and that's why I will give you time, but don't you dare betray me. Are we clear?"
[Blackpond - 13 After the Castle Ball]
Five minutes later Luke was joining Ess at the bar, perfectly unscathed except for a reddish mark on his left cheek, acting as if he had stopped to chat with a friend. "Did I miss anything?" He asked absently.
Hiding a small smile, Ess heaved a sigh of relief, giving a lazy shrug. “You didn’t miss much....but perhaps I am the one missing important details, Luckas..” She muttered, a bitter annoyance in her voice. She spoke softer, lighter as she continued. “Why am I hated so but you can wander around with no apparent issues? For someone who likes to slink around in shadows and not have many remember his face, seems you are more than just an acquaintance around here, no?” Turning around in her seat she smiled, quirking a brow in her obvious curiosity. Casually, every so often her eyes swept behind Luckas and away from the bar counter, keeping an eye on movement even in its subtly, still watching for her brother.
Luckas tilted his head to the side at Ess’ questions, as he tried to figure out what wouldn’t be an incredibly foolish answer. “If I said it’s all due to my remarkable people skills, would you believe me?” He asked opening a little amused smile, but not really expecting that answer to work. “Well, they think I am someone else. And if they knew that I am not... Believe me, I wouldn’t be wandering around this freely. If one can call this freely.” He added.
She nodded slowly, eyes falling back to the door before ordering another round, pushing the shot towards Luckas. “Pretending to be someone else? Or still discovering who that ‘someone’ is?” Ess snickered, pulling back the shot. “I didn’t feel I was very obvious...I don’t think I understand why I am so conspicuous and you inconspicuous. And your ‘people skills’, as an answer, only begs more questions..” She trailed off, not continuing with those questions that lingered on her mind, instead focusing on herself and her apparent lack of trust that she stated was not an issue several times before. Her smile closed, contemplating how to give trust, one should receive it in turn. Ess sighed, shaking her head at herself, wondering if Luckas didn’t trust her. Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed a warm, wetness tickling her lip. Casually wiping at the blood, she sniffled, turning towards the door as it opened again.
Luckas sighed ruffling his own hair as he ran his fingers through it in thought. “You know... I never lie completely... If I can help it... What people assume though, is not my responsibility.” He concluded, reaching for the drink, but simply fiddling with the glass for a moment. “So, I never said I was pretending to be someone else, I said they think I am someone else... There’s a difference, however subtle. And it’s not so much that you were obvious, it’s more that you weren’t there just a day ago... And these are people who tend to know their environment very well.” Ignoring the mention of more questions Luckas finally stopped playing with his glass and drank, registering the sound of the door opening, but not turning to look.
Essence leaned back against the counter, crossing her legs with a subtle elegant grace, adjusting her cloak so her weapons remained hidden. The woman absorbed Luckas’ words, her mind working perhaps a bit too much as she began to wonder if she fell into the category of ‘assumptions’ made of Luckas. Her eyes flickered, inspecting the man in the doorway, smiling to herself when she saw the familiar red hair and freckled skin peeking out from a grey hood that half hung across his face. Falling back into her act, she pretended to be engaged further in conversation, playfully tapping Luckas on the shoulder with a sweet giggle. One eye remained on the figure who had entered the establishment, who slowly approached the counter to her right, Luckas on her left. She inhaled quickly, her only hint that something had changed. It wasn’t hard to hear the man’s request for his ‘usual’ room key before turning and clunking noisily up the stairs. Was it for sure, her brother? Her insides were screaming to move, her expression plain and composed, letting her attention fall back completely to Luckas.
Luckas’ only motion was to silently ask for a refill, but his ears were following the footsteps of the approaching man from the moment he crossed the doorway. In the few instants he spent at the bar, Luckas shot him a passing glance, but he recognized the character from Jasper’s memories by voice alone. Once the man’s footsteps made their way up the stairs Luckas emptied his glass yet again and turned to Ess giving a casual shrug. “Now what?” He asked, a slightly eager look in his eyes as if awaiting instructions.
“Do me a favor, sweetness...” Ess whispered, tightening the hood beneath her chin. “Don’t push me to the floor.” She teased, standing slowly and sliding herself onto Luckas’ lap, her arms wrapping limp across his shoulders. Whispering slyly into his ear, she sighed. “How close do you need to get to Ian to see inside his head? I need to know what my mother looked like, exactly.” Her fingers toyed with a few locks of Luckas’ hair as she giggled, nodding towards the stairs. “I have an...idea of sorts...”
Luckas was a bit confused with Ess’ request at first until he found himself struggling against the urge to do just what she had asked him not to, his body tensing momentarily as he thought about her question. Forcing a breath in and out he cleared his throat rather awkwardly before responding. “It’s not a matter of distance, really. If I’m close enough that I can maintain eye contact, it’ll be enough. I’ve done it from pretty good distances before, hiding in a crowd and no one really noticed, just the target.” He tilted his head away from her and mumbled: “That’s distracting...”, running a hand through his hair before asking. “What your mother looks like? Is that all?”
There was something in Ess’ eyes, in the way she pulled back to gaze upon her friend. Her expression went blank before she winked playfully. “What’s distracting? Do I really make you that uncomfortable?” Absently she wiped aside a loose eyelash upon Luke’s cheek and nodded. “For now, that is all I require. I know I am suppose to look like my mother..and lets say I want to keep with the theme of ‘haunting’ my main focus. It seems to work, don’t you think so?” Without looking, she raised a hand and flagged down the bartender, ordering another round for herself and Luke before sliding off his lap. “Drink first?” She didn’t wait for him to answer, slamming back the liquor. For a split second she frowned, a sullen glimmer in her eyes quickly substituted by an amused twinkle, she turned away from her friend as if he was not even there. Ess moved along the patrons at the bar, the men smiling up at her as she passed, her fingers teasing along her shoulders in a subtle solicitation. It was an uncomfortable, yet natural maneuver she had used countless times at the brothel; especially when a patron appeared to show no interest in her and she wanted to keep up appearances.
Luckas looked at Ess with a slightly intrigued expression when she moved out of his lap and then away from him, blinking a few times in confusion as he mumbled. “I didn’t say uncomfortable, did I say uncomfortable?” He frowned slightly as he watched the woman’s gestures trying to understand what it meant without much success. “I don’t even...” He muttered. Luckas never liked being ignored, he was much like an infant that way, and right now he wasn’t sure just how annoyed he was. Finally he just went after her and tried to stay focused on why they were there in the first place. “So when do you suppose I should go into the guy’s mind anyway?” He asked, not trying to mask the slight annoyance in his tone. “Is that all you need me for, Lady?”
Essence paused, giving the impression Luckas’ stole her attention away from the other patrons and smiled a genuine sweet smile. She gradually leaned into him and whispered, “I was only trying to give you a window and not make it look like we are together, per say. If you can do this as soon as possible, that would be great.” Shaking her head, her hand traced along his forearm with a continued smile. “Of course that’s not all I need you for, sweetness.” Her tone was playful, flirtatious and yet her eyes spoke louder and of much more as if they were hinting for Luckas to just go with her act. What she was saying and physically showing to their present company were quite different things. Ess was not deaf, and did catch the annoyed tone in Luckas’ voice, her smile fading, almost losing herself from the public persona she was giving off. With a shrug, she backtracked to the bar and swallowed the idle shot just sitting upon the counter. “Can’t let it go to waste now..” She muttered to herself.
Luckas sighed, trying to shake off his annoyance, but honestly still confused. Still he tried to focus on what he could handle first and worrying about what he couldn’t understand later. He moved towards the bartender and spoke to the man in whispers for a few seconds, discreetly slipping commands in the conversation so that he told him exactly what and who was in the upper levels of the building. It was rare for him to do so, but Luckas had learned that if he spoke softly enough people would obey him without noticing. Personally though, he’d rather see them freak out over losing control, but that could be done at any other time; and in much better places. Once he knew what he needed he walked back to Ess and whispered casually to her. “I still like your real face better, Lady.” To which he added in a slightly more audible tone. “I was going to drink that. You owe me a shot.” To that statement he made his way to the stairs that led to what the bartender described simply as ‘private rooms’; not at all eager to know what one would need a private room for in this place.
Gingerly, Ess bit down on her bottom lip, sliding a free hand along her hip to her coin pouch and tossed a few gold marks upon the counter. Snapping her fingers she attracted the bar keeps’ attention, fingers clinging along the edge of the counter, she ordered Luckas another shot while waiting for his return. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave a strong impression of being bored, yawning here and there when quite to the contrary her heart was racing at the very thought of getting that bastard brother of hers alone; in addition her curiosity to what Luckas was going to do was getting the better of her. When he disappeared up the stairs, she casually followed, leaning provocatively along the railing, now ignoring any who spoke to her as she stared off, lost in thought. For a few moments Ess did indeed forget herself, her voice trailing off in a hushed hum, she sang under her breath, her words coming off as mumbles and gibberish.
When Luckas reached the second floor of the building he just came across a bunch of doors. He didn’t know which one he was supposed to be going to in order to find Ian, but at least he knew what the guy looked like, so it wasn’t so hard to just knock on random doors until he found the right one. Ian was apparently expecting someone to knock on the door because it opened quickly, and he flinched slightly at the sight of Luckas. Luke didn’t take more than a few seconds to find what he was looking for, and it seemed to have gone unnoticed, probably perceived by the man as randomly remembering his mother. At which point Luckas apologized and claimed to have knocked on the wrong door, immediately walking away and knocking on yet another random door, just to show he was in fact randomly looking for someone who wasn’t there.
Less than three minutes later he was walking down the stairs and running right into Ess. He tilted his head to one side and snickered. “Anxious, are we?” He asked, walking past her towards the bar, his gaze locking on hers and his eyes flashing a green color as he passed. The image flashing in his mind for a moment and then fading as he broke eye contact and moved towards his drink.
Ess held back a smile to her friend’s comment, letting her gaze lock temporarily with Luckas’ before her eyes closed. Squeezing her lids, she held the image, the gift of her mother within her mind. Waist long, straight wine hair outlined a narrow-waisted woman; the same dimples appearing along snow white skin stretching against the familiar contours of her lips matching almost exactly with Ess’ intense violet gaze. It was almost uncanny the identical features that she shared with her mother: Symphony Vivienne Violette. She was younger than Ess is now, fewer stress lines and darkish circles that Ess carried as of late from lack of sleep. The woman she saw had polished smooth skin, no physical scars did she bare, nor did her soul scream out from behind her glossy gaze giving a much kinder and relaxed appearance in comparison to Essence. Simply, she was beautiful. To be able to see Symphony, even through another’s memories was just another wish finally granted.
Opening her eyes, her humming had not faltered in her momentary distraction. Hesitating only a second she nodded in Luckas’ direction and turned about on the steps, slowly stepping one stair at a time towards the upper floor landing. When she reached the top, she moved across the wall into the shadows, shedding her cloak to the floor and shuffling it into the far corner only to reveal her mother’s milky white features shrouded in deep red locks. She didn’t even have a chance to knock when the door suddenly opened and her brother stepped out on her left from his room to look around and froze instantly where he stood when he met Ess’ eyes. A chilling smile teased her soft lips, her eyes a mocking kindness as she worked to capture her mother’s gaze. Gradually her smile grew sweeter, overflowing with a silent innocence when she decided to walk by him, purposely bumping his shoulder, back down the stairs and out the front door.
Luckas had his shot and yet another, not moving from where he was by the bar, but rather simply keeping his eyes and ears open to his surroundings. None of the faces around were familiar to him and that was good in theory, but not for sure. Zeke had told him about the Order keeping an eye on Ian, so he imagined someone was close to him at all times. He noticed a few blue-eyed strangers that would be his first guess, wasn’t for the fact that Zeke’s little shape-shifter pet wouldn’t have missed a chance to mess with him somehow... Which left him with the conclusion that it was probably a stranger.
He didn’t turn to look when he caught a glance of the familiar figure walking down the stairs and out of the building, but quietly placed a coin on the counter and took a few seconds to thank the barkeeper for his services before wandering outside himself.
Ian hadn’t spoken a word in his shock and disbelief. He wasn’t sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, if his memory was off and it was just someone who reminded him of his mother, or if in fact he was now finding himself chasing a ghost. A few minutes went by before his mind cleared and he began descending those same steps, and out the door. Taking a few more steps, he paused just outside the establishment, green orbs flickering from freshly lit torchlight against the oncoming evening. A small crowd parted, composed of only four or five people which barely held his attention when he saw red hair blowing in a gentle wind across the street, an eerie lavender glow sparkling in his direction. Another, larger crowd wandered past, the figure lost from his vision, not reappearing once the patrons passed. Frantically he searched, holding back the urge to cry out in pursuit of the woman just as he caught her sprinting further down the street, clinging to the shadows.
Essence loved being the prey in her own little game of cat and mouse; little did her brother realize exactly who the predator was at this point. She let herself create some distance between herself and Ian before purposely slowing her pace for him to catch up. Ess moved further from the hustle of the city as the citizens scurried into their nooks and crannies for the evening, leaving her ‘seemingly’ alone as she darted down an alley. Inhaling deeply her heart thudded painfully in her ear almost drowning out Ian’s flutter of footsteps closing in on her, a rough hand clasping firmly upon her shoulder, whipping her around briskly. Essence gasped in a fit of giggles, the same violet eyes gleaming brightly up at her older brother, yet it was not his mother he was staring down at but an intense reflection of himself. Shaking his fiery red hair, Ian rubbed his eyes lazily, reaching a freckled hand out towards ‘himself.’ “Impossible....” He muttered aloud, gripping a firm hold around Ess’ neck.
“Possible...” She mocked back in Ian’s own voice, she continued to giggle at her brother, letting the tone fade back to her own, her facade melting back into her own unique, porcelain features; scar, curls, and all. Suddenly her smile fell away, nodding past her brother’s shoulder, “It’s quite alright...he’s not hurting me..” She whispered curiously, Ian abruptly turning his head to glance behind himself, only to find a small surprise.
Luckas began to follow a few steps after Ian, amused by how close he managed to follow the man unnoticed. He was so caught up in chasing his ghost that his mind wouldn’t focus on anything else. Luke could have lit the idiot on fire and he probably wouldn’t even smell the smoke. In all honesty, he was very tempted to do it, but figured it was probably best not to... Yet... After all, wasn’t his family reunion. By the time Ian caught up with Ess Luke was standing no further than two steps behind him and seriously holding back laughter; which escaped the moment Ess spoke to him, causing the man to turn and notice him for the first time. “He’s not very bright, Lady... You sure you two are even related?” Luke asked, still chuckling as he whispered something under his breath, letting out a more manic giggle when Ian abruptly slapped himself on the head. “He’s really not bright.” Luke added, shaking his head in faked disappointment. “Oh, well...” He sighed softly, his laughter ceasing as he turned to walk in a certain direction, only addressing the man with a command: “Be quiet and follow me.” After which he gave Ess a small grin and stated. “I’m assuming you’d like a quiet place to catch up, right?”
Luke paced slowly and carelessly as he led them through the streets towards a slightly torn apart building, and around it, to a cracked wooden door that led to the interior of what used to be a shop of some sort. Once inside he walked them down a flight of stairs and through heavy metal door, that was left open from when he’d last been there. “Yeah, it’s still a little messy in here...” He stated casually, lighting a torch to bring a little bit of light to the place, which only made the blood stains on the floor and walls more visible. “Didn’t have time to clean up since I last had a...Uh... Guest.” He said with a little shrug, pulling a chair and dusting it off slightly before taking a seat. Pointing at another chair he smiled at Ian. “Sit.”
Essence shrugged, swatting Ian’s arm aside when he fully turned to face Luckas. “I dunno sweetness...I thought the brother I had would have at least written to let me know how he was doing....” She held back a laugh, pushing through as she continued. “Course....seems to be a theme going here...people wanting me to think they or others they know are dead....curious...not that I’m heartbroken...” Ess skipped beside Luckas, pushing aside her apprehension, not leaving herself still for a moment too long to where her body would be overtaken by tremors. Part of her was excited; part of her was disgusted and wanted to walk away. As much as she wanted to drag out the moment to come, at the same time she desperately needed it all to be over but she desired answers.
The moment Ess entered the basement, she took in a deep cleansing breath noting the familiar room from Luckas’ memories of Jasper. An intense body high overcame her, her skin tingly and numb, heart racing in her ears. She smiled down at the blood stains, quirking a brow as she recognized bits of toenail, flesh, and teeth scattered about the floor. Not even looking at Ian, she sixth sensed her way to the table, bloody tools crusted over in the appearance of rust. Aware of what was going on around her, her attention lingered strongly over each piece, shaking her head to herself as each wasn’t good enough, not quite what she had in mind until the last one; a peeler of some sorts. Eyes widened in satisfaction when her fingers clung to it, gradually walking over towards the party. “Hello dear brother....been looking for me, I hear hmm? Wish I had known you were alive, could of saved both of us some trouble...” Clearing her throat, she rested a hand upon Luckas’ shoulder before moving to Ian’s side. “You can let Ian speak, after all he must be excited to see his sweet little sister...”
Luckas shrugged slightly in his seat when Ess told him to let Ian speak. He vaguely wondered if the man could tell who he was by looking at him, or by his ability somehow, but he figured that a man that would let himself be followed by a distance of only two steps probably didn’t pay all that much attention to his surroundings. Smiling slightly he fixed his eyes on the man, the black color lightening to green for a few moments, after which they turned to normal and Luke chuckled, his hold on Ian fading, only enough to let him speak, but still keeping him motionless in his seat. He chuckled, leaning back in his seat and looking up at Ess with an amused grin. “I thought my brother was fucked up, but this guy... They would’ve liked each other I think... Well... Matt would surely have liked him...” He snickered. “Suppose they’ll eventually meet... If there is such a thing...” He mumbled to himself.
“...You do look just like her....you know....except....you have Dad’s nose..” Ian whispered, still in awe. Slowly his eyes trailed Ess from head to toe, a kind gaze quickly turning to a wicked grin as he lingered along her chest moving to her face. “Nice.....tatt....” He snickered, his voice whispy and snake like. “Such a shame really....if wasn’t for that scar on your face....you might actually have been pretty...” Ian suddenly groaned, his head thrashed to the side when Ess struck him hard, using the bladed edge of the peeler she dragged it along his cheek taking with her a light layer of skin.
“Thanks bro, love you too.....” Ess spat. “I tire of pleasantries though....let’s skip over to the good shit....like why the hell did you sell out your family? Why you sold your sister, your own blood to brothel hell and why the hell after all this time you are looking for me?” For no reason at all, than the simple frustration she felt, Ess backhanded Ian, leaving a welt from her knuckles along his cheek bone, blood sticking to her fingers as it trickled down from the missing skin.
“Oh Essy....you were always in the way.....maybe Dad liked you more.....maybe it’s jealousy? “ Ian’s eyes twinkled as if he were smiling, “Maybe because it’s YOUR fault mom’s dead.....?...No? Don’t like that answer either? Hmm....well how about the money?...You pick....”
“You’re such a bullshitter...I know you came to the brothel....I know....you knew Jasper...” This time, Ess ran her fingers affectionately through her brother’s hair before tugging hard on his short strands, hard enough to pull at his flesh while she dug the peeler along his other cheek. She pressed so hard she had to stop and start over again and again to free the flesh, revealing muscle tissue beneath. Essence simply smiled when he began to scream. “Really.....and I thought I had a low tolerance for pain...kinda embarrassing me in front of my friend here....”
Luckas was watching the whole scene while literally hanging on the edge of his seat. Three or four times he nearly jumped to his feet, but did not. There was a part of him that really just wanted to cause Ian a lot of pain for things he had done and mostly for his words, but the greater part of him was too excited for what was going to happen next, like a kid watching a puppet show, or being told a really fascinating story. Even if he had his mind fully set on ripping the guy’s heart out, he wouldn’t have moved from where he sat. Finally the screaming sent him over the edge of the chair and he stumbled forward onto his knees, laughing at his own excitement before pulling himself up. “Heh... Squealers... Gotta love ‘em, they make everything more fun.” He snickered. “Although, that Jasper fellow was still talking back to me even after he was just about done, those kinds are fun too...” Luke stood, kicking a little piece of bone that was scattered over the floor... Fun times...” He stated, his eyes sparkling a discrete tone of red behind the black, not too bright, but noticeable enough to make clear that he still had some fond memories of his last guest... Although he honestly wished he could have made the man last longer.
“Tricky...tricky sis.” Ian whimpered softly, his eyes still smiling up at her as if he was undressing her to see straight into her soul. “I knew....you’d be enlightened.....maybe.” He spat, a degrading, icy tone creeping into his voice, “..Maybe...if you actually spent less time hiding your gift, you could of spent less time spreading your legs....but...maybe you wanted that all along...”
The peeler rolled out of Ess fingers in her surprise of her brother’s audacity, slowly curling into a balled up fist. Yet, instead of thrashing him like she precariously desired she started chuckling. “You’re just jealous....you never were the one between my thighs, Ian.” She sang, still giggling when her hand unsheathed her dagger, noting the excitement mixed with disgust she read from his gaze. Calmly she dragged the point of the blade along the flesh of his neck, up she traced the hairline and raised cheek bones that matched her own. One hand gripped his left shoulder, her other tightening around the hilt of her blade, playfully she sat in his lap, pausing the dagger at his right temple. “....No? A little close to home right?” A delighted sneer curled the corners of her mouth, with one swift movement her blade sliced through Ian’s ear like a knife through butter. “You disgust me....” Ess whispered sweetly into the cartilage in her hand, still smiling as he screamed again. Clearly annoyed by the whining, Ess stuffed the ear into Ian’s mouth and scooted off her brother’s lap.
“My dear Luckas....I think my brother is hungry.....it’s quite alright to ….LET him have a bite...no?”
Luke had moved to lean against one of the blood stained walls, further away from the torchlight, it was almost possible for him to blend in with the shadows there wasn’t for the occasional red color that sparkled in his eyes, on and off. At Ess’ words he pushed himself away from the stone wall and gave a soft snicker. “Quite alright indeed, Lady.” He agreed. “You heard her, man; eat up.” He chuckled. “And don’t forget to chew properly, because if not... Well that’s just not good for you, I was told. Should always chew your food right.” He nodded.
One would think, typically speaking, that watching a horrified man almost vomit as he was forced to digest his own ear, would be sickening to witness. Instead, Ess smiled, not really focused on her brother’s chewing, but more of the cold and terrorizing gaze that steamed hatred from his Iris’. To say Ess was pleased, was quite the understatement. She stood silently, tilting her head when he had begun to choke on a hard piece of cartilage and bounced in her step as she smacked the back of Ian’s head hard, knocking the piece out of his mouth. “Ok....enough...choking on yourself...” Ess snickered, holding back a fit of laughter, “...before you give me answers...is not what I had in mind.” She nodded at Luckas when he ‘released’ the man from his ‘snack’ and attentively dabbed at her brother’s lips with her sleeve, lopping at the blood.
“There now...feel better...brother?” Ess whispered softly into his other ear, gently sifting her fingers through his hair once again.
“It....was never...really about you or I, Essy.” Ian heaved, his voice almost had left him, bottom lip quivering in the realization of what he was just forced to do. “No matter...what you do to me, dear sister....THEY will do far worse...” Again his eyes softened, a crooked smile escaping him through bloodied teeth, and bits of flesh hanging off his cheeks.
Using the hilt of her dagger, Ess lifted Ian’s chin to stare straight into his eyes. “..Glad to know...I never meant anything to you....even though you did once to me.” With a sigh she slid onto the empty chair Luke had been occupying, crossing her legs in a dainty fashion. “Now...I can keep feeding you pieces of yourself all night....it will get boring...but this is easy compared to how it could go unless you start giving me some answers..” Still calm, she cracked on her knuckles waiting patiently for her brother to answer her. When he didn’t she sawed off the other ear and proceeded to his fingers, all ending in the same crude fashion of watching intently as he swallowed bits of bone and flesh.
“GO AHEAD!” Ian screamed. “Kill me...it makes no difference, my life...it’s what they wanted!...I couldn’t tell you who they are if I wanted to!”
Ess sighed, her brows furrowing in slight disappointment when she was about to castrate her own brother, the tip of the blade lingered on his thigh. “Can’t? or Won’t?...” Turning over to Luckas, she wiped the blade off on Ian’s shoulder. “Luckas, what do you think? Is he lying? Or is it something...deeper...?”
Luckas flinched slightly in his corner, he hadn’t quite realized he had whatever answers Ian couldn’t give, although not enough of them to do anything about it, which was the point of the whole thing, and suddenly he was torn between whatever the man might actually know and what he wanted Ess to know... Or rather what he didn’t want her to find out. Finally he decided to actually see what, if anything, the guy actually knew before thinking about it any further. When he took one step forward and looked into Ian’s eyes he found that the guy had really no memory of anything aside the one thing that was most convenient for them to let Ess know and while he was tempted to wipe that memory out, he didn’t think that would be fair. When his eyes returned to black and he could see his surroundings again he gave a little annoyed sigh before addressing the man. “You know what I saw... I’d tell if I were you.”
Crossing her arms, Ess quirked a brow at the deep resentment she was reading in her brother’s eyes when he looked at Luckas. It was almost filled with as much hatred as it was when he turned back to her. “Leave.....me attached.....and I’ll tell you what I know...” Ian negotiated.
“Ha...I don’t think you realize your position, Brother...” Ess shook her head. “Tell me then...and we’ll...call this...my one courtesy to you....”
Instead of answering Ess’ questions, Ian began asking some of his own. “Essy....did Dad ever tell you about how mom loved to write? ...Those songs she sang...she wrote them all down in....a journal...”
There was a long silence before more laughter erupted from her lips. “What the hell are you talking about...by the Twins, what does this have to do with me? As you so plainly stated and reminded me, Mom is gone because I was born....so I’m not very familiar with her. All I know is what Dad sang to us as kids...You remember, don’t you?”
Ian sighed, “I remember some....yes...but they don’t mean much of anything to anyone, apparently....but this..Journal....I tried to get it from Dad the night you were taken, and naturally he refused....” Ian gagged, coughing a moment before continuing. “He hid it, but not all too well...and well....there are pages torn from it...something Dad didn’t want found...the people I gave said journal to, think you would know.”
“This...is all over a JOURNAL?!” Ess screamed out in frustration. “Really?.....really.....” She searched her memories, not recalling anything that would make her think of such an item, only how her father would sing to her. A deep ache thudded inside her chest and belly at the memory of her father. “It’s your fault he’s dead.....” She spat.... “It’s your fault I was sold into slavery....and all for a stupid book?!”
“No! Not just the book Essy....what it contains....the fact that you are NOTHING and how I’m just infected with Mom’s....’disease’ but show no symptoms....not like you......”
Gripping the dagger firmly, Ess impaled the blade into Ian’s thigh with a burst of fury. “You are so blinded by hate and jealousy, you look at life backwards. You are the one who is NOTHING, not I.” Ian shrieked in pain, tears flowing down his cheeks that stung the exposed muscle from the missing skin. “...And Mom’s songs....didn’t mean NOTHING....all I believe in...I learned from them....so it’s a pity your life lessons were filled with only hate, and twisted fantasies.”
Ess retracted the blade, sliding her finger along the sharp metal she let Ian’s blood coat her finger and approached the far wall so Ian could see. In an angry haste she drew a symbol, in blood, of a sword running through an eye. It was the symbol she was told to keep an eye out for from the Captain. “Ian!....Have you seen this before?”
Her brother groaned, his skin now paler than Ess’ from loss of blood that accumulated in pools at his feet. “I’ve seen it.....”
“Where!? What is it?”
Ian chuckled and spat blood through his teeth. “Use your eyes girl....it’s everywhere! You just have to know where to look...”
Ess was shaking. She wanted to pluck out Ian’s eyes and feed them to him, but then he wouldn’t be able to witness his own demise to the fullest and she felt he needed all his senses for what was next. “Luckas....would you like to give our friend...an oil bath? I did make you a promise, sweetness...” Ess was done. She knew from the bits of information and lack there of, this must of been all connected somehow and she wanted to speak with Ali and the Captain. She had some theories, but nothing concrete and felt she would keep certain things to herself. Ess had several thoughts flood her mind and knew she would be back to this place soon; she needed more information, and from what Luckas had mentioned on how powerful people ran most of the businesses around her, she wondered if it was all connected to her past and the despicable repetition of child slavery that she knew was still rampant in the city.
Luckas took a few moments to respond to Ess, his eyes fixed on the bloody symbol as if it put him in a trance for a moment.Eventually though, he shook his head slightly and chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know about that Lady. I don’t think I had enough to drink for that... Plus, your dear brother is most definitely not my type.” He played, moving around the room until he found a small barrel full of lamp oil, which he absently picked up before pacing his way to Ian and grinning at the man. “I’ll make an exception for you though, because... Family...” He stated, casually flipping the barrel over and pouring its contents over the man’s head, tossing the empty barrel aside and turning to Ess with a grin. “Your party Lady... You light the candles.” He stated.
Essence’s features softened as she gave a genuine smile over at Luckas, ignoring the spitting and gagging of lamp oil that Ian was currently doused in. “Why thank you for the honor, my friend.”
“Stupid bitch.....who do you think you’re dealing with!? The ones you need to fear are the ones you can’t see...” Ian muttered, flinching at the stinging from his eyes and open wounds as the oil seeped inside.
Ess reached for the burning torch and smiled as she leaned into her brother. “Thanks for the tip bro..” Her cheek hovered beside Ian’s face, bringing her voice down a few decibels to barely audible levels. “I do remember one thing, that probably won’t mean too much to you, brother...Our father....he was enlightened too....he just kept it to himself....” Essence backed away to arms length, giggling at the wide eyed look Ian gave her as she repositioned herself next to Luckas. “..I feel like sending a message, Luckas...it wouldn’t be very safe to light a fire inside...so...we can let him go....” Ess reached her free hand to find Luckas’ arm and gave it a slight squeeze, the torch fire flickering wildly and spreading like water when she touched it to Ian’s fingerless hand.
Luckas smiled wide, watching the fire spread, as he released Ian from his hold, giggling softly as the man knocked over the chair and started to run out the door. Luckas never quite understood why people ran when they were set on fire; it wasn’t the right thing to do, it didn’t help, but it seemed to be people’s first instincts even so. He shook his head in amusement as he cheerfully followed after the screaming, burning, man, surprised that he managed to find his way out of the building and out to the city streets. People’s reactions were entertaining to Luckas, most of them were horrified, of course, but some here and there seemed amused. Either way, no effort was made to aid the man, who continued to run and scream horribly until he eventually fell. In Blackpond, Luke knew that no one would bother to try and find out how this happened, and the ones who cared to know already knew everything they needed. “Lovely.” Luckas whispered, a grin crossing his expression.
Essence sheathed her dagger at her hip, skipping comically after her chaotic brother and an entertained Luckas, her features shifting to her blond disguise before she exited the building and slinked along the shadows. She watched in silence as citizens either screamed in terror or laughed mockingly at Ian’s fate, gradually going silent. Ess’ smile faded when he fell to his knees and eventually on his face, a nauseating smoke billowing up from the corpse. It was like a beacon of light for all to see against the darkness. “...Goodbye Ian..” Ess whispered, turning away from the sight once she was sure he was dead, assuming Luckas was on her heels without even looking. “May Lady Death carry you deep into the abyss of an eternity of torment...” Her destitute expression was disconcerting after the eventful evening. She shook her golden hair over her face to hide the few stray tears that managed to fall past her chin. In her satisfaction, she couldn’t ignore the feeling of loss; at losing her brother all over again and the illusion of what was good, resting in ashes in the city streets of BlackPond.
Luckas wandered off after Ess, first pacing slowly as he let his mind wander off to what would happen after this, letting her walk a few steps ahead of him as he did so. When he snapped out of it however, he ran a bit ahead to catch up with her, bouncing a little bit, cheerfully, as he approached, whistling a nice little melody before giving Ess a curious look. “Lady... Why so serious? You look like you need to cheer up a bit... Do you need to me to cheer you up?”
The road faded from view even when Ess continued forward, her focus no longer on holding her disguise. Auburn dye seemed to cascade down in streaks, smothering the sun-kissed highlights of her hair, the tone of her skin flushed from her mixed emotions. It was in that moment her thoughts dwelled heavily upon her father; the first man to truly ever love her unconditionally and perhaps the one she compared all other men to in one way or another. Typical, she felt but with one difference; she knew that her Dad was a fighter, a survivor and would not ever be disgraced by the sacrifices she has made throughout her life.
~~~Twenty six years ago~~~
“Essy, Sweetie...go to your room.....” Dirk whispered to his daughter, blue eyes locked tightly on the figure in his doorway. The three year old Ess stared up at her father curiously, tiny dimples like pits in her smile as she shook her head defiantly, tight curls layered just below her ear lobes flowing freely in all directions. With a soft whine she ran to her dad and clung to his hand, “Da....”
“No Essy....” Dirks eyes flickered a deep blue, bright flecks of amber glittering for a mere second when he turned to look down at his daughter. “..You know..you can hear just fine from your room....” He snickered, letting Ess’ hand go when she fell silent and simply walked to her room and closed the door where she sat, pressing her ear against the hard oak. She could easily hear the stranger’s footsteps as he entered, the sound of a chair dragging and scooting across the floor for where he made himself comfortable. Shivering a bit in her nervousness, even though the voices were low, she could feel the anger beneath their meaning and it frightened her.
“Mr. Talon....we’ve been looking for you for quite some time since you left the campaign. Thought you’d of come back some time ago...”
“You know full well why I didn’t, Cole...their mother had just died...I’m all they have left....”
“...But are they really worth the price on your head?....I could easily tell the Captain where you are...”
“Oh...you could tell him....but that would be far too easy and not as fun, aye?” Dirk stated low yet clearly in a ‘matter of fact’ way. “You...owe me Cole....You’d be dead, if it weren’t for my wife...”
Cole sighed, nodding with a slight smile, “...Only a deaf and blind man would have resisted that wife of yours.....the way that voice...”
“..Shut up Cole...I don’t want the girl to hear....and besides there was much more to Symphony than her enlightenment...”
“But how did she do it....Dirk? They tore out their own eyes....”
“What...did I say...Cole....” Dirk growled, followed by a loud bang as he slammed Cole’s head against the table. “Think it’s time you leave....” The sound of the front door creaked open but only a single pair of footsteps echoed, a snake like slither across the wooden floor soon trailing behind with several more doors closing and silence.
“Essy....you awake?” Dirk peeked inside his daughter’s room, playfully pushing her aside with the door. “..You hungry, sweetness? You can take a nap while I make you a snack, hmm?” Essence pushed herself to her feet and clung onto her father’s leg, “Mmmhmm..uh...Da?”
Dirk playfully pulled on Ess’ curls, gently straightening and releasing to let them bounce back to their natural shape. “Yes M’love?”
“You..leaving....?
The man’s body stiffened a moment before kneeling down to meet his daughter’s gaze, “I’ll never leave you Essence, because I love you...” In a tight bear hug he pulled his daughter into his arms and lifted her as he stood, shuffling over to her bed to lay her down.
Ess snuggled her father, burying her face against his chest to breathe in the familiar scent of pine, and sap; her favorite was how the smoke from burning firewood clung to his clothes and hair. “Da...?...Will you sing me mommy’s song?”
~~~
Essence cleared her throat, noticing Luckas’ eyes on her curiously and forced a smile. “You seem quite happy sweetness...so I am too.” She trailed off humming absently, a warm resonating tune started off as a mumble and increased in pitch.
...And the only time that she...touches...ground.....
is when that little bird....dies....
Luckas raised an eyebrow playfully and chuckled. “Happy is too much of a word Lady.” He said absently, giving a little shrug of his shoulders. “I’d say I’m momentarily amused. Life is that, is it not? Moments?” He asked, running a few steps ahead of her and turning so that he was pacing backwards. “But since you claim to share my amusement, let me rephrase the question a little: Would you like me to go back with you, or is it alright if I stay in the city? I have... uh... Some cleaning I need to tend to.”
“Ah, CLEANING....” She teased. “Like the CLEANING you performed after Jasper?” Ess shrugged, not buying his words for one second but didn’t care enough at the moment to pry. “I always want you around Luckas, but if you got more secret stuff to do...probably with that Zeke fellow...or whatever...that’s fine. Go make nice.” They had reached the spot outside of BlackPond where Shockwave grazed happily, Ess pausing by the horse’s side, leaning lazily against him. “A friend of sorts I presume.” Turning back around to face Luckas, the familiar sweet smile curled her lips, violet eyes glowing brightly. For the first time ever, Ess shyly turned her gaze from Luckas’ dark orbs. “Thank you my dear Luckas, for today..for being apart of my..’moments.’.”
Luckas chuckled slightly. “Now... I wouldn’t call it secret stuff really... I do have a score to settle with a certain bookkeeper... How else will he learn to keep his hands to himself, hm?” He played. “After all, I’m momentarily amused, but I’ll be bored pretty soon. Especially if I’ll be staying here all by my lone self.” He ran his fingers through his hair and went silent for a few moments obviously trying to pick his words with care. “You’re almost right, actually, Lady... Except that I would call that man anything but a friend, and I never make nice... With anyone... And definitely not with him, but... I have answers of my own to find, you know?” He stated. “I would hate it if you left here thinking I’ve been seeing other friends behind your back, I mean... I’m just not that kind of guy.” He stated, trying his best to act offended at the possibility of having other friends. “Whether you need to cheer up or not, I took something from the squealer I thought you’d want...” He tilted his head back for a second to look at the sky before lowering his gaze again and adding. “You’ll have to look in my eyes if you wanna see it though.”
Ess’ head snapped up at attention, her brows came together in a puzzled expression, as she moved away from her horse and stood before Luckas. Gradually her eyes casually scanned her friend, snickering when her hand reached for Luckas, fingers once again slinking through his hair where she paused to ruffle up a few locs. She let her eyes lock with his, the rest of the world melting away.
In the beginning, as usual, there was only darkness. As if her eyes had been closed, suddenly opening, rays of fading light; reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows streamed along the horizon. Leafless trees bending from a howling wind against the setting sun, gave the surrounding buildings a lingering glow as street torches were lit for the oncoming evening.
“Ian...it’s your turn to clear the table son...” A man’s voice called from inside. “And shut that window, you’re letting the heat out.”
Ian sighed, giving the window a forceful shove, locking it tight. Moving towards the kitchen table, he began piling the dirty plates together, pausing to stare over towards the mantle. There, Ess’’ father was massaging his wife’s shoulders from where she sat before him, rocking slightly in her chair. Symphony was humming quietly, resting her hands upon her enlarged belly, cheeks glowing a rosy hue against her snow white skin. Dirk was running his fingers through her long, burgundy strands, humming softly in unison. Symphony’s eyes slowly closed as her lips parted in song:
Sweet...Sweet child...see me.....
Tiny..white dove..
Destined to be free....
Winds carry you above...
Speckled in crimson blood...
Sweet....sweet love...hear my song...
Burn with desire...
Never settle for the wrong...
Toss regrets into the fire...
Their ashes blinding those who conspire...
There was a pause, Symphony opening her lavender gaze to look into Dirks deep blues and for a moment it was like all else was forgotten. Dirk leaned forward, kissing Symphony’s forehead as he slid his hand over hers and they gasped, muttering simultaneously. “...You can feel the heart beat...” They both laughed, as Symphony continued to sing, her husband’s tenor grace reverberating off the walls when he joined in.
Sweet...sweet baby...
Open your eyes....
Beauty of the soul, little lady...
Real love... that never dies...
Drink deeply the life, draining the skies..
“Ma...how do you know it’s a girl?” Ian muttered out, Dirk chuckling at his son’s apparent perplexed expression.
Symphony turned to look upon Ian, a kind smile overtaking her expression. It was like Ess was there, looking straight into her mother’s own eyes...her eyes. The voice that answered, was unexpected, compared to the soprano-alto that sang seconds ago; now higher pitched with an accent, her vowels dragged out in a subtle lisp. “...Because son....she told me..”
Essence beamed brightly, tears shimmering like stars, aching to fall, yet she held them back, gasping a bit, her vision going dark. As reality slowly trickled back into focus, Luckas’ black eyes already faded from their mimicked violet, Ess found herself stretching out for the image of her mother as it disappeared. She didn’t even notice how her hand hovered just beside Luckas’ cheek, her ears ringing with her mother’s words. “I can feel it......she will be the light in darkness...she will love...she will hate....she will suffer....but still her fire will burn..”
As Luckas’ eyes faded back to his usual black there was something slightly different in his gaze, so much in fact he could feel it in the form of a slight shiver working its way up his spine. He wasn’t sure what that shiver was, or what feeling was behind it really, it wasn’t unpleasant just... Odd. Slowly, he took a step back, his cheek brushing against Ess’ hand as he turned his face away from her, his eyes lowering to the ground as he whispered. “Like I said... Moments.”
Ess was like a magnet. With every step he moved away, she stepped with him, in sync. Grinning ear to ear she slinked her arm, intertwining it with Luckas’ and squeezed. “I’ll give you that, sweetness....but I must say...I’ve never had so many ‘moments’ until I ran into you my dear Luckas.” Politely she pulled away and turned back to Shockwave, absently running her fingers through his mane; giggling when her horse nudged her shoulder almost knocking her back. “...Ok Luckas, I owe you...for much and since I feel Thank You is weak at this point...” Ess peeked out at her friend from her peripheral and winked. “Make sure you give my ‘respects’ to the bookie when you go back.” Clearing her throat she hoisted herself up onto her horse’s back and waved, “See you when I see you hun...hopefully sooner than later....Don’t we have some training to get to?” She pulled on the reins lightly so that she was facing Luckas, quirking an eyebrow.
Luckas forced a smile, still a bit shaken from whatever odd feeling he was having and nodded slightly as he mumbled. “You don’t owe me... I don’t do favors, remember?” He lifted his gaze from the spot he had been staring at intently and looked up at Ess, a grin threatening to break through his faked smile as she mentioned the bookie, his comment however went in a completely different direction than whatever he had in mind for the poor idiot. “You know Lady, the squealer had a point; there’s people you don’t want to be messing with.” He stated, a slight grimace crossing his features as if he was being forced to swallow something bitter. “I doubt you’ll just take my word for it, because that’d be unusually reasonable and boring of you, but still... I’m just saying... Because then I get to say ‘I told you so’ later, and I always wanted to do that.” He said with a playful smirk. “And don’t worry, Lady... I haven’t forgotten about training... Chances are you’ll be seeing me sooner than you think... And probably later than you’d like, but oh well...” He chuckled, turning around and starting to calmly walk into the city once again.
Five minutes later Luke was joining Ess at the bar, perfectly unscathed except for a reddish mark on his left cheek, acting as if he had stopped to chat with a friend. "Did I miss anything?" He asked absently.
Hiding a small smile, Ess heaved a sigh of relief, giving a lazy shrug. “You didn’t miss much....but perhaps I am the one missing important details, Luckas..” She muttered, a bitter annoyance in her voice. She spoke softer, lighter as she continued. “Why am I hated so but you can wander around with no apparent issues? For someone who likes to slink around in shadows and not have many remember his face, seems you are more than just an acquaintance around here, no?” Turning around in her seat she smiled, quirking a brow in her obvious curiosity. Casually, every so often her eyes swept behind Luckas and away from the bar counter, keeping an eye on movement even in its subtly, still watching for her brother.
Luckas tilted his head to the side at Ess’ questions, as he tried to figure out what wouldn’t be an incredibly foolish answer. “If I said it’s all due to my remarkable people skills, would you believe me?” He asked opening a little amused smile, but not really expecting that answer to work. “Well, they think I am someone else. And if they knew that I am not... Believe me, I wouldn’t be wandering around this freely. If one can call this freely.” He added.
She nodded slowly, eyes falling back to the door before ordering another round, pushing the shot towards Luckas. “Pretending to be someone else? Or still discovering who that ‘someone’ is?” Ess snickered, pulling back the shot. “I didn’t feel I was very obvious...I don’t think I understand why I am so conspicuous and you inconspicuous. And your ‘people skills’, as an answer, only begs more questions..” She trailed off, not continuing with those questions that lingered on her mind, instead focusing on herself and her apparent lack of trust that she stated was not an issue several times before. Her smile closed, contemplating how to give trust, one should receive it in turn. Ess sighed, shaking her head at herself, wondering if Luckas didn’t trust her. Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed a warm, wetness tickling her lip. Casually wiping at the blood, she sniffled, turning towards the door as it opened again.
Luckas sighed ruffling his own hair as he ran his fingers through it in thought. “You know... I never lie completely... If I can help it... What people assume though, is not my responsibility.” He concluded, reaching for the drink, but simply fiddling with the glass for a moment. “So, I never said I was pretending to be someone else, I said they think I am someone else... There’s a difference, however subtle. And it’s not so much that you were obvious, it’s more that you weren’t there just a day ago... And these are people who tend to know their environment very well.” Ignoring the mention of more questions Luckas finally stopped playing with his glass and drank, registering the sound of the door opening, but not turning to look.
Essence leaned back against the counter, crossing her legs with a subtle elegant grace, adjusting her cloak so her weapons remained hidden. The woman absorbed Luckas’ words, her mind working perhaps a bit too much as she began to wonder if she fell into the category of ‘assumptions’ made of Luckas. Her eyes flickered, inspecting the man in the doorway, smiling to herself when she saw the familiar red hair and freckled skin peeking out from a grey hood that half hung across his face. Falling back into her act, she pretended to be engaged further in conversation, playfully tapping Luckas on the shoulder with a sweet giggle. One eye remained on the figure who had entered the establishment, who slowly approached the counter to her right, Luckas on her left. She inhaled quickly, her only hint that something had changed. It wasn’t hard to hear the man’s request for his ‘usual’ room key before turning and clunking noisily up the stairs. Was it for sure, her brother? Her insides were screaming to move, her expression plain and composed, letting her attention fall back completely to Luckas.
Luckas’ only motion was to silently ask for a refill, but his ears were following the footsteps of the approaching man from the moment he crossed the doorway. In the few instants he spent at the bar, Luckas shot him a passing glance, but he recognized the character from Jasper’s memories by voice alone. Once the man’s footsteps made their way up the stairs Luckas emptied his glass yet again and turned to Ess giving a casual shrug. “Now what?” He asked, a slightly eager look in his eyes as if awaiting instructions.
“Do me a favor, sweetness...” Ess whispered, tightening the hood beneath her chin. “Don’t push me to the floor.” She teased, standing slowly and sliding herself onto Luckas’ lap, her arms wrapping limp across his shoulders. Whispering slyly into his ear, she sighed. “How close do you need to get to Ian to see inside his head? I need to know what my mother looked like, exactly.” Her fingers toyed with a few locks of Luckas’ hair as she giggled, nodding towards the stairs. “I have an...idea of sorts...”
Luckas was a bit confused with Ess’ request at first until he found himself struggling against the urge to do just what she had asked him not to, his body tensing momentarily as he thought about her question. Forcing a breath in and out he cleared his throat rather awkwardly before responding. “It’s not a matter of distance, really. If I’m close enough that I can maintain eye contact, it’ll be enough. I’ve done it from pretty good distances before, hiding in a crowd and no one really noticed, just the target.” He tilted his head away from her and mumbled: “That’s distracting...”, running a hand through his hair before asking. “What your mother looks like? Is that all?”
There was something in Ess’ eyes, in the way she pulled back to gaze upon her friend. Her expression went blank before she winked playfully. “What’s distracting? Do I really make you that uncomfortable?” Absently she wiped aside a loose eyelash upon Luke’s cheek and nodded. “For now, that is all I require. I know I am suppose to look like my mother..and lets say I want to keep with the theme of ‘haunting’ my main focus. It seems to work, don’t you think so?” Without looking, she raised a hand and flagged down the bartender, ordering another round for herself and Luke before sliding off his lap. “Drink first?” She didn’t wait for him to answer, slamming back the liquor. For a split second she frowned, a sullen glimmer in her eyes quickly substituted by an amused twinkle, she turned away from her friend as if he was not even there. Ess moved along the patrons at the bar, the men smiling up at her as she passed, her fingers teasing along her shoulders in a subtle solicitation. It was an uncomfortable, yet natural maneuver she had used countless times at the brothel; especially when a patron appeared to show no interest in her and she wanted to keep up appearances.
Luckas looked at Ess with a slightly intrigued expression when she moved out of his lap and then away from him, blinking a few times in confusion as he mumbled. “I didn’t say uncomfortable, did I say uncomfortable?” He frowned slightly as he watched the woman’s gestures trying to understand what it meant without much success. “I don’t even...” He muttered. Luckas never liked being ignored, he was much like an infant that way, and right now he wasn’t sure just how annoyed he was. Finally he just went after her and tried to stay focused on why they were there in the first place. “So when do you suppose I should go into the guy’s mind anyway?” He asked, not trying to mask the slight annoyance in his tone. “Is that all you need me for, Lady?”
Essence paused, giving the impression Luckas’ stole her attention away from the other patrons and smiled a genuine sweet smile. She gradually leaned into him and whispered, “I was only trying to give you a window and not make it look like we are together, per say. If you can do this as soon as possible, that would be great.” Shaking her head, her hand traced along his forearm with a continued smile. “Of course that’s not all I need you for, sweetness.” Her tone was playful, flirtatious and yet her eyes spoke louder and of much more as if they were hinting for Luckas to just go with her act. What she was saying and physically showing to their present company were quite different things. Ess was not deaf, and did catch the annoyed tone in Luckas’ voice, her smile fading, almost losing herself from the public persona she was giving off. With a shrug, she backtracked to the bar and swallowed the idle shot just sitting upon the counter. “Can’t let it go to waste now..” She muttered to herself.
Luckas sighed, trying to shake off his annoyance, but honestly still confused. Still he tried to focus on what he could handle first and worrying about what he couldn’t understand later. He moved towards the bartender and spoke to the man in whispers for a few seconds, discreetly slipping commands in the conversation so that he told him exactly what and who was in the upper levels of the building. It was rare for him to do so, but Luckas had learned that if he spoke softly enough people would obey him without noticing. Personally though, he’d rather see them freak out over losing control, but that could be done at any other time; and in much better places. Once he knew what he needed he walked back to Ess and whispered casually to her. “I still like your real face better, Lady.” To which he added in a slightly more audible tone. “I was going to drink that. You owe me a shot.” To that statement he made his way to the stairs that led to what the bartender described simply as ‘private rooms’; not at all eager to know what one would need a private room for in this place.
Gingerly, Ess bit down on her bottom lip, sliding a free hand along her hip to her coin pouch and tossed a few gold marks upon the counter. Snapping her fingers she attracted the bar keeps’ attention, fingers clinging along the edge of the counter, she ordered Luckas another shot while waiting for his return. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave a strong impression of being bored, yawning here and there when quite to the contrary her heart was racing at the very thought of getting that bastard brother of hers alone; in addition her curiosity to what Luckas was going to do was getting the better of her. When he disappeared up the stairs, she casually followed, leaning provocatively along the railing, now ignoring any who spoke to her as she stared off, lost in thought. For a few moments Ess did indeed forget herself, her voice trailing off in a hushed hum, she sang under her breath, her words coming off as mumbles and gibberish.
When Luckas reached the second floor of the building he just came across a bunch of doors. He didn’t know which one he was supposed to be going to in order to find Ian, but at least he knew what the guy looked like, so it wasn’t so hard to just knock on random doors until he found the right one. Ian was apparently expecting someone to knock on the door because it opened quickly, and he flinched slightly at the sight of Luckas. Luke didn’t take more than a few seconds to find what he was looking for, and it seemed to have gone unnoticed, probably perceived by the man as randomly remembering his mother. At which point Luckas apologized and claimed to have knocked on the wrong door, immediately walking away and knocking on yet another random door, just to show he was in fact randomly looking for someone who wasn’t there.
Less than three minutes later he was walking down the stairs and running right into Ess. He tilted his head to one side and snickered. “Anxious, are we?” He asked, walking past her towards the bar, his gaze locking on hers and his eyes flashing a green color as he passed. The image flashing in his mind for a moment and then fading as he broke eye contact and moved towards his drink.
Ess held back a smile to her friend’s comment, letting her gaze lock temporarily with Luckas’ before her eyes closed. Squeezing her lids, she held the image, the gift of her mother within her mind. Waist long, straight wine hair outlined a narrow-waisted woman; the same dimples appearing along snow white skin stretching against the familiar contours of her lips matching almost exactly with Ess’ intense violet gaze. It was almost uncanny the identical features that she shared with her mother: Symphony Vivienne Violette. She was younger than Ess is now, fewer stress lines and darkish circles that Ess carried as of late from lack of sleep. The woman she saw had polished smooth skin, no physical scars did she bare, nor did her soul scream out from behind her glossy gaze giving a much kinder and relaxed appearance in comparison to Essence. Simply, she was beautiful. To be able to see Symphony, even through another’s memories was just another wish finally granted.
Opening her eyes, her humming had not faltered in her momentary distraction. Hesitating only a second she nodded in Luckas’ direction and turned about on the steps, slowly stepping one stair at a time towards the upper floor landing. When she reached the top, she moved across the wall into the shadows, shedding her cloak to the floor and shuffling it into the far corner only to reveal her mother’s milky white features shrouded in deep red locks. She didn’t even have a chance to knock when the door suddenly opened and her brother stepped out on her left from his room to look around and froze instantly where he stood when he met Ess’ eyes. A chilling smile teased her soft lips, her eyes a mocking kindness as she worked to capture her mother’s gaze. Gradually her smile grew sweeter, overflowing with a silent innocence when she decided to walk by him, purposely bumping his shoulder, back down the stairs and out the front door.
Luckas had his shot and yet another, not moving from where he was by the bar, but rather simply keeping his eyes and ears open to his surroundings. None of the faces around were familiar to him and that was good in theory, but not for sure. Zeke had told him about the Order keeping an eye on Ian, so he imagined someone was close to him at all times. He noticed a few blue-eyed strangers that would be his first guess, wasn’t for the fact that Zeke’s little shape-shifter pet wouldn’t have missed a chance to mess with him somehow... Which left him with the conclusion that it was probably a stranger.
He didn’t turn to look when he caught a glance of the familiar figure walking down the stairs and out of the building, but quietly placed a coin on the counter and took a few seconds to thank the barkeeper for his services before wandering outside himself.
Ian hadn’t spoken a word in his shock and disbelief. He wasn’t sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, if his memory was off and it was just someone who reminded him of his mother, or if in fact he was now finding himself chasing a ghost. A few minutes went by before his mind cleared and he began descending those same steps, and out the door. Taking a few more steps, he paused just outside the establishment, green orbs flickering from freshly lit torchlight against the oncoming evening. A small crowd parted, composed of only four or five people which barely held his attention when he saw red hair blowing in a gentle wind across the street, an eerie lavender glow sparkling in his direction. Another, larger crowd wandered past, the figure lost from his vision, not reappearing once the patrons passed. Frantically he searched, holding back the urge to cry out in pursuit of the woman just as he caught her sprinting further down the street, clinging to the shadows.
Essence loved being the prey in her own little game of cat and mouse; little did her brother realize exactly who the predator was at this point. She let herself create some distance between herself and Ian before purposely slowing her pace for him to catch up. Ess moved further from the hustle of the city as the citizens scurried into their nooks and crannies for the evening, leaving her ‘seemingly’ alone as she darted down an alley. Inhaling deeply her heart thudded painfully in her ear almost drowning out Ian’s flutter of footsteps closing in on her, a rough hand clasping firmly upon her shoulder, whipping her around briskly. Essence gasped in a fit of giggles, the same violet eyes gleaming brightly up at her older brother, yet it was not his mother he was staring down at but an intense reflection of himself. Shaking his fiery red hair, Ian rubbed his eyes lazily, reaching a freckled hand out towards ‘himself.’ “Impossible....” He muttered aloud, gripping a firm hold around Ess’ neck.
“Possible...” She mocked back in Ian’s own voice, she continued to giggle at her brother, letting the tone fade back to her own, her facade melting back into her own unique, porcelain features; scar, curls, and all. Suddenly her smile fell away, nodding past her brother’s shoulder, “It’s quite alright...he’s not hurting me..” She whispered curiously, Ian abruptly turning his head to glance behind himself, only to find a small surprise.
Luckas began to follow a few steps after Ian, amused by how close he managed to follow the man unnoticed. He was so caught up in chasing his ghost that his mind wouldn’t focus on anything else. Luke could have lit the idiot on fire and he probably wouldn’t even smell the smoke. In all honesty, he was very tempted to do it, but figured it was probably best not to... Yet... After all, wasn’t his family reunion. By the time Ian caught up with Ess Luke was standing no further than two steps behind him and seriously holding back laughter; which escaped the moment Ess spoke to him, causing the man to turn and notice him for the first time. “He’s not very bright, Lady... You sure you two are even related?” Luke asked, still chuckling as he whispered something under his breath, letting out a more manic giggle when Ian abruptly slapped himself on the head. “He’s really not bright.” Luke added, shaking his head in faked disappointment. “Oh, well...” He sighed softly, his laughter ceasing as he turned to walk in a certain direction, only addressing the man with a command: “Be quiet and follow me.” After which he gave Ess a small grin and stated. “I’m assuming you’d like a quiet place to catch up, right?”
Luke paced slowly and carelessly as he led them through the streets towards a slightly torn apart building, and around it, to a cracked wooden door that led to the interior of what used to be a shop of some sort. Once inside he walked them down a flight of stairs and through heavy metal door, that was left open from when he’d last been there. “Yeah, it’s still a little messy in here...” He stated casually, lighting a torch to bring a little bit of light to the place, which only made the blood stains on the floor and walls more visible. “Didn’t have time to clean up since I last had a...Uh... Guest.” He said with a little shrug, pulling a chair and dusting it off slightly before taking a seat. Pointing at another chair he smiled at Ian. “Sit.”
Essence shrugged, swatting Ian’s arm aside when he fully turned to face Luckas. “I dunno sweetness...I thought the brother I had would have at least written to let me know how he was doing....” She held back a laugh, pushing through as she continued. “Course....seems to be a theme going here...people wanting me to think they or others they know are dead....curious...not that I’m heartbroken...” Ess skipped beside Luckas, pushing aside her apprehension, not leaving herself still for a moment too long to where her body would be overtaken by tremors. Part of her was excited; part of her was disgusted and wanted to walk away. As much as she wanted to drag out the moment to come, at the same time she desperately needed it all to be over but she desired answers.
The moment Ess entered the basement, she took in a deep cleansing breath noting the familiar room from Luckas’ memories of Jasper. An intense body high overcame her, her skin tingly and numb, heart racing in her ears. She smiled down at the blood stains, quirking a brow as she recognized bits of toenail, flesh, and teeth scattered about the floor. Not even looking at Ian, she sixth sensed her way to the table, bloody tools crusted over in the appearance of rust. Aware of what was going on around her, her attention lingered strongly over each piece, shaking her head to herself as each wasn’t good enough, not quite what she had in mind until the last one; a peeler of some sorts. Eyes widened in satisfaction when her fingers clung to it, gradually walking over towards the party. “Hello dear brother....been looking for me, I hear hmm? Wish I had known you were alive, could of saved both of us some trouble...” Clearing her throat, she rested a hand upon Luckas’ shoulder before moving to Ian’s side. “You can let Ian speak, after all he must be excited to see his sweet little sister...”
Luckas shrugged slightly in his seat when Ess told him to let Ian speak. He vaguely wondered if the man could tell who he was by looking at him, or by his ability somehow, but he figured that a man that would let himself be followed by a distance of only two steps probably didn’t pay all that much attention to his surroundings. Smiling slightly he fixed his eyes on the man, the black color lightening to green for a few moments, after which they turned to normal and Luke chuckled, his hold on Ian fading, only enough to let him speak, but still keeping him motionless in his seat. He chuckled, leaning back in his seat and looking up at Ess with an amused grin. “I thought my brother was fucked up, but this guy... They would’ve liked each other I think... Well... Matt would surely have liked him...” He snickered. “Suppose they’ll eventually meet... If there is such a thing...” He mumbled to himself.
“...You do look just like her....you know....except....you have Dad’s nose..” Ian whispered, still in awe. Slowly his eyes trailed Ess from head to toe, a kind gaze quickly turning to a wicked grin as he lingered along her chest moving to her face. “Nice.....tatt....” He snickered, his voice whispy and snake like. “Such a shame really....if wasn’t for that scar on your face....you might actually have been pretty...” Ian suddenly groaned, his head thrashed to the side when Ess struck him hard, using the bladed edge of the peeler she dragged it along his cheek taking with her a light layer of skin.
“Thanks bro, love you too.....” Ess spat. “I tire of pleasantries though....let’s skip over to the good shit....like why the hell did you sell out your family? Why you sold your sister, your own blood to brothel hell and why the hell after all this time you are looking for me?” For no reason at all, than the simple frustration she felt, Ess backhanded Ian, leaving a welt from her knuckles along his cheek bone, blood sticking to her fingers as it trickled down from the missing skin.
“Oh Essy....you were always in the way.....maybe Dad liked you more.....maybe it’s jealousy? “ Ian’s eyes twinkled as if he were smiling, “Maybe because it’s YOUR fault mom’s dead.....?...No? Don’t like that answer either? Hmm....well how about the money?...You pick....”
“You’re such a bullshitter...I know you came to the brothel....I know....you knew Jasper...” This time, Ess ran her fingers affectionately through her brother’s hair before tugging hard on his short strands, hard enough to pull at his flesh while she dug the peeler along his other cheek. She pressed so hard she had to stop and start over again and again to free the flesh, revealing muscle tissue beneath. Essence simply smiled when he began to scream. “Really.....and I thought I had a low tolerance for pain...kinda embarrassing me in front of my friend here....”
Luckas was watching the whole scene while literally hanging on the edge of his seat. Three or four times he nearly jumped to his feet, but did not. There was a part of him that really just wanted to cause Ian a lot of pain for things he had done and mostly for his words, but the greater part of him was too excited for what was going to happen next, like a kid watching a puppet show, or being told a really fascinating story. Even if he had his mind fully set on ripping the guy’s heart out, he wouldn’t have moved from where he sat. Finally the screaming sent him over the edge of the chair and he stumbled forward onto his knees, laughing at his own excitement before pulling himself up. “Heh... Squealers... Gotta love ‘em, they make everything more fun.” He snickered. “Although, that Jasper fellow was still talking back to me even after he was just about done, those kinds are fun too...” Luke stood, kicking a little piece of bone that was scattered over the floor... Fun times...” He stated, his eyes sparkling a discrete tone of red behind the black, not too bright, but noticeable enough to make clear that he still had some fond memories of his last guest... Although he honestly wished he could have made the man last longer.
“Tricky...tricky sis.” Ian whimpered softly, his eyes still smiling up at her as if he was undressing her to see straight into her soul. “I knew....you’d be enlightened.....maybe.” He spat, a degrading, icy tone creeping into his voice, “..Maybe...if you actually spent less time hiding your gift, you could of spent less time spreading your legs....but...maybe you wanted that all along...”
The peeler rolled out of Ess fingers in her surprise of her brother’s audacity, slowly curling into a balled up fist. Yet, instead of thrashing him like she precariously desired she started chuckling. “You’re just jealous....you never were the one between my thighs, Ian.” She sang, still giggling when her hand unsheathed her dagger, noting the excitement mixed with disgust she read from his gaze. Calmly she dragged the point of the blade along the flesh of his neck, up she traced the hairline and raised cheek bones that matched her own. One hand gripped his left shoulder, her other tightening around the hilt of her blade, playfully she sat in his lap, pausing the dagger at his right temple. “....No? A little close to home right?” A delighted sneer curled the corners of her mouth, with one swift movement her blade sliced through Ian’s ear like a knife through butter. “You disgust me....” Ess whispered sweetly into the cartilage in her hand, still smiling as he screamed again. Clearly annoyed by the whining, Ess stuffed the ear into Ian’s mouth and scooted off her brother’s lap.
“My dear Luckas....I think my brother is hungry.....it’s quite alright to ….LET him have a bite...no?”
Luke had moved to lean against one of the blood stained walls, further away from the torchlight, it was almost possible for him to blend in with the shadows there wasn’t for the occasional red color that sparkled in his eyes, on and off. At Ess’ words he pushed himself away from the stone wall and gave a soft snicker. “Quite alright indeed, Lady.” He agreed. “You heard her, man; eat up.” He chuckled. “And don’t forget to chew properly, because if not... Well that’s just not good for you, I was told. Should always chew your food right.” He nodded.
One would think, typically speaking, that watching a horrified man almost vomit as he was forced to digest his own ear, would be sickening to witness. Instead, Ess smiled, not really focused on her brother’s chewing, but more of the cold and terrorizing gaze that steamed hatred from his Iris’. To say Ess was pleased, was quite the understatement. She stood silently, tilting her head when he had begun to choke on a hard piece of cartilage and bounced in her step as she smacked the back of Ian’s head hard, knocking the piece out of his mouth. “Ok....enough...choking on yourself...” Ess snickered, holding back a fit of laughter, “...before you give me answers...is not what I had in mind.” She nodded at Luckas when he ‘released’ the man from his ‘snack’ and attentively dabbed at her brother’s lips with her sleeve, lopping at the blood.
“There now...feel better...brother?” Ess whispered softly into his other ear, gently sifting her fingers through his hair once again.
“It....was never...really about you or I, Essy.” Ian heaved, his voice almost had left him, bottom lip quivering in the realization of what he was just forced to do. “No matter...what you do to me, dear sister....THEY will do far worse...” Again his eyes softened, a crooked smile escaping him through bloodied teeth, and bits of flesh hanging off his cheeks.
Using the hilt of her dagger, Ess lifted Ian’s chin to stare straight into his eyes. “..Glad to know...I never meant anything to you....even though you did once to me.” With a sigh she slid onto the empty chair Luke had been occupying, crossing her legs in a dainty fashion. “Now...I can keep feeding you pieces of yourself all night....it will get boring...but this is easy compared to how it could go unless you start giving me some answers..” Still calm, she cracked on her knuckles waiting patiently for her brother to answer her. When he didn’t she sawed off the other ear and proceeded to his fingers, all ending in the same crude fashion of watching intently as he swallowed bits of bone and flesh.
“GO AHEAD!” Ian screamed. “Kill me...it makes no difference, my life...it’s what they wanted!...I couldn’t tell you who they are if I wanted to!”
Ess sighed, her brows furrowing in slight disappointment when she was about to castrate her own brother, the tip of the blade lingered on his thigh. “Can’t? or Won’t?...” Turning over to Luckas, she wiped the blade off on Ian’s shoulder. “Luckas, what do you think? Is he lying? Or is it something...deeper...?”
Luckas flinched slightly in his corner, he hadn’t quite realized he had whatever answers Ian couldn’t give, although not enough of them to do anything about it, which was the point of the whole thing, and suddenly he was torn between whatever the man might actually know and what he wanted Ess to know... Or rather what he didn’t want her to find out. Finally he decided to actually see what, if anything, the guy actually knew before thinking about it any further. When he took one step forward and looked into Ian’s eyes he found that the guy had really no memory of anything aside the one thing that was most convenient for them to let Ess know and while he was tempted to wipe that memory out, he didn’t think that would be fair. When his eyes returned to black and he could see his surroundings again he gave a little annoyed sigh before addressing the man. “You know what I saw... I’d tell if I were you.”
Crossing her arms, Ess quirked a brow at the deep resentment she was reading in her brother’s eyes when he looked at Luckas. It was almost filled with as much hatred as it was when he turned back to her. “Leave.....me attached.....and I’ll tell you what I know...” Ian negotiated.
“Ha...I don’t think you realize your position, Brother...” Ess shook her head. “Tell me then...and we’ll...call this...my one courtesy to you....”
Instead of answering Ess’ questions, Ian began asking some of his own. “Essy....did Dad ever tell you about how mom loved to write? ...Those songs she sang...she wrote them all down in....a journal...”
There was a long silence before more laughter erupted from her lips. “What the hell are you talking about...by the Twins, what does this have to do with me? As you so plainly stated and reminded me, Mom is gone because I was born....so I’m not very familiar with her. All I know is what Dad sang to us as kids...You remember, don’t you?”
Ian sighed, “I remember some....yes...but they don’t mean much of anything to anyone, apparently....but this..Journal....I tried to get it from Dad the night you were taken, and naturally he refused....” Ian gagged, coughing a moment before continuing. “He hid it, but not all too well...and well....there are pages torn from it...something Dad didn’t want found...the people I gave said journal to, think you would know.”
“This...is all over a JOURNAL?!” Ess screamed out in frustration. “Really?.....really.....” She searched her memories, not recalling anything that would make her think of such an item, only how her father would sing to her. A deep ache thudded inside her chest and belly at the memory of her father. “It’s your fault he’s dead.....” She spat.... “It’s your fault I was sold into slavery....and all for a stupid book?!”
“No! Not just the book Essy....what it contains....the fact that you are NOTHING and how I’m just infected with Mom’s....’disease’ but show no symptoms....not like you......”
Gripping the dagger firmly, Ess impaled the blade into Ian’s thigh with a burst of fury. “You are so blinded by hate and jealousy, you look at life backwards. You are the one who is NOTHING, not I.” Ian shrieked in pain, tears flowing down his cheeks that stung the exposed muscle from the missing skin. “...And Mom’s songs....didn’t mean NOTHING....all I believe in...I learned from them....so it’s a pity your life lessons were filled with only hate, and twisted fantasies.”
Ess retracted the blade, sliding her finger along the sharp metal she let Ian’s blood coat her finger and approached the far wall so Ian could see. In an angry haste she drew a symbol, in blood, of a sword running through an eye. It was the symbol she was told to keep an eye out for from the Captain. “Ian!....Have you seen this before?”
Her brother groaned, his skin now paler than Ess’ from loss of blood that accumulated in pools at his feet. “I’ve seen it.....”
“Where!? What is it?”
Ian chuckled and spat blood through his teeth. “Use your eyes girl....it’s everywhere! You just have to know where to look...”
Ess was shaking. She wanted to pluck out Ian’s eyes and feed them to him, but then he wouldn’t be able to witness his own demise to the fullest and she felt he needed all his senses for what was next. “Luckas....would you like to give our friend...an oil bath? I did make you a promise, sweetness...” Ess was done. She knew from the bits of information and lack there of, this must of been all connected somehow and she wanted to speak with Ali and the Captain. She had some theories, but nothing concrete and felt she would keep certain things to herself. Ess had several thoughts flood her mind and knew she would be back to this place soon; she needed more information, and from what Luckas had mentioned on how powerful people ran most of the businesses around her, she wondered if it was all connected to her past and the despicable repetition of child slavery that she knew was still rampant in the city.
Luckas took a few moments to respond to Ess, his eyes fixed on the bloody symbol as if it put him in a trance for a moment.Eventually though, he shook his head slightly and chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know about that Lady. I don’t think I had enough to drink for that... Plus, your dear brother is most definitely not my type.” He played, moving around the room until he found a small barrel full of lamp oil, which he absently picked up before pacing his way to Ian and grinning at the man. “I’ll make an exception for you though, because... Family...” He stated, casually flipping the barrel over and pouring its contents over the man’s head, tossing the empty barrel aside and turning to Ess with a grin. “Your party Lady... You light the candles.” He stated.
Essence’s features softened as she gave a genuine smile over at Luckas, ignoring the spitting and gagging of lamp oil that Ian was currently doused in. “Why thank you for the honor, my friend.”
“Stupid bitch.....who do you think you’re dealing with!? The ones you need to fear are the ones you can’t see...” Ian muttered, flinching at the stinging from his eyes and open wounds as the oil seeped inside.
Ess reached for the burning torch and smiled as she leaned into her brother. “Thanks for the tip bro..” Her cheek hovered beside Ian’s face, bringing her voice down a few decibels to barely audible levels. “I do remember one thing, that probably won’t mean too much to you, brother...Our father....he was enlightened too....he just kept it to himself....” Essence backed away to arms length, giggling at the wide eyed look Ian gave her as she repositioned herself next to Luckas. “..I feel like sending a message, Luckas...it wouldn’t be very safe to light a fire inside...so...we can let him go....” Ess reached her free hand to find Luckas’ arm and gave it a slight squeeze, the torch fire flickering wildly and spreading like water when she touched it to Ian’s fingerless hand.
Luckas smiled wide, watching the fire spread, as he released Ian from his hold, giggling softly as the man knocked over the chair and started to run out the door. Luckas never quite understood why people ran when they were set on fire; it wasn’t the right thing to do, it didn’t help, but it seemed to be people’s first instincts even so. He shook his head in amusement as he cheerfully followed after the screaming, burning, man, surprised that he managed to find his way out of the building and out to the city streets. People’s reactions were entertaining to Luckas, most of them were horrified, of course, but some here and there seemed amused. Either way, no effort was made to aid the man, who continued to run and scream horribly until he eventually fell. In Blackpond, Luke knew that no one would bother to try and find out how this happened, and the ones who cared to know already knew everything they needed. “Lovely.” Luckas whispered, a grin crossing his expression.
Essence sheathed her dagger at her hip, skipping comically after her chaotic brother and an entertained Luckas, her features shifting to her blond disguise before she exited the building and slinked along the shadows. She watched in silence as citizens either screamed in terror or laughed mockingly at Ian’s fate, gradually going silent. Ess’ smile faded when he fell to his knees and eventually on his face, a nauseating smoke billowing up from the corpse. It was like a beacon of light for all to see against the darkness. “...Goodbye Ian..” Ess whispered, turning away from the sight once she was sure he was dead, assuming Luckas was on her heels without even looking. “May Lady Death carry you deep into the abyss of an eternity of torment...” Her destitute expression was disconcerting after the eventful evening. She shook her golden hair over her face to hide the few stray tears that managed to fall past her chin. In her satisfaction, she couldn’t ignore the feeling of loss; at losing her brother all over again and the illusion of what was good, resting in ashes in the city streets of BlackPond.
Luckas wandered off after Ess, first pacing slowly as he let his mind wander off to what would happen after this, letting her walk a few steps ahead of him as he did so. When he snapped out of it however, he ran a bit ahead to catch up with her, bouncing a little bit, cheerfully, as he approached, whistling a nice little melody before giving Ess a curious look. “Lady... Why so serious? You look like you need to cheer up a bit... Do you need to me to cheer you up?”
The road faded from view even when Ess continued forward, her focus no longer on holding her disguise. Auburn dye seemed to cascade down in streaks, smothering the sun-kissed highlights of her hair, the tone of her skin flushed from her mixed emotions. It was in that moment her thoughts dwelled heavily upon her father; the first man to truly ever love her unconditionally and perhaps the one she compared all other men to in one way or another. Typical, she felt but with one difference; she knew that her Dad was a fighter, a survivor and would not ever be disgraced by the sacrifices she has made throughout her life.
~~~Twenty six years ago~~~
“Essy, Sweetie...go to your room.....” Dirk whispered to his daughter, blue eyes locked tightly on the figure in his doorway. The three year old Ess stared up at her father curiously, tiny dimples like pits in her smile as she shook her head defiantly, tight curls layered just below her ear lobes flowing freely in all directions. With a soft whine she ran to her dad and clung to his hand, “Da....”
“No Essy....” Dirks eyes flickered a deep blue, bright flecks of amber glittering for a mere second when he turned to look down at his daughter. “..You know..you can hear just fine from your room....” He snickered, letting Ess’ hand go when she fell silent and simply walked to her room and closed the door where she sat, pressing her ear against the hard oak. She could easily hear the stranger’s footsteps as he entered, the sound of a chair dragging and scooting across the floor for where he made himself comfortable. Shivering a bit in her nervousness, even though the voices were low, she could feel the anger beneath their meaning and it frightened her.
“Mr. Talon....we’ve been looking for you for quite some time since you left the campaign. Thought you’d of come back some time ago...”
“You know full well why I didn’t, Cole...their mother had just died...I’m all they have left....”
“...But are they really worth the price on your head?....I could easily tell the Captain where you are...”
“Oh...you could tell him....but that would be far too easy and not as fun, aye?” Dirk stated low yet clearly in a ‘matter of fact’ way. “You...owe me Cole....You’d be dead, if it weren’t for my wife...”
Cole sighed, nodding with a slight smile, “...Only a deaf and blind man would have resisted that wife of yours.....the way that voice...”
“..Shut up Cole...I don’t want the girl to hear....and besides there was much more to Symphony than her enlightenment...”
“But how did she do it....Dirk? They tore out their own eyes....”
“What...did I say...Cole....” Dirk growled, followed by a loud bang as he slammed Cole’s head against the table. “Think it’s time you leave....” The sound of the front door creaked open but only a single pair of footsteps echoed, a snake like slither across the wooden floor soon trailing behind with several more doors closing and silence.
“Essy....you awake?” Dirk peeked inside his daughter’s room, playfully pushing her aside with the door. “..You hungry, sweetness? You can take a nap while I make you a snack, hmm?” Essence pushed herself to her feet and clung onto her father’s leg, “Mmmhmm..uh...Da?”
Dirk playfully pulled on Ess’ curls, gently straightening and releasing to let them bounce back to their natural shape. “Yes M’love?”
“You..leaving....?
The man’s body stiffened a moment before kneeling down to meet his daughter’s gaze, “I’ll never leave you Essence, because I love you...” In a tight bear hug he pulled his daughter into his arms and lifted her as he stood, shuffling over to her bed to lay her down.
Ess snuggled her father, burying her face against his chest to breathe in the familiar scent of pine, and sap; her favorite was how the smoke from burning firewood clung to his clothes and hair. “Da...?...Will you sing me mommy’s song?”
~~~
Essence cleared her throat, noticing Luckas’ eyes on her curiously and forced a smile. “You seem quite happy sweetness...so I am too.” She trailed off humming absently, a warm resonating tune started off as a mumble and increased in pitch.
...And the only time that she...touches...ground.....
is when that little bird....dies....
Luckas raised an eyebrow playfully and chuckled. “Happy is too much of a word Lady.” He said absently, giving a little shrug of his shoulders. “I’d say I’m momentarily amused. Life is that, is it not? Moments?” He asked, running a few steps ahead of her and turning so that he was pacing backwards. “But since you claim to share my amusement, let me rephrase the question a little: Would you like me to go back with you, or is it alright if I stay in the city? I have... uh... Some cleaning I need to tend to.”
“Ah, CLEANING....” She teased. “Like the CLEANING you performed after Jasper?” Ess shrugged, not buying his words for one second but didn’t care enough at the moment to pry. “I always want you around Luckas, but if you got more secret stuff to do...probably with that Zeke fellow...or whatever...that’s fine. Go make nice.” They had reached the spot outside of BlackPond where Shockwave grazed happily, Ess pausing by the horse’s side, leaning lazily against him. “A friend of sorts I presume.” Turning back around to face Luckas, the familiar sweet smile curled her lips, violet eyes glowing brightly. For the first time ever, Ess shyly turned her gaze from Luckas’ dark orbs. “Thank you my dear Luckas, for today..for being apart of my..’moments.’.”
Luckas chuckled slightly. “Now... I wouldn’t call it secret stuff really... I do have a score to settle with a certain bookkeeper... How else will he learn to keep his hands to himself, hm?” He played. “After all, I’m momentarily amused, but I’ll be bored pretty soon. Especially if I’ll be staying here all by my lone self.” He ran his fingers through his hair and went silent for a few moments obviously trying to pick his words with care. “You’re almost right, actually, Lady... Except that I would call that man anything but a friend, and I never make nice... With anyone... And definitely not with him, but... I have answers of my own to find, you know?” He stated. “I would hate it if you left here thinking I’ve been seeing other friends behind your back, I mean... I’m just not that kind of guy.” He stated, trying his best to act offended at the possibility of having other friends. “Whether you need to cheer up or not, I took something from the squealer I thought you’d want...” He tilted his head back for a second to look at the sky before lowering his gaze again and adding. “You’ll have to look in my eyes if you wanna see it though.”
Ess’ head snapped up at attention, her brows came together in a puzzled expression, as she moved away from her horse and stood before Luckas. Gradually her eyes casually scanned her friend, snickering when her hand reached for Luckas, fingers once again slinking through his hair where she paused to ruffle up a few locs. She let her eyes lock with his, the rest of the world melting away.
In the beginning, as usual, there was only darkness. As if her eyes had been closed, suddenly opening, rays of fading light; reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows streamed along the horizon. Leafless trees bending from a howling wind against the setting sun, gave the surrounding buildings a lingering glow as street torches were lit for the oncoming evening.
“Ian...it’s your turn to clear the table son...” A man’s voice called from inside. “And shut that window, you’re letting the heat out.”
Ian sighed, giving the window a forceful shove, locking it tight. Moving towards the kitchen table, he began piling the dirty plates together, pausing to stare over towards the mantle. There, Ess’’ father was massaging his wife’s shoulders from where she sat before him, rocking slightly in her chair. Symphony was humming quietly, resting her hands upon her enlarged belly, cheeks glowing a rosy hue against her snow white skin. Dirk was running his fingers through her long, burgundy strands, humming softly in unison. Symphony’s eyes slowly closed as her lips parted in song:
Sweet...Sweet child...see me.....
Tiny..white dove..
Destined to be free....
Winds carry you above...
Speckled in crimson blood...
Sweet....sweet love...hear my song...
Burn with desire...
Never settle for the wrong...
Toss regrets into the fire...
Their ashes blinding those who conspire...
There was a pause, Symphony opening her lavender gaze to look into Dirks deep blues and for a moment it was like all else was forgotten. Dirk leaned forward, kissing Symphony’s forehead as he slid his hand over hers and they gasped, muttering simultaneously. “...You can feel the heart beat...” They both laughed, as Symphony continued to sing, her husband’s tenor grace reverberating off the walls when he joined in.
Sweet...sweet baby...
Open your eyes....
Beauty of the soul, little lady...
Real love... that never dies...
Drink deeply the life, draining the skies..
“Ma...how do you know it’s a girl?” Ian muttered out, Dirk chuckling at his son’s apparent perplexed expression.
Symphony turned to look upon Ian, a kind smile overtaking her expression. It was like Ess was there, looking straight into her mother’s own eyes...her eyes. The voice that answered, was unexpected, compared to the soprano-alto that sang seconds ago; now higher pitched with an accent, her vowels dragged out in a subtle lisp. “...Because son....she told me..”
Essence beamed brightly, tears shimmering like stars, aching to fall, yet she held them back, gasping a bit, her vision going dark. As reality slowly trickled back into focus, Luckas’ black eyes already faded from their mimicked violet, Ess found herself stretching out for the image of her mother as it disappeared. She didn’t even notice how her hand hovered just beside Luckas’ cheek, her ears ringing with her mother’s words. “I can feel it......she will be the light in darkness...she will love...she will hate....she will suffer....but still her fire will burn..”
As Luckas’ eyes faded back to his usual black there was something slightly different in his gaze, so much in fact he could feel it in the form of a slight shiver working its way up his spine. He wasn’t sure what that shiver was, or what feeling was behind it really, it wasn’t unpleasant just... Odd. Slowly, he took a step back, his cheek brushing against Ess’ hand as he turned his face away from her, his eyes lowering to the ground as he whispered. “Like I said... Moments.”
Ess was like a magnet. With every step he moved away, she stepped with him, in sync. Grinning ear to ear she slinked her arm, intertwining it with Luckas’ and squeezed. “I’ll give you that, sweetness....but I must say...I’ve never had so many ‘moments’ until I ran into you my dear Luckas.” Politely she pulled away and turned back to Shockwave, absently running her fingers through his mane; giggling when her horse nudged her shoulder almost knocking her back. “...Ok Luckas, I owe you...for much and since I feel Thank You is weak at this point...” Ess peeked out at her friend from her peripheral and winked. “Make sure you give my ‘respects’ to the bookie when you go back.” Clearing her throat she hoisted herself up onto her horse’s back and waved, “See you when I see you hun...hopefully sooner than later....Don’t we have some training to get to?” She pulled on the reins lightly so that she was facing Luckas, quirking an eyebrow.
Luckas forced a smile, still a bit shaken from whatever odd feeling he was having and nodded slightly as he mumbled. “You don’t owe me... I don’t do favors, remember?” He lifted his gaze from the spot he had been staring at intently and looked up at Ess, a grin threatening to break through his faked smile as she mentioned the bookie, his comment however went in a completely different direction than whatever he had in mind for the poor idiot. “You know Lady, the squealer had a point; there’s people you don’t want to be messing with.” He stated, a slight grimace crossing his features as if he was being forced to swallow something bitter. “I doubt you’ll just take my word for it, because that’d be unusually reasonable and boring of you, but still... I’m just saying... Because then I get to say ‘I told you so’ later, and I always wanted to do that.” He said with a playful smirk. “And don’t worry, Lady... I haven’t forgotten about training... Chances are you’ll be seeing me sooner than you think... And probably later than you’d like, but oh well...” He chuckled, turning around and starting to calmly walk into the city once again.
The setting changes from Valcrest to Raven's Nest
Raven's Nest 14 Days after the Ball, Early morning before Dawn
Essence knew she wouldn’t be able to walk around camp unnoticed but even still, after she arrived during the early hours of the morning, she still avoided any that could be awake at that hour. She was mentally and physically exhausted and was hoping for a few hours of sleep before she had to deal with the Captain; if she was around. Ess almost thought she was home free until she heard a familiar bark accompanied by a soft whine as she approached her tent. Tala was already by her side, nuzzling her hand and licking her fingers in greeting, happy to have her friend back. Ess bent down to pat her side and when she stood, she was startled to see Jake by her campfire. A small wave of guilt washed over her as she realized she hadn’t thought about Jake once since the night before. She knew she shouldn’t have been surprised in all actuality to see him, and after a moment of silence her smile was the ice breaker. Ess’ eyes took on a softer and kinder expression than normal as she watched Jake. “Can’t sleep, Brother?” She whispered affectionately, letting the word ‘Brother’ stretch out across her tongue as she thought about Ian; the vision of his burning body dancing in the back of her mind.
Jake knew Ess had returned when Tala moved from his side, he didn’t have to look. It had been a while since they had both been sitting there, Jake silently keeping the fire alive as he waited. He had startled for a moment upon finding blood on the inside of the tent, it was Tala’s behavior that told him that there wasn’t any immediate danger so he just waited out by the fire. When Tala moved from his side he knew that Ess had arrived and so he moved as well, standing and stretching with a little groan, only then realizing how long he’d been sitting in the same spot. He didn’t respond immediately when Ess greeted him, staring at her in silence; his expression void as his blue eyes examined the woman’s appearance, the spots of blood on her clothes that didn’t seem to be her own and the exhaustion, as much as she tried to hide it. “I was startled by a fluffy intruder in my tent.” He responded finally. “I think Tala was feeling a bit lonesome.” Crossing his arms Jake looked Ess over from head to toe once again, then looked past her and around her as if looking for something. “Did you bury the psycho in the woods somewhere?” He asked, pointing out Luckas absence, knowing very well that he was being way too hopeful.
Essence shifted in her stance, feeling slightly awkward at the sudden amount of attention she was receiving from Jake. She looked over her shoulder as if expecting someone to actually be behind her, before glancing down at herself curiously. “What? Do I have something on me..?” Ess muttered, examining her hands with a perplexed expression. Playfully she groaned, grabbing the curls on each side of her head in a fake, exasperated gesture. “Damn Jakey. You found me out; minus one little detail, that is. I wouldn’t bury Luckas in the woods. I’d burn the body.” She sighed, glancing up at the dwindling starlight from the oncoming dawn. “You know, in memory..sort of like a last respect kind of thing.” Ess snorted in amusement and crossed her arms, quirking a brow up at Jake. “No, but seriously, sorry to disappoint but I’m pretty sure he’s consorting with a friend of ours who needs a polite reminder on how to keep his hands to himself..” She shrugged, acting like her words didn’t really matter. “Er...um, Tala wasn’t a bother, was she?” Essence wandered over towards the campfire and sat, quietly unstrapping her belt that held her sword and dagger, fussing over a bit of blood she realized was still caked upon the hilt of her relic blade. “I wasn’t gone that long to think I’d cause concern..”
Jake simply chuckled under his breath as Ess mentioned his disappointment at the fact Luckas was still alive somewhere. As much as his death meant one less concern for him, Jake knew there was a part of him that would resent not being involved somehow. That was a fact Jake believed was best kept to himself, so he said nothing more about Luckas and asked no questions about where their ‘friend’ had tried to lay his hands. “Tala is never a bother. If anything I think I’d rather have her sneak up on me while I sleep than you.” He stated, smirking playfully. “I think you know me well enough to know that if I was truly concerned I wouldn’t be sitting here patiently waiting for you to come back, sis. I’m pretty sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make me worry in the future though, and then you’ll see. So...” He smirked, sitting back down at his spot by the fire his eyes registering the blood staining Ess’ knife. “How was your trip to Blackpond?”
Ess’ eyes remained casted downwards at her blade as she worked to free it from Ian’s blood. She winced slightly at Jake knowing she had gone to Blackpond but then again she knew she shouldn’t be so surprised. As she polished the silver of her blade, careful not to cut herself, she opened a warm smile, “More opportunities to worry you? I’m shocked you’d think I’d do that to you.” She joked, bringing the blade up to her lips to breathe upon the steel to fog up her reflection before wiping it clean. Ess paused to inspect the blade before she sheathed it back along her belt. “I didn’t take the time to explore Blackpond when I attended the Ball, but going back today was...just a sad reminder of how things haven’t changed much. At least, not for the better.” She shrugged. “I got called away on to a family reunion..one which I wasn’t looking for any plus one’s honestly but we know how my Stalker is…” Ess began, contemplating more on the information that came to light and those questions that still lingered in her mind only creating new ones as well. She wondered exactly how deep Luckas was involved, in..whatever he was involved with. Who were those people exactly she saw when he shooed her away? She honestly found herself wondering if it was for her protection or his. It still left an uncomfortable feeling in her gut and she felt slightly guilty for not trusting completely in Luckas, no matter how much she wanted to or thought she had already. Was it really mistrust though to question someone for answers?
Ess’ expression had shifted to one of melancholy as she whispered, “...I got to meet my Mother today…” She turned to look up at Jake finally, “Well, sort of...and I learned another lullaby her and my Father would sing to me...wanna hear it?” Essence beamed, trying to keep the subject on her mother more than her real reason for being in Blackpond. “...I do look just like her too...except..she had straight red hair and she didn’t look as tired or worn out as I feel I do when I look in the mirror.” Ess sighed, shaking her head. “To be fair, I think she was younger in that memory than I am now...and I think she smelled of sage... now that I’m dwelling on it.”
She glanced away from Jake, absently cracking her knuckles as she stretched out her tired muscles. “Jake...do you trust me?” Ess randomly muttered, her shoulders slumped from the ideas running through her head, trying to figure out how to bring up what was bothering her without actually bringing it up.
“You picked a bad moment to go back, the past three years have been rough on Blackpond. I sometimes think that if my father was alive he’d want to burn the city down just to put it out of its misery.” Jake mumbled, focusing for some reason on the least important part of the conversation, as if to buy himself the time to figure out his thoughts on everything else. “I spent a lot of time the past couple of years watching the place sink further, an obsessive amount of time some would argue... Luckily for them I don’t really care enough for my father’s memory to honor it with fire.” Jake fell into a moment of silence as he pieced together in his mind all the hints Ess had given as to what she had been doing. He wasn’t sure how much he really wanted to know, if he was more wary of voicing the questions or hearing the answers. When he spoke again his tone was playfully offended. “Wait, so you had a family reunion and Tala and I weren’t invited? If I didn’t have such a healthy sense of worth I’d be upset.” Even though he didn’t mean to, Jake couldn’t help a hint of sarcasm at his words, if he was completely honest with himself he would be forced to admit his sense of worth was not really all that healthy, but for the purpose of this conversation that didn’t really matter; gladly. Shaking his head Jake smiled. “You know that I trust you... After all you’re the only person to ever see my secret hideout. Why ask me that? What’s on your mind, hm?” He asked, a questioning frown marking his expression for a moment before softening into a gentle smile. “I’m glad you got to see your mom. I’m sure she’s almost as beautiful as you, sis.” Heaving a small sigh, Jake took a small glance around the camp, wondering what time it was. “I don’t think I’ve eaten all day, are you hungry?”
.. “...I sometimes think that if my father was alive he’d want to burn the city down just to put it out of its misery.”
That was all it took for Ess’ mind to fall back to watching Ian writhing in mind blowing pain as he lay in the street, burnt to a crisp. "I don't look at a fiery end, as always a respectful way of going out. Maybe because he was still alive as he burned?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Must be, and he still couldn't make it ugly. I could have kept going but I was tired. Guess I let him push my buttons.." Essence didn’t once mention the ears. She paused a moment to collect how she was going to explain the information she discovered. What indeed should she mention.
“I couldn’t let Tala follow, she’s about to burst any time now. I swear. I can’t catch enough food to keep this girl happy.” She choked on a small chuckle. “And honestly if you had followed me, I probably wouldn’t have really tried to make you go back. If someone’s got your back, then you go in numbers. Better odds. I’d be an idiot to refuse it.” Smiling she began un-braiding her hair. “My pride may be a pain in the ass at first but I like to think I can rely on people. Even if not many, but enough.”
Ess opened her mouth to speak but then found herself staring off into the fire. She stuttered a bit of a pitiful attempt to argue with Jake at the compliment, standing as she moved to cook something at the question if she were hungry. “I’m sure Miss Tala is, huh? Little piggy.” Ess baby talked softly at the wolf, giggling when Tala responded by annoyingly nuzzling her arm.
“Asking a lot of questions doesn’t mean you don’t trust someone, right? Can’t be, because you always asked the most questions out of anyone I ever met. I..” Ess coughed, tugging on a few of her curls as they unraveled from her braid. “You know that symbol, Jake? Have you seen it? Did the Captain mention it to you, to, you know, to keep an eye out for it?” She quickly said, changing the subject slightly. “My Br...that pathetic excuse of a man...who’s suppose to be my brother..” Ess almost gagged when she used that word to describe Ian. “He’d seen it. He seemed to know what it was...but didn’t. I’d like to think I knew how to get people to talk…” She whispered. “He had nothing to even say for himself, really..just disgusting. He just hated me so much. It didn’t make any sense to me..”
Ess’ head snapped back towards Jake, her eyes glowing slightly. “..Another thing that stood out though, besides that symbol with the sword, was what he said about my Mom. Apparently..there’s this journal she had and for some reason Ian acquired it for some people he couldn’t seem to name exactly. He talked about them almost like...like a ghost. He brought up my Mother’s songs and said they were written in this journal and that there were missing pages…” Ess’ fists clenched and her face changed from a torn expression to one of pure rage and her body began to shake slightly. “The night I was….the night my Father died...for a ’Journal’. I need...to find it.”
“Hmmm...” Jake mumbled. “No, asking questions doesn’t mean you don’t trust someone, and if someone can’t give you answers, or even if they lie, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t trust them. I guess it all depends on who it is and what questions are being asked, you know... Context and all.” He smirked slightly as if to say he could take a few guesses at what the context was, but didn’t say anything more on the subject. Instead he shifted a bit uncomfortably and forced a small cough to clear his throat. “I’ve seen the symbol, Ali showed it to me. Have you two spoken about that? Did she tell you what happened to her in the desert? I think the two of you should talk about this. She may give you some answers.” Jake didn’t want to elaborate any further on what Ali may or not know, but there was some similarities he was beginning to notice between her story and Ess’, and Ian’s connection to the symbol Ali had seen in the desert seemed too much of a coincidence. “Did I tell you about Irvin’s sister? I think, with everything that happened these past days I may have failed to mention it, anyway... Irv’s brother pretty much gave their little sister as payment for a lost bet. Once I... Uh... Questioned him... He said the guys who took her wore red clothing, and seemed like they were in some sort of gang. He seemed sincerely terrified of them. I don’t know if there’s any relation, but these guys seem to be mentioned more and more around Blackpond lately, and not in a good way. Did you happen to see anyone like that while you were there?” Jake fell silent for a few moments following his question, his hand unconsciously reaching for Jess’ locket under his shirt. “I’m really sorry, about Ian... Who he was... You deserve better.” He sighed softly. “How do you feel now?”
“....even if they lie, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t trust them.”
Both of Ess’ brows furrowed in an annoyed and skeptical expression, her nose bunching slightly. “I guess... so.. because they lie about one thing doesn’t mean that they aren’t trustworthy? What if it’s something big? What if...I...just don’t know how I’d react..” She sighed shaking her head. “Never mind..” Glancing around to prepare something to eat she realized she had no meat and only broth and bread which she moved to heat up over the fire. Ess froze as she thought of Ali, her tone taking on a darker edge. “No, I didn’t hear about Ali in the desert...I do know both our villages were burnt down. I wonder..” She growled. “I wonder…” Ess didn’t bother finishing her sentence as she thought long and hard on what Jake had mentioned about Irvin’s sister, the situation reminding her somewhat of herself. More than anything though, she was reminded of the places she had visited in her old ‘neighborhood.’
“Jake, I’m not sure if this is helpful, but where I grew up in the city...from my understanding, Ebony had lost her influence to an extent and seems to be replaced by more gambling than I can recall..” Ess sighed, shrugging slightly. “..I’m sure you already know about that, but was just thinking, if you haven’t already, you should check it out or ask whatever contacts you have about it. Reason I bring it up...you said Irv’s sister was taken as payment for a bet..and this place has this ledger that seems to contain everything on anyone who owes that place money. Could be a clue. It helped lead me to Ian.” Essence cleared her throat, shifting in her seat a bit uneasily. “Just be careful ok..just keep coming across all kinds of characters now a days, you know?”
Essence reached for her flask and frowned, realizing it was empty and tossed it aside in small fit of annoyance. “No.. I didn’t see anyone in red while in the city. Although, twice I’ve seen riders in red. Once was in the memory Luckas took from Jasper. There was a man in a red cloak talking with Ian, right after I left you and Jess...the night of the fires. The other was just after the Ball, when the ambush failed to keep the Necromancer from getting to Newhaven. They just ran through the carnage without stopping. Never got to see their faces..” She sighed, filling a bowl with broth and passing it to Jacob. “But no, no one in red while I was in the city...just blue.” Ess muttered the last bit to herself, staring into her friend’s eyes and forced a smile. “How do I feel? I’m glad Ian’s dead and I’m glad I was there in his final, painful moments. At the same time, I wish I hadn’t been the one...It shouldn’t have been this way, but it had to be done. I felt...it was my responsibility, you understand? I’m just thankful my folks are not still alive to know their son’s betrayal.” Ess handed Jake a piece of bread and shrugged. “I’m fine. You know me. I freak out a bit and then bounce right back…” She held her smile contrary to the way her voice trembled as she spoke. “I’m FINE. It’s FINE. It’s done. It’s over..” The breath left her as her tone faded into a whisper when she dragged her gaze away from Jake’s.
“Well, sis, lying is a bad thing, and as we know good people can do bad things and it doesn’t make them any less good, right? I try never to lie to my friends, but sometimes I feel that I should because I’d rather they be angry with me than be hurt by the truth. It’s a flaw of mine to be overprotective, I think of all people you’d know that. I’ve also been lied to for similar reasons, and knowing this didn’t make me less angry about it, but I got over it eventually. I honestly believe that in any trusting relationship intentions count above all else. People lie to cause harm sometimes, but they also lie to avoid causing harm, or simply out of fear.” He shrugged slightly. “Context.” He repeated. “In the end of the day, for me trust depends more on whether I can count on a person to watch my back, to keep my secrets, and it takes one hell of a lie to change that.” Jake smiled softly as he accepted the bowl of broth and the bread, letting the bowl rest in his lap and he parted a large piece of bread and dipped it before shoving it in his mouth and chewing it for a good while before he was free to speak again; the act giving him time to consider his words with care. He had listened attentively to Ess as she spoke of Ian’s death and how she felt to see him die. He watched her expression, her body language, the tone of her voice; all those little details told him everything her words tried to hide, or simply failed to communicate. Jake remembered how easily it was learning this in the Pack, to search for these little signs... It wasn’t until very recently that he realized that he had actually started doing that as a child, watching his friend. He could always tell when Ess was smiling just to protect him, because she didn’t want him to worry, or because she didn’t want to cry in front of him yet again. He never brought it up, but he could always tell nonetheless. He opened his mouth to speak, but simply sighed instead, dipping another piece of bread into the broth and eating to buy himself a few more seconds. Once he swallowed the food he shook his head. “I should have gone after him too.” He mumbled, pulling his flask from his belt and offering it to her. “If you have to say ‘fine’ this many times you’re probably not fine. You want to be and I know you will be, but you’re probably not right now. Just know that you don’t have to freak out about this alone, okay? And if you feel you need a distraction, then...” He smirked. “Well, we can just play. Without the interruptions of your annoying psycho-stalker this time.”
Essence nodded, sitting next to Jacob with her own bowl of broth, lazily dipping her bread into the liquid. She didn’t feel she could say anything more on how she was feeling, with the whole situation with Luckas. It wasn’t just because she was afraid Jake would be biased but because she really didn’t have much to go on and her emotions were wound up pretty tight. Essence knew something seemed off but she figured she’d find out eventually and maybe it wasn’t even something she should get all bent out of shape about. Probably wasn’t even her business.
Ess leaned against Jake and nudged him playfully as he spoke about going after Ian for her, not really absorbing it all at first. “Still always wanting to be strong for me. I’m happy some things don’t change. I know I’ll be ok and honestly I could be far worse...In fact, I was. Lets just say, I took my time with Ian.” She stated still in a playful fashion, although she knew Jake would understand the seriousness of her words. Ess accepted Jake’s flask , uncapping and taking a few harsh swigs before returning it to him. “...I forget sometimes how well you know me, Jake. It almost...scares me…” Tearing off some bread with her teeth she began to eat her meal, a small chuckle escaping her. “Distraction is always best, although not the answer, however I would welcome such. If we are gonna play, this time you can be the damsel in distress and I can be the brave knight.” A gentle smile softened her weathered skin, her fingers absently rubbing at her tired eyes. “...Dragons are definitely not the scariest monsters out there though...The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our own soul..”
Essence fell silent, drinking the broth and finishing the last of her bread. She wasn’t even thinking about anything in particular when it suddenly dawned on her, her mind backtracking on the conversation a bit. “Jakey…? What did you mean when you said you should have gone after Ian, too? You...meant you wanted to come along…?” Ess asked resting her head on Jake’s shoulder, her eyes glistening, admitting a calming, warm glow.
Jake chuckled softly as took another bite of bread into his mouth, Ess’ suggestion for their playtime amused him. “Oh, I don’t know... I feel like it’s a bad idea for me to play the damsel in distress. If word gets around I’ll never hear the end of it. I already had to endure some teasing for getting myself stuck in the dungeons. I still argue that it wasn’t a rescue... It was really all a part of the plan... Sort of... ” Jake muttered, rolling his eyes in playful annoyance, the amusement never leaving his eyes. “I was thinking more along the lines of a friendly ‘duel’, you know... My fighting skills have improved considerably since you’ve last seen me practice. Not to mention I did pick up a couple of skills I am yet to show you.” He smirked, giving Ess a playful nudge. “...Who knows, you might learn a thing or two.”
As Essence fell silent so did Jake. He took the time to finish his bread and empty his bowl, taking a couple of swigs from his flask here and there in between, thinking of nothing in particular, but simply letting his mind wander off as it pleased. When Ess asked him what he had meant when he mentioned going after Ian, Jake had to stop and think back to what he had actually said, a small frown crossing his features as he realized what he had actually meant. Ess had pretty much offered him a way out of bringing the whole thing up by how she had phrased her question; all he had to do really was confirm her assumption, but in reality, even that seemed a bit too dishonest considering he had no reason at all to hide. “Well, that too.” He replied, taking a couple of more sips from his flask and heaving a sigh. “I wasn’t going to bring this up, but it seems I’m going to let it slip sooner or later so might as well.” He took one more drink and went silent for a moment before continuing. “I actually knew about Ian being alive before you mentioned it to me... In fact, it was the night before... Before you recognized me in camp. I, uh... I ran into that guy from the ball; Joffrey, in Blackpond. We had a chat, so to speak, I wanted to see if he had any information about some of Ebony’s affairs, but he didn’t know much about anything. He did mention Jasper’s death, funny enough he thought I had been responsible for that mess, and he mentioned having seen Ian with Jasper. He also mentioned people dressed in red, but he didn’t know what involvement they had in anything. To be honest, even if he did know more I’m not sure how long I’d be able to put up with him speaking. So of course I thought of going after Ian myself before even saying anything to you, but... Then I decided that wasn’t fair and I came back here.” He shrugged dismissively, trying not to dwell too much on the subject. “I didn’t really think I needed to mention the whole thing, the only important information I got out of it was that Ian was alive and when we finally got to talk you already knew about that. Maybe I should have looked for him though... Then at least I would have been there...”
Ess let her eyes flicker towards the fire as she listened to Jake explain Joffrey and how that in turn led him to discover that Ian was still alive. It was in that moment she realized that Jake wasn’t just at the Ball; which she already knew, but that he had been watching her and she hadn’t known it. Jake was there for so much and had seen and heard her confrontation with Ebony and Joffrey. He had wasted no time in going after her childhood tormentor or in protecting her. Essence then remembered how she had reacted when she found out Jake was alive and cursed him for not caring and her violent rage towards him. She knew from their conversation she had been wrong but now she felt embarrassed and guilty for her behavior. No matter what, Jake was the one person, her family, that she could always rely on. Still, no matter what was right in front of her, she was still afraid. Ess was convinced one day she would lose her friend; the man who should have been her brother in blood and not just in their connection to one another. She wondered if she would ever stop being afraid. Even though she would hide that fear in many ways, she still kept going. Maybe that was the strength he saw in her.
Mulling over everything quietly, she didn’t notice as her body began to shake in a silent sob as she fought back those quiet tears. Finally she spoke, “I’m happy you told me, Jake..and I’m sorry for treating you the way I did. I feel just a bit terrible about it.” Ess smirked, “..Just a bit.. And, you know I was going to say maybe you’re a better stalker than Luckas but then again, I didn’t even know you existed so I think that’s an unfair advantage.” She teased, wrapping one arm around Jake in a gentle hug. “Thank you Jake. I need all the help I can get. Now I can cross Joffrey off my list, but there’s still one more to take care of…” Ess smirked muttering pre-emptively, “Yes Jake, I have a list..”
Jake sighed, shrugging a bit awkwardly when Ess apologized for how she had treated him; he honestly didn’t think about it anymore, it felt to him like such a distant point in the past that he was slightly startled to realize it had happened only days ago. “There’s no reason to feel terrible, I did mess up pretty badly, and honestly... I’ve been cursed and beaten worse for less. When you have a certain amount of temperamental women in your life you’re bound to suffer a bit of abuse now and then.” He chuckled softly for a moment, his expression shutting down into a playful frown. “What are you talking about? I’m a far better stalker than that psycho... He can’t stalk someone for five minutes without announcing his presence somehow.” He snorted in fake annoyance, leaning into Ess as she hugged him. “I’m a trained assassin damn it.” He mumbled, making a pouty face.
Setting his empty bowl aside Jake turned to face Ess with a raised eyebrow as she mentioned one more person on her list. “Oh, almost everyone has a list, Ess. I’m pretty sure you’ve already met most of mine. I saw you talking to two of them at the ball, and then there’s Luckas of course. Don’t worry, he’s at the bottom of the list until further notice.” He smirked slightly. “If you want I can help you find the last guy. I have a lot of acquaintances running around... Seeing and hearing things. How I found Joffrey so fast.” Going into silent thinking for a moment he smiled. “Are you going to draw her sometime so I can see? Your mom.”
“I’m a trained assassin damn it.”
Ess sat up straight, doing her best, silent impression of Jake as she mouthed those words back at him. Her face contorted to match his for an instant only before fading back to her own image once again. She laughed out, quite loud and jokingly pushed Jake away from her. “Only reason Luckas reveals his presence to you is because he’s grown bored. He’s managed to stay silent for some time when he thinks he’s hiding from me. Tala use to be the one who alerted me but now...I just know when he’s watching me. I seem to now have...an advantage..” A gentle breeze swirled her wispy curls along her temples as an unexpected groan came from behind, followed by a sharp crack like snap as one of the large branches from the oak separated and plummeted to the ground with a violent purpose. Essence literally jump up, nearly out of her skin, yelping in surprise; Tala instantly barking at the commotion. She was silent as she stared, noting the excessive branch was leafless and brittle, taking over the spot on the oak where Luckas usually would lean against. Slowly she moved towards it, half heartedly attempting to move the branch, but more like testing it’s weight. Her violent orbs momentarily darted everywhere the firelight reached and even hovered over some spots the light didn’t touch. It felt...empty. “Good..” She mumbled, partially relieved Luckas wasn’t there when the branch fell but at the same time she was kind of disappointed. Shaking her head, she seemed to break her own trance, trying to ignore a faint, awkward feeling in her gut. It was almost, foreboding. “I’ll take care of that tomorrow..” She whispered, turning towards her tent to retrieve something from her knapsack. Quickly returning to Jake, she smiled, changing back the subject.
“Hector…” Essence gritted her teeth when she spoke. “He was practically an old man then, so I had hoped he had already met his end. Guess that would be too easy.” Ess snorted. “He has...blue eyes, probably no hair left at this point, was surprisingly built for his age, and probably around your height.” She sighed, retrieving an image she had recently penned of the man and handed it to Jake. “Burn it when you’re finished with it. I won’t be needing it.” As she spoke those words she shuffled through a few papers, revealing one of Joffrey. Quietly she tossed it into the flames with a satisfied sneer curling her lips.
“Hector...was just as bad as Jasper..in many ways. He was the type who would beat me because he was...defective as a man...he was not able to function normally...so he took it out on me all the time.” Slowly Ess looked over Jacob as she spoke, her voice cold but slightly shaky. There were things she would never tell him about her suffering...things that were not needed, but at the same time he was older now and he would understand. These men she had been hunting for, slowly meeting their well deserved fates, were different from the day to day hell she would endure. It was in that moment she was again reminded of the scar on her cheek as she stared at Jake’s own scar. “That time...I didn’t get to see or talk to you for so long...when I missed your birthday….was mostly because of him. It was...un-natural...Jake. What he couldn’t do himself...he found other ways of achieving…” Ess snarled, not mentioning more, figuring that was enough to get the point across. “He’s probably the reason...I can’t have children…” She whispered to herself.
Ess’ chest heaved heavily as she pushed back the memory, her eyes softening as she shuffled through the pile of drawings still, pausing to stare sweetly at one in particular. Curiously she looked up at Jake then back down at the drawing. Raising the drawing so it was almost next to Jake’s face, she giggled. “...If I didn’t know better Jacob Turner, you could be a blood relative. Look…” She whispered, turning the page around to show Jake a drawing of her Father. It had to have been the most detailed one of her collection; what Ess would consider her favorite or perfected piece. Playfully Ess scrunched up her face and giggled, “Look Jake...this will be you in another fifteen years..minus some differences...and the fact your eyes are brighter…” Casually Ess let out a long yawn and shrugged. “Maybe I’ll work on Mom after some sleep..”
“Pffft.” Jake snorted, mumbling something under his breath while Ess talked about Luckas, he could argue with that, but he had the feeling it wouldn’t end as playful as it had started, not to mention he had better ways of making a point, if needed. Jake barely moved as the branch cracked and fell from the oak, he simply turned to look, frowning slightly as he watched Ess examine the fallen branch and then look around as if in search of something, or someone; had that fallen on a person it would have been disastrous. That was great, or awful, timing right there.
If Jake had watched Ess closely when the topic of conversation was Ian, when she brought him the portrait of Hector and started to tell him about the man, his eyes were completely fixated on the drawing, on every trace of the man’s face on the page, on his eyes... If Jake didn’t know... He looked just like any man Jake could cross paths with on the streets.
“That time...I didn’t get to see or talk to you for a long time...when I missed your birthday….was mostly because of him...” The words seemed to echo inside Jake’s mind, the image on the page blurring out and gaining focus again. Something inside his chest seemed to tighten painfully as if there was a fist attempting to crush his heart to bits. He could remember so clearly; the look in Ess’ eyes, the pain in her voice when she told she had been ‘punished’. He was only a boy then, there were things he couldn’t understand. Looking back at the memory now, with the eyes of a grown man, with the eyes of someone who knew well what some human beings were capable of doing to others; it brought a different feeling of helplessness than it did back then.
[Blackpond, 16 years ago.
Jake's seventh birthday came and went. He hadn't seen his friend then and had no news for weeks after that, through which he visited the oak tree several times a day for letters, only to find none. His father's gift to him was the only thing distracting him from his concern, as he had been given an 'actual sword'. The weapon was blunt, and made of lighter metal, but it looked real enough to Jake. After much nagging he managed to convince his 'uncle' Nate to start giving him lessons; he wanted to learn to fight. Those lessons, and the much he practiced by himself, kept him occupied.
As those weeks passed, slowly, Jake finally found a letter by the oak: An apology for not showing up on his birthday and a promise of explanations whenever they saw each other again. He knew it wasn't Ess' fault. He had also began to grasp some understanding of how bad those absences were. It was never written in any letter, or said in any conversation, but he was slowly concluding that if she couldn't even write him it probably meant she was hurt somehow and the thought of it made him angry at those faceless 'bad men'. While the boy knew there was nothing he could do for now, he had it in his mind that he would do everything he could when he was older and strong enough.
More weeks passed and formed full months until Jake finally got a word of when he and Ess could meet. He was glad he'd get to see her, finally. Even though the boy went by the oak, and the hideout, frequently in the hopes to maybe find Ess there, lately he always found himself alone; aside from the letters, which he noticed had gotten shorter. For some time he wondered if she just didn't want to see him anymore, or if something had happened that she didn't want him to know about; he wasn't sure which option he'd rather it'd be. So he was beyond happy to read her note and discover she'd be able to see him the next day.
Creed-Torn
Essence opened her right eye, the left wouldn’t budge as it throbbed in a sickening pain, mingling with the rest of her body. Covered from head to toe she was bearing the beating from the other night; in shades of purple, blues, and deep blacks. Reaching for her wounded eye, she felt an angry, open gash extending below the center of her swollen eye, dried flakes of blood crusted along her cheek.
She groaned in agony, shivering in the cold, empty room, her gut felt as if someone had stabbed her inside. As she discovered the dirt soaked in blood between her naked thighs, she realized she had not a stitch of clothing on her body. For a moment she lay there broken and bleeding, disoriented to where she was and how she came to be this way. There were no windows to this room, so she was unsure if it was daytime or not, or for that matter what day it actually was.
Ess attempted to sit up, an electrical scatter of pain shooting throughout her entire form, she released a gut wrenching scream only to began to remember bits and pieces of the other night..
Tye was revealed Ess's gift after his nightly visit with her. He was almost as bad as Jasper with his repeated abuse, so as much as Ess tried to hide her fear, it manifested in her Enlightenment. He was startled into thinking she was a boy as she took the shape and form of her lost, older brother. He liked the idea at first and tried his damndest to teach her to use that gift at will for his own pleasures. When she refused, he made a deep, vertical cut underneath her left eye.
She fought through the pain as she whispered, “I know you didn't mean it.” Smiling sweetly as blood poured down her cheek, she reached between his legs with one hand, the other reaching for his short sword left lazily on the floor. She leaned in slowly to kiss Tye deeply and as he bit her lip, she thrusted the blade between his ribs, twisting hard.
"You like boys so much...", she teased, "I thought you wanted to know how it felt to be stuck like a pig!"
As soon as she retracted the blade, Tye's personal guards came rushing in and knocked a hilt of a sword into her head and all went black. When she had awoken, she was lying naked in a dark, cold room. Heavy breathy creeping from each corner as rough hands grabbed her and spat in her ear, “This will take the fight out of you...." Repeatedly beaten, raped, they had cut her so bad she would never know the joys of being a mother.
Ess began to slip back into unconsciousness, muttering to herself.. “Jake....so sorry..missed...birthday..” She barely heard Ebony, her master enter as she passed out. The woman promised Ess would pay her back for the bribes she had to make in order to keep her life; that she brought this on herself and should not have killed Tye, her best customer.
Ess was not able to contact her friend for some time, unable to move much. It was several weeks before she was able to write him, for once no picture accompanied the letter.
‘Blue Eyes,
Please forgive me. It wasn’t my fault. I’ll explain when I see you...I’ll write again when I can visit. Please don’t be mad at me.
I miss you.
Your friend,
Ess’
Months went by as she healed, where she was put on "light duty" for her owner. She feared she'd never get that foul taste out of her mouth. But she had a lot of down time for once. She spent hours remembering Ian and her father sparring in the early evenings while she milked the cows and gathered water from the town well. Using a broken chair leg, Ess began to mimic those memories, attempting to teach herself those lost dances.
When she was allowed to go to the market for her master, Ess scoured the book shops gathering everything she could find on plant life and the healing and poisoning effects of each. She brought back the books to Jake’s hideout in the forgotten basement. Ess hoped he wouldn’t mind that she hid there while she read. She had been afraid to face the boy, even though she was mostly healed, a deep scar was forever painted, dragging below her left eye. She may have secretly wanted him to show up while she was there, but she never let him know when she planned on going. She had recently begun drawing pictures again for the boy along with her letters. Although, now her letters were so short, it may have given off the wrong impression towards Jake. Ess didn’t know what to say.
“I’m ugly now..” She whined softly, knowing she could not and would not hide from her friend forever. She soon caved and sent him a note when and where she would be the next day. What would she expect from a child, when already he had given so much for one so young. It was the unknown that scared her more than anything, as she did not let herself lose hope in her friend.
The day of the meeting Jake left early a leather bag thrown over one shoulder and the new metal sword replacing the wooden one on his belt. It had taken him a little while, but he had finally gotten used to the weight of it by now. To someone who hadn't seen him in months it would be noticeable that not only he had gotten a bit taller: he actually had grown up a little bit. He got to the hideout earlier than it had been agreed, and made his way in, closing the grating after himself and immediately searching for the candles; lighting a couple of them before sitting down to wait, still holding the bag firmly in one hand as if he was afraid it'd escape him otherwise.
Away-Dark Emotional Piano
Ess shuffled inconspicuously between alleys, taking short cut after short cut through the market. Turning a corner, she found herself in front of that same Tailor’s shop the day she met Jake. She paused, looking up from beneath her silk hood, her lips and nose the only features peeking out from the cloak. The window was empty, where once on display she envied a deep, red silken gown. How she had wanted that dazzling piece. She thought about how pretty it would have made her, complimenting her burgundy curls and pale skin.
A depressed sigh escaped her full lips, her hopes crushed just a bit, adding to her fear she already carried as she made her way towards the secret basement. Ess came to a lurching halt as she quickly looked about her surroundings, taking the usual precautions to keep this place a mystery as she had promised Jake. Not seeing anyone around, she gently pushed open the closed grate, noticing light peering through the darkness from illuminated candles.
Realizing that Jake was already there, she closed the grate behind herself. Keeping her head low she continued to hide her face, shaking in her fear of revealing the wretched tattoo like scar, marking her forever. Ess’ thick curls had grown, tickling her collarbone; her boots creating the facade of her increase in height. She stood silent for a moment at a loss of words, almost dumbfounded as she finally spoke, her voice cracking softly. “Hello Blue Eyes..”
Jake jumped to his feet when Ess showed up, unable to to contain his excitement. "Hey, Ess!" He greeted, a cheerful smile opening itself upon his face, his blue eyes glowing in the candlelight. "Guess what: I have a real sword now! And my uncle's teaching me to fight!" He told her, with a proud grin, pointing at the blunt weapon at his waist. He tilted his head slightly trying to get a good look at her, but couldn't.
Finally noticing that something was off, he ran one hand through his hair pulling the messy longer strands away from his eyes; Jess had been nagging him for a haircut for a while now, but he had been refusing to let her do it. Changing his tone to something with a mix of concern and curiosity, he started with his habitual series of questions: "Why are you so quiet? Is everything alright? Are you upset? What took you so long to visit? You didn't want to see me? Did I do something wrong?" Taking a small breath he went silent for a minute then mumbled, unable to hold back a small frown: "I missed you, you know." He wasn't mad that Ess didn't visit sooner, he knew that she couldn't always go out, but he just had the feeling that she didn't want to see him anymore for some reason, although he didn't understand why.
After saying all that, as usual, really fast, Jake retreated to where he had been sitting, gripping the leather bag he had dropped and pulling it onto his lap, hugging it close to him. He had something there he had been holding onto for months now, waiting for their next meeting. He wouldn't show it just yet, and he was afraid it would be a little too childish, but he hoped she would like it anyway.
A sharp pain cut into her ribs at Jake’s series of questions, unsure where to begin. Tossing her hair aside, she finally let the hood fall away from her face, her eyes taking in the boy before her. She bit into her bottom lip, holding back tears as she was tired of crying in front of her friend. Staring into his big blue eyes that she absolutely adored, she saw how his hair had grown. She approached him slowly, her fingers finding the loose strands, playfully brushing them aside.
“I’m sorry Jake, I didn’t mean to worry you...”She sighed before adding, “Longer hair suits you.”
Ess was trying to distract herself from his gaze, trying to forget the ugly scar cradling her eye. She honestly was not sure what to say to him, what she should explain and how far he should be let into her world. She smiled softly at the sword in approval, happy to hear the child was following his dream.
“I always want to see you Jake, honest.” Her voice trembling through the smile. “I wish we could hang out all the time....Ebony just prevented it better this time, more than usual..” Although her bruises were long gone, her body still ached now and again and it was clear from her eyes something was taken away from her. If it wasn’t for Jake, she would have nothing at all. She wanted him to know that but was afraid to speak as she watched his stare unable to leave her face.
Chimera Passionate and Dark Piano
When Ess' face became visible and Jake saw the scar under her eye it sent a red hot feeling of rage through the boy's insides like he never felt before. While he had swore to himself that he would protect his friend, and anyone else he could, when he was older, he had never actually considered that it involved hurting the 'bad people', that was a concept only introduced to him recently through his fighting lessons, and it was one he still hesitated to assimilate. At that moment though he felt like he could actually hurt whoever had done that if he had a chance. It was the first time he ever thought something like that.
For a long while he stood, waiting for the anger to go away so he could say something. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to think he was mad at her, or that she was causing him any more concern than what he already had shown. Finally he broke his silence replying to the comment she made on his hair, smiling slightly. "I think it suits me too. I'll tell Jess you agree with me." Then he shook his head. "You know, you don't have to say you're sorry, or explain anything if you don't want to. We can just play." He told her, trying to distract from whatever she had been through while they were apart. "Here..." He pulled the bag up and dug his hand into it, but didn't pull it out again before explaining. "I told Jess I didn't know your birthday, but she said you don't need a reason to give someone a gift, so... She made this for you." As he said that he pulled a teddy bear from the bag; a small bear made of fabric and stuffed with sawdust. It was nothing extraordinary, but its most interesting feature was the little black tunic engraved with a crescent moon and a little wooden sword attached to its hand. "It was my idea, you know, while you don't go to Newhaven you can have Knight of your own. I wanted to make him a White Knight, but Jess says Black Knights are the scariest." He explained. "I know you're too grown up for toys, but it's the best idea I had." He added, rather apologetic of the fact he couldn't come up with a better gift than a child's toy.
Grasping the teddy, her fingers squishing the bear comfortingly, she couldn’t hold back as a few tears escaped her. She had missed his birthday and yet he brought HER a gift. The sweet gestures of this young boy continued to amaze her. Ess hugged the stuffed bear, truly touched by the gift, she muttered. “Thank you Jake...Please Thank your sister for me...”
As she wiped away her straggler tears, she lifted the bear and stared up at him. “He’s perfect...and you know what? I think I’ll call him my Jacob Bear.....It will be like you’re always with me.”
The gift had managed to distract her for a moment, but not before she remembered Jake’s gift as well. Tucking the bear against her arm and chest she reached a free hand along her thigh to reveal a tiny dagger, with it’s own sheath. No longer than the length of her hand, it was gold with a star like emblem on the hilt. “Don’t think I forgot about your birthday now...”She whispered passing the weapon to him, “It’s very sharp Jake...”
Ess spent the next few moments enjoying the boy’s smile before she sat him down to talk.
“You don’t think I’m ugly now, do you?” She bravely asked. Ess understood his kindness but was still scared. All she kept thinking about was the taunts she got from the brothel. Maybe it was their final attempt to break her as she walked around, her head held high, even if she wasn’t so proud at the moment.
“Jake...I killed a man...” Ess tensed, flinching at her sudden words... “I’m not sorry....” she stated flatly, hugging the bear close, she absently touched her eye, hinting to the scar. “I was punished....bad... Jake...that’s why I couldn’t come see you.”
Essence cried silently as she spoke, keeping her composure. “I would only be sorry if you were disappointed in me...if you said I was a bad person...” Staring into his eyes she searched to understand what the boy was feeling.
Jake was glad enough that Ess had liked the bear, even more that she had named it after him, that way if they couldn't see each other for a long time again, at least he would know she wasn't alone. Of course he knew the bear wasn't the same as an actual friend, and he knew it couldn't really protect her, but it was the best he could offer her for comfort and the fact that it had worked made him very happy. When Ess gave him the dagger though, his little blue eyes beamed with excitement. It was the prettiest thing he had ever seen. "It's the best gift ever!" He exclaimed opening the widest smile and adding the sheathed weapon to his little belt. He knew he would probably have to hide it from Jess, since it was sharp and he wasn't allowed yet, but for now he was going to wear it with pride.
When they sat down to talk and Ess asked him if she looked ugly he chuckled at the question. "What? No! You look as pretty as always. You're pretty, Ess. And don't let anyone say you're not." He scolded, giving a firm nod as he spoke.
When Ess told him she had killed someone and she wasn't sorry Jake grimaced, first as he thought of what it must be like to kill someone, second as he thought of what sort of punishment might have come from doing that. He noticed, however, how Ess had reached for her eye, a little bit of the rage he had felt moments before coming back to him as he mumbled. "If this man hurt you then I'm not sorry either." he told her. "And you're not a bad person, because I trust my gut and my gut says you're the best girl I know and if you hurt someone I'll always believe they deserved it no matter what anybody else says; because you are my friend, and I know you." He stated; a serious expression in his face making it clear that he was dead serious. Going quiet for a little while he then added. "One day you'll get away from them for good, you'll never have to cry again and no one will ever hurt you because I won't let them." He added, finally letting his anger pour out in his words. He hated these people, he hated them all without even knowing exactly why. All he knew, and all he needed to know, was that they were hurting his friend, they were making her sad and so he hated them all.
“I hope to never disappoint you Jake.” Was all she could muster as a response before she hugged Jake tightly. Ess, unintentionally muttered another comment, almost inaudible, “I’ll never be a mommy now...” Leaning forward onto her knees she placed her head onto Jake’s lap, still hugging him tight. “They took everything away Jake....” Ess trailed off, feeling horrible that after so long of not seeing each other, she had to be sad and depressing. Ess could be happy, could be mischievous and playful, but hadn’t much in her today, so she continued with, “So...Show me what you have been learning. Maybe you can teach me some things...”
Essence watched Jake for quite a while in her silence. Deep in thought, she came to her conclusion that age meant nothing. That even one so young could grasp the difference between good and bad. She began to pity those adults who were trapped within their own personal torment, only to lash out on the weak...those unable to protect themselves.
Ess’s tears dried, enjoying the time she spent with her friend. Softly, she began to sing to herself, not paying attention or caring that her voice carried into Jake’s hearing. Her voice was soft, sweet and quite soothing to hear. Although she didn’t realize it, it was a comfort to hear as her voice could rise and fall into many different notes, and one could hear the passion behind her words.
There’s a little bird, somebody sent...
Down to the Earth, to live on the wind...
Blowing on the wind, she sleeps on the wind..
This little bird...somebody sent...
Light and fragile, she’s feathered sky blue...
Thin ...and graceful, the sun shining through...
She flies so high....up in the sky...way out of reach.... of ...human eyes
Light and fragile, ..she’s feathered sky blue...
Thin...and graceful...the sun shining through...
And...the only time....she touches....ground...
Is when ..that little bird...little bird....
Is when that little bird....little bird....
Dies....
Remembering the sad words, gave Ess an uplifting feeling. It was something her father use to sing to her...that her mother used to sing to him. It gave her the hope, as long she kept going, nothing could push her down, until the very end. She wanted Jake to understand those words, something she needed to pass along, something he needed to hear.
Jake hugged Ess tight, sighing softly unable to make out the words she had mumbled, but understanding that whatever happened to her this time had been truly awful. He didn't say anything anymore, simply nodding as she asked him to show her what he learned. Jake spent a good amount of time absently trying to recreate the moves Nate had taught him in the past month, he was still a little clumsy with the sword, but he was learning quickly for a boy as young as he was, and disregarding his lack of technique he was almost the image of a little knight.
Jake stopped what he was doing though, the moment the song reached him, first his friend's voice, next the words, soon after the feelings behind the words. The boy went very quiet and then sat on the ground, resting the sword in his lap and watching Ess with interest as she sang. He had never heard that song before, it was unlike any other, and as much as he would like to ask his friend where it had come from, he didn't have the courage to make a sound of his own until it was over. At which point he simply mumbled. "That... That was really, very pretty. Where did you hear it?"
Storm-Lifehouse
Ess stared softly at her friend for some time before answering, proud of what he remembered from his lessons, the silence making her nervous.
“Well, Jakey...My father use to sing it to me when I was little...before he died...”
She smiled surprisingly at such a discussion, and continued.
“I never knew my mother..but I was named Essence, because my daddy use to say that I was the spitting image of her. That I was the life essence that was passed from her. See, she died while I was born. He use to tell me over and over how she use to sing this to him....he would cry every time. You see, he missed my mom very, very much. Maybe that’s where I got my purple eyes from...I don’t know. I don’t have a painting or anything to go by...”
Ess stood and went to Jake, hugging him tight again before continuing... “It’s about...never giving up before the very end. Fighting til the end, Jake...No matter what others think, keeping true to yourself.” Ess continued again, the blur of her words colliding into each other in the speed she spoke, almost like he did.
“You help remind myself of this....I never have sang in front of anyone before....So I want you to know...That I trust you with every fiber of my being, that it will never change, no matter what. In this life or the next. I hope you always remember me Jake because I want you to carry on no matter what, and never give up.”
It may of sounded like a goodbye, but it was meant to be a promise. Something he could carry with him when she wasn’t around, just like her bear would always remind her of Jake when he wasn’t there.
“No matter what Jake, I’m always with you.”
Jake’s eyes had closed instinctively at the memory, his empty hand shutting into a tight fist, his body shivering for a moment with tension before relaxing. He folded the portrait neatly and tucked into the inner pocket of his jacket, opening his eyes as a long shivering breath escaped him. He was silent and his eyes were still filled with contempt for the man named Hector; he had pitied Joffrey, pitied him for what his life had been, this man on the other hand... Jake shook his head, trying to calm his temper by taking another drink from his flask. His eyes only softening again when Ess showed him the picture of her father, he chuckled softly as he stared at the portrait, taking in all the details; she had clearly put a lot of time and work into it. “You know I never really considered I’d still be alive in fifteen years, but... It’s nice to know I’ll still be a handsome man if I do live that long.” He stated with a smile, falling into a contemplative silence for a few moments, before standing up, running one hand through his hair absently. “You know, I remember very clearly, even after all this time, when I saw you again, how hurt you were, it was the first time I ever wished someone dead. And I... I’m going to find this guy.” It was a simple statement, but it was clear in Jake’s voice what it truly meant. “I think you should get some sleep, I can see you’re tired.” He agreed, putting away his flask and stifling a yawn of his own. Jake was tired as well, but he didn’t even try to fool himself into thinking he would be able to sleep if he tried. He stood for a little while, seeming unable to decide whether or not to speak, or which way to move, his indecision showing in the form of a slight twitch as if whatever was going through his mind was causing him the urge to run away and he had to fight to stay in place. It lasted for a few moments before he took in a deep breath. “You know, right before I went hunting for Jesse’s attackers, for the last time, Dani Rivers came up to me and she said that when she was a child her mother had told her that inside every human soul there are two wolves; one of them is kind, selfless and forgiving, while the other is violent, selfish and cruel, and these two wolves are constantly at war with one another and one day, in a critical moment, the strongest of the two would slay the weakest. When I asked, she told me that the strongest wolf is the one we choose to feed. That every choice we make in life tips the scale one way or another and all we have to hope for is that in the end the good outweighs the bad. I didn’t make much of it at the time, but... Now and then, it comes back to me and I wonder... What my score is like by now.”
Essence slowly stood, resting her hand along Jake’s forearm. “..I know you’ll find him. I don’t doubt you, nor will I ever.” She smiled, moving to put her things away, propping the opening of her tent to let in a warm breeze. Ess made herself comfortable but facing outwards from her tent so that she could stare at her friend, watching him intently as she pondered over his words. Gradually her fingers found the little wolf figurine that Ali had given her. She shifted her gaze to once again take in the detail, her fingertips gently obsessing over the smoothness of the piece. For a while she pondered Jake’s words on the human soul. It made sense, yet she felt it may not always be just the two fighting inside, but if there were, hers did not take on the form of wolves. It was a rather appropriate analogy though. Resting her chin along her arms she continued to stare at the figurine.
“I’m pretty sure...your score is better than mine, Jakey. If I were to put myself into that context, then I would have to say that no matter which side ends up proving itself victorious, apart of me will disappear either way. You know what it’s like to want to disappear, right Jacob? I’ve practiced that skill for many years.. to avoid many things. Funny how at the same time, I fear it. If who I am vanishes and is replaced by something else. That would still be something though. What if after there’s no trace?” Ess snorted, tucking the wolf carving back at her side. “I am afraid and yet I crave at times to not care. But my stubborn, over emotional temper seems to still keep me in check. Still…” Essence trailed off, turning slightly so that Tala could get by and snuggle beside her. After some time she began to hum softly, running her fingers through the toughs of Tala’s fur in a soothing manner. As her voice grew louder it seemed to soften even more somehow, in a meaning so that only those in her proximity could hear her and thus would have to strain to catch her words as they cascaded off her lips. Ess closed her eyes, continuing to sing from one song to the next, until she finally began to drift off during her Mother’s lullaby.
And so she slept, but little did she realize it would probably be the last time she would get a solid nights sleep for some time.
Essence knew she wouldn’t be able to walk around camp unnoticed but even still, after she arrived during the early hours of the morning, she still avoided any that could be awake at that hour. She was mentally and physically exhausted and was hoping for a few hours of sleep before she had to deal with the Captain; if she was around. Ess almost thought she was home free until she heard a familiar bark accompanied by a soft whine as she approached her tent. Tala was already by her side, nuzzling her hand and licking her fingers in greeting, happy to have her friend back. Ess bent down to pat her side and when she stood, she was startled to see Jake by her campfire. A small wave of guilt washed over her as she realized she hadn’t thought about Jake once since the night before. She knew she shouldn’t have been surprised in all actuality to see him, and after a moment of silence her smile was the ice breaker. Ess’ eyes took on a softer and kinder expression than normal as she watched Jake. “Can’t sleep, Brother?” She whispered affectionately, letting the word ‘Brother’ stretch out across her tongue as she thought about Ian; the vision of his burning body dancing in the back of her mind.
Jake knew Ess had returned when Tala moved from his side, he didn’t have to look. It had been a while since they had both been sitting there, Jake silently keeping the fire alive as he waited. He had startled for a moment upon finding blood on the inside of the tent, it was Tala’s behavior that told him that there wasn’t any immediate danger so he just waited out by the fire. When Tala moved from his side he knew that Ess had arrived and so he moved as well, standing and stretching with a little groan, only then realizing how long he’d been sitting in the same spot. He didn’t respond immediately when Ess greeted him, staring at her in silence; his expression void as his blue eyes examined the woman’s appearance, the spots of blood on her clothes that didn’t seem to be her own and the exhaustion, as much as she tried to hide it. “I was startled by a fluffy intruder in my tent.” He responded finally. “I think Tala was feeling a bit lonesome.” Crossing his arms Jake looked Ess over from head to toe once again, then looked past her and around her as if looking for something. “Did you bury the psycho in the woods somewhere?” He asked, pointing out Luckas absence, knowing very well that he was being way too hopeful.
Essence shifted in her stance, feeling slightly awkward at the sudden amount of attention she was receiving from Jake. She looked over her shoulder as if expecting someone to actually be behind her, before glancing down at herself curiously. “What? Do I have something on me..?” Ess muttered, examining her hands with a perplexed expression. Playfully she groaned, grabbing the curls on each side of her head in a fake, exasperated gesture. “Damn Jakey. You found me out; minus one little detail, that is. I wouldn’t bury Luckas in the woods. I’d burn the body.” She sighed, glancing up at the dwindling starlight from the oncoming dawn. “You know, in memory..sort of like a last respect kind of thing.” Ess snorted in amusement and crossed her arms, quirking a brow up at Jake. “No, but seriously, sorry to disappoint but I’m pretty sure he’s consorting with a friend of ours who needs a polite reminder on how to keep his hands to himself..” She shrugged, acting like her words didn’t really matter. “Er...um, Tala wasn’t a bother, was she?” Essence wandered over towards the campfire and sat, quietly unstrapping her belt that held her sword and dagger, fussing over a bit of blood she realized was still caked upon the hilt of her relic blade. “I wasn’t gone that long to think I’d cause concern..”
Jake simply chuckled under his breath as Ess mentioned his disappointment at the fact Luckas was still alive somewhere. As much as his death meant one less concern for him, Jake knew there was a part of him that would resent not being involved somehow. That was a fact Jake believed was best kept to himself, so he said nothing more about Luckas and asked no questions about where their ‘friend’ had tried to lay his hands. “Tala is never a bother. If anything I think I’d rather have her sneak up on me while I sleep than you.” He stated, smirking playfully. “I think you know me well enough to know that if I was truly concerned I wouldn’t be sitting here patiently waiting for you to come back, sis. I’m pretty sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make me worry in the future though, and then you’ll see. So...” He smirked, sitting back down at his spot by the fire his eyes registering the blood staining Ess’ knife. “How was your trip to Blackpond?”
Ess’ eyes remained casted downwards at her blade as she worked to free it from Ian’s blood. She winced slightly at Jake knowing she had gone to Blackpond but then again she knew she shouldn’t be so surprised. As she polished the silver of her blade, careful not to cut herself, she opened a warm smile, “More opportunities to worry you? I’m shocked you’d think I’d do that to you.” She joked, bringing the blade up to her lips to breathe upon the steel to fog up her reflection before wiping it clean. Ess paused to inspect the blade before she sheathed it back along her belt. “I didn’t take the time to explore Blackpond when I attended the Ball, but going back today was...just a sad reminder of how things haven’t changed much. At least, not for the better.” She shrugged. “I got called away on to a family reunion..one which I wasn’t looking for any plus one’s honestly but we know how my Stalker is…” Ess began, contemplating more on the information that came to light and those questions that still lingered in her mind only creating new ones as well. She wondered exactly how deep Luckas was involved, in..whatever he was involved with. Who were those people exactly she saw when he shooed her away? She honestly found herself wondering if it was for her protection or his. It still left an uncomfortable feeling in her gut and she felt slightly guilty for not trusting completely in Luckas, no matter how much she wanted to or thought she had already. Was it really mistrust though to question someone for answers?
Ess’ expression had shifted to one of melancholy as she whispered, “...I got to meet my Mother today…” She turned to look up at Jake finally, “Well, sort of...and I learned another lullaby her and my Father would sing to me...wanna hear it?” Essence beamed, trying to keep the subject on her mother more than her real reason for being in Blackpond. “...I do look just like her too...except..she had straight red hair and she didn’t look as tired or worn out as I feel I do when I look in the mirror.” Ess sighed, shaking her head. “To be fair, I think she was younger in that memory than I am now...and I think she smelled of sage... now that I’m dwelling on it.”
She glanced away from Jake, absently cracking her knuckles as she stretched out her tired muscles. “Jake...do you trust me?” Ess randomly muttered, her shoulders slumped from the ideas running through her head, trying to figure out how to bring up what was bothering her without actually bringing it up.
“You picked a bad moment to go back, the past three years have been rough on Blackpond. I sometimes think that if my father was alive he’d want to burn the city down just to put it out of its misery.” Jake mumbled, focusing for some reason on the least important part of the conversation, as if to buy himself the time to figure out his thoughts on everything else. “I spent a lot of time the past couple of years watching the place sink further, an obsessive amount of time some would argue... Luckily for them I don’t really care enough for my father’s memory to honor it with fire.” Jake fell into a moment of silence as he pieced together in his mind all the hints Ess had given as to what she had been doing. He wasn’t sure how much he really wanted to know, if he was more wary of voicing the questions or hearing the answers. When he spoke again his tone was playfully offended. “Wait, so you had a family reunion and Tala and I weren’t invited? If I didn’t have such a healthy sense of worth I’d be upset.” Even though he didn’t mean to, Jake couldn’t help a hint of sarcasm at his words, if he was completely honest with himself he would be forced to admit his sense of worth was not really all that healthy, but for the purpose of this conversation that didn’t really matter; gladly. Shaking his head Jake smiled. “You know that I trust you... After all you’re the only person to ever see my secret hideout. Why ask me that? What’s on your mind, hm?” He asked, a questioning frown marking his expression for a moment before softening into a gentle smile. “I’m glad you got to see your mom. I’m sure she’s almost as beautiful as you, sis.” Heaving a small sigh, Jake took a small glance around the camp, wondering what time it was. “I don’t think I’ve eaten all day, are you hungry?”
.. “...I sometimes think that if my father was alive he’d want to burn the city down just to put it out of its misery.”
That was all it took for Ess’ mind to fall back to watching Ian writhing in mind blowing pain as he lay in the street, burnt to a crisp. "I don't look at a fiery end, as always a respectful way of going out. Maybe because he was still alive as he burned?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Must be, and he still couldn't make it ugly. I could have kept going but I was tired. Guess I let him push my buttons.." Essence didn’t once mention the ears. She paused a moment to collect how she was going to explain the information she discovered. What indeed should she mention.
“I couldn’t let Tala follow, she’s about to burst any time now. I swear. I can’t catch enough food to keep this girl happy.” She choked on a small chuckle. “And honestly if you had followed me, I probably wouldn’t have really tried to make you go back. If someone’s got your back, then you go in numbers. Better odds. I’d be an idiot to refuse it.” Smiling she began un-braiding her hair. “My pride may be a pain in the ass at first but I like to think I can rely on people. Even if not many, but enough.”
Ess opened her mouth to speak but then found herself staring off into the fire. She stuttered a bit of a pitiful attempt to argue with Jake at the compliment, standing as she moved to cook something at the question if she were hungry. “I’m sure Miss Tala is, huh? Little piggy.” Ess baby talked softly at the wolf, giggling when Tala responded by annoyingly nuzzling her arm.
“Asking a lot of questions doesn’t mean you don’t trust someone, right? Can’t be, because you always asked the most questions out of anyone I ever met. I..” Ess coughed, tugging on a few of her curls as they unraveled from her braid. “You know that symbol, Jake? Have you seen it? Did the Captain mention it to you, to, you know, to keep an eye out for it?” She quickly said, changing the subject slightly. “My Br...that pathetic excuse of a man...who’s suppose to be my brother..” Ess almost gagged when she used that word to describe Ian. “He’d seen it. He seemed to know what it was...but didn’t. I’d like to think I knew how to get people to talk…” She whispered. “He had nothing to even say for himself, really..just disgusting. He just hated me so much. It didn’t make any sense to me..”
Ess’ head snapped back towards Jake, her eyes glowing slightly. “..Another thing that stood out though, besides that symbol with the sword, was what he said about my Mom. Apparently..there’s this journal she had and for some reason Ian acquired it for some people he couldn’t seem to name exactly. He talked about them almost like...like a ghost. He brought up my Mother’s songs and said they were written in this journal and that there were missing pages…” Ess’ fists clenched and her face changed from a torn expression to one of pure rage and her body began to shake slightly. “The night I was….the night my Father died...for a ’Journal’. I need...to find it.”
“Hmmm...” Jake mumbled. “No, asking questions doesn’t mean you don’t trust someone, and if someone can’t give you answers, or even if they lie, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t trust them. I guess it all depends on who it is and what questions are being asked, you know... Context and all.” He smirked slightly as if to say he could take a few guesses at what the context was, but didn’t say anything more on the subject. Instead he shifted a bit uncomfortably and forced a small cough to clear his throat. “I’ve seen the symbol, Ali showed it to me. Have you two spoken about that? Did she tell you what happened to her in the desert? I think the two of you should talk about this. She may give you some answers.” Jake didn’t want to elaborate any further on what Ali may or not know, but there was some similarities he was beginning to notice between her story and Ess’, and Ian’s connection to the symbol Ali had seen in the desert seemed too much of a coincidence. “Did I tell you about Irvin’s sister? I think, with everything that happened these past days I may have failed to mention it, anyway... Irv’s brother pretty much gave their little sister as payment for a lost bet. Once I... Uh... Questioned him... He said the guys who took her wore red clothing, and seemed like they were in some sort of gang. He seemed sincerely terrified of them. I don’t know if there’s any relation, but these guys seem to be mentioned more and more around Blackpond lately, and not in a good way. Did you happen to see anyone like that while you were there?” Jake fell silent for a few moments following his question, his hand unconsciously reaching for Jess’ locket under his shirt. “I’m really sorry, about Ian... Who he was... You deserve better.” He sighed softly. “How do you feel now?”
“....even if they lie, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t trust them.”
Both of Ess’ brows furrowed in an annoyed and skeptical expression, her nose bunching slightly. “I guess... so.. because they lie about one thing doesn’t mean that they aren’t trustworthy? What if it’s something big? What if...I...just don’t know how I’d react..” She sighed shaking her head. “Never mind..” Glancing around to prepare something to eat she realized she had no meat and only broth and bread which she moved to heat up over the fire. Ess froze as she thought of Ali, her tone taking on a darker edge. “No, I didn’t hear about Ali in the desert...I do know both our villages were burnt down. I wonder..” She growled. “I wonder…” Ess didn’t bother finishing her sentence as she thought long and hard on what Jake had mentioned about Irvin’s sister, the situation reminding her somewhat of herself. More than anything though, she was reminded of the places she had visited in her old ‘neighborhood.’
“Jake, I’m not sure if this is helpful, but where I grew up in the city...from my understanding, Ebony had lost her influence to an extent and seems to be replaced by more gambling than I can recall..” Ess sighed, shrugging slightly. “..I’m sure you already know about that, but was just thinking, if you haven’t already, you should check it out or ask whatever contacts you have about it. Reason I bring it up...you said Irv’s sister was taken as payment for a bet..and this place has this ledger that seems to contain everything on anyone who owes that place money. Could be a clue. It helped lead me to Ian.” Essence cleared her throat, shifting in her seat a bit uneasily. “Just be careful ok..just keep coming across all kinds of characters now a days, you know?”
Essence reached for her flask and frowned, realizing it was empty and tossed it aside in small fit of annoyance. “No.. I didn’t see anyone in red while in the city. Although, twice I’ve seen riders in red. Once was in the memory Luckas took from Jasper. There was a man in a red cloak talking with Ian, right after I left you and Jess...the night of the fires. The other was just after the Ball, when the ambush failed to keep the Necromancer from getting to Newhaven. They just ran through the carnage without stopping. Never got to see their faces..” She sighed, filling a bowl with broth and passing it to Jacob. “But no, no one in red while I was in the city...just blue.” Ess muttered the last bit to herself, staring into her friend’s eyes and forced a smile. “How do I feel? I’m glad Ian’s dead and I’m glad I was there in his final, painful moments. At the same time, I wish I hadn’t been the one...It shouldn’t have been this way, but it had to be done. I felt...it was my responsibility, you understand? I’m just thankful my folks are not still alive to know their son’s betrayal.” Ess handed Jake a piece of bread and shrugged. “I’m fine. You know me. I freak out a bit and then bounce right back…” She held her smile contrary to the way her voice trembled as she spoke. “I’m FINE. It’s FINE. It’s done. It’s over..” The breath left her as her tone faded into a whisper when she dragged her gaze away from Jake’s.
“Well, sis, lying is a bad thing, and as we know good people can do bad things and it doesn’t make them any less good, right? I try never to lie to my friends, but sometimes I feel that I should because I’d rather they be angry with me than be hurt by the truth. It’s a flaw of mine to be overprotective, I think of all people you’d know that. I’ve also been lied to for similar reasons, and knowing this didn’t make me less angry about it, but I got over it eventually. I honestly believe that in any trusting relationship intentions count above all else. People lie to cause harm sometimes, but they also lie to avoid causing harm, or simply out of fear.” He shrugged slightly. “Context.” He repeated. “In the end of the day, for me trust depends more on whether I can count on a person to watch my back, to keep my secrets, and it takes one hell of a lie to change that.” Jake smiled softly as he accepted the bowl of broth and the bread, letting the bowl rest in his lap and he parted a large piece of bread and dipped it before shoving it in his mouth and chewing it for a good while before he was free to speak again; the act giving him time to consider his words with care. He had listened attentively to Ess as she spoke of Ian’s death and how she felt to see him die. He watched her expression, her body language, the tone of her voice; all those little details told him everything her words tried to hide, or simply failed to communicate. Jake remembered how easily it was learning this in the Pack, to search for these little signs... It wasn’t until very recently that he realized that he had actually started doing that as a child, watching his friend. He could always tell when Ess was smiling just to protect him, because she didn’t want him to worry, or because she didn’t want to cry in front of him yet again. He never brought it up, but he could always tell nonetheless. He opened his mouth to speak, but simply sighed instead, dipping another piece of bread into the broth and eating to buy himself a few more seconds. Once he swallowed the food he shook his head. “I should have gone after him too.” He mumbled, pulling his flask from his belt and offering it to her. “If you have to say ‘fine’ this many times you’re probably not fine. You want to be and I know you will be, but you’re probably not right now. Just know that you don’t have to freak out about this alone, okay? And if you feel you need a distraction, then...” He smirked. “Well, we can just play. Without the interruptions of your annoying psycho-stalker this time.”
Essence nodded, sitting next to Jacob with her own bowl of broth, lazily dipping her bread into the liquid. She didn’t feel she could say anything more on how she was feeling, with the whole situation with Luckas. It wasn’t just because she was afraid Jake would be biased but because she really didn’t have much to go on and her emotions were wound up pretty tight. Essence knew something seemed off but she figured she’d find out eventually and maybe it wasn’t even something she should get all bent out of shape about. Probably wasn’t even her business.
Ess leaned against Jake and nudged him playfully as he spoke about going after Ian for her, not really absorbing it all at first. “Still always wanting to be strong for me. I’m happy some things don’t change. I know I’ll be ok and honestly I could be far worse...In fact, I was. Lets just say, I took my time with Ian.” She stated still in a playful fashion, although she knew Jake would understand the seriousness of her words. Ess accepted Jake’s flask , uncapping and taking a few harsh swigs before returning it to him. “...I forget sometimes how well you know me, Jake. It almost...scares me…” Tearing off some bread with her teeth she began to eat her meal, a small chuckle escaping her. “Distraction is always best, although not the answer, however I would welcome such. If we are gonna play, this time you can be the damsel in distress and I can be the brave knight.” A gentle smile softened her weathered skin, her fingers absently rubbing at her tired eyes. “...Dragons are definitely not the scariest monsters out there though...The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our own soul..”
Essence fell silent, drinking the broth and finishing the last of her bread. She wasn’t even thinking about anything in particular when it suddenly dawned on her, her mind backtracking on the conversation a bit. “Jakey…? What did you mean when you said you should have gone after Ian, too? You...meant you wanted to come along…?” Ess asked resting her head on Jake’s shoulder, her eyes glistening, admitting a calming, warm glow.
Jake chuckled softly as took another bite of bread into his mouth, Ess’ suggestion for their playtime amused him. “Oh, I don’t know... I feel like it’s a bad idea for me to play the damsel in distress. If word gets around I’ll never hear the end of it. I already had to endure some teasing for getting myself stuck in the dungeons. I still argue that it wasn’t a rescue... It was really all a part of the plan... Sort of... ” Jake muttered, rolling his eyes in playful annoyance, the amusement never leaving his eyes. “I was thinking more along the lines of a friendly ‘duel’, you know... My fighting skills have improved considerably since you’ve last seen me practice. Not to mention I did pick up a couple of skills I am yet to show you.” He smirked, giving Ess a playful nudge. “...Who knows, you might learn a thing or two.”
As Essence fell silent so did Jake. He took the time to finish his bread and empty his bowl, taking a couple of swigs from his flask here and there in between, thinking of nothing in particular, but simply letting his mind wander off as it pleased. When Ess asked him what he had meant when he mentioned going after Ian, Jake had to stop and think back to what he had actually said, a small frown crossing his features as he realized what he had actually meant. Ess had pretty much offered him a way out of bringing the whole thing up by how she had phrased her question; all he had to do really was confirm her assumption, but in reality, even that seemed a bit too dishonest considering he had no reason at all to hide. “Well, that too.” He replied, taking a couple of more sips from his flask and heaving a sigh. “I wasn’t going to bring this up, but it seems I’m going to let it slip sooner or later so might as well.” He took one more drink and went silent for a moment before continuing. “I actually knew about Ian being alive before you mentioned it to me... In fact, it was the night before... Before you recognized me in camp. I, uh... I ran into that guy from the ball; Joffrey, in Blackpond. We had a chat, so to speak, I wanted to see if he had any information about some of Ebony’s affairs, but he didn’t know much about anything. He did mention Jasper’s death, funny enough he thought I had been responsible for that mess, and he mentioned having seen Ian with Jasper. He also mentioned people dressed in red, but he didn’t know what involvement they had in anything. To be honest, even if he did know more I’m not sure how long I’d be able to put up with him speaking. So of course I thought of going after Ian myself before even saying anything to you, but... Then I decided that wasn’t fair and I came back here.” He shrugged dismissively, trying not to dwell too much on the subject. “I didn’t really think I needed to mention the whole thing, the only important information I got out of it was that Ian was alive and when we finally got to talk you already knew about that. Maybe I should have looked for him though... Then at least I would have been there...”
Ess let her eyes flicker towards the fire as she listened to Jake explain Joffrey and how that in turn led him to discover that Ian was still alive. It was in that moment she realized that Jake wasn’t just at the Ball; which she already knew, but that he had been watching her and she hadn’t known it. Jake was there for so much and had seen and heard her confrontation with Ebony and Joffrey. He had wasted no time in going after her childhood tormentor or in protecting her. Essence then remembered how she had reacted when she found out Jake was alive and cursed him for not caring and her violent rage towards him. She knew from their conversation she had been wrong but now she felt embarrassed and guilty for her behavior. No matter what, Jake was the one person, her family, that she could always rely on. Still, no matter what was right in front of her, she was still afraid. Ess was convinced one day she would lose her friend; the man who should have been her brother in blood and not just in their connection to one another. She wondered if she would ever stop being afraid. Even though she would hide that fear in many ways, she still kept going. Maybe that was the strength he saw in her.
Mulling over everything quietly, she didn’t notice as her body began to shake in a silent sob as she fought back those quiet tears. Finally she spoke, “I’m happy you told me, Jake..and I’m sorry for treating you the way I did. I feel just a bit terrible about it.” Ess smirked, “..Just a bit.. And, you know I was going to say maybe you’re a better stalker than Luckas but then again, I didn’t even know you existed so I think that’s an unfair advantage.” She teased, wrapping one arm around Jake in a gentle hug. “Thank you Jake. I need all the help I can get. Now I can cross Joffrey off my list, but there’s still one more to take care of…” Ess smirked muttering pre-emptively, “Yes Jake, I have a list..”
Jake sighed, shrugging a bit awkwardly when Ess apologized for how she had treated him; he honestly didn’t think about it anymore, it felt to him like such a distant point in the past that he was slightly startled to realize it had happened only days ago. “There’s no reason to feel terrible, I did mess up pretty badly, and honestly... I’ve been cursed and beaten worse for less. When you have a certain amount of temperamental women in your life you’re bound to suffer a bit of abuse now and then.” He chuckled softly for a moment, his expression shutting down into a playful frown. “What are you talking about? I’m a far better stalker than that psycho... He can’t stalk someone for five minutes without announcing his presence somehow.” He snorted in fake annoyance, leaning into Ess as she hugged him. “I’m a trained assassin damn it.” He mumbled, making a pouty face.
Setting his empty bowl aside Jake turned to face Ess with a raised eyebrow as she mentioned one more person on her list. “Oh, almost everyone has a list, Ess. I’m pretty sure you’ve already met most of mine. I saw you talking to two of them at the ball, and then there’s Luckas of course. Don’t worry, he’s at the bottom of the list until further notice.” He smirked slightly. “If you want I can help you find the last guy. I have a lot of acquaintances running around... Seeing and hearing things. How I found Joffrey so fast.” Going into silent thinking for a moment he smiled. “Are you going to draw her sometime so I can see? Your mom.”
“I’m a trained assassin damn it.”
Ess sat up straight, doing her best, silent impression of Jake as she mouthed those words back at him. Her face contorted to match his for an instant only before fading back to her own image once again. She laughed out, quite loud and jokingly pushed Jake away from her. “Only reason Luckas reveals his presence to you is because he’s grown bored. He’s managed to stay silent for some time when he thinks he’s hiding from me. Tala use to be the one who alerted me but now...I just know when he’s watching me. I seem to now have...an advantage..” A gentle breeze swirled her wispy curls along her temples as an unexpected groan came from behind, followed by a sharp crack like snap as one of the large branches from the oak separated and plummeted to the ground with a violent purpose. Essence literally jump up, nearly out of her skin, yelping in surprise; Tala instantly barking at the commotion. She was silent as she stared, noting the excessive branch was leafless and brittle, taking over the spot on the oak where Luckas usually would lean against. Slowly she moved towards it, half heartedly attempting to move the branch, but more like testing it’s weight. Her violent orbs momentarily darted everywhere the firelight reached and even hovered over some spots the light didn’t touch. It felt...empty. “Good..” She mumbled, partially relieved Luckas wasn’t there when the branch fell but at the same time she was kind of disappointed. Shaking her head, she seemed to break her own trance, trying to ignore a faint, awkward feeling in her gut. It was almost, foreboding. “I’ll take care of that tomorrow..” She whispered, turning towards her tent to retrieve something from her knapsack. Quickly returning to Jake, she smiled, changing back the subject.
“Hector…” Essence gritted her teeth when she spoke. “He was practically an old man then, so I had hoped he had already met his end. Guess that would be too easy.” Ess snorted. “He has...blue eyes, probably no hair left at this point, was surprisingly built for his age, and probably around your height.” She sighed, retrieving an image she had recently penned of the man and handed it to Jake. “Burn it when you’re finished with it. I won’t be needing it.” As she spoke those words she shuffled through a few papers, revealing one of Joffrey. Quietly she tossed it into the flames with a satisfied sneer curling her lips.
“Hector...was just as bad as Jasper..in many ways. He was the type who would beat me because he was...defective as a man...he was not able to function normally...so he took it out on me all the time.” Slowly Ess looked over Jacob as she spoke, her voice cold but slightly shaky. There were things she would never tell him about her suffering...things that were not needed, but at the same time he was older now and he would understand. These men she had been hunting for, slowly meeting their well deserved fates, were different from the day to day hell she would endure. It was in that moment she was again reminded of the scar on her cheek as she stared at Jake’s own scar. “That time...I didn’t get to see or talk to you for so long...when I missed your birthday….was mostly because of him. It was...un-natural...Jake. What he couldn’t do himself...he found other ways of achieving…” Ess snarled, not mentioning more, figuring that was enough to get the point across. “He’s probably the reason...I can’t have children…” She whispered to herself.
Ess’ chest heaved heavily as she pushed back the memory, her eyes softening as she shuffled through the pile of drawings still, pausing to stare sweetly at one in particular. Curiously she looked up at Jake then back down at the drawing. Raising the drawing so it was almost next to Jake’s face, she giggled. “...If I didn’t know better Jacob Turner, you could be a blood relative. Look…” She whispered, turning the page around to show Jake a drawing of her Father. It had to have been the most detailed one of her collection; what Ess would consider her favorite or perfected piece. Playfully Ess scrunched up her face and giggled, “Look Jake...this will be you in another fifteen years..minus some differences...and the fact your eyes are brighter…” Casually Ess let out a long yawn and shrugged. “Maybe I’ll work on Mom after some sleep..”
“Pffft.” Jake snorted, mumbling something under his breath while Ess talked about Luckas, he could argue with that, but he had the feeling it wouldn’t end as playful as it had started, not to mention he had better ways of making a point, if needed. Jake barely moved as the branch cracked and fell from the oak, he simply turned to look, frowning slightly as he watched Ess examine the fallen branch and then look around as if in search of something, or someone; had that fallen on a person it would have been disastrous. That was great, or awful, timing right there.
If Jake had watched Ess closely when the topic of conversation was Ian, when she brought him the portrait of Hector and started to tell him about the man, his eyes were completely fixated on the drawing, on every trace of the man’s face on the page, on his eyes... If Jake didn’t know... He looked just like any man Jake could cross paths with on the streets.
“That time...I didn’t get to see or talk to you for a long time...when I missed your birthday….was mostly because of him...” The words seemed to echo inside Jake’s mind, the image on the page blurring out and gaining focus again. Something inside his chest seemed to tighten painfully as if there was a fist attempting to crush his heart to bits. He could remember so clearly; the look in Ess’ eyes, the pain in her voice when she told she had been ‘punished’. He was only a boy then, there were things he couldn’t understand. Looking back at the memory now, with the eyes of a grown man, with the eyes of someone who knew well what some human beings were capable of doing to others; it brought a different feeling of helplessness than it did back then.
[Blackpond, 16 years ago.
Jake's seventh birthday came and went. He hadn't seen his friend then and had no news for weeks after that, through which he visited the oak tree several times a day for letters, only to find none. His father's gift to him was the only thing distracting him from his concern, as he had been given an 'actual sword'. The weapon was blunt, and made of lighter metal, but it looked real enough to Jake. After much nagging he managed to convince his 'uncle' Nate to start giving him lessons; he wanted to learn to fight. Those lessons, and the much he practiced by himself, kept him occupied.
As those weeks passed, slowly, Jake finally found a letter by the oak: An apology for not showing up on his birthday and a promise of explanations whenever they saw each other again. He knew it wasn't Ess' fault. He had also began to grasp some understanding of how bad those absences were. It was never written in any letter, or said in any conversation, but he was slowly concluding that if she couldn't even write him it probably meant she was hurt somehow and the thought of it made him angry at those faceless 'bad men'. While the boy knew there was nothing he could do for now, he had it in his mind that he would do everything he could when he was older and strong enough.
More weeks passed and formed full months until Jake finally got a word of when he and Ess could meet. He was glad he'd get to see her, finally. Even though the boy went by the oak, and the hideout, frequently in the hopes to maybe find Ess there, lately he always found himself alone; aside from the letters, which he noticed had gotten shorter. For some time he wondered if she just didn't want to see him anymore, or if something had happened that she didn't want him to know about; he wasn't sure which option he'd rather it'd be. So he was beyond happy to read her note and discover she'd be able to see him the next day.
Creed-Torn
Essence opened her right eye, the left wouldn’t budge as it throbbed in a sickening pain, mingling with the rest of her body. Covered from head to toe she was bearing the beating from the other night; in shades of purple, blues, and deep blacks. Reaching for her wounded eye, she felt an angry, open gash extending below the center of her swollen eye, dried flakes of blood crusted along her cheek.
She groaned in agony, shivering in the cold, empty room, her gut felt as if someone had stabbed her inside. As she discovered the dirt soaked in blood between her naked thighs, she realized she had not a stitch of clothing on her body. For a moment she lay there broken and bleeding, disoriented to where she was and how she came to be this way. There were no windows to this room, so she was unsure if it was daytime or not, or for that matter what day it actually was.
Ess attempted to sit up, an electrical scatter of pain shooting throughout her entire form, she released a gut wrenching scream only to began to remember bits and pieces of the other night..
Tye was revealed Ess's gift after his nightly visit with her. He was almost as bad as Jasper with his repeated abuse, so as much as Ess tried to hide her fear, it manifested in her Enlightenment. He was startled into thinking she was a boy as she took the shape and form of her lost, older brother. He liked the idea at first and tried his damndest to teach her to use that gift at will for his own pleasures. When she refused, he made a deep, vertical cut underneath her left eye.
She fought through the pain as she whispered, “I know you didn't mean it.” Smiling sweetly as blood poured down her cheek, she reached between his legs with one hand, the other reaching for his short sword left lazily on the floor. She leaned in slowly to kiss Tye deeply and as he bit her lip, she thrusted the blade between his ribs, twisting hard.
"You like boys so much...", she teased, "I thought you wanted to know how it felt to be stuck like a pig!"
As soon as she retracted the blade, Tye's personal guards came rushing in and knocked a hilt of a sword into her head and all went black. When she had awoken, she was lying naked in a dark, cold room. Heavy breathy creeping from each corner as rough hands grabbed her and spat in her ear, “This will take the fight out of you...." Repeatedly beaten, raped, they had cut her so bad she would never know the joys of being a mother.
Ess began to slip back into unconsciousness, muttering to herself.. “Jake....so sorry..missed...birthday..” She barely heard Ebony, her master enter as she passed out. The woman promised Ess would pay her back for the bribes she had to make in order to keep her life; that she brought this on herself and should not have killed Tye, her best customer.
Ess was not able to contact her friend for some time, unable to move much. It was several weeks before she was able to write him, for once no picture accompanied the letter.
‘Blue Eyes,
Please forgive me. It wasn’t my fault. I’ll explain when I see you...I’ll write again when I can visit. Please don’t be mad at me.
I miss you.
Your friend,
Ess’
Months went by as she healed, where she was put on "light duty" for her owner. She feared she'd never get that foul taste out of her mouth. But she had a lot of down time for once. She spent hours remembering Ian and her father sparring in the early evenings while she milked the cows and gathered water from the town well. Using a broken chair leg, Ess began to mimic those memories, attempting to teach herself those lost dances.
When she was allowed to go to the market for her master, Ess scoured the book shops gathering everything she could find on plant life and the healing and poisoning effects of each. She brought back the books to Jake’s hideout in the forgotten basement. Ess hoped he wouldn’t mind that she hid there while she read. She had been afraid to face the boy, even though she was mostly healed, a deep scar was forever painted, dragging below her left eye. She may have secretly wanted him to show up while she was there, but she never let him know when she planned on going. She had recently begun drawing pictures again for the boy along with her letters. Although, now her letters were so short, it may have given off the wrong impression towards Jake. Ess didn’t know what to say.
“I’m ugly now..” She whined softly, knowing she could not and would not hide from her friend forever. She soon caved and sent him a note when and where she would be the next day. What would she expect from a child, when already he had given so much for one so young. It was the unknown that scared her more than anything, as she did not let herself lose hope in her friend.
The day of the meeting Jake left early a leather bag thrown over one shoulder and the new metal sword replacing the wooden one on his belt. It had taken him a little while, but he had finally gotten used to the weight of it by now. To someone who hadn't seen him in months it would be noticeable that not only he had gotten a bit taller: he actually had grown up a little bit. He got to the hideout earlier than it had been agreed, and made his way in, closing the grating after himself and immediately searching for the candles; lighting a couple of them before sitting down to wait, still holding the bag firmly in one hand as if he was afraid it'd escape him otherwise.
Away-Dark Emotional Piano
Ess shuffled inconspicuously between alleys, taking short cut after short cut through the market. Turning a corner, she found herself in front of that same Tailor’s shop the day she met Jake. She paused, looking up from beneath her silk hood, her lips and nose the only features peeking out from the cloak. The window was empty, where once on display she envied a deep, red silken gown. How she had wanted that dazzling piece. She thought about how pretty it would have made her, complimenting her burgundy curls and pale skin.
A depressed sigh escaped her full lips, her hopes crushed just a bit, adding to her fear she already carried as she made her way towards the secret basement. Ess came to a lurching halt as she quickly looked about her surroundings, taking the usual precautions to keep this place a mystery as she had promised Jake. Not seeing anyone around, she gently pushed open the closed grate, noticing light peering through the darkness from illuminated candles.
Realizing that Jake was already there, she closed the grate behind herself. Keeping her head low she continued to hide her face, shaking in her fear of revealing the wretched tattoo like scar, marking her forever. Ess’ thick curls had grown, tickling her collarbone; her boots creating the facade of her increase in height. She stood silent for a moment at a loss of words, almost dumbfounded as she finally spoke, her voice cracking softly. “Hello Blue Eyes..”
Jake jumped to his feet when Ess showed up, unable to to contain his excitement. "Hey, Ess!" He greeted, a cheerful smile opening itself upon his face, his blue eyes glowing in the candlelight. "Guess what: I have a real sword now! And my uncle's teaching me to fight!" He told her, with a proud grin, pointing at the blunt weapon at his waist. He tilted his head slightly trying to get a good look at her, but couldn't.
Finally noticing that something was off, he ran one hand through his hair pulling the messy longer strands away from his eyes; Jess had been nagging him for a haircut for a while now, but he had been refusing to let her do it. Changing his tone to something with a mix of concern and curiosity, he started with his habitual series of questions: "Why are you so quiet? Is everything alright? Are you upset? What took you so long to visit? You didn't want to see me? Did I do something wrong?" Taking a small breath he went silent for a minute then mumbled, unable to hold back a small frown: "I missed you, you know." He wasn't mad that Ess didn't visit sooner, he knew that she couldn't always go out, but he just had the feeling that she didn't want to see him anymore for some reason, although he didn't understand why.
After saying all that, as usual, really fast, Jake retreated to where he had been sitting, gripping the leather bag he had dropped and pulling it onto his lap, hugging it close to him. He had something there he had been holding onto for months now, waiting for their next meeting. He wouldn't show it just yet, and he was afraid it would be a little too childish, but he hoped she would like it anyway.
A sharp pain cut into her ribs at Jake’s series of questions, unsure where to begin. Tossing her hair aside, she finally let the hood fall away from her face, her eyes taking in the boy before her. She bit into her bottom lip, holding back tears as she was tired of crying in front of her friend. Staring into his big blue eyes that she absolutely adored, she saw how his hair had grown. She approached him slowly, her fingers finding the loose strands, playfully brushing them aside.
“I’m sorry Jake, I didn’t mean to worry you...”She sighed before adding, “Longer hair suits you.”
Ess was trying to distract herself from his gaze, trying to forget the ugly scar cradling her eye. She honestly was not sure what to say to him, what she should explain and how far he should be let into her world. She smiled softly at the sword in approval, happy to hear the child was following his dream.
“I always want to see you Jake, honest.” Her voice trembling through the smile. “I wish we could hang out all the time....Ebony just prevented it better this time, more than usual..” Although her bruises were long gone, her body still ached now and again and it was clear from her eyes something was taken away from her. If it wasn’t for Jake, she would have nothing at all. She wanted him to know that but was afraid to speak as she watched his stare unable to leave her face.
Chimera Passionate and Dark Piano
When Ess' face became visible and Jake saw the scar under her eye it sent a red hot feeling of rage through the boy's insides like he never felt before. While he had swore to himself that he would protect his friend, and anyone else he could, when he was older, he had never actually considered that it involved hurting the 'bad people', that was a concept only introduced to him recently through his fighting lessons, and it was one he still hesitated to assimilate. At that moment though he felt like he could actually hurt whoever had done that if he had a chance. It was the first time he ever thought something like that.
For a long while he stood, waiting for the anger to go away so he could say something. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to think he was mad at her, or that she was causing him any more concern than what he already had shown. Finally he broke his silence replying to the comment she made on his hair, smiling slightly. "I think it suits me too. I'll tell Jess you agree with me." Then he shook his head. "You know, you don't have to say you're sorry, or explain anything if you don't want to. We can just play." He told her, trying to distract from whatever she had been through while they were apart. "Here..." He pulled the bag up and dug his hand into it, but didn't pull it out again before explaining. "I told Jess I didn't know your birthday, but she said you don't need a reason to give someone a gift, so... She made this for you." As he said that he pulled a teddy bear from the bag; a small bear made of fabric and stuffed with sawdust. It was nothing extraordinary, but its most interesting feature was the little black tunic engraved with a crescent moon and a little wooden sword attached to its hand. "It was my idea, you know, while you don't go to Newhaven you can have Knight of your own. I wanted to make him a White Knight, but Jess says Black Knights are the scariest." He explained. "I know you're too grown up for toys, but it's the best idea I had." He added, rather apologetic of the fact he couldn't come up with a better gift than a child's toy.
Grasping the teddy, her fingers squishing the bear comfortingly, she couldn’t hold back as a few tears escaped her. She had missed his birthday and yet he brought HER a gift. The sweet gestures of this young boy continued to amaze her. Ess hugged the stuffed bear, truly touched by the gift, she muttered. “Thank you Jake...Please Thank your sister for me...”
As she wiped away her straggler tears, she lifted the bear and stared up at him. “He’s perfect...and you know what? I think I’ll call him my Jacob Bear.....It will be like you’re always with me.”
The gift had managed to distract her for a moment, but not before she remembered Jake’s gift as well. Tucking the bear against her arm and chest she reached a free hand along her thigh to reveal a tiny dagger, with it’s own sheath. No longer than the length of her hand, it was gold with a star like emblem on the hilt. “Don’t think I forgot about your birthday now...”She whispered passing the weapon to him, “It’s very sharp Jake...”
Ess spent the next few moments enjoying the boy’s smile before she sat him down to talk.
“You don’t think I’m ugly now, do you?” She bravely asked. Ess understood his kindness but was still scared. All she kept thinking about was the taunts she got from the brothel. Maybe it was their final attempt to break her as she walked around, her head held high, even if she wasn’t so proud at the moment.
“Jake...I killed a man...” Ess tensed, flinching at her sudden words... “I’m not sorry....” she stated flatly, hugging the bear close, she absently touched her eye, hinting to the scar. “I was punished....bad... Jake...that’s why I couldn’t come see you.”
Essence cried silently as she spoke, keeping her composure. “I would only be sorry if you were disappointed in me...if you said I was a bad person...” Staring into his eyes she searched to understand what the boy was feeling.
Jake was glad enough that Ess had liked the bear, even more that she had named it after him, that way if they couldn't see each other for a long time again, at least he would know she wasn't alone. Of course he knew the bear wasn't the same as an actual friend, and he knew it couldn't really protect her, but it was the best he could offer her for comfort and the fact that it had worked made him very happy. When Ess gave him the dagger though, his little blue eyes beamed with excitement. It was the prettiest thing he had ever seen. "It's the best gift ever!" He exclaimed opening the widest smile and adding the sheathed weapon to his little belt. He knew he would probably have to hide it from Jess, since it was sharp and he wasn't allowed yet, but for now he was going to wear it with pride.
When they sat down to talk and Ess asked him if she looked ugly he chuckled at the question. "What? No! You look as pretty as always. You're pretty, Ess. And don't let anyone say you're not." He scolded, giving a firm nod as he spoke.
When Ess told him she had killed someone and she wasn't sorry Jake grimaced, first as he thought of what it must be like to kill someone, second as he thought of what sort of punishment might have come from doing that. He noticed, however, how Ess had reached for her eye, a little bit of the rage he had felt moments before coming back to him as he mumbled. "If this man hurt you then I'm not sorry either." he told her. "And you're not a bad person, because I trust my gut and my gut says you're the best girl I know and if you hurt someone I'll always believe they deserved it no matter what anybody else says; because you are my friend, and I know you." He stated; a serious expression in his face making it clear that he was dead serious. Going quiet for a little while he then added. "One day you'll get away from them for good, you'll never have to cry again and no one will ever hurt you because I won't let them." He added, finally letting his anger pour out in his words. He hated these people, he hated them all without even knowing exactly why. All he knew, and all he needed to know, was that they were hurting his friend, they were making her sad and so he hated them all.
“I hope to never disappoint you Jake.” Was all she could muster as a response before she hugged Jake tightly. Ess, unintentionally muttered another comment, almost inaudible, “I’ll never be a mommy now...” Leaning forward onto her knees she placed her head onto Jake’s lap, still hugging him tight. “They took everything away Jake....” Ess trailed off, feeling horrible that after so long of not seeing each other, she had to be sad and depressing. Ess could be happy, could be mischievous and playful, but hadn’t much in her today, so she continued with, “So...Show me what you have been learning. Maybe you can teach me some things...”
Essence watched Jake for quite a while in her silence. Deep in thought, she came to her conclusion that age meant nothing. That even one so young could grasp the difference between good and bad. She began to pity those adults who were trapped within their own personal torment, only to lash out on the weak...those unable to protect themselves.
Ess’s tears dried, enjoying the time she spent with her friend. Softly, she began to sing to herself, not paying attention or caring that her voice carried into Jake’s hearing. Her voice was soft, sweet and quite soothing to hear. Although she didn’t realize it, it was a comfort to hear as her voice could rise and fall into many different notes, and one could hear the passion behind her words.
There’s a little bird, somebody sent...
Down to the Earth, to live on the wind...
Blowing on the wind, she sleeps on the wind..
This little bird...somebody sent...
Light and fragile, she’s feathered sky blue...
Thin ...and graceful, the sun shining through...
She flies so high....up in the sky...way out of reach.... of ...human eyes
Light and fragile, ..she’s feathered sky blue...
Thin...and graceful...the sun shining through...
And...the only time....she touches....ground...
Is when ..that little bird...little bird....
Is when that little bird....little bird....
Dies....
Remembering the sad words, gave Ess an uplifting feeling. It was something her father use to sing to her...that her mother used to sing to him. It gave her the hope, as long she kept going, nothing could push her down, until the very end. She wanted Jake to understand those words, something she needed to pass along, something he needed to hear.
Jake hugged Ess tight, sighing softly unable to make out the words she had mumbled, but understanding that whatever happened to her this time had been truly awful. He didn't say anything anymore, simply nodding as she asked him to show her what he learned. Jake spent a good amount of time absently trying to recreate the moves Nate had taught him in the past month, he was still a little clumsy with the sword, but he was learning quickly for a boy as young as he was, and disregarding his lack of technique he was almost the image of a little knight.
Jake stopped what he was doing though, the moment the song reached him, first his friend's voice, next the words, soon after the feelings behind the words. The boy went very quiet and then sat on the ground, resting the sword in his lap and watching Ess with interest as she sang. He had never heard that song before, it was unlike any other, and as much as he would like to ask his friend where it had come from, he didn't have the courage to make a sound of his own until it was over. At which point he simply mumbled. "That... That was really, very pretty. Where did you hear it?"
Storm-Lifehouse
Ess stared softly at her friend for some time before answering, proud of what he remembered from his lessons, the silence making her nervous.
“Well, Jakey...My father use to sing it to me when I was little...before he died...”
She smiled surprisingly at such a discussion, and continued.
“I never knew my mother..but I was named Essence, because my daddy use to say that I was the spitting image of her. That I was the life essence that was passed from her. See, she died while I was born. He use to tell me over and over how she use to sing this to him....he would cry every time. You see, he missed my mom very, very much. Maybe that’s where I got my purple eyes from...I don’t know. I don’t have a painting or anything to go by...”
Ess stood and went to Jake, hugging him tight again before continuing... “It’s about...never giving up before the very end. Fighting til the end, Jake...No matter what others think, keeping true to yourself.” Ess continued again, the blur of her words colliding into each other in the speed she spoke, almost like he did.
“You help remind myself of this....I never have sang in front of anyone before....So I want you to know...That I trust you with every fiber of my being, that it will never change, no matter what. In this life or the next. I hope you always remember me Jake because I want you to carry on no matter what, and never give up.”
It may of sounded like a goodbye, but it was meant to be a promise. Something he could carry with him when she wasn’t around, just like her bear would always remind her of Jake when he wasn’t there.
“No matter what Jake, I’m always with you.”
Jake’s eyes had closed instinctively at the memory, his empty hand shutting into a tight fist, his body shivering for a moment with tension before relaxing. He folded the portrait neatly and tucked into the inner pocket of his jacket, opening his eyes as a long shivering breath escaped him. He was silent and his eyes were still filled with contempt for the man named Hector; he had pitied Joffrey, pitied him for what his life had been, this man on the other hand... Jake shook his head, trying to calm his temper by taking another drink from his flask. His eyes only softening again when Ess showed him the picture of her father, he chuckled softly as he stared at the portrait, taking in all the details; she had clearly put a lot of time and work into it. “You know I never really considered I’d still be alive in fifteen years, but... It’s nice to know I’ll still be a handsome man if I do live that long.” He stated with a smile, falling into a contemplative silence for a few moments, before standing up, running one hand through his hair absently. “You know, I remember very clearly, even after all this time, when I saw you again, how hurt you were, it was the first time I ever wished someone dead. And I... I’m going to find this guy.” It was a simple statement, but it was clear in Jake’s voice what it truly meant. “I think you should get some sleep, I can see you’re tired.” He agreed, putting away his flask and stifling a yawn of his own. Jake was tired as well, but he didn’t even try to fool himself into thinking he would be able to sleep if he tried. He stood for a little while, seeming unable to decide whether or not to speak, or which way to move, his indecision showing in the form of a slight twitch as if whatever was going through his mind was causing him the urge to run away and he had to fight to stay in place. It lasted for a few moments before he took in a deep breath. “You know, right before I went hunting for Jesse’s attackers, for the last time, Dani Rivers came up to me and she said that when she was a child her mother had told her that inside every human soul there are two wolves; one of them is kind, selfless and forgiving, while the other is violent, selfish and cruel, and these two wolves are constantly at war with one another and one day, in a critical moment, the strongest of the two would slay the weakest. When I asked, she told me that the strongest wolf is the one we choose to feed. That every choice we make in life tips the scale one way or another and all we have to hope for is that in the end the good outweighs the bad. I didn’t make much of it at the time, but... Now and then, it comes back to me and I wonder... What my score is like by now.”
Essence slowly stood, resting her hand along Jake’s forearm. “..I know you’ll find him. I don’t doubt you, nor will I ever.” She smiled, moving to put her things away, propping the opening of her tent to let in a warm breeze. Ess made herself comfortable but facing outwards from her tent so that she could stare at her friend, watching him intently as she pondered over his words. Gradually her fingers found the little wolf figurine that Ali had given her. She shifted her gaze to once again take in the detail, her fingertips gently obsessing over the smoothness of the piece. For a while she pondered Jake’s words on the human soul. It made sense, yet she felt it may not always be just the two fighting inside, but if there were, hers did not take on the form of wolves. It was a rather appropriate analogy though. Resting her chin along her arms she continued to stare at the figurine.
“I’m pretty sure...your score is better than mine, Jakey. If I were to put myself into that context, then I would have to say that no matter which side ends up proving itself victorious, apart of me will disappear either way. You know what it’s like to want to disappear, right Jacob? I’ve practiced that skill for many years.. to avoid many things. Funny how at the same time, I fear it. If who I am vanishes and is replaced by something else. That would still be something though. What if after there’s no trace?” Ess snorted, tucking the wolf carving back at her side. “I am afraid and yet I crave at times to not care. But my stubborn, over emotional temper seems to still keep me in check. Still…” Essence trailed off, turning slightly so that Tala could get by and snuggle beside her. After some time she began to hum softly, running her fingers through the toughs of Tala’s fur in a soothing manner. As her voice grew louder it seemed to soften even more somehow, in a meaning so that only those in her proximity could hear her and thus would have to strain to catch her words as they cascaded off her lips. Ess closed her eyes, continuing to sing from one song to the next, until she finally began to drift off during her Mother’s lullaby.
And so she slept, but little did she realize it would probably be the last time she would get a solid nights sleep for some time.
The setting changes from Raven's Nest to Blackpond
[Blackpond - 13 days after Castle Ball]
Luckas went back into the city after watching Ess ride away back to the Nest, making his way to the first establishment they visited... He found Ezekiel there waiting for him at the bar growling a little under his breath as he sat to order himself a drink and the man spoke. “She wants you to go to her the moment you return to the manor, boy.”
“You had to send for her, didn’t you?” Luckas hissed in anger. “You can’t help yourself!”
“You are obviously involved with this... aberration... And I thought it was about time the Mistress saw it with her own eyes... Maybe then she’ll lose some of this blind faith she has in you.” Ezekiel stated, calmly sipping from his glass.
“I am not involved.” Luckas protested. “I am doing what was asked of me and you are twisting the facts, Ezekiel. Seems to me, your problem, is that you want her for yourself.”
“My problem is that I have sworn to protect that girl, from all harm, at any cost... If the harm is you and the cost is her affections then so be it; you keep that in mind... BOY. Her trust can protect you from anyone, but not from me. Nothing will ever protect you from me if you hurt her.” Zeke growled. “And you are clearly involved. I have not twisted anything... I’ve seen the way you look at her, I saw how protective of her you’ve become. So whether you are a liar, or extremely foolish, either way it will end badly. And my Lady will suffer for your foolishness.”
“I would never hurt Sammy.” Luckas mumbled.
“You already have, kid. I suggest you drag that Enlightened whore to the dungeons and get this over with as soon as possible.”
Luckas’ felt his entire body tense immediately as he heard the insult, but he didn’t address it, simply snorting out a snicker. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, old man. Do you really think the dungeons will get us anywhere with her? Even if she did know what we want, which she doesn’t, at least not now... There is no way to simply beat it out of her. Life has done quite a lot to break her, and no luck so far.”
“You’ve come to know her well enough... Perhaps better than anyone, and I’m sure you could find a fitting torture...” Ezekiel smirked. “I suspect you might even enjoy that... If you wanted.”
“Maybe...” Luckas muttered, standing up and walking away without another word; leaving his empty glass on the counter. Once out the man’s hearing range he sighed and mumbled under his breath. “If I wanted.”
After leaving the gambling house, Luckas walked his way slowly back to the manor, worried that Sam was angry with him still. Truth was, he wasn’t sure exactly of what he was doing, or how he expected this to end after all, and Zeke was right: It would probably end very badly one way or another, but then... Thinking about it didn’t seem to make anything any clearer, so he willed himself to stop.
He had barely reached the limits of the property when he felt the all too familiar glare of Sam’s cats and sighed heavily as Seth greeted him with the usual growls and hisses while Pandora insistently got in his way meowing and rubbing up against his legs. “Piss off!” He muttered, as the cat nearly caused him to trip. “Annoying little flea bag!” Luckas pushed Pandora out of the way with his foot, his annoyance growing as the damn thing only allowed him to walk freely for a couple of steps before getting in his way once again. All the way into the house and up the stairs Pandora was persistently in the way of his footsteps while Seth followed behind him growling softly, all the way until he finally made his way down the hall towards Sam’s room, at which point both cats ran ahead of him to her door; sitting and staring up at him as he reached it and knocked. “Sam?”
“Come in, Luckas, it’s open.” Sam’s voice sounded from within the room. Slowly Luckas opened the door, letting both the cats run inside ahead of him, glad to get rid of them for the moment. Once inside the room he looked around for Sam, but didn’t see her at first, so he assumed she was behind the drapes that kept her bed, and a good area surrounding it, concealed from any visitors. As he walked further in with the intent of sitting by the fire to wait, he noticed a sizeable opening amongst the drapes through which he caught the sight of Sam stepping out of a tin bath, aided by two servant girls; her back turned to him. Luckas would have looked away right then, except his eyes were fixated on the image tattooed across the woman’s back; it resembled the Order’s crest somewhat, but it was a far more elaborate symbol. The design marked the entire length of her back and consisted of a sword pointing downwards, its blade fitting in between a pair of tiger eyes, several smaller symbols formed the pommel and several small arrows made the hilt, the mirrored images of two dragons, each seemingly clinging to one side of the hilt, served as the sword’s guard, each of them hovering above one tiger eye. There was a lot to absorb in that image, so much that Luckas seemed to have lost himself in it, only snapping out of his trance as the other women brought a robe over Sam’s shoulders, covering her naked form. At this point one of the servants noticed the fact that Luckas was there, and openly staring, which caused him to startle and promptly look away, wincing at the sound of the curtains being pulled tightly shut.
The maid surely said something because he was almost sure he heard a small laugh, but didn’t turn around again until he heard the curtains being pulled once more; a sound followed closely by Sam’s footsteps walking towards him. “See something you like, Lukey? Hm?” She whispered playfully into his ear, a small giggle escaping her as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him in an unexpectedly gentle embrace.
Luckas inhaled deeply, letting out his breath in a small sigh as he caught the pleasant flowery scent that emanated from her skin. The sudden warmth and the pleasant scent actually caused Luckas’ mind to momentarily shut down on him, and he found himself forcing a cough to clear a knot that seemed to have suddenly gotten caught in his throat. “I didn’t mean to... Look...” He mumbled, his voice still weak as he lowered his head even further, an uneasy and awkward feeling creeping up his spine.
“It’s alright, sweetie... I did ask you to enter, didn’t I?” She replied, giving him a squeeze before pulling away. “Although I will admit you did return awfully fast...” She said, her tone becoming just a hint colder as she walked around him so they were face to face, one warm hand still lingering on his shoulder. “I expected you to... Take your time... As you usually do. Not return until morning and such...” She snickered softly, a slightly bitter note to her sweetness as she added, sliding her hand from his shoulder to his chin, pushing him to lift his head and meet her gaze. “I wouldn’t blame you... She’s quite a looker, that one.”
“That has nothing to do with anything.” Luckas stated quickly, trying with very little success to keep his voice calm. There were too many things going through his mind, and so much clouding his judgement at the moment. Sam did usually have that effect on him, but at this moment he was also angry at Zeke for the way he’d been set up back in the city. Although, he had been foolish not to expect it. “I’m confused, Sam... What... You can’t slap me in the face one moment and then act as if you’re just fine with everything...”
“Sure I can. I didn’t think I needed to explain this to you, Luckas; I cannot be your friend out there in front of the others. Out there I own you, and you don’t question me.” She sighed, stepping away from him to sit in one of the chairs by the lit fire. “Sit. And if you are confused, then explain to me how is it possible that you don’t see why this upsets me.”
Luckas stood for a moment, staring at Sam as she made herself comfortable in the chair and stared up at him as if expecting him to tell her a story; the pure mockery of the gesture not escaping him, although only causing him the urge to laugh at her fake expression of interest. He narrowed his eyes at her as if to say he wasn’t amused, even though he was somewhat, before sitting down across from her and heaving a small exasperated sigh. “Are you changing my orders?”
“Not at this time, no.” She replied, with a small shrug.
“Have I harmed the Brotherhood in some way that I’m not made aware of?”
“No.”
“Then what exactly is the issue here? If there is one, then I don’t see.”
“The problem is just that… Sweetness… You don’t see.” Sam chuckled. “I honestly think you don’t see, even though I recall explaining it to you. I clearly recall this conversation. Perhaps your memory is still a bit defective, is that so?”
“My memory is perfect, Sam.” Luckas muttered, feeling himself beginning to lose his calm. “As I already explained to Zeke after he, so kindly, cornered me: If you want to find out what she knows it’s best to do it this way. If you want me to drag her to the dungeons then say the word, but I warn you it will get you nowhere.”
“I understand that. It’s sound logic Luckas, but what you fail to see is how close you’ve brought her to us today. Do you want those Newhaven pests to catch our trail because of this? If they do, there will be bloodshed, you know. It will be messy, and I hate messes.”
“Well, you were the one to march into their camp and tell them where you live.” Luckas pointed out, a little smirk crossing his features. “I’m just saying.”
“Yes, well... It was a stupid and impulsive thing to do, so you see my point.” She stated simply, glaring at him for bringing it up. “I’m trusting you, but more and more I’m getting the feeling that my trust means nothing to you. Is that a fact, Luckas?”
“Of course not, but you know... For someone who trusts me, you sure question me a lot. I don’t think I give you reason for so much doubt, considering all I’ve done.” Luckas retorted. “Perhaps you’d like me better if I blindly followed orders during the day and curled up at the foot of your bed at night... Even though your stupid cats seem to have more freedom than that.” As soon as Luckas said that he regretted it for two reasons; the first was the angered look on Sam’s face, and the second was one of the stupid cats running up to him and climbing on his lap. “What the hell is your problem, huh?” He muttered, pushing Pandora away from him yet again. The cat simply meowed and jumped onto him again, pacing on top of his lap and rubbing up against his shirt.
“Her problem Luckas... Is that she can smell the whore on you.” Sam said, a sharp cold tone in her voice. “She’s trying to get rid of it.”
Luckas growled softly in annoyance this time grabbing the cat and tossing her onto Sam’s lap. “I’d rather not stink of cat either, thank you. And I’d rather you don’t use that word.”
“I’d rather you don’t call my cats stupid.” Sam replied. “Insult my pets and I’ll insult yours.”
“I thought I was your pet.” Luckas stated, raising an eyebrow in a questioning expression. “I’m hurt.”
“You are not a pet, and no you’re not.”
Luckas grinned at the words. “I’m sorry, I’m not a what?” He asked, leaning forward as if trying to hear her better.
“Shut up. You heard me. Don’t be a smartass.” Sam rolled her eyes, a little amusement breaking through. “Are you going to tell me what happened in the basement, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?”
“Please, you hit like a girl.” Luke chuckled. “Nothing much happened really. The squealer talked about the journal, as I assumed was expected...”
“And you sent him flailing and screaming in a ball of flames.” Sam added.
Luckas giggled. “Yes! That was fun!” He exclaimed. “Oh, and she knows about the mark.” He added, lowering his voice slightly as if meaning for it to go unnoticed.
“What?” Sam growled. “How... How does she know the mark, Luckas?”
“I have no clue... She just did.” Luke shrugged.
Sam rubbed her temples and let out an annoyed growl. “AJ...Oh, I told Zeke this would come back to bite us.”
“What?” Luckas asked. “What... What are you talking about?”
“He was a traitor of his people... much like Ian, only he wasn’t tainted and didn’t quite have a family of his own. We brought him into the Brotherhood and in exchange he gave us the identity of the family that was meant to have the last journal, but it wasn’t there. He died trying to get it back... His body wasn’t found by our people.”
“Where did he die?” Luckas asked, leaning back in his seat, a bit more relaxed now that Sam’s annoyance was directed at something else other than him. “If there’s no body, how do you know...”
“I know.” Sam stated simply. “He died in the desert. He’d tracked down a survivor all the way there, but he insisted to handle it himself. I let him, he was really good at his work... I assume whoever the person was he tracked got the best of him.” She paused running her hand through her hair and looking up at the ceiling. “Whoever it was managed to reach the Raven’s encampment, it seems.”
“People go in and out of that place like it’s a freaking bar. Could be anyone.”
“You being one of those people, isn’t it so?” She added, lowering her gaze back to him.
“Oh, so now you want me to go there?” Luckas mumbled. “Make up your damn mind, will you?”
“Well, if those people are stupid to trust you... Then yes. I need to know who has that book.”
“And if I find it?”
“Then we will go there and get it. Just like in the desert.”
Luckas sighed. “No, not like in the desert, Sam. Know your enemies before you make them. The Crimson were at war, it was expected that they be attacked.”
“Wh...” Sam flinched slightly at the words. “You’ve been reading my father’s notes?”
“You said I could read anything in the library... Were those not meant to be there?”
“I thought I had burned them all... Suppose I missed a couple...”
“Three full journals... Although, they were hidden.” Luckas informed. “Would you like me to get rid of them?”
“Keep them if you like, I don’t care.” She responded, standing from her chair and walking to one of the open windows, quietly leaning against it to watch the sky. “Probably nothing of importance there.”
Luckas sighed staring at the sudden expression of pain in Sam’s face with curiosity. One thing was true; there was no mention of her at any point in those books, overall they were pretty dull except for bits and pieces that had to do with how the Order ‘acquired and trained their soldiers’, in the man’s own words. Never any names were mentioned, or places, but Luckas had recognized the methods he’d experienced himself. After a moment of quietly thinking about what he would do to the man if he was still alive he spoke. “You’re right... There’s no reason to keep them.”
Sam half smiled in response, still looking out the window in silence; resting both arms on the window sill and leaning on them. Pandora had now occupied Sam’s empty seat and was curled up in a ball staring intently at Luckas, her tail slowly moving from side to side in an almost hypnotic motion.
“Are you tired?” Sam asked softly, still staring at the darkness through the window. “If you want to, you can go to bed. Or get something to eat, when was the last time...”
“I eat.” Luckas muttered. “I’m not tired, but I can leave if you want.” He offered, mentally scolding himself for bringing up her father... It had clearly upset her and he was wondering if she actually wanted him to go away now.
“Well, suppose you wouldn’t be willing to curl up at the foot of the bed?” She asked, a small smile forming itself, but her eyes still fixed at some distant place outside her window.
“I thought you said I wasn’t a pet.” Luckas protested.
“I don’t recall that.”She replied simply.
“Would that make you feel better?”
Sam turned to face Luckas with a slightly intrigued look in her eyes. “What?”
“If I did that, would it make you feel better? You look sad, Sammy, I don’t like that.”
“I’m not sad.” Sam stated, wandering back to her chair and scooping up Pandora in her arms rather abruptly, giving the cat a forceful squeeze that caused her to hiss in protest. Sam softened her hold on the cat with a chuckle. “I’m just thinking about some things.”
“What kinds of things?” Luckas asked. “You know... You can tell me... I’m good with things; or at least I try.”
“I know. I know.” She sat back down in the chair, releasing the cat onto her lap. Pandora immediately leapt onto the floor and ran to climb on Luckas’ lap once again, purring and curling upon his legs. “She likes you better than me, I think.” Sam snickered.
Luckas sighed in annoyance, but let the animal have its way for now. “You mean she likes me better than you like me, or that she likes me better than she likes you?”
“She likes you more than she likes me.” Sam replied. “No one likes you better than me, Luckas; no one.” She stated seriously. “Even when you make messes and cause me trouble. I always like you.” Falling into a moment of silence she smiled gently, leaning back in her seat. “You have something you want to ask me, no? I can see there’s a question floating around in your mind, I see it in your eyes, Lukey. So, what is it?”
“Well, there’s one thing, yeah, I... Uhm... I couldn’t help but notice your tattoo. I mean, I caught I glimpse of it at the party, but couldn’t quite make it out until now.”
“Ah.” Sam snickered. “So that’s what you were so fascinated by... And what do you make of it?”
“It’s very detailed... Is there some meaning behind it?”
“A few.” Sam stated, leaning back in her chair and heaving a sigh. “I have some marks... Reminders of my father and his punishments... A couple of years ago I started to cover them up little by little.... Started with the tiger eyes, added the sword afterwards... Now and then I’ll add a detail or two. You know there’s a story, back in Terra, of this tiger that terrorized a few villages many many years ago... No one could ever catch the animal because it would only attack when people had their backs turned to it. The villagers started wearing masks on the back of their heads so they tiger would believe they were facing it at all times.”
“Did it work?”
“It did not. Because of the story though, tiger eyes have become a symbol of betrayal in that region. I thought it was a more than fitting replacement for the one eye in the Order sigil, for me. Killing my father, as deserved as it might have been, was a betrayal to the Brotherhood, much like what we stand for; our beliefs, pursuing them is a betrayal of sorts. A necessary one the way I see it, but a betrayal still.”
“It doesn’t bother you to be a traitor?”
“Someone has to make the sacrifice, Luckas, take the fall... That’s we’re here for. I’m not sure betrayal in itself makes me proud, but it’s a means to an end; if it’s needed then so be it.”
Luckas nodded in agreement for a moment, then stopped as something caught his attention. “Sam... What do you mean ‘take the fall’?”
“I mean that if we are successful, most likely I will die; the last of my line... It’s the end of the Order, Luckas. This new world we fight so hard to create... It has no place for us. That’s the price to pay. My father couldn’t accept that, he was afraid of the outcome, he became an obstacle; and that, for the most part, is what justifies my betrayal. If we don’t go through with our mission then all the lives we took and all the destruction we caused would be for nothing.”
“It’s important for you to honor the people you kill, Sam?” Luckas asked, a bit amused at the idea. “I thought they were ‘tainted’ and ‘freaks’ and whatnot...”
“I don’t blame them for what they are, Luckas... They are innocent in all of this. Victims of the Gods and their recklessness. I don’t hate enlightened, not in general.”
“You hate the White Shadows though, don’t you? I saw you talking to Annie at the party, it didn’t look very friendly.”
“Oh, so you can tell when that kid’s not being friendly?” Sam asked, not hiding the contempt in her tone. “You’re right, Lukey, I do hate the White Shadows for what they represent to this land, but that is a whole other issue.” She stated, falling silent for a moment, before very calmly steering the conversation elsewhere. “How long are you staying around the Manor this times, Luckas?”
“That depends on how soon you need me to go snoop around the Ravens’ camp. Why?”
“I’d really like you to wake up early tomorrow and go to the training arena. Adam will be there waiting for you. You really need to learn to put up a fight. It’s getting annoying to see you beaten up every other day.”
“Huh, sorry for the inconvenience. I think I’m fine though... One thing I’ve learned in life is to take a punch.”
“I’m not asking, Luckas. It’s an order.”
Luckas sighed in annoyance, but simply shrugged instead of protesting. “Fine, if you want it.”
“I want it.” Sam stated sternly.
“Alright, fine, then I suppose I should get something to eat and go to bed.” He stated, standing and stopping to brush the cat hairs from his pants as before walking out of the room with a mumble of “Good night.”
-------------------------------------------
[White Shadows encampment - 17 days after Castle Ball]
“...We have an injured man here..”
“Please it is urgent we leave him in the care of the Healers... it is important we get back to the Raven’s nest at once.”
“It was suppose to be just a scouting expedition...I don’t know what happen..”
“He had some sort of fit and hasn’t regained consciousness…”
Darren looked paler than normal except for the blood that stained his skin around his eyes. He had the appearance of someone that was already dead. Lifeless and yet peaceful. His expression was somewhere complacent, as if he were merely faking his sleep and was listening to the clamor of voices around himself in subtle amusement at all the fuss. Tiny, black curls were plastered against his forehead from sweat, yet no trace of perspiration was left to be found.
“Hey, we’ve got another incoming... And I could use some help, if you don’t mind. Everyone has their hands full today.”
Annie had spent most of her day in the archives again. She was starting to feel stupid, and a bit crazy, because she couldn’t figure out where to find the key to the encrypted journal. At this point she kept trying books at random, because her mind was simply out of any logical ideas to approach the situation. When Alistair’s call drew her attention from the book she was currently trying to use, she realized she had no clue what time of day it even was anymore. Maybe it was time to put her attention elsewhere. “Symptoms?” She asked, dropping the book and standing from her spot in the center of small mess of books and papers; tripping over a few things on her way out of the archives. “Hello.” She greeted, finding her friend waiting outside the small cabin where the clan’s files were stored. “So... Symptoms?”
“Well, I didn’t have a look at him yet, but for what I was told; some sort of fit followed by loss of consciousness. That’s how his friends described it; they don’t know what might have caused and for what I hear they were pretty startled.”
“Hmm... Sounds like a seizure or something similar, have we ruled out poisoning already?”
“Would I be bothering you if it was poisoning?” Alistair retorted simply.
“Since when do you need reasons to bother me?” Annie chuckled. “I’m serious, did someone actually check?”
“Yes, yes... Everyone knows the procedure, don’t worry.” Alistair assured her, stopping by one of the many tents in the encampment and waiting for Annie to enter ahead of him. The night before, when Annie was last on duty, there were three patients in that one tent, two of them had not made it through the night, the other had his wounds treated and was released to go home; refuseing to wait until morning. Now that tent was empty aside from one patient. “Oh, look Al... It’s my attacker!” Annie teased, nudging Alistair as he entered the tent after her.
“Oh, ha.” Alistair muttered glaring at the girl for a second. “You know, if someone had actually attacked you, you wouldn’t be laughing.”
“And neither would they.” Annie replied with a small chuckle. “I do, of course, always appreciate your protection, Alistair.” She added in a more serious tone, an amused smirk still crossing her features as she examined the unconscious Darren. “Did his companions know for sure if he has any enlightenment?”
“Not for sure. They suspect.” Alistair replied. “Do you think he is being affected?”
“It’s a possibility, but... Who knows... Most symptoms are still too common to tell. If he had a seizure... Well... There are other possible causes for that. You were the one to go around telling people that everyone is sick though, you tell me.” Annie retorted, with a slightly displeased tone hiding underneath her teasing as she leaned over Darren, pressing her ear against his chest for a few seconds, proceeding to check his eyes and his temperature before giving a light shrug. “Well, his breathing sounds fine, heart rate is tad bit higher than normal, but it’s not too uncommon after a fit like this; it should return to normal soon. Whatever happened, he seems alright now... Probably passed out due to the physical stress he suffered.”
“We should just monitor him then.” Alistair concluded with a tired sigh. “Alright.”
“Are his friends still around?” Annie questioned, settling down on a nearby wooden stool.
“We welcomed them to stay, but I’m not sure.” Alistair responded. It had been a while since visitors weren’t allowed in the examination areas of the camp anymore so if the men were still around they would be in another area of the camp entirely.
“You should maybe see if they’re around and let them know he’s not dying... Well, not today anyway.” She raised an eyebrow at him playfully. “Unless you’re afraid the patient will wake up and bite me while you’re away.”
“Shut up, kid.” Alistair half-scolded, laughing a bit in amusement as he started to walk out of the tent.
It seemed like such a slow process; the act of waking up. Darren felt groggy and hazy as if he were dreaming. The voices around him sounded distant and muffled in comparison to the pounding of blood throbbing against his temples. He was trying to focus on the last image he saw before he went under, but he couldn’t remember it. Darren felt trapped as he tried to get his body to react in some manner but instead it was as if he was behind prison bars, banging and screaming, yet there was no one to hear him. It was a mockery of sorts, to hear that he was not alone, yet unable to communicate. Did he hear someone giggle? It was the first sound that was almost as clear as the pain in his head. If only he could get his heart to stop racing, maybe the pain would lesson.
Darren suddenly felt a gentle, warmth against his chest which seemed to drag his attention somewhat from the pain in his mind, becoming quite aware of his own body and that he was lying flat somewhere. An image flashed behind his eyelids and just as quickly as it arrived, it disappeared, like smoke dissipating from an enclosed space only to diffuse into the environment. Sounds became clearer. Smells became stronger. The moment he became entirely self aware, the voices began to make sense, but he only caught the last couple sentences.
“Unless you’re afraid the patient will wake up and bite me while you’re away.”.....“Shut up, kid.”
Darren groaned in an expression of pain but more so to let his company know he was going to be engaging in the conversation at hand. “...Hey...I’ve never...bitten anyone before…” He paused to clear his throat, trying to ignore the scratchy feeling as he spoke, opening one eye and gazing curiously at the girl beside him. “...Maybe if they asked me to..maybe I’d consider..” Opening both eyes now, he slowly turned his head, still pushing his attention somewhere else. Anywhere else. Yet, he couldn’t quite remember why, besides the pain..
“...And don’t listen to him...please. Talk to me..Where am I? How did I get here?” Darren quirked a brow, a slight smirk crossing his lips. “Am I dead?”
“Well, some say you should try everything at least once.” Annie chuckled slightly. “I don’t think biting will be on my list of priorities anytime soon however.” The girl’s playful response was accompanied by a moment of silent staring during which she seemed to examine several little things she couldn’t quite observe on an unconscious person. She remained silent still while Darren questioned her, although standing from her seat and pacing to the entrance of the tent, quietly signaling someone outside before returning to her seat.
“Am I dead?”
“It’s all the white isn’t it?” She asked glancing at the white canvas of the tent walls around them. “I don’t know why, but people assume the afterlife is just... Very... White... Hmmm.... I hope they don’t get that idea from us.” Annie paused for a moment honestly wondering where that notion might have originated from, but then she shook her head briefly and started to address Darren’s questions. “I’m sorry, I’ve been awake way longer than I should... To answer your questions: No, you are not dead yet. You are at the moment in examination tent number six at the White Shadows encampment. You were brought to us unconscious after having an episode of some sort; your friends were not very clear on what exactly happened, but for what I hear they were quite startled. How does your head feel?” She questioned, not even flinching as another healer randomly entered the tent with a pitcher of water and a visibly tattered medicine bag, setting them by Annie wordlessly and leaving in a haste. “Never any time for manners nowadays.” She mumbled to herself in an amused tone as she found a metal cup inside the bag and filled it up with water, adding the contents of a tiny vial to it before setting it down by Darren. “This is pain medication, nothing too strong, but drink it slowly.” She advised. “What is last thing you remember before waking up here?”
“It’s all the white isn’t it?”
Darren moved to sit up, turning onto his side and propping his head upon his hand for support in an attempt to fight against a small dizzy spell. Closing his eyes he listened to the other sounds around him, appearing to be deep in thought. The boy sighed, his head dipping forward so that when he opened his eyes, those cerulean blues darkened beneath a subtle violet glow. Every little movement Annie made, Darren’s eyes followed. They weren’t just glued to her, they were entranced. “Might I say...that anyone who awakens to behold such a lovely woman staring down at them...anyone... could be influenced to wonder if they have passed into heaven. Something too good to be true..usually tends to be…”
Not tearing his eyes from Annie, he sat all the way up, accepting humbly the glass of water. Whispering thanks, he sipped the water, a puzzled look furrowing his brows. “..Well...been on the road for about a week scouting..” Darren paused not sure what he should tell of his travels as of late and shrugged carelessly as if it was just the normal run of the mill expedition. “...We...my companions are the Captain Talsheir’s..well they are. I’m just a guest of your cousin’s...guess you could say. We...stumbled upon something...I believe is groundbreaking and ...I don’t remember….think it happened when I touched the cages…” Shaking his head he groaned, gulping down half of the glass’ contents before continuing. “..Odd….I’ve never...blacked out...like this before..” Placing the glass down at his side, he gestured to Annie to sit at an empty chair across from him, letting his eyes finally pull away from the young lady, not really wanting to discuss himself much more. The more he tried to think on what he last remembered the more his head throbbed. “How about you? How’s your head?”
“Hmm... Well... I like to think all good things are true, one way or another.” Annie smiled, casually brushing past the compliment he paid her. “My mother used to say that our mind functions exactly the same while we are awake and when we’re dreaming, and because of that it’s pretty much impossible to be completely sure anything is real... Or unreal for that matter. So I guess there’s no such thing as something too good to be true; only our unwillingness to accept good things.” She concluded, finding another empty cup and briefly sniffing the insides of it before pouring herself a bit of water. The cup still emanated a strong scent of herbs that would be considered unpleasant to most people; Annie was more than used to everything always smelling of medicine at some point. She watched Darren carefully as she sipped the water listening as he tried to remember what happened before he passed out; her expression turning curious at the bits and pieces of information. “Hm, so... Is your enlightenment triggered by contact, or were those cages you touched just really really dirty?” She mused, his question causing her to flinch only slightly as she was forced to actually stop and think of an answer. “My head is... Well... Alright, I guess. At least at the moment and considering my sleep deprivation. I should really start taking more breaks, but then again... So should everyone else, right?”
Darren’s eyes widened in a bit of surprise as he listened to Annie, nodding here and there, agreeing with the girl’s words on the mind’s willingness to accept good things in life. It intrigued him how she spoke in such a way that seemed years beyond her age. Leaning forward, resting his elbows above his knees, he casually looked around the room as if he had misplaced something of value. “You’re different than most girls our age. You’re smart. You read a lot, don’t you? I do too. In fact, I learn more from holding a book than actually reading it’s contents sometimes. So you are correct….my Enlightenment is triggered by physical contact.” The man sighed, forcing a sad smile before reaching for and finishing off his glass of water. He tried to remember again, what he had seen before he went down, flashes of darkness and fire startling him from the present moment. “...We thought the cages had held livestock at first. The smell...the conditions…”
Shifting in his seated position, Darren’s gaze examined Annie from head to toe in a shy, curiosity. “..It is good to take breaks...focus on something else and then go back to...whatever it is you were doing. Or...sometimes an outside perspective to shine light onto something that may have you stumped. I..” He hesitated a moment before continuing. “..I am not sure of what I am allowed to explain without breaking promises to the Captain. I want to remain cautious but I also wonder...delicate information...would it be safer for one or two people to know or to spread it a little thin? I have a feeling what I know is dangerous for those who have shared in that knowledge but also...it is so important that if those who know.. “disappear” in some way, then would that knowledge disappear with them?” Reaching beneath his shirt he retrieved the journal copy Irv had made him, tapping it thoughtfully along the bind. “Something similar to my sleepless nights has been keeping you up still, yes? When we met...I saw…” The sadness in Darren’s smile touched his eyes as he trailed off, reaching out with the journal to an opened page and pointed to a symbol, changing the subject slightly. “Thing about trust is, I was told, I have to give a little to get it in return...so..Have you seen this before? That one with the sword.”
Annie nodded at Darren’s mention of her being different. “Not always a good thing, being different, but surprisingly it works for me. Not like there’s a way around being different when growing up in a place like this... Surrounded by old people and books. Although I will admit that as of late I’ve become a bit frustrated with books, and the fact we have so many of the bloody things.” She chuckled taking another sip of water, a sympathetic look crossing her. “My enlightenment was triggered by contact for the first three years after my awakening, it was... really bothersome; not to mention bad on my health. It took some effort to control it. You have visions, yes? Must be unpleasant for you at times, I imagine.” The comment was followed by silence as Annie poured herself a bit more water, choosing to let Darren speak. Her silence extended for a bit longer than she originally meant it to, as some of the things he said actually caused her to wonder about some other, unrelated, issues. Eventually the symbol he was showing her brought her mind back to the present moment, to this specific situation and the matter at hand. “Knowledge is a funny thing sometimes... And so is trust. I suppose there are two very important things you should know about me if we are going to trust each other: The first thing is that, since I am here as a healer, anything you tell me dies with me unless you actually give me permission to tell someone else. The second is that... This also means that I will never really be able to tell anyone everything I know about anything. Personally, I believe everyone is entitled to secrets, but at the same time I believe that ignorance only truly protects the ones keeping the secret and never the ones left in the dark. I guess that is slightly hypocritical of me, but... Suppose people are entitled to protect themselves by keeping secrets, but if they believe or try to convince others that they’re doing it for any other reason... Then it’s different. That’s what I think... My opinion of the secrets I keep.” Annie sighed softly, simply moving onto answering his question. “That symbol, I know it. There are things written about it, but I won’t bother showing you because they’re not true. What I know for a fact and can say about it is that about... hmm... Twenty years ago, for a period of four to five years there were several cases of deaths... Of children who had awakened to enlightenment way too early, at ages between four and six years old. The White Shadows were called to investigate possible causes; early awakenings are rare and they don’t usually happen this early. It was too out of ordinary. My mother looked into it, and it was discovered that most children had been reported missing and were in fact not enlightened at all. That was as much as it was ever discovered, the deaths eventually stopped... People forgot, but... There are similar stories that date back to when Blackhurst was still standing that were connected to this symbol and this group that called itself The Order. Before that they were believed to just be stories, but they’re not. I guess that’s all the factual information I can give, unfortunately. Hopefully it helps.”
“..Too many books? Sometimes I fear I’ll run out. I read whenever I can….and actually usually carry an old tattered book on different myths. I’m always reinterpreting them. I don’t believe they are the simple stories of how things came to be or even the meanings behind them. The inspiration or morale...hey even some sort of path...I believe there’s still something I’m not seeing...I can’t explain it.” Darren went to sigh and instead an awkward laugh came out instead. “Well..maybe I like puzzles so much, I see everything as a piece of a larger and much more complicated picture. Or..it’s not so much on what I see, but ‘ Who I see. Experiencing those things..can be unpleasant. For the most part I can control it..except when I sleep or the random flashes I get that I just can’t seem to keep out. Last time I had this intense of a reaction was ...my awakening.”
Darren stared at Annie in silence, his gaze relaxed with a curious expression that was frozen for some time as he dwelled on a few things she had said to him on how well she can keep secrets. A sadness flashed in his eyes and faded into a violet twinkle as he smiled. Darren gently tapped his father’s journal against his knee. “What if I were to tell that I know someone who possibly works with those people associated with that symbol? That there are dates in this ledger that coincide with the dates of the village burnings in Blackhurst and from some of what I’ve learned mention not just many deaths but missing people. What if the records kept are that of a tradesman’s own bookkeeping? I have heard of children taken away to become servants but not until recently did I hear of complete disappearances or worse. At least in those noticeable numbers.” Darren flipped over the ledger to what seemed like a random spot except for the permanent crease that appeared along the binding. “Usually transactions are coded by weight, or color, especially if not by name..but not usually by age. At first I thought it could be cattle..as the records explain...and they don’t go as far back as All the burnings in Blackhurst, but the ages are always around the same three year span. The thing is…” Darren lightly rubbed at his left temple before casually pushing his sleeves up to his elbows, exposing some of his flame like tattoos. “I’m in this book. At first, when I ran into a strange, old woman at that Ball we met at, I thought she was maybe insane or had some vendetta…” Darren paused and looked Annie dead in the eye, “I won’t ask you to promise to not tell anyone what I tell you...I only ask you use judgement when mentioning to anyone the information I share..as you have done with what you have shared with me so far. Reason I say this, is because the information is dangerous and it’s personal. You see, my father is the tradesman I speak of and I think he’s involved in some sort of slave trade. It was brought to my attention that many disappearances couldn’t have been all for slavery because it would have been on a larger scale and until now, with the bit you told me, we didn’t understand the possibility to what those children were taken for. I have siblings possibly still alive, out there. They were not favored by my father, so they were sold...and even maybe killed.”
Abruptly and too quickly, Darren stood, clenching and uncurling his fingers as if he was just stung by something painful. It was clear he was startled but didn’t really mention the vision of a man that had died in the very spot he was sitting, appearing to shake it off and move to lean against a pole of the tent, beside Annie. His mind was everywhere and he scolded himself for not containing his focus, but that was when some of the flashes from the cages returned to him. “..Asher...my father..was in Blackpond with Jake and I..in the prison. I doubt he is still there but wherever he centrally had his people working out of, that we think we found, left in quite a hurry. I...believe they burned some of their cargo..whatever they didn’t have time to move. There were human remains in those cages... I shouldn’t have touched those bars. It was...unnecessary to confirm what was already at our feet…” Nodding towards the cot he had been laying on, Darren shifted the conversation a bit. “..What happened to the lad who slept there before me?” Twitching somewhat, he went to itch a spot his curls were tickling against his ear only to find a warm, sticky substance began to trickle down his neck.
“If you believe there’s no such thing as too many books then I owe you a visit to the White Shadows’ archives... Trust me, there are too many books.” Annie stated simply; an slightly frustrated sigh escaping her. “Puzzles are great.” She agreed with a smile. “They can also be... Way too involving sometimes. Addictive even, if one is not careful. And as far as puzzles go, people seem to be the most intriguing ones of all... Even if mostly unsolvable. Personally I’ve found myself being forced to accept that some answers are simply lost to me... And others will never be what I expected them to be.... As a norm though, I’m not the type of person to admit defeat; hence my sleepless nights; as you’ve pointed out yourself. Stubborn runs strong in my family as you might have already learned from hanging out with Jacob.”
Annie didn’t react with much shock to what Darren had to tell, it was clear that not all of it was new to her, but there was something behind her calm exterior that came very close to revulsion as she listened. It was there and just as quickly as it appeared it vanished as the girl heaved a sigh, lowering her head for a moment and rubbing her eyes as she felt the start of a headache striking at her temples. As tolerant as Annie had learned to be with the world in general, there would always be things in life she just couldn’t understand, or accept, and considering all that she had already seen in her short years, that was a good thing. The ability to still be sickened and outraged by some acts of cruelty was somewhat relieving even if it made the thought of not getting involved all the more frustrating. She kept her head down seeming distracted with trying to stop her tiny headache from exploding, but the moment Darren stood up she jumped to her feet, half reaching for his arm as though expecting him to fall over. “Careful, you’re not supposed to stand up so fast.” She scolded, frowning for a second as she glanced at the cot and moved to sit there, motioning for Darren to take her seat as if to assure no one had died there as far as she knew. “The man who slept here before came in a few days ago terminally ill, he died at some point during the past night. He had no family or friends left so he was buried here.” She explained, lowering her gaze to the ground momentarily before focusing on Darren again. “I can only think of a few people I would actually want to share your information with, Darren, and as is you’re likely to see them before I do. Just tell Mageria when you discuss this with her that if any children are found alive and presenting unusual gifts, I would be personally interested in taking them in and helping them cope. Twins only know what they would have been put through, and what, if anything, they would know of the world.” She sighed again, going silent for a few moments before trying to steer the conversation to a less depressing place, even if momentarily. “So, are those meaningful somehow or they’re just there to make you look tougher?” She asked curiously, indicating the flames upon his arms.
Darren’s eyes lit up at the offer to visit the White Shadow’s archives. For him to think about so many books to be located in one place, it put him in a bit of awe. For a few moments he spaced on if having so much information in one place was a good thing; if it was safe or dangerous. He figured that would depend on the kind of information that dwelled within those pages or lingered on the bind of their skins. The written word was meant as a record so that knowledge could be shared and not forgotten, wasn’t it?
When Annie moved to the cot, Darren sank into the now empty chair, absently wiping at the bit of blood below his earlobe and glanced at his fingertips. “..You’re probably right..I mean...you are a healer..this is what you know..this is what you do..But I can’t take it easy for too long. As much as I’d like to..” He smiled, quirking a brow, alternating that twinkle in his eye to signal something that was edging forward from the back of his mind. “..I will be sure to let the Captain know of your offer. In a short time, both you and her have shown me glimpses of a strength fueled from many things but compassion and duty stands out thus far...to me. That commands respect that seems to fall in effortlessly. I think the decision you’ve made to listen to another’s secrets; their pain and misery; their darkness..is not just a lonely burden but also a life saver. To be that crutch is something everyone needs and not everyone gets.” Darren took in a deep breath, his own words weighing on him curiously as he looked over Annie from head to toe, his expression shifting to one of perplexion. “If I may ask though, do you have someone to be that crutch for you? Who gets to bare your secrets? A dear friend? A lover? Or are you left still wondering, like so many, who can be just as strong as you...or stronger?”
Darren wasn’t sure if he was actually expecting an answer, his meaning he initially went for as subtle, but realized it may have been a bit too forward. He only gave a short moment for pause for the words to be thought on but not yet answered as he pulled back his sleeves more to reveal the black flames upon his skin. “You think these makes me look tough? I was going for...sexy..but I’ll take tough.” Darren chuckled. “Naw, no seriously? I saw it for what it is..for what it was. Fire. People think more on what is consumed by it but I like to think of it differently. I like to think on what pushes people forward...what fuels our goals...our purposes..and for me...there are many things that keeps me burning. I just have to consider the brighter I burn the faster I’ll go out. I’ve seen it happen. Maybe..these are just a reminder.” Darren’s gaze shifted, his smile fading some. It wasn’t a look of discomfort but more of humility. He had been so fixated on the conversation and the lovely girl before him, he hadn’t noticed the pain in his head dissipate.
“The brightest flames burn the quickest... My friend Isaac used to say that often, bless his soul. I used to argue with him that the Sun is the brightest flame there is and it’s been burning for thousands of years, so that statement is very likely to be untrue. Don’t know why he’d always be a little pissy when I said that, but yeah... Fire is an interesting element, the people of Brightvale used to believe that the entire process of Creation was set in motion by one single spark... That the world was born from fire and will eventually end in fire as well. I think to me that’s what fire represents; the power to choose between creation and destruction.” Annie smiled, a hint of sadness crossing her dark eyes, but soon fading away as she chuckled. “And well.... hmmm....” She mumbled, looking over Darren playfully as if inspecting him. “Don’t know about sexy, but for what I can tell it suits you.” She stated simply. “As for bearing my secrets, well, are you offering?” She asked, not exactly leaving room for him to answer and shrugging slightly. “I do have people I confide in, Jake, Alistair; I’m sure you remember him, some other friends, but like I said... I’ll never be able to tell anyone absolutely everything about my life. I suppose, that’s the main reason why not many of us actually go and get married and start a family and stuff... I don’t speak from personal experience, but... I’ve seen it over the years, growing up here, that this work takes its toll on a person’s relationships; not matter the nature of those relationships. I imagine it becomes increasingly difficult to ask another person to share their life with you when you always have a piece of yourself you’re not allowed to share with anyone; because no matter how hard you try, the things you see, the secrets you keep, even if not your own, they become a great part of who you are.” Annie fell silent for a few moments, breaking said silent with an amused chuckle. “Well done, sir... You have managed to properly distract me from my work. That doesn’t actually happen very often, so... It’s been a few minutes now: How does your head feel? Any better? For what I can tell there is nothing wrong with you right this second aside from the after-effects of a seizure, so I see no reason why you can’t be on your way, but I’d advise you to stay here at least for another twelve hours, ideally twenty four, but at least twelve just so I don’t have to worry. That and you should observe yourself from now on; if anything like this happens again or if you have particularly strong reactions when using your gift from now on, you should come to us as soon as possible.”
Darren fell quiet for some time, absently reaching into his shirt pocket for a handkerchief to wipe away the blood below his ear. “Rest….can’t avoid that I guess..” He whispered, fading off with a nod. “I’m feeling better, thank you.” He stood again, but this time slowly, only to slink along the floor with this head pointed towards the corner of the tent and his feet just touching the cot where Annie sat. Gradually he laid down, curling one arm back around, beneath his head as a pillow. His gaze flickered from Annie to the ceiling and back as he thought over what she had said about how the position of keeping secrets had affected relationships in general to those in the camp. Darren thought on how being stuck between a rock and a hard place would affect the person keeping those secrets compared to the one who was left in the dark. “..Hm...I’m no expert..but seems to me some people need to accept what someone will share with them and not dwell on what they can’t share with them. Maybe..those relationships didn’t work out for other reasons..and that was an excuse. It’s not fair of me to speculate I guess.” Darren cleared his throat before speeding through the next few sentences. “..Does doing what you do, harden you to life’s losses? Is it harder for you to shed tears sometimes? Or does it make it easier? I would imagine being exposed to this kind of work, softening someone’s soul but leaving them to shield themselves from certain attachments. Thus, secrets are understandable; undeniable; and apart of life just as much as death.” Staring back up at the ceiling, Darren’s eyes squinted as if he was trying to avoid the sun. “..I don’t think I could ever get use to it...because knowing what is, doesn’t make it any easier.” He chuckled. “Sorry..I think aloud when I get tired or nervous. I’m curious though, what is your gift? I don’t think you mentioned and I wasn’t sure if it would be considered rude to ask. Is it rude?”
Annie nodded along to Darren as he spoke. She could hear the movement in the camp outside, the minor chaos that had been their daily routine for a while now, but somehow at the same time it all felt a bit too quiet. “Hmm... Well... I don’t know... I’m speculating myself, but I believe that some things are simply inevitable to us as human beings. Sometimes knowing and accepting some things when a relationship starts doesn’t really stop people from growing frustrated by them in time. Our perception changes the longer we know people and in any type of relationship while it may be easy to tell yourself that you don’t need to know certain things, or that you don’t need more than what this particular person is able to offer, in five or ten years you may feel different. Then it eventually comes down to trust and whether it does or not exist between two people and more often than not that tends to be a breaking point. A lot of people seem to think that if they’re not confided in they aren’t trusted. My mom used to say to me, often, that if she could always tell me the truth she wouldn’t need me to trust her and at this point in my life when I think of some answers she could have simply given me before she died I still question whether or not she did; regardless of what I know, it’s the truth. Humanity is a beautiful and painful thing like that and it tends to, sometimes, sneak up on us.” Annie fell silent for a few moments as though going over a series of things by herself before she heaved a sigh, a curious smile crossing her features. “Us right now for instance; me telling you these things... does that mean I trust you? Does that mean you know me? Is that even actually relevant?”
Annie silenced again, not really expecting answers to her questions, her expression gradually changing as she contemplated just how her work had affected her. It was a complicated assessment to make, to say the least. “Working in a place like this, living in place like this, it eventually changes you one way or another. For me, when I was younger I thought I didn’t have a choice in being a healer, but in the past couple of years I realized that it has to be a choice. I have to be able to tell myself that this is a choice, because some days, some people, get to you. And here’s the deal; death is not the problem. It’s bad to see people die and losing a patient, it feels like it is... feels like losing someone, but the problem is that the patient is not your someone to lose. So there are time when you have to look someone in the eyes, and say something like ‘we’ve done all we could’ or ‘there’s nothing more we can do’. You say that, look them in the eyes, and you can see all hope die. Sometimes for a moment, sometimes for a very long time. When you lose someone that’s yours, for me at least, it’s.... Well, not better, but it’s a process that you go through and it’s yours, it’s private, and you can allow yourself to stop and feel it... All of it. When it’s someone else’s you don’t get a process, a mourning period, you can’t afford it, because someone else is falling apart and you are the only one there to be strong for them. It never gets easier, but you never show it, and you move on... In a good day by the time you get to stop and think about it you’ve saved more than you have lost. Today is shaping up to be a pretty good day; just a guy with a headache so far.” Annie chuckled momentarily. “I can’t speak for everyone, I think it’s a personal thing, but for me... Seeing the things I’ve seen has taught me that Death in itself is a small moment in Time, and nothing more than that. It doesn’t change how I suffer my losses, just what I consider a loss. I mean, my mom died, but that was one moment in her lifetime... It doesn’t erase the years she was there for me. It doesn’t take away all our moments.” Heaving a small sigh Annie took a suddenly professional attitude as she recited. “Regenerative cellular manipulation by transfer, it’s the fancy name; all enlightenments have one, except mine so I made up this one. The White Shadows call it, officially, spiritual healing and the reason why it doesn’t have an official fancy name is because it is such a rare enlightenment that no one has been born with it for nearly a hundred years before me and no one has actually studied it before me, and even now no one is exactly sure how it works, my guess is that it is a combination of accelerated regeneration and reverse physical empathy; to put it simply I can heal wounds, first by touch and involuntarily, which was an issue since doing so would greatly drain my energies, but now I can channel it, although it still takes some physical proximity, it doesn’t require touch.” She shrugged lightly her tone returning to casual as she added. “I don’t think it’s a rude thing to ask, no. I don’t go around telling everyone if I can help it for obvious reasons, but I don’t hide what I can do. It’s just hard to explain to people that it doesn’t mean I can instantly fix everything.”
It was relaxing for Darren to lay in silence and let Annie speak. Even when she paused, he wasn’t sure if he had anything to add to the conversation at hand or if the healer was waiting for him to answer. A couple times his mind drifted almost to that peaceful place where dreams dwelled, yet even with this eyes closed he was still hanging on Annie’s every word. He snorted through a chuckle. “..By the way you talk, it seems like you do more here than patch up wounds and send people on their way. At least in the physical sense. I don’t come across too many in general who talk like you do. Humanity is a touchy subject and can put some on the defense. But I like how what you say, puts me into deep thought.” Darren stifled a yawn, opening one eye to peer at Annie curiously. “I can understand why you don’t parade around, bragging about your enlightenment. The kind of attention that could draw some people in, is not what you need or want. That’s how my Fa-..eh, Asher would talk when he found out I was enlightened. Except it wasn’t like people would want me to use my gift for their advantage. At least, I don’t see it that way. He always said there would be people out there who would be jealous or who would not understand. He said it would be safer if I kept it to myself. Which brings us back to that bit on trust. I never really trusted Asher and with good reason, I came to find out. He use to try to tell me that I could trust him with my life and that was the only kind of trust I would ever need.” Darren sighed, opening both eyes to glance at Annie a bit awkwardly. “I tried to understand that..and in many ways it makes sense. But then, there are bigger things in this world than just him and I.”
Darren rolled over onto his side so he was now facing Annie, yawning into his arm and muttering an apology for it. The conversation wasn’t by any means, boring him, but the lack of sleep was most definitely catching up to him. “...The things I’m telling you may not necessarily be relevant to trust and it does not mean I indeed do trust someone I barely know. I want to though and you seem like someone worth taking the time to know and to have in my corner.” He yawned through his next sentence a bit comically, slowly letting his eyes droop shut. “Besides you’re related to Jake, so you must be interesting.” He smiled, mumbling a bit to himself, “..Maybe you’d want my in your corner too..”
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[Forest - 18 days after Castle Ball]
“...Is there a reason you’ve been following me, mate? I mean..sorry to disappoint, you’re not a bad looking guy...just I like brunettes....” Darren chuckled as he retrieved the throwing axe from a Cherry tree, happy to be exercising his new toys. “.......women of course..” He continued, staring off into the shadows, not seeing who exactly was there but knowing and feeling a steady pair of eyes upon him.
“There’s always a reason... I think...” Luckas made absolutely no effort to pretend he wasn’t actually following the guy, he was barely trying to be discrete even; it didn’t really seem necessary. “And I’m flattered, but that’s really not on my list of motives... This time.” He chuckled a bit under his breath. “Just... You are strangely familiar. Strangely familiar people tend to make me nervous. I still haven’t been able to get rid of the last one.”
Darren strained his eyes, a half smirk peeking into view as he stepped forward quirking a brow. “...Your voice doesn’t sound familiar....but then again I’m a visual person....maybe you’re a leprechaun.....so tiny I can’t see you?” With a flick of his wrist, the axe he held at his side was implanted into the snow along the borderline of the shadows. “So...there’s an advantage and disadvantage all in one glance....it makes you nervous aye? How so? Is this other poor soul your stalker instead?”
Luckas withheld a laugh, retrieving the throwing axe from the snow, and absently moving deeper into hiding without another word. When he spoke again he was standing behind Darren, examining him with a curious gaze. “Instead of what?” He asked. “And you know... When someone, who may or not be a tiny creature, is stalking you... It’s not very wise to give them a weapon.” He chuckled. “Assuming that said individual, would actually need one.” He added, with a little shrug. “When someone is familiar, it usually means I’ve seen them before, but can’t remember when, and that... That is rather unnerving. How old are you?”
Darren almost doubled over in chuckles as he turned about to face the figure, clapping his hands slowly in an impressed gesture. “..Niiice....I need to learn that trick...” His smile broadened, blue eyes flickering, tiny lilac colored specs glinting in his gaze. “Hm....I suspect not much younger than you, guy....Name’s Darren..and perhaps...I am just not as paranoid as I should be in the wilderness.” Absorbing the dark haired man before him he added, “Nope....don’t know you....You from Blackpond? Perhaps you have seen me around there before I was tossed into prison and found my way here.” Widening his stance, the young man opened his arms giving the impression he was not a threat, holding out a palm for his weapon. “So...is there something I can help you with, friend?”
“Maybe...” Luckas mumbled under his breath. “I’m from Blackpond at times... Sometimes I’m from around here... It depends. And then, Darren... Just because you don’t know me, doesn’t mean I don’t know you... I am a bit of a stalker after all... just a bit...” He said, looking up at Darren with an increasingly curious gaze; his black eyes narrowing slightly at the strange feeling of familiarity. At this point, Luckas was thinking, maybe he’d seen the guy in someone’s memory, he was sure he hadn’t seen him on the streets, it was when he decided to look into Darren’s mind that he actually flinched; the moment he stared into the guy’s eyes something seemed to stop him in his tracks and he looked away, a slight twitch forming itself in the corner of his right eye as he shook his head, something that sounded in between a choke and a laugh escaping him in one single breath. When he lifted his head again, he smirked as if nothing unusual had happened and simply handed Darren his weapon. “Luckas... That’s my name... and it’s the only one I have so don’t go around sharing it.”
Darren accepted his weapon, the very tips of his middle and pointer finger just grazing Luckas’ thumb before slipping the handle of the axe beneath his belt. His eyebrows raised, bunching together in an almost confused gaze. “Er...something wrong Guy?” Darren absently turned away, the light dimming in his gaze to a normal blue, the quickest flash of an image blinked in and out in his mind. Shuffling a few times to his left he sat himself upon a freshly cut tree stump, shoulders slumped forward in response to an ache from the day’s excursions. He stared upwards towards the treetops before glancing back towards Luckas. “No worries Luckas, I’m not one for gossip....” Trailing off Darren had a sudden thought and smiled, the light twinkling in his eyes. “Hey..maybe you’ve seen me fight? I use to participate in boxing matches for coin back in BlackPond before they shut us down this time last year...how I would pick up mercenary work.” Darren raised his head in a proud gesture, while simultaneously keeping his eyes downward in a modest gaze. “Only been beat once...at most things...guy was built like stone...” The boy rolled his eyes nonchalantly, not honestly trying to show off but still coming off as such.
“Huh...” Luckas mumbled, scratching his head slightly. “No, I doubt you’d fight where I would be watching, and even then, I never cared for watching people slam their fists against each other for sport. Seems rather pointless to me. No offense.” He smiled slightly. “I am of the opinion that one should always take pride in what they’re good at. We all have... Our own personal games... So to speak.” Luke stated, grinning widely at something that momentarily crossed his mind, his eyes fixed upon Darren’s face as if still searching for something in him, even as he shrugged. “I’m not so sure I know you after all, well... Suppose now I do, right?” He snickered. “So, you’re a kid nearly as old as me, huh? And you were fighting for coin about a year ago... No family?”
Darren reached for something in a pouch, his fingers fumbling along a cigarette and patting along his pockets for matches. “Well, maybe there’s more there than is actually witnessed...maybe I wanna sit here with the choice to smoke myself to ashes...” He slid the cigarette between his lips and after a moment of frustration, spat the foul thing to the ground, standing on the balls of his feet. “Maybe I’m more worried for the other families out there....children rumored to be going missing...a lot of bad people out there...” ‘Choices....choices....’ A fleeting thought, quickly tossed aside, his heel crunching upon the cigarette, buried beneath the slush.
Luckas raised an eyebrow, quietly watching Darren’s struggle with his cigarette, catching his words and taking more than the usual time to process what he’d heard, blinking a few times as his gaze suddenly grew a bit distant, staring at some point in the ground as he thought it through. “Worried, are you then?” He asked, turning his eyes back towards the boy’s face. “And how does smoking help with that? I’m missing whatever point you’re trying to make if there is even one, Kid. If there are children missing, and families to worry about, what makes them your concern exactly? Have you been missing yourself? Or perhaps you missed someone else?”
“Well Guy, smoking is an excuse...we all make them.....some more forgivable than others...” Darren shrugged, “Missing myself....I don’t think I understand, sorry...” Darren pulled back his foot and stared down at the crushed cigarette, looking almost torn. “ I believe too many people look the other way until it directly affects themselves, and then usually it’s too late...maybe change is needed.”
“Whose forgiveness are we talking about exactly? Personally, I don’t worry about my actions being unforgivable unless they directly affect someone whose opinion matters. And there aren’t many, that’s for sure. It is somewhat liberating... Not to care... I guess, people crave that sort of freedom in a way, but at the same time they feel the need to justify it... It’s a very silly thing... You can’t not care and worry about what others will think of your lack of care... Stupid, that’s what it is...” He chuckled. “My point being that... Sometimes being good just for being good can be worse than being evil. I’d rather see someone who is honestly evil than someone who is a false do-gooder.” He heaved a small sigh, averting his gaze once more as he added. “By ‘missing yourself’, I mean... Do you lack understanding of your own self? Suppose it’s a silly question, most people do, but then... To some it is far worse than to most.”
“Alright Man,...I do honestly agree that one needs to only worry about affecting those of importance....Yourself. In that reasoning, I don’t see myself as lost. I’ve seen those fake individuals, and sometimes you catch those of us still learning..in process...Sometimes it’s good to be selfish, but I just trust my gut. Life happens, but I don’t just sit and watch it fly by.” A soft sigh left his chest, feeling a bit antsy, his new found purpose in that second was to crack every finger in both hands. By the time he reached his ring finger, he paused for so long that his mind may have appeared to have left him. It wasn’t until his eyes flashed a dull aura of light, that he blinked and came back to the present.
“Life happens...” Luckas repeated, shaking his head slightly. “That’s true, but it’s impossible to move with it. At least it’s impossible to constantly move with it. So at some point, you’re going to sit down and have a smoke, or sleep, or you know... Die... Life’s going to keep happening.” He absently tilted his head back to watch the movement of the branches above as he sighed. “And yes, I know what you meant by that, but it’s an unrealistic statement. Just as unrealistic as expecting people to give a shit about things that can’t hurt them in the future... Or things that haven’t hurt them in the past. I mean, doing something is always a possibility, but to expect change... Is unrealistic.Even if you do change something right now... Ten years in the future things will be as they were before. So what you get is the illusion that something was done, it’ll last long enough for the ugliness to fade from the minds of the general public; that assuming it actually becomes known, and then... like all good illusions... it shatters.” Luckas ended his statement with a little snicker, finding the hypocrisy to be thoroughly amusing, despite how sickening it truly was. “And by that, of course, I’m not saying that doing something, or even seeking this illusion of change is not worth the trouble. It’ll be worth it for a few, but really... That’s as good as it gets.”
Darren’s smile faded for a few moments before a comical grin spread across his lips, infecting his eyes. “If enough people want the change...it’ll happen....if we have nothing to give a shit about....what’s the point? Fleeting the outcome can be, so we give ourselves goals.” The boy stared long and hard at Luckas, his fingers still twitching as he wanted to reach out and stretch his enlightenment, but something told him to keep his hands upon his lap. “Why, we all have felt like someone who has tried and failed but maybe some people just need higher expectations so when they are crushed, it’s not disappointment, I feel, the goals that are met, fleeting or not, should be worth it. But hey, I’m still a pup, I never would pretend to know it all.” Darren snorted, “Maybe I’m just too damned optimistic, but why the hell not.”
“Optimism is like a damn poison, so are high expectations... You can build a resistance, but just enough of it will still get you killed. The higher the goals the harder it’ll be to get people to play along, because no ultimate goal is going to be unanimous. Why do you think the War hasn’t ended when probably every single person in Valcrest is so damn sick of it? Because; everyone wants Peace, but no two people can agree on what the hell it is. You can’t quite blame people for being greedy even in their best intentions, that’s just human nature, but it sure is fucked up. The same goes with things like these; it’s easier to gather 20 people who each has their own personal agenda than to gather a thousand who want a major change.” Luckas shrugged slightly, still watching the trees above as if in a trance. “Suppose I’m too skeptical, or perhaps just not as greedy as I should be. I think that if, in the process of living, I happen to get rid of a few pieces of trash it might not cleanse the land, but it’ll at least clean up someone’s lawn.” He lowered his gaze back to Darren with a smirk. “Like I said, I’d rather be honestly evil, even if some would call it unnecessary evil.”
“Doing nothing I learned young, gets one killed...One of my first memories...had to been around three or so, and hanging around at a friend of my father’s during a raid or some kind of battle outside my window, I noticed a bleeding girl upon the ground, the mother doing nothing but holding her daughter in her arms while she died. I was too young to understand then, but when people like my father feed the carnage and are a large reason the war continues on, doing nothing is why people just circle the whirlpool.” The boy now appeared younger than he was, perhaps he was still clinging to something he was scared to death to lose. He moved as if to leave, the deep tone of his voice softening to just above a whisper. “Speaking of trash always brings up the subject of my father, and ‘trash’ is simply too good of a word to call him especially for what I’m learning he’s done to the people and children of Blackpond, and perhaps more...perhaps I will find out what really happened to my mother.” Darren cleared his throat, taking another few steps towards the treeline. “I should probably stop being lazy. “ He teased, attempting to change the subject. “ I’m sure my companions are starting to wonder about me.. See you around, Luckas?”
Luckas was quiet this time as Darren spoke, none of it actually did a thing to his opinions, but rather it taught him something, in a way. Finally he opened a little smirk. “Alright, so you don’t quite have a family. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just say that in the first place?” He asked, amusement in his tone. “And I do agree that people shouldn’t just do nothing, I just don’t think they will actually do anything, but...” He chuckled softly. “Maybe we should just agree to disagree on this one. Seems like the healthy thing to do in this case.” Luckas nodded as if to confirm his own statement and stretched lazily where he stood, running one hand back and forth through his hair as he sighed. “Far from me to keep you from being useful, I’ll just go back to my hideout.” He joked. “And maybe you’ll see me around... I probably will see you though.”
“Huh, no curses or put downs for another’s beliefs...you are different in some way Luckas, especially for only having, what...a few years or so on me? Not many I’ve met have your attitude.” Darren smiled not really giving in to whether he agreed to disagree, but he felt this conversation was coming to an end for now. “...Although..” Darren added as he kicked at a stone in the snow, “..this place seems to be obsessed with redheads, no? You know Jake? You both seem to have the same woman on the brain...wonder why that is..” Darren winked before walking off. “..Be funny if she was the one you can’t get rid of...just saying...”
“You’re yet to see just how different I am, friend.” Luckas stated simply, a light smile crossing his features. His smile didn’t change at the mention of Jake, despite a momentary clenching of his fists at the comment. He waited quietly until the kid had walked off before turning his back and muttering. “Freaking hilarious... I can pretty much hear the giggling in my head.”
-------------------------------
[White Shadows encampment - 18 days after Castle Ball, late night]
Annie had finally managed to get some sleep. She was sure it had only been a few minutes though when she felt herself being watched and opened her eyes.
“Hello.” Luckas greeted calmly from where he sat at a corner of her tent. “You know, you really should see about getting some security for this place.”
“What for, Luke? I don’t see anyone but you being stupid enough to just wander into my tent in the middle of the night.” Annie muttered, rubbing her eyes and trying to make out the dark clad figure of Luckas in the darkness of the tent.
“I didn’t want to wait outside... Someone might see me, I’m not anyone’s favorite person around here at the moment.”
“Were you ever, Luckas? Since when are you scared of a bunch of healers?” Annie chuckled, sitting up to face Luckas once she managed to properly spot him in the dark.
“I’m not scared, don’t be stupid. I just didn’t want to start a commotion. I could get into deep trouble for coming here after what I did the other day.”
“What did you do the other day?” Annie questioned.
“Confidentiality?” He asked simply.
“Of course, but... You don’t trust me not to gossip if I’m not bound by my oath?”
“I like to be sure.” Luckas said. “You know why.”
“I understand, but rest assured; nothing you speak in here will ever be repeated.” She confirmed.
“Alright.” Luckas stated, taking a deep breath and taking the time to explain to Annie what he been doing in the past couple of days and what had happened once he returned to the Manor the night after he and Ess had parted ways in the city.
“I see...” Annie mumbled. “So, what is bothering you exactly? You’ve come here because you needed to talk to someone about this, yes?”
“You’re the only one who knows what I’m doing.” Luckas shrugged. “Where else would I go with this? Just.... Don’t flatter yourself, alright?”
“Fair enough. I promise I won’t let it go to my head.” Annie snickered. “So, you two going after her brother and setting fire to him... does that mean you and Essence are friends again now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we last saw each other at the Ball, remember? And you were pretty much avoiding her then, although you were watching her closely all the same... And again setting fire to people... I honestly wonder what is the deal with that. Is that how psychos flirt or something like that?”
“What, no... I don’t know... That’s... None of your damn business.” Luckas mumbled, shaking his head as if genuinely confused by the question. “Look, I’m not here to talk about my friendships... Or fire... With you.” He muttered.
“Well, I was just curious... I mean, I remember the fireplay seemed to somewhat upset you at that time... And there was that talk about letting go of something and not wanting someone else to have it...”
“Yes, I know... I was there. Thank you.” He cut her off.
Annie held back a giggle forcing herself into a more serious posture. “I’m sorry, Luke... Something was bothering you. What is it you’ve come to talk about exactly?”
“Well, I... Uh... I’m thinking, maybe I can’t do what your mother asked of me. And I... I suppose I can’t quite decide on what to do. My loyalties are... Confusing at the moment. I mean, I know the fastest way to end this... Sam straight up told me how to end it, in fact, but...” He shook his head as if the tought disturbed him greatly. “No, I can’t, but....”
“I see...” Annie sighed. “You know, I’m biased, Luckas... I’d like to see you keep your promise to my mother and I’d like it if those people were stopped before they hurt any more innocents, but I can tell this is personal to you, so I can’t tell you what to do about it. It wouldn’t be fair of me.”
“I want nothing to do with the Order, and I know that, I do... It’s just... As awful as it may be, those people are the only ones who know, who really understand, what happened to me. They’ve been through it all; the pain, the conditioning, the memory loss... They’re not all terrible people and... What happens to them after this is over? What do they deserve really? Death, even though for the most part they barely really have a choice? Freedom? Is that what breaking up the Order amounts to in the end; unleashing who knows really how many other people like me into this land?”
“You can’t take responsibility for all these people, Luckas. I understand that you feel the urge to do so, I really do, but you cannot. They may not have had a choice at some point in the past, but after a certain point it does become a choice. It’s their responsibility and not yours to decide their fate.”
“It’s not a choice for me. Not entirely. My actions, I can take responsibility for that and I do, but what’s behind them, under the surface... In my head... Every waking moment...” Luckas shook his head once again, the sentence left unfinished. “See, you don’t understand. That’s exactly what I mean. I thought I was the only one, but I’m not. Your mother let me believe that.... She let me think that, that all the others like me were dead until she needed me for something. Why should I be any more loyal to her now?”
“That’s not true, Luckas. You know that.” Annie protested calmly. “She was trying to protect you, and she really didn’t want to involve you in this until there was absolutely no other way and for this exact reason. Didn’t you say yourself that you wanted revenge on who made you like this?”
“I wanted revenge, but... Now, it just doesn’t seem to matter. The guy is dead and I know he was the one responsible, I read his journals and all the things he did.”
“It’s still happening though. Did you bring that up with Sam: The child kidnappings? The girl you brought to me? Did you ask her if the Order is imprinting these missing children, Luckas?”
“It didn’t exactly come up when we spoke, no...”
“You didn’t ask, because you know that she’s either going to lie to you or say something you don’t want to hear. That’s called denial, Luke. If you truly don’t want any more people like you in this world then you need to start facing some facts soon.”
“I’m not in denial. I just... Am I supposed to forget that she saved my life? That I would’ve been like Matthew if it weren’t for her?”
“Mom told Alistair, the week she brought you in that if you and your brother have been brought straight to us instead of taken to that orphanage she could have help you both.”
“That’s crap... She said she couldn’t help him!”
“She said she couldn’t help him when she saw him in the dungeons, by then it was too late. I’m not saying that your brother wasn’t significantly more messed up than you, Luckas, but then you have to wonder why that is if you were both in the same situation. Why did she protect you so much and left Matthew to drown?”
“She couldn’t reach out to him... She tried, I was there.”
“Maybe he just wasn’t as trusting as you were... As... Vulnerable. Maybe that’s what she says she saw in you... Because that’s what predators do... Of all people you know that well.”
“It’s not like that!” Luckas protested. “I’m not...”
“A victim?” Annie sighed softly. “I’m sorry, Luke. I warned you, I’m biased, but I won’t try to tell you what you should do. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t let Sam or anyone else for that matter manipulate you into thinking that you’ll have no one if the Order falls apart. Because that’s not true, and you wouldn’t be here and you wouldn’t make such a great deal of effort to return to the Raven’s Nest as well, if you didn’t know that that’s not true. It worries me that only a few days after spending time with someone who has shown clearly to care for you, you come out of that house thinking stuff like that. If this is the kind of hold that woman has on you, then maybe Essence and I need to have a conversation.”
“You can’t tell her anything, you promised me.”
“Mom wanted you to tell her though, didn’t she?”
“How do you know that?”
“I didn’t, Luckas, I assumed. I know now though.” Annie replied, unable to hold back a smirk as she heard Luckas mutter curses under his breath. “I know I can’t tell her what you’ve told me. I promised you and I will always keep my promise, but then... I have a strong feeling that I don’t really have to. Just think about that for a moment.”
"Listen, I know that I can’t keep doing this indefinitely. I’m not that much of an idiot. I know... I’m living two separate lives, and... I’m being two opposite sides of myself and... I know, sooner or later, a part of me will have to die. I also understand that I... If I don’t make the choice, sooner or later it will be made for me.”
“So why not just wait if that’s the case?” Annie asked, filling two cups of water and handing one over to Luckas.
“Because the only thing I’m certain of right now is that... Whatever happens... I want it to be my choice. I want it to be in my hands. That’s how it has to happen.” He said, taking the cup from her and simply holding it in his hands.
“And what is stopping you from making that choice?” Annie asked, sipping her water and staring at him curiously. “You’ve changed, Luckas. And I think your problem is you try to rationalize things the same way you did before, and that’s why nothing ever seems right to you anymore. You are a different person, you see things with different eyes, and you can’t use the same logic now than you did back then.”
“I don’t know... I guess I’m partly still the same person, but... Then there’s this other stupid part of me; the one that actually believes I can have more.” Luckas mumbled, staring down at his cup of water. “And I don’t need this right now... I never wanted it in the first place... I just want to go back. To feel like myself again.”
Annie nodded quietly, sipping from her cup as Luckas spoke. “This... Stupid part of you would be the same part of you who accepted when my mother offered her help, Luke. The same part of you that cared to know the reason you are the way you are in the first place... You always wanted more for yourself. So why is this suddenly so foolish and unattainable that you won’t allow yourself to accept it?”
“It’s not the same as accepting help. Your mother and I, we had a deal which we both benefitted from. It wasn’t like this. This... Is completely different. There’s no...”
“No benefit?” Annie cut in. “Do you honestly see no benefit in caring for another human being?”
Luckas sighed, taking a large gulp of water and setting the cup aside. “There’s no logic... It goes against any self-preservation instinct... And it’s just... STUPID.”
“Luckas...” Annie laughed. “Is that really your best argument right now? It’s stupid?” She smiled at him. “You say against self-preservation instinct... As in you would be willing to give up your life?”
“If I’m not rational about it, then... Yes, sure.”
“Aww... Cute.” She chuckled.
“Shut up.” He snorted, giving her an angry glare. “I don’t want... This kind of responsibility. Do you understand? I want to go back to a place where I don’t care enough to worry for myself and I have no need to worry for others.”
“You don’t want others to care for you because it forces you to care as well, and you think that your life was easier when you could live it without worrying about consequences.”
“Yes.”
“Alright, Luke... I have one question for you, just one. When you first told me about Sam, right after mom died, you told me she was the first thing you remembered on your own, you also told me how exactly you remembered it. Right? So, my question is this: Why do you think the memory came to you in that exact moment, when you were... Sharing memories with another person? I mean, what in that particular moment could have unlocked that bit of your memory?”
“I... Never... Really... Thought about that.”
“Really? You never thought about the fact that the first time you remembered anything about your past was while you were sharing memories with a woman you had previously formed a psychic bond with?”
“No. I really haven’t. You think that’s important?”
“I’m no telepath, but yes, Luckas... It sounds a bit important.”
“Oh...” He scratched his head. “Well... She did... Ask me about my eyes, if they had always been black. I guess I was subconsciously trying to remember... I don’t know.”
“Do you think you wanted her to see?”
“What? Why would I want her to see that?”
“Are you sure you want my opinion on this, Luckas? I know for a fact you won’t like what I have to say.”
“And what else is new?” He snorted. “Go on, spit it out.”
“I think, you wanted her to see. I think, that’s what you wanted from the start; for someone to see you. That’s what you were really searching for in your past all along, and that’s why you were still so conflicted even after you remembered everything. I think that is also what you are searching for in the memory of Sam and that is why you can’t seem to let go of her even though she doesn’t seem to understand you quite as well as you hoped. Most of all Luckas, I think you’ve wanted this for so long, and you were denied and rejected so many times, you simply gave up hope of ever actually having it quite some time ago and now you’re just afraid to allow yourself to hope again. You’re afraid that no matter what happens you’ll end up alone either way, but this way it will just be twice as painful.” Annie paused her speech, simply to take a deep breath and another sip of water, before adding. “And you fear that this might just be how you finally break for good.”
Luckas was silent staring at Annie, even though blankly; as if he could barely see her in front of him in the darkened tent. After a moment or two of simply sitting there in that trance, Luckas cleared his throat and shook his head. “You’re right...” He mumbled, standing from his seat and bowing his head in a parting gesture. “I don’t want your fucking opinion.”
Luckas went back into the city after watching Ess ride away back to the Nest, making his way to the first establishment they visited... He found Ezekiel there waiting for him at the bar growling a little under his breath as he sat to order himself a drink and the man spoke. “She wants you to go to her the moment you return to the manor, boy.”
“You had to send for her, didn’t you?” Luckas hissed in anger. “You can’t help yourself!”
“You are obviously involved with this... aberration... And I thought it was about time the Mistress saw it with her own eyes... Maybe then she’ll lose some of this blind faith she has in you.” Ezekiel stated, calmly sipping from his glass.
“I am not involved.” Luckas protested. “I am doing what was asked of me and you are twisting the facts, Ezekiel. Seems to me, your problem, is that you want her for yourself.”
“My problem is that I have sworn to protect that girl, from all harm, at any cost... If the harm is you and the cost is her affections then so be it; you keep that in mind... BOY. Her trust can protect you from anyone, but not from me. Nothing will ever protect you from me if you hurt her.” Zeke growled. “And you are clearly involved. I have not twisted anything... I’ve seen the way you look at her, I saw how protective of her you’ve become. So whether you are a liar, or extremely foolish, either way it will end badly. And my Lady will suffer for your foolishness.”
“I would never hurt Sammy.” Luckas mumbled.
“You already have, kid. I suggest you drag that Enlightened whore to the dungeons and get this over with as soon as possible.”
Luckas’ felt his entire body tense immediately as he heard the insult, but he didn’t address it, simply snorting out a snicker. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, old man. Do you really think the dungeons will get us anywhere with her? Even if she did know what we want, which she doesn’t, at least not now... There is no way to simply beat it out of her. Life has done quite a lot to break her, and no luck so far.”
“You’ve come to know her well enough... Perhaps better than anyone, and I’m sure you could find a fitting torture...” Ezekiel smirked. “I suspect you might even enjoy that... If you wanted.”
“Maybe...” Luckas muttered, standing up and walking away without another word; leaving his empty glass on the counter. Once out the man’s hearing range he sighed and mumbled under his breath. “If I wanted.”
After leaving the gambling house, Luckas walked his way slowly back to the manor, worried that Sam was angry with him still. Truth was, he wasn’t sure exactly of what he was doing, or how he expected this to end after all, and Zeke was right: It would probably end very badly one way or another, but then... Thinking about it didn’t seem to make anything any clearer, so he willed himself to stop.
He had barely reached the limits of the property when he felt the all too familiar glare of Sam’s cats and sighed heavily as Seth greeted him with the usual growls and hisses while Pandora insistently got in his way meowing and rubbing up against his legs. “Piss off!” He muttered, as the cat nearly caused him to trip. “Annoying little flea bag!” Luckas pushed Pandora out of the way with his foot, his annoyance growing as the damn thing only allowed him to walk freely for a couple of steps before getting in his way once again. All the way into the house and up the stairs Pandora was persistently in the way of his footsteps while Seth followed behind him growling softly, all the way until he finally made his way down the hall towards Sam’s room, at which point both cats ran ahead of him to her door; sitting and staring up at him as he reached it and knocked. “Sam?”
“Come in, Luckas, it’s open.” Sam’s voice sounded from within the room. Slowly Luckas opened the door, letting both the cats run inside ahead of him, glad to get rid of them for the moment. Once inside the room he looked around for Sam, but didn’t see her at first, so he assumed she was behind the drapes that kept her bed, and a good area surrounding it, concealed from any visitors. As he walked further in with the intent of sitting by the fire to wait, he noticed a sizeable opening amongst the drapes through which he caught the sight of Sam stepping out of a tin bath, aided by two servant girls; her back turned to him. Luckas would have looked away right then, except his eyes were fixated on the image tattooed across the woman’s back; it resembled the Order’s crest somewhat, but it was a far more elaborate symbol. The design marked the entire length of her back and consisted of a sword pointing downwards, its blade fitting in between a pair of tiger eyes, several smaller symbols formed the pommel and several small arrows made the hilt, the mirrored images of two dragons, each seemingly clinging to one side of the hilt, served as the sword’s guard, each of them hovering above one tiger eye. There was a lot to absorb in that image, so much that Luckas seemed to have lost himself in it, only snapping out of his trance as the other women brought a robe over Sam’s shoulders, covering her naked form. At this point one of the servants noticed the fact that Luckas was there, and openly staring, which caused him to startle and promptly look away, wincing at the sound of the curtains being pulled tightly shut.
The maid surely said something because he was almost sure he heard a small laugh, but didn’t turn around again until he heard the curtains being pulled once more; a sound followed closely by Sam’s footsteps walking towards him. “See something you like, Lukey? Hm?” She whispered playfully into his ear, a small giggle escaping her as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him in an unexpectedly gentle embrace.
Luckas inhaled deeply, letting out his breath in a small sigh as he caught the pleasant flowery scent that emanated from her skin. The sudden warmth and the pleasant scent actually caused Luckas’ mind to momentarily shut down on him, and he found himself forcing a cough to clear a knot that seemed to have suddenly gotten caught in his throat. “I didn’t mean to... Look...” He mumbled, his voice still weak as he lowered his head even further, an uneasy and awkward feeling creeping up his spine.
“It’s alright, sweetie... I did ask you to enter, didn’t I?” She replied, giving him a squeeze before pulling away. “Although I will admit you did return awfully fast...” She said, her tone becoming just a hint colder as she walked around him so they were face to face, one warm hand still lingering on his shoulder. “I expected you to... Take your time... As you usually do. Not return until morning and such...” She snickered softly, a slightly bitter note to her sweetness as she added, sliding her hand from his shoulder to his chin, pushing him to lift his head and meet her gaze. “I wouldn’t blame you... She’s quite a looker, that one.”
“That has nothing to do with anything.” Luckas stated quickly, trying with very little success to keep his voice calm. There were too many things going through his mind, and so much clouding his judgement at the moment. Sam did usually have that effect on him, but at this moment he was also angry at Zeke for the way he’d been set up back in the city. Although, he had been foolish not to expect it. “I’m confused, Sam... What... You can’t slap me in the face one moment and then act as if you’re just fine with everything...”
“Sure I can. I didn’t think I needed to explain this to you, Luckas; I cannot be your friend out there in front of the others. Out there I own you, and you don’t question me.” She sighed, stepping away from him to sit in one of the chairs by the lit fire. “Sit. And if you are confused, then explain to me how is it possible that you don’t see why this upsets me.”
Luckas stood for a moment, staring at Sam as she made herself comfortable in the chair and stared up at him as if expecting him to tell her a story; the pure mockery of the gesture not escaping him, although only causing him the urge to laugh at her fake expression of interest. He narrowed his eyes at her as if to say he wasn’t amused, even though he was somewhat, before sitting down across from her and heaving a small exasperated sigh. “Are you changing my orders?”
“Not at this time, no.” She replied, with a small shrug.
“Have I harmed the Brotherhood in some way that I’m not made aware of?”
“No.”
“Then what exactly is the issue here? If there is one, then I don’t see.”
“The problem is just that… Sweetness… You don’t see.” Sam chuckled. “I honestly think you don’t see, even though I recall explaining it to you. I clearly recall this conversation. Perhaps your memory is still a bit defective, is that so?”
“My memory is perfect, Sam.” Luckas muttered, feeling himself beginning to lose his calm. “As I already explained to Zeke after he, so kindly, cornered me: If you want to find out what she knows it’s best to do it this way. If you want me to drag her to the dungeons then say the word, but I warn you it will get you nowhere.”
“I understand that. It’s sound logic Luckas, but what you fail to see is how close you’ve brought her to us today. Do you want those Newhaven pests to catch our trail because of this? If they do, there will be bloodshed, you know. It will be messy, and I hate messes.”
“Well, you were the one to march into their camp and tell them where you live.” Luckas pointed out, a little smirk crossing his features. “I’m just saying.”
“Yes, well... It was a stupid and impulsive thing to do, so you see my point.” She stated simply, glaring at him for bringing it up. “I’m trusting you, but more and more I’m getting the feeling that my trust means nothing to you. Is that a fact, Luckas?”
“Of course not, but you know... For someone who trusts me, you sure question me a lot. I don’t think I give you reason for so much doubt, considering all I’ve done.” Luckas retorted. “Perhaps you’d like me better if I blindly followed orders during the day and curled up at the foot of your bed at night... Even though your stupid cats seem to have more freedom than that.” As soon as Luckas said that he regretted it for two reasons; the first was the angered look on Sam’s face, and the second was one of the stupid cats running up to him and climbing on his lap. “What the hell is your problem, huh?” He muttered, pushing Pandora away from him yet again. The cat simply meowed and jumped onto him again, pacing on top of his lap and rubbing up against his shirt.
“Her problem Luckas... Is that she can smell the whore on you.” Sam said, a sharp cold tone in her voice. “She’s trying to get rid of it.”
Luckas growled softly in annoyance this time grabbing the cat and tossing her onto Sam’s lap. “I’d rather not stink of cat either, thank you. And I’d rather you don’t use that word.”
“I’d rather you don’t call my cats stupid.” Sam replied. “Insult my pets and I’ll insult yours.”
“I thought I was your pet.” Luckas stated, raising an eyebrow in a questioning expression. “I’m hurt.”
“You are not a pet, and no you’re not.”
Luckas grinned at the words. “I’m sorry, I’m not a what?” He asked, leaning forward as if trying to hear her better.
“Shut up. You heard me. Don’t be a smartass.” Sam rolled her eyes, a little amusement breaking through. “Are you going to tell me what happened in the basement, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?”
“Please, you hit like a girl.” Luke chuckled. “Nothing much happened really. The squealer talked about the journal, as I assumed was expected...”
“And you sent him flailing and screaming in a ball of flames.” Sam added.
Luckas giggled. “Yes! That was fun!” He exclaimed. “Oh, and she knows about the mark.” He added, lowering his voice slightly as if meaning for it to go unnoticed.
“What?” Sam growled. “How... How does she know the mark, Luckas?”
“I have no clue... She just did.” Luke shrugged.
Sam rubbed her temples and let out an annoyed growl. “AJ...Oh, I told Zeke this would come back to bite us.”
“What?” Luckas asked. “What... What are you talking about?”
“He was a traitor of his people... much like Ian, only he wasn’t tainted and didn’t quite have a family of his own. We brought him into the Brotherhood and in exchange he gave us the identity of the family that was meant to have the last journal, but it wasn’t there. He died trying to get it back... His body wasn’t found by our people.”
“Where did he die?” Luckas asked, leaning back in his seat, a bit more relaxed now that Sam’s annoyance was directed at something else other than him. “If there’s no body, how do you know...”
“I know.” Sam stated simply. “He died in the desert. He’d tracked down a survivor all the way there, but he insisted to handle it himself. I let him, he was really good at his work... I assume whoever the person was he tracked got the best of him.” She paused running her hand through her hair and looking up at the ceiling. “Whoever it was managed to reach the Raven’s encampment, it seems.”
“People go in and out of that place like it’s a freaking bar. Could be anyone.”
“You being one of those people, isn’t it so?” She added, lowering her gaze back to him.
“Oh, so now you want me to go there?” Luckas mumbled. “Make up your damn mind, will you?”
“Well, if those people are stupid to trust you... Then yes. I need to know who has that book.”
“And if I find it?”
“Then we will go there and get it. Just like in the desert.”
Luckas sighed. “No, not like in the desert, Sam. Know your enemies before you make them. The Crimson were at war, it was expected that they be attacked.”
“Wh...” Sam flinched slightly at the words. “You’ve been reading my father’s notes?”
“You said I could read anything in the library... Were those not meant to be there?”
“I thought I had burned them all... Suppose I missed a couple...”
“Three full journals... Although, they were hidden.” Luckas informed. “Would you like me to get rid of them?”
“Keep them if you like, I don’t care.” She responded, standing from her chair and walking to one of the open windows, quietly leaning against it to watch the sky. “Probably nothing of importance there.”
Luckas sighed staring at the sudden expression of pain in Sam’s face with curiosity. One thing was true; there was no mention of her at any point in those books, overall they were pretty dull except for bits and pieces that had to do with how the Order ‘acquired and trained their soldiers’, in the man’s own words. Never any names were mentioned, or places, but Luckas had recognized the methods he’d experienced himself. After a moment of quietly thinking about what he would do to the man if he was still alive he spoke. “You’re right... There’s no reason to keep them.”
Sam half smiled in response, still looking out the window in silence; resting both arms on the window sill and leaning on them. Pandora had now occupied Sam’s empty seat and was curled up in a ball staring intently at Luckas, her tail slowly moving from side to side in an almost hypnotic motion.
“Are you tired?” Sam asked softly, still staring at the darkness through the window. “If you want to, you can go to bed. Or get something to eat, when was the last time...”
“I eat.” Luckas muttered. “I’m not tired, but I can leave if you want.” He offered, mentally scolding himself for bringing up her father... It had clearly upset her and he was wondering if she actually wanted him to go away now.
“Well, suppose you wouldn’t be willing to curl up at the foot of the bed?” She asked, a small smile forming itself, but her eyes still fixed at some distant place outside her window.
“I thought you said I wasn’t a pet.” Luckas protested.
“I don’t recall that.”She replied simply.
“Would that make you feel better?”
Sam turned to face Luckas with a slightly intrigued look in her eyes. “What?”
“If I did that, would it make you feel better? You look sad, Sammy, I don’t like that.”
“I’m not sad.” Sam stated, wandering back to her chair and scooping up Pandora in her arms rather abruptly, giving the cat a forceful squeeze that caused her to hiss in protest. Sam softened her hold on the cat with a chuckle. “I’m just thinking about some things.”
“What kinds of things?” Luckas asked. “You know... You can tell me... I’m good with things; or at least I try.”
“I know. I know.” She sat back down in the chair, releasing the cat onto her lap. Pandora immediately leapt onto the floor and ran to climb on Luckas’ lap once again, purring and curling upon his legs. “She likes you better than me, I think.” Sam snickered.
Luckas sighed in annoyance, but let the animal have its way for now. “You mean she likes me better than you like me, or that she likes me better than she likes you?”
“She likes you more than she likes me.” Sam replied. “No one likes you better than me, Luckas; no one.” She stated seriously. “Even when you make messes and cause me trouble. I always like you.” Falling into a moment of silence she smiled gently, leaning back in her seat. “You have something you want to ask me, no? I can see there’s a question floating around in your mind, I see it in your eyes, Lukey. So, what is it?”
“Well, there’s one thing, yeah, I... Uhm... I couldn’t help but notice your tattoo. I mean, I caught I glimpse of it at the party, but couldn’t quite make it out until now.”
“Ah.” Sam snickered. “So that’s what you were so fascinated by... And what do you make of it?”
“It’s very detailed... Is there some meaning behind it?”
“A few.” Sam stated, leaning back in her chair and heaving a sigh. “I have some marks... Reminders of my father and his punishments... A couple of years ago I started to cover them up little by little.... Started with the tiger eyes, added the sword afterwards... Now and then I’ll add a detail or two. You know there’s a story, back in Terra, of this tiger that terrorized a few villages many many years ago... No one could ever catch the animal because it would only attack when people had their backs turned to it. The villagers started wearing masks on the back of their heads so they tiger would believe they were facing it at all times.”
“Did it work?”
“It did not. Because of the story though, tiger eyes have become a symbol of betrayal in that region. I thought it was a more than fitting replacement for the one eye in the Order sigil, for me. Killing my father, as deserved as it might have been, was a betrayal to the Brotherhood, much like what we stand for; our beliefs, pursuing them is a betrayal of sorts. A necessary one the way I see it, but a betrayal still.”
“It doesn’t bother you to be a traitor?”
“Someone has to make the sacrifice, Luckas, take the fall... That’s we’re here for. I’m not sure betrayal in itself makes me proud, but it’s a means to an end; if it’s needed then so be it.”
Luckas nodded in agreement for a moment, then stopped as something caught his attention. “Sam... What do you mean ‘take the fall’?”
“I mean that if we are successful, most likely I will die; the last of my line... It’s the end of the Order, Luckas. This new world we fight so hard to create... It has no place for us. That’s the price to pay. My father couldn’t accept that, he was afraid of the outcome, he became an obstacle; and that, for the most part, is what justifies my betrayal. If we don’t go through with our mission then all the lives we took and all the destruction we caused would be for nothing.”
“It’s important for you to honor the people you kill, Sam?” Luckas asked, a bit amused at the idea. “I thought they were ‘tainted’ and ‘freaks’ and whatnot...”
“I don’t blame them for what they are, Luckas... They are innocent in all of this. Victims of the Gods and their recklessness. I don’t hate enlightened, not in general.”
“You hate the White Shadows though, don’t you? I saw you talking to Annie at the party, it didn’t look very friendly.”
“Oh, so you can tell when that kid’s not being friendly?” Sam asked, not hiding the contempt in her tone. “You’re right, Lukey, I do hate the White Shadows for what they represent to this land, but that is a whole other issue.” She stated, falling silent for a moment, before very calmly steering the conversation elsewhere. “How long are you staying around the Manor this times, Luckas?”
“That depends on how soon you need me to go snoop around the Ravens’ camp. Why?”
“I’d really like you to wake up early tomorrow and go to the training arena. Adam will be there waiting for you. You really need to learn to put up a fight. It’s getting annoying to see you beaten up every other day.”
“Huh, sorry for the inconvenience. I think I’m fine though... One thing I’ve learned in life is to take a punch.”
“I’m not asking, Luckas. It’s an order.”
Luckas sighed in annoyance, but simply shrugged instead of protesting. “Fine, if you want it.”
“I want it.” Sam stated sternly.
“Alright, fine, then I suppose I should get something to eat and go to bed.” He stated, standing and stopping to brush the cat hairs from his pants as before walking out of the room with a mumble of “Good night.”
-------------------------------------------
[White Shadows encampment - 17 days after Castle Ball]
“...We have an injured man here..”
“Please it is urgent we leave him in the care of the Healers... it is important we get back to the Raven’s nest at once.”
“It was suppose to be just a scouting expedition...I don’t know what happen..”
“He had some sort of fit and hasn’t regained consciousness…”
Darren looked paler than normal except for the blood that stained his skin around his eyes. He had the appearance of someone that was already dead. Lifeless and yet peaceful. His expression was somewhere complacent, as if he were merely faking his sleep and was listening to the clamor of voices around himself in subtle amusement at all the fuss. Tiny, black curls were plastered against his forehead from sweat, yet no trace of perspiration was left to be found.
“Hey, we’ve got another incoming... And I could use some help, if you don’t mind. Everyone has their hands full today.”
Annie had spent most of her day in the archives again. She was starting to feel stupid, and a bit crazy, because she couldn’t figure out where to find the key to the encrypted journal. At this point she kept trying books at random, because her mind was simply out of any logical ideas to approach the situation. When Alistair’s call drew her attention from the book she was currently trying to use, she realized she had no clue what time of day it even was anymore. Maybe it was time to put her attention elsewhere. “Symptoms?” She asked, dropping the book and standing from her spot in the center of small mess of books and papers; tripping over a few things on her way out of the archives. “Hello.” She greeted, finding her friend waiting outside the small cabin where the clan’s files were stored. “So... Symptoms?”
“Well, I didn’t have a look at him yet, but for what I was told; some sort of fit followed by loss of consciousness. That’s how his friends described it; they don’t know what might have caused and for what I hear they were pretty startled.”
“Hmm... Sounds like a seizure or something similar, have we ruled out poisoning already?”
“Would I be bothering you if it was poisoning?” Alistair retorted simply.
“Since when do you need reasons to bother me?” Annie chuckled. “I’m serious, did someone actually check?”
“Yes, yes... Everyone knows the procedure, don’t worry.” Alistair assured her, stopping by one of the many tents in the encampment and waiting for Annie to enter ahead of him. The night before, when Annie was last on duty, there were three patients in that one tent, two of them had not made it through the night, the other had his wounds treated and was released to go home; refuseing to wait until morning. Now that tent was empty aside from one patient. “Oh, look Al... It’s my attacker!” Annie teased, nudging Alistair as he entered the tent after her.
“Oh, ha.” Alistair muttered glaring at the girl for a second. “You know, if someone had actually attacked you, you wouldn’t be laughing.”
“And neither would they.” Annie replied with a small chuckle. “I do, of course, always appreciate your protection, Alistair.” She added in a more serious tone, an amused smirk still crossing her features as she examined the unconscious Darren. “Did his companions know for sure if he has any enlightenment?”
“Not for sure. They suspect.” Alistair replied. “Do you think he is being affected?”
“It’s a possibility, but... Who knows... Most symptoms are still too common to tell. If he had a seizure... Well... There are other possible causes for that. You were the one to go around telling people that everyone is sick though, you tell me.” Annie retorted, with a slightly displeased tone hiding underneath her teasing as she leaned over Darren, pressing her ear against his chest for a few seconds, proceeding to check his eyes and his temperature before giving a light shrug. “Well, his breathing sounds fine, heart rate is tad bit higher than normal, but it’s not too uncommon after a fit like this; it should return to normal soon. Whatever happened, he seems alright now... Probably passed out due to the physical stress he suffered.”
“We should just monitor him then.” Alistair concluded with a tired sigh. “Alright.”
“Are his friends still around?” Annie questioned, settling down on a nearby wooden stool.
“We welcomed them to stay, but I’m not sure.” Alistair responded. It had been a while since visitors weren’t allowed in the examination areas of the camp anymore so if the men were still around they would be in another area of the camp entirely.
“You should maybe see if they’re around and let them know he’s not dying... Well, not today anyway.” She raised an eyebrow at him playfully. “Unless you’re afraid the patient will wake up and bite me while you’re away.”
“Shut up, kid.” Alistair half-scolded, laughing a bit in amusement as he started to walk out of the tent.
It seemed like such a slow process; the act of waking up. Darren felt groggy and hazy as if he were dreaming. The voices around him sounded distant and muffled in comparison to the pounding of blood throbbing against his temples. He was trying to focus on the last image he saw before he went under, but he couldn’t remember it. Darren felt trapped as he tried to get his body to react in some manner but instead it was as if he was behind prison bars, banging and screaming, yet there was no one to hear him. It was a mockery of sorts, to hear that he was not alone, yet unable to communicate. Did he hear someone giggle? It was the first sound that was almost as clear as the pain in his head. If only he could get his heart to stop racing, maybe the pain would lesson.
Darren suddenly felt a gentle, warmth against his chest which seemed to drag his attention somewhat from the pain in his mind, becoming quite aware of his own body and that he was lying flat somewhere. An image flashed behind his eyelids and just as quickly as it arrived, it disappeared, like smoke dissipating from an enclosed space only to diffuse into the environment. Sounds became clearer. Smells became stronger. The moment he became entirely self aware, the voices began to make sense, but he only caught the last couple sentences.
“Unless you’re afraid the patient will wake up and bite me while you’re away.”.....“Shut up, kid.”
Darren groaned in an expression of pain but more so to let his company know he was going to be engaging in the conversation at hand. “...Hey...I’ve never...bitten anyone before…” He paused to clear his throat, trying to ignore the scratchy feeling as he spoke, opening one eye and gazing curiously at the girl beside him. “...Maybe if they asked me to..maybe I’d consider..” Opening both eyes now, he slowly turned his head, still pushing his attention somewhere else. Anywhere else. Yet, he couldn’t quite remember why, besides the pain..
“...And don’t listen to him...please. Talk to me..Where am I? How did I get here?” Darren quirked a brow, a slight smirk crossing his lips. “Am I dead?”
“Well, some say you should try everything at least once.” Annie chuckled slightly. “I don’t think biting will be on my list of priorities anytime soon however.” The girl’s playful response was accompanied by a moment of silent staring during which she seemed to examine several little things she couldn’t quite observe on an unconscious person. She remained silent still while Darren questioned her, although standing from her seat and pacing to the entrance of the tent, quietly signaling someone outside before returning to her seat.
“Am I dead?”
“It’s all the white isn’t it?” She asked glancing at the white canvas of the tent walls around them. “I don’t know why, but people assume the afterlife is just... Very... White... Hmmm.... I hope they don’t get that idea from us.” Annie paused for a moment honestly wondering where that notion might have originated from, but then she shook her head briefly and started to address Darren’s questions. “I’m sorry, I’ve been awake way longer than I should... To answer your questions: No, you are not dead yet. You are at the moment in examination tent number six at the White Shadows encampment. You were brought to us unconscious after having an episode of some sort; your friends were not very clear on what exactly happened, but for what I hear they were quite startled. How does your head feel?” She questioned, not even flinching as another healer randomly entered the tent with a pitcher of water and a visibly tattered medicine bag, setting them by Annie wordlessly and leaving in a haste. “Never any time for manners nowadays.” She mumbled to herself in an amused tone as she found a metal cup inside the bag and filled it up with water, adding the contents of a tiny vial to it before setting it down by Darren. “This is pain medication, nothing too strong, but drink it slowly.” She advised. “What is last thing you remember before waking up here?”
“It’s all the white isn’t it?”
Darren moved to sit up, turning onto his side and propping his head upon his hand for support in an attempt to fight against a small dizzy spell. Closing his eyes he listened to the other sounds around him, appearing to be deep in thought. The boy sighed, his head dipping forward so that when he opened his eyes, those cerulean blues darkened beneath a subtle violet glow. Every little movement Annie made, Darren’s eyes followed. They weren’t just glued to her, they were entranced. “Might I say...that anyone who awakens to behold such a lovely woman staring down at them...anyone... could be influenced to wonder if they have passed into heaven. Something too good to be true..usually tends to be…”
Not tearing his eyes from Annie, he sat all the way up, accepting humbly the glass of water. Whispering thanks, he sipped the water, a puzzled look furrowing his brows. “..Well...been on the road for about a week scouting..” Darren paused not sure what he should tell of his travels as of late and shrugged carelessly as if it was just the normal run of the mill expedition. “...We...my companions are the Captain Talsheir’s..well they are. I’m just a guest of your cousin’s...guess you could say. We...stumbled upon something...I believe is groundbreaking and ...I don’t remember….think it happened when I touched the cages…” Shaking his head he groaned, gulping down half of the glass’ contents before continuing. “..Odd….I’ve never...blacked out...like this before..” Placing the glass down at his side, he gestured to Annie to sit at an empty chair across from him, letting his eyes finally pull away from the young lady, not really wanting to discuss himself much more. The more he tried to think on what he last remembered the more his head throbbed. “How about you? How’s your head?”
“Hmm... Well... I like to think all good things are true, one way or another.” Annie smiled, casually brushing past the compliment he paid her. “My mother used to say that our mind functions exactly the same while we are awake and when we’re dreaming, and because of that it’s pretty much impossible to be completely sure anything is real... Or unreal for that matter. So I guess there’s no such thing as something too good to be true; only our unwillingness to accept good things.” She concluded, finding another empty cup and briefly sniffing the insides of it before pouring herself a bit of water. The cup still emanated a strong scent of herbs that would be considered unpleasant to most people; Annie was more than used to everything always smelling of medicine at some point. She watched Darren carefully as she sipped the water listening as he tried to remember what happened before he passed out; her expression turning curious at the bits and pieces of information. “Hm, so... Is your enlightenment triggered by contact, or were those cages you touched just really really dirty?” She mused, his question causing her to flinch only slightly as she was forced to actually stop and think of an answer. “My head is... Well... Alright, I guess. At least at the moment and considering my sleep deprivation. I should really start taking more breaks, but then again... So should everyone else, right?”
Darren’s eyes widened in a bit of surprise as he listened to Annie, nodding here and there, agreeing with the girl’s words on the mind’s willingness to accept good things in life. It intrigued him how she spoke in such a way that seemed years beyond her age. Leaning forward, resting his elbows above his knees, he casually looked around the room as if he had misplaced something of value. “You’re different than most girls our age. You’re smart. You read a lot, don’t you? I do too. In fact, I learn more from holding a book than actually reading it’s contents sometimes. So you are correct….my Enlightenment is triggered by physical contact.” The man sighed, forcing a sad smile before reaching for and finishing off his glass of water. He tried to remember again, what he had seen before he went down, flashes of darkness and fire startling him from the present moment. “...We thought the cages had held livestock at first. The smell...the conditions…”
Shifting in his seated position, Darren’s gaze examined Annie from head to toe in a shy, curiosity. “..It is good to take breaks...focus on something else and then go back to...whatever it is you were doing. Or...sometimes an outside perspective to shine light onto something that may have you stumped. I..” He hesitated a moment before continuing. “..I am not sure of what I am allowed to explain without breaking promises to the Captain. I want to remain cautious but I also wonder...delicate information...would it be safer for one or two people to know or to spread it a little thin? I have a feeling what I know is dangerous for those who have shared in that knowledge but also...it is so important that if those who know.. “disappear” in some way, then would that knowledge disappear with them?” Reaching beneath his shirt he retrieved the journal copy Irv had made him, tapping it thoughtfully along the bind. “Something similar to my sleepless nights has been keeping you up still, yes? When we met...I saw…” The sadness in Darren’s smile touched his eyes as he trailed off, reaching out with the journal to an opened page and pointed to a symbol, changing the subject slightly. “Thing about trust is, I was told, I have to give a little to get it in return...so..Have you seen this before? That one with the sword.”
Annie nodded at Darren’s mention of her being different. “Not always a good thing, being different, but surprisingly it works for me. Not like there’s a way around being different when growing up in a place like this... Surrounded by old people and books. Although I will admit that as of late I’ve become a bit frustrated with books, and the fact we have so many of the bloody things.” She chuckled taking another sip of water, a sympathetic look crossing her. “My enlightenment was triggered by contact for the first three years after my awakening, it was... really bothersome; not to mention bad on my health. It took some effort to control it. You have visions, yes? Must be unpleasant for you at times, I imagine.” The comment was followed by silence as Annie poured herself a bit more water, choosing to let Darren speak. Her silence extended for a bit longer than she originally meant it to, as some of the things he said actually caused her to wonder about some other, unrelated, issues. Eventually the symbol he was showing her brought her mind back to the present moment, to this specific situation and the matter at hand. “Knowledge is a funny thing sometimes... And so is trust. I suppose there are two very important things you should know about me if we are going to trust each other: The first thing is that, since I am here as a healer, anything you tell me dies with me unless you actually give me permission to tell someone else. The second is that... This also means that I will never really be able to tell anyone everything I know about anything. Personally, I believe everyone is entitled to secrets, but at the same time I believe that ignorance only truly protects the ones keeping the secret and never the ones left in the dark. I guess that is slightly hypocritical of me, but... Suppose people are entitled to protect themselves by keeping secrets, but if they believe or try to convince others that they’re doing it for any other reason... Then it’s different. That’s what I think... My opinion of the secrets I keep.” Annie sighed softly, simply moving onto answering his question. “That symbol, I know it. There are things written about it, but I won’t bother showing you because they’re not true. What I know for a fact and can say about it is that about... hmm... Twenty years ago, for a period of four to five years there were several cases of deaths... Of children who had awakened to enlightenment way too early, at ages between four and six years old. The White Shadows were called to investigate possible causes; early awakenings are rare and they don’t usually happen this early. It was too out of ordinary. My mother looked into it, and it was discovered that most children had been reported missing and were in fact not enlightened at all. That was as much as it was ever discovered, the deaths eventually stopped... People forgot, but... There are similar stories that date back to when Blackhurst was still standing that were connected to this symbol and this group that called itself The Order. Before that they were believed to just be stories, but they’re not. I guess that’s all the factual information I can give, unfortunately. Hopefully it helps.”
“..Too many books? Sometimes I fear I’ll run out. I read whenever I can….and actually usually carry an old tattered book on different myths. I’m always reinterpreting them. I don’t believe they are the simple stories of how things came to be or even the meanings behind them. The inspiration or morale...hey even some sort of path...I believe there’s still something I’m not seeing...I can’t explain it.” Darren went to sigh and instead an awkward laugh came out instead. “Well..maybe I like puzzles so much, I see everything as a piece of a larger and much more complicated picture. Or..it’s not so much on what I see, but ‘ Who I see. Experiencing those things..can be unpleasant. For the most part I can control it..except when I sleep or the random flashes I get that I just can’t seem to keep out. Last time I had this intense of a reaction was ...my awakening.”
Darren stared at Annie in silence, his gaze relaxed with a curious expression that was frozen for some time as he dwelled on a few things she had said to him on how well she can keep secrets. A sadness flashed in his eyes and faded into a violet twinkle as he smiled. Darren gently tapped his father’s journal against his knee. “What if I were to tell that I know someone who possibly works with those people associated with that symbol? That there are dates in this ledger that coincide with the dates of the village burnings in Blackhurst and from some of what I’ve learned mention not just many deaths but missing people. What if the records kept are that of a tradesman’s own bookkeeping? I have heard of children taken away to become servants but not until recently did I hear of complete disappearances or worse. At least in those noticeable numbers.” Darren flipped over the ledger to what seemed like a random spot except for the permanent crease that appeared along the binding. “Usually transactions are coded by weight, or color, especially if not by name..but not usually by age. At first I thought it could be cattle..as the records explain...and they don’t go as far back as All the burnings in Blackhurst, but the ages are always around the same three year span. The thing is…” Darren lightly rubbed at his left temple before casually pushing his sleeves up to his elbows, exposing some of his flame like tattoos. “I’m in this book. At first, when I ran into a strange, old woman at that Ball we met at, I thought she was maybe insane or had some vendetta…” Darren paused and looked Annie dead in the eye, “I won’t ask you to promise to not tell anyone what I tell you...I only ask you use judgement when mentioning to anyone the information I share..as you have done with what you have shared with me so far. Reason I say this, is because the information is dangerous and it’s personal. You see, my father is the tradesman I speak of and I think he’s involved in some sort of slave trade. It was brought to my attention that many disappearances couldn’t have been all for slavery because it would have been on a larger scale and until now, with the bit you told me, we didn’t understand the possibility to what those children were taken for. I have siblings possibly still alive, out there. They were not favored by my father, so they were sold...and even maybe killed.”
Abruptly and too quickly, Darren stood, clenching and uncurling his fingers as if he was just stung by something painful. It was clear he was startled but didn’t really mention the vision of a man that had died in the very spot he was sitting, appearing to shake it off and move to lean against a pole of the tent, beside Annie. His mind was everywhere and he scolded himself for not containing his focus, but that was when some of the flashes from the cages returned to him. “..Asher...my father..was in Blackpond with Jake and I..in the prison. I doubt he is still there but wherever he centrally had his people working out of, that we think we found, left in quite a hurry. I...believe they burned some of their cargo..whatever they didn’t have time to move. There were human remains in those cages... I shouldn’t have touched those bars. It was...unnecessary to confirm what was already at our feet…” Nodding towards the cot he had been laying on, Darren shifted the conversation a bit. “..What happened to the lad who slept there before me?” Twitching somewhat, he went to itch a spot his curls were tickling against his ear only to find a warm, sticky substance began to trickle down his neck.
“If you believe there’s no such thing as too many books then I owe you a visit to the White Shadows’ archives... Trust me, there are too many books.” Annie stated simply; an slightly frustrated sigh escaping her. “Puzzles are great.” She agreed with a smile. “They can also be... Way too involving sometimes. Addictive even, if one is not careful. And as far as puzzles go, people seem to be the most intriguing ones of all... Even if mostly unsolvable. Personally I’ve found myself being forced to accept that some answers are simply lost to me... And others will never be what I expected them to be.... As a norm though, I’m not the type of person to admit defeat; hence my sleepless nights; as you’ve pointed out yourself. Stubborn runs strong in my family as you might have already learned from hanging out with Jacob.”
Annie didn’t react with much shock to what Darren had to tell, it was clear that not all of it was new to her, but there was something behind her calm exterior that came very close to revulsion as she listened. It was there and just as quickly as it appeared it vanished as the girl heaved a sigh, lowering her head for a moment and rubbing her eyes as she felt the start of a headache striking at her temples. As tolerant as Annie had learned to be with the world in general, there would always be things in life she just couldn’t understand, or accept, and considering all that she had already seen in her short years, that was a good thing. The ability to still be sickened and outraged by some acts of cruelty was somewhat relieving even if it made the thought of not getting involved all the more frustrating. She kept her head down seeming distracted with trying to stop her tiny headache from exploding, but the moment Darren stood up she jumped to her feet, half reaching for his arm as though expecting him to fall over. “Careful, you’re not supposed to stand up so fast.” She scolded, frowning for a second as she glanced at the cot and moved to sit there, motioning for Darren to take her seat as if to assure no one had died there as far as she knew. “The man who slept here before came in a few days ago terminally ill, he died at some point during the past night. He had no family or friends left so he was buried here.” She explained, lowering her gaze to the ground momentarily before focusing on Darren again. “I can only think of a few people I would actually want to share your information with, Darren, and as is you’re likely to see them before I do. Just tell Mageria when you discuss this with her that if any children are found alive and presenting unusual gifts, I would be personally interested in taking them in and helping them cope. Twins only know what they would have been put through, and what, if anything, they would know of the world.” She sighed again, going silent for a few moments before trying to steer the conversation to a less depressing place, even if momentarily. “So, are those meaningful somehow or they’re just there to make you look tougher?” She asked curiously, indicating the flames upon his arms.
Darren’s eyes lit up at the offer to visit the White Shadow’s archives. For him to think about so many books to be located in one place, it put him in a bit of awe. For a few moments he spaced on if having so much information in one place was a good thing; if it was safe or dangerous. He figured that would depend on the kind of information that dwelled within those pages or lingered on the bind of their skins. The written word was meant as a record so that knowledge could be shared and not forgotten, wasn’t it?
When Annie moved to the cot, Darren sank into the now empty chair, absently wiping at the bit of blood below his earlobe and glanced at his fingertips. “..You’re probably right..I mean...you are a healer..this is what you know..this is what you do..But I can’t take it easy for too long. As much as I’d like to..” He smiled, quirking a brow, alternating that twinkle in his eye to signal something that was edging forward from the back of his mind. “..I will be sure to let the Captain know of your offer. In a short time, both you and her have shown me glimpses of a strength fueled from many things but compassion and duty stands out thus far...to me. That commands respect that seems to fall in effortlessly. I think the decision you’ve made to listen to another’s secrets; their pain and misery; their darkness..is not just a lonely burden but also a life saver. To be that crutch is something everyone needs and not everyone gets.” Darren took in a deep breath, his own words weighing on him curiously as he looked over Annie from head to toe, his expression shifting to one of perplexion. “If I may ask though, do you have someone to be that crutch for you? Who gets to bare your secrets? A dear friend? A lover? Or are you left still wondering, like so many, who can be just as strong as you...or stronger?”
Darren wasn’t sure if he was actually expecting an answer, his meaning he initially went for as subtle, but realized it may have been a bit too forward. He only gave a short moment for pause for the words to be thought on but not yet answered as he pulled back his sleeves more to reveal the black flames upon his skin. “You think these makes me look tough? I was going for...sexy..but I’ll take tough.” Darren chuckled. “Naw, no seriously? I saw it for what it is..for what it was. Fire. People think more on what is consumed by it but I like to think of it differently. I like to think on what pushes people forward...what fuels our goals...our purposes..and for me...there are many things that keeps me burning. I just have to consider the brighter I burn the faster I’ll go out. I’ve seen it happen. Maybe..these are just a reminder.” Darren’s gaze shifted, his smile fading some. It wasn’t a look of discomfort but more of humility. He had been so fixated on the conversation and the lovely girl before him, he hadn’t noticed the pain in his head dissipate.
“The brightest flames burn the quickest... My friend Isaac used to say that often, bless his soul. I used to argue with him that the Sun is the brightest flame there is and it’s been burning for thousands of years, so that statement is very likely to be untrue. Don’t know why he’d always be a little pissy when I said that, but yeah... Fire is an interesting element, the people of Brightvale used to believe that the entire process of Creation was set in motion by one single spark... That the world was born from fire and will eventually end in fire as well. I think to me that’s what fire represents; the power to choose between creation and destruction.” Annie smiled, a hint of sadness crossing her dark eyes, but soon fading away as she chuckled. “And well.... hmmm....” She mumbled, looking over Darren playfully as if inspecting him. “Don’t know about sexy, but for what I can tell it suits you.” She stated simply. “As for bearing my secrets, well, are you offering?” She asked, not exactly leaving room for him to answer and shrugging slightly. “I do have people I confide in, Jake, Alistair; I’m sure you remember him, some other friends, but like I said... I’ll never be able to tell anyone absolutely everything about my life. I suppose, that’s the main reason why not many of us actually go and get married and start a family and stuff... I don’t speak from personal experience, but... I’ve seen it over the years, growing up here, that this work takes its toll on a person’s relationships; not matter the nature of those relationships. I imagine it becomes increasingly difficult to ask another person to share their life with you when you always have a piece of yourself you’re not allowed to share with anyone; because no matter how hard you try, the things you see, the secrets you keep, even if not your own, they become a great part of who you are.” Annie fell silent for a few moments, breaking said silent with an amused chuckle. “Well done, sir... You have managed to properly distract me from my work. That doesn’t actually happen very often, so... It’s been a few minutes now: How does your head feel? Any better? For what I can tell there is nothing wrong with you right this second aside from the after-effects of a seizure, so I see no reason why you can’t be on your way, but I’d advise you to stay here at least for another twelve hours, ideally twenty four, but at least twelve just so I don’t have to worry. That and you should observe yourself from now on; if anything like this happens again or if you have particularly strong reactions when using your gift from now on, you should come to us as soon as possible.”
Darren fell quiet for some time, absently reaching into his shirt pocket for a handkerchief to wipe away the blood below his ear. “Rest….can’t avoid that I guess..” He whispered, fading off with a nod. “I’m feeling better, thank you.” He stood again, but this time slowly, only to slink along the floor with this head pointed towards the corner of the tent and his feet just touching the cot where Annie sat. Gradually he laid down, curling one arm back around, beneath his head as a pillow. His gaze flickered from Annie to the ceiling and back as he thought over what she had said about how the position of keeping secrets had affected relationships in general to those in the camp. Darren thought on how being stuck between a rock and a hard place would affect the person keeping those secrets compared to the one who was left in the dark. “..Hm...I’m no expert..but seems to me some people need to accept what someone will share with them and not dwell on what they can’t share with them. Maybe..those relationships didn’t work out for other reasons..and that was an excuse. It’s not fair of me to speculate I guess.” Darren cleared his throat before speeding through the next few sentences. “..Does doing what you do, harden you to life’s losses? Is it harder for you to shed tears sometimes? Or does it make it easier? I would imagine being exposed to this kind of work, softening someone’s soul but leaving them to shield themselves from certain attachments. Thus, secrets are understandable; undeniable; and apart of life just as much as death.” Staring back up at the ceiling, Darren’s eyes squinted as if he was trying to avoid the sun. “..I don’t think I could ever get use to it...because knowing what is, doesn’t make it any easier.” He chuckled. “Sorry..I think aloud when I get tired or nervous. I’m curious though, what is your gift? I don’t think you mentioned and I wasn’t sure if it would be considered rude to ask. Is it rude?”
Annie nodded along to Darren as he spoke. She could hear the movement in the camp outside, the minor chaos that had been their daily routine for a while now, but somehow at the same time it all felt a bit too quiet. “Hmm... Well... I don’t know... I’m speculating myself, but I believe that some things are simply inevitable to us as human beings. Sometimes knowing and accepting some things when a relationship starts doesn’t really stop people from growing frustrated by them in time. Our perception changes the longer we know people and in any type of relationship while it may be easy to tell yourself that you don’t need to know certain things, or that you don’t need more than what this particular person is able to offer, in five or ten years you may feel different. Then it eventually comes down to trust and whether it does or not exist between two people and more often than not that tends to be a breaking point. A lot of people seem to think that if they’re not confided in they aren’t trusted. My mom used to say to me, often, that if she could always tell me the truth she wouldn’t need me to trust her and at this point in my life when I think of some answers she could have simply given me before she died I still question whether or not she did; regardless of what I know, it’s the truth. Humanity is a beautiful and painful thing like that and it tends to, sometimes, sneak up on us.” Annie fell silent for a few moments as though going over a series of things by herself before she heaved a sigh, a curious smile crossing her features. “Us right now for instance; me telling you these things... does that mean I trust you? Does that mean you know me? Is that even actually relevant?”
Annie silenced again, not really expecting answers to her questions, her expression gradually changing as she contemplated just how her work had affected her. It was a complicated assessment to make, to say the least. “Working in a place like this, living in place like this, it eventually changes you one way or another. For me, when I was younger I thought I didn’t have a choice in being a healer, but in the past couple of years I realized that it has to be a choice. I have to be able to tell myself that this is a choice, because some days, some people, get to you. And here’s the deal; death is not the problem. It’s bad to see people die and losing a patient, it feels like it is... feels like losing someone, but the problem is that the patient is not your someone to lose. So there are time when you have to look someone in the eyes, and say something like ‘we’ve done all we could’ or ‘there’s nothing more we can do’. You say that, look them in the eyes, and you can see all hope die. Sometimes for a moment, sometimes for a very long time. When you lose someone that’s yours, for me at least, it’s.... Well, not better, but it’s a process that you go through and it’s yours, it’s private, and you can allow yourself to stop and feel it... All of it. When it’s someone else’s you don’t get a process, a mourning period, you can’t afford it, because someone else is falling apart and you are the only one there to be strong for them. It never gets easier, but you never show it, and you move on... In a good day by the time you get to stop and think about it you’ve saved more than you have lost. Today is shaping up to be a pretty good day; just a guy with a headache so far.” Annie chuckled momentarily. “I can’t speak for everyone, I think it’s a personal thing, but for me... Seeing the things I’ve seen has taught me that Death in itself is a small moment in Time, and nothing more than that. It doesn’t change how I suffer my losses, just what I consider a loss. I mean, my mom died, but that was one moment in her lifetime... It doesn’t erase the years she was there for me. It doesn’t take away all our moments.” Heaving a small sigh Annie took a suddenly professional attitude as she recited. “Regenerative cellular manipulation by transfer, it’s the fancy name; all enlightenments have one, except mine so I made up this one. The White Shadows call it, officially, spiritual healing and the reason why it doesn’t have an official fancy name is because it is such a rare enlightenment that no one has been born with it for nearly a hundred years before me and no one has actually studied it before me, and even now no one is exactly sure how it works, my guess is that it is a combination of accelerated regeneration and reverse physical empathy; to put it simply I can heal wounds, first by touch and involuntarily, which was an issue since doing so would greatly drain my energies, but now I can channel it, although it still takes some physical proximity, it doesn’t require touch.” She shrugged lightly her tone returning to casual as she added. “I don’t think it’s a rude thing to ask, no. I don’t go around telling everyone if I can help it for obvious reasons, but I don’t hide what I can do. It’s just hard to explain to people that it doesn’t mean I can instantly fix everything.”
It was relaxing for Darren to lay in silence and let Annie speak. Even when she paused, he wasn’t sure if he had anything to add to the conversation at hand or if the healer was waiting for him to answer. A couple times his mind drifted almost to that peaceful place where dreams dwelled, yet even with this eyes closed he was still hanging on Annie’s every word. He snorted through a chuckle. “..By the way you talk, it seems like you do more here than patch up wounds and send people on their way. At least in the physical sense. I don’t come across too many in general who talk like you do. Humanity is a touchy subject and can put some on the defense. But I like how what you say, puts me into deep thought.” Darren stifled a yawn, opening one eye to peer at Annie curiously. “I can understand why you don’t parade around, bragging about your enlightenment. The kind of attention that could draw some people in, is not what you need or want. That’s how my Fa-..eh, Asher would talk when he found out I was enlightened. Except it wasn’t like people would want me to use my gift for their advantage. At least, I don’t see it that way. He always said there would be people out there who would be jealous or who would not understand. He said it would be safer if I kept it to myself. Which brings us back to that bit on trust. I never really trusted Asher and with good reason, I came to find out. He use to try to tell me that I could trust him with my life and that was the only kind of trust I would ever need.” Darren sighed, opening both eyes to glance at Annie a bit awkwardly. “I tried to understand that..and in many ways it makes sense. But then, there are bigger things in this world than just him and I.”
Darren rolled over onto his side so he was now facing Annie, yawning into his arm and muttering an apology for it. The conversation wasn’t by any means, boring him, but the lack of sleep was most definitely catching up to him. “...The things I’m telling you may not necessarily be relevant to trust and it does not mean I indeed do trust someone I barely know. I want to though and you seem like someone worth taking the time to know and to have in my corner.” He yawned through his next sentence a bit comically, slowly letting his eyes droop shut. “Besides you’re related to Jake, so you must be interesting.” He smiled, mumbling a bit to himself, “..Maybe you’d want my in your corner too..”
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[Forest - 18 days after Castle Ball]
“...Is there a reason you’ve been following me, mate? I mean..sorry to disappoint, you’re not a bad looking guy...just I like brunettes....” Darren chuckled as he retrieved the throwing axe from a Cherry tree, happy to be exercising his new toys. “.......women of course..” He continued, staring off into the shadows, not seeing who exactly was there but knowing and feeling a steady pair of eyes upon him.
“There’s always a reason... I think...” Luckas made absolutely no effort to pretend he wasn’t actually following the guy, he was barely trying to be discrete even; it didn’t really seem necessary. “And I’m flattered, but that’s really not on my list of motives... This time.” He chuckled a bit under his breath. “Just... You are strangely familiar. Strangely familiar people tend to make me nervous. I still haven’t been able to get rid of the last one.”
Darren strained his eyes, a half smirk peeking into view as he stepped forward quirking a brow. “...Your voice doesn’t sound familiar....but then again I’m a visual person....maybe you’re a leprechaun.....so tiny I can’t see you?” With a flick of his wrist, the axe he held at his side was implanted into the snow along the borderline of the shadows. “So...there’s an advantage and disadvantage all in one glance....it makes you nervous aye? How so? Is this other poor soul your stalker instead?”
Luckas withheld a laugh, retrieving the throwing axe from the snow, and absently moving deeper into hiding without another word. When he spoke again he was standing behind Darren, examining him with a curious gaze. “Instead of what?” He asked. “And you know... When someone, who may or not be a tiny creature, is stalking you... It’s not very wise to give them a weapon.” He chuckled. “Assuming that said individual, would actually need one.” He added, with a little shrug. “When someone is familiar, it usually means I’ve seen them before, but can’t remember when, and that... That is rather unnerving. How old are you?”
Darren almost doubled over in chuckles as he turned about to face the figure, clapping his hands slowly in an impressed gesture. “..Niiice....I need to learn that trick...” His smile broadened, blue eyes flickering, tiny lilac colored specs glinting in his gaze. “Hm....I suspect not much younger than you, guy....Name’s Darren..and perhaps...I am just not as paranoid as I should be in the wilderness.” Absorbing the dark haired man before him he added, “Nope....don’t know you....You from Blackpond? Perhaps you have seen me around there before I was tossed into prison and found my way here.” Widening his stance, the young man opened his arms giving the impression he was not a threat, holding out a palm for his weapon. “So...is there something I can help you with, friend?”
“Maybe...” Luckas mumbled under his breath. “I’m from Blackpond at times... Sometimes I’m from around here... It depends. And then, Darren... Just because you don’t know me, doesn’t mean I don’t know you... I am a bit of a stalker after all... just a bit...” He said, looking up at Darren with an increasingly curious gaze; his black eyes narrowing slightly at the strange feeling of familiarity. At this point, Luckas was thinking, maybe he’d seen the guy in someone’s memory, he was sure he hadn’t seen him on the streets, it was when he decided to look into Darren’s mind that he actually flinched; the moment he stared into the guy’s eyes something seemed to stop him in his tracks and he looked away, a slight twitch forming itself in the corner of his right eye as he shook his head, something that sounded in between a choke and a laugh escaping him in one single breath. When he lifted his head again, he smirked as if nothing unusual had happened and simply handed Darren his weapon. “Luckas... That’s my name... and it’s the only one I have so don’t go around sharing it.”
Darren accepted his weapon, the very tips of his middle and pointer finger just grazing Luckas’ thumb before slipping the handle of the axe beneath his belt. His eyebrows raised, bunching together in an almost confused gaze. “Er...something wrong Guy?” Darren absently turned away, the light dimming in his gaze to a normal blue, the quickest flash of an image blinked in and out in his mind. Shuffling a few times to his left he sat himself upon a freshly cut tree stump, shoulders slumped forward in response to an ache from the day’s excursions. He stared upwards towards the treetops before glancing back towards Luckas. “No worries Luckas, I’m not one for gossip....” Trailing off Darren had a sudden thought and smiled, the light twinkling in his eyes. “Hey..maybe you’ve seen me fight? I use to participate in boxing matches for coin back in BlackPond before they shut us down this time last year...how I would pick up mercenary work.” Darren raised his head in a proud gesture, while simultaneously keeping his eyes downward in a modest gaze. “Only been beat once...at most things...guy was built like stone...” The boy rolled his eyes nonchalantly, not honestly trying to show off but still coming off as such.
“Huh...” Luckas mumbled, scratching his head slightly. “No, I doubt you’d fight where I would be watching, and even then, I never cared for watching people slam their fists against each other for sport. Seems rather pointless to me. No offense.” He smiled slightly. “I am of the opinion that one should always take pride in what they’re good at. We all have... Our own personal games... So to speak.” Luke stated, grinning widely at something that momentarily crossed his mind, his eyes fixed upon Darren’s face as if still searching for something in him, even as he shrugged. “I’m not so sure I know you after all, well... Suppose now I do, right?” He snickered. “So, you’re a kid nearly as old as me, huh? And you were fighting for coin about a year ago... No family?”
Darren reached for something in a pouch, his fingers fumbling along a cigarette and patting along his pockets for matches. “Well, maybe there’s more there than is actually witnessed...maybe I wanna sit here with the choice to smoke myself to ashes...” He slid the cigarette between his lips and after a moment of frustration, spat the foul thing to the ground, standing on the balls of his feet. “Maybe I’m more worried for the other families out there....children rumored to be going missing...a lot of bad people out there...” ‘Choices....choices....’ A fleeting thought, quickly tossed aside, his heel crunching upon the cigarette, buried beneath the slush.
Luckas raised an eyebrow, quietly watching Darren’s struggle with his cigarette, catching his words and taking more than the usual time to process what he’d heard, blinking a few times as his gaze suddenly grew a bit distant, staring at some point in the ground as he thought it through. “Worried, are you then?” He asked, turning his eyes back towards the boy’s face. “And how does smoking help with that? I’m missing whatever point you’re trying to make if there is even one, Kid. If there are children missing, and families to worry about, what makes them your concern exactly? Have you been missing yourself? Or perhaps you missed someone else?”
“Well Guy, smoking is an excuse...we all make them.....some more forgivable than others...” Darren shrugged, “Missing myself....I don’t think I understand, sorry...” Darren pulled back his foot and stared down at the crushed cigarette, looking almost torn. “ I believe too many people look the other way until it directly affects themselves, and then usually it’s too late...maybe change is needed.”
“Whose forgiveness are we talking about exactly? Personally, I don’t worry about my actions being unforgivable unless they directly affect someone whose opinion matters. And there aren’t many, that’s for sure. It is somewhat liberating... Not to care... I guess, people crave that sort of freedom in a way, but at the same time they feel the need to justify it... It’s a very silly thing... You can’t not care and worry about what others will think of your lack of care... Stupid, that’s what it is...” He chuckled. “My point being that... Sometimes being good just for being good can be worse than being evil. I’d rather see someone who is honestly evil than someone who is a false do-gooder.” He heaved a small sigh, averting his gaze once more as he added. “By ‘missing yourself’, I mean... Do you lack understanding of your own self? Suppose it’s a silly question, most people do, but then... To some it is far worse than to most.”
“Alright Man,...I do honestly agree that one needs to only worry about affecting those of importance....Yourself. In that reasoning, I don’t see myself as lost. I’ve seen those fake individuals, and sometimes you catch those of us still learning..in process...Sometimes it’s good to be selfish, but I just trust my gut. Life happens, but I don’t just sit and watch it fly by.” A soft sigh left his chest, feeling a bit antsy, his new found purpose in that second was to crack every finger in both hands. By the time he reached his ring finger, he paused for so long that his mind may have appeared to have left him. It wasn’t until his eyes flashed a dull aura of light, that he blinked and came back to the present.
“Life happens...” Luckas repeated, shaking his head slightly. “That’s true, but it’s impossible to move with it. At least it’s impossible to constantly move with it. So at some point, you’re going to sit down and have a smoke, or sleep, or you know... Die... Life’s going to keep happening.” He absently tilted his head back to watch the movement of the branches above as he sighed. “And yes, I know what you meant by that, but it’s an unrealistic statement. Just as unrealistic as expecting people to give a shit about things that can’t hurt them in the future... Or things that haven’t hurt them in the past. I mean, doing something is always a possibility, but to expect change... Is unrealistic.Even if you do change something right now... Ten years in the future things will be as they were before. So what you get is the illusion that something was done, it’ll last long enough for the ugliness to fade from the minds of the general public; that assuming it actually becomes known, and then... like all good illusions... it shatters.” Luckas ended his statement with a little snicker, finding the hypocrisy to be thoroughly amusing, despite how sickening it truly was. “And by that, of course, I’m not saying that doing something, or even seeking this illusion of change is not worth the trouble. It’ll be worth it for a few, but really... That’s as good as it gets.”
Darren’s smile faded for a few moments before a comical grin spread across his lips, infecting his eyes. “If enough people want the change...it’ll happen....if we have nothing to give a shit about....what’s the point? Fleeting the outcome can be, so we give ourselves goals.” The boy stared long and hard at Luckas, his fingers still twitching as he wanted to reach out and stretch his enlightenment, but something told him to keep his hands upon his lap. “Why, we all have felt like someone who has tried and failed but maybe some people just need higher expectations so when they are crushed, it’s not disappointment, I feel, the goals that are met, fleeting or not, should be worth it. But hey, I’m still a pup, I never would pretend to know it all.” Darren snorted, “Maybe I’m just too damned optimistic, but why the hell not.”
“Optimism is like a damn poison, so are high expectations... You can build a resistance, but just enough of it will still get you killed. The higher the goals the harder it’ll be to get people to play along, because no ultimate goal is going to be unanimous. Why do you think the War hasn’t ended when probably every single person in Valcrest is so damn sick of it? Because; everyone wants Peace, but no two people can agree on what the hell it is. You can’t quite blame people for being greedy even in their best intentions, that’s just human nature, but it sure is fucked up. The same goes with things like these; it’s easier to gather 20 people who each has their own personal agenda than to gather a thousand who want a major change.” Luckas shrugged slightly, still watching the trees above as if in a trance. “Suppose I’m too skeptical, or perhaps just not as greedy as I should be. I think that if, in the process of living, I happen to get rid of a few pieces of trash it might not cleanse the land, but it’ll at least clean up someone’s lawn.” He lowered his gaze back to Darren with a smirk. “Like I said, I’d rather be honestly evil, even if some would call it unnecessary evil.”
“Doing nothing I learned young, gets one killed...One of my first memories...had to been around three or so, and hanging around at a friend of my father’s during a raid or some kind of battle outside my window, I noticed a bleeding girl upon the ground, the mother doing nothing but holding her daughter in her arms while she died. I was too young to understand then, but when people like my father feed the carnage and are a large reason the war continues on, doing nothing is why people just circle the whirlpool.” The boy now appeared younger than he was, perhaps he was still clinging to something he was scared to death to lose. He moved as if to leave, the deep tone of his voice softening to just above a whisper. “Speaking of trash always brings up the subject of my father, and ‘trash’ is simply too good of a word to call him especially for what I’m learning he’s done to the people and children of Blackpond, and perhaps more...perhaps I will find out what really happened to my mother.” Darren cleared his throat, taking another few steps towards the treeline. “I should probably stop being lazy. “ He teased, attempting to change the subject. “ I’m sure my companions are starting to wonder about me.. See you around, Luckas?”
Luckas was quiet this time as Darren spoke, none of it actually did a thing to his opinions, but rather it taught him something, in a way. Finally he opened a little smirk. “Alright, so you don’t quite have a family. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just say that in the first place?” He asked, amusement in his tone. “And I do agree that people shouldn’t just do nothing, I just don’t think they will actually do anything, but...” He chuckled softly. “Maybe we should just agree to disagree on this one. Seems like the healthy thing to do in this case.” Luckas nodded as if to confirm his own statement and stretched lazily where he stood, running one hand back and forth through his hair as he sighed. “Far from me to keep you from being useful, I’ll just go back to my hideout.” He joked. “And maybe you’ll see me around... I probably will see you though.”
“Huh, no curses or put downs for another’s beliefs...you are different in some way Luckas, especially for only having, what...a few years or so on me? Not many I’ve met have your attitude.” Darren smiled not really giving in to whether he agreed to disagree, but he felt this conversation was coming to an end for now. “...Although..” Darren added as he kicked at a stone in the snow, “..this place seems to be obsessed with redheads, no? You know Jake? You both seem to have the same woman on the brain...wonder why that is..” Darren winked before walking off. “..Be funny if she was the one you can’t get rid of...just saying...”
“You’re yet to see just how different I am, friend.” Luckas stated simply, a light smile crossing his features. His smile didn’t change at the mention of Jake, despite a momentary clenching of his fists at the comment. He waited quietly until the kid had walked off before turning his back and muttering. “Freaking hilarious... I can pretty much hear the giggling in my head.”
-------------------------------
[White Shadows encampment - 18 days after Castle Ball, late night]
Annie had finally managed to get some sleep. She was sure it had only been a few minutes though when she felt herself being watched and opened her eyes.
“Hello.” Luckas greeted calmly from where he sat at a corner of her tent. “You know, you really should see about getting some security for this place.”
“What for, Luke? I don’t see anyone but you being stupid enough to just wander into my tent in the middle of the night.” Annie muttered, rubbing her eyes and trying to make out the dark clad figure of Luckas in the darkness of the tent.
“I didn’t want to wait outside... Someone might see me, I’m not anyone’s favorite person around here at the moment.”
“Were you ever, Luckas? Since when are you scared of a bunch of healers?” Annie chuckled, sitting up to face Luckas once she managed to properly spot him in the dark.
“I’m not scared, don’t be stupid. I just didn’t want to start a commotion. I could get into deep trouble for coming here after what I did the other day.”
“What did you do the other day?” Annie questioned.
“Confidentiality?” He asked simply.
“Of course, but... You don’t trust me not to gossip if I’m not bound by my oath?”
“I like to be sure.” Luckas said. “You know why.”
“I understand, but rest assured; nothing you speak in here will ever be repeated.” She confirmed.
“Alright.” Luckas stated, taking a deep breath and taking the time to explain to Annie what he been doing in the past couple of days and what had happened once he returned to the Manor the night after he and Ess had parted ways in the city.
“I see...” Annie mumbled. “So, what is bothering you exactly? You’ve come here because you needed to talk to someone about this, yes?”
“You’re the only one who knows what I’m doing.” Luckas shrugged. “Where else would I go with this? Just.... Don’t flatter yourself, alright?”
“Fair enough. I promise I won’t let it go to my head.” Annie snickered. “So, you two going after her brother and setting fire to him... does that mean you and Essence are friends again now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we last saw each other at the Ball, remember? And you were pretty much avoiding her then, although you were watching her closely all the same... And again setting fire to people... I honestly wonder what is the deal with that. Is that how psychos flirt or something like that?”
“What, no... I don’t know... That’s... None of your damn business.” Luckas mumbled, shaking his head as if genuinely confused by the question. “Look, I’m not here to talk about my friendships... Or fire... With you.” He muttered.
“Well, I was just curious... I mean, I remember the fireplay seemed to somewhat upset you at that time... And there was that talk about letting go of something and not wanting someone else to have it...”
“Yes, I know... I was there. Thank you.” He cut her off.
Annie held back a giggle forcing herself into a more serious posture. “I’m sorry, Luke... Something was bothering you. What is it you’ve come to talk about exactly?”
“Well, I... Uh... I’m thinking, maybe I can’t do what your mother asked of me. And I... I suppose I can’t quite decide on what to do. My loyalties are... Confusing at the moment. I mean, I know the fastest way to end this... Sam straight up told me how to end it, in fact, but...” He shook his head as if the tought disturbed him greatly. “No, I can’t, but....”
“I see...” Annie sighed. “You know, I’m biased, Luckas... I’d like to see you keep your promise to my mother and I’d like it if those people were stopped before they hurt any more innocents, but I can tell this is personal to you, so I can’t tell you what to do about it. It wouldn’t be fair of me.”
“I want nothing to do with the Order, and I know that, I do... It’s just... As awful as it may be, those people are the only ones who know, who really understand, what happened to me. They’ve been through it all; the pain, the conditioning, the memory loss... They’re not all terrible people and... What happens to them after this is over? What do they deserve really? Death, even though for the most part they barely really have a choice? Freedom? Is that what breaking up the Order amounts to in the end; unleashing who knows really how many other people like me into this land?”
“You can’t take responsibility for all these people, Luckas. I understand that you feel the urge to do so, I really do, but you cannot. They may not have had a choice at some point in the past, but after a certain point it does become a choice. It’s their responsibility and not yours to decide their fate.”
“It’s not a choice for me. Not entirely. My actions, I can take responsibility for that and I do, but what’s behind them, under the surface... In my head... Every waking moment...” Luckas shook his head once again, the sentence left unfinished. “See, you don’t understand. That’s exactly what I mean. I thought I was the only one, but I’m not. Your mother let me believe that.... She let me think that, that all the others like me were dead until she needed me for something. Why should I be any more loyal to her now?”
“That’s not true, Luckas. You know that.” Annie protested calmly. “She was trying to protect you, and she really didn’t want to involve you in this until there was absolutely no other way and for this exact reason. Didn’t you say yourself that you wanted revenge on who made you like this?”
“I wanted revenge, but... Now, it just doesn’t seem to matter. The guy is dead and I know he was the one responsible, I read his journals and all the things he did.”
“It’s still happening though. Did you bring that up with Sam: The child kidnappings? The girl you brought to me? Did you ask her if the Order is imprinting these missing children, Luckas?”
“It didn’t exactly come up when we spoke, no...”
“You didn’t ask, because you know that she’s either going to lie to you or say something you don’t want to hear. That’s called denial, Luke. If you truly don’t want any more people like you in this world then you need to start facing some facts soon.”
“I’m not in denial. I just... Am I supposed to forget that she saved my life? That I would’ve been like Matthew if it weren’t for her?”
“Mom told Alistair, the week she brought you in that if you and your brother have been brought straight to us instead of taken to that orphanage she could have help you both.”
“That’s crap... She said she couldn’t help him!”
“She said she couldn’t help him when she saw him in the dungeons, by then it was too late. I’m not saying that your brother wasn’t significantly more messed up than you, Luckas, but then you have to wonder why that is if you were both in the same situation. Why did she protect you so much and left Matthew to drown?”
“She couldn’t reach out to him... She tried, I was there.”
“Maybe he just wasn’t as trusting as you were... As... Vulnerable. Maybe that’s what she says she saw in you... Because that’s what predators do... Of all people you know that well.”
“It’s not like that!” Luckas protested. “I’m not...”
“A victim?” Annie sighed softly. “I’m sorry, Luke. I warned you, I’m biased, but I won’t try to tell you what you should do. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t let Sam or anyone else for that matter manipulate you into thinking that you’ll have no one if the Order falls apart. Because that’s not true, and you wouldn’t be here and you wouldn’t make such a great deal of effort to return to the Raven’s Nest as well, if you didn’t know that that’s not true. It worries me that only a few days after spending time with someone who has shown clearly to care for you, you come out of that house thinking stuff like that. If this is the kind of hold that woman has on you, then maybe Essence and I need to have a conversation.”
“You can’t tell her anything, you promised me.”
“Mom wanted you to tell her though, didn’t she?”
“How do you know that?”
“I didn’t, Luckas, I assumed. I know now though.” Annie replied, unable to hold back a smirk as she heard Luckas mutter curses under his breath. “I know I can’t tell her what you’ve told me. I promised you and I will always keep my promise, but then... I have a strong feeling that I don’t really have to. Just think about that for a moment.”
"Listen, I know that I can’t keep doing this indefinitely. I’m not that much of an idiot. I know... I’m living two separate lives, and... I’m being two opposite sides of myself and... I know, sooner or later, a part of me will have to die. I also understand that I... If I don’t make the choice, sooner or later it will be made for me.”
“So why not just wait if that’s the case?” Annie asked, filling two cups of water and handing one over to Luckas.
“Because the only thing I’m certain of right now is that... Whatever happens... I want it to be my choice. I want it to be in my hands. That’s how it has to happen.” He said, taking the cup from her and simply holding it in his hands.
“And what is stopping you from making that choice?” Annie asked, sipping her water and staring at him curiously. “You’ve changed, Luckas. And I think your problem is you try to rationalize things the same way you did before, and that’s why nothing ever seems right to you anymore. You are a different person, you see things with different eyes, and you can’t use the same logic now than you did back then.”
“I don’t know... I guess I’m partly still the same person, but... Then there’s this other stupid part of me; the one that actually believes I can have more.” Luckas mumbled, staring down at his cup of water. “And I don’t need this right now... I never wanted it in the first place... I just want to go back. To feel like myself again.”
Annie nodded quietly, sipping from her cup as Luckas spoke. “This... Stupid part of you would be the same part of you who accepted when my mother offered her help, Luke. The same part of you that cared to know the reason you are the way you are in the first place... You always wanted more for yourself. So why is this suddenly so foolish and unattainable that you won’t allow yourself to accept it?”
“It’s not the same as accepting help. Your mother and I, we had a deal which we both benefitted from. It wasn’t like this. This... Is completely different. There’s no...”
“No benefit?” Annie cut in. “Do you honestly see no benefit in caring for another human being?”
Luckas sighed, taking a large gulp of water and setting the cup aside. “There’s no logic... It goes against any self-preservation instinct... And it’s just... STUPID.”
“Luckas...” Annie laughed. “Is that really your best argument right now? It’s stupid?” She smiled at him. “You say against self-preservation instinct... As in you would be willing to give up your life?”
“If I’m not rational about it, then... Yes, sure.”
“Aww... Cute.” She chuckled.
“Shut up.” He snorted, giving her an angry glare. “I don’t want... This kind of responsibility. Do you understand? I want to go back to a place where I don’t care enough to worry for myself and I have no need to worry for others.”
“You don’t want others to care for you because it forces you to care as well, and you think that your life was easier when you could live it without worrying about consequences.”
“Yes.”
“Alright, Luke... I have one question for you, just one. When you first told me about Sam, right after mom died, you told me she was the first thing you remembered on your own, you also told me how exactly you remembered it. Right? So, my question is this: Why do you think the memory came to you in that exact moment, when you were... Sharing memories with another person? I mean, what in that particular moment could have unlocked that bit of your memory?”
“I... Never... Really... Thought about that.”
“Really? You never thought about the fact that the first time you remembered anything about your past was while you were sharing memories with a woman you had previously formed a psychic bond with?”
“No. I really haven’t. You think that’s important?”
“I’m no telepath, but yes, Luckas... It sounds a bit important.”
“Oh...” He scratched his head. “Well... She did... Ask me about my eyes, if they had always been black. I guess I was subconsciously trying to remember... I don’t know.”
“Do you think you wanted her to see?”
“What? Why would I want her to see that?”
“Are you sure you want my opinion on this, Luckas? I know for a fact you won’t like what I have to say.”
“And what else is new?” He snorted. “Go on, spit it out.”
“I think, you wanted her to see. I think, that’s what you wanted from the start; for someone to see you. That’s what you were really searching for in your past all along, and that’s why you were still so conflicted even after you remembered everything. I think that is also what you are searching for in the memory of Sam and that is why you can’t seem to let go of her even though she doesn’t seem to understand you quite as well as you hoped. Most of all Luckas, I think you’ve wanted this for so long, and you were denied and rejected so many times, you simply gave up hope of ever actually having it quite some time ago and now you’re just afraid to allow yourself to hope again. You’re afraid that no matter what happens you’ll end up alone either way, but this way it will just be twice as painful.” Annie paused her speech, simply to take a deep breath and another sip of water, before adding. “And you fear that this might just be how you finally break for good.”
Luckas was silent staring at Annie, even though blankly; as if he could barely see her in front of him in the darkened tent. After a moment or two of simply sitting there in that trance, Luckas cleared his throat and shook his head. “You’re right...” He mumbled, standing from his seat and bowing his head in a parting gesture. “I don’t want your fucking opinion.”
Late at Night- Two Weeks After the Ball
Evin rode into the city on a horse. He was barely conscious, just letting the horse do the work for him. He didn't even remember where he got the horse just that it wasn't his and that someone yelled at him as he rode off on it. Evin was in no danger of dying, but he needed some serious medical attention. The beating that he'd received from the assassins was enough to put him out of work for the next few weeks though.
The stables weren't being tended too. A sign of the rough times going in Blackpond now that a civil war had struck up. It was all the better, allowing Evin to pass through the city with his horse to tow him along. On the way, he went up to a fountain. He put his canteen over the running water and then poured it over his head. It allowed Evin to wake up just a little before arriving at the Inn, where Crystal had decided to call home.
He didn't bother knocking. He opened the door and slowly staggered into the room. His bloody and tattered cloths told a story an epic battle, which had a reality that was far less glorious. No one was actually in the room with him and as of yet, he didn't think that anyone knew that he was there. He staggered towards a chair and violently dragged it across the floor, away from the table so he could sit.
Crys was not doing a good job at sleeping at all. It's been a while now since the nights in Blackpond have become increasingly silent. Usually she didn't make much of it, but it seemed as if all of a sudden the silence had become something heavy, it had become unnerving, foreboding, like a still moment in time before a violent storm. Nicholas and some of the others had strongly objected to her decision of staying at the Inn by herself. She'd cleared up a room for herself but the upper floors were still not in habitable condition; she had decided to fix the bar and the basement area first and have the bar running as soon as possible, so she had spread her people out through nearby abandoned buildings as well as a small camp outside the city's crumbled walls. They had argued that it was best for someone else to stay and guard the building, but Crys had denied them. Truth be told, she liked being there, and for most nights in the past two weeks she'd found comfort in her solitude. This night had been different so far, it was almost as if something was keeping her up, but she didn't know exactly what had changed.
It was a good thing after all that she hadn't managed to calm herself to sleep, it made for a quick response to the sound of movement coming from the ground level of the building. Crys calmly jumped to her feet and grabbed her sword as she made her way down the stairs, halting as she reached the bottom step, her hand relaxing on the hilt of her weapon. "Evin?" She mumbled. Her tone genuinely surprised. Before she could say anything else Nicholas stormed in; clearly he'd seen movement from where he was stationed. The man just stopped at the doorway and cursed under his breath before stating he was going to find a medic and leaving again. Crys heaved a small sigh, rubbing her eyes as she paced across the room to close the door Nicholas had left wide open. She silently walked behind the bar, placing her katana on top of the counter as she retrieved a bottle and two glasses. "I know you don't actually drink, but it might be a little while until Nick gets back and we haven't stocked up in medical supplies yet. A bit of alcohol might actually do you some good." She poured two glasses and drank one of the shots, leaving the empty glass as well as the bottle on top of the counter as moved to sit with Evin, leaving the full glass of liquor on top of the table just within the man's reach. "So... Talk to me." She asked.
Evin glanced down at the drink. It was an off-white see-through liquid that Crystal had confirmed his suspicions. It was alcohol. Glaring at the drink for a few moments, he contemplated if it was even worth it. He never actually let a single bit of alcohol touch his lips in his entire life to his memory. He reached to push it away, but his ribs stung all the way through his arms and to his hand. He keeled over a bit, sweeping his hand around so he could grab the cup instead of push it aside. Carefully, he picked up the glass and took it all in. His mouth started to burn, but he pushed through that. He tried to swallow, but his body just wouldn't allow it. Instead, he keeled over again and spit the drink into his lap, coughing a bit and then looked up at Crystal with a smile on his face.
"I was going to end it. I was going to take care of both Franklin and Sean and then let it all fall apart." Evin said. "I killed Franklin, but he made sure that I paid for his death. He set me up in a trap that allowed the wolves to savagely beat me. They sent me to Sean who sent me here. He wants to meet you. Four weeks from now. Things have changed. I believe that he'll be far more open to negotiation now."
Crys sighed softly, muttering things under her breath as she leaned against the table. She was suddenly starting to feel very tired as if all the anxiety that was keeping her awake had left the building all at once. "End it..." She mumbled. "Just another of those little things you and I would never really agree on, isn't it?" She asked, a hint of amusement crossing her tone, but only momentarily. "Sean doesn't negotiate, Evin. And how could he? He knows he has nothing I want. He only wants me there to ease his conscience somehow, either he kills me and proves to himself that he deserves to be where he is, or I kill him and that sets the record straight. In his mind that's how the world functions... And well... Sometimes it does. I have to him that much credit." Once again Crys rubbed her eyes and her forehead as if trying to push away exhaustion. "What else? There's something else isn't there? Because none of this between him and me explains why he didn't kill you. If there was ever a perfect opportunity to kill you, this has to have been it. If not for any other reason, just to spite me... It's not beyond him. Yet here you are. So what else happened?"
Sean wasn't a killer. Evin would not be sitting in the inn if he was. He wouldn't have hired assassins to attempt to kill Crystal if he was. He was nothing more than a glorified cheat. "... Franklin wasn't the only one to die. Sean has no one left. It’s the only reason I think that he might be up to negotiation. He has nothing left to really fight for except principal and even then, he questions himself." Evin grabbed a rag from the far end of the table and started patting the drink off his pants. "I pretty much asked him to kill me and he still didn't do it. Let’s face it. Sean doesn't have the guts to kill me and he's proven that he doesn't have the guts to kill you. He might not admit it, but deep down, he wants to negotiate."
Crys shook her head. "You don't know Sean as well as you think, Evin." She stated simply, standing up from her seat and walking to the counter to refill her glass. "I honestly don't think he really wanted to kill me. He just knew it was the only way to keep me out. He pushed himself to do it... He found reasons to hate me... And still he couldn't really convince himself. Not even when he had me alone. Now he didn't want to kill you because it doesn't matter anymore... I suppose that makes sense..." She sighed, emptying her glass and refilling it again. "At least Eldric didn't get to live to see what has become of his children." She muttered under her breath. "There is nothing to negotiate, Evin. What would we even discuss? He's going to surrender the clan? What would even be the point of that now? I can't trust them to trust me again. I can't fix what was broken. I can't save them. If after Sean's time passes, however it passes, they turn to me it will it'll only be because they think that I can, but I can't. It's not a good deal. Not for me and not for the Pack." She emptied her glass once again. "There's only one thing I still want from Sean, and if he ever once honored the oath he took he better fight me like hell for it."
Evin fell to a hush. He slumped into his chair a little and came in and out of deep thought while Crystal spoke. He knew what Crystal was going to say for the most part. Despite his attempt to make Sean's life just a tad bit easier by convincing Crystal to negotiate, Crys just wasn't going to believe it. Evin did know himself and because he knew himself, he knew that Evin couldn't be a better man and let any of the shit that Sean made him go through. Crystal, as a woman, seemed to historically have the edge of being far easier to forgive. But maybe he was wrong.
Giving up on the prospect of reaching some level of Peace in Valcrest was now his main goal and he needed something new to speak of to take his mind from it. If it was really a fight that Crystal wanted, it was a fight that she was going to get. Either way, something was going to have to give in some way sooner or later.
He began to think of the last time he could really remember being in the Blackpond Inn. Blackpond was never really the main focus of the assassins as Blackpond seemed to have an effective system of taking care of their own problems for the most part, but the last he remembered, it was a moment that would forever be ingrained into his head.
"You know. It really was worse than I said it was. Those many years ago, when we walked into the Inn and saw your father... I really underplayed the whole thing." One of the more vivid of memories he carried with him was the scene of Sebastian's death. It was just one of those moments in time that, when relived, seemed to have only happened yesterday. "I've killed my fair share of people, but that was probably one of the more brutal scenes. I don't even know what it was about it all. There was just so much blood. Too much blood. As if ten people were killed on the exact same spot." Evin paused. "I'm sorry. I don't know if I should be talking about this."
"I do know." Crys stated simply, heaving a soft sigh and putting the cap back in the bottle of liquor. She wasn't going to pretend her father's death wasn't still a painful topic of conversation, but it didn't exactly bother her. "I think that was the first, and probably only, time I wished I could see. I know it was probably an awful sight, but it couldn't possibly be worse than kneeling on that blood and touching him. I had to though. I had to convince myself right then and there that it was really him because I knew that if I allowed myself to even doubt it would be so much worse." She went silent for a moment pacing away from the counter. "Sean had the all the floors redone when they fixed up the place, because of all the blood that had soaked into the wood... It's a different type of wood now than it was then... Sounds different, feels different. I'm not sure if I like it exactly." She mumbled, going back to her previous seat by the table with a tired groan. "They think it's not healthy, Nicholas and the others, that I stay here by myself because he died here and of course his death still upsets me, how could it not upset me, but... I haven't forgotten how much he liked this place. He'd always come here instead of Newhaven, he'd always say Blackpond wasn't pretty but it made up for it in personality. All things considered, the fact that he died here doesn't disturb me as much as the idea of this place rotting away in abandonment. He wouldn't like that, I don't like that." Leaning back in her seat she tilted her head back as though she was watching the ceiling. "I have no clue where that guy went to get a medic around these parts, but he seemed confident in finding one." She spoke casually. "It's not like you're dying or anything, I mean you'd tell me if you were dying, right?" She asked, a trace of amusement in her tone as she sat up straight to glare at him. "Right? Because we both know I don't like it when people are dying and don't tell me about it."
Evin took a minute. He sat on the last words that Crys had said. He wasn't going to die from the injuries he had. His head and body ached badly, he was still bleeding just slightly, but he'd put tree sap on the wounds to stop the majority of the bleeding.
"I've had a cough for at least three weeks now. Two weeks ago; after the party, I had a small coughing fit and when I checked my handkerchief, there were spots of blood."
Crys frowned a bit at what Evin had told her. "Hmmm... Well, I don't like the sound of that... That sounds like a long time to be having a cough. You should go see the White Shadows maybe, once you're well enough to take the trip... Just the other day one of them was here asking us to go see them if anyone started feeling unwell... I don't know why exactly, I didn't know the kid who came by to deliver the message so I didn't ask too many questions; he seemed nervous enough to be here, but it sounded as though there's some kind of epidemic going around."
As Crys spoke those words the door of the Inn opened and Nicholas entered, dragging with him a tired looking man with a medical bag. The doctor didn't seem at all pleased to be out of bed and if Crys was one to gamble she'd bet all her gold that the man was there against his will. "Found one." Nicholas stated casually, walking to the bar to pour himself a drink.
Crys sighed, standing from her seat to offer the man a proper greeting. "I'm sorry about my friend, he has terrible manners." She smiled. "If you would be so kind as to tend to my friend here, I would be extremely grateful. As you can see, he's a bit messed up and I don't think it'd be smart to try and drag him to the healers like this."
The man sighed, still seeming annoyed to be there, but a bit more compliant. "I'll need to sterilize my tools... And a bit lighter." He mumbled.
Evin mumbled under his breath as the doctor went on. He seemed to know what he was doing. He understood the importance of sterile equipment, but he never really took kindly to people did medical work that weren't the White Shadows. Even the Whites were annoying sometimes. He let him do his thing though. The doctor grabbed a candle and then walked over to one of the lanterns at the side of the table. In the meantime, Evin continued to talk. "I don't think I'll go. As much as you'd probably like to see me go, I trust that I will pull through this like everything else I've ever pulled through in my life. Even if it doesn't get better, I can't take a break. Valcrest is far more sick than I and ever be right now. I need to see if there is at least something that I can do to help."
Evin flinched as the doctor started tend to his wounds. He was rather used to the feeling of metal objects piercing his skin, but he wasn't as used to them when they'd been heated.
"You know, dead people aren't exactly known for being helpful, my friend." Crys stated casually sitting by Nicholas at the bar and leaning against its surface. "Just pointing that out to you, you know... For the record. That said, if you want to stick around and help me with the cleanup, I won't complain."
"The more the merrier, mate." Nicholas added, in an overly cheerful tone, raising his glass before emptying it. "Why we're finally actually recruiting is it not?"
"Nicholas, go back to sleep." Crys stated simply, glaring at the man momentarily, seeming displeased at him for speaking up like that in front of the medic.
Nicholas snorted a laugh. "You're regretting putting me in charge of this already aren't you?" He asked playfully.
"You'll know if I regret, Nick. Trust me, you will." Crys replied simply, the severity in her voice losing itself behind a tone of amusement at the man. Nicholas could be a little bit louder, way louder, and more of a goofball than what one would expect of an assassin, but that was one of the reasons Crys had made him a recruiter, he was charming even when he was annoying; a friendly face to represent their cause. The other reason was that he was, as you would expect of an assassin, much more competent than he let on, or would be willing to admit. "Now, I mean it; go to sleep. Lots of work tomorrow."
"Alright, alright, I hear ya." The man agreed, stepping away from the counter and stretching lazily as he started to pace away. "Doc, it's been nice meeting you... Later Ev..." He stated, waving towards the two over his shoulder as he walked out the front door, closing it as he left.
Crys snorted softly, holding back a laugh at Nick. Aside from maybe Mageria, she was pretty sure she'd never heard anyone shorten Evin's name, not even her mother. A chuckle still escaping under her breath Crys shook her head. "We've had a couple of visits since we started the cleanup and I have some information to share with you, but I suppose that can wait until you've had some rest. You can take my room if you think you can make it up the stairs, if not the boys have been camping out in the neighboring buildings."
Evin sneered for a moment as the doctor continued to work on his arm. He flinched and the tool that the doctor was using pinched into something that it wasn't supposed to causing the wound to start bleeding again. "Well shit." The doctor mumbled as he scrambled through his bag to get a sanitary cloth.
"Is it better that I go to the Whites and sit there for a month waiting to die while they try to figure out what's wrong with me?" Evin snorted. "White Shadows don't go around doing what you say they are doing unless they don't have answers and they are looking for some. I'll go when I want to, but only to figure out what's going on. When I get answers, I'll see what I'll do from there."
Evin looked over to the doctor who was continuing to work on Evin's shoulder. It was an absolute mess. The assassins didn't intend to kill him, but they sure as hell made sure that he wasn't going to be able to put up a fight against Sean when they finally brought him. The particular place that the doctor continued to work on had been cut by a sword. The assassin who did it to him had gotten beaten up himself. He was the only one there that just wanted to kill Evin. The man was probably smart enough to know that no matter what they did to him, that Evin was going to somehow get away like usual.
Evin's gaze shot up instantly when Nick bastardized Evin's name. The kid was going to pay for it eventually. Nick may have had charm, but he needed to learn a bit of respect. Then Crystal started to speak again. Evin listened patiently.
"I'll probably be awake here for a while more; depending on how long doc, here, is going to take on patching me up. Either way, I think I'll just sleep in your room for the night.
"Oh come on now, Evin... I doubt the White Shadows could possibly hold you against your will, but fine; I do see your point." Crys retorted, rummaging through some of the messes left scattered over some of the bar tables until she found writing supplies, taking them to the bar counter and starting on a letter. "Four weeks is not enough time, I'm not stepping foot outside Blackpond's walls until I'm satisfied that this place is functional and protected. Besides...." She sighed, shaking her head slightly as if pushing aside words she'd rather not speak. "Four weeks is just not enough time, Sean. What are you thinking?" She muttered under her breath, scratching her head as she wrote. "Well, you can make yourself at home Evin. I don't think I'll be going back to sleep, seems a bit futile at this point. The bed is awful, so maybe the floor would be better for you. I'll just sit here and then walk the doctor home when he's done with his work; would be irresponsible to drag someone from their bed and then make them wander this city alone in times like these." She smiled at the man as she could tell the remark had made him nervous, even though he didn't express it in any way. "We can have a chat on the way, it'll be fun." Ending her letter and carefully folding and sealing it in an envelope, she smiled a bit sadly. "I'll send Sean my... Sentiments... On my way back. Don't see why he wouldn't accept my conditions. See? We're negotiating after all." She concluded with a playful note to her tone. "Oh, and... Please keep in mind that we do need the recruiter to be in one piece by the time this place opens."
Evin rode into the city on a horse. He was barely conscious, just letting the horse do the work for him. He didn't even remember where he got the horse just that it wasn't his and that someone yelled at him as he rode off on it. Evin was in no danger of dying, but he needed some serious medical attention. The beating that he'd received from the assassins was enough to put him out of work for the next few weeks though.
The stables weren't being tended too. A sign of the rough times going in Blackpond now that a civil war had struck up. It was all the better, allowing Evin to pass through the city with his horse to tow him along. On the way, he went up to a fountain. He put his canteen over the running water and then poured it over his head. It allowed Evin to wake up just a little before arriving at the Inn, where Crystal had decided to call home.
He didn't bother knocking. He opened the door and slowly staggered into the room. His bloody and tattered cloths told a story an epic battle, which had a reality that was far less glorious. No one was actually in the room with him and as of yet, he didn't think that anyone knew that he was there. He staggered towards a chair and violently dragged it across the floor, away from the table so he could sit.
Crys was not doing a good job at sleeping at all. It's been a while now since the nights in Blackpond have become increasingly silent. Usually she didn't make much of it, but it seemed as if all of a sudden the silence had become something heavy, it had become unnerving, foreboding, like a still moment in time before a violent storm. Nicholas and some of the others had strongly objected to her decision of staying at the Inn by herself. She'd cleared up a room for herself but the upper floors were still not in habitable condition; she had decided to fix the bar and the basement area first and have the bar running as soon as possible, so she had spread her people out through nearby abandoned buildings as well as a small camp outside the city's crumbled walls. They had argued that it was best for someone else to stay and guard the building, but Crys had denied them. Truth be told, she liked being there, and for most nights in the past two weeks she'd found comfort in her solitude. This night had been different so far, it was almost as if something was keeping her up, but she didn't know exactly what had changed.
It was a good thing after all that she hadn't managed to calm herself to sleep, it made for a quick response to the sound of movement coming from the ground level of the building. Crys calmly jumped to her feet and grabbed her sword as she made her way down the stairs, halting as she reached the bottom step, her hand relaxing on the hilt of her weapon. "Evin?" She mumbled. Her tone genuinely surprised. Before she could say anything else Nicholas stormed in; clearly he'd seen movement from where he was stationed. The man just stopped at the doorway and cursed under his breath before stating he was going to find a medic and leaving again. Crys heaved a small sigh, rubbing her eyes as she paced across the room to close the door Nicholas had left wide open. She silently walked behind the bar, placing her katana on top of the counter as she retrieved a bottle and two glasses. "I know you don't actually drink, but it might be a little while until Nick gets back and we haven't stocked up in medical supplies yet. A bit of alcohol might actually do you some good." She poured two glasses and drank one of the shots, leaving the empty glass as well as the bottle on top of the counter as moved to sit with Evin, leaving the full glass of liquor on top of the table just within the man's reach. "So... Talk to me." She asked.
Evin glanced down at the drink. It was an off-white see-through liquid that Crystal had confirmed his suspicions. It was alcohol. Glaring at the drink for a few moments, he contemplated if it was even worth it. He never actually let a single bit of alcohol touch his lips in his entire life to his memory. He reached to push it away, but his ribs stung all the way through his arms and to his hand. He keeled over a bit, sweeping his hand around so he could grab the cup instead of push it aside. Carefully, he picked up the glass and took it all in. His mouth started to burn, but he pushed through that. He tried to swallow, but his body just wouldn't allow it. Instead, he keeled over again and spit the drink into his lap, coughing a bit and then looked up at Crystal with a smile on his face.
"I was going to end it. I was going to take care of both Franklin and Sean and then let it all fall apart." Evin said. "I killed Franklin, but he made sure that I paid for his death. He set me up in a trap that allowed the wolves to savagely beat me. They sent me to Sean who sent me here. He wants to meet you. Four weeks from now. Things have changed. I believe that he'll be far more open to negotiation now."
Crys sighed softly, muttering things under her breath as she leaned against the table. She was suddenly starting to feel very tired as if all the anxiety that was keeping her awake had left the building all at once. "End it..." She mumbled. "Just another of those little things you and I would never really agree on, isn't it?" She asked, a hint of amusement crossing her tone, but only momentarily. "Sean doesn't negotiate, Evin. And how could he? He knows he has nothing I want. He only wants me there to ease his conscience somehow, either he kills me and proves to himself that he deserves to be where he is, or I kill him and that sets the record straight. In his mind that's how the world functions... And well... Sometimes it does. I have to him that much credit." Once again Crys rubbed her eyes and her forehead as if trying to push away exhaustion. "What else? There's something else isn't there? Because none of this between him and me explains why he didn't kill you. If there was ever a perfect opportunity to kill you, this has to have been it. If not for any other reason, just to spite me... It's not beyond him. Yet here you are. So what else happened?"
Sean wasn't a killer. Evin would not be sitting in the inn if he was. He wouldn't have hired assassins to attempt to kill Crystal if he was. He was nothing more than a glorified cheat. "... Franklin wasn't the only one to die. Sean has no one left. It’s the only reason I think that he might be up to negotiation. He has nothing left to really fight for except principal and even then, he questions himself." Evin grabbed a rag from the far end of the table and started patting the drink off his pants. "I pretty much asked him to kill me and he still didn't do it. Let’s face it. Sean doesn't have the guts to kill me and he's proven that he doesn't have the guts to kill you. He might not admit it, but deep down, he wants to negotiate."
Crys shook her head. "You don't know Sean as well as you think, Evin." She stated simply, standing up from her seat and walking to the counter to refill her glass. "I honestly don't think he really wanted to kill me. He just knew it was the only way to keep me out. He pushed himself to do it... He found reasons to hate me... And still he couldn't really convince himself. Not even when he had me alone. Now he didn't want to kill you because it doesn't matter anymore... I suppose that makes sense..." She sighed, emptying her glass and refilling it again. "At least Eldric didn't get to live to see what has become of his children." She muttered under her breath. "There is nothing to negotiate, Evin. What would we even discuss? He's going to surrender the clan? What would even be the point of that now? I can't trust them to trust me again. I can't fix what was broken. I can't save them. If after Sean's time passes, however it passes, they turn to me it will it'll only be because they think that I can, but I can't. It's not a good deal. Not for me and not for the Pack." She emptied her glass once again. "There's only one thing I still want from Sean, and if he ever once honored the oath he took he better fight me like hell for it."
Evin fell to a hush. He slumped into his chair a little and came in and out of deep thought while Crystal spoke. He knew what Crystal was going to say for the most part. Despite his attempt to make Sean's life just a tad bit easier by convincing Crystal to negotiate, Crys just wasn't going to believe it. Evin did know himself and because he knew himself, he knew that Evin couldn't be a better man and let any of the shit that Sean made him go through. Crystal, as a woman, seemed to historically have the edge of being far easier to forgive. But maybe he was wrong.
Giving up on the prospect of reaching some level of Peace in Valcrest was now his main goal and he needed something new to speak of to take his mind from it. If it was really a fight that Crystal wanted, it was a fight that she was going to get. Either way, something was going to have to give in some way sooner or later.
He began to think of the last time he could really remember being in the Blackpond Inn. Blackpond was never really the main focus of the assassins as Blackpond seemed to have an effective system of taking care of their own problems for the most part, but the last he remembered, it was a moment that would forever be ingrained into his head.
"You know. It really was worse than I said it was. Those many years ago, when we walked into the Inn and saw your father... I really underplayed the whole thing." One of the more vivid of memories he carried with him was the scene of Sebastian's death. It was just one of those moments in time that, when relived, seemed to have only happened yesterday. "I've killed my fair share of people, but that was probably one of the more brutal scenes. I don't even know what it was about it all. There was just so much blood. Too much blood. As if ten people were killed on the exact same spot." Evin paused. "I'm sorry. I don't know if I should be talking about this."
"I do know." Crys stated simply, heaving a soft sigh and putting the cap back in the bottle of liquor. She wasn't going to pretend her father's death wasn't still a painful topic of conversation, but it didn't exactly bother her. "I think that was the first, and probably only, time I wished I could see. I know it was probably an awful sight, but it couldn't possibly be worse than kneeling on that blood and touching him. I had to though. I had to convince myself right then and there that it was really him because I knew that if I allowed myself to even doubt it would be so much worse." She went silent for a moment pacing away from the counter. "Sean had the all the floors redone when they fixed up the place, because of all the blood that had soaked into the wood... It's a different type of wood now than it was then... Sounds different, feels different. I'm not sure if I like it exactly." She mumbled, going back to her previous seat by the table with a tired groan. "They think it's not healthy, Nicholas and the others, that I stay here by myself because he died here and of course his death still upsets me, how could it not upset me, but... I haven't forgotten how much he liked this place. He'd always come here instead of Newhaven, he'd always say Blackpond wasn't pretty but it made up for it in personality. All things considered, the fact that he died here doesn't disturb me as much as the idea of this place rotting away in abandonment. He wouldn't like that, I don't like that." Leaning back in her seat she tilted her head back as though she was watching the ceiling. "I have no clue where that guy went to get a medic around these parts, but he seemed confident in finding one." She spoke casually. "It's not like you're dying or anything, I mean you'd tell me if you were dying, right?" She asked, a trace of amusement in her tone as she sat up straight to glare at him. "Right? Because we both know I don't like it when people are dying and don't tell me about it."
Evin took a minute. He sat on the last words that Crys had said. He wasn't going to die from the injuries he had. His head and body ached badly, he was still bleeding just slightly, but he'd put tree sap on the wounds to stop the majority of the bleeding.
"I've had a cough for at least three weeks now. Two weeks ago; after the party, I had a small coughing fit and when I checked my handkerchief, there were spots of blood."
Crys frowned a bit at what Evin had told her. "Hmmm... Well, I don't like the sound of that... That sounds like a long time to be having a cough. You should go see the White Shadows maybe, once you're well enough to take the trip... Just the other day one of them was here asking us to go see them if anyone started feeling unwell... I don't know why exactly, I didn't know the kid who came by to deliver the message so I didn't ask too many questions; he seemed nervous enough to be here, but it sounded as though there's some kind of epidemic going around."
As Crys spoke those words the door of the Inn opened and Nicholas entered, dragging with him a tired looking man with a medical bag. The doctor didn't seem at all pleased to be out of bed and if Crys was one to gamble she'd bet all her gold that the man was there against his will. "Found one." Nicholas stated casually, walking to the bar to pour himself a drink.
Crys sighed, standing from her seat to offer the man a proper greeting. "I'm sorry about my friend, he has terrible manners." She smiled. "If you would be so kind as to tend to my friend here, I would be extremely grateful. As you can see, he's a bit messed up and I don't think it'd be smart to try and drag him to the healers like this."
The man sighed, still seeming annoyed to be there, but a bit more compliant. "I'll need to sterilize my tools... And a bit lighter." He mumbled.
Evin mumbled under his breath as the doctor went on. He seemed to know what he was doing. He understood the importance of sterile equipment, but he never really took kindly to people did medical work that weren't the White Shadows. Even the Whites were annoying sometimes. He let him do his thing though. The doctor grabbed a candle and then walked over to one of the lanterns at the side of the table. In the meantime, Evin continued to talk. "I don't think I'll go. As much as you'd probably like to see me go, I trust that I will pull through this like everything else I've ever pulled through in my life. Even if it doesn't get better, I can't take a break. Valcrest is far more sick than I and ever be right now. I need to see if there is at least something that I can do to help."
Evin flinched as the doctor started tend to his wounds. He was rather used to the feeling of metal objects piercing his skin, but he wasn't as used to them when they'd been heated.
"You know, dead people aren't exactly known for being helpful, my friend." Crys stated casually sitting by Nicholas at the bar and leaning against its surface. "Just pointing that out to you, you know... For the record. That said, if you want to stick around and help me with the cleanup, I won't complain."
"The more the merrier, mate." Nicholas added, in an overly cheerful tone, raising his glass before emptying it. "Why we're finally actually recruiting is it not?"
"Nicholas, go back to sleep." Crys stated simply, glaring at the man momentarily, seeming displeased at him for speaking up like that in front of the medic.
Nicholas snorted a laugh. "You're regretting putting me in charge of this already aren't you?" He asked playfully.
"You'll know if I regret, Nick. Trust me, you will." Crys replied simply, the severity in her voice losing itself behind a tone of amusement at the man. Nicholas could be a little bit louder, way louder, and more of a goofball than what one would expect of an assassin, but that was one of the reasons Crys had made him a recruiter, he was charming even when he was annoying; a friendly face to represent their cause. The other reason was that he was, as you would expect of an assassin, much more competent than he let on, or would be willing to admit. "Now, I mean it; go to sleep. Lots of work tomorrow."
"Alright, alright, I hear ya." The man agreed, stepping away from the counter and stretching lazily as he started to pace away. "Doc, it's been nice meeting you... Later Ev..." He stated, waving towards the two over his shoulder as he walked out the front door, closing it as he left.
Crys snorted softly, holding back a laugh at Nick. Aside from maybe Mageria, she was pretty sure she'd never heard anyone shorten Evin's name, not even her mother. A chuckle still escaping under her breath Crys shook her head. "We've had a couple of visits since we started the cleanup and I have some information to share with you, but I suppose that can wait until you've had some rest. You can take my room if you think you can make it up the stairs, if not the boys have been camping out in the neighboring buildings."
Evin sneered for a moment as the doctor continued to work on his arm. He flinched and the tool that the doctor was using pinched into something that it wasn't supposed to causing the wound to start bleeding again. "Well shit." The doctor mumbled as he scrambled through his bag to get a sanitary cloth.
"Is it better that I go to the Whites and sit there for a month waiting to die while they try to figure out what's wrong with me?" Evin snorted. "White Shadows don't go around doing what you say they are doing unless they don't have answers and they are looking for some. I'll go when I want to, but only to figure out what's going on. When I get answers, I'll see what I'll do from there."
Evin looked over to the doctor who was continuing to work on Evin's shoulder. It was an absolute mess. The assassins didn't intend to kill him, but they sure as hell made sure that he wasn't going to be able to put up a fight against Sean when they finally brought him. The particular place that the doctor continued to work on had been cut by a sword. The assassin who did it to him had gotten beaten up himself. He was the only one there that just wanted to kill Evin. The man was probably smart enough to know that no matter what they did to him, that Evin was going to somehow get away like usual.
Evin's gaze shot up instantly when Nick bastardized Evin's name. The kid was going to pay for it eventually. Nick may have had charm, but he needed to learn a bit of respect. Then Crystal started to speak again. Evin listened patiently.
"I'll probably be awake here for a while more; depending on how long doc, here, is going to take on patching me up. Either way, I think I'll just sleep in your room for the night.
"Oh come on now, Evin... I doubt the White Shadows could possibly hold you against your will, but fine; I do see your point." Crys retorted, rummaging through some of the messes left scattered over some of the bar tables until she found writing supplies, taking them to the bar counter and starting on a letter. "Four weeks is not enough time, I'm not stepping foot outside Blackpond's walls until I'm satisfied that this place is functional and protected. Besides...." She sighed, shaking her head slightly as if pushing aside words she'd rather not speak. "Four weeks is just not enough time, Sean. What are you thinking?" She muttered under her breath, scratching her head as she wrote. "Well, you can make yourself at home Evin. I don't think I'll be going back to sleep, seems a bit futile at this point. The bed is awful, so maybe the floor would be better for you. I'll just sit here and then walk the doctor home when he's done with his work; would be irresponsible to drag someone from their bed and then make them wander this city alone in times like these." She smiled at the man as she could tell the remark had made him nervous, even though he didn't express it in any way. "We can have a chat on the way, it'll be fun." Ending her letter and carefully folding and sealing it in an envelope, she smiled a bit sadly. "I'll send Sean my... Sentiments... On my way back. Don't see why he wouldn't accept my conditions. See? We're negotiating after all." She concluded with a playful note to her tone. "Oh, and... Please keep in mind that we do need the recruiter to be in one piece by the time this place opens."
The setting changes from Blackpond to Raven's Nest
Nineteen Days After the Ball
Darren arrived into the Raven’s Nest just after sunset, a bit later than he meant to due to his frequent breaks and the encounter with the dark haired stranger. He didn’t want to admit it but he was experiencing dizzy spells, however slight. They were enough to caution him but not enough to hold him to the White Shadows. He had stayed longer than he should of and yet, not nearly as long as he wanted to. His thoughts dwelled on his stay, causing him to walk a bit blindly into the Nest.
Darren couldn’t remember the last time he slept so much and he probably would have slept through an entire day if he didn’t awaken to voices in the tent beside his. Glancing around to gather his things he realized his weapons were no where to be found. He figured it would just be another excuse to speak with Annie as he was sure they were being kept someone for the safety of the camp.
Early morning rays of light temporarily blinded Darren as he stepped out of the tent and quietly crept to peek into the tent next door. His eyes softened when he saw an elderly man reaching for a pitcher of water he had accidentally knocked over, about ready to fall off his cot. Darren quietly stepped in and gently placed a hand upon the man’s shoulder, helping him to steady himself upon the cot. “I’ll get that. Did you need more water? I can find you some more, just don’t tip over while i’m gone, ok?” The man responded with a smile, leaning back to wait patiently for Darren to return. The boy only had to ask once where to find water, not knowing if there was a well or another source to search for. On his way back he peeked into a few open tents, his mind memorizing who looked like they needed blankets, water, or other simple accommodations that someone like Darren would have no problem assisting them with.
He returned to the old man reaching for a tattered book from a bedside table causing Darren to sigh. “I wasn’t gone that long Guy, was I?” He chuckled, refilling the pitcher and a glass, handing it to the man before reaching for the book and placing it on the cot beside him. Darren’s eyes flashed with an image, but he pushed it aside, focusing on controlling his enlightenment.
“Sydney..” The white haired man whispered. “..Are you one of the apprentices?” He coughed, spitting up some water before catching his breath and resting his hand upon the book. “I swore I knew all of them..”
“No, Sydney.” Darren smiled and bowed his head respectively. “..I’m Darren..I’m a patient, same as you but I’ll be heading out soon.”
“Oh...in that case son, you mind reading to an old man? I can’t see the words so good anymore, even if I know them by heart.” Sydney chuckled, his breath raspy and burdened.
“Sure. Give me a bit, I got some particulars to take care of and I’ll make this my last stop before I leave, ok?”
Most of the patients were well attended to and Darren found that besides food and water and the occasional extra blanket that was desired, something as simple as a friendly smile was the most helpful in his bed side manners. People didn’t like being treated as if they were sick or looked
upon with pity and Darren didn’t feel pity. He was empathetic to their situation and knew that encouraging them to rest and eat would give them that strength they needed to heal and go home. Even if they were terminal, Darren didn’t know that. He treated every one of them the same.
Darren snickered at the curious glances he received from a couple healers in passing as they entered a tent Darren had just left. They had helped him, no questions asked, so he figured he could at least do the same in return. His smile faded when he heard a scream only paces ahead coming from Sydney’s tent but it was not from the old man but of a woman. Darren picked up his pace only to discover what he had thought to be a frail, shaky, old man was now standing wide-eyed with an empty and lost stare, his hands firmly squeezing around a woman’s throat.
“A little help here…” Darren called over his shoulder in urgency as he stepped towards the man. “Sydney...what are you doing? What happened here old timer?”
“Get away from me! She deserves it! She tried to poison me!” The man yelled hysterically.
“Sydney...no one is trying to poison you...let her go..” Darren calmly whispered, his eyes darting from the man to the woman who was now turning purple, her frantic fingers that were clawing at her neck to be released, growing limp. “I came back to read to you..remember?”
Sydney looked away from the woman and stared at Darren in confusion. “..Who...are you? I’ve never seen you before in my life! This one though..” He turned back to the woman, his expression saddening, “She has been slowly poisoning me...making me weaker…”
Darren used the man’s minimal distraction to inch closer, swinging him forearm hard in a downward fashion, colliding into Sydney’s arm to break his hold slightly, twisting behind the man and intertwining his arms up and around the man’s as he pried him off the woman. She instantly fell to the floor, gasping and coughing through a groan. “Don’t…”
Darren clamped down, locking his hands behind the man’s head to hold him steady as he thrashed and yelled in defiance. “Come on Sydney, calm down..”
“Don’t...hurt my Father...he doesn’t know..” She whispered.
Darren froze, staring blankly at the girl upon the ground as two more healers rushed in to sedate Sydney. He hadn’t realized it before. How could he have known though? The man’s mind was gone. Sydney didn’t even recognize his own daughter and had just tried to kill her, convinced in his paranoia that she was trying to hurt him.
The daughter was carried away to recover from the ordeal while Sydney was placed back in his bed, the sedative working quickly to calm him.
“..It’s some sort of dementia...another symptom from whatever is afflicting enlightened..” One of the healers stated, his tone void of emotion as if he was reading directly from a textbook.
“..Let me guess...his enlightenment is increased strength? Maybe you should think about added security for this guy for when he relapses..” Darren grunted, catching his breath. The two men nodded before leaving Darren with Sydney to go about their duties for the morning. Darren sighed, noticing the tattered book open upon the floor and slowly picked it off the ground. He scanned over the pages for a bit before settling down in a chair, resting the book in his lap to read aloud to the man as he had promised. Sydney’s eyes had closed but a subtle smile curled his lips as he occasionally mouthed the words of the story Darren read, reciting them before Darren even spoke them. He did know the book by heart, but not because he had read it so many times. It was because, as Darren gradually discovered, it wasn’t just any story. It was a journal of the man’s life. He was trying to remember; trying to hold onto those distant moments.
Darren’s eyes glistened at the realization, a single tear falling which he quickly wiped away. That was when he noticed Annie standing outside the tent, watching him. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Darren closed the book and looked over the sleeping man for a moment to confirm he wouldn’t wake. He stood, replacing the book on the chair where he had sat. “Guess it’s that time…” He stretched his arms and neck, thinking he sat in that position for too long. “I’m glad I got to see you before I left. I wanted to thank you and ask you something. Would it be alright if I write you? I’m just not sure when I’ll be back and I hope when I do return it is not as a patient. May I visit again?”
Darren broke from his thoughts, distracted by the familiar sound of someone sparring except he only heard one person; a woman. Deterring from the path, he veered in that direction, putting off his initial goal of reporting immediately to the Captain once he was inside camp. Quietly, Darren approached a small and secluded campfire at the base of a rock wall, walking past two of the Captain’s men who were chuckling in disbelief.
“What is she pounding on now? You said she shredded that thing.” One of the men laughed, pulling the hood to his cloak further forward to cover his face.
“Aiden asked me to fix it..but there was no fixing it so I made her another one. Better than the guy’s face, right?” The other man snickered, glancing up at Darren and shaking his head in a warning fashion, disapproving of where Darren was headed. “It’s best to wait til it quiets, buddie. She’s not as scary after about an hour and she’s only just started. She’s riled up, that one.”
Darren paused, quirking a brow. “...Who...oh, you mean the redhead? Uh..Essence. Jake’s friend.” The man winked and smiled brightly. “I’ve never been hit by a woman in my life. I’m not about to break that streak. Besides..” He paused listening a moment before continuing. “It sounds like she’s putting too much effort to get the same result..” Darren nodded and continued walking towards Ess’ camp, spotting the giant Oak first at the treeline, breaking his silent steps by purposely stepping on twigs and the such to let her know of his approach. She only slowed her pace a moment as if to listen but she never stopped her fists from thrashing the sandbag that hung from a branch of the Oak. Once in view, Darren’s smile faded and his expression was replaced by pure confusion. It wasn’t a woman he saw tearing apart that sandbag, but an older, redheaded, freckled faced man. The grunts and muffled screams of aggravation were still of a woman’s which intensified Darren’s confusion.
“..Waait. I’m a bit confused. I was expecting Miss Talon.” Darren smirked as the figure stopped and looked at him in pure annoyance, throwing up his/her hands in defeat.
“Really...it happened again? Bloody Twins…” Essence growled, bending down to dunk her face into a bucket of water, the jolt of the cold shaking her from her illusion and calming her slightly.
Darren laughed, trying to hide his amusement at the same time. “Are you really a man pretending to be a woman, or is that your real form? Does Jake know his redhead is a man?” Darren teased, attempting to make light of the woman’s annoyance.
Ess’ eyes darkened in anger but she paused a moment before chuckling coldly. “Are people still betting on that? I told them I can only promise I am a woman, the rest is up to them.” She teased with a shrug.
“Was that who you were trying to punish there? Is that why you went from those good punches to what I saw as wimpy, half assed punches?” Darren partially teased, taking a cautionary step back.
Still catching her breath some, Ess reached for a glass, dunking it into the bucket and gulping down some water before answering Darren. “Half assed? Well..yea maybe...It’s been a long day. You would know though, right kid? Jake said you use to fight and people would bet on you, yes? So does that make you a professional punching bag?” A devilish smile spread across her lips. “Mind if I have a go?”
Darren took another step back and laughed, leaning against the backside of the Oak. Does she just want to punch every guy in the face or something? The boy thought and shook his head. “You forget, I have seen your handy work. Blade or no blade, I think i’m fine all the same in one piece, thank you. Not like what you did to Ebony. Which by the way is why I wanted to actually speak with you for a little while now. You mutilated her before I got any information out of her.”
Ess laughed, her eyes scanning over Darren slowly, inspecting like an insect before settling down beside the fire to dry off. “You’re better off kid. That ..creature..had nothing but poison and lies to give you. You shouldn’t be complaining that she is no more. What do you want to know except the kind of business she ran. Either you were for it..or against it. Plain and simple.” Ess stretched her neck, a distinctive popping sound echoing from her bones. “She only played games...plays people and life as if she was a puppeteer and even faced with that ultimate death, she would never release those secrets she hangs over our heads.” Essence fell quiet, attempting to take in the details of the boy before her that she overlooked in prior encounters. Then again, there were pressing matters of distraction that fogged her mind.
A heavy breath rushed to escape Darren, “That’s what I was just discovering. I never met her before, but she knew who I was. Apparently she was a business partner of my father’s at one point in time, come to find out and my father wasn’t an upstanding guy but to find out he was involved in her line of work.. is kind of..sickening.” Darren stepped around the Oak and kneeled beside the campfire across from Ess. “It’s personal to ask, I know, but I wanted to know how you knew Ebony. What answers are you still searching for? Or has that woman’s death brought you enough satisfaction to quiet that longing to know?”
Ess’ eyes widened, a dangerous glow, brightening as she snapped, “How..dare you..How da-”
Darren snorted, interrupting the woman, “How dare I? I simply asked a question and do not mean offense.”
“..I have killed that woman, twice now!! Yet I still see her snake-like head, slithering out of the ground to crawl into my bed. That, her bite will finally end me instead of slowly draining me. Yes, it has brought some satisfaction...such as you will not understand, but I always want to KNOW. That never stops. That is the never ending problem you will learn one day.” Essence took in a soothing breath to steady herself. “At least she can’t hurt anyone else now..”
“I’m pretty sure she’s dead this time..” Darren snickered, remember how Ess had covered herself in Ebony’s blood from the homicidal rage. “But it appears, even in death she continues to cause harm.” Darren whispered, his stare entranced on Ess’ eyes and how the violet light strobed in unison with her escalated emotions; slowing when she focused on her breathing. It was familiar and haunting at the same time. Essence had been subjected to horrors unimaginable because of that woman, that much was clear. He was trying to be as delicate as possible with the subject to find out if perhaps anything had to do with his own situation. If he had family she knew about. It was time to give a little, just like he had done with Annie.
“Essence...I found out that I may or may not still having living siblings..all from different mothers that were not my own. From the puzzle pieces I’ve been given, I can see some of the picture, but there’s still gaps. My father would pay Ebony to impregnate women, trying to have a son and apparently there were many..failures. I don’t know if there are any still living because it seems they were either killed or Ebony was allowed to absorb the failures into her..business or they were sold.” Darren’s face turn slightly pale as he spoke, searching the woman’s face for answers as she took in the information. “My understanding is that this..activity..stopped after I was born.” Darren scoffed in disgust and irritation. “He finally got his son..”
“..Sold? Absorbed? You mean they were made to be prostitutes or something else..” Ess breathed almost inaudibly, her eyes no longer glowing, so drained of color those purple irises looked, almost a dark grey. “If you want to know if I may have possibly known anyone that could have potentially been a sister of yours...that I can’t answer. You’re...how old? I escaped that life about fifteen or so years ago. It’s possible, but I’m sorry..I have no way of knowing..maybe if you had more to go on with names or what they looked like..” Ess stood to add a few logs to the fire, the motions on autopilot as she wasn’t even paying attention to the task. She didn’t even notice how she was now standing beside Darren, as if she was drawn subconsciously to him for an important reason.
“...Unless...Darren....who is your father?” Essence whispered, almost afraid to even ask the question. She could no longer deny the familiar eyes, black curly locs, and warm smile. The similarities were uncanny to Dirk, her own father. The idea made her heart stop, lips parted as she leaned in to listen intently for an answer.
Darren stood so that he was now the one towering over Ess, a curious anxiousness clouding his expression. “Just turned seventeen...I never did tell you my last name, did I? Most know it, which is quite unflattering to be even linked to that man...but it’s not the name that makes the man, right?” With a shrug he answered. “Asher.....Hearst....”
Ess’ eyes narrowed at the name, holding back an instinctive gag like shudder that snuck up on her. She wasn’t sure she believed the boy. It wasn’t just basic denial, or disbelief, but the fact she didn’t see the similarity between the two. ‘Maybe the chin...or nose...’ She thought to herself.
Darren noticed how Ess seemed to pull away, a curious anger crossing her features. Nodding a bit, a frown darkened his face, a mirrored violet of his eyes clouding over the deep blue. “I take it you had the unfortunate luck of knowing the man...Were...you one of the women..?” He bravely asked, his voice losing strength. Tiny beads of sweat appeared along his forehead as he reached out towards Essence, wanting to grasp her hand or brush her cheek. He wanted desperately to know, to confirm the pieces that were fading into view. Darren’s baby blues flickered with a violet glow of their own as he inched forward.
Essence mimicked Darren’s steps, as if they had begun a waltz, eyes soaking in the young man before her like a sponge, her eyes sharing in his violet glow. “....What.....did your father....tell you about your mother, Darren...?” She blurted out, not knowing how to go about this. How would she know for sure? Could it be truly more than a coincidence?
Darren ran his fingers up along the back of his neck and through his curls, looking a bit uneasy, yet he didn’t hesitate to answer, which he did delicately. “...That...she ‘left’ me after I was born, because working as an entertainer...was no place for a child....or something like that....” Darren paused remembering his father’s journal and the twisted way he had described his ‘relationship’ with Darren’s mother. “..I read in this journal of his...that he believed for a time he was actually in love with her...” Darren scoffed, rolling his eyes. “...I saw it as slavery and abuse ...if you ask me...” He paused for a moment, eyes widening as the pieces slowly fell into place. “She had....red curly hair....like yours...I assume.” Darren cleared his throat and took a deep breath again, as if searching for strength. “You didn’t answer my question. How did you know my father?”
“You just turned seventeen?” Ess breathed, delaying her answer. Darren only nodded, quirking a brow. With a sigh, Ess cradled her neck as if it pained her to hold her head up high any longer, both hands curled along her neck, fingers tracing along where her spine met her skull. Closing her eyes she relived how she was stolen into that life and finally when she spoke, she recalled the days of Darren’s father.
“Come on out, Essence. Let me get a good look at you before your next visitor.” Ebony commanded, banging obnoxiously against the bedroom door. Slowly the door creaked open, out stepping a painted, live porcelain doll. Standing at about four foot five, the twelve year old girl’s eyes burned a fiery glare into the older woman’s eyes. Short, burgundy curls were tied back loosely from out her eyes where she stood silently, her form clad in hunter green silks that dragged along the floor. It was clear her appearance did not come cheap, yet the trinkets she wore defined her growing girlish features, adding several years to the facade. “Turn around now, Essence...” Ebony didn’t smile, instead a scowl grew in a quiet jealousy of the young girl and her youthful beauty. “...Not bad..” She lied, roughly tugging out the clips in Ess’ hair so that her curls fell along her slender neck. “What did I tell you? Hair down always gives a more alluring look.” Absently she was smoothing out the silks Ess wore, spinning her around again in another inspection. “This one will be different, Essence. Yes you will be his, but not just for a night. He has paid quite handsomely for you to be ‘only’ his and thus it will be until his money runs out, he decides you’re used up, or I kill you.” Ebony shrugged, pulling a strand of her salt n pepper hair from out her eyes, exposing several tired lines against the dark circles. “You will remember what I’ve taught you, yes?” She waited expectantly, tapping her nails against each other.
Ess nodded, letting her gaze fall to her feet. “My feelings don’t matter. What I want doesn’t matter. Only what ‘they’ need or want matters and I will feel only for them and what is expected of me. The eyes are the doorway to the soul and because I have no soul, I fill it with their fantasies and make them believe in the dream...” Her tone was soft, yet void of emotion except her eyes when she looked back up at her Mistress, a hateful fury dissipating to a doll’s stare; empty and cold. Ebony coughed out a raspy laugh, lightly smacking the girl across her cheeks to add some color. “Good litta whore....now just don’t forget to smile.” With a shove, Ebony ended her inspection, pushing Ess back inside her room, where she was to wait for her next patron.
~~~
Ess didn’t understand what to make of the brown-eyed man, as he simply sat and stared at her curiously. His smile was gentle and he had made no attempt to touch her except when he lightly kissed her hand. Granted, not all the men she encountered were cruel or without dignity, but it was like he was going out of his way to make her comfortable. That first night, he only talked with her; mostly about himself, hinting at his power and influence through money and his business, that which he never went into too much detail. She had never seen him before, yet he spoke on how he had been watching her for some years now, like a distant admirer. He was old enough to be her father, his tone attentive and sweet, his goatee and black hair short and clean with a strange scent that clung to his clothes; a mix of an irony, sugary sweet, earthy aroma with a hint of something burning that she couldn’t put her finger on. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, mostly because it was subtle, but the smell made a permanent impression in her mind that she would not forget.
~~~
Again, he visited the next night, only this time he told her she was to accompany him to a dinner of much importance to him. She was too young to really understand what the business dinner was really about, but it wasn’t her job to either, only to look pretty on his arm. Still she didn’t know his name, but she didn’t speak unless addressed directly, as Ebony had instructed. Her mistress did not like the idea of Ess wandering the city without further supervision, but the man promised Ebony it would not be an issue and to fully compensate if need be. Essence wanted to run, wanted to hit the man in the head and escape, but she simply clung to his side like she belonged, like she had been there all along.
Nobody spoke to Ess while she ate beside her patron, which actually added to her comfort since the stares she received were either of distaste or of a lustful nature. She was apparently safe in the man’s presence, given a great amount of respect and stature compared to the others. As before, he barely laid a finger on her. Even when the night was at a close and she expected to be subjected to the normal degrading acts of her lifestyle, he simply leaned in and kissed her cheek. “You were a breath of fresh air tonight, Ess. If I may make a request of you, perhaps tomorrow you’d wear something in a lavender..? To match those eyes of yours..”
Ess performed as expected, shying away from the compliment and nodded with a slight curtsy. “Anything you desire, it shall be yours..” Tilting her head curiously she spoke up again, out of turn. “Sire...may I ask a question?” Ess knew speaking before given permission was risky but her question was small, and stood with an appealing smile that seemed to weaken the man’s knees. He gestured for her to continue. “What shall I call you?”
For a moment, the man’s eyes darkened and his smile faded but still his tone was gentle as it had been the entire night. “I will allow you to speak to me commonly, it is Asher, my dear.”
~~~~
Days passed before he finally took her into his bed, mostly because he wanted her to make the move, to request his touch. This was a game Ess was taught early on and so she played the shy innocent girl full of ignorance when she was anything but. She didn’t have much of an opinion of Asher, except that he appeared to be a gentleman and that he liked the illusion of courting her in a dream like love affair. Deep down, a sickening feeling lingered inside of Essence. She smiled, flirted, and moved like a woman. Asher handled her like a woman, and yet she was still a child, forced to grow up too soon.
Ess knew this was different when Asher cradled her against his chest, caressing her silky soft skin, again he kissed her and paused to look at her with something hidden behind his eyes that Ess feared. Still, he was gentle, sweet, caring and even muttered something in her ear about falling for her and that was why he would not allow any other man to touch her. Instinct told her this was wrong, that this was only the calm before the storm but even Ebony bothered her less and less. Ess figured it was because she was making her a small fortune and staying out of trouble, but Asher even protected her against Jasper, and that’s the moment she began to care.
The months that followed, she started to believe the compliments, the way he looked at her like she was the most important thing and nothing else mattered. For the first time she felt like she did matter, and she wasn’t even sure she was acting anymore. Something was changing, a hope was growing inside that maybe her life could be different. Ebony saw this too, only smiling a deceitful grin whenever Ess passed her by, not reacting when Ess spoke out of turn, talked back or was disobedient. She wanted to believe she was growing stronger and that with Asher’s help, that was the influence to keeping Ebony’s abuse at bay, when in reality the woman had something planned; something that would shatter the girl, taking the fight out of her.
~~~
Essence didn’t know what was happening. One moment she was chatting away and the next she was huddled in the far corner, between the wall and her bed, protecting her head as she was hit repeatedly. “Please! I swear there is no one else! I swear Asher! She lies, she lies!” Ess screamed, sobbing between punches before she was dragged clear across the floor by her hair, her hands trying to grip her curls, pulling back in order to counter the pain as she felt her scalp begin to bleed.
“I despise other people...touching my things....” Asher spoke coldly, a manic jealousy wild within his eyes. “Haven’t I treated you well? Haven’t I protected you, Ess?”
Blocking another assault she continued to scream defiantly in Asher’s face, spitting blood in his eye. “You still treat me like a whore....like a possession....” Again she was hit in the face, blood trickling from her nose.
“You are a Whore, Ess....you’re MY whore....” Asher stated matter of factly.
Gradually her voice softened when another wave of sobs over took her. “What are you protecting me from?! She wants you to kill the baby Asher! Don’t you see!”
In mid swing, the man came to a sudden halt, fingers uncurling from tightened fists, crouching down beside Ess on the floor. “What did you say?” He whispered, a threatening venom in his voice as he waited for her to answer.
“She knows...your child grows within me....she wants it dead like the others...” Ess whispered, hiding her face in her hands.
Asher stared wide-eyed, silent in his shock for several minutes before a smile broke his icy gaze. Leaning into Ess, he gently wrapped his arms around her, causing her to flinch and shrink back but unable to avoid his embrace. “Shh shh...now dear....” He lifted her chin to look into his eyes, her own vacant of color, bloodshot from her tears, still trying to pull away. Gripping her face in his hand he stared. “I swear Asher...it’s yours....there’s no-”
“Shh, there Essence..” His hand rested lightly upon her belly, lost in momentary thought before he spoke again. “Don’t you worry..I’ve always wanted a child..”
As Darren listened attentively to Essence’s story, he was hypnotized by her pain, feeling as if he were there to witness it all as she went on in vivid detail,not sugarcoating any of it. By the time she had opened her eyes, still in tiny slits causing the glow to stream out in an unnatural bright hue, he had his arms around her, resting his chin gently upon her head. “....They told me he had died...” She muttered sadly, still keeping her composure, strangely not pulling away from the sudden contact of the stranger. But then again, was he really? The contact was enough to validate his suspicions, confirming her story as they clung to each other in silence. He knew in that moment, Ess was the little girl with short red curls, pale doll-like skin, but now her eyes were not hidden. “...I should have known they were purple....the way Asher described their intensity, how they shifted with emotion.....’.I only saw the ocean once, when I was a child....and whenever I looked into that girl’s eyes, I was reminded of the hidden depths and unseen shadows below....how the farther one dove...the more they suffocated. It was frightening...intriguing, and utterly beautiful. As the sun set across the ocean, a purple glow darkened those waters...a mirrored image each time her tears fell.’” Darren smiled in that moment, a chuckle escaping when Ess answered, “...Huh....never thought Asher had a poetic shred of thoughtfulness in him...makes me want to cut out his eyes...”
“How...old were you....Ess....?” Darren spoke, his voice cracking surprisingly, his smile fading once again keeping his composure as he held the woman who was revealed to be his birth Mother. Bits and pieces of visions were escaping into his view as he pressed against that flow, afraid of the overwhelming sensations and information that was trying to push through his barrier.
“....Twelve....I think....I can’t....believe...” Essence pulled back slightly, enough to look up at Darren, who looked sick from Ess’ answer. Darren’s heart sank into the pit of his stomach, his blood slowing as if it was suddenly chilled and thickened to a slush when he focused on the vision he took from Ess of his father. Seeing him through her eyes sent shivers straight through to the bone, penetrating his very soul. Darren was never his father’s number one fan...but in that moment something changed in him forever. This time when Darren went to speak, his voice was low in a growl, raspy and eerie that which was so unlike him, he startled himself. “...There’s something you should know about Asher....” He began.
Ess raised two elegant fingers to Darren’s lips and smiled. “Shh..not now...can we just...share a ‘moment’ before we have to dwell on business or the devastatingly depressed? I want to know...ALL about you. I have so much to learn...there’s so much you need to know....like how if I only knew you were alive...” Her voice lost its’ courage and faded to a whisper, “I don’t know how to be a Mom...but I sure as hell am gonna try.”
Darren nodded, tilting his cheek so Ess’ hand brushed along his goatee. “Well, look at it this way, Mom,” He chuckled. “You don’t have to change diapers or listen to wailing screams of an infant.”
Playfully Ess tapped Darren’s cheek and stepped back, snickering as she wiped aside a few tears. “Yea, I hope you’re...house broken....no way am I doing any of that now.” Ess leaned up on the balls of her feet and wrapped her arms tight around Darren’s neck, hugging him something fierce, as if afraid he would disappear.
Darren smiled, muttering playfully, “I can’t..believe you were gonna name me Aldwin...really? That’s a good name for a horse...but...really?”
Essence laughed abruptly, squeezing a bit harder. “Hey...I had other ideas too...I probably would have changed it later..”
“You can’t just change my name because you get tired of it?!” Darren protested, trying to sound offended.
“Sure I can...but honestly..I think Darren is a good name..so no worries..” She winked. “So...do you have a girlfriend?”
“Ma!” Darren groaned. “Essence, do you have a boyfriend?” He teased back, leaning back into the hug, gasping for breath as Ess squeezed him. “Heey....alright...I can’t....breathe..” When she let go he dramatically stumbled back, pretending to suck in large draughts of air. “And noo, I don’t..”
Ess sighed, smiling as she noticed the same tiny dimples along the corners of her son’s mouth, almost hidden by his mustache. “Me neither...” She laughed. “And why not? You are a very good looking boy...come from good stock!” Ess didn’t even realize she had begun to fuss with her son’s curly hair, absently picking hairs and fuzzies off his shirt. It wasn’t until he began to squirm and dance around her they both stopped and laughed.
Hours went by as Essence let Darren talk and explain all about himself; his past, his luck with girls, what he was aspiring for in life, and so forth. Finally when it was Ess’ turn, they discussed her past and the connection with Asher having much to do with how she ended up in that brothel hell. It wasn’t a coincidence that he knew about her, instead, he had been one of the men involved with Ian directly in the ‘business deal’. Asher had practically handpicked her for himself. Ess found herself the one comforting Darren as he sobbed in her lap, her fingers gently massaging around his temples. She was the one who stood strong, not letting a single tear fall but instead humming sweetly into his ear, trying to calm him. A large part of her was trying to ignore the stain of the information she had learned about Asher. If she hadn’t hated him enough already, as it was. Yet, she still hadn’t put in a lot of effort to find him or to exact her revenge. Ess had not brought him up to Jake or Luckas. Not once. She had actually spent much of her strength in..not really forgiving him, but forgetting him. It still confused her sometimes; that old life. Essence still didn’t know if it was disgust, resentment, or a broken heart that she suffered from. Maybe, all of the above. It angered her and that fury swelled inside her, so much that she was delighted. Anything to not admit...
“I wasn’t..even born from love.....” Darren sighed, wiping at a few tears. Ess hushed Darren, not letting him speak anything further with that sentence, knowing where it was leading. His words distracted her from her thoughts, taken over by concern instead. “It..doesn’t matter how you were conceived, because it was still from love....you know why? Because I had always wanted you...I have always loved you...this tiny boy I never got a chance to meet, now who towers before me. With a much better name than I would have picked, I think.” Essence smiled wide, poking her son in the side, causing him to laugh abruptly. “You are the only blessed thing that came from that wretched man, and if I see him again...I’ll be sure to thank him before I...”
“I know..I know...” Darren interrupted. “...Impale his eyes on a fork...”
“That’s right, and don’t you forget that.” Ess giggled.
“How could I?” He teased. “You’ve only said it like three times in the past two hours!”
“Good to know you’re a good listener then...” Ess winked. “You seem to have grown up rather well...maybe better than I could have given you myself....I’m rather proud.” Ess paused, bouncing a bit at a sudden idea. “Oh...next time you see Jake, call him ‘Uncle Jakey’ for me.” She joked. “And....keep on Irvin to behave around women. We don’t want the boy losing a limb...he seems like good people, maybe a friend, no?”
Darren nodded, thinking how he was one to always, for the most part, have no problem making friends. “I’d say so.” He shuffled, sitting up straight upon the log by the fire, his back cracking as he got comfortable again, Tala suddenly at his feet, her tail wagging happily at him. “What? You hungry?” Tala barked, nuzzling the boy’s hand so that he was scratching the wolf behind her ears.
“Naw, that little piggy just wants attention..” Ess giggled. There the three of them sat, simply enjoying the silence of the evening, and the open sky of stars shining down upon them from above. They made smart ass comments to one another about each other’s tattoos, which was their own little way of commenting and envying the details of one another’s personal art. Ess had poured each of them a glass of something heavy that burned all the way down into their bellies with each sip, causing the same cherry glow upon their cheeks. “Eh, you’re old enough to drink I think if you’re old enough to fight in a war, no?”
“Oh...so does that mean you’ve been drinking since you were a teenager, Ess?” Darren sneered.
“You know what I mean, boy! And it’s MOM to you!” Ess played.
“Yes Essence....er...Maaa...Soooooo” Darren’s voice became suddenly lighter and took on a curious tone. “What’s the deal with you and Luckas?”
“Ah....” Ess was happy her cheeks were already flushed from the liquor, feeling just a bit uncomfortable with the conversation change with a young man who wasn’t just her son, but also only two years younger than her friend. “Well....It’s not polite to talk about people when they are standing behind you, son.”
Darren quirked a brow, turning around slowly as if he was dreading the worst, but denied by the smile upon his lips. “What....are you talking about...? I don’t see...”
Darren arrived into the Raven’s Nest just after sunset, a bit later than he meant to due to his frequent breaks and the encounter with the dark haired stranger. He didn’t want to admit it but he was experiencing dizzy spells, however slight. They were enough to caution him but not enough to hold him to the White Shadows. He had stayed longer than he should of and yet, not nearly as long as he wanted to. His thoughts dwelled on his stay, causing him to walk a bit blindly into the Nest.
Darren couldn’t remember the last time he slept so much and he probably would have slept through an entire day if he didn’t awaken to voices in the tent beside his. Glancing around to gather his things he realized his weapons were no where to be found. He figured it would just be another excuse to speak with Annie as he was sure they were being kept someone for the safety of the camp.
Early morning rays of light temporarily blinded Darren as he stepped out of the tent and quietly crept to peek into the tent next door. His eyes softened when he saw an elderly man reaching for a pitcher of water he had accidentally knocked over, about ready to fall off his cot. Darren quietly stepped in and gently placed a hand upon the man’s shoulder, helping him to steady himself upon the cot. “I’ll get that. Did you need more water? I can find you some more, just don’t tip over while i’m gone, ok?” The man responded with a smile, leaning back to wait patiently for Darren to return. The boy only had to ask once where to find water, not knowing if there was a well or another source to search for. On his way back he peeked into a few open tents, his mind memorizing who looked like they needed blankets, water, or other simple accommodations that someone like Darren would have no problem assisting them with.
He returned to the old man reaching for a tattered book from a bedside table causing Darren to sigh. “I wasn’t gone that long Guy, was I?” He chuckled, refilling the pitcher and a glass, handing it to the man before reaching for the book and placing it on the cot beside him. Darren’s eyes flashed with an image, but he pushed it aside, focusing on controlling his enlightenment.
“Sydney..” The white haired man whispered. “..Are you one of the apprentices?” He coughed, spitting up some water before catching his breath and resting his hand upon the book. “I swore I knew all of them..”
“No, Sydney.” Darren smiled and bowed his head respectively. “..I’m Darren..I’m a patient, same as you but I’ll be heading out soon.”
“Oh...in that case son, you mind reading to an old man? I can’t see the words so good anymore, even if I know them by heart.” Sydney chuckled, his breath raspy and burdened.
“Sure. Give me a bit, I got some particulars to take care of and I’ll make this my last stop before I leave, ok?”
Most of the patients were well attended to and Darren found that besides food and water and the occasional extra blanket that was desired, something as simple as a friendly smile was the most helpful in his bed side manners. People didn’t like being treated as if they were sick or looked
upon with pity and Darren didn’t feel pity. He was empathetic to their situation and knew that encouraging them to rest and eat would give them that strength they needed to heal and go home. Even if they were terminal, Darren didn’t know that. He treated every one of them the same.
Darren snickered at the curious glances he received from a couple healers in passing as they entered a tent Darren had just left. They had helped him, no questions asked, so he figured he could at least do the same in return. His smile faded when he heard a scream only paces ahead coming from Sydney’s tent but it was not from the old man but of a woman. Darren picked up his pace only to discover what he had thought to be a frail, shaky, old man was now standing wide-eyed with an empty and lost stare, his hands firmly squeezing around a woman’s throat.
“A little help here…” Darren called over his shoulder in urgency as he stepped towards the man. “Sydney...what are you doing? What happened here old timer?”
“Get away from me! She deserves it! She tried to poison me!” The man yelled hysterically.
“Sydney...no one is trying to poison you...let her go..” Darren calmly whispered, his eyes darting from the man to the woman who was now turning purple, her frantic fingers that were clawing at her neck to be released, growing limp. “I came back to read to you..remember?”
Sydney looked away from the woman and stared at Darren in confusion. “..Who...are you? I’ve never seen you before in my life! This one though..” He turned back to the woman, his expression saddening, “She has been slowly poisoning me...making me weaker…”
Darren used the man’s minimal distraction to inch closer, swinging him forearm hard in a downward fashion, colliding into Sydney’s arm to break his hold slightly, twisting behind the man and intertwining his arms up and around the man’s as he pried him off the woman. She instantly fell to the floor, gasping and coughing through a groan. “Don’t…”
Darren clamped down, locking his hands behind the man’s head to hold him steady as he thrashed and yelled in defiance. “Come on Sydney, calm down..”
“Don’t...hurt my Father...he doesn’t know..” She whispered.
Darren froze, staring blankly at the girl upon the ground as two more healers rushed in to sedate Sydney. He hadn’t realized it before. How could he have known though? The man’s mind was gone. Sydney didn’t even recognize his own daughter and had just tried to kill her, convinced in his paranoia that she was trying to hurt him.
The daughter was carried away to recover from the ordeal while Sydney was placed back in his bed, the sedative working quickly to calm him.
“..It’s some sort of dementia...another symptom from whatever is afflicting enlightened..” One of the healers stated, his tone void of emotion as if he was reading directly from a textbook.
“..Let me guess...his enlightenment is increased strength? Maybe you should think about added security for this guy for when he relapses..” Darren grunted, catching his breath. The two men nodded before leaving Darren with Sydney to go about their duties for the morning. Darren sighed, noticing the tattered book open upon the floor and slowly picked it off the ground. He scanned over the pages for a bit before settling down in a chair, resting the book in his lap to read aloud to the man as he had promised. Sydney’s eyes had closed but a subtle smile curled his lips as he occasionally mouthed the words of the story Darren read, reciting them before Darren even spoke them. He did know the book by heart, but not because he had read it so many times. It was because, as Darren gradually discovered, it wasn’t just any story. It was a journal of the man’s life. He was trying to remember; trying to hold onto those distant moments.
Darren’s eyes glistened at the realization, a single tear falling which he quickly wiped away. That was when he noticed Annie standing outside the tent, watching him. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Darren closed the book and looked over the sleeping man for a moment to confirm he wouldn’t wake. He stood, replacing the book on the chair where he had sat. “Guess it’s that time…” He stretched his arms and neck, thinking he sat in that position for too long. “I’m glad I got to see you before I left. I wanted to thank you and ask you something. Would it be alright if I write you? I’m just not sure when I’ll be back and I hope when I do return it is not as a patient. May I visit again?”
Darren broke from his thoughts, distracted by the familiar sound of someone sparring except he only heard one person; a woman. Deterring from the path, he veered in that direction, putting off his initial goal of reporting immediately to the Captain once he was inside camp. Quietly, Darren approached a small and secluded campfire at the base of a rock wall, walking past two of the Captain’s men who were chuckling in disbelief.
“What is she pounding on now? You said she shredded that thing.” One of the men laughed, pulling the hood to his cloak further forward to cover his face.
“Aiden asked me to fix it..but there was no fixing it so I made her another one. Better than the guy’s face, right?” The other man snickered, glancing up at Darren and shaking his head in a warning fashion, disapproving of where Darren was headed. “It’s best to wait til it quiets, buddie. She’s not as scary after about an hour and she’s only just started. She’s riled up, that one.”
Darren paused, quirking a brow. “...Who...oh, you mean the redhead? Uh..Essence. Jake’s friend.” The man winked and smiled brightly. “I’ve never been hit by a woman in my life. I’m not about to break that streak. Besides..” He paused listening a moment before continuing. “It sounds like she’s putting too much effort to get the same result..” Darren nodded and continued walking towards Ess’ camp, spotting the giant Oak first at the treeline, breaking his silent steps by purposely stepping on twigs and the such to let her know of his approach. She only slowed her pace a moment as if to listen but she never stopped her fists from thrashing the sandbag that hung from a branch of the Oak. Once in view, Darren’s smile faded and his expression was replaced by pure confusion. It wasn’t a woman he saw tearing apart that sandbag, but an older, redheaded, freckled faced man. The grunts and muffled screams of aggravation were still of a woman’s which intensified Darren’s confusion.
“..Waait. I’m a bit confused. I was expecting Miss Talon.” Darren smirked as the figure stopped and looked at him in pure annoyance, throwing up his/her hands in defeat.
“Really...it happened again? Bloody Twins…” Essence growled, bending down to dunk her face into a bucket of water, the jolt of the cold shaking her from her illusion and calming her slightly.
Darren laughed, trying to hide his amusement at the same time. “Are you really a man pretending to be a woman, or is that your real form? Does Jake know his redhead is a man?” Darren teased, attempting to make light of the woman’s annoyance.
Ess’ eyes darkened in anger but she paused a moment before chuckling coldly. “Are people still betting on that? I told them I can only promise I am a woman, the rest is up to them.” She teased with a shrug.
“Was that who you were trying to punish there? Is that why you went from those good punches to what I saw as wimpy, half assed punches?” Darren partially teased, taking a cautionary step back.
Still catching her breath some, Ess reached for a glass, dunking it into the bucket and gulping down some water before answering Darren. “Half assed? Well..yea maybe...It’s been a long day. You would know though, right kid? Jake said you use to fight and people would bet on you, yes? So does that make you a professional punching bag?” A devilish smile spread across her lips. “Mind if I have a go?”
Darren took another step back and laughed, leaning against the backside of the Oak. Does she just want to punch every guy in the face or something? The boy thought and shook his head. “You forget, I have seen your handy work. Blade or no blade, I think i’m fine all the same in one piece, thank you. Not like what you did to Ebony. Which by the way is why I wanted to actually speak with you for a little while now. You mutilated her before I got any information out of her.”
Ess laughed, her eyes scanning over Darren slowly, inspecting like an insect before settling down beside the fire to dry off. “You’re better off kid. That ..creature..had nothing but poison and lies to give you. You shouldn’t be complaining that she is no more. What do you want to know except the kind of business she ran. Either you were for it..or against it. Plain and simple.” Ess stretched her neck, a distinctive popping sound echoing from her bones. “She only played games...plays people and life as if she was a puppeteer and even faced with that ultimate death, she would never release those secrets she hangs over our heads.” Essence fell quiet, attempting to take in the details of the boy before her that she overlooked in prior encounters. Then again, there were pressing matters of distraction that fogged her mind.
A heavy breath rushed to escape Darren, “That’s what I was just discovering. I never met her before, but she knew who I was. Apparently she was a business partner of my father’s at one point in time, come to find out and my father wasn’t an upstanding guy but to find out he was involved in her line of work.. is kind of..sickening.” Darren stepped around the Oak and kneeled beside the campfire across from Ess. “It’s personal to ask, I know, but I wanted to know how you knew Ebony. What answers are you still searching for? Or has that woman’s death brought you enough satisfaction to quiet that longing to know?”
Ess’ eyes widened, a dangerous glow, brightening as she snapped, “How..dare you..How da-”
Darren snorted, interrupting the woman, “How dare I? I simply asked a question and do not mean offense.”
“..I have killed that woman, twice now!! Yet I still see her snake-like head, slithering out of the ground to crawl into my bed. That, her bite will finally end me instead of slowly draining me. Yes, it has brought some satisfaction...such as you will not understand, but I always want to KNOW. That never stops. That is the never ending problem you will learn one day.” Essence took in a soothing breath to steady herself. “At least she can’t hurt anyone else now..”
“I’m pretty sure she’s dead this time..” Darren snickered, remember how Ess had covered herself in Ebony’s blood from the homicidal rage. “But it appears, even in death she continues to cause harm.” Darren whispered, his stare entranced on Ess’ eyes and how the violet light strobed in unison with her escalated emotions; slowing when she focused on her breathing. It was familiar and haunting at the same time. Essence had been subjected to horrors unimaginable because of that woman, that much was clear. He was trying to be as delicate as possible with the subject to find out if perhaps anything had to do with his own situation. If he had family she knew about. It was time to give a little, just like he had done with Annie.
“Essence...I found out that I may or may not still having living siblings..all from different mothers that were not my own. From the puzzle pieces I’ve been given, I can see some of the picture, but there’s still gaps. My father would pay Ebony to impregnate women, trying to have a son and apparently there were many..failures. I don’t know if there are any still living because it seems they were either killed or Ebony was allowed to absorb the failures into her..business or they were sold.” Darren’s face turn slightly pale as he spoke, searching the woman’s face for answers as she took in the information. “My understanding is that this..activity..stopped after I was born.” Darren scoffed in disgust and irritation. “He finally got his son..”
“..Sold? Absorbed? You mean they were made to be prostitutes or something else..” Ess breathed almost inaudibly, her eyes no longer glowing, so drained of color those purple irises looked, almost a dark grey. “If you want to know if I may have possibly known anyone that could have potentially been a sister of yours...that I can’t answer. You’re...how old? I escaped that life about fifteen or so years ago. It’s possible, but I’m sorry..I have no way of knowing..maybe if you had more to go on with names or what they looked like..” Ess stood to add a few logs to the fire, the motions on autopilot as she wasn’t even paying attention to the task. She didn’t even notice how she was now standing beside Darren, as if she was drawn subconsciously to him for an important reason.
“...Unless...Darren....who is your father?” Essence whispered, almost afraid to even ask the question. She could no longer deny the familiar eyes, black curly locs, and warm smile. The similarities were uncanny to Dirk, her own father. The idea made her heart stop, lips parted as she leaned in to listen intently for an answer.
Darren stood so that he was now the one towering over Ess, a curious anxiousness clouding his expression. “Just turned seventeen...I never did tell you my last name, did I? Most know it, which is quite unflattering to be even linked to that man...but it’s not the name that makes the man, right?” With a shrug he answered. “Asher.....Hearst....”
Ess’ eyes narrowed at the name, holding back an instinctive gag like shudder that snuck up on her. She wasn’t sure she believed the boy. It wasn’t just basic denial, or disbelief, but the fact she didn’t see the similarity between the two. ‘Maybe the chin...or nose...’ She thought to herself.
Darren noticed how Ess seemed to pull away, a curious anger crossing her features. Nodding a bit, a frown darkened his face, a mirrored violet of his eyes clouding over the deep blue. “I take it you had the unfortunate luck of knowing the man...Were...you one of the women..?” He bravely asked, his voice losing strength. Tiny beads of sweat appeared along his forehead as he reached out towards Essence, wanting to grasp her hand or brush her cheek. He wanted desperately to know, to confirm the pieces that were fading into view. Darren’s baby blues flickered with a violet glow of their own as he inched forward.
Essence mimicked Darren’s steps, as if they had begun a waltz, eyes soaking in the young man before her like a sponge, her eyes sharing in his violet glow. “....What.....did your father....tell you about your mother, Darren...?” She blurted out, not knowing how to go about this. How would she know for sure? Could it be truly more than a coincidence?
Darren ran his fingers up along the back of his neck and through his curls, looking a bit uneasy, yet he didn’t hesitate to answer, which he did delicately. “...That...she ‘left’ me after I was born, because working as an entertainer...was no place for a child....or something like that....” Darren paused remembering his father’s journal and the twisted way he had described his ‘relationship’ with Darren’s mother. “..I read in this journal of his...that he believed for a time he was actually in love with her...” Darren scoffed, rolling his eyes. “...I saw it as slavery and abuse ...if you ask me...” He paused for a moment, eyes widening as the pieces slowly fell into place. “She had....red curly hair....like yours...I assume.” Darren cleared his throat and took a deep breath again, as if searching for strength. “You didn’t answer my question. How did you know my father?”
“You just turned seventeen?” Ess breathed, delaying her answer. Darren only nodded, quirking a brow. With a sigh, Ess cradled her neck as if it pained her to hold her head up high any longer, both hands curled along her neck, fingers tracing along where her spine met her skull. Closing her eyes she relived how she was stolen into that life and finally when she spoke, she recalled the days of Darren’s father.
“Come on out, Essence. Let me get a good look at you before your next visitor.” Ebony commanded, banging obnoxiously against the bedroom door. Slowly the door creaked open, out stepping a painted, live porcelain doll. Standing at about four foot five, the twelve year old girl’s eyes burned a fiery glare into the older woman’s eyes. Short, burgundy curls were tied back loosely from out her eyes where she stood silently, her form clad in hunter green silks that dragged along the floor. It was clear her appearance did not come cheap, yet the trinkets she wore defined her growing girlish features, adding several years to the facade. “Turn around now, Essence...” Ebony didn’t smile, instead a scowl grew in a quiet jealousy of the young girl and her youthful beauty. “...Not bad..” She lied, roughly tugging out the clips in Ess’ hair so that her curls fell along her slender neck. “What did I tell you? Hair down always gives a more alluring look.” Absently she was smoothing out the silks Ess wore, spinning her around again in another inspection. “This one will be different, Essence. Yes you will be his, but not just for a night. He has paid quite handsomely for you to be ‘only’ his and thus it will be until his money runs out, he decides you’re used up, or I kill you.” Ebony shrugged, pulling a strand of her salt n pepper hair from out her eyes, exposing several tired lines against the dark circles. “You will remember what I’ve taught you, yes?” She waited expectantly, tapping her nails against each other.
Ess nodded, letting her gaze fall to her feet. “My feelings don’t matter. What I want doesn’t matter. Only what ‘they’ need or want matters and I will feel only for them and what is expected of me. The eyes are the doorway to the soul and because I have no soul, I fill it with their fantasies and make them believe in the dream...” Her tone was soft, yet void of emotion except her eyes when she looked back up at her Mistress, a hateful fury dissipating to a doll’s stare; empty and cold. Ebony coughed out a raspy laugh, lightly smacking the girl across her cheeks to add some color. “Good litta whore....now just don’t forget to smile.” With a shove, Ebony ended her inspection, pushing Ess back inside her room, where she was to wait for her next patron.
~~~
Ess didn’t understand what to make of the brown-eyed man, as he simply sat and stared at her curiously. His smile was gentle and he had made no attempt to touch her except when he lightly kissed her hand. Granted, not all the men she encountered were cruel or without dignity, but it was like he was going out of his way to make her comfortable. That first night, he only talked with her; mostly about himself, hinting at his power and influence through money and his business, that which he never went into too much detail. She had never seen him before, yet he spoke on how he had been watching her for some years now, like a distant admirer. He was old enough to be her father, his tone attentive and sweet, his goatee and black hair short and clean with a strange scent that clung to his clothes; a mix of an irony, sugary sweet, earthy aroma with a hint of something burning that she couldn’t put her finger on. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, mostly because it was subtle, but the smell made a permanent impression in her mind that she would not forget.
~~~
Again, he visited the next night, only this time he told her she was to accompany him to a dinner of much importance to him. She was too young to really understand what the business dinner was really about, but it wasn’t her job to either, only to look pretty on his arm. Still she didn’t know his name, but she didn’t speak unless addressed directly, as Ebony had instructed. Her mistress did not like the idea of Ess wandering the city without further supervision, but the man promised Ebony it would not be an issue and to fully compensate if need be. Essence wanted to run, wanted to hit the man in the head and escape, but she simply clung to his side like she belonged, like she had been there all along.
Nobody spoke to Ess while she ate beside her patron, which actually added to her comfort since the stares she received were either of distaste or of a lustful nature. She was apparently safe in the man’s presence, given a great amount of respect and stature compared to the others. As before, he barely laid a finger on her. Even when the night was at a close and she expected to be subjected to the normal degrading acts of her lifestyle, he simply leaned in and kissed her cheek. “You were a breath of fresh air tonight, Ess. If I may make a request of you, perhaps tomorrow you’d wear something in a lavender..? To match those eyes of yours..”
Ess performed as expected, shying away from the compliment and nodded with a slight curtsy. “Anything you desire, it shall be yours..” Tilting her head curiously she spoke up again, out of turn. “Sire...may I ask a question?” Ess knew speaking before given permission was risky but her question was small, and stood with an appealing smile that seemed to weaken the man’s knees. He gestured for her to continue. “What shall I call you?”
For a moment, the man’s eyes darkened and his smile faded but still his tone was gentle as it had been the entire night. “I will allow you to speak to me commonly, it is Asher, my dear.”
~~~~
Days passed before he finally took her into his bed, mostly because he wanted her to make the move, to request his touch. This was a game Ess was taught early on and so she played the shy innocent girl full of ignorance when she was anything but. She didn’t have much of an opinion of Asher, except that he appeared to be a gentleman and that he liked the illusion of courting her in a dream like love affair. Deep down, a sickening feeling lingered inside of Essence. She smiled, flirted, and moved like a woman. Asher handled her like a woman, and yet she was still a child, forced to grow up too soon.
Ess knew this was different when Asher cradled her against his chest, caressing her silky soft skin, again he kissed her and paused to look at her with something hidden behind his eyes that Ess feared. Still, he was gentle, sweet, caring and even muttered something in her ear about falling for her and that was why he would not allow any other man to touch her. Instinct told her this was wrong, that this was only the calm before the storm but even Ebony bothered her less and less. Ess figured it was because she was making her a small fortune and staying out of trouble, but Asher even protected her against Jasper, and that’s the moment she began to care.
The months that followed, she started to believe the compliments, the way he looked at her like she was the most important thing and nothing else mattered. For the first time she felt like she did matter, and she wasn’t even sure she was acting anymore. Something was changing, a hope was growing inside that maybe her life could be different. Ebony saw this too, only smiling a deceitful grin whenever Ess passed her by, not reacting when Ess spoke out of turn, talked back or was disobedient. She wanted to believe she was growing stronger and that with Asher’s help, that was the influence to keeping Ebony’s abuse at bay, when in reality the woman had something planned; something that would shatter the girl, taking the fight out of her.
~~~
Essence didn’t know what was happening. One moment she was chatting away and the next she was huddled in the far corner, between the wall and her bed, protecting her head as she was hit repeatedly. “Please! I swear there is no one else! I swear Asher! She lies, she lies!” Ess screamed, sobbing between punches before she was dragged clear across the floor by her hair, her hands trying to grip her curls, pulling back in order to counter the pain as she felt her scalp begin to bleed.
“I despise other people...touching my things....” Asher spoke coldly, a manic jealousy wild within his eyes. “Haven’t I treated you well? Haven’t I protected you, Ess?”
Blocking another assault she continued to scream defiantly in Asher’s face, spitting blood in his eye. “You still treat me like a whore....like a possession....” Again she was hit in the face, blood trickling from her nose.
“You are a Whore, Ess....you’re MY whore....” Asher stated matter of factly.
Gradually her voice softened when another wave of sobs over took her. “What are you protecting me from?! She wants you to kill the baby Asher! Don’t you see!”
In mid swing, the man came to a sudden halt, fingers uncurling from tightened fists, crouching down beside Ess on the floor. “What did you say?” He whispered, a threatening venom in his voice as he waited for her to answer.
“She knows...your child grows within me....she wants it dead like the others...” Ess whispered, hiding her face in her hands.
Asher stared wide-eyed, silent in his shock for several minutes before a smile broke his icy gaze. Leaning into Ess, he gently wrapped his arms around her, causing her to flinch and shrink back but unable to avoid his embrace. “Shh shh...now dear....” He lifted her chin to look into his eyes, her own vacant of color, bloodshot from her tears, still trying to pull away. Gripping her face in his hand he stared. “I swear Asher...it’s yours....there’s no-”
“Shh, there Essence..” His hand rested lightly upon her belly, lost in momentary thought before he spoke again. “Don’t you worry..I’ve always wanted a child..”
As Darren listened attentively to Essence’s story, he was hypnotized by her pain, feeling as if he were there to witness it all as she went on in vivid detail,not sugarcoating any of it. By the time she had opened her eyes, still in tiny slits causing the glow to stream out in an unnatural bright hue, he had his arms around her, resting his chin gently upon her head. “....They told me he had died...” She muttered sadly, still keeping her composure, strangely not pulling away from the sudden contact of the stranger. But then again, was he really? The contact was enough to validate his suspicions, confirming her story as they clung to each other in silence. He knew in that moment, Ess was the little girl with short red curls, pale doll-like skin, but now her eyes were not hidden. “...I should have known they were purple....the way Asher described their intensity, how they shifted with emotion.....’.I only saw the ocean once, when I was a child....and whenever I looked into that girl’s eyes, I was reminded of the hidden depths and unseen shadows below....how the farther one dove...the more they suffocated. It was frightening...intriguing, and utterly beautiful. As the sun set across the ocean, a purple glow darkened those waters...a mirrored image each time her tears fell.’” Darren smiled in that moment, a chuckle escaping when Ess answered, “...Huh....never thought Asher had a poetic shred of thoughtfulness in him...makes me want to cut out his eyes...”
“How...old were you....Ess....?” Darren spoke, his voice cracking surprisingly, his smile fading once again keeping his composure as he held the woman who was revealed to be his birth Mother. Bits and pieces of visions were escaping into his view as he pressed against that flow, afraid of the overwhelming sensations and information that was trying to push through his barrier.
“....Twelve....I think....I can’t....believe...” Essence pulled back slightly, enough to look up at Darren, who looked sick from Ess’ answer. Darren’s heart sank into the pit of his stomach, his blood slowing as if it was suddenly chilled and thickened to a slush when he focused on the vision he took from Ess of his father. Seeing him through her eyes sent shivers straight through to the bone, penetrating his very soul. Darren was never his father’s number one fan...but in that moment something changed in him forever. This time when Darren went to speak, his voice was low in a growl, raspy and eerie that which was so unlike him, he startled himself. “...There’s something you should know about Asher....” He began.
Ess raised two elegant fingers to Darren’s lips and smiled. “Shh..not now...can we just...share a ‘moment’ before we have to dwell on business or the devastatingly depressed? I want to know...ALL about you. I have so much to learn...there’s so much you need to know....like how if I only knew you were alive...” Her voice lost its’ courage and faded to a whisper, “I don’t know how to be a Mom...but I sure as hell am gonna try.”
Darren nodded, tilting his cheek so Ess’ hand brushed along his goatee. “Well, look at it this way, Mom,” He chuckled. “You don’t have to change diapers or listen to wailing screams of an infant.”
Playfully Ess tapped Darren’s cheek and stepped back, snickering as she wiped aside a few tears. “Yea, I hope you’re...house broken....no way am I doing any of that now.” Ess leaned up on the balls of her feet and wrapped her arms tight around Darren’s neck, hugging him something fierce, as if afraid he would disappear.
Darren smiled, muttering playfully, “I can’t..believe you were gonna name me Aldwin...really? That’s a good name for a horse...but...really?”
Essence laughed abruptly, squeezing a bit harder. “Hey...I had other ideas too...I probably would have changed it later..”
“You can’t just change my name because you get tired of it?!” Darren protested, trying to sound offended.
“Sure I can...but honestly..I think Darren is a good name..so no worries..” She winked. “So...do you have a girlfriend?”
“Ma!” Darren groaned. “Essence, do you have a boyfriend?” He teased back, leaning back into the hug, gasping for breath as Ess squeezed him. “Heey....alright...I can’t....breathe..” When she let go he dramatically stumbled back, pretending to suck in large draughts of air. “And noo, I don’t..”
Ess sighed, smiling as she noticed the same tiny dimples along the corners of her son’s mouth, almost hidden by his mustache. “Me neither...” She laughed. “And why not? You are a very good looking boy...come from good stock!” Ess didn’t even realize she had begun to fuss with her son’s curly hair, absently picking hairs and fuzzies off his shirt. It wasn’t until he began to squirm and dance around her they both stopped and laughed.
Hours went by as Essence let Darren talk and explain all about himself; his past, his luck with girls, what he was aspiring for in life, and so forth. Finally when it was Ess’ turn, they discussed her past and the connection with Asher having much to do with how she ended up in that brothel hell. It wasn’t a coincidence that he knew about her, instead, he had been one of the men involved with Ian directly in the ‘business deal’. Asher had practically handpicked her for himself. Ess found herself the one comforting Darren as he sobbed in her lap, her fingers gently massaging around his temples. She was the one who stood strong, not letting a single tear fall but instead humming sweetly into his ear, trying to calm him. A large part of her was trying to ignore the stain of the information she had learned about Asher. If she hadn’t hated him enough already, as it was. Yet, she still hadn’t put in a lot of effort to find him or to exact her revenge. Ess had not brought him up to Jake or Luckas. Not once. She had actually spent much of her strength in..not really forgiving him, but forgetting him. It still confused her sometimes; that old life. Essence still didn’t know if it was disgust, resentment, or a broken heart that she suffered from. Maybe, all of the above. It angered her and that fury swelled inside her, so much that she was delighted. Anything to not admit...
“I wasn’t..even born from love.....” Darren sighed, wiping at a few tears. Ess hushed Darren, not letting him speak anything further with that sentence, knowing where it was leading. His words distracted her from her thoughts, taken over by concern instead. “It..doesn’t matter how you were conceived, because it was still from love....you know why? Because I had always wanted you...I have always loved you...this tiny boy I never got a chance to meet, now who towers before me. With a much better name than I would have picked, I think.” Essence smiled wide, poking her son in the side, causing him to laugh abruptly. “You are the only blessed thing that came from that wretched man, and if I see him again...I’ll be sure to thank him before I...”
“I know..I know...” Darren interrupted. “...Impale his eyes on a fork...”
“That’s right, and don’t you forget that.” Ess giggled.
“How could I?” He teased. “You’ve only said it like three times in the past two hours!”
“Good to know you’re a good listener then...” Ess winked. “You seem to have grown up rather well...maybe better than I could have given you myself....I’m rather proud.” Ess paused, bouncing a bit at a sudden idea. “Oh...next time you see Jake, call him ‘Uncle Jakey’ for me.” She joked. “And....keep on Irvin to behave around women. We don’t want the boy losing a limb...he seems like good people, maybe a friend, no?”
Darren nodded, thinking how he was one to always, for the most part, have no problem making friends. “I’d say so.” He shuffled, sitting up straight upon the log by the fire, his back cracking as he got comfortable again, Tala suddenly at his feet, her tail wagging happily at him. “What? You hungry?” Tala barked, nuzzling the boy’s hand so that he was scratching the wolf behind her ears.
“Naw, that little piggy just wants attention..” Ess giggled. There the three of them sat, simply enjoying the silence of the evening, and the open sky of stars shining down upon them from above. They made smart ass comments to one another about each other’s tattoos, which was their own little way of commenting and envying the details of one another’s personal art. Ess had poured each of them a glass of something heavy that burned all the way down into their bellies with each sip, causing the same cherry glow upon their cheeks. “Eh, you’re old enough to drink I think if you’re old enough to fight in a war, no?”
“Oh...so does that mean you’ve been drinking since you were a teenager, Ess?” Darren sneered.
“You know what I mean, boy! And it’s MOM to you!” Ess played.
“Yes Essence....er...Maaa...Soooooo” Darren’s voice became suddenly lighter and took on a curious tone. “What’s the deal with you and Luckas?”
“Ah....” Ess was happy her cheeks were already flushed from the liquor, feeling just a bit uncomfortable with the conversation change with a young man who wasn’t just her son, but also only two years younger than her friend. “Well....It’s not polite to talk about people when they are standing behind you, son.”
Darren quirked a brow, turning around slowly as if he was dreading the worst, but denied by the smile upon his lips. “What....are you talking about...? I don’t see...”
Raven's Nest - 19 days after the ball
Darren quirked a brow, turning around slowly as if he was dreading the worst, but denied by the smile upon his lips. “What....are you talking about...? I don’t see...”
Luckas was about to step out from hiding, when he noticed a change in Darren’s posture. It was subtle, but enough to know the kid was alert to his presence, so... He carefully made his way around just as he turned to look, speaking out behind him. “She said... Behind you, Kid.” He snickered. “Haven’t we been through this already?” He asked, turning to Ess with a small frown. “You know, it’s not fun if you warn them... Although, I was expecting that if you had company it’d be Jakey Bear, or Beast Boy... They’re much more fun to sneak up on.”
Ess hopped up, giggling, automatically pouring Luckas a drink. Tala was lying comfortably beside the fire, her thumping tail giving a subtle greeting. It took a few tries, the wolf practically rolling to her feet before taking her normal position, circling Luckas, sniffing at his pant leg to determine where he had gone in his absence.
Darren turned about again, startled taking a step back, yet his smile was still plain on his face. He didn’t think he’d ever get use to this trick, his own chuckles chorusing with Essence. “How did you know he was there?....”
Ess tapped her forehead and nodded knowingly as she handed Luckas the glass. “You just need to remember one thing with Luckas....he’s ALWAYS here....it’s actually very comforting if you ask me, but I digress...” Ess let her eyes flutter along Luckas’ form before turning her gaze back towards Darren with a fake innocent smile. “Whaaat?” Darren just shook his head.
“Alright...I’m not one to be left out, may I have a refill, Ma?”
Ess’ gaze trailed down towards Tala, who was still sniffing persistently in circles, although her tail had slowed and her lips were curling over her teeth in a silent, snarl like fashion. Quirking a brow, Ess tapped her chin to over exaggerate her thought process on the situation, holding back a snicker when Tala began having a strange and abrupt sneezing fit. Ess counted over five times before the wolf began rolling on her side, pawing at her snout as if to rid herself of something irritating that had crawled up there. Yet, there was nothing. Ess then leaned comically forward so that her face was inches away from Luckas’ skin as she sniffed the air around him before pulling back. “Hmm...faint scent of perfume maybe...flowery.” Ess shrugged. “Or maybe that’s just me. Not sure what sent Tala into her fit.”
Darren chuckled at Ess’ comment as he noticed Tala stand, shaking off whatever had temporarily plagued her and return to Luckas to rub her neck and face up and down along his leg. The wolf got so into the task, it was as if she had an itch she couldn’t sooth and even began pawing and clawing at the man’s leg. She only stopped when Luckas complained, whining and laying at the man’s feet.
Luckas watched Tala with curious eyes, not quite understanding what her problem was until the wolf started rubbing up against his pant legs in a much similar manner as Sam’s cat had done in the Manor, Sam’s words momentarily coming to mind: “She’s trying to get rid of it.”. He was wearing the same clothes as then. Luke sighed, fussing a bit and muttering at Tala to knock it off, frowning a bit at Ess as she mentioned flowers. “I was in the plains... The healers love their stupid gardens.” He mumbled, a bit under his breath as to not linger on the subject. He simply nodded, confirming Ess’ statement that he was always around and trying to act as though no one had been sniffing him at all. As he accepted the drink she offered him a slightly curious and intrigued expression appeared on his face and let his gaze wander between the two, feeling he’d walked in on something, but he wasn’t sure what. He was so focused in that thought that he’d only realized the words Darren had spoken a few seconds late, and halfway through his drink, at which point he let out a comical choking sound and dropped his glass coughing violently and feeling an uncomfortable burn of liquor making its way up his nose. The coughing fit went on for yet a few moments, slowly turning into giggles and then into another smaller coughing fit, before he managed to finally catch a breath and let out a word. “Wh...What?” He choked, turning towards Darren, absolute amusement in his face.
Looking upon Essence’s face, Darren thought he saw a few years lift from her previous strained features. Dark circles and fine lines around her eyes seemed to disappear as she happily skipped toward him, refilling his drink. Darren sighed, “Yea....you’ve met my mother already, right?” He played. Ess nodding adding in, “Figured out the riddle, My Dear Luckas...was right under my nose, just as I suspected...I take it you two are a bit more than just acquainted?...Darren...have you been peeking into Luckas’ brain....or...” Ess playfully swayed her hips, purposely bumping into Luckas with another giggle, clearly showing she was beside herself in joy...at least for the moment. “....Did you not know, Luckas? I would have thought you’d have peeked into his mind?” She shrugged. “No matter...” Ess stood as tall as she could, head held high, “Luckas...yes.this is my baby boy...”
“Really....Ess...er...Ma....?” Darren chugged down a few painful swigs. Turning his attention towards Luckas, Darren raised his glass toward the man. “How goes it, Guy?”
Luckas chuckled, still sniffing due to the burn of alcohol. “Waaaiiit...” He paused to laugh some more. “Are you telling me your Kid is a... Uh... Telepath, is he?” Luckas teased. “I’ll be damned!” He exclaimed, choking a bit more in laughter. “We really are everywhere, huh?” After which he managed to stop laughing and finished the second drink all at once. “And no, I did not peek... And that... That should’ve tipped me off.” He shrugged slightly. “Eh, no matter... Least now I don’t have to obsess with why I’ve found yet another stranger so damn familiar.” He heaved an extremely exaggerated sigh. “Now that’s relieving.” He stated, tilting his head to the side and giving Ess a little smirk. “You got another one of these? Or perhaps something a bit stronger?” He asked showing his empty glass. “Aaaand... You didn’t answer the Kid’s question, no?” He turned to Darren and added. “So, basically the deal is... I sneak around here, and sometimes we go around and have some fun, which may or not involve fire being set to people, and we’re basically just waiting to see whether or not I’ll ever actually try and kill her. So far I’ve not been lucky in that area.”
“Actually...” Darren began, finishing off his drink. “I can’t get much information except through direct contact of people or objects...and its...like empathy and telepathy mixed in one...not memories or make people do things, like Ess says grandma did....or grandpa gave...’hidden suggestions’...” The young man grabbed the almost empty bottle from Ess and let the last few drops trickle into his cup. “Anything else, Ess?”
Essence put down her glass upon the ground and smiled a wicked smile, her brows rising in an epiphany. “I know where I can...’borrow’ some....from a friend...ok to leave you boys alone for a few minutes?” She didn’t wait for a response before whistling to Tala to follow as she jogged off towards camp yelling back along her shoulder, “Guess Telepaths run in the family, come to find out.”
Darren nodded to Ess as he spoke towards Luckas, “Wasn’t intentional...the peek into your brain, friend. Touch is all it takes...the smallest contact and it can’t always be controlled. “ Darren wasn’t sure if he should laugh or what in Luckas’ last comment, his smile closing and his eyes focused intently as if trying to read deeper into the man. “Essence told me about my uncle...we already debated on this and got nowhere...but least she had someone to back her...I guess is all I can say...” Darren rolled his shoulders, contemplating to himself what he felt justice really was. His head swam in circles for a moment before he brushed it aside. “Can’t say it wasn’t creative or much deserved...just leave it at that...” Darren sighed, laying down across the log by the fire, staring up into the stars. “...No luck taking out my mom, eh? She seems like a tough lady....so what’s the deal with you two, hmm? Should I be calling you friend, ...or.....” Darren cut himself off in laughter and shook his head not finishing his sentence.
“Well... I would advise against randomly touching me, kiddo... That can end badly... For the both us. Twins help me if I ever put a scratch on you.” Luckas said absently, rolling his eyes a bit. “Not that I would... Willingly...” He snickered, finding himself a seat on the floor and stretching lazily, as usual not minding the dirt. “Couldn’t even look into your thoughts.” He said, a slight tone of annoyance mixed in his amusement. Silence following the statement until he noticed Darren had finished speaking, or had almost finished speaking. Luckas shook his head at the boy’s laughter. “You can call me a ferret if you’d like, it won’t make me one.” He stated simply. “I already told you what the deal is, if you want a different answer than ask what you mean, huh? I’m not a mind read- Oh, wait... Well, I’m just too lazy to read your mind right now.”
“Ah...well I just ask her when you’re not around then...I mean...she talked about you, but didn’t at the same time....guess she’s not one to come off as a gossiper...of sorts. Can’t blame her, but I saw the way she lit up when you arrived...” Darren shrugged again. “The way she did talk about you..she didn’t have to say it, but she trusts you...and based on what she’s explained to me...she doesn’t give that away freely.” Darren sat up at the sound of footsteps and Tala dashing forward, making a beeline for Luckas to nuzzle his hand with a small lick of her tongue. Ess trotted into the firelight, her facade melting back into view. She couldn’t stop laughing, strutting towards the boys, hands outstretched, holding two bottles of liquor. “Now....I won’t say how...but these bottles right here....will set your gullet on fire...trust.” Ess wandered towards Luckas first, smiling softly as she filled his glass, her eyes lingering within his gaze as she meandered towards Darren and refilled his cup. Raising one of the bottles she toasted, “To..the moment...” and guzzled a gulp straight from the bottle.
“Well, kid... All I can say is that your mom is one strange, strange, Lady.” Luckas said, a soft sigh escaping him as he added. “And too damn stubborn too.” He grinned. “That and a lot of other things, but I won’t spoil your fun... You’ll find out soon enough. Although... It’s far less likely she’ll attack you with a chair.” Luckas went silent for a bit after that as he went into thinking, after a moment of that he added. “And how will you ever know whether I’m around or not?” He teased. “You’d have to ask her, right? Or Tala, although she lost the tendency to announce my presence, probably because it’d just take up a lot of her time... Considering I’m always here and all.” He snickered, giving a little playful shrug.
Luckas sat up straight as he spotted first Tala and then Ess coming back towards the fire; his eyes softening only slightly as he quietly greeted the wolf. He couldn’t stop himself from opening a smile if he tried. He hadn’t seen Ess this cheerful before, and if he thought about it, he didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone this cheerful before. It was an interesting sight to say the least. Once his glass was full he nodded simply at her toast and took a drink, smirking slightly as he spoke. “It tickles a bit.” He played. “So... Lady... What friend did you... hmm... ‘Borrow’ this from?” He asked raising an eyebrow at her in an amused tone.
Ess bit back the sour face the drink was twisting beneath her features, sitting back down between the two guys. Darren handed her the empty glass to refill while nursing his own cup slowly, breathing between sips as if his tongue burned and he was trying to cool it by sucking in quick gusts of air. “Well, Aiden said him and a few of the guys were making up their own concoction because we had been short on funds and supplies during the winter...” Ess swallowed the liquid hard, keeping her smile while her eyes watered ever so slightly. “...They couldn’t get it right I guess until this batch which they aged for about a month....I wanted to try it....so Tala distracted them for me..” Ess giggled, remembering how one of the men was scolding Aiden for letting the Wolf steal from them, but was glad she remained unseen since he would have followed and she just wasn’t in the mood for Aiden at that time.
Darren chuckled, eyeing Luckas with a devilish smile. “He’s the one who has a thing for you, right Ma? He seems like an alright guy, no?” The boy shrugged. “Don’t really know him, but if there’s no other...interested parties, then why not?”
Ess laughed, almost dropping her glass, one bottle still in hand, the other had been tucked away across her lap. “He’s...kinda whiny..I think...” Ess joked taking another sip, not answering fully.
“Huh...” Luke mumbled. “It’s really not bad stuff...” He said, absently taking another drink, and doing his best to avoid the subject of Aiden, which unfortunately Darren wasn’t very helpful with. Despite the fact he had a feeling the remark was somewhat meant to get a reaction, and he could usually tell when that was the case, Luckas couldn’t help letting out a discreet, yet very audible, growl. “I’ll give him something to whine about... That guy...” He muttered, finishing off the bit of liquor still left in his glass.
Darren nodded, holding back a laugh. He reached out for the bottle in Essence’s hands to top off his glass before handing it off to Luckas. “I see...” Ess almost choked on her sip, liquid spewing forth in a tiny spray, landing across Darren’s face causing him to release the laugh. “Didn’t think I was due for a bath yet...thanks Ess...” He teased.
Ess held out her now empty glass towards Luckas, moving to change the subject altogether. “So! I think we should play a game...since Darren is getting a bit drunk and I am just feeling relaxed...and Luckas here...well Luckas...” She quirked a brow, “Why is it that you drink if it’s not to get drunk? Does it relax you at all?” Ess bent one leg, hugging it close to her, letting the other draped along the side of the log, kicking a few sticks towards the fire.
Darren beamed with the idea of a game, ignoring the comment that he was getting drunk. He stood, just fine, with a full balance and went over to where Ess had leaned her sword and dagger. “Like...a game that involves us to use our enlightenment in some manner?”
Ess clapped, spilling a bit of her drink once it was refilled. “Good idea! You start then.”
Luckas let out a chuckle at Ess’ question. “Well...” He started, refilling both their glasses. “I suppose I drink for the same reason I do most things... Because I can... And suppose it’s not the same as drinking water... It’d just take more of it to affect me... A LOT of it.” He shrugged slightly. “I’ve been... Uh... Intoxicated once. I was just ten years old at the time though.” He explained absently. “Was quite relaxing, I guess.” He added with a little snicker; a curious and slightly anxious tone in his voice as he looked from Ess to Darren. “Wait, what game?” He asked, a little unsure of what they were doing.
“Don’t worry Luckas..basically no rules...except the obvious: Just don’t piss off the Captain.” Ess winked, turning her attention back towards her son. “You wanna try and see what there is to discover about those weapons, now? You sure that’s wise to do while you’re under the influence sweetie?”
“You said you’ve been researching for years with no luck as to what these symbols mean...” Darren started, kneeling before the blades, casually gripping the hilt of the dagger first, unsheathing it with ease, a metallic tang echoed into the air. “Never..used a wet stone...you said right?”
Ess’ smile faded some, her eyes shifting between Luckas and Darren a bit uneasy. “No...never....and I thought your enlightenment was basically instant....you don’t seem affected...well..”
“Ma...shh...stop talking...” Darren muttered as his eyes began to emanate a distinctive lavender glow, brighter than normal so that the light appeared to erupt from the very pores of his skin beneath his lashes. A single tear formed and dripped off his lashes, his smile completely gone at that point. The glow from his eyes would soften only to burn brighter a moment later, which Ess didn’t think was possible each time they dimmed and brightened again. The silence grew, concerning Ess, taking another sip before placing the glass down and finding her way beside Darren. Her hands hovered above his shoulders, knowing she shouldn’t touch him just yet, but not knowing if this was normal or if something was wrong. She was startled when he gasped and momentarily smiled before it closed once again. “Darren...” She whispered, another few moments passing by before she whispered his name again, answered only with silence and the strobing light of his eyes. With a sigh she slumped away and looked up and over at Luckas, mouthing, What do I do? Her expression one of concern, her own eyes beginning to brighten, not liking her own feeling of helplessness. He didn’t appear to be in any direct danger or pain, but she didn’t like this unresponsive trance.
Luckas chuckled. “Should I take this as permission to piss off someone else?” He asked, a rather devious smile breaking through his expression, but not really expecting an answer as he snickered under his breath. As he watched Darren unsheathe the dagger, however, he went silent... Curiously eyeing the weapon as if he’d seen it for the first time all of a sudden, finding that something about it struck him as odd, but not being able to determine what it was; now sincerely wondering where it’d come from.
It seemed like a highly interesting sight to Luckas what was happening to Darren just then; as he was in somewhat of a small trance of his own, simply watching the subtle changes in the boy’s expression and how the light shifted behind his eyes. “Huh...” He mumbled under his breath, noting Ess had a clear look of concern in her eyes. Slowly he stood up and walked over to Darren, standing right in front of him and leaning forward as if trying to see something there. “I think... I could break him out of it, but... It’s probably best to give it time. Ain’t nothing more frustrating than being interrupted when you’re seeing something. It’s... Uh... Against telepathic etiquette, one could say.”
So many faces, so much anger and pain that was flooding between the blade and Darren. It was like an endless transfer of the ages that he could only pick out from the details of clothing, weaponry, and even the lands he thought he’d recognize. Odd it was the extensive mass of time he couldn’t pin point, because it just never stopped. Focusing, he wouldn’t hear or see anything around him. If some other kind of interaction and contact were to occur while he was in this trance, it would only confuse and blur together; an utter chaos in his mind to sort through. Darren’s breathing got heavier and slower when he was trying to control the flow with no success. Finally, as if he were flipping through pages of a massive book, he came to what he figured out should be considered the beginning, the origin of the piece. He didn’t notice the way his head began to pound, but when his nose began to bleed, his entire body sagged accompanied by an exasperated breath. Darren didn’t just drop the blade, but impaled it into the dirt between his knees where he knelt, the glow fading from his eyes gradually.
Essence looked up at Luckas, her eyes glittering like stars, understanding what he meant by not interrupting. “Like Lena...back in the tower. I get ya. Could it do damage to him if you did? Like would it end up being like some telepathic battle?” Her voice was soft, rising in pitch at the last bit of her question, suddenly leaning back when Darren startled her with movement, seemingly escaping his waking coma. “Oh! Darren...you alright?” Ess extended her arm, stretching to yank the dagger from the earth, starring at it in awe. “What did you see?”
“Woow...” Darren panted, trying to catch his breath. “A woman...”
Ess’ eyes snapped over Darren, narrowing slightly in a mix between amusement and annoyance. “You spent all that time staring at a hot girl? Really?”
“It could do damage... It’s not meant to, but it can if he resists, like I did... Back in the tower...” Luckas muttered the last words an annoyed expression crossing him momentarily at the memory, but fading almost instantly as he noticed Darren’s movement, taking a couple of steps back as he put his attention on the boy. Raising an eyebrow at his answer of what he saw. “Huh... Really? I might just have to peek at his mind now.” He said, a tone of laughter breaking through his voice. “I mean... That was a lot of time for a woman... Must’ve been quite a sight.”
Darren’s eyes narrowed as he looked up between Ess and Luckas, “Noo....” The boy cracked a smile as he continued. “Not the ENTIRE time....I mean...mostly were people dying....by the blade...so many...that thing has got to be ancient as hell itself or something....just so many....” He paused, letting his gaze fall upon the dagger Ess was still holding. “...How old is that thing...” He whispered in utter awe, spacing out for a moment as he contemplated what he saw, trying to make more sense of it. “It may take some time..and some more sessions...” Darren wiped at the trail of blood along his upper lip. “...I don’t know if I can answer any of your questions just yet, but I think it all started over a woman...and not just ANY WOMAN....” Darren chuckled, “I won’t object if you want to see her for yourself, Guy....it’s like...she was THE woman...people died for her...but she kind of looked like someone I met before, strangely enough...except this one was unreal..more like a dream..” He breathed deeply, brows narrowing again. “Kinda disgusting if you ask me, all over this woman....figures she was a redhead..but still...not my type.” He joked, turning towards Essence. “I hope that is not a common trait between redheads....men falling over themselves and dying for them...could be dangerous, no?” His gaze moved towards Luckas, a playfully worried smile was seen in the eyes only as he kept his lips straight, attempting to be serious. “Maybe I should really warn Irvin...”
Luckas frowned slightly, eyes examining the weapon in Ess’ hand... It looked brand new... And it was still very sharp; he’d seen her use it. How could a weapon be that old and remain as new... It was intriguing, in the least. He broke out of his thoughts to catch Darren’s comment on the woman being a redhead and the witty remark that followed after. “Hum...” He mumbled, holding back a snicker. “I wouldn’t be surprised... Not at all... Would in fact explain a thing or two.” He paused as if thinking about said things, before nodding. “Yeah... I’d warn everybody if I were you.” He concluded, a playful grin forming itself as he added. “As for this particular redhead you saw... I do think I’d like to have a look at her... I mean... Out of curiosity and all.” After another moment of thought he added. “Although it’d be fun to show that to Jake... Add another one to his collection.” He snickered, letting his eyes meet Darren’s just long enough to retrieve the image, only a few seconds, after which he blinked a few times. “Huh... Now that’s interesting...” He mumbled, shaking his head and wondering if he was just finding everything familiar lately for no reason.
Essence pushed herself to her feet, resheathing the dagger beside the sword before her hand gave a firm, yet light smack behind Darren’s head at the base of his neck. “Snap out of it you drooling fool.” She laughed, her eyes the only thing showing her minor jealousy. “Glad you two are sharing and all, but do I get to see too or is this a boys club only deal? Poor child.” Ess rested her hands upon her hips, a semi serious narrowing of her brows practically staring a hole through Darren, causing him to shiver slightly. “I don’t think you know how dangerous a woman can be son....redhead or not.”
Darren stood keeping his eyes upon Ess, a mischievous grin painted upon his face. “Oh...You don’t scare me....” He teased, bending forward he grabbed Ess’ arm and hoisted her up and over his shoulder, and began walking off towards the river. Ess couldn’t stop laughing. “You best be if you know what’s good for you kid.....where we going....what are you doing...? Hey! You are forgetting something you know.” Darren laughed, circling around to squat down low enough so Ess could reach the bottle of liquor. “Good kid...now where...” This time Darren took off, motioning for Luckas to follow as he ran full sprint across the bridge of the river. When he paused by the bank, Ess began to squirm and kick. “Darren...don’t you dare....You know you are loved..but..”
Darren smiled, moving as if he was going to put Ess down, grabbing the bottle from her. “Aww....thanks Ma...Love ya too..” Instead he tossed her into the river, laughing hysterically before taking another drink. “See..not afraid.”
Ess squealed from the sudden shock of cold, clawing to crawl out of the river, annoyance in her laughter. “That’s it...YOU’RE GROUNDED.”
Luckas followed after Darren pretty sure of how this situation would unfold a cheerful grin spreading across his face. He’d done a good job out of not breaking into yet another laughing fit, even when he tossed Ess into the river. Not that he was even trying to conceal his amusement at the whole thing; it was very clear by the wide smile plastered on his face, but he had managed some form of restraint... Until he heard the words ‘you’re grounded’, at which point he doubled over in nearly incessant laughter. Drawing one long deep breath before speaking, amongst chuckles. “Ha... You’re in trouble...” He chuckled for a little bit more before he managed to straighten himself up, still clearly holding back a few remaining giggles as he added. “Well, you still scare me Lady... If it helps...”
Ess wrapped her arms around herself, trembling for the chill. “Thanks, Luckas....nice to know.” Shaking her head, Darren shook off his jacket and lightly draped it across Ess’ shoulders. “You can’t ground me...I mean...seriously, how is that going to occur. I am practically an adult.”
“Ah, well tomorrow..Darren...when you go see your Uncle Jake...” She paused, pulling the jacket tight, as she began to warm up, her curly hair now soaked and wavy all the way down her back. “I want you to talk about the dagger with him and such, and well...I expect you two should spend some time together. I’m sure he’ll find something for you to do..teach you a few things.” Ess snickered, knowing Jake would have no issues with putting Darren through some hoops, so to speak. Besides, to her, Jake was her only other family and it made sense.
“Ah, you mean to let Uncle Jakey know about me and all the fun stuff we’ve learned today...I wouldn’t mind a carving lesson or two.” Darren winked, tilting his head back in a long yawn. “Well, my drunk ass is beat and I need some sleep if I’m to wake up nice and early for Jake. G’night you two.”
Darren quirked a brow, turning around slowly as if he was dreading the worst, but denied by the smile upon his lips. “What....are you talking about...? I don’t see...”
Luckas was about to step out from hiding, when he noticed a change in Darren’s posture. It was subtle, but enough to know the kid was alert to his presence, so... He carefully made his way around just as he turned to look, speaking out behind him. “She said... Behind you, Kid.” He snickered. “Haven’t we been through this already?” He asked, turning to Ess with a small frown. “You know, it’s not fun if you warn them... Although, I was expecting that if you had company it’d be Jakey Bear, or Beast Boy... They’re much more fun to sneak up on.”
Ess hopped up, giggling, automatically pouring Luckas a drink. Tala was lying comfortably beside the fire, her thumping tail giving a subtle greeting. It took a few tries, the wolf practically rolling to her feet before taking her normal position, circling Luckas, sniffing at his pant leg to determine where he had gone in his absence.
Darren turned about again, startled taking a step back, yet his smile was still plain on his face. He didn’t think he’d ever get use to this trick, his own chuckles chorusing with Essence. “How did you know he was there?....”
Ess tapped her forehead and nodded knowingly as she handed Luckas the glass. “You just need to remember one thing with Luckas....he’s ALWAYS here....it’s actually very comforting if you ask me, but I digress...” Ess let her eyes flutter along Luckas’ form before turning her gaze back towards Darren with a fake innocent smile. “Whaaat?” Darren just shook his head.
“Alright...I’m not one to be left out, may I have a refill, Ma?”
Ess’ gaze trailed down towards Tala, who was still sniffing persistently in circles, although her tail had slowed and her lips were curling over her teeth in a silent, snarl like fashion. Quirking a brow, Ess tapped her chin to over exaggerate her thought process on the situation, holding back a snicker when Tala began having a strange and abrupt sneezing fit. Ess counted over five times before the wolf began rolling on her side, pawing at her snout as if to rid herself of something irritating that had crawled up there. Yet, there was nothing. Ess then leaned comically forward so that her face was inches away from Luckas’ skin as she sniffed the air around him before pulling back. “Hmm...faint scent of perfume maybe...flowery.” Ess shrugged. “Or maybe that’s just me. Not sure what sent Tala into her fit.”
Darren chuckled at Ess’ comment as he noticed Tala stand, shaking off whatever had temporarily plagued her and return to Luckas to rub her neck and face up and down along his leg. The wolf got so into the task, it was as if she had an itch she couldn’t sooth and even began pawing and clawing at the man’s leg. She only stopped when Luckas complained, whining and laying at the man’s feet.
Luckas watched Tala with curious eyes, not quite understanding what her problem was until the wolf started rubbing up against his pant legs in a much similar manner as Sam’s cat had done in the Manor, Sam’s words momentarily coming to mind: “She’s trying to get rid of it.”. He was wearing the same clothes as then. Luke sighed, fussing a bit and muttering at Tala to knock it off, frowning a bit at Ess as she mentioned flowers. “I was in the plains... The healers love their stupid gardens.” He mumbled, a bit under his breath as to not linger on the subject. He simply nodded, confirming Ess’ statement that he was always around and trying to act as though no one had been sniffing him at all. As he accepted the drink she offered him a slightly curious and intrigued expression appeared on his face and let his gaze wander between the two, feeling he’d walked in on something, but he wasn’t sure what. He was so focused in that thought that he’d only realized the words Darren had spoken a few seconds late, and halfway through his drink, at which point he let out a comical choking sound and dropped his glass coughing violently and feeling an uncomfortable burn of liquor making its way up his nose. The coughing fit went on for yet a few moments, slowly turning into giggles and then into another smaller coughing fit, before he managed to finally catch a breath and let out a word. “Wh...What?” He choked, turning towards Darren, absolute amusement in his face.
Looking upon Essence’s face, Darren thought he saw a few years lift from her previous strained features. Dark circles and fine lines around her eyes seemed to disappear as she happily skipped toward him, refilling his drink. Darren sighed, “Yea....you’ve met my mother already, right?” He played. Ess nodding adding in, “Figured out the riddle, My Dear Luckas...was right under my nose, just as I suspected...I take it you two are a bit more than just acquainted?...Darren...have you been peeking into Luckas’ brain....or...” Ess playfully swayed her hips, purposely bumping into Luckas with another giggle, clearly showing she was beside herself in joy...at least for the moment. “....Did you not know, Luckas? I would have thought you’d have peeked into his mind?” She shrugged. “No matter...” Ess stood as tall as she could, head held high, “Luckas...yes.this is my baby boy...”
“Really....Ess...er...Ma....?” Darren chugged down a few painful swigs. Turning his attention towards Luckas, Darren raised his glass toward the man. “How goes it, Guy?”
Luckas chuckled, still sniffing due to the burn of alcohol. “Waaaiiit...” He paused to laugh some more. “Are you telling me your Kid is a... Uh... Telepath, is he?” Luckas teased. “I’ll be damned!” He exclaimed, choking a bit more in laughter. “We really are everywhere, huh?” After which he managed to stop laughing and finished the second drink all at once. “And no, I did not peek... And that... That should’ve tipped me off.” He shrugged slightly. “Eh, no matter... Least now I don’t have to obsess with why I’ve found yet another stranger so damn familiar.” He heaved an extremely exaggerated sigh. “Now that’s relieving.” He stated, tilting his head to the side and giving Ess a little smirk. “You got another one of these? Or perhaps something a bit stronger?” He asked showing his empty glass. “Aaaand... You didn’t answer the Kid’s question, no?” He turned to Darren and added. “So, basically the deal is... I sneak around here, and sometimes we go around and have some fun, which may or not involve fire being set to people, and we’re basically just waiting to see whether or not I’ll ever actually try and kill her. So far I’ve not been lucky in that area.”
“Actually...” Darren began, finishing off his drink. “I can’t get much information except through direct contact of people or objects...and its...like empathy and telepathy mixed in one...not memories or make people do things, like Ess says grandma did....or grandpa gave...’hidden suggestions’...” The young man grabbed the almost empty bottle from Ess and let the last few drops trickle into his cup. “Anything else, Ess?”
Essence put down her glass upon the ground and smiled a wicked smile, her brows rising in an epiphany. “I know where I can...’borrow’ some....from a friend...ok to leave you boys alone for a few minutes?” She didn’t wait for a response before whistling to Tala to follow as she jogged off towards camp yelling back along her shoulder, “Guess Telepaths run in the family, come to find out.”
Darren nodded to Ess as he spoke towards Luckas, “Wasn’t intentional...the peek into your brain, friend. Touch is all it takes...the smallest contact and it can’t always be controlled. “ Darren wasn’t sure if he should laugh or what in Luckas’ last comment, his smile closing and his eyes focused intently as if trying to read deeper into the man. “Essence told me about my uncle...we already debated on this and got nowhere...but least she had someone to back her...I guess is all I can say...” Darren rolled his shoulders, contemplating to himself what he felt justice really was. His head swam in circles for a moment before he brushed it aside. “Can’t say it wasn’t creative or much deserved...just leave it at that...” Darren sighed, laying down across the log by the fire, staring up into the stars. “...No luck taking out my mom, eh? She seems like a tough lady....so what’s the deal with you two, hmm? Should I be calling you friend, ...or.....” Darren cut himself off in laughter and shook his head not finishing his sentence.
“Well... I would advise against randomly touching me, kiddo... That can end badly... For the both us. Twins help me if I ever put a scratch on you.” Luckas said absently, rolling his eyes a bit. “Not that I would... Willingly...” He snickered, finding himself a seat on the floor and stretching lazily, as usual not minding the dirt. “Couldn’t even look into your thoughts.” He said, a slight tone of annoyance mixed in his amusement. Silence following the statement until he noticed Darren had finished speaking, or had almost finished speaking. Luckas shook his head at the boy’s laughter. “You can call me a ferret if you’d like, it won’t make me one.” He stated simply. “I already told you what the deal is, if you want a different answer than ask what you mean, huh? I’m not a mind read- Oh, wait... Well, I’m just too lazy to read your mind right now.”
“Ah...well I just ask her when you’re not around then...I mean...she talked about you, but didn’t at the same time....guess she’s not one to come off as a gossiper...of sorts. Can’t blame her, but I saw the way she lit up when you arrived...” Darren shrugged again. “The way she did talk about you..she didn’t have to say it, but she trusts you...and based on what she’s explained to me...she doesn’t give that away freely.” Darren sat up at the sound of footsteps and Tala dashing forward, making a beeline for Luckas to nuzzle his hand with a small lick of her tongue. Ess trotted into the firelight, her facade melting back into view. She couldn’t stop laughing, strutting towards the boys, hands outstretched, holding two bottles of liquor. “Now....I won’t say how...but these bottles right here....will set your gullet on fire...trust.” Ess wandered towards Luckas first, smiling softly as she filled his glass, her eyes lingering within his gaze as she meandered towards Darren and refilled his cup. Raising one of the bottles she toasted, “To..the moment...” and guzzled a gulp straight from the bottle.
“Well, kid... All I can say is that your mom is one strange, strange, Lady.” Luckas said, a soft sigh escaping him as he added. “And too damn stubborn too.” He grinned. “That and a lot of other things, but I won’t spoil your fun... You’ll find out soon enough. Although... It’s far less likely she’ll attack you with a chair.” Luckas went silent for a bit after that as he went into thinking, after a moment of that he added. “And how will you ever know whether I’m around or not?” He teased. “You’d have to ask her, right? Or Tala, although she lost the tendency to announce my presence, probably because it’d just take up a lot of her time... Considering I’m always here and all.” He snickered, giving a little playful shrug.
Luckas sat up straight as he spotted first Tala and then Ess coming back towards the fire; his eyes softening only slightly as he quietly greeted the wolf. He couldn’t stop himself from opening a smile if he tried. He hadn’t seen Ess this cheerful before, and if he thought about it, he didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone this cheerful before. It was an interesting sight to say the least. Once his glass was full he nodded simply at her toast and took a drink, smirking slightly as he spoke. “It tickles a bit.” He played. “So... Lady... What friend did you... hmm... ‘Borrow’ this from?” He asked raising an eyebrow at her in an amused tone.
Ess bit back the sour face the drink was twisting beneath her features, sitting back down between the two guys. Darren handed her the empty glass to refill while nursing his own cup slowly, breathing between sips as if his tongue burned and he was trying to cool it by sucking in quick gusts of air. “Well, Aiden said him and a few of the guys were making up their own concoction because we had been short on funds and supplies during the winter...” Ess swallowed the liquid hard, keeping her smile while her eyes watered ever so slightly. “...They couldn’t get it right I guess until this batch which they aged for about a month....I wanted to try it....so Tala distracted them for me..” Ess giggled, remembering how one of the men was scolding Aiden for letting the Wolf steal from them, but was glad she remained unseen since he would have followed and she just wasn’t in the mood for Aiden at that time.
Darren chuckled, eyeing Luckas with a devilish smile. “He’s the one who has a thing for you, right Ma? He seems like an alright guy, no?” The boy shrugged. “Don’t really know him, but if there’s no other...interested parties, then why not?”
Ess laughed, almost dropping her glass, one bottle still in hand, the other had been tucked away across her lap. “He’s...kinda whiny..I think...” Ess joked taking another sip, not answering fully.
“Huh...” Luke mumbled. “It’s really not bad stuff...” He said, absently taking another drink, and doing his best to avoid the subject of Aiden, which unfortunately Darren wasn’t very helpful with. Despite the fact he had a feeling the remark was somewhat meant to get a reaction, and he could usually tell when that was the case, Luckas couldn’t help letting out a discreet, yet very audible, growl. “I’ll give him something to whine about... That guy...” He muttered, finishing off the bit of liquor still left in his glass.
Darren nodded, holding back a laugh. He reached out for the bottle in Essence’s hands to top off his glass before handing it off to Luckas. “I see...” Ess almost choked on her sip, liquid spewing forth in a tiny spray, landing across Darren’s face causing him to release the laugh. “Didn’t think I was due for a bath yet...thanks Ess...” He teased.
Ess held out her now empty glass towards Luckas, moving to change the subject altogether. “So! I think we should play a game...since Darren is getting a bit drunk and I am just feeling relaxed...and Luckas here...well Luckas...” She quirked a brow, “Why is it that you drink if it’s not to get drunk? Does it relax you at all?” Ess bent one leg, hugging it close to her, letting the other draped along the side of the log, kicking a few sticks towards the fire.
Darren beamed with the idea of a game, ignoring the comment that he was getting drunk. He stood, just fine, with a full balance and went over to where Ess had leaned her sword and dagger. “Like...a game that involves us to use our enlightenment in some manner?”
Ess clapped, spilling a bit of her drink once it was refilled. “Good idea! You start then.”
Luckas let out a chuckle at Ess’ question. “Well...” He started, refilling both their glasses. “I suppose I drink for the same reason I do most things... Because I can... And suppose it’s not the same as drinking water... It’d just take more of it to affect me... A LOT of it.” He shrugged slightly. “I’ve been... Uh... Intoxicated once. I was just ten years old at the time though.” He explained absently. “Was quite relaxing, I guess.” He added with a little snicker; a curious and slightly anxious tone in his voice as he looked from Ess to Darren. “Wait, what game?” He asked, a little unsure of what they were doing.
“Don’t worry Luckas..basically no rules...except the obvious: Just don’t piss off the Captain.” Ess winked, turning her attention back towards her son. “You wanna try and see what there is to discover about those weapons, now? You sure that’s wise to do while you’re under the influence sweetie?”
“You said you’ve been researching for years with no luck as to what these symbols mean...” Darren started, kneeling before the blades, casually gripping the hilt of the dagger first, unsheathing it with ease, a metallic tang echoed into the air. “Never..used a wet stone...you said right?”
Ess’ smile faded some, her eyes shifting between Luckas and Darren a bit uneasy. “No...never....and I thought your enlightenment was basically instant....you don’t seem affected...well..”
“Ma...shh...stop talking...” Darren muttered as his eyes began to emanate a distinctive lavender glow, brighter than normal so that the light appeared to erupt from the very pores of his skin beneath his lashes. A single tear formed and dripped off his lashes, his smile completely gone at that point. The glow from his eyes would soften only to burn brighter a moment later, which Ess didn’t think was possible each time they dimmed and brightened again. The silence grew, concerning Ess, taking another sip before placing the glass down and finding her way beside Darren. Her hands hovered above his shoulders, knowing she shouldn’t touch him just yet, but not knowing if this was normal or if something was wrong. She was startled when he gasped and momentarily smiled before it closed once again. “Darren...” She whispered, another few moments passing by before she whispered his name again, answered only with silence and the strobing light of his eyes. With a sigh she slumped away and looked up and over at Luckas, mouthing, What do I do? Her expression one of concern, her own eyes beginning to brighten, not liking her own feeling of helplessness. He didn’t appear to be in any direct danger or pain, but she didn’t like this unresponsive trance.
Luckas chuckled. “Should I take this as permission to piss off someone else?” He asked, a rather devious smile breaking through his expression, but not really expecting an answer as he snickered under his breath. As he watched Darren unsheathe the dagger, however, he went silent... Curiously eyeing the weapon as if he’d seen it for the first time all of a sudden, finding that something about it struck him as odd, but not being able to determine what it was; now sincerely wondering where it’d come from.
It seemed like a highly interesting sight to Luckas what was happening to Darren just then; as he was in somewhat of a small trance of his own, simply watching the subtle changes in the boy’s expression and how the light shifted behind his eyes. “Huh...” He mumbled under his breath, noting Ess had a clear look of concern in her eyes. Slowly he stood up and walked over to Darren, standing right in front of him and leaning forward as if trying to see something there. “I think... I could break him out of it, but... It’s probably best to give it time. Ain’t nothing more frustrating than being interrupted when you’re seeing something. It’s... Uh... Against telepathic etiquette, one could say.”
So many faces, so much anger and pain that was flooding between the blade and Darren. It was like an endless transfer of the ages that he could only pick out from the details of clothing, weaponry, and even the lands he thought he’d recognize. Odd it was the extensive mass of time he couldn’t pin point, because it just never stopped. Focusing, he wouldn’t hear or see anything around him. If some other kind of interaction and contact were to occur while he was in this trance, it would only confuse and blur together; an utter chaos in his mind to sort through. Darren’s breathing got heavier and slower when he was trying to control the flow with no success. Finally, as if he were flipping through pages of a massive book, he came to what he figured out should be considered the beginning, the origin of the piece. He didn’t notice the way his head began to pound, but when his nose began to bleed, his entire body sagged accompanied by an exasperated breath. Darren didn’t just drop the blade, but impaled it into the dirt between his knees where he knelt, the glow fading from his eyes gradually.
Essence looked up at Luckas, her eyes glittering like stars, understanding what he meant by not interrupting. “Like Lena...back in the tower. I get ya. Could it do damage to him if you did? Like would it end up being like some telepathic battle?” Her voice was soft, rising in pitch at the last bit of her question, suddenly leaning back when Darren startled her with movement, seemingly escaping his waking coma. “Oh! Darren...you alright?” Ess extended her arm, stretching to yank the dagger from the earth, starring at it in awe. “What did you see?”
“Woow...” Darren panted, trying to catch his breath. “A woman...”
Ess’ eyes snapped over Darren, narrowing slightly in a mix between amusement and annoyance. “You spent all that time staring at a hot girl? Really?”
“It could do damage... It’s not meant to, but it can if he resists, like I did... Back in the tower...” Luckas muttered the last words an annoyed expression crossing him momentarily at the memory, but fading almost instantly as he noticed Darren’s movement, taking a couple of steps back as he put his attention on the boy. Raising an eyebrow at his answer of what he saw. “Huh... Really? I might just have to peek at his mind now.” He said, a tone of laughter breaking through his voice. “I mean... That was a lot of time for a woman... Must’ve been quite a sight.”
Darren’s eyes narrowed as he looked up between Ess and Luckas, “Noo....” The boy cracked a smile as he continued. “Not the ENTIRE time....I mean...mostly were people dying....by the blade...so many...that thing has got to be ancient as hell itself or something....just so many....” He paused, letting his gaze fall upon the dagger Ess was still holding. “...How old is that thing...” He whispered in utter awe, spacing out for a moment as he contemplated what he saw, trying to make more sense of it. “It may take some time..and some more sessions...” Darren wiped at the trail of blood along his upper lip. “...I don’t know if I can answer any of your questions just yet, but I think it all started over a woman...and not just ANY WOMAN....” Darren chuckled, “I won’t object if you want to see her for yourself, Guy....it’s like...she was THE woman...people died for her...but she kind of looked like someone I met before, strangely enough...except this one was unreal..more like a dream..” He breathed deeply, brows narrowing again. “Kinda disgusting if you ask me, all over this woman....figures she was a redhead..but still...not my type.” He joked, turning towards Essence. “I hope that is not a common trait between redheads....men falling over themselves and dying for them...could be dangerous, no?” His gaze moved towards Luckas, a playfully worried smile was seen in the eyes only as he kept his lips straight, attempting to be serious. “Maybe I should really warn Irvin...”
Luckas frowned slightly, eyes examining the weapon in Ess’ hand... It looked brand new... And it was still very sharp; he’d seen her use it. How could a weapon be that old and remain as new... It was intriguing, in the least. He broke out of his thoughts to catch Darren’s comment on the woman being a redhead and the witty remark that followed after. “Hum...” He mumbled, holding back a snicker. “I wouldn’t be surprised... Not at all... Would in fact explain a thing or two.” He paused as if thinking about said things, before nodding. “Yeah... I’d warn everybody if I were you.” He concluded, a playful grin forming itself as he added. “As for this particular redhead you saw... I do think I’d like to have a look at her... I mean... Out of curiosity and all.” After another moment of thought he added. “Although it’d be fun to show that to Jake... Add another one to his collection.” He snickered, letting his eyes meet Darren’s just long enough to retrieve the image, only a few seconds, after which he blinked a few times. “Huh... Now that’s interesting...” He mumbled, shaking his head and wondering if he was just finding everything familiar lately for no reason.
Essence pushed herself to her feet, resheathing the dagger beside the sword before her hand gave a firm, yet light smack behind Darren’s head at the base of his neck. “Snap out of it you drooling fool.” She laughed, her eyes the only thing showing her minor jealousy. “Glad you two are sharing and all, but do I get to see too or is this a boys club only deal? Poor child.” Ess rested her hands upon her hips, a semi serious narrowing of her brows practically staring a hole through Darren, causing him to shiver slightly. “I don’t think you know how dangerous a woman can be son....redhead or not.”
Darren stood keeping his eyes upon Ess, a mischievous grin painted upon his face. “Oh...You don’t scare me....” He teased, bending forward he grabbed Ess’ arm and hoisted her up and over his shoulder, and began walking off towards the river. Ess couldn’t stop laughing. “You best be if you know what’s good for you kid.....where we going....what are you doing...? Hey! You are forgetting something you know.” Darren laughed, circling around to squat down low enough so Ess could reach the bottle of liquor. “Good kid...now where...” This time Darren took off, motioning for Luckas to follow as he ran full sprint across the bridge of the river. When he paused by the bank, Ess began to squirm and kick. “Darren...don’t you dare....You know you are loved..but..”
Darren smiled, moving as if he was going to put Ess down, grabbing the bottle from her. “Aww....thanks Ma...Love ya too..” Instead he tossed her into the river, laughing hysterically before taking another drink. “See..not afraid.”
Ess squealed from the sudden shock of cold, clawing to crawl out of the river, annoyance in her laughter. “That’s it...YOU’RE GROUNDED.”
Luckas followed after Darren pretty sure of how this situation would unfold a cheerful grin spreading across his face. He’d done a good job out of not breaking into yet another laughing fit, even when he tossed Ess into the river. Not that he was even trying to conceal his amusement at the whole thing; it was very clear by the wide smile plastered on his face, but he had managed some form of restraint... Until he heard the words ‘you’re grounded’, at which point he doubled over in nearly incessant laughter. Drawing one long deep breath before speaking, amongst chuckles. “Ha... You’re in trouble...” He chuckled for a little bit more before he managed to straighten himself up, still clearly holding back a few remaining giggles as he added. “Well, you still scare me Lady... If it helps...”
Ess wrapped her arms around herself, trembling for the chill. “Thanks, Luckas....nice to know.” Shaking her head, Darren shook off his jacket and lightly draped it across Ess’ shoulders. “You can’t ground me...I mean...seriously, how is that going to occur. I am practically an adult.”
“Ah, well tomorrow..Darren...when you go see your Uncle Jake...” She paused, pulling the jacket tight, as she began to warm up, her curly hair now soaked and wavy all the way down her back. “I want you to talk about the dagger with him and such, and well...I expect you two should spend some time together. I’m sure he’ll find something for you to do..teach you a few things.” Ess snickered, knowing Jake would have no issues with putting Darren through some hoops, so to speak. Besides, to her, Jake was her only other family and it made sense.
“Ah, you mean to let Uncle Jakey know about me and all the fun stuff we’ve learned today...I wouldn’t mind a carving lesson or two.” Darren winked, tilting his head back in a long yawn. “Well, my drunk ass is beat and I need some sleep if I’m to wake up nice and early for Jake. G’night you two.”
As Ess stood silently, watching her son wander off into camp for the night, she cursed softly under her breath. “He took..the bottle....” She sighed, beaming in amusement. “Least there’s another back at the fire.” Playfully she bumped her shoulder into Luckas, smiling so wide her teeth peeked out from behind ruby lips. “You know Luckas...tonight was another one of those ‘moments’ to remember. I can now look back whenever I want and revisit this memory...perhaps now I would have to say which is one of my top three favorite memories.” She was quiet as she walked back to camp, suddenly breaking the silence with a random question. “Luckas....if you had to pick a memory...either yours or someone else’s....what would be a favorite? I mean...not everything is horrid and buried where we hope to never think of it again. You must have something that you think back on and smile at?”
Luckas was still chuckling softly as Darren walked away, shaking his head as Ess mentioned he’d taken the bottle away. He was still utterly amused and rather enjoying the silent walk back to the camp. The questioning caused him to stop walking, a slightly confused expression slowly spreading across his features as he thought about an answer... And whether it would be one he was willing to give. “Eh...” He shrugged slightly, resuming his walking with a small sigh. “Honestly, I don’t think I look back at anything that often, good or bad... And there are a lot of things I still don’t remember well enough to know if it was good or bad... Being that the case... It’s hard to say.” He scratched his head absently, trying to remember something worth the mention. He was silent for quite a bit of time before heaving a small sigh and speaking. “You know... This is the kind of stuff Lena used to ask me all the time... Annoying woman...” He muttered under his breath. “I’ll try to answer it though, the best I can... If there was one memory I’d like to relive it’d probably be the day I ran into that demon thing. And no it’s not necessarily a happy memory, but it was...” He chuckled. “A lucky day.”
Ess rocked her heels, balancing on the balls of her feet, her gaze down upon her shoes as she listened. Her smile was minimal, her eyes hinting a bit of guilt. “I’m sorry...” Ess sighed, her head still downwards, as she stared up at Luckas, showing more of the whites of her eyes. “I didn’t mean to bring up Lena or anything...I know I didn’t directly but...” Ess chuckled at herself. “...Hm...that Beast creature, you mean...the one you always carry a scar from...” Turning so Luckas was on her right she began walking again, silent until they reached the fire where she stood practically over the dying flames trying to dry. Tossing a few more logs on the fire and stirring the coals, Ess reached for the bottle she had left by the firepit and topped off her glass, handing the bottle to Luckas. She almost needed another refill before she spoke, her eyes locked into the flames. “Thank you Luckas, for again, being here...” She peered at him a moment before moving to retrieve her dagger and sword, one at a time unsheathing the blade and examining the silver markings. Ess held the dagger at a slant before the fire light, slowly running her finger along the blade, not flinching as the tip of her finger bled. So sharp, she didn’t even feel it. Her eyes widened as she seemed to be hypnotized by how her blood fell, dripping to coat the steel. She wasn’t even aware what this relic was made from, especially if it was as old as Darren suspected.
Luckas raised an eyebrow seeming a bit confused as gave a slight shrug. “I don’t see what is there to apologize for... It doesn’t upset me.” He smiled slightly. “Yes that creature. It’s not something I even think about all that much, but suppose I’d like to go back to it if I could... I dunno... Probably because it was the closest I’ve been to experiencing actual fear... So far.” He smirked. “Besides, scars are sexy, right?”
The rest of the walk back to the fire was silent on Luckas’ end as well, he let his thoughts wander freely a little bothered to see where they were headed, as he found himself thinking about the woman Darren had showed him; well, mostly he caught himself wondering again where he’d seen her face before. He was honestly starting to get annoyed by this. He barely noticed the bottle of liquor in his hand and only snapped out of his minor trance when Ess spoke. He lifted his head, giving her a curious look and absently wondering for how long he’d have to stalk her before she stopped thanking him; he remained silent on the matter though, taking a drink from the bottle and heaving a little sigh. “Do you still want to see...” he made a slightly dramatic pause. “THE woman? Or can I just keep that to myself?” He asked curiously. “And maybe you should avoid slicing yourself with that, you know... just a thought.”
Ess put the dagger aside, gently pressing her finger along her thigh, wrapping it in the bottom hem of her shirt. “It’s just a scratch...” She finally muttered, a thoughtful expression darkening her eyes. “Well...if this woman was so damned beautiful, I can understand wanting to keep her to yourself...but...I was thinking...if she really was such and something men would die for...wouldn’t it be a strategic distraction for me to possibly use one day?...” Essence scoffed, clearing her throat. “For strategic purposes....” She nodded, as if to convince herself it was the only reason she wanted to know. Ess had to admit she had agreed with Darren, that the idea of a chaotic amount of bloodshed sounded pretty pathetic to her, all for one person, but then again she didn’t really know if it sounded more like a story men shared around a fire, slurred in their drunken stupor. Ess’ eyes searched for Luckas’ and she waited, not knowing either way what would happen, yet she kept a smile upon her lips, not letting any stray emotions hinder her good night.
Luckas absently ran his free hand through his hair, scratching at the back of his head as he gave Ess a slightly confused look at her tone. “Huh...” He mumbled, taking yet another drink. “And who do you plan on distracting with that? If you don’t mind me asking?” He took another drink and snickered. “Which reminds me... Our bookie friend sends his ‘hello’, although he’ll only be waving with his left hand from now on.” Taking one more sip of the drink Luckas took a long breath and pulled the image from the woman, that had already been somewhat persistently in his thoughts, and looked into Ess’ eyes to pass the memory onto her. It was nothing more than just the woman’s image and it didn’t last more than the few seconds it had taken him to see it in Darren’s mind. When the image faded, he gave a light shrug. “That’s it. Nothing much. I was curious about the dying people, but thought it’d be pushing it if I made the Kid see it all over again.”
“Well...I know it won’t distract you....” Ess winked slowly. “I honestly don’t have a target...I just like to always have a backup plan and never want to dismiss any bits of useful knowledge....I don’t believe in being wasteful.” She was swallowing another sip of liquor when Luckas’ comment caused her to giggle, coughing a bit. “...I almost forgot about the Bookie...huh...do you plan on taking off limbs of any who lay a hand on me? It’s kinda cute...but it happens when you aren’t around too you know...” Ess lifted her chin upwards, making a small kiss gesture in the air. “I can take care of it too.” Essence nodded as the image faded, “Pretty indeed....reminds me of this noble I knew one time...so pretty..but so stuck up....lustful and greedy. She just seems selfish...” The last word she whispered in a snarl before rolling her eyes. “She does seem familiar though, oddly enough. Huh...Wait...what if next time Darren uses his gift, you ‘tagged’ along? Maybe it would help make sense of things to have another witness. Of course, he describes it as sporadic amounts of energy in visions and emotion, so I’m not sure how that would work for you.”
“Huh, funny... She looks somewhat... Sad, the way I see it.” Luke replied, again scratching the back of his head absent-minded. He tilted his head to the side and half-smiled. “Do you... Do you think you could maybe draw her for me? I have a feeling I’ve seen her face before... Maybe in a book... I can’t place it, but I’m sure it was something like in a picture... Maybe it’d help me remember where.” He closed his eyes a moment mumbling under his breath. “In the healers books maybe... or...” He sighed, opening his eyes again. “I’m not sure.” At the question of whether he could tag along with Darren’s gift Luke frowned slightly. “Huh... I’m not sure if that’d work, or how well, but suppose it can’t hurt to try...” He snickered. “Well, in all honesty, it can, but I’m sure it won’t... Most likely...”
“You know...I can....and I will...give me a few days...anything else you want me to draw, while we are on the subject?” Ess sighed, making her way into her tent to change and finally lay down. Tala nestled herself in her usual spot, curled behind Ess’ legs as she layed on her right side. “I think...you confused me a bit, my Dear Luckas..” Ess whispered, her lips pouting, unsure if Luckas said it would work or not. “Well, either way, If you want to try, then talk to Darren, if not...it was just an idea...” Essence yawned, her fingers fiddling with the embroidered sigil upon her stuffed bears surcoat from where he sat guarding her pillow. She smiled into the inanimate objects’ black eyes and giggled at a fleeting thought.
Luckas raised an eyebrow at the question of whether he wanted Ess to draw anything else, wondering if she was serious or not; he wasn’t sure. “Hm...” He mumbled, following after her; bottle still in his hand. “I’ve got nothing in particular, but if you drew me a pretty picture I’d carry it around with me everywhere.” he answered, opening a rather silly sweet smile, making it difficult to tell if he actually meant his words or if he was joking. He sat himself down in the spot he usually occupied and leaned his hands on his knees as he silently stared for a few moments, a slight frown forming itself and then fading as Ess suddenly giggled. He tilted his head to the side propping his chin in one hand. “Watcha thinking there?”
Ess smiled, looking up from the stuffed bear. “Would you really?” Her smile widened as her eyes narrowed in thought, another giggle escaping. “I’ll keep that in mind...” She didn’t elaborate further on the thought, yet pulled her journal out from under her pillow, flipping towards one of her older drawings she had recently added on to. Backtracking to his question, she answered him while looking down upon the familiar darkness of the page, different colored eyes scattered across now onto another page, surrounding what was a detailed portrait of Luckas. “I was thinking....of....oh..it’s silly...” Ess rested her cheek in her hand, partially hiding the glow that was still clearly upon her face, warming just ever so slightly, which she hoped would go unnoticed. “I’m almost out of journal space...would you ever let me give you a gift? Like...what I mean is...something permanent for you to have forever...no matter what...like a tattoo?” Ess quirked a brow, noting she changed the subject only slightly, yet she stared into Luckas’ eyes, biting her bottom lip in earnest to hear his answer.
“Hmm...” Luckas mumbled, taking a small sip from the liquor bottle as if to buy himself some time. This wasn’t really something he needed to think about too much, truth be told, but he was somewhat delaying his answer on purpose by pretending to think about it. “Hmmm....” he continued, lightly tapping his chin with his fingertips, tilting his head back a bit as he looked up pretending to think about it some more. Finally he lowered his head and opened a wide cheerful grin. “Oh, absolutely.” He stated, nodding in confirmation of his answer. “Sounds like that’d be fun... And it saves paper too.”
Ess held back a giggle or two as she waited for an answer, her eyes widening slightly when he agreed to her idea. Clearing her throat, she kept her tone soft, not releasing the sudden spurt of excitement that was tensing up inside. She almost mirrored Luckas’ wide grin as she casually glanced back down to her journal. “Great. You can think about where you want it to go and I will go over some ideas. You can trust me not to tattoo anything like a kitten or something ridiculous like that....I was thinking something...more poetic....” Her eyes sparkled at the responsibility of working on her first, well second piece of ‘living art’. “Good thing I practiced on myself first. It’ll be a piece of cake.” Ess pushed the journal towards Luckas and gave a nonchalant shrug. “Unless you see something in particular you’d like...or think of something you’d prefer me to draw up for you...”
“Where I want it to go?” Luckas asked absently, now actually thinking about it for a bit. “Hm... Suppose it could go someplace obvious like my arm, or something...” He gave a little shrug. “I’d give more creative suggestions, but something tells me you’d do it...So better not.” He snickered, shaking his head a bit. “And aw... what if I wanted a kitten? I’d talk to it... And call it Squishy...” He joked, letting out a slightly girlish giggle. “But suppose something poetic is just as good.” He added with a chuckle, stretching his arms and legs before scooting just a bit closer to Ess, pulling the journal onto his lap and slowly flipping through it. “I can think of lots I’d like, buuut... If it’s a gift I think it’s fitting that you choose what it’ll be, no? If I told you, that’d be like cheating, wouldn’t it?” He asked with a little smirk. “I do have one little request though...” He looked up from the journal at her. “I’d like it if you signed it... You know, like an actual painting.”
Ess’ smile only widened, so far her face started to ache as she leaned into Luckas. She waited til she was inches away before casually reaching for the bottle, sitting up to take a swig of the warm liquid. Ess felt the burn coat her tongue first, then her throat before sipping it again. “..So...” She absorbed Luckas’ request. “You want to have it where anyone can see...and you want it to be known who created it?” Ess took in a long, cleansing breath, swallowed another gulp before returning the bottle to Luckas. “Every day it would be like you were giving me a gift in return....” Ess quirked a brow as she noticed Tala was now standing, pushing her way between Ess and Luckas, more so to lay beside him, her head almost on his lap. “Why do I get the feeling it’s gonna be hard to say no to you?” She laughed. “Of course my Dear Luckas..” She sighed, her face suddenly scrunching up comically. “Wait....would you really call it squishy?” Essence couldn’t help the different pitched giggles that escaped her then.
Luckas chuckled under his breath. “I might... I take it it’d be fun to ask people if they’d like to see my Squishy.” He stopped for a second in thought and then let out a comical giggle. “That would be priceless I think... I was joking about the kitten thing though... Hate cats, bloody annoying things.” He muttered, his eyes narrowing slightly as if the very thought of cats was offensive to him somehow. It didn’t last long though and he pushed aside whatever thought crossed his mind, the cheerful expression returning to his face as if it had never crossed him in the first place. He was silent for a little bit in thought, glancing down at Tala with an amused expression for a few moments before speaking. “Lady... Do you believe in the Twins? And I mean, not if you believe in them as in what they’re supposed to represent and whatnot... You believe they actually existed, in Valcrest?”
Essence’s smile closed to a smirk, her fingers sifting through Tala’s fur, her gaze trailing to the wolf as she fell into a surprised silence. Her mind retraced her memories as a child; the stories her father would tell her when she would ask about her mother: Why was she gone? Why could she hypnotize people with her voice? Each time he’d answer the same. She could almost hear his voice in her head: “There are only two ways to live your life, Essy: One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
“I was taught to believe, when I was very young...” Ess cleared her throat, keeping her eyes upon her wolf. “...And I did for some years before out of spite and anger, I decided it was a lie...just a story to explain where we came from or what happens when we die.” Tala looked up at Ess, stretching out her snout to nuzzle her arm. As if the creature had spoken to her, Ess nodded and continued. “Same as most, I suppose...but as I got older...it started making more and more sense. The impossible...happens every day, Luckas. People live, people die... There is something in this world, inside every one of us that makes the impossible, conceivable. What we DO, shouldn’t be possible. Why is it that not everyone has the ability, or the mentality to tap into that part of themselves? It goes deeper than you being able to see into someone’s mind and me changing into anyone I so desire.”
Essence paused, her other free hand absently tugging on her curls and tickling her pale skin. “I guess I can keep going with that, but the point being...There are some that believe the Twin’s existence is impossible...so when I think of that, I can’t help myself but to believe. I mean...I never thought dreams could become a reality...” Ess glanced up at Luckas and winked knowingly, “Making the impossible, possible, is simply a mind opening experience and I feel means something different to each and every one of us. Doubt..is a very powerful thing, and I find more harmful than good, because then you close off yourself to the possibilities..” She shook her hand and laughed. “What was I saying again? Did I answer your question?”
Luckas listened to what Ess had to say in absolute silence, nodding a couple of times, but otherwise quiet; a serious expression on his face as he let the words into his mind. “Hmmm... Suppose it does answer my question... In a way.” He said, scratching at his head. “That or it makes me confused... I think, both. Probably both.” He laughed at his own confusion for a moment before shaking his head and settling into a more serious tone. “I asked Lena once, a long tim- eh, I think five years ago is not that much of a long time, but a while back, when I first read the Myths, if she thought that Mother and Father were more concerned that the Twins would interfere too much with the humans, or that the humans would interfere too much with the Gods... Technically, assuming enlightened were actually originated from the Gods, as they became more human and less powerful there were less incidents with... Going crazy and murdering and stuff... Like the first ones did. Like... That demon thing, if legends are to be believed...” Luckas stopped himself from talking further and chuckled. “Point being, I wonder, when the Twins were forbidden to have children with humans, who that rule was protecting in the first place. Us or them?” He shrugged. “She never answered me though...”
“Hmm....I don’t think that question is easy to answer....it’s like what comes first..the chicken or the egg?” Essence poked Luckas in the shoulder, taking back the bottle. “Obviously, that rule that was created wasn’t honored...I don’t see enlightened getting weaker...I see them getting stronger...just like the Beast that is now buried in that cave west of here. But, it’s not just enlightened that are dangerous....it’s Man in general. There are good people and there are bad people....and perhaps a few hundred shades of grey...” Ess snickered taking another gulp from the bottle. “We all make our own choices for ourselves and perhaps for loved ones and for what we feel is ‘right’...but who can really say any one of us has the right or power to make those choices for everyone....part of free will.” Ess’ eyes flickered, almost in unison to the firelight that reflected and drew shadows upon the tent. Her smiled closed, her mind trailing off as if in a trance. “Do you ever wonder Luckas, where it all comes from? I mean...technically....maybe we should stop drinking the water?” She giggled. “Would make sense, right? Water is in everything...our bodies, the blood...we need it to survive. An essential component...or maybe....” Ess trailed off, thinking her mind was just a bit foggy and never finished her thought, only finished off the bottle and tossed it into the fire. “We’re out...”
Luckas chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, a lot of people see it as a mistake... Enlightenment... Ever wondered what would’ve been different in your life without it? Maybe you’d not have lost your father in the first place...” He sighed and mumbled. “Maybe I wouldn’t have either.” He went silent for a little bit before shrugging it off. “It puzzles me I suppose, even though I know speculating won’t really make any difference.” He yawned into his hand and nodded. “We’re out... Which begs the question: Would I like to see you get any drunker than this?” He asked with a little playful grin.
Ess’ tone went softer, almost cold as she took on a serious expression, turning her gaze from Luckas. She wanted to inquire to what he meant when he stated maybe he wouldn’t have either, but she felt it wasn’t her place. “Whatever that is meant to happen, happens Luckas. We have all lost something or someone, for one reason or another. To simply blame it all on the enlightened or the hate surrounding it, is just an excuse. People will always find a reason to hate...for there to be war...Maybe my father would have lived longer...Maybe I could have had a different life....But who is to say I wouldn’t have one day fallen victim to rape..or worse anyways? I do not blame my enlightenment for what has happened, even if there is a connection. If I hadn’t been enlightened, it honestly wouldn’t make much of a difference to me who I am or how I perceive the world...” Ess took in another deep breath and smiled up into Luckas’ black orbs. “We can’t blame the world for a few men’s actions. I mean...should I kill every man alive because of what happened to me? I think not...” She didn’t smile as her tone softened, warm like a summer breeze, relaxing and gentle. “If I get drunk...I will just end up scaring you off, I fear. Brutal honesty, and holding nothing back...to the point of annoyance.” She bit her lip to keep from giggling.
“Maybe... You have a point Lady... Unfortunately not all agree with it though...” Luckas stated, giving yet another small shrug, closing the journal that still lay on his lap and pushing it back to her with a smile. “I’d say though, it’s not as much blaming the world for a few men’s actions as it’s blaming a few men for the world’s actions...” He concluded, finding that description more fitting to the hypothetical. Again he yawned, laying down and resting his head on his folded arms, chuckling as he closed one eye and glanced at Ess with the other. “Out of all the fears I’ve seen, Lady, that might just be the silliest one... But suit yourself.” He chuckled.
“..Of course not everyone agrees....so there we are..circling the drain...” Watching Luckas yawn apparently became contagious, Ess’ jaw extending wide, eyes rolling up in her head as she sighed a fairly loud yawn in return. She paused to giggle and shrugged. “Perhaps it is the silliest to you...but you seem to close up when I am brutally honest, so I prefer to see you smile and hear you talk....Twins help me...” She played, “What is wrong with me?” Snuggling back down against her pillow, bringing her Jacob Bear close, she smiled at how Tala stayed beside Luckas, the wolf giving a deep sigh before her paws began to twitch in an apparent dream. Ess closed her eyes wondering softly to herself what the wolf saw. “Maybe...another night I’ll get drunk and take advantage of you, sweetness....” Ess trailed off, drifting in and out of a dream, trying to fight the oncoming sleep, her heart beginning to race as she honestly feared falling into another nightmare. Bravely, she reached out for Luckas’ hand and gave it a slight squeeze, as she drifted off.
Luckas snickered under his breath. “You call it ‘closing up’ I call it contemplation, Lady. Brutal honesty takes some getting used to, I’ll have you know. Doesn’t mean it’s not appreciated.” He stated, yawning yet again. “You know, I might just hold you to that, Lady.” He chuckled a bit, ending it in yet another yawn, finally shutting both his eyes and heaving a deep sigh. He absently opened one eye when feeling her hand on his, but closed it again already halfway into sleep and too out of it to move or make much of it.
Luckas was still chuckling softly as Darren walked away, shaking his head as Ess mentioned he’d taken the bottle away. He was still utterly amused and rather enjoying the silent walk back to the camp. The questioning caused him to stop walking, a slightly confused expression slowly spreading across his features as he thought about an answer... And whether it would be one he was willing to give. “Eh...” He shrugged slightly, resuming his walking with a small sigh. “Honestly, I don’t think I look back at anything that often, good or bad... And there are a lot of things I still don’t remember well enough to know if it was good or bad... Being that the case... It’s hard to say.” He scratched his head absently, trying to remember something worth the mention. He was silent for quite a bit of time before heaving a small sigh and speaking. “You know... This is the kind of stuff Lena used to ask me all the time... Annoying woman...” He muttered under his breath. “I’ll try to answer it though, the best I can... If there was one memory I’d like to relive it’d probably be the day I ran into that demon thing. And no it’s not necessarily a happy memory, but it was...” He chuckled. “A lucky day.”
Ess rocked her heels, balancing on the balls of her feet, her gaze down upon her shoes as she listened. Her smile was minimal, her eyes hinting a bit of guilt. “I’m sorry...” Ess sighed, her head still downwards, as she stared up at Luckas, showing more of the whites of her eyes. “I didn’t mean to bring up Lena or anything...I know I didn’t directly but...” Ess chuckled at herself. “...Hm...that Beast creature, you mean...the one you always carry a scar from...” Turning so Luckas was on her right she began walking again, silent until they reached the fire where she stood practically over the dying flames trying to dry. Tossing a few more logs on the fire and stirring the coals, Ess reached for the bottle she had left by the firepit and topped off her glass, handing the bottle to Luckas. She almost needed another refill before she spoke, her eyes locked into the flames. “Thank you Luckas, for again, being here...” She peered at him a moment before moving to retrieve her dagger and sword, one at a time unsheathing the blade and examining the silver markings. Ess held the dagger at a slant before the fire light, slowly running her finger along the blade, not flinching as the tip of her finger bled. So sharp, she didn’t even feel it. Her eyes widened as she seemed to be hypnotized by how her blood fell, dripping to coat the steel. She wasn’t even aware what this relic was made from, especially if it was as old as Darren suspected.
Luckas raised an eyebrow seeming a bit confused as gave a slight shrug. “I don’t see what is there to apologize for... It doesn’t upset me.” He smiled slightly. “Yes that creature. It’s not something I even think about all that much, but suppose I’d like to go back to it if I could... I dunno... Probably because it was the closest I’ve been to experiencing actual fear... So far.” He smirked. “Besides, scars are sexy, right?”
The rest of the walk back to the fire was silent on Luckas’ end as well, he let his thoughts wander freely a little bothered to see where they were headed, as he found himself thinking about the woman Darren had showed him; well, mostly he caught himself wondering again where he’d seen her face before. He was honestly starting to get annoyed by this. He barely noticed the bottle of liquor in his hand and only snapped out of his minor trance when Ess spoke. He lifted his head, giving her a curious look and absently wondering for how long he’d have to stalk her before she stopped thanking him; he remained silent on the matter though, taking a drink from the bottle and heaving a little sigh. “Do you still want to see...” he made a slightly dramatic pause. “THE woman? Or can I just keep that to myself?” He asked curiously. “And maybe you should avoid slicing yourself with that, you know... just a thought.”
Ess put the dagger aside, gently pressing her finger along her thigh, wrapping it in the bottom hem of her shirt. “It’s just a scratch...” She finally muttered, a thoughtful expression darkening her eyes. “Well...if this woman was so damned beautiful, I can understand wanting to keep her to yourself...but...I was thinking...if she really was such and something men would die for...wouldn’t it be a strategic distraction for me to possibly use one day?...” Essence scoffed, clearing her throat. “For strategic purposes....” She nodded, as if to convince herself it was the only reason she wanted to know. Ess had to admit she had agreed with Darren, that the idea of a chaotic amount of bloodshed sounded pretty pathetic to her, all for one person, but then again she didn’t really know if it sounded more like a story men shared around a fire, slurred in their drunken stupor. Ess’ eyes searched for Luckas’ and she waited, not knowing either way what would happen, yet she kept a smile upon her lips, not letting any stray emotions hinder her good night.
Luckas absently ran his free hand through his hair, scratching at the back of his head as he gave Ess a slightly confused look at her tone. “Huh...” He mumbled, taking yet another drink. “And who do you plan on distracting with that? If you don’t mind me asking?” He took another drink and snickered. “Which reminds me... Our bookie friend sends his ‘hello’, although he’ll only be waving with his left hand from now on.” Taking one more sip of the drink Luckas took a long breath and pulled the image from the woman, that had already been somewhat persistently in his thoughts, and looked into Ess’ eyes to pass the memory onto her. It was nothing more than just the woman’s image and it didn’t last more than the few seconds it had taken him to see it in Darren’s mind. When the image faded, he gave a light shrug. “That’s it. Nothing much. I was curious about the dying people, but thought it’d be pushing it if I made the Kid see it all over again.”
“Well...I know it won’t distract you....” Ess winked slowly. “I honestly don’t have a target...I just like to always have a backup plan and never want to dismiss any bits of useful knowledge....I don’t believe in being wasteful.” She was swallowing another sip of liquor when Luckas’ comment caused her to giggle, coughing a bit. “...I almost forgot about the Bookie...huh...do you plan on taking off limbs of any who lay a hand on me? It’s kinda cute...but it happens when you aren’t around too you know...” Ess lifted her chin upwards, making a small kiss gesture in the air. “I can take care of it too.” Essence nodded as the image faded, “Pretty indeed....reminds me of this noble I knew one time...so pretty..but so stuck up....lustful and greedy. She just seems selfish...” The last word she whispered in a snarl before rolling her eyes. “She does seem familiar though, oddly enough. Huh...Wait...what if next time Darren uses his gift, you ‘tagged’ along? Maybe it would help make sense of things to have another witness. Of course, he describes it as sporadic amounts of energy in visions and emotion, so I’m not sure how that would work for you.”
“Huh, funny... She looks somewhat... Sad, the way I see it.” Luke replied, again scratching the back of his head absent-minded. He tilted his head to the side and half-smiled. “Do you... Do you think you could maybe draw her for me? I have a feeling I’ve seen her face before... Maybe in a book... I can’t place it, but I’m sure it was something like in a picture... Maybe it’d help me remember where.” He closed his eyes a moment mumbling under his breath. “In the healers books maybe... or...” He sighed, opening his eyes again. “I’m not sure.” At the question of whether he could tag along with Darren’s gift Luke frowned slightly. “Huh... I’m not sure if that’d work, or how well, but suppose it can’t hurt to try...” He snickered. “Well, in all honesty, it can, but I’m sure it won’t... Most likely...”
“You know...I can....and I will...give me a few days...anything else you want me to draw, while we are on the subject?” Ess sighed, making her way into her tent to change and finally lay down. Tala nestled herself in her usual spot, curled behind Ess’ legs as she layed on her right side. “I think...you confused me a bit, my Dear Luckas..” Ess whispered, her lips pouting, unsure if Luckas said it would work or not. “Well, either way, If you want to try, then talk to Darren, if not...it was just an idea...” Essence yawned, her fingers fiddling with the embroidered sigil upon her stuffed bears surcoat from where he sat guarding her pillow. She smiled into the inanimate objects’ black eyes and giggled at a fleeting thought.
Luckas raised an eyebrow at the question of whether he wanted Ess to draw anything else, wondering if she was serious or not; he wasn’t sure. “Hm...” He mumbled, following after her; bottle still in his hand. “I’ve got nothing in particular, but if you drew me a pretty picture I’d carry it around with me everywhere.” he answered, opening a rather silly sweet smile, making it difficult to tell if he actually meant his words or if he was joking. He sat himself down in the spot he usually occupied and leaned his hands on his knees as he silently stared for a few moments, a slight frown forming itself and then fading as Ess suddenly giggled. He tilted his head to the side propping his chin in one hand. “Watcha thinking there?”
Ess smiled, looking up from the stuffed bear. “Would you really?” Her smile widened as her eyes narrowed in thought, another giggle escaping. “I’ll keep that in mind...” She didn’t elaborate further on the thought, yet pulled her journal out from under her pillow, flipping towards one of her older drawings she had recently added on to. Backtracking to his question, she answered him while looking down upon the familiar darkness of the page, different colored eyes scattered across now onto another page, surrounding what was a detailed portrait of Luckas. “I was thinking....of....oh..it’s silly...” Ess rested her cheek in her hand, partially hiding the glow that was still clearly upon her face, warming just ever so slightly, which she hoped would go unnoticed. “I’m almost out of journal space...would you ever let me give you a gift? Like...what I mean is...something permanent for you to have forever...no matter what...like a tattoo?” Ess quirked a brow, noting she changed the subject only slightly, yet she stared into Luckas’ eyes, biting her bottom lip in earnest to hear his answer.
“Hmm...” Luckas mumbled, taking a small sip from the liquor bottle as if to buy himself some time. This wasn’t really something he needed to think about too much, truth be told, but he was somewhat delaying his answer on purpose by pretending to think about it. “Hmmm....” he continued, lightly tapping his chin with his fingertips, tilting his head back a bit as he looked up pretending to think about it some more. Finally he lowered his head and opened a wide cheerful grin. “Oh, absolutely.” He stated, nodding in confirmation of his answer. “Sounds like that’d be fun... And it saves paper too.”
Ess held back a giggle or two as she waited for an answer, her eyes widening slightly when he agreed to her idea. Clearing her throat, she kept her tone soft, not releasing the sudden spurt of excitement that was tensing up inside. She almost mirrored Luckas’ wide grin as she casually glanced back down to her journal. “Great. You can think about where you want it to go and I will go over some ideas. You can trust me not to tattoo anything like a kitten or something ridiculous like that....I was thinking something...more poetic....” Her eyes sparkled at the responsibility of working on her first, well second piece of ‘living art’. “Good thing I practiced on myself first. It’ll be a piece of cake.” Ess pushed the journal towards Luckas and gave a nonchalant shrug. “Unless you see something in particular you’d like...or think of something you’d prefer me to draw up for you...”
“Where I want it to go?” Luckas asked absently, now actually thinking about it for a bit. “Hm... Suppose it could go someplace obvious like my arm, or something...” He gave a little shrug. “I’d give more creative suggestions, but something tells me you’d do it...So better not.” He snickered, shaking his head a bit. “And aw... what if I wanted a kitten? I’d talk to it... And call it Squishy...” He joked, letting out a slightly girlish giggle. “But suppose something poetic is just as good.” He added with a chuckle, stretching his arms and legs before scooting just a bit closer to Ess, pulling the journal onto his lap and slowly flipping through it. “I can think of lots I’d like, buuut... If it’s a gift I think it’s fitting that you choose what it’ll be, no? If I told you, that’d be like cheating, wouldn’t it?” He asked with a little smirk. “I do have one little request though...” He looked up from the journal at her. “I’d like it if you signed it... You know, like an actual painting.”
Ess’ smile only widened, so far her face started to ache as she leaned into Luckas. She waited til she was inches away before casually reaching for the bottle, sitting up to take a swig of the warm liquid. Ess felt the burn coat her tongue first, then her throat before sipping it again. “..So...” She absorbed Luckas’ request. “You want to have it where anyone can see...and you want it to be known who created it?” Ess took in a long, cleansing breath, swallowed another gulp before returning the bottle to Luckas. “Every day it would be like you were giving me a gift in return....” Ess quirked a brow as she noticed Tala was now standing, pushing her way between Ess and Luckas, more so to lay beside him, her head almost on his lap. “Why do I get the feeling it’s gonna be hard to say no to you?” She laughed. “Of course my Dear Luckas..” She sighed, her face suddenly scrunching up comically. “Wait....would you really call it squishy?” Essence couldn’t help the different pitched giggles that escaped her then.
Luckas chuckled under his breath. “I might... I take it it’d be fun to ask people if they’d like to see my Squishy.” He stopped for a second in thought and then let out a comical giggle. “That would be priceless I think... I was joking about the kitten thing though... Hate cats, bloody annoying things.” He muttered, his eyes narrowing slightly as if the very thought of cats was offensive to him somehow. It didn’t last long though and he pushed aside whatever thought crossed his mind, the cheerful expression returning to his face as if it had never crossed him in the first place. He was silent for a little bit in thought, glancing down at Tala with an amused expression for a few moments before speaking. “Lady... Do you believe in the Twins? And I mean, not if you believe in them as in what they’re supposed to represent and whatnot... You believe they actually existed, in Valcrest?”
Essence’s smile closed to a smirk, her fingers sifting through Tala’s fur, her gaze trailing to the wolf as she fell into a surprised silence. Her mind retraced her memories as a child; the stories her father would tell her when she would ask about her mother: Why was she gone? Why could she hypnotize people with her voice? Each time he’d answer the same. She could almost hear his voice in her head: “There are only two ways to live your life, Essy: One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
“I was taught to believe, when I was very young...” Ess cleared her throat, keeping her eyes upon her wolf. “...And I did for some years before out of spite and anger, I decided it was a lie...just a story to explain where we came from or what happens when we die.” Tala looked up at Ess, stretching out her snout to nuzzle her arm. As if the creature had spoken to her, Ess nodded and continued. “Same as most, I suppose...but as I got older...it started making more and more sense. The impossible...happens every day, Luckas. People live, people die... There is something in this world, inside every one of us that makes the impossible, conceivable. What we DO, shouldn’t be possible. Why is it that not everyone has the ability, or the mentality to tap into that part of themselves? It goes deeper than you being able to see into someone’s mind and me changing into anyone I so desire.”
Essence paused, her other free hand absently tugging on her curls and tickling her pale skin. “I guess I can keep going with that, but the point being...There are some that believe the Twin’s existence is impossible...so when I think of that, I can’t help myself but to believe. I mean...I never thought dreams could become a reality...” Ess glanced up at Luckas and winked knowingly, “Making the impossible, possible, is simply a mind opening experience and I feel means something different to each and every one of us. Doubt..is a very powerful thing, and I find more harmful than good, because then you close off yourself to the possibilities..” She shook her hand and laughed. “What was I saying again? Did I answer your question?”
Luckas listened to what Ess had to say in absolute silence, nodding a couple of times, but otherwise quiet; a serious expression on his face as he let the words into his mind. “Hmmm... Suppose it does answer my question... In a way.” He said, scratching at his head. “That or it makes me confused... I think, both. Probably both.” He laughed at his own confusion for a moment before shaking his head and settling into a more serious tone. “I asked Lena once, a long tim- eh, I think five years ago is not that much of a long time, but a while back, when I first read the Myths, if she thought that Mother and Father were more concerned that the Twins would interfere too much with the humans, or that the humans would interfere too much with the Gods... Technically, assuming enlightened were actually originated from the Gods, as they became more human and less powerful there were less incidents with... Going crazy and murdering and stuff... Like the first ones did. Like... That demon thing, if legends are to be believed...” Luckas stopped himself from talking further and chuckled. “Point being, I wonder, when the Twins were forbidden to have children with humans, who that rule was protecting in the first place. Us or them?” He shrugged. “She never answered me though...”
“Hmm....I don’t think that question is easy to answer....it’s like what comes first..the chicken or the egg?” Essence poked Luckas in the shoulder, taking back the bottle. “Obviously, that rule that was created wasn’t honored...I don’t see enlightened getting weaker...I see them getting stronger...just like the Beast that is now buried in that cave west of here. But, it’s not just enlightened that are dangerous....it’s Man in general. There are good people and there are bad people....and perhaps a few hundred shades of grey...” Ess snickered taking another gulp from the bottle. “We all make our own choices for ourselves and perhaps for loved ones and for what we feel is ‘right’...but who can really say any one of us has the right or power to make those choices for everyone....part of free will.” Ess’ eyes flickered, almost in unison to the firelight that reflected and drew shadows upon the tent. Her smiled closed, her mind trailing off as if in a trance. “Do you ever wonder Luckas, where it all comes from? I mean...technically....maybe we should stop drinking the water?” She giggled. “Would make sense, right? Water is in everything...our bodies, the blood...we need it to survive. An essential component...or maybe....” Ess trailed off, thinking her mind was just a bit foggy and never finished her thought, only finished off the bottle and tossed it into the fire. “We’re out...”
Luckas chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, a lot of people see it as a mistake... Enlightenment... Ever wondered what would’ve been different in your life without it? Maybe you’d not have lost your father in the first place...” He sighed and mumbled. “Maybe I wouldn’t have either.” He went silent for a little bit before shrugging it off. “It puzzles me I suppose, even though I know speculating won’t really make any difference.” He yawned into his hand and nodded. “We’re out... Which begs the question: Would I like to see you get any drunker than this?” He asked with a little playful grin.
Ess’ tone went softer, almost cold as she took on a serious expression, turning her gaze from Luckas. She wanted to inquire to what he meant when he stated maybe he wouldn’t have either, but she felt it wasn’t her place. “Whatever that is meant to happen, happens Luckas. We have all lost something or someone, for one reason or another. To simply blame it all on the enlightened or the hate surrounding it, is just an excuse. People will always find a reason to hate...for there to be war...Maybe my father would have lived longer...Maybe I could have had a different life....But who is to say I wouldn’t have one day fallen victim to rape..or worse anyways? I do not blame my enlightenment for what has happened, even if there is a connection. If I hadn’t been enlightened, it honestly wouldn’t make much of a difference to me who I am or how I perceive the world...” Ess took in another deep breath and smiled up into Luckas’ black orbs. “We can’t blame the world for a few men’s actions. I mean...should I kill every man alive because of what happened to me? I think not...” She didn’t smile as her tone softened, warm like a summer breeze, relaxing and gentle. “If I get drunk...I will just end up scaring you off, I fear. Brutal honesty, and holding nothing back...to the point of annoyance.” She bit her lip to keep from giggling.
“Maybe... You have a point Lady... Unfortunately not all agree with it though...” Luckas stated, giving yet another small shrug, closing the journal that still lay on his lap and pushing it back to her with a smile. “I’d say though, it’s not as much blaming the world for a few men’s actions as it’s blaming a few men for the world’s actions...” He concluded, finding that description more fitting to the hypothetical. Again he yawned, laying down and resting his head on his folded arms, chuckling as he closed one eye and glanced at Ess with the other. “Out of all the fears I’ve seen, Lady, that might just be the silliest one... But suit yourself.” He chuckled.
“..Of course not everyone agrees....so there we are..circling the drain...” Watching Luckas yawn apparently became contagious, Ess’ jaw extending wide, eyes rolling up in her head as she sighed a fairly loud yawn in return. She paused to giggle and shrugged. “Perhaps it is the silliest to you...but you seem to close up when I am brutally honest, so I prefer to see you smile and hear you talk....Twins help me...” She played, “What is wrong with me?” Snuggling back down against her pillow, bringing her Jacob Bear close, she smiled at how Tala stayed beside Luckas, the wolf giving a deep sigh before her paws began to twitch in an apparent dream. Ess closed her eyes wondering softly to herself what the wolf saw. “Maybe...another night I’ll get drunk and take advantage of you, sweetness....” Ess trailed off, drifting in and out of a dream, trying to fight the oncoming sleep, her heart beginning to race as she honestly feared falling into another nightmare. Bravely, she reached out for Luckas’ hand and gave it a slight squeeze, as she drifted off.
Luckas snickered under his breath. “You call it ‘closing up’ I call it contemplation, Lady. Brutal honesty takes some getting used to, I’ll have you know. Doesn’t mean it’s not appreciated.” He stated, yawning yet again. “You know, I might just hold you to that, Lady.” He chuckled a bit, ending it in yet another yawn, finally shutting both his eyes and heaving a deep sigh. He absently opened one eye when feeling her hand on his, but closed it again already halfway into sleep and too out of it to move or make much of it.
The setting changes from Raven's Nest to The Ruins (Healer's camp)
The spring that flourished in Valcrest this year had come as one of the most beautiful in recent times and the formerly frozen and grey fields of the plains had come alive with the color and scent of flowers and fresh grass, hummingbirds and butterflies roamed the gardens filling them with even more life. While in previous years those same fields would be filled with the laughter of children and adults alike, this year it was left abandoned. The beauty seeming now as nothing more than a painful reminder of all that was lost, all that was taken. Even for the most faithful amongst the White Shadows; the beauty was painful as though the earth itself was mocking them for their efforts. The only one still seen in the gardens from time to time, tending to the flowers and sitting amongst the butterflies and birds, was Annie. The girl was the only one seemingly still capable of caring for the plants and for the animals and for all other things that were supposedly smaller and less significant than the loss of human life. In those silent and insignificant gestures she had managed to somehow keep the healers working steadily and relentlessly for what seemed to most like a clearly lost cause.
In the six months that had come and gone the mysterious illness had spread and evolved from afflicting a few people here and there to decimating hundreds, taking more and more victims each passing week; less on its own than through the chaos it had created in its wake, and for the healers all that was left was dealing with the increasing numbers of victims, knowing there was little they could do, knowing that they were far away from any answers whatsoever, and unable to stop and feel for the loss of their own. In the first months of the outbreak there were fights and riots in the desert with the number of enlightened rushing to flee the land, but soon enough word reached every corner of Valcrest that leaving was pointless. It only sent the general public into a deeper sense of despair. Soon after came the voices shouting in the streets that the Gods were angry, that the world was ending, that humanity was being punished for its shortcomings. With nowhere left to run to the people turned on one another, on themselves... Riots had awoken in the cities, blaming their Kings and Queens for the supposed wrath of the Twins. The world might not have been ending, but society was taking its dying breaths in the land of Valcrest; that much was clear.
Annie wouldn’t lie and say that she wasn’t tired, that she didn’t feel helpless, that she wasn’t angry; and that was exactly why she hadn’t done what her mother would do in a moment like this, which was to speak. She hadn’t gathered the healers and addressed the dire situation they were in. She had no words to give them; she wasn’t that kind of leader and she wouldn’t pretend to be. All she could do was show that even if everything else was showing signs of crumbling down around her she wouldn’t allow fear into her heart, and hope that it would be enough to keep the faith of her people from fading completely.
The White Shadows’ encampment had miraculously remained a safe place, despite the tension and violence that had spread across Valcrest, but to keep it safe had become a chore in times when any little thing could escalate into tragedy.
“Are you listening? I said put your hands on him.”
“It won’t work. I’m sorry.” Annie replied calmly to the man that stood behind her as if she hadn’t noticed he was pressing a knife to her throat.
“You’re lying! You can fix him! Do it! I swear, I’ll slit your throat right here!”
Annie had closed her eyes, for just a moment, as if the act somehow helped her see more clearly. She could hear the voices of the healers around, someone had shouted for Alistair, but she knew he was far away on the other side of the camp. She wasn’t afraid. She opened her eyes and sighed, dark brown orbs fixating on the young boy laying ill on the cot right before her, he looked frightened at what he was seeing and she smiled at him in an attempt to soothe him. “Sir... My enlightenment doesn’t work that way. I know this isn’t what you need to hear, but I can’t fix this. I can’t save him. I wish I could, but I can’t. Now, please, put down the blade. You don’t want your son to watch you become a murderer.”
The man flinched, his grip gradually loosening around the surgical knife he had been holding until it finally dropped to the ground at her feet. The man turning to the sick child and falling to his knees beside his cot in defeat. It was in that moment that Alistair arrived, pulled the man to his feet, and punched him hard across the face. “I want you out of this camp in twenty minutes, or I swear to all the Gods, I will kill you!” He muttered at the man.
“Alistair... Leave him alone!” Annie protested, grabbing Alistair by the arm and pulling him away from the man and his son. “What the hell is wrong with you!?”
“He threatened your life, that’s what’s wrong with me! Do you not understand what has been happening to the world lately, Annie? Do you understand!?”
“Al... I’m fine. No one hurt me. Why do you want to punish this man? Look at him. He’s just... Desperate and angry... I know you can’t feel their pain anymore, but... Just... Look at them. That man is going to lose his son, and there’s nothing he can do. He can’t be rational right now, he can barely hold together enough to be strong for the kid... We’re the ones who need to stay calm and be strong and act within reason... Because they can’t and we shouldn’t demand it of them. Not now.”
Alistair sighed in defeat, pulling the girl into a hug. “You are too kind for your own sake, kid. I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.” He muttered.
Annie wrapped her arms tight around her friend, falling into a silent moment of appreciation. “I know you wouldn’t.” She mumbled simply, not knowing what else to say to her friend when she couldn’t bring herself to promise she would be alright.
“Everything’s going to be fine.” Alistair stated simply as he released her, noticing her hesitation. “I think it’s about time you go get some sleep... I’ll keep an eye on things and I promise not to punch anyone else.”
“Hmm... I don’t know... Do you really promise, now?” Annie chuckled. “I’m not tired, Al... Not yet. It’s fine, I’m fine.”
“You look tired, Annie.” Alistair insisted, frowning at the girl in a half severe expression.
“Everyone is tired.” She retorted, rolling her eyes at him. “Really, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, okay?”
“I’ll try.” Alistair said, sighing at the girl’s stubbornness. “Just call if you need me, alright?”
“I will.” Annie mumbled, calmly waiting for her friend to walk away, her eyes staring past him to the man still kneeling beside his son. Annie didn’t know what to say to the man. Even if she thought there was a chance to save the boy, she wouldn’t dare say so. More and more hope was proving itself a curse rather than a blessing. Heaving a weary sigh Annie turned away, forcing herself to carry on with her errands for the day.
---------------------------------------
[The Manor]
It was a few hours before sunrise as Luckas got out of bed; all he wanted was to go back to sleep, but he knew that if he was a split second late Adam would make him pay for it on their next session so he forced himself to move out of bed. Looking around the room, his eyes spotted a chair out of place; moved from its original spot to the side of the window, and he knew Sam had been there at some point during the night. One eye still half closed, Luckas stripped off his shirt and started to rummage around the room in search for a clean one when he heard a familiar snicker. “My, oh my... Such a nice sight to start my day with, hmmm... What is THAT, Lukey?”
“Amber... How did you... When did you get in here!?” Luckas asked, turning around to spot a pretty-looking brunette sitting on his bed.
“Sweetie, you should really check under your bed more often. Who knows what monsters may be crawling under there, hm? You didn’t answer me though...” She smiled, hopping off the bed and pointing at the tattoo in Luckas’ forearm. “What... Is... That? Oh, my... Twins... How permanent is that little doodle?”
“First of all; that’s insane and creepy, and I better not find you under my bed, ever. Second of all: It’s a tattoo, not a ‘doodle’, and it’s very much permanent.”
Amber frowned slightly as she walked over and grabbed Luke’s arm to inspect the image traced upon his skin a bit more thoroughly. “She signed it! You let her sign it? Are you mad? Sammy is going to go crazy when she sees this.”
“Well, I... Asked her to sign it, but... What, why would she?”
“You ASKED to have this woman’s name permanently branded onto your skin, Luckas... Do you seriously not see the issue here? I honestly don’t understand what they see in you...” Amber muttered, shaking her head in amusement and disbelief.
“I don’t see how it’s any of Sam’s business what is drawn on my body, so no; I don’t see an iss-... Wait, what do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean by what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Amber snickered. “Uhm, Adam said I could watch your session today, that’s why I came... To see if you were awake and all... It’s going to be a fun one! I’ll wait downstairs!” Amber retorted, quickly making her way out the door before Luckas could ask anything more.
“What... Just happened?” Luckas mumbled, a bit confused, staring at the closed door for a few seconds still after Amber left the room. He honestly hadn’t really thought of Sam’s reaction at all... He didn’t even think of whether she had or not noticed; he didn’t think so, but then he could never really be sure of that. Great, that was just great... The last thing he needed before seeing Adam was another concern.
Luckas was just about to leave the room himself when the sound of something soft thumping against the stone floor of the room caught his attention, making him turn around and actually pay attention to his surroundings, his expression changing to childish amusement at the sight of a furry tail sticking out from the space under his bed. Crouching down, Luckas slowly paced around the bed, careful not to make any sounds, but of course when he looked under the bed there was nothing. “Alright.... Where are you?” Luckas snickered, standing up straight but seeing nothing different in the room. “Stalker...?” Luckas snorted as there was no sign of life in the room besides his own. “You should have a minion, she said... It’ll be good for you, she said...” He mumbled impatiently to himself.
[Raven’s Nest - About 4 months ago]
“Stop following me.” Luckas muttered, turning to face the pup, raising a brow as the young wolf simply sat and stared up at him. “Good... Stay. Staaay...” He commanded, beginning to pace backwards away from the puppy, frowning in annoyance as the animal promptly stood and began to trot after him. “No, no, no...” Luke muttered, stopping again and watching the puppy sit and stare again. Sighing he paced towards the wolf and nudged him with his foot. “Piss off now, go on.” He mumbled. “Go find a rabbit to chase.” The wolf snorted a bit at being nudged and immediately pounced on Luke’s boot, chewing on the leather and growling playfully. “No, no... Stop it... Bad wolf...” Luckas muttered, trying to shake the pup away from his foot but only managing to lose his shoe. “You’ve got to be kidding... Fine...” He sighed, removing his other boot and dropping it in front of the wolf as he turned to walk away barefoot, growling as he realized the pup had left the shoes to continue stalking him.
“What....” Ess began with a perplexed sigh. She was used to Luke rising earlier than her most days, but that wasn’t the problem. The issue was Tala nudging Ess relentlessly to wake up and sunlight was only just beginning to touch the horizon. “Ugh...Tala...what...why...ah! Cold nose!” Ess rolled over, pulling her shirt down, and wiping a bit of drool off her back. “Gross Tala....really?” Sitting up, Ess counted several pairs of eyes staring her down patiently. “One...two....three...four...five....we are missing the black one.” Releasing a groan of frustration, Ess crawled out of the tent and slipped on her boots, rubbing at her eyes. “Ok Tala, this is like the third time this week your little guy has gone running off. Last time he was in the bloody river. Why are you staring at me? You’re the one with the nose.” Shaking her head she began walking away from the group, holding up a hand to still Tala, her pups staying beside her automatically. Where Tala went they usually went, so it was a bit odd this little guy kept running off. So Ess began her run, keeping to the routine while searching for the little stray. When she had completed a lap and was coming back into camp she noticed tiny tracks and bent down to inspect them, a smile appearing on her lips. “Ah ha....gotcha now” She muttered, following the tracks. Ess heard a voice before she even saw the pup, instantly recognizing it as Luckas and that he was headed in her direction. She paused, leaning against a tree so that Luke would pass right by her, her form mostly blocked by the array of branches that draped almost to the ground. Her smile widened as she crossed her arms and waited, holding back a laugh at the words, ‘Bad Wolf’ and Luke appearing in view with no shoes. Remaining silent she waited until she was noticed.
Luckas was focused on getting rid of his pursuer, an annoyed frown crossing his features as he rushed his footsteps; the pup persistently chasing after him. After a few more moments of trying to escape the wolf, Luckas stopped and turned. “Piss off... Go... Stop following me! What the hell is your problem!?” He exclaimed, raising his voice and lunging forward in the pup’s direction. The puppy didn’t as much as blink at his movement, sitting and staring up at him as if curiously questioning his sanity. “Don’t look at me like that, I know how stupid it looks.” Luke muttered, running both hands back and forth through his hair in frustration. “Annoying fleabag.” He whispered, walking back through where he came to retrieve his boots, keeping his head down as he walked as if it somehow made him less noticeable to his furry stalker, and muttering curses under his breath.
Essence was surprised Luckas didn’t see her as he walked past, but he was looking at the ground she noticed which at that point she couldn’t contain her laughter, letting it echo towards him. Quirking a brow she remained still as she spoke. “Looks like you have an admirer. How does it feel?” Ess snickered. “And he doesn’t understand why you won’t play with him..” Ess glanced down at the pup who had continued to stumble after Luckas, her voice softening as if she were speaking to a child. “Isn’t that right my little minion....yes, good boy.”
Luckas startled slightly and stopped walking as he heard Ess’ voice, looking around a bit disoriented until he spotted her he frowned. “Very funny, Lady.” He snorted, shooting the wolf a glance and then looking back to her. “I only know one way to play... And that is reserved for ‘deserving’ humans, not animals.” He continued walking until he found where he had left his boots and picked them up, sitting on a nearby rock to put them on, an annoyed look on his face as the puppy followed and sat next to the rock, fixing his dark eyes on him like a little fluffy statue. “Can you make him leave me alone?” Luckas sighed, putting on his boots, noticing the several teeth marks on the right one and examining them.
Pushing off from the tree, she weaved out from behind the branches to stand behind Luckas and the pup. “I’m surprised, Sweetness you didn’t notice me. Think you need to step up on your game, hmm? Growing too comfortable maybe?” She teased. “Oh, you do so know how to play. You and I have been training, and you can do the same with the pup. In fact, that is another reason I was out looking for him.” Turning her attention back to the pup, Ess spoke gently. “Isn’t that right boy?” Clearing her throat she noticed Luke’s boot and laughed. “Luckas, don’t be giving the pup boots to chew on. He is teething but I don’t need him destroying everything I own. It’s called a bone or some leather hide to chew on.” Ess played knowingly. “And no, I can’t make him do anything. Besides, what’s the big deal? He likes you. What’s wrong with that? You don’t mind Tala.”
“Well, I was, as you know, rather distracted.” Luckas muttered, rubbing the bite marks on his boot and shaking his head as he noticed one of the bites had punctured a hole through the sole. “And maybe I don’t want it to like me... Or my only pair of boots, for that matter.” Wincing slightly as if trying to make himself look smaller Luke turned trying to ignore the wolf, but failing to do so as the pup simply moved to sit on the other side of him. “Tala doesn’t stare at me... It’s creepy.” He mumbled.
“Uh-huh...” Ess mumbled shaking her head. Stepping so that she was standing in front of Luckas as he moved, she kneeled down in front of him and widened her eyes playfully and stared up at Luckas in silence. After a moment she snickered. “You didn’t answer my question really...Tala...she did stare at you actually and growled at you and bit you, I seem to recall. But this little fluff ball is ‘Creepy’? Really? That’s rich.” She joked, reaching over to pick up the pup with a grunt, noting how much heavier he seemed in a week. Ess made a face at the pup and kissed him on the head before giving a loving squeeze. “He’s cute and sweet....Here...” She stated in a serious tone, pushing the pup onto his lap. “Try petting him. Maybe this will be good for you. You should give him a chance. And don’t you dare drop him.” She commanded. “You will have an angry mother after you if you do...” Ess winked playfully before standing once again. “If you want him to have better manners, then teach him. Make him ‘Your’ minion. He could be like you. Maybe you should keep him.” Nodding to herself she smiled. “I mean I’ll help but I really think he’d be good for you. You know, like a companion of sorts. A bond with a wolf....there’s really nothing like it, Luckas.”
“He’s too... cute...It’s annoying.” Luckas muttered almost inaudibly; shaking his head and sighing as he rose his voice. “It’s different... Tala was protecting you... He looks at me like he’s expecting something. It’s unnerving.” He mumbled, wincing slightly as she pushed the little fluff ball onto his lap without as much as giving him a chance to protest. “What do you mean ‘good for me’?” he asked, eyeing the pup with a comically suspicious look in his eyes as if he expected it to explode or something. The pup simply stared at him curiously motionless until Luke made a rather hesitant move to give it a little awkward pat on the head. “There, there.” He snorted; the puppy curiously starting to sniff his hand and his clothes as if the simple gesture was viewed as clear permission to explore. “Hmm... I don’t know... Keep... Him...? Luckas mumbled, leaning forward as if to get a closer look, the little wolf mimicking his gesture and inching closer to his face, sniffing him some more before cheerfully licking him on the nose. “Iiww... Puppy breath...” Luckas complained, turning his head and snorting, amusement breaking through his annoyance when the pup mimicked his gesture by turning his head and emitting a little huff. “I’m not sure if he could be like me... He’s a lousy stalker for starters... Persistent, but lousy... And I don’t know much about wolves you know... Except that they have very sharp teeth.” He mused, watching as the pup curled up in his lap, eyes still persistently fixed on him. “...Maybe...” He mumbled. “...Could be fun to have a minion.”
Ess’ jaw dropped in an overly fake exasperated expression, “Huh...well I keep you around even when you’re annoying..” She smiled turning to walk away. “Good for you...I can’t explain it because you probably won’t understand until you experience it. That’s all I can say and I think you should...you know...experience it. You will not find anyone or anything as loyal as a wolf, I can promise you that. They tend to have a way of choosing us, in a way so it would be more of him keeping you. You just need to be patient and be consistent with training for him to understand and I’m sure he could be a great little shadow. We know you weren’t born a natural fighter which is why it takes time.” Ess bit her lip to hold back her amusement. “Besides, he won’t be little for too long. Again, I’ll help you. I mean, what are friends for?” Glancing over her shoulder she winked. “And..you have to give him a name too you know. Can’t just call him wolf or whatever. Think about his personality or something and go with it.”
“You keep me around just to break chairs on my head, Lady.” Luckas snickered softly. “I don’t think that example applies to this situation.” He played, picking the puppy and landing him gently on the floor before standing up. “Stay.” He commanded firmly, starting to slowly pace away from the wolf. The pup simply stared at him a moment before responding with a faint bark and starting to follow. Luckas stopped and waited for the puppy to sit before repeating the command. “Staaay.” Again he paced away from the pup and he immediately stood and started to follow. Luckas sighed. “Maybe we should start with something simpler, huh?” He mumbled, looking down at the puppy and tilting his head curiously; his gesture mirrored by the young wolf. “Now you’re just messing with me, aren’t you?” He snickered, shaking his head. “Great, now I’m talking to it too... Lovely.” He snorted, looking back to Ess with an amused expression. “I can’t call him ‘wolf’? Really? The pup of a hound named Puppy and... What does ‘Tala’ mean again?” He asked, with a chuckle. “Fine though... Hmmm... How about Bob? No... Too common... People names for animals are weird too... Eh... Hmmm....” Luckas scratched his head, looking down at the pup with an intrigued expression. “How about Stalker? That’s more than fitting to his personality.”
Ess’ lips parted to crack another joke, her expression falling somber a moment as she actually took a moment to think about why she did actually keep Luckas around. Pausing in stride she turned around, moving her focus towards Luckas attempting to train the pup. “He doesn’t know what that means, silly. You have to show him and then put the command to the gesture. Like so.” Ess approached the pup and lightly pressed against his hind quarters until he sat, standing back up she raised her hand and stated. “SIT.” Taking a few steps back her hand remained palm facing the pup and she paused again. “STAY.” Ess commanded, an amused smirk crossing her lips as the pup twitched and finally couldn’t hold it any longer and came bounding after them. “Good boy!” She stated, kneeling down to pet the pup. “Now it just takes repetition. He’ll learn. He’s smart like his Momma, huh?” She whispered, ruffling up his fur. “And your Momma’s name is taken already so no, no more wolves. Tala is short for Talena...Tala yes is wolf or wolf princess but Talena means ‘Temptress or hardworking’....ironic enough.” Ess chuckled standing back on her feet quirking a brow at Luckas. “Stalker? Really?” Her expression was vacant as she stood and thought on it for a moment before snickering. “Why not, I shouldn’t be surprised though. What you think little guy, hmm?” Ess nodded as the pup sneezed and wandered after Luckas, muttering under her breath in a playful mockery. “Bob....ha...”
“Hmmm....” Luckas mumbled, watching Ess interact with the pup, noting that he almost stayed put, but not quite. “Stalker is quite fitting, for sure.” He muttered under his breath trying not to show his amusement, but not doing a great job of it. “You think I can teach him to pee on Jake? That’d be hilarious.” Luckas snickered, a goofy expression momentarily crossing his features before he gave a little shrug. “Well, I was trying to get him to let go of me because I was wandering off into the woods and I wasn’t sure if it’d be alright to let him follow me... Last thing I’d want is an angry Tala thinking I’m stealing her kids or something.” He said, squatting down and looking back at the pup as if trying to make a game out of his staring, as if to determine who would dare look away first. “Wolf... Princess... Explains the attitude.” Luke chuckled. “Or maybe that comes from hanging around with you, Lady... Hm?” He mused, tilting his head to the side playfully. “I wonder, how do you know the meaning of those names? Are there books for that? Quite curious...” Luckas mentioned, going a bit cross eyed and shaking his head with a chuckle. “Fine, you win.” He stated, reaching out to discretely scratch the pup behind the ears before standing up. “Do the little guys hunt yet? I was going to try and catch a rabbit or two... Even though I don’t quite have a weapon on me... I just realized...” He shrugged.
Ess’ eyes narrowed as if she were annoyed, yet they twinkled in a subtle amusement at Luke’s question if he could teach Stalker to pee on her brother. “Ah, I’m not involved in that...nope...not a word...just better not ruin my pictures....” She glared playfully at the pup and shrugged. “They’ve been eating what Tala brings back from hunting. The instincts are there; which was why I was planning on bringing them all out and give Tala a chance to train them in the field. I’ll just tell her you have him.” Ess laughed not very sure how well that’d work but soon enough those pups were going to be on their own and if they decided to stick around as a pack or what she was curious to see. She was only use to one wolf for so long and the past couple months had been quite the ‘experience.’ It was a wonder how those little fluffballs would turn out. “Princess....attitude? Wait who....what you trying to say there, Luckas?” Ess laughed, thinking on his question to how she knew meanings to names, trying to not pay attention to the cute staring contest Luke and Stalker were having. “Well, I did become obsessed with the name for a while...my name is out there in books because it’s not a name really but just a word of speech. I bet there are books though, but a lot of it comes from stories...songs..” A curious smile curled her lips, her voice rising in pitch to take on an innocent but still playful tone. “Do you know what your name means Luckas? I believe it’s probably derived from other words. You know, more than one word meaning the same thing.”
“Hm... I’d say is more like he has me, not that I have him.” Luckas stated, playfully rolling his eyes. “And that’s silly Lady... How can you say your name is not really a name when it’s clearly your name? If a word is used to name someone, or something, it becomes a name... Like, Stalker is a name now too... So it’s not just a word anymore... You see?” Stopping to think for a moment or two Luckas shrugged, deciding to set aside the fact that Sam had actually picked this name for him; that was something he hadn’t thought about in a very long time. “I don’t know about my name. Never thought about it like that really.” He snorted trying to conceal the fact he was slightly bothered, not by the question, but by the sudden thoughts it had brought up. “Well, I like hunting with a crossbow, but since I don’t have one here and I’m sure Beast Boy won’t lend me his... I’m gonna have to... improvise and see if I catch something anyway.” He smirked, gladly changing the subject. “Should be a fun bonding experience, no?” He asked her, turning to Stalker. “What do you think? Should we go get ourselves some tasty rabbit meat?” The wolf sat staring up a Luckas and idly scratched at his ear with his paw before responding with a little yip. “Yep, he’s going to be a killing machine this one.”
Luckas frowned slightly; there was no denying that Stalker had learned to do his own name justice. “Stalker! Where are you hid-.... Aaah... You little bastard...” Luckas jumped as he felt a cold wet nose poke his lower back; reminding him that he hadn’t yet put on a shirt. Luke spun around to face the large black wolf that had immediately sat down to stare at him with his most adorable innocent-puppy face. “You bad, bad, wolf... Bad puppy, Stalker... What did I tell you about sneaking in here like this!?” Luckas scolded frowning at the wolf for a moment, but sighing in defeat as Stalker responded with an apologetic whine; giving the wolf a few affectionate pats and scritches before resuming his task of finding a shirt. “Come on now, champ... We’ve been over this. It’s only been a couple of weeks since I left the Nest, I shouldn’t go back so soon... You’re not making this any easier on me.”
Stalker barked excitedly while Luckas spoke, immediately going around the room sniffing everything, stopping momentarily to growl at the chair by the window, he then hopped right over the bed to reach Luckas, playfully trying to snatch the shirt off his hands.
“No, no, no... Bud, I can’t play with you right now. Stalker... Knock it off.... Stalker....” Luckas groaned getting the wolf to release the shirt before it ripped and putting it on with a frown. The wolf going around him and trying to push him out the door, letting out barks and short howls that grew louder and louder by the second. “Stalker, I can’t go with you right now... Stop pushing me... Stop it... Stalker... Hey... Hey... HEY! SHUT UP!”
Stalker stopped pushing Luckas his howling fading into a whine as he layed on the ground with his tail between his legs. Luckas groaned, sitting on the floor beside the wolf. “Alright, I’m sorry, champ.” Luke mumbled, snorting in a mix of amusement and annoyance as the wolf crawled closer to rest its head on his lap. He was sure the pup had actually gotten bigger since he had left him at the Raven’s encampment and Luckas found himself constantly having to remind himself that it hadn’t been that long since he was just an annoying little fluffball Luke could pick up and carry around. Now he was a giant man-eating fluffball that could wrestle Luke to the ground without much effort, but still very much a puppy; at least as far as Luckas was concerned. “I can’t go out right now. It’s not safe.” He told the wolf, patting him firmly on his side so that he get off his legs and let him stand. “I can do it after training though so... Go wait for me on the trail.” He told Stalker, peeking outside his door to an empty hallway before opening it to let the wolf out. Stalker immediately rushing past him and disappearing down the hall.
- A few minutes later -
As Luckas reached the training field Adam was standing there waiting for him as usual, Amber standing beside him; Luckas could see they had been talking but stopped as he approached. On the ground at Adam’s feet there were two wooden chests with iron handles on the sides. He calmly picked on up and started to make his way towards the woods. Amber calmly reached for one handle of the remaining chest and waited for Luckas to pick it up from the other side. Luckas lifted the chest with Amber’s help, and it was heavy. “What is this?”
“No spoilers, Lukey. Trust me though... You’ll like it... Agility training.... Always fun.” The girl replied with an amused chuckle. Luckas was anything but amused, he didn’t like how excited Amber was with whatever Adam was planning and he sure as hell wasn’t going to trust her.
As Adam seemed satisfied that they had wandered far enough into the woods he dropped the heavy chest he was carrying, Amber and Luckas dropping the second chest right beside the first one. Adam opened the lid of one chest only slightly so he could peek at its contents and then he did the same for the other as if trying to make a decision. After a bit of thinking Adam opened one chest fully and Luckas could see that it contained long and sturdy metal chains, at each end of the chains there were heavy metal spheres about the size of coconuts. “Run.” Adam stated simply.
Luckas flinched, slightly confused by the situation. Adam was never one to elaborate much on his instructions, and by now Luckas had learned the hard way that it was best to follow them immediately instead of wasting time trying to make sense of them, but he was just too curious at this point to just run off without knowing what Adam intended to do with the chains. Adam, realizing this, nodded as if agreeing to give a demonstration. The man closed his eyes for a moment, breathing slowly for a few seconds before opening them; a ring of silver light surrounding the icy blue of his irises and spreading slowly in a pattern similar to cracks spreading through a frozen lake. As Adam’s eyes changed, the chains began to stir and slither within the confines of the wooden box, making soft rattling sounds as they moved.
Then, without warning, one of the chains shot up into the air at an incredibly high speed, shooting right past Luckas’ face. Luke turned around just in time to see the sphere at the end of the chain collide with the trunk of a tree, a fairly sturdy tree, and smash a hole right through it; bits of wood flying in every direction as it passed. Luckas turned to face Adam and the man had very discrete smirk playing on his lips as he repeated the instruction. “Run.”
“You have got to be kidding me!” Luckas exclaimed, a very uncharacteristic tone of panic in his voice as he turned and started to run as fast as he possibly could into the cover of the trees, the sound of the rattling chains following him closely. Luckas knew that there was no way to outrun the pursuing metal, but that thought became so much more real as he was forced to dive out of the way of a heavy iron sphere; the force with which the object hit the ground rose a curtain of dirt and formed a round crater in its surface. Luckas actually felt the earth tremble under the palms of his hands as he crawled away trying to get back on his feet. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, his breaths becoming heavier and heavier in his chest forcing him to push them out. It was a rare thing for Luckas to actually feel the tension of a situation this way, if it was Adam’s intention or not to push a healthy sense of dread into him; it was working like a charm. “Agility training my ass!” He muttered out under his breath, finding a place to hide in a hollowed out trunk, his ears following the sounds of the chains coming closer and closer. Luckas was a good enough hunter to be able to tell how far and from which directions sounds were coming from, he knew better than almost anyone how to be silent, how to stay hidden, but he wasn’t really used to being the hunted one. His cover wasn’t safe for too long, only maybe a minute, before the rattling sounds became faster and louder as something that was undoubtedly moving closer at great speed. Luckas only had a split second to move before the trunk was smashed to bits. This wasn’t going well. Not at all.
Raven’s Camp - About 2 months ago
Luckas smirked slightly, looking down from the tree branch he was perched on as he watched a black ball of fur frantically search the bushes, following his scent. It took a bit of work for Stalker to finally get the hang of playing hide and seek, but the puppy was getting better and better at it the more they practiced. Luke readied himself as Stalker started to sniff his way under the tree he was hiding in, circling it a few times before emitting a long howl to indicate he had found his prey. Luckas sneaked his way along the branch carefully as not to put too much strain on the wood and passed on to the adjacent tree, slowly and quietly making his way down to ground level, one eye minding the pup’s movements as he was still focused on the tree for the moment as he started to pace away. Luckas didn’t make it very far, only about five or six steps away before Stalker suddenly stilled, ears perking up as he caught the sound of Luke’s boot crushing a patch of grass. “Fuck.” Luckas whispered under his breath, not minding with stealth any longer and bolting his way amongst the trees, watching with the corner of his eyes as the wolf disappeared in the bushes instead or running straight after him. Stalker had vanished within only a few seconds and Luckas had completely lost track of him.
Luke kept running, his eyes scanning his surroundings until he found a good climbable tree and made a turn for it, sprinting towards one of the lowest branches and leaping to grab hold of it and pull himself up. It would have worked perfect if Stalker hadn’t jumped out of nowhere and latched onto his ankle, weighing him down. “Shit, shit, shit...” Luckas muttered, failing to free his ankle and feeling his hold on the tree branch slip further and further until he was forced to let go, dropping down onto the ground with an audible ‘thud’. Stalker barked cheerfully pouncing on Luckas and laying across his chest. Luke groaned, slamming his palm against the earth a couple of times. “Alright, alright, I yield!” He muttered. “At least you didn’t try to sit on my head this time.” He chuckled patting the wolf gently before pushing him aside so that he could sit up. “So, what’s the score then, champ? Fifteen to none?” He asked, snickering as Stalker circled around sniffing him excitedly, a cold wet nose poking around the back of his neck and causing an involuntary shiver down his spine. “Alright, alright, champ, settle down... Stalker, Stalker, sit.” He commanded, immediately scratching the wolf behind the ears as he obeyed. “Well done, bud... You really got me there, didn’t you? Yes you did, you bad, bad, wolf. You’re a bad wolf, yes you are... A big bad wolf...” Luckas sighed softly going into silence as he ruffled Stalker’s fur; the wolf sitting absolutely motionless aside from a happy tail lifting up a small cloud of dirt as it swept across the ground.
“You still need to learn to stay though, don’t you, champ? I can’t have you following me out of here, we’ll both be in a lot of trouble if you do that.” Luckas whispered to the wolf as if telling him a secret. “We can’t have none of that. I go to Blackpond, you stay here with the rest of the pack.”
Stalker seemed to strongly disagree with Luke’s words as he emitted growls, barks and short howls in protest, sounding pretty much as though he was scolding his friend.
“Hey, hey... Don’t you take that tone with me, mister... I go, you stay. I goooo.... You staaaay..” Luckas stated playfully, poking the wolf on his snout with his index finger. Stalker huffed, uttering yet a few annoyed barks and howls, pushing Luke’s hand away with his paw and laying down, looking up at Luckas with his most adorable and innocent expression. Luke shook his head, an amused snicker escaping him as he stared at the wolf. “Yes, you’re adorable, champ, but you still can’t go with me. Sorry.” He said, patting the wolf and chuckling as Stalker rolled on his side demanding belly rubs. “Besides, someone needs to keep that Beast Boy in line when I’m away... We don’t want that guy getting too comfortable, do we, champ? No we don’t... It’s my territory... MINE... And he better not forget it.” Luckas couldn’t help a spiteful tone from crossing his voice at the thought of Aiden, but he pushed it aside, calmly rubbing the wolf’s side for a few long moments before giving him one final pat and jumping to his feet. “Come on, we’re not done for the day yet, you lazy bum. I seriously need to stop spoiling you.”
Luckas had been running for a long while at random, being chased from hiding spots, knocked down from tree branches, more than once had the chains caught his ankles and dragged him across the ground, before releasing him and disappearing within the forest. The sun had risen and was high up in the sky by the time Luke started to consider admitting to the fact that he was getting tired and he was nowhere near figuring out how to end that little game Adam had started, when he finally understood what he was doing wrong when he remembered his training sessions with Stalker. The wolf could catch his scent, the wolf could hear him... Luckas had never managed to hide from him for long because of that, but this was metal... Metal could chase him down, and it could hurt him, but it couldn’t find him. He had been so stupid to run and hide from it as though it was a living creature, like his wolf. Adam had been finding him easily, because Luckas hadn’t been hiding from him; he had been so distracted with the metal chains that he barely realized that for the chains to hurt him, Adam had to find him first. Once he realized that, the game became a lot easier; not easy, but easier. It was with some effort that Luckas managed to hide from Adam, quietly waiting for an opportunity to sneak up on the man. The opportunity to strike arose as Adam passed Luckas’ hiding spot, seeming completely unaware of his presence. Luckas took the opportunity by pouncing at the man armed with a sharp rock. The unexpected attack was successful in knocking Adam off his feet and for a moment Luckas had the man on the ground with a sharp rock pressed to his jugular, but only for a moment. Soon enough Luckas felt the metal chains wrapping around his neck and pulling him away from Adam, choking him slightly but releasing him as soon as Adam was free to stand up straight. “Good.” The man mumbled simply in what Luckas assumed was praise; he was honestly too annoyed to care.
“Good! Are we done?” Luckas muttered out as he regained his breath.
“No.” Adam replied.
Luckas pushed himself to stand and glared right at Adam. “No?”
Adam shook his head and pointed to where Amber was still standing by the remaining wooden chest. The girl waved cheerfully at Luckas as she opened the lid of the chest and more chains started to slither their way out of the wooden container. As they came closer Luckas noticed that, instead of iron spheres, the ends of these chains contained spear-shaped blades. “Oh... You... unbelievable... ASSHOLE!” Luckas shouted at Adam, as he immediately began to flee into the trees once again.
- about an hour or so later -
When Luckas reached his room again after training he had several cuts and bruises on his legs arms and torso, as well as one long cut on his left cheek where he had barely avoided the sharp end of Adam’s chains; it slicing right past his head. Luckas groaned, removing his blood-stained shirt and tossing it to the floor as it was nearly shredded to bits and therefore useless.
“Adam really did a number on you, hm, Lukey?” Sam’s voice sounded behind him in a curious and nearly amused tone.
“He did.” Luckas agreed a bit coldly, as he rummaged through his things for a clean shirt.
“You should have that cut on your face taken care of before it scars.” She advised.
Luckas stopped what he was doing to glance at Sam over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of her sitting on the chair by the window. She didn’t look upset, but Luckas had a very strong feeling that Amber had been speaking to her about some things. “What’s one more scar?” He mumbled simply. “I rather like the idea, to be honest.”
Sam didn’t answer him, which in itself was something; she always had something to say, instead she stood from her seat and paced her way to where Luckas was standing with his back stubbornly turned to her still. “If something cuts you deep enough that you want to remember it, Lukey; then you let it scar.” She mumbled, calmly tracing her fingers along the brand on his left shoulder.
Luckas winced at the touch as if the mark still burned him somehow, turning abruptly to face Sam with an angry spark in his eyes. “Don’t touch me.” He muttered at her. “Just don’t. I never said it was okay.”
“You never said it wasn’t.” Sam replied calmly, a look of genuine shock and confusion crossing her green eyes. “At least have those cuts cleaned, if you won’t get them healed.” She insisted, slowly reaching towards the cut on his cheek.
Luckas snorted in response to Sam’s statement, grabbing her arm as she reached for his face, feeling his grip a bit more forceful and a bit more angry than he intended. His eyes locked on hers for a moment and followed her gaze to the tattoo on his forearm. He watched her eyes change, gradually, as if browsing through an array of emotions and trying to settle for one; yellow streaks of light exploding and fading along the irises like bolts of lightning. After what felt like a really long moment had passed, Sam pulled her arm from Luke’s grip. “Fine.” She muttered at him, turning away and returning to the window, not sitting at the chair but leaning against the sill.
“What is it?” Luckas asked with a sigh.
“Nothing.” Sam replied, not turning to look at him.
“Say it, Sammy... I know you want to say something... Go on.” Luckas insisted, impatiently.
“What else is there to say, really? You don’t listen to me... So fine.”
“Fine... FINE... I’m really, really, starting to hate that bloody word!” Luckas muttered. “Come on, tell me how badly this will end for me... You know you want to...”
“Is this a fucking a joke, to you, Luckas!?” Sam cut him off, still not looking at him. “Is it!? You should hate that word, that word is the sound of me giving up on your shit. Let’s just see you pull the same amount of crap you’ve been pulling the past few months once that happens.”
“Are you threatening me, Mistress?” Luckas questioned. “You know, if you want to, if you think it’s best, then order me around like you do the rest of your minions... Play me like the little pawn we both know you think I am... Do that! I’ll play along. I can be a good pet if that’s what you want from me, but don’t say you give a shit, and don’t say I have a choice if you don’t really want to give me one. Make up your fucking mind, Sammy; do you or don’t you want to own me? Huh? Tell me!”
“I do give a shit Luckas. I kind of wish I didn’t at this point, but... FINE. You know what I think already.” Sam started calmly, turning to face Luckas with an undeniably resentful look in her eyes. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I understand. I do. I understand why you like it there so much... She helps you with your abandonment issues, you help her with her little revenge fantasies and you both have a part to play in each other’s sickness. It works. I see that, but you know... There’s only one way that this can end, because it’s my job to see to it and so help me; I will... So this is me giving a shit the only way I can, because I can’t change what’s already happening and you are in denial. So there, Luckas... Enjoy your freedom.” Sam spat the last words as she passed him by, stopping to firmly slap him on his injured cheek. “And get that healed before you run home to your whore; that’s an order, pet.”
In the six months that had come and gone the mysterious illness had spread and evolved from afflicting a few people here and there to decimating hundreds, taking more and more victims each passing week; less on its own than through the chaos it had created in its wake, and for the healers all that was left was dealing with the increasing numbers of victims, knowing there was little they could do, knowing that they were far away from any answers whatsoever, and unable to stop and feel for the loss of their own. In the first months of the outbreak there were fights and riots in the desert with the number of enlightened rushing to flee the land, but soon enough word reached every corner of Valcrest that leaving was pointless. It only sent the general public into a deeper sense of despair. Soon after came the voices shouting in the streets that the Gods were angry, that the world was ending, that humanity was being punished for its shortcomings. With nowhere left to run to the people turned on one another, on themselves... Riots had awoken in the cities, blaming their Kings and Queens for the supposed wrath of the Twins. The world might not have been ending, but society was taking its dying breaths in the land of Valcrest; that much was clear.
Annie wouldn’t lie and say that she wasn’t tired, that she didn’t feel helpless, that she wasn’t angry; and that was exactly why she hadn’t done what her mother would do in a moment like this, which was to speak. She hadn’t gathered the healers and addressed the dire situation they were in. She had no words to give them; she wasn’t that kind of leader and she wouldn’t pretend to be. All she could do was show that even if everything else was showing signs of crumbling down around her she wouldn’t allow fear into her heart, and hope that it would be enough to keep the faith of her people from fading completely.
The White Shadows’ encampment had miraculously remained a safe place, despite the tension and violence that had spread across Valcrest, but to keep it safe had become a chore in times when any little thing could escalate into tragedy.
“Are you listening? I said put your hands on him.”
“It won’t work. I’m sorry.” Annie replied calmly to the man that stood behind her as if she hadn’t noticed he was pressing a knife to her throat.
“You’re lying! You can fix him! Do it! I swear, I’ll slit your throat right here!”
Annie had closed her eyes, for just a moment, as if the act somehow helped her see more clearly. She could hear the voices of the healers around, someone had shouted for Alistair, but she knew he was far away on the other side of the camp. She wasn’t afraid. She opened her eyes and sighed, dark brown orbs fixating on the young boy laying ill on the cot right before her, he looked frightened at what he was seeing and she smiled at him in an attempt to soothe him. “Sir... My enlightenment doesn’t work that way. I know this isn’t what you need to hear, but I can’t fix this. I can’t save him. I wish I could, but I can’t. Now, please, put down the blade. You don’t want your son to watch you become a murderer.”
The man flinched, his grip gradually loosening around the surgical knife he had been holding until it finally dropped to the ground at her feet. The man turning to the sick child and falling to his knees beside his cot in defeat. It was in that moment that Alistair arrived, pulled the man to his feet, and punched him hard across the face. “I want you out of this camp in twenty minutes, or I swear to all the Gods, I will kill you!” He muttered at the man.
“Alistair... Leave him alone!” Annie protested, grabbing Alistair by the arm and pulling him away from the man and his son. “What the hell is wrong with you!?”
“He threatened your life, that’s what’s wrong with me! Do you not understand what has been happening to the world lately, Annie? Do you understand!?”
“Al... I’m fine. No one hurt me. Why do you want to punish this man? Look at him. He’s just... Desperate and angry... I know you can’t feel their pain anymore, but... Just... Look at them. That man is going to lose his son, and there’s nothing he can do. He can’t be rational right now, he can barely hold together enough to be strong for the kid... We’re the ones who need to stay calm and be strong and act within reason... Because they can’t and we shouldn’t demand it of them. Not now.”
Alistair sighed in defeat, pulling the girl into a hug. “You are too kind for your own sake, kid. I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.” He muttered.
Annie wrapped her arms tight around her friend, falling into a silent moment of appreciation. “I know you wouldn’t.” She mumbled simply, not knowing what else to say to her friend when she couldn’t bring herself to promise she would be alright.
“Everything’s going to be fine.” Alistair stated simply as he released her, noticing her hesitation. “I think it’s about time you go get some sleep... I’ll keep an eye on things and I promise not to punch anyone else.”
“Hmm... I don’t know... Do you really promise, now?” Annie chuckled. “I’m not tired, Al... Not yet. It’s fine, I’m fine.”
“You look tired, Annie.” Alistair insisted, frowning at the girl in a half severe expression.
“Everyone is tired.” She retorted, rolling her eyes at him. “Really, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, okay?”
“I’ll try.” Alistair said, sighing at the girl’s stubbornness. “Just call if you need me, alright?”
“I will.” Annie mumbled, calmly waiting for her friend to walk away, her eyes staring past him to the man still kneeling beside his son. Annie didn’t know what to say to the man. Even if she thought there was a chance to save the boy, she wouldn’t dare say so. More and more hope was proving itself a curse rather than a blessing. Heaving a weary sigh Annie turned away, forcing herself to carry on with her errands for the day.
---------------------------------------
[The Manor]
It was a few hours before sunrise as Luckas got out of bed; all he wanted was to go back to sleep, but he knew that if he was a split second late Adam would make him pay for it on their next session so he forced himself to move out of bed. Looking around the room, his eyes spotted a chair out of place; moved from its original spot to the side of the window, and he knew Sam had been there at some point during the night. One eye still half closed, Luckas stripped off his shirt and started to rummage around the room in search for a clean one when he heard a familiar snicker. “My, oh my... Such a nice sight to start my day with, hmmm... What is THAT, Lukey?”
“Amber... How did you... When did you get in here!?” Luckas asked, turning around to spot a pretty-looking brunette sitting on his bed.
“Sweetie, you should really check under your bed more often. Who knows what monsters may be crawling under there, hm? You didn’t answer me though...” She smiled, hopping off the bed and pointing at the tattoo in Luckas’ forearm. “What... Is... That? Oh, my... Twins... How permanent is that little doodle?”
“First of all; that’s insane and creepy, and I better not find you under my bed, ever. Second of all: It’s a tattoo, not a ‘doodle’, and it’s very much permanent.”
Amber frowned slightly as she walked over and grabbed Luke’s arm to inspect the image traced upon his skin a bit more thoroughly. “She signed it! You let her sign it? Are you mad? Sammy is going to go crazy when she sees this.”
“Well, I... Asked her to sign it, but... What, why would she?”
“You ASKED to have this woman’s name permanently branded onto your skin, Luckas... Do you seriously not see the issue here? I honestly don’t understand what they see in you...” Amber muttered, shaking her head in amusement and disbelief.
“I don’t see how it’s any of Sam’s business what is drawn on my body, so no; I don’t see an iss-... Wait, what do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean by what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Amber snickered. “Uhm, Adam said I could watch your session today, that’s why I came... To see if you were awake and all... It’s going to be a fun one! I’ll wait downstairs!” Amber retorted, quickly making her way out the door before Luckas could ask anything more.
“What... Just happened?” Luckas mumbled, a bit confused, staring at the closed door for a few seconds still after Amber left the room. He honestly hadn’t really thought of Sam’s reaction at all... He didn’t even think of whether she had or not noticed; he didn’t think so, but then he could never really be sure of that. Great, that was just great... The last thing he needed before seeing Adam was another concern.
Luckas was just about to leave the room himself when the sound of something soft thumping against the stone floor of the room caught his attention, making him turn around and actually pay attention to his surroundings, his expression changing to childish amusement at the sight of a furry tail sticking out from the space under his bed. Crouching down, Luckas slowly paced around the bed, careful not to make any sounds, but of course when he looked under the bed there was nothing. “Alright.... Where are you?” Luckas snickered, standing up straight but seeing nothing different in the room. “Stalker...?” Luckas snorted as there was no sign of life in the room besides his own. “You should have a minion, she said... It’ll be good for you, she said...” He mumbled impatiently to himself.
[Raven’s Nest - About 4 months ago]
“Stop following me.” Luckas muttered, turning to face the pup, raising a brow as the young wolf simply sat and stared up at him. “Good... Stay. Staaay...” He commanded, beginning to pace backwards away from the puppy, frowning in annoyance as the animal promptly stood and began to trot after him. “No, no, no...” Luke muttered, stopping again and watching the puppy sit and stare again. Sighing he paced towards the wolf and nudged him with his foot. “Piss off now, go on.” He mumbled. “Go find a rabbit to chase.” The wolf snorted a bit at being nudged and immediately pounced on Luke’s boot, chewing on the leather and growling playfully. “No, no... Stop it... Bad wolf...” Luckas muttered, trying to shake the pup away from his foot but only managing to lose his shoe. “You’ve got to be kidding... Fine...” He sighed, removing his other boot and dropping it in front of the wolf as he turned to walk away barefoot, growling as he realized the pup had left the shoes to continue stalking him.
“What....” Ess began with a perplexed sigh. She was used to Luke rising earlier than her most days, but that wasn’t the problem. The issue was Tala nudging Ess relentlessly to wake up and sunlight was only just beginning to touch the horizon. “Ugh...Tala...what...why...ah! Cold nose!” Ess rolled over, pulling her shirt down, and wiping a bit of drool off her back. “Gross Tala....really?” Sitting up, Ess counted several pairs of eyes staring her down patiently. “One...two....three...four...five....we are missing the black one.” Releasing a groan of frustration, Ess crawled out of the tent and slipped on her boots, rubbing at her eyes. “Ok Tala, this is like the third time this week your little guy has gone running off. Last time he was in the bloody river. Why are you staring at me? You’re the one with the nose.” Shaking her head she began walking away from the group, holding up a hand to still Tala, her pups staying beside her automatically. Where Tala went they usually went, so it was a bit odd this little guy kept running off. So Ess began her run, keeping to the routine while searching for the little stray. When she had completed a lap and was coming back into camp she noticed tiny tracks and bent down to inspect them, a smile appearing on her lips. “Ah ha....gotcha now” She muttered, following the tracks. Ess heard a voice before she even saw the pup, instantly recognizing it as Luckas and that he was headed in her direction. She paused, leaning against a tree so that Luke would pass right by her, her form mostly blocked by the array of branches that draped almost to the ground. Her smile widened as she crossed her arms and waited, holding back a laugh at the words, ‘Bad Wolf’ and Luke appearing in view with no shoes. Remaining silent she waited until she was noticed.
Luckas was focused on getting rid of his pursuer, an annoyed frown crossing his features as he rushed his footsteps; the pup persistently chasing after him. After a few more moments of trying to escape the wolf, Luckas stopped and turned. “Piss off... Go... Stop following me! What the hell is your problem!?” He exclaimed, raising his voice and lunging forward in the pup’s direction. The puppy didn’t as much as blink at his movement, sitting and staring up at him as if curiously questioning his sanity. “Don’t look at me like that, I know how stupid it looks.” Luke muttered, running both hands back and forth through his hair in frustration. “Annoying fleabag.” He whispered, walking back through where he came to retrieve his boots, keeping his head down as he walked as if it somehow made him less noticeable to his furry stalker, and muttering curses under his breath.
Essence was surprised Luckas didn’t see her as he walked past, but he was looking at the ground she noticed which at that point she couldn’t contain her laughter, letting it echo towards him. Quirking a brow she remained still as she spoke. “Looks like you have an admirer. How does it feel?” Ess snickered. “And he doesn’t understand why you won’t play with him..” Ess glanced down at the pup who had continued to stumble after Luckas, her voice softening as if she were speaking to a child. “Isn’t that right my little minion....yes, good boy.”
Luckas startled slightly and stopped walking as he heard Ess’ voice, looking around a bit disoriented until he spotted her he frowned. “Very funny, Lady.” He snorted, shooting the wolf a glance and then looking back to her. “I only know one way to play... And that is reserved for ‘deserving’ humans, not animals.” He continued walking until he found where he had left his boots and picked them up, sitting on a nearby rock to put them on, an annoyed look on his face as the puppy followed and sat next to the rock, fixing his dark eyes on him like a little fluffy statue. “Can you make him leave me alone?” Luckas sighed, putting on his boots, noticing the several teeth marks on the right one and examining them.
Pushing off from the tree, she weaved out from behind the branches to stand behind Luckas and the pup. “I’m surprised, Sweetness you didn’t notice me. Think you need to step up on your game, hmm? Growing too comfortable maybe?” She teased. “Oh, you do so know how to play. You and I have been training, and you can do the same with the pup. In fact, that is another reason I was out looking for him.” Turning her attention back to the pup, Ess spoke gently. “Isn’t that right boy?” Clearing her throat she noticed Luke’s boot and laughed. “Luckas, don’t be giving the pup boots to chew on. He is teething but I don’t need him destroying everything I own. It’s called a bone or some leather hide to chew on.” Ess played knowingly. “And no, I can’t make him do anything. Besides, what’s the big deal? He likes you. What’s wrong with that? You don’t mind Tala.”
“Well, I was, as you know, rather distracted.” Luckas muttered, rubbing the bite marks on his boot and shaking his head as he noticed one of the bites had punctured a hole through the sole. “And maybe I don’t want it to like me... Or my only pair of boots, for that matter.” Wincing slightly as if trying to make himself look smaller Luke turned trying to ignore the wolf, but failing to do so as the pup simply moved to sit on the other side of him. “Tala doesn’t stare at me... It’s creepy.” He mumbled.
“Uh-huh...” Ess mumbled shaking her head. Stepping so that she was standing in front of Luckas as he moved, she kneeled down in front of him and widened her eyes playfully and stared up at Luckas in silence. After a moment she snickered. “You didn’t answer my question really...Tala...she did stare at you actually and growled at you and bit you, I seem to recall. But this little fluff ball is ‘Creepy’? Really? That’s rich.” She joked, reaching over to pick up the pup with a grunt, noting how much heavier he seemed in a week. Ess made a face at the pup and kissed him on the head before giving a loving squeeze. “He’s cute and sweet....Here...” She stated in a serious tone, pushing the pup onto his lap. “Try petting him. Maybe this will be good for you. You should give him a chance. And don’t you dare drop him.” She commanded. “You will have an angry mother after you if you do...” Ess winked playfully before standing once again. “If you want him to have better manners, then teach him. Make him ‘Your’ minion. He could be like you. Maybe you should keep him.” Nodding to herself she smiled. “I mean I’ll help but I really think he’d be good for you. You know, like a companion of sorts. A bond with a wolf....there’s really nothing like it, Luckas.”
“He’s too... cute...It’s annoying.” Luckas muttered almost inaudibly; shaking his head and sighing as he rose his voice. “It’s different... Tala was protecting you... He looks at me like he’s expecting something. It’s unnerving.” He mumbled, wincing slightly as she pushed the little fluff ball onto his lap without as much as giving him a chance to protest. “What do you mean ‘good for me’?” he asked, eyeing the pup with a comically suspicious look in his eyes as if he expected it to explode or something. The pup simply stared at him curiously motionless until Luke made a rather hesitant move to give it a little awkward pat on the head. “There, there.” He snorted; the puppy curiously starting to sniff his hand and his clothes as if the simple gesture was viewed as clear permission to explore. “Hmm... I don’t know... Keep... Him...? Luckas mumbled, leaning forward as if to get a closer look, the little wolf mimicking his gesture and inching closer to his face, sniffing him some more before cheerfully licking him on the nose. “Iiww... Puppy breath...” Luckas complained, turning his head and snorting, amusement breaking through his annoyance when the pup mimicked his gesture by turning his head and emitting a little huff. “I’m not sure if he could be like me... He’s a lousy stalker for starters... Persistent, but lousy... And I don’t know much about wolves you know... Except that they have very sharp teeth.” He mused, watching as the pup curled up in his lap, eyes still persistently fixed on him. “...Maybe...” He mumbled. “...Could be fun to have a minion.”
Ess’ jaw dropped in an overly fake exasperated expression, “Huh...well I keep you around even when you’re annoying..” She smiled turning to walk away. “Good for you...I can’t explain it because you probably won’t understand until you experience it. That’s all I can say and I think you should...you know...experience it. You will not find anyone or anything as loyal as a wolf, I can promise you that. They tend to have a way of choosing us, in a way so it would be more of him keeping you. You just need to be patient and be consistent with training for him to understand and I’m sure he could be a great little shadow. We know you weren’t born a natural fighter which is why it takes time.” Ess bit her lip to hold back her amusement. “Besides, he won’t be little for too long. Again, I’ll help you. I mean, what are friends for?” Glancing over her shoulder she winked. “And..you have to give him a name too you know. Can’t just call him wolf or whatever. Think about his personality or something and go with it.”
“You keep me around just to break chairs on my head, Lady.” Luckas snickered softly. “I don’t think that example applies to this situation.” He played, picking the puppy and landing him gently on the floor before standing up. “Stay.” He commanded firmly, starting to slowly pace away from the wolf. The pup simply stared at him a moment before responding with a faint bark and starting to follow. Luckas stopped and waited for the puppy to sit before repeating the command. “Staaay.” Again he paced away from the pup and he immediately stood and started to follow. Luckas sighed. “Maybe we should start with something simpler, huh?” He mumbled, looking down at the puppy and tilting his head curiously; his gesture mirrored by the young wolf. “Now you’re just messing with me, aren’t you?” He snickered, shaking his head. “Great, now I’m talking to it too... Lovely.” He snorted, looking back to Ess with an amused expression. “I can’t call him ‘wolf’? Really? The pup of a hound named Puppy and... What does ‘Tala’ mean again?” He asked, with a chuckle. “Fine though... Hmmm... How about Bob? No... Too common... People names for animals are weird too... Eh... Hmmm....” Luckas scratched his head, looking down at the pup with an intrigued expression. “How about Stalker? That’s more than fitting to his personality.”
Ess’ lips parted to crack another joke, her expression falling somber a moment as she actually took a moment to think about why she did actually keep Luckas around. Pausing in stride she turned around, moving her focus towards Luckas attempting to train the pup. “He doesn’t know what that means, silly. You have to show him and then put the command to the gesture. Like so.” Ess approached the pup and lightly pressed against his hind quarters until he sat, standing back up she raised her hand and stated. “SIT.” Taking a few steps back her hand remained palm facing the pup and she paused again. “STAY.” Ess commanded, an amused smirk crossing her lips as the pup twitched and finally couldn’t hold it any longer and came bounding after them. “Good boy!” She stated, kneeling down to pet the pup. “Now it just takes repetition. He’ll learn. He’s smart like his Momma, huh?” She whispered, ruffling up his fur. “And your Momma’s name is taken already so no, no more wolves. Tala is short for Talena...Tala yes is wolf or wolf princess but Talena means ‘Temptress or hardworking’....ironic enough.” Ess chuckled standing back on her feet quirking a brow at Luckas. “Stalker? Really?” Her expression was vacant as she stood and thought on it for a moment before snickering. “Why not, I shouldn’t be surprised though. What you think little guy, hmm?” Ess nodded as the pup sneezed and wandered after Luckas, muttering under her breath in a playful mockery. “Bob....ha...”
“Hmmm....” Luckas mumbled, watching Ess interact with the pup, noting that he almost stayed put, but not quite. “Stalker is quite fitting, for sure.” He muttered under his breath trying not to show his amusement, but not doing a great job of it. “You think I can teach him to pee on Jake? That’d be hilarious.” Luckas snickered, a goofy expression momentarily crossing his features before he gave a little shrug. “Well, I was trying to get him to let go of me because I was wandering off into the woods and I wasn’t sure if it’d be alright to let him follow me... Last thing I’d want is an angry Tala thinking I’m stealing her kids or something.” He said, squatting down and looking back at the pup as if trying to make a game out of his staring, as if to determine who would dare look away first. “Wolf... Princess... Explains the attitude.” Luke chuckled. “Or maybe that comes from hanging around with you, Lady... Hm?” He mused, tilting his head to the side playfully. “I wonder, how do you know the meaning of those names? Are there books for that? Quite curious...” Luckas mentioned, going a bit cross eyed and shaking his head with a chuckle. “Fine, you win.” He stated, reaching out to discretely scratch the pup behind the ears before standing up. “Do the little guys hunt yet? I was going to try and catch a rabbit or two... Even though I don’t quite have a weapon on me... I just realized...” He shrugged.
Ess’ eyes narrowed as if she were annoyed, yet they twinkled in a subtle amusement at Luke’s question if he could teach Stalker to pee on her brother. “Ah, I’m not involved in that...nope...not a word...just better not ruin my pictures....” She glared playfully at the pup and shrugged. “They’ve been eating what Tala brings back from hunting. The instincts are there; which was why I was planning on bringing them all out and give Tala a chance to train them in the field. I’ll just tell her you have him.” Ess laughed not very sure how well that’d work but soon enough those pups were going to be on their own and if they decided to stick around as a pack or what she was curious to see. She was only use to one wolf for so long and the past couple months had been quite the ‘experience.’ It was a wonder how those little fluffballs would turn out. “Princess....attitude? Wait who....what you trying to say there, Luckas?” Ess laughed, thinking on his question to how she knew meanings to names, trying to not pay attention to the cute staring contest Luke and Stalker were having. “Well, I did become obsessed with the name for a while...my name is out there in books because it’s not a name really but just a word of speech. I bet there are books though, but a lot of it comes from stories...songs..” A curious smile curled her lips, her voice rising in pitch to take on an innocent but still playful tone. “Do you know what your name means Luckas? I believe it’s probably derived from other words. You know, more than one word meaning the same thing.”
“Hm... I’d say is more like he has me, not that I have him.” Luckas stated, playfully rolling his eyes. “And that’s silly Lady... How can you say your name is not really a name when it’s clearly your name? If a word is used to name someone, or something, it becomes a name... Like, Stalker is a name now too... So it’s not just a word anymore... You see?” Stopping to think for a moment or two Luckas shrugged, deciding to set aside the fact that Sam had actually picked this name for him; that was something he hadn’t thought about in a very long time. “I don’t know about my name. Never thought about it like that really.” He snorted trying to conceal the fact he was slightly bothered, not by the question, but by the sudden thoughts it had brought up. “Well, I like hunting with a crossbow, but since I don’t have one here and I’m sure Beast Boy won’t lend me his... I’m gonna have to... improvise and see if I catch something anyway.” He smirked, gladly changing the subject. “Should be a fun bonding experience, no?” He asked her, turning to Stalker. “What do you think? Should we go get ourselves some tasty rabbit meat?” The wolf sat staring up a Luckas and idly scratched at his ear with his paw before responding with a little yip. “Yep, he’s going to be a killing machine this one.”
Luckas frowned slightly; there was no denying that Stalker had learned to do his own name justice. “Stalker! Where are you hid-.... Aaah... You little bastard...” Luckas jumped as he felt a cold wet nose poke his lower back; reminding him that he hadn’t yet put on a shirt. Luke spun around to face the large black wolf that had immediately sat down to stare at him with his most adorable innocent-puppy face. “You bad, bad, wolf... Bad puppy, Stalker... What did I tell you about sneaking in here like this!?” Luckas scolded frowning at the wolf for a moment, but sighing in defeat as Stalker responded with an apologetic whine; giving the wolf a few affectionate pats and scritches before resuming his task of finding a shirt. “Come on now, champ... We’ve been over this. It’s only been a couple of weeks since I left the Nest, I shouldn’t go back so soon... You’re not making this any easier on me.”
Stalker barked excitedly while Luckas spoke, immediately going around the room sniffing everything, stopping momentarily to growl at the chair by the window, he then hopped right over the bed to reach Luckas, playfully trying to snatch the shirt off his hands.
“No, no, no... Bud, I can’t play with you right now. Stalker... Knock it off.... Stalker....” Luckas groaned getting the wolf to release the shirt before it ripped and putting it on with a frown. The wolf going around him and trying to push him out the door, letting out barks and short howls that grew louder and louder by the second. “Stalker, I can’t go with you right now... Stop pushing me... Stop it... Stalker... Hey... Hey... HEY! SHUT UP!”
Stalker stopped pushing Luckas his howling fading into a whine as he layed on the ground with his tail between his legs. Luckas groaned, sitting on the floor beside the wolf. “Alright, I’m sorry, champ.” Luke mumbled, snorting in a mix of amusement and annoyance as the wolf crawled closer to rest its head on his lap. He was sure the pup had actually gotten bigger since he had left him at the Raven’s encampment and Luckas found himself constantly having to remind himself that it hadn’t been that long since he was just an annoying little fluffball Luke could pick up and carry around. Now he was a giant man-eating fluffball that could wrestle Luke to the ground without much effort, but still very much a puppy; at least as far as Luckas was concerned. “I can’t go out right now. It’s not safe.” He told the wolf, patting him firmly on his side so that he get off his legs and let him stand. “I can do it after training though so... Go wait for me on the trail.” He told Stalker, peeking outside his door to an empty hallway before opening it to let the wolf out. Stalker immediately rushing past him and disappearing down the hall.
- A few minutes later -
As Luckas reached the training field Adam was standing there waiting for him as usual, Amber standing beside him; Luckas could see they had been talking but stopped as he approached. On the ground at Adam’s feet there were two wooden chests with iron handles on the sides. He calmly picked on up and started to make his way towards the woods. Amber calmly reached for one handle of the remaining chest and waited for Luckas to pick it up from the other side. Luckas lifted the chest with Amber’s help, and it was heavy. “What is this?”
“No spoilers, Lukey. Trust me though... You’ll like it... Agility training.... Always fun.” The girl replied with an amused chuckle. Luckas was anything but amused, he didn’t like how excited Amber was with whatever Adam was planning and he sure as hell wasn’t going to trust her.
As Adam seemed satisfied that they had wandered far enough into the woods he dropped the heavy chest he was carrying, Amber and Luckas dropping the second chest right beside the first one. Adam opened the lid of one chest only slightly so he could peek at its contents and then he did the same for the other as if trying to make a decision. After a bit of thinking Adam opened one chest fully and Luckas could see that it contained long and sturdy metal chains, at each end of the chains there were heavy metal spheres about the size of coconuts. “Run.” Adam stated simply.
Luckas flinched, slightly confused by the situation. Adam was never one to elaborate much on his instructions, and by now Luckas had learned the hard way that it was best to follow them immediately instead of wasting time trying to make sense of them, but he was just too curious at this point to just run off without knowing what Adam intended to do with the chains. Adam, realizing this, nodded as if agreeing to give a demonstration. The man closed his eyes for a moment, breathing slowly for a few seconds before opening them; a ring of silver light surrounding the icy blue of his irises and spreading slowly in a pattern similar to cracks spreading through a frozen lake. As Adam’s eyes changed, the chains began to stir and slither within the confines of the wooden box, making soft rattling sounds as they moved.
Then, without warning, one of the chains shot up into the air at an incredibly high speed, shooting right past Luckas’ face. Luke turned around just in time to see the sphere at the end of the chain collide with the trunk of a tree, a fairly sturdy tree, and smash a hole right through it; bits of wood flying in every direction as it passed. Luckas turned to face Adam and the man had very discrete smirk playing on his lips as he repeated the instruction. “Run.”
“You have got to be kidding me!” Luckas exclaimed, a very uncharacteristic tone of panic in his voice as he turned and started to run as fast as he possibly could into the cover of the trees, the sound of the rattling chains following him closely. Luckas knew that there was no way to outrun the pursuing metal, but that thought became so much more real as he was forced to dive out of the way of a heavy iron sphere; the force with which the object hit the ground rose a curtain of dirt and formed a round crater in its surface. Luckas actually felt the earth tremble under the palms of his hands as he crawled away trying to get back on his feet. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, his breaths becoming heavier and heavier in his chest forcing him to push them out. It was a rare thing for Luckas to actually feel the tension of a situation this way, if it was Adam’s intention or not to push a healthy sense of dread into him; it was working like a charm. “Agility training my ass!” He muttered out under his breath, finding a place to hide in a hollowed out trunk, his ears following the sounds of the chains coming closer and closer. Luckas was a good enough hunter to be able to tell how far and from which directions sounds were coming from, he knew better than almost anyone how to be silent, how to stay hidden, but he wasn’t really used to being the hunted one. His cover wasn’t safe for too long, only maybe a minute, before the rattling sounds became faster and louder as something that was undoubtedly moving closer at great speed. Luckas only had a split second to move before the trunk was smashed to bits. This wasn’t going well. Not at all.
Raven’s Camp - About 2 months ago
Luckas smirked slightly, looking down from the tree branch he was perched on as he watched a black ball of fur frantically search the bushes, following his scent. It took a bit of work for Stalker to finally get the hang of playing hide and seek, but the puppy was getting better and better at it the more they practiced. Luke readied himself as Stalker started to sniff his way under the tree he was hiding in, circling it a few times before emitting a long howl to indicate he had found his prey. Luckas sneaked his way along the branch carefully as not to put too much strain on the wood and passed on to the adjacent tree, slowly and quietly making his way down to ground level, one eye minding the pup’s movements as he was still focused on the tree for the moment as he started to pace away. Luckas didn’t make it very far, only about five or six steps away before Stalker suddenly stilled, ears perking up as he caught the sound of Luke’s boot crushing a patch of grass. “Fuck.” Luckas whispered under his breath, not minding with stealth any longer and bolting his way amongst the trees, watching with the corner of his eyes as the wolf disappeared in the bushes instead or running straight after him. Stalker had vanished within only a few seconds and Luckas had completely lost track of him.
Luke kept running, his eyes scanning his surroundings until he found a good climbable tree and made a turn for it, sprinting towards one of the lowest branches and leaping to grab hold of it and pull himself up. It would have worked perfect if Stalker hadn’t jumped out of nowhere and latched onto his ankle, weighing him down. “Shit, shit, shit...” Luckas muttered, failing to free his ankle and feeling his hold on the tree branch slip further and further until he was forced to let go, dropping down onto the ground with an audible ‘thud’. Stalker barked cheerfully pouncing on Luckas and laying across his chest. Luke groaned, slamming his palm against the earth a couple of times. “Alright, alright, I yield!” He muttered. “At least you didn’t try to sit on my head this time.” He chuckled patting the wolf gently before pushing him aside so that he could sit up. “So, what’s the score then, champ? Fifteen to none?” He asked, snickering as Stalker circled around sniffing him excitedly, a cold wet nose poking around the back of his neck and causing an involuntary shiver down his spine. “Alright, alright, champ, settle down... Stalker, Stalker, sit.” He commanded, immediately scratching the wolf behind the ears as he obeyed. “Well done, bud... You really got me there, didn’t you? Yes you did, you bad, bad, wolf. You’re a bad wolf, yes you are... A big bad wolf...” Luckas sighed softly going into silence as he ruffled Stalker’s fur; the wolf sitting absolutely motionless aside from a happy tail lifting up a small cloud of dirt as it swept across the ground.
“You still need to learn to stay though, don’t you, champ? I can’t have you following me out of here, we’ll both be in a lot of trouble if you do that.” Luckas whispered to the wolf as if telling him a secret. “We can’t have none of that. I go to Blackpond, you stay here with the rest of the pack.”
Stalker seemed to strongly disagree with Luke’s words as he emitted growls, barks and short howls in protest, sounding pretty much as though he was scolding his friend.
“Hey, hey... Don’t you take that tone with me, mister... I go, you stay. I goooo.... You staaaay..” Luckas stated playfully, poking the wolf on his snout with his index finger. Stalker huffed, uttering yet a few annoyed barks and howls, pushing Luke’s hand away with his paw and laying down, looking up at Luckas with his most adorable and innocent expression. Luke shook his head, an amused snicker escaping him as he stared at the wolf. “Yes, you’re adorable, champ, but you still can’t go with me. Sorry.” He said, patting the wolf and chuckling as Stalker rolled on his side demanding belly rubs. “Besides, someone needs to keep that Beast Boy in line when I’m away... We don’t want that guy getting too comfortable, do we, champ? No we don’t... It’s my territory... MINE... And he better not forget it.” Luckas couldn’t help a spiteful tone from crossing his voice at the thought of Aiden, but he pushed it aside, calmly rubbing the wolf’s side for a few long moments before giving him one final pat and jumping to his feet. “Come on, we’re not done for the day yet, you lazy bum. I seriously need to stop spoiling you.”
Luckas had been running for a long while at random, being chased from hiding spots, knocked down from tree branches, more than once had the chains caught his ankles and dragged him across the ground, before releasing him and disappearing within the forest. The sun had risen and was high up in the sky by the time Luke started to consider admitting to the fact that he was getting tired and he was nowhere near figuring out how to end that little game Adam had started, when he finally understood what he was doing wrong when he remembered his training sessions with Stalker. The wolf could catch his scent, the wolf could hear him... Luckas had never managed to hide from him for long because of that, but this was metal... Metal could chase him down, and it could hurt him, but it couldn’t find him. He had been so stupid to run and hide from it as though it was a living creature, like his wolf. Adam had been finding him easily, because Luckas hadn’t been hiding from him; he had been so distracted with the metal chains that he barely realized that for the chains to hurt him, Adam had to find him first. Once he realized that, the game became a lot easier; not easy, but easier. It was with some effort that Luckas managed to hide from Adam, quietly waiting for an opportunity to sneak up on the man. The opportunity to strike arose as Adam passed Luckas’ hiding spot, seeming completely unaware of his presence. Luckas took the opportunity by pouncing at the man armed with a sharp rock. The unexpected attack was successful in knocking Adam off his feet and for a moment Luckas had the man on the ground with a sharp rock pressed to his jugular, but only for a moment. Soon enough Luckas felt the metal chains wrapping around his neck and pulling him away from Adam, choking him slightly but releasing him as soon as Adam was free to stand up straight. “Good.” The man mumbled simply in what Luckas assumed was praise; he was honestly too annoyed to care.
“Good! Are we done?” Luckas muttered out as he regained his breath.
“No.” Adam replied.
Luckas pushed himself to stand and glared right at Adam. “No?”
Adam shook his head and pointed to where Amber was still standing by the remaining wooden chest. The girl waved cheerfully at Luckas as she opened the lid of the chest and more chains started to slither their way out of the wooden container. As they came closer Luckas noticed that, instead of iron spheres, the ends of these chains contained spear-shaped blades. “Oh... You... unbelievable... ASSHOLE!” Luckas shouted at Adam, as he immediately began to flee into the trees once again.
- about an hour or so later -
When Luckas reached his room again after training he had several cuts and bruises on his legs arms and torso, as well as one long cut on his left cheek where he had barely avoided the sharp end of Adam’s chains; it slicing right past his head. Luckas groaned, removing his blood-stained shirt and tossing it to the floor as it was nearly shredded to bits and therefore useless.
“Adam really did a number on you, hm, Lukey?” Sam’s voice sounded behind him in a curious and nearly amused tone.
“He did.” Luckas agreed a bit coldly, as he rummaged through his things for a clean shirt.
“You should have that cut on your face taken care of before it scars.” She advised.
Luckas stopped what he was doing to glance at Sam over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of her sitting on the chair by the window. She didn’t look upset, but Luckas had a very strong feeling that Amber had been speaking to her about some things. “What’s one more scar?” He mumbled simply. “I rather like the idea, to be honest.”
Sam didn’t answer him, which in itself was something; she always had something to say, instead she stood from her seat and paced her way to where Luckas was standing with his back stubbornly turned to her still. “If something cuts you deep enough that you want to remember it, Lukey; then you let it scar.” She mumbled, calmly tracing her fingers along the brand on his left shoulder.
Luckas winced at the touch as if the mark still burned him somehow, turning abruptly to face Sam with an angry spark in his eyes. “Don’t touch me.” He muttered at her. “Just don’t. I never said it was okay.”
“You never said it wasn’t.” Sam replied calmly, a look of genuine shock and confusion crossing her green eyes. “At least have those cuts cleaned, if you won’t get them healed.” She insisted, slowly reaching towards the cut on his cheek.
Luckas snorted in response to Sam’s statement, grabbing her arm as she reached for his face, feeling his grip a bit more forceful and a bit more angry than he intended. His eyes locked on hers for a moment and followed her gaze to the tattoo on his forearm. He watched her eyes change, gradually, as if browsing through an array of emotions and trying to settle for one; yellow streaks of light exploding and fading along the irises like bolts of lightning. After what felt like a really long moment had passed, Sam pulled her arm from Luke’s grip. “Fine.” She muttered at him, turning away and returning to the window, not sitting at the chair but leaning against the sill.
“What is it?” Luckas asked with a sigh.
“Nothing.” Sam replied, not turning to look at him.
“Say it, Sammy... I know you want to say something... Go on.” Luckas insisted, impatiently.
“What else is there to say, really? You don’t listen to me... So fine.”
“Fine... FINE... I’m really, really, starting to hate that bloody word!” Luckas muttered. “Come on, tell me how badly this will end for me... You know you want to...”
“Is this a fucking a joke, to you, Luckas!?” Sam cut him off, still not looking at him. “Is it!? You should hate that word, that word is the sound of me giving up on your shit. Let’s just see you pull the same amount of crap you’ve been pulling the past few months once that happens.”
“Are you threatening me, Mistress?” Luckas questioned. “You know, if you want to, if you think it’s best, then order me around like you do the rest of your minions... Play me like the little pawn we both know you think I am... Do that! I’ll play along. I can be a good pet if that’s what you want from me, but don’t say you give a shit, and don’t say I have a choice if you don’t really want to give me one. Make up your fucking mind, Sammy; do you or don’t you want to own me? Huh? Tell me!”
“I do give a shit Luckas. I kind of wish I didn’t at this point, but... FINE. You know what I think already.” Sam started calmly, turning to face Luckas with an undeniably resentful look in her eyes. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I understand. I do. I understand why you like it there so much... She helps you with your abandonment issues, you help her with her little revenge fantasies and you both have a part to play in each other’s sickness. It works. I see that, but you know... There’s only one way that this can end, because it’s my job to see to it and so help me; I will... So this is me giving a shit the only way I can, because I can’t change what’s already happening and you are in denial. So there, Luckas... Enjoy your freedom.” Sam spat the last words as she passed him by, stopping to firmly slap him on his injured cheek. “And get that healed before you run home to your whore; that’s an order, pet.”
The setting changes from The Ruins (Healer's camp) to Valcrest
“Honest opinion, here. Do you think the gift is too much?”
Darren quirked a brow, glancing between both boxes, each brow alternating for each direction he looked. Motioning towards the right he pointed. “I think that would be a bit...much, Aiden..but then again it’s not just from you.”
“You think she won’t like them?” Aiden sighed, looking between the boxes.
“No...that’s not what I meant. She will like them. She likes..pretty things and I know you will get…Quite the reaction from her. I just think you should have stuck with the first one and let it be at that.”
“You think I should give up.” He stated simply, his voice flat.
“I...well…” Darren adjusted his hat, half covering his face before tipping it away from his eyes. “Honestly...I think you come on strong. I think you are just scaring her away.”
Aiden stared at the larger box for some time before shrugging. “She was just really prou-.”
“I know. I know you’re thinking behind it. You are trying to give her something that was lost. I’m just saying..it comes off strong..”
“But Deidre is the one who made it for her...Darren, you really think-?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters.”
“No..it doesn’t…” Darren smirked. “No offense Aiden...but I think I know my mother better than you do..”
Six Months Ago...Raven’s Nest
Darren was rolling several small pieces of parchment together and tying it with twine to a Raven’s leg, whispering words of encouragement to the bird before releasing it. He chuckled at himself, watching the creature circle several times before flying off in the direction of the White Shadows. Now it was off to go wake up his Uncle Jakey.
-Annie-
I haven’t given myself too many moments to sit quietly and think for the past few days since I left. I returned to discover my Mother is still very much alive and here, taken under the Captain’s wing. She was someone I had met at the Ball...someone Jake knew as a child...the same redhead I saw flash behind my eyes when I encountered a dark eyed stranger in the wilderness. Luckas. It was like a fabled creature one would be unsure of if it was mischievous and curious or if it was hell bent on something more sinister. It was just the way he hid in the shadows and I couldn’t be sure if he was following me. Turns out, he is someone very special to my Mother. I’m afraid for her, truthfully. He seems like a complicated fellow but I kind of like the guy.
Words will not express my utter despair and joy that is swirling beneath my feet. She is beautiful, strong, and wise except when she looks inwardly. She tries to so hard to not hide herself, but I guess that is not easy when that was all she ever knew for so long. She almost reminds me...when I look into her eyes, of something fragile that was shattered to pieces more than once and somehow pieced back together. The atrocities she has endured because of those people...because of my Father..I am heartbroken. I have never been one to hate. I have never wanted to kill someone so bad in my life..and It scares me. I don’t want my Mother to have to see my Father ever again. He twisted her mind so far, I don’t know if she could handle the encounter. I want to protect her, to take this burden from her. I told her that every woman deserves a man who makes her forget her heart was ever broken and that if she feels that way around Luckas then she can’t hide from it. She just hugged me and said when she looks into my eyes, I help her forget the pain. Nice dodge Mom. She just deserves so much and yet I see her spiraling down a dark path. Maybe it’s unfair of me. She’s not all dark and dreary. Her smile is contagious and so is her laugh. It’s crazy how much she secretly fears everyone around her, but they are drawn to her like a moth to the flame. It’s true. You meet her and you can’t help but love her and want to protect her.
-D-
Present Time
“Darren?”
The boy blinked. “What? Sorry.”
“Again?” Aiden snickered.
“What? No..well yea...but no I was just thinking about..”
“..Something besides the leader of the White Shadows?”
“Aiden, you said Deidre was apart of the last scouting party that went out. You mentioned her being upset..you were as well about your friend..What happened?” Darren placed a hand on the man’s shoulder for a moment before pulling back respectively.”
“...the place was rigged with traps. It was...an unfortunate lapse of his attention to his surroundings.”
“Aiden..Do I look like the Captain? I didn’t ask for a report..”
“He was ripped in half...ok?” Aiden scowled. “ He just...something exploded..so she said. They of course...no one from the wagon escaped but from what I hear..the Captain only got...a few things, minor useful things..out of them. Well besides the wagon full of explosives. We think they were meant for Newhaven.”
“But nothing..else?” Darren swallowed, remembering the cages and human remains discovered at the abandoned camp.
“...Thankfully...no...but at the same time…”
“Captain believes there are more wagons…and that my Father messed up. He messed up bad. We are hoping…”
“That it will start a cascade effect.” Aiden finished. “..You and I are going out with the next rotation.”
“I hope we find something...soon…But...Aiden…? What did the Captain do with all those explosives?”
Aiden snickered and shook his head. “You know I don’t know that...for sure...just that they are being dispersed...appropriately.”
Six Months Ago...Raven’s Nest
Essence couldn’t have been asleep more than an hour when she stirred, her form slowly rising to a sit up position. Her face was covered by massive amounts of thick curls, her head drooping forward along with her shoulders making her appear she would lay back down along her pile of pillows. Crawling out of her blanket, she rolled to her right onto her knees so that she was positioned quite close to Luckas, her head gradually turning from left to right in a continuous searching motion only to pause and move in the opposite direction. Violet eyes peeked out past her curls in tiny slits, dull and almost faded in color like the green gown she’d always wear for bed. They appeared worn and distant. In one fluid motion she rose to her feet with such ease, someone might as well have picked her up in the effortless way she moved. Yet, when she stood her form swayed slightly as she stepped outside of her tent and began circling both her tent and the Oak it was positioned against. From her side, steady along with each step, Tala heeled, whining softly up at her. The wolf tried several times to use her snout to deter Ess from her path, trying to lead her back into the tent, but Ess always spun as if she were dancing, still lost in her trance like search.
The familiar brown fog rolled in, thicker this time, so much that Ess felt almost suffocated until a warm breeze brushed across her face. Stepping forward, her eyes narrowed as she tried to see through the fog, searching all around her until the distant giggles reached her ears and began to follow blindly ahead. “Jakey, I’m going to find you..I always do. Can’t we play another game?” Ess spoke not even very loud, but her voice echoed and rolled as the fog parted and there before her stood the great oak. She didn’t see the boy standing at her left, but merely felt he was there and turned, unsurprised to see those sweet blue eyes smiling up at her. As before, when he spoke, the voice did not match the visage of the small boy, but mimicked that of the adult version. “Ess, stay back. You can’t stop it. You can’t change what you know will happen.” The boy’s smile faded, his hand finding hers and giving a firm squeeze, he leaned back in an attempt to lead Ess away. Instead, Ess lead the boy forward, tightening her grip on his hand as well, not wanting to let him go. He didn’t struggle, only sighed as he kept in step at her side.
Luckas woke up when he felt movement, mentally protesting a bit as he realized it hadn’t been very long since he’d fallen asleep, only opening his eyes when he noticed that he wasn’t hearing the usual sounds of the woman and wolf breathing in their sleep. He sat up with his sight still a bit blurry and confirmed that he was in fact alone inside the tent. “Lady?” He mumbled, scratching his head a bit in confusion before letting out an annoyed sigh and making his way out of the tent.
The Nest was always just quiet enough at night to be peaceful, it almost created the illusion of vulnerability, when in reality the place was nothing but. In that silence it wasn’t difficult to hear the sounds of a woman walking and the occasional whines of a wolf following her closely. Even if he couldn’t, Ess hadn’t wandered very far, although she seemed to him as if she was wandering around aimlessly. Luckas tilted his head to face her as he stood watching for a moment before following after her as well.
After another lap around the oak, Ess paused, her eyes closing a moment before she knelt down to Tala’s level. Placing her hands upon the wolf’s shoulder blades along her back, she rested her head against Tala’s and smiled slightly before pulling away and standing back on her feet. Again her body swayed, the whites of her eyes appearing as her eyelids parted, turning around to face the tree.
Ess stopped when she saw the Oak, standing with a curious strength, the fog changing to smoke that swarmed and enveloped the mass before her. Protectively she pulled the boy behind her and let go of his hand. “Stay, Jakey...”
“No, Ess. You stay. Just let him burn...” The boy protested.
Ess turned around and knelt before the boy and pulled him into a gentle hug. “I won’t let either of you die, Jake.” She whispered before standing and turning back just as the flames started to spread. The figure wasn’t clear at first, trapped against the tree; a shadow with glowing, grey eyes staring back at her.
Ess was on the move again, this time circling the fire pit in front of her tent, the flames settled and soft which gave the appearance they were dying. This time when she stopped, her eyes widened, still dull and lifeless except for the reflection of light dancing in her pupils.
Luckas was watching Ess at first with a mix of curiosity and amusement. It was somewhat clear that she wasn’t seeing a thing of her surroundings, even though she seemed to be seeing something, once realizing that it wasn’t hard to reach the conclusion that the woman was dreaming; sleepwalking. Luckas had heard before that one should never wake a sleepwalker, and at this point he wish he had bothered to ask a healer if that was actually a fact or not. He wasn’t sure if it was best to try and wake the woman or just let her wander and try to keep her out of trouble. He didn’t have to think much on that fact however; the decision pretty much made itself when Ess started heading towards the lit fire.
“Lady, Lady, Lady...” Luckas started calling after her as he followed, trying to get her attention, but still a bit reluctant to just grab her and shake her awake.
“Ess, Ess, Ess...” The boy called, grabbing her hand once again. “What are you doing?”
Essence shook the hand loose and snarled. “Stop it. My life is not your decision, Jake. Every time I come here, you tell me the same thing over and over: The hardest ones to love, are the ones who need it the most. And now you want me to just turn my back?” The woman pushed at the boy and ran forward towards the Oak, feeling the warmth of the flames around her feet as she worked to free the figure before her. The shadow faded as the fire grew hotter, her eyes focusing on Jake’s blue eyes as the darkness appeared by his side, slowly coming into focus. Ess managed a smile through the fear that crept inside and it wasn’t for the victory in her stubbornness or the fact that she was indeed sacrificing herself for something she cared deeply for; it was for the very aspect of the dream she was able to change, however slight.
Tala growled, leaping forward she bit into Ess’ hand, trying to pull her back. Essence simply growled back as if she were mocking the wolf, and pried the mouth off her hand, revealing minor teeth marks and a bit of blood. Ess wasn’t even fazed, instead stepping up onto the short rock wall that bordered the flames, one foot after another forward into the fire.
Luckas groaned as his attempts to get Ess’ attention failed and even Tala’s efforts didn’t even seem to faze her. He didn’t have much left to do but one thing, and he didn’t waste much more time with thinking about whether it was a smart thing to do; he grabbed Ess by the waist and used all his weight to pull her away from the fire pit. “Come on Lady, this is not how you play with fire... Wake up! Wake up.”
A perfect overlap of illusion and reality; dream and awake melded together as the figure focused in her mind. She awoke staring into those same eyes, the grey darkening to their proverbial black as her own brightened into their traditional, violet glow. Pure bewilderment entranced her gaze, her hands finding Luckas’ arms around her waist and naturally left them resting there. Ess’ thoughts were of her dream and who she had saved from the fire and as she looked away from Luckas to take in her surroundings, an ironic laugh awkwardly resounded at her friend. Who was saving who? As it dawned on her, her lips parted in a luscious smile. This awkwardness was nothing like when Aiden had picked her up into his arms; she didn’t want him that close. Luckas, on the other hand was different entirely. “Why is it, whenever fire is the subject of interest, you are somehow involved?” She whispered faintly.
Luckas sighed somewhat relieved, but not in one bit amused by the whole situation; an annoyed expression on his face as he stared at Ess, still holding onto her as if to make sure she wasn’t wandering off again. “What’s so funny, Lady? If this is your idea of a joke, I’ll have you know I’m not very amused. In fact this is the less amused I’ve been around fire ever.” Raising an eyebrow curiously he added. “And if this is not a joke, then... What was it?” He asked, looking around as if trying to find some explanation lurking around.
Ess’ smile was thoughtful as she spoke, whispering into Luckas’ ear. “Irony...is what I find so amusing, my Dear Luckas. The irony of my nightmare; the irony on how I could almost control the entirety; the irony of how this was another example of how my dreams are coming to a reality.” She paused quirking a brow. “..At least in a way...but I wonder If I still am dreaming, and if I am, I think I’d like to hold onto it for just a little while longer.” Ess carried a certain kind of charm in her words, almost a tantalizing, teasing sweetness as she pushed to avoid exactly what had just occurred. She did all she could to hide her embarrassment, instead shying her gaze away coyly. “Besides, if this is what I need to do to be this close to you, then maybe I should go back to sleep.” Ess giggled, her fingers gingerly squeezing Luckas’ arm.
Luckas winced internally as he became very aware of how he’d been clinging to Ess as if she would vanish otherwise, but outwardly he just nodded his head slightly, pushing his annoyance with himself and the whole situation out of the way the best he could. “Remember that I said it’s not true that you can’t die in your dreams, Lady? That’s certainly not amusing.” He mumbled, pulling her a couple of more steps away from the fire pit before releasing his hold on her waist. “Besides... You are already closer than anyone else. There’s no need to jump into any fires now.” He added; a playful smirk breaking through his seriousness as he spoke. “So what was about this nightmare that you found so ironic exactly?” He asked casually, reaching for her hand; the one Tala had bitten, and raising it to eye level to check on it. “You should wash this bite, you know... Not that it is serious, but enough to break skin...” He pondered, brushing off a bit of blood with his thumb and giving a light shrug.
A shiver traveled from her waist and along her arms when Luckas moved away. Forcing herself to hold onto her sweet smile, it barely faltering, her mind focused on the chill upon her skin from where it was warm a moment ago. “I’m always happy for the reminder that my death would not be very amusing, Luckas. It wasn’t meant to be...”Her tone softened just below a whisper as she listened to Luckas speak. “I always remember what you say..” Still she smiled as her eyes flickered from her friend’s eyes to her hand, unaware until that moment that she was bleeding and that the skin felt slightly itchy; surprisingly she wasn’t in any pain. “Huh...Did you bite me to wake me up, Luckas?” She teased, purposely skipping over his question on her nightmare. Ess instead thinking long and hard if she wanted to answer and how exactly to answer, unsure exactly of what it all meant. The silver lining of her irises flashed as she muttered a bit of her answer. “...Each time I witness the dream, another irony is realized; something comes true; my subconscious forces me to realize what I thought was buried beneath the fear.”
Luckas stared at Ess with an eyebrow raised curiously. “Did I bite you? Of course not, Lady. If I was to bite you I’d make sure you’re awake...” He snickered. “I definitely would not bite your hand.” He added playfully, with a little grin. “No, this was Tala’s doing. She was very concerned for you as well.” He let his gaze wander from the oak tree to the fire pit and then back to Ess as he heaved a small sigh. “The dream with the burning tree again?” He asked; a subtle look of concern in his eyes as he recalled the bits and pieces he’d picked of the dream on previous occasions. “But you have not... Gotten out of bed like this before, have you?” He frowned slightly, going into thought for a moment, opening his mouth as if to speak again, but changing his mind. After a moment of silence he looked at her hand again and gave a half smile. “Do you have clean bandages or am I going to have to go steal from the medics?” He chuckled. “Or I could tear a piece of my shirt for bandages, I’ve seen guys do that and it always looks somewhat heroic... Although, this is my only shirt at the moment.”
Ess lips came together in a comical, pouty pose; the look of disappointment in her eyes was unclear if it was honest and true or a harmless jest. Her eyebrows rose curiously, still holding her pouty look, “Ooh? I wonder what I would have to do to get bitten then..” She pondered, not really expecting an answer. Turning her gaze downward, she retracted her hand from Luckas and let Tala sniff at the minor wounds, her smile returning. “Good girl, as always..” Ess giggled when the wolf began to lap at her hand in a careful, nurturing manner. Nodding to Luckas’ question about the burning oak, she sighed. “What does an Oak tree represent, Luckas?” Glancing back up she continued, “Strength...and what does it mean to me? It reminds me of innocence, as well as strength and how it all began with something so small it almost went unnoticed before one day surprising the world with it’s magnificence.” She looked back down at the wolf, her other hand gently patting the wolf along her snout. “And...in my dream...the tree doesn’t burn. It attracts me, calls to me more and more now and in the beginning the boy was faceless. Now, the boy is revealed to be Jake, as I remember him...with a...” Ess shrugged, “Minor difference....and the figure who I always work to save, has also always been faceless...” Ess trailed off, thinking Until tonight. “Looks like, at the same time I was protecting this shadow of mine, you were protecting me. Another example of the Irony I speak of.” She finished, not quite mentioning the figure had been Luckas, but not denying it either. Ess also kept to herself, the familiar repetitive message that was always spoken in those dreams, afraid of coming off as foolish or maybe seeing things that aren’t really there. Wouldn’t be the first time. “..And no, My Dear Luckas...I’ve not acted out my dreams, per se before...although...” Ess sighed, “I have been sleep walking...ending up in the most random places.”
Tilting her head to the side, Ess held back a laugh, the dimples at her cheeks appearing like tiny pits when her smile broadened. Looking around, as if lost she shrugged, “Medics have the supplies, if you really feel it’s necessary..” Pulling her hand back from the wolf’s nursing, she snickered causing herself to cough in her amusement. “Heroic huh? You secretly want to be my hero now or just a case to case basis?” Essence turned, sending a sly wink in Luckas’ direction.
“Hmm...” Luckas mumbled as he listened to Ess speak of her dream, he could almost swear some words of her story were spoken only inside her mind and he almost wished it was within his abilities to listen in, but he didn’t ask any more questions. “Ironic indeed...” He scratched the back of his head, giving her a curious look as she mentioned having walked in her sleep before, not seeming all too glad to hear that. “I can’t always be here to rescue you, Lady... May I suggest you tie yourself to the oak or something? Just in case?” He played, smiling although his concern was genuine; he really couldn’t be there at all times, although he couldn’t deny that he’d very much like to. “Good girl, Tala.” He whispered under his breath, glancing down at the wolf with an appreciative smile. “I’ll go get those bandages then, Lady... Be back in a minute.” He said, turning to walk away, but stopping to answer her final question. “And it’s not really my intention to be a hero or a Knight-in-shining-armor in any way, Lady. I’m not cut out for that kind of stuff... I’m much more comfortable with just being your shadow. If that’s alright with you.” He smiled over his shoulder as he started to wander off to snatch some supplies.
Essence doubled over in a fit of giggles, “Oooh..first it’s biting..now it’s tying me up?” Smiling she shrugged, standing back up straight so that her curls bounced along her shoulders, cascading down her back. “Not sure if tying me up will actually work..or how i’d do it myself..” She muttered knowingly, rolling her eyes. As Luckas wandered off in search of medical supplies, Ess’ smile widened so far she thought her face would crack, noting the way Luckas mentioned he’d rather be her shadow. “Smarter than you let on...” She breathed quietly to herself. Resting her hand along her chest, beside her heart, she glanced down at her tattoo and then back over at the Oak to the spot Luckas was usually found. Violet eyes burned, sparkling deep in thought, “My...shadow...”
A Few Days later…
“Psst....Aiden...you awake?” She whispered, a bit of urgency and childish excitement in her voice that squeaked when she remembered she was trying not to wake the others. A tired groan suddenly sounded like the loudest thing ever especially when the air was oddly silent; not even the sounds of insects echoing in dawns light.
“Ess..?” Aiden rubbed at his eyes and slowly sat up, quirking a brow at the woman’s wide smile masking a look of worry that laid beneath her eyes. “What’s wrong?...Wha..?”
Ess covered Aiden’s mouth with her hand which brought him to silence. “It’s time...get your stuff..” The redhead stood, turned and walked back out of the cabin without mentioning what she meant exactly but by Aiden’s hurried footsteps it was obvious he knew. Tala had begun a difficult labor early on in the night and something seemed off in the struggle the wolf was having with the first whelp and many still to come. With the wolf’s age, Ess had been afraid for her furry friend and was doing all she could not to think about it so not to add more stress to Tala’s situation.
The kennel Aiden had built was quite large with a separate, dry bedded area of hay, sheltered for weather accompanied by an enclosed grassy area of three or four yards, fenced in with a gated door that was now open. Shaded beneath the foliage, it was almost hidden and made to look like a den, to which Tala seemed to find instant comfort. Puppy was unusually protective of the den and even though was a gentle and patient soul most times, actually bared his teeth when Ess and Aiden approached. The Beast Speaker lowered his head in a submissive gesture, kneeling until he was actually on his side. Puppy nudged Aiden with a sort of approval before the man stood once again, moving to Tala. Others in the camp were stirring now, curious to the sudden excitement during the night, but Puppy wouldn’t let anyone else besides maybe the Captain, get close.
Tala’s belly seized and shivered amidst her heaving panting as more time passed, Aiden working feverishly to ensure Tala’s comfort and attempting to help breech the first welp. It felt like forever but when the first pup escaped it’s confines, Tala was a natural, brushing Aiden aside to cut the umbilical cord and tear the amniotic sac. Furiously she worked to clean the pup off but was soon accompanied by another and then another. Ess and Aiden had no choice but to jump in and assist, desperate to protect each one, cleaning them off enough so that Tala could finish after each one was freed from their tiny prisons.
“One...three...” Ess began counting as she stared at the freckled array of colored pups appearing before her; Tala helping the blind and deaf children to their first meal. Most latched on for milk with no further assistance but there were two who seemed to struggle. One, the last to be born; the runt, was a deep, sheer black. The other was grey with white trim around it’s paws and along it’s belly. At first they fell upon one another trying to find their mother’s milk and as the black one finally latched on, the other slowed and grew quiet.
“Seven....seven pups....My, My Tala you do have your hands full.” Aiden beamed, washing his hands in a basin of water. Tala looked at the immobile pup and began lapping at the tiny body and Aiden grew quiet, a saddened cloudiness taking over his eyes.
“..Six....” Ess whispered softly, slowly reaching for the pup. It wasn’t breathing and even though they tried all they could for the little soul, he was already too far gone. The soft grunts and squeals similar to a pig were drowned out by Tala’s mournful whine. She stared at Ess who was still holding her cub. Something passed between the two in an unspoken understanding, the wolf clearly feeling sorrow for the loss but quickly turning back to tend to her other cubs.
“I’m going to bury him..” Ess sighed, wiping a few tears. It didn’t take long of course to dig a hole big enough for the tiny creature, which she did just beneath her Oak tree. Another silent prayer and the act was done. Six cubs survived, which was better than anyone could expect but something changed in Tala’s eyes. Most didn’t notice it, except those who knew the feeling of losing a child. Some didn’t think the wolf would really notice or remember. She’s just an animal.. They whispered but never did they dare do so around Aiden because he knew different and so did Ess. It did matter and she did remember, but life goes on..
~~~
Two weeks passed so quickly, Essence spending so much of her time with Tala and the pups that she was there when they first opened their eyes.
“They will all have blue eyes at first but most will change as time passes.” Aiden had explained to her one day as Ess sat beside the tiny grave now scattered with budding Irises. As time went on and the pups were able to see and hear, they were quickly becoming harder to keep up with. Thank goodness for the children who never tired of following the pups around as they stumbled and rolled on all fours. They were surprisingly agile and a bit larger than expected by the time a month went by.
When the pups reached two months old, Aiden swore they looked the size of three months. They had also managed to meet everyone in the camp who in turn always kept an eye out to ensure they didn’t leave the perimeter. There was the biggest of the lot, a male, who resembled a tiny brown bear, with golden brown eyes. The largest female was all white with one blue eye and one golden. Then there was the one that most resembled Puppy; a male with pointed ears and a longer snout and reddish, rust, grey-like fur, but with Tala’s sapphire blue eyes. The second female was splattered with whites, browns, and blacks so that her face took on the appearance of wearing a mask; leaving white around the snout and mouth and piercing yellow/golden eyes. The third male with slate grey fur, frosted blackish ends, had the appearance of a thick mane, giving the illusion he was as large as his older brother. There was no ignoring the calculated, golden-amber stare that followed any who would cross it’s path. Finally, there was the smallest but still quite large, male of the pack. The runt. He was black as night and leaner than the others but still just as strong if not quicker. Ess couldn’t help but love the deep browns of his eyes and his annoying, persistent curiosity for all things.
Both the black and bear-like cubs were probably her favorites, if one could get her to admit to such. They were also the best of pals as they were always wrestling and sleeping together. It was poetic to Ess because it appeared that the strongest and the weakest of the pack were equals and ignored all ranks and thus were stronger together. They tended to sneak up on the others and pounce the females but the white one would always get the best of them in the end. She was stubborn and a force to be reckoned with when ticked off. One day she chased her pesky brothers into their den where they refused to leave until next sunrise. The masked female was more carefree and she didn’t bother with her brothers most days but spent more time tackling their mother with a determined need for attention. The other two males; the rust colored and the dark grey one, were mostly fascinated with the company of the Guard and it’s Captain. If they weren’t constantly trying to partake in the training spars, there were sideline, barking and howling mockeries at the losers. Most times if Ess needed to find them, they were either hanging out with the children or wrestling with Puppy. Some days it was a wonder who was babysitting who.
With the pack eating solid foods already and their ever budding curiosities, Ess felt it wasn’t too early to start training the little fluffballs. Besides, they were already making it quite obvious who was who in hierarchy within their ranks, even if only in ‘title’ as they all played together as equals. Not to mention how they were already accompanying Tala and Ess on hunts, even if they were still too young to hunt themselves. The intelligence was awe inspiring and the possibilities were endless of what kind of wolves these cubs would become.
“Why does Luckas get a furry friend? Can I have one too?” Darren had playfully complained to Ess one morning while rolling around with a few of the pups, letting one attach to his ear and tug on it hard. “Ow! No you can’t drag me..” He laughed.
Essence chuckled. “It doesn’t work like that, exactly. If one chooses you and you are ready to take on the responsibility, then yes. You have my blessing.” Quietly she stared at the small spectacle and smiled at the little wolf cub, thinking the mischievous girl drew a bit of blood on Darren. “Maybe you’ve already been claimed by our little masked crusader right there.” She partially joked, laughing again when the cub stared between them and began barking in this high pitched noise, as if she were chirping like a bird. Spinning a circles a few times she dashed over to the Oak, bounced off the trunk and leapt on top of Darren to land clumsily against his chest. Darren groaned, taking a sharp breath. She had taken the wind right out of him.
“She does that a lot.” Darren mumbled sitting up.
“What, kick your ass?” Ess laughed hard.
Darren scowled trying to hold back a laugh. “No...well yes...but no that’s not what I meant. She seems to sing or talk quite a bit I’ve noticed. Reminds me of a songbird..which I guess is weird because she’s not a bird..she’s a wolf. Aren’t you fluffball?”
The pup adjusted herself when Darren sat up, placing her paws on his shoulders, her cold nose pressed against his in silent understanding before covering his face in kisses.
“Oh, now you’re quiet.” He complained, ruffling up the pups fur. “You need a name besides masked crusader. Mom apparently can’t figure out what to name all of you..”
“What’s wrong with my name for her?” Ess teased, the pup turning to bark up at her in protest. “Ok ok..So give her a name then. You can take her with you when you go to sleep. Bond with her some more and maybe she’ll follow you around like Stalker does Luckas.”
“..Stalker….really?” Darren quirked a brow at the choice of name. “Guess it makes sense…” He paused, scooping up the pup into his arms and nuzzled the furry face. “How..about Sora..” He looked back up at his Mother. “It means songbird.”
Essence leaned over her son and kissed the top of his head. “I think it’s perfect..”
Darren smiled, staring thoughtfully at Sora for a moment before turning back to Essence. “Mom...when do they start to howl?”
Ess kneeled beside Darren, several of the pups rolling around in play still. “Well...Sora here already does howl. We were doing it together yesterday. Watch..” Ess whispered, leaning into the pup as she began to howl softly at her. Sora sat back on her haunches, tilting her head curiously, her ears flopping a bit in her curiosity, front paws tap dancing in the dirt in excitement.
Darren laughed, joining in with Essence and Sora responded by tilting back her little head and letting out the tiniest, squeakiest howl that went on for almost a minute. Darren and Ess stopped their chorus to chuckle, a couple of the other wolves pausing in their play to stare curiously at them. Tala stood up, wagging her tail a moment at Ess expectantly and the woman nodded. “Sound the alarm Tala…”
Tala began her beautiful, mournful howl soon followed by Sora which lasted a few moments before the other pups attempted themselves. Ess and Darren sat for the longest time in silence, as if hypnotized and didn’t even notice Aiden and a few others from the camp that had hurried over in haste at Tala’s call. Once they saw the pack ‘singing’ together, they also sat and stared until their chorus ended. All except two of the females: A white puffball and Sora, who continued to sing an enchanting tale known only to them. Well and maybe Aiden.
~~~~~
About A Month Later..
“Jemma...I’m so sorry...” She whispered, wandering in the direction of the river, further from Luckas but closer to camp. Keeping her head low, she kept her eyes towards the ground as she passed a few people, happy that they barely paused to notice her presence. At first, that is. Ess was so focused on the memory of her friend she didn’t pay much attention to where she was going and actually looped through and around the heart of the camp twice before she was noticed and someone spoke up.
“..Uh, Sweetie...you alright?” A man’s voice asked. Ess ignored the question, oblivious it was even directed at her. ‘Sweetie’ was definitely not a nickname she carried in the camp, so it had passed in one ear and out the other.
“...Hey...are you lost? You seem, lost..” Another voice rang, causing Ess to look up to search for perhaps someone that didn’t belong in camp, but recognized her fellow brothers and sisters of the Guard only. A look of confusion crossed her features but she pressed on, not giving it much thought otherwise. She felt tired, as was expected and she feared if she sat down she would indeed fall asleep. Since that was against sound advice, Ess kept on her feet, absently overhearing mumbles behind her.
“Who....where....Does the Captain know? Shouldn’t someone find out? You do it if you’re so concerned.” That was when she felt a hand rest upon her shoulder, instantly shrugging it off. Don’t touch me..” She muttered, turning to face Deidre, a concerning and sad smile crossing her lips.
“Hey there...something I can help you with, Darlin’?” The woman kindly asked. Gradually her eyes widened and her smile faded to a slacked jaw in a surprised shock when she locked eyes with Ess as she responded. “What is it Dee? Do I look like I need your help? What is everyone’s issue...” She groaned glancing around to notice a few others were standing around her, staring. “What do I have to do to be left alone!?” Essence snarled, turning to push between a couple guys so she could ‘escape’.
“Was that...?”
“I don’t know...”
“Should we get the Captain?”
“Captain is away right now...may not be that extreme...”
“Should I get Aid-”
“No...I wouldn’t....”
~~
“There’s no fish.” Irvin mumbled, an annoyed tone in his voice. “You want me to sit here like an idiot holding a stick, and there is no fish. You’re just messing with my head aren’t you?”
Jake chuckled in response and gave the boy a careless shrug. “Maybe. I already told you, you need to learn to be more patient... Whether you accomplish that by catching a fish or holding a stick like an idiot is actually pretty irrelevant. Pick one and make your peace with the task instead of whining about it.”
Irvin snorted in annoyance, but didn’t complain again, staring intently at the waters of the river as if wanting to see for himself. Jake watched him almost just as intently, but his behavior was much more relaxed than Irvin’s as he sat by the water. He had thought anyone would very much enjoy sitting by the river holding a stick after several days of just sparring, but it seemed the kid wasn’t convinced this was all there was to it. That was probably a good thing, some level of paranoia always proves useful in the end. When Irvin finally stopped huffing and muttering under his breath, Jake thought he heard sounds coming from the center of the camp, and he let his attention be caught by them. It wasn’t exactly a commotion, but more like a growing sense of confusion. “I’ll be right back... Stay here.” He told Irvin as he jumped to his feet and started to walk towards the camp. Upon reaching the center he caught bits and pieces of conversations here and there, attentions focused on this little blond girl who Jake had never seen around camp. The girl didn’t seem to be older than eight years old and at first Jake was, much like everyone else, wondering how she’d gotten there and if she was lost or in need of assistance, it was only after a few moments that he noticed how she seemed confused by people’s reactions, asking to be left alone, then he noticed her eyes and the scene immediately made sense to him... To a point at least. He did understand that Ess had changed and was unaware of it, but he didn’t understand why.
Jake remained standing where he was until he caught the attention of the woman who had been hanging around the blond child despite her annoyed protests and signaled her with a nod of his head, after which she proceeded to slowly push the rest of the Guard members back to their normal duties. As she did so, Jake made his way towards Ess and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, just firm enough to make clear he wasn’t going to let her brush him off, starting to walk her towards his camp as he spoke. “They’re confused because you don’t look like yourself right now, Ess.” He explained simply. “Why are you wandering around as a little girl? Is something wrong?” He didn’t ask who the girl was just yet, even if he was almost certain she was someone; the only times he’d seen Ess change without noticing, she changed into people she knew. For now he just planned to lead her somewhere quiet.
Instinctually Ess tried to shrug off the hand that was lightly gripping her shoulder, but only attempted it once, immediately recognizing her friend by auditory and visual confirmation. She lifted a brow at him, her curious look of confusion fading to one of disbelief, staring for a moment as if Jake was clearly joking. Ess let a minute or so pass before she responded, letting the words sink in. “I didn’t though...What?”
All around the camp there were buckets of water that hung from hooks outside of each cabin for the men and women during their work day and even a few scattered upon the ground for Puppy, Tala and their offspring as they roamed. Ess hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going, the tip of her foot colliding with a wooden bucket of water causing ripples to multiply and disappear below. Leaning towards the reflection her expression was not one of shock like someone may expect, instead her eyes softened and she kneeled down, gripping the edges of the bucket firmly as she focused on the image of her departed friend, Jemma; straight blond hair, sun kissed skin, a tiny button nose and even a few freckles along her cheeks. Slender fingers reached out towards the mirror image, skimming the surface of the water as she tried to grasp what was only an illusion and clearly not there. Ess forced a sad smile, reddish tears streaming down silently before she covered her face in her hands and standing to continue along with Jake. “I’m so sorry...” She whispered. “I let you die....over and over..again.....I let you die...So pretty...such a waste...” It wasn’t clear exactly if her words were directed at just the memory or the failed exercise as well but as she walked, all other sounds went silent and all she could hear was Jemma calling out her name. Ess’ hands snapped away from her face and over her ears, snarling in frustration, knowing she wasn’t really hearing her friend; at least she didn’t believe she was. It was almost like an echo.
“I called for him... .over and over....It didn’t matter that I knew he wouldn’t come...It didn’t matter that he was dead...I still called to him when Jasper....” Ess’ voice cracked through a heavy sob, fighting to catch a breath. “Da.....Daaa....” Ess whispered to herself, shaking a bit when she realized she was no longer in the center of camp near all those people. She turned away from Jake absently noting a rustle in the bushes a little ways off but fell back into her silence.
Jake was silent as he watched Ess as they walked, catching bits and pieces of her words, but not exactly making much sense of anything. He understood that girl was dead and he caught a mention of Jasper, which meant that this wasn’t something recent, but the man’s involvement was not in any way a good sign. Upon reaching his camp Jake went over to a bucket of water by his tent and got some into a metal cup. Ever since the days had started to get warmer Irvin had gotten into the habit of freezing the water solid in the morning, even though the ice melted quite quickly the water kept cool for a few hours still. He couldn’t deny it was a smart idea, but he had warned the kid that if word got around camp of what he could do he’d never be left alone, especially when summer came around. The still partially frosty water made the metal cup cold enough in Jake’s hands to make his fingers ache slightly, but he didn’t quite mind it and brought the water to Ess, pushing the cup onto her hands. “Here, drink.” He stated, watching his friend with concern in his eyes and wondering if it would be a good idea to try and get her to talk about whatever was troubling her. Words escaped him though, and before he could finish his thinking he was already asking questions. “Who are you? I mean, you know, who was she?” He paused for a moment as if trying to keep himself from speaking further, his next words coming out in a whisper, although they seemed somehow more audible. “Why are you sorry?”
Ess stared off, spacing out into the trees, not noticing the cup in her hand until the cold tingles began to spread along her fingertips. A subtle groan echoed from her, her free hand falling to her stomach as it twisted in another wave of nausea. Slowly she took a sip and then placed the cup down atop a rock, still not wanting to sit. “I didn’t forget what I was told...just don’t think I can keep anything down..right now...ok?” Ess muttered in defeat, resting her cooled fingers along the back of her neck, her eyes closing in response as it sent a pleasant feeling down her back. When Jake began his mini array of questions her eyes snapped back open, her gaze falling back to her feet. “Her name...was Jemma, Jacob. She was my best friend....my only friend...and she died because of me...” Ess quickly turned, hiding her face as a quick fit of dry heaves passed over her, more painful than the last but only because nothing came up. When she thought it was over she stood back up straight and sighed. “What happened to her...what happened to me...” She turned to face Jake, looking up at him warily. “I’d rather suffer through that a thousand times...if I knew it wouldn’t have been for ‘Nothing’.”
Jake sighed softly, holding back not to push Ess to continue sipping the water, she didn’t seem well to him at all, and he was starting to form suspicions in his head as to why that was... Why were these memories coming back to trouble her now all of a sudden? A small frown crossed his features but he willed it away as he nodded at her answers. “Look, I don’t have all the information here, but then I don’t I really need it to know that what happened to her, to you, was in no way your fault. It was their fault, you know that. No matter what anybody says, you were innocent, Ess.” Jake went silent for a moment or two before he started again with the questions, taking a seat on a log near his fire pit, eyes always fixed on his friend. “Why is this troubling you now? I mean, it’s been a long time, something must have happened to bring it up.” He didn’t ask what he really wanted to ask, he didn’t think he could do that in a non-confrontational way when he could see that Ess was clearly physically ill, instead he just waited to see what she would choose to tell him.
Again, Ess cradled her face in her hands, silent sobs shaking her. “It was my idea to escape..how could we escape? Stupid...Didn’t pay to have friends...” Gently she massaged both her temples, opening and closing her eyes to focus more on the water sitting idle before her than the memories still running rampant through her mind. Ess felt like she was still on repeat so she reached for the glass once again and forced down a few more sips of water. Heaving a sigh, she wiped at her tears accumulating along her jaw, simply nodding up at Jake as he spoke. “I know...I know...I feel like...I’m facing certain things..for the first time, Jacob...Do you understand? It’s because I failed and maybe I’ll get to try again..” She muttered, trying to explain to a point but her mind was still fuzzy so it didn’t come out quite clear. It was as if more than one thought was jumbled together when she spoke. That, and she felt like she shouldn’t tell Jake what she had been up to and that apprehension showed as she shyly looked away from her friend. Technically she really wasn’t suppose to talk about it. “You know...you remind me...of my father a bit, Jakey.” A sad smile appeared again as she thought how it wasn’t just similarities in appearance but also the mentality of her father and it was quite fitting if she was honest with herself; Jake being family and all, in a way. Ess was afraid slightly of hearing Jake’s disapproval and probably more. She didn’t think he’d listen. “I’ll be ok, Jakey....it’ll pass...Like most things tend to.”
Jake ran a hand through his hair, still watching Ess with concern although relieved to see her drink more of the water. He noticed how she didn’t really answer his questioning as to what had happened, but the hints were there, subtle but there. Jake frowned only slightly when she mentioned trying again, but his expression softened when she mentioned her father, the remark catching him a bit off guard. Jake stood, quietly making his way to Ess and wrapping one arm around her in a gentle embrace. “Alright now, brace yourself... I’m going to tell you a couple more things you probably already know...” He stated firmly. “Your friend, well, we don’t know how long she would have lived if you hadn’t befriended her, or suggested you try to escape, but we do know that in the time the two of you were friends, that girl had someone in her life who cared about her, someone to remind her that she mattered. If there’s something I’ve learned is that sometimes just not being alone is everything. Maybe having a longer life, without any support, in that place, would have been worse. I don’t know, but you shouldn’t blame yourself because it was simply an impossible situation.” He paused for a moment and then added with a small sigh. “Look, I know you’re up to something you’re not exactly telling me. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but just ask yourself if you really think it’s the best idea to let your overprotective little brother draw conclusions on his own... Especially if you plan on doing this again... You know me, whether I like it or not, I’ll always have your back.”
Ess sighed, leaning her head against Jake’s chest as he spoke. Closing her eyes she was so silent she could hear her friend’s heart beating. A familiar, sweet scent of burning pine mingled with smoked game, fresh herbs, and wild moss clung to Jake’s shirt and gradually anointed her curls. It was a gentle reminder of her own father, minus the herbs. Those who dabbled in poisons tend to smell of herbs, even more so than those who cook with them.
A subtle breeze awakened her eyes when she felt hair tickle her skin. Smiling up at Jake she noticed the deep reds had returned, and the more she relaxed (as much as she could in that moment), the more Jemma’s features melted away back into her own. “I wish...he could have met you, Jake. You would have liked him, I think...I know he’d have loved you.” She pulled away, still smiling through the occasional streak of reddish tears giving a small shrug. “I am doing better than I thought I’d do, considering the mental strain. No bleeds, right?” Quirking a brow she added, “So..You think I did for Jemma, what you’ve done for me? Could you imagine...who I would have been...if I’d never met you?” Her smile faded but she shook the idea from her mind. “It was my idea, sorta...well...it’s just...all this...is a part of my training you see. I mean, Luke did have a point....if I can deter his mind tricks, then technically I may be able to keep anyone out. Apparently, I have an advantage...” Ess trailed off noting the look she was receiving as she spoke yet she lifted her head high as if she were a bit proud of herself but fell quiet again. She knew there was no avoiding it and technically she may have been talking about it but it was Jake. He was her only family left, in a sense, besides Darren. Her problem had always been bottling up her fears when it came to Jake and no matter what she continued to think of herself she knew she needed to remember to give him a chance to be her family even if there were those moments where she knew he’d not be too happy with her decisions. She had to remember to accept his concern and that he did love her. “Jake...”
Jacob tried the best he could, but it was impossible to keep an angered spark from crossing his eyes at the mention of Luckas. He didn’t say what he was thinking though. He did understand how this could be helpful to Ess in the future, he just couldn’t bring himself to accept the idea of Luckas messing with her head for any reason. Much like everything else though, it was not his decision to make. “Alright... I see...” He mumbled softly, forcing a small cough to try and clear his voice. “And... Where, if I may ask, is Luckas right now?” He asked, noting his tone came out a bit more upset than it should and he shook his head. “Never mind... That doesn’t matter... Now at least.” He sighed scratching his chin idly as he looked over his friend. “How’re you feeling? Does your stomach hurt? Are you sleepy? Have you eaten anything today?” The small wave of questions was cut short as Jake abruptly turned his head towards the source of some noises coming from the bushes, an intrigued look crossing his eyes as he caught traces of movement.
Ess went back to nursing her glass of water, positioning herself against the rock so that she was leaning for support. “He’ll be back...I just couldn’t stand to have him around after everything that he saw...embarrassing and shameful don’t even cut it, Jake. Only reason I can stand to have you around is because you didn’t see...you don’t know. Maybe, I thought I’d do a little better than I did.” She shrugged at his array of questions. “..Everything hurts...course I’m sleepy, but Luke told me to not go to sleep for a while...and yes I ate...but that was kind of pointless since it all came back up. Ugh..and no I don’t want anything to eat...” Ess covered her mouth as if in fear she would get sick again, even though there wasn’t much in her belly. “This training thing with Luke is proving more of a challenge than I thought. I mean...I can’t even get him to attack me. I tried teasing, mocking, joking, and I even turned into Aiden. He won’t raise a finger against me...I need to find...a way to really piss him off.” Ess’ eyes glowed, a mischievous smile curling her lips as she looked back over at Jake. “And..before you tell me once again how you don’t approve of my methods...Jaakey....how can I tick off Luckas? Who is someone that gets under his skin?”
Jacob half smiled as he thought he caught a glimpse of dark fur moving amongst the bushes, but his expression turned serious again as he listened to the answers to his questions. “I don’t understand, I thought... Luckas had gone through your memories before... Hasn’t he already seen... Everything?”Heaving a small sigh, he opened up his tent only to catch a glimpse of a white blur running past dragging one of his boots. “No, damn it, bloody wolf...” He muttered out, already losing sight of the pup in the tall grass. “Third time this week.” He sighed in annoyance, going through his things for something. “So you want me to give you advice on how to piss off a psycho so that he’ll want to attack you? Why wouldn’t I approve something like that?” He asked in a sarcastic tone, resurfacing from his mess of things with a small teapot which he proceeded to fill with water and hang over the fire. “I’m making you some tea, should help with your upset stomach.” He informed, sitting at a log by the fire. “You can sit if you’re tired, I’ll keep you awake, don’t worry. An hour or so and it should be safe to get some sleep.” Jake went silent for a moment, fiddling with random locks of dark hair in the back of his head as his thought. “Hmmph... I probably shouldn’t tell you this, because I don’t like it... Not at all, buuut... I will, because I know I can’t change your mind about it anyway. Besides, I’d much like to see his face, heh...” Jake chuckled to himself for a moment, a devious look crossing his blue eyes. “You should take Lena’s appearance, and just... Be as condescending as you possibly can. That’ll push him right over, trust me.”
Ess finished off the water and set the cup down beside her. “Jake....He hasn’t seen everything....no...not everything...but plenty still.” She whispered, her voice fading away as she drifted into thought. Clearing her throat she added, “Not to mention all he saw in Jasper’s head...I just..don’t think about it...but maybe that’s my problem.” Essence was momentarily distracted by Jake’s sudden cursing and only just caught the end of Kaya’s white tail disappear in the grass. Kaya.. A small chuckle escaped, quickly cut off by a cough and minor choking fit. “Meaning Wise Child or Forgiveness” “Pretty mischievous if you ask me.” She whispered to herself remembering how the pup had been drawn to Crys during one of her visits, by the sweet melody of her flute. Still the wolf spent most of her time in camp, keeping Jake on his toes.
When she quieted, Ess thought she heard a yip and a flustered yowl echo from behind her and as she turned, she caught a brown fluff ball somersaulting out of the bushes to land beside her. The wolf pup shook his confusion off and let out a small warning howl and leapt back into the bushes with a whine as he collided into something. The foliage came alive with chaos, shifting and swirling wildly as if by some strong wind until moments later a black wolf pup rolled out of the bushes, its brother trotting proudly behind him. “Aww...look, it’s my mini Stalker...and the little bear looking pup. Probably should give him a name..”
Lifting her gaze upwards and back towards Jacob, her smile faded, a puzzled look crossing her face. A bit unsure of what Jake just said to her, she wondered if she heard right.
“Uh...Jakey...you’d be ok with me looking like Lena? Acting like Lena? Honestly..I don’t want to disrespect you by taking her form, so you sure? I...only met her twice...you’d have to help me with...some details...” Ess paused to look back down at the wolf pup, muttering over names in her head. ‘Bear...Little Bear...hmmm won’t be little for long...’ Stalker sat up on his haunches and barked at his brother, tilting his head curiously as if waiting for a response of some sort to whatever question he was asking. The pup began hopping around Stalker playfully growling as he teased his brother by always remaining just out of reach. Stalker yawned, looking bored and turned around so his back end was facing his brother and laid down. ‘BearWolf...WolfBear...’ Ess sighed, trying to remember if there were any other terms that may sound better but carry the meaning ‘Bear’, her thoughts drifting back to a story her father use to tell her when she was small, her favorite character’s name meaning bear: Beowulf. She repeated it to the pup who seemed satisfied enough with the name, barking in agreement. “Hm...Beo for short?” Her eyes softened as she watched the pup prance over to Stalker and lazily drape his large body across his brother’s back and closed his eyes.
Jake watched the pups curl up together to sleep with amusement, seemed like the little furballs were just everywhere now. It would be more than interesting to watch when they all grew to full size. Hopefully the white one would stop stealing his things though, because that was surely bothersome. And awkward when Crys had return them later. Jake couldn’t for the life of him understand why that wolf kept doing that... And he figured he just might have to talk to Aiden about it if it kept happening. Shaking his head as he took the teapot out of the fire and found two cups to pour it into he snickered. “I’m pretty sure Lena would be amused. So personally I don’t mind. You’re family just as much as she was, more so than her in a way.” He gave a small shrug, automatically adding a spoonful of honey to each cup before handing one of them out to Ess. “It’ll help your stomach settle... What kind of details do you need?”
~~~
A couple days later…
She did it for the wolf’s own good. Locking him up wouldn’t hold the small pup for long, but long enough to make her point. There was no denial. It couldn’t be helped to enjoy it, just a little bit and there couldn’t be distractions. It would be like hitting two birds with one stone.
A swift kick to Luckas’ side and it began, a plain looking but still sharp sword with freshly sharpened edges, pointed just above the man’s skull. While he was in mid response, she sent another foot into his lower back this time. The act was powerful as if she fueled by some mighty purpose and yet her smile and mocking gaze hid her eyes from view, her tone relaxed and nonchalant . “Boy. Pick it up..” She commanded, pushing with the point of her boot another sword within Luke’s reach and took a step back outside of the tent, swinging the blade so that it tore the flap of the tent clean off, morning rays of light piercing through. “Are you too weak? Or are you afraid? Do you speak Boy or are you going to stare like an idiot?” Jamming the sword into the dirt she quickly tied back her long, jet black hair before retrieving the weapon. Casually she rested it upon her shoulder, swinging it lazily as if she were growing bored.
The look on the woman’s face was a mix of amusement and annoyance, a hint of weariness in minor lines beneath her eyes. Those details were the hardest to get down because they were so subtle as well as finding clothes that the healer would have worn. Jake had helped with that, finding white robe like pants and shirt that were extremely comfortable and easy to move in. The way Lena had stood when she spoke and held herself was another thing she had help with, fooling even Jake for a bit this morning, when she showed off the finishing touches. Now the real challenge would be going on minimal experience, practice, and knowledge of how the woman fought. This was going to be fun.
“..Be as condescending as you possibly can. That’ll push him right over, trust me.”
Hopefully this would work. Enough taking it easy, even if she was anything but. No more childish toys or letting him storm off in frustration. She wasn’t sure how much of a natural instinct to protect one’s self from injury would kick in with Luckas. Sometimes it seemed he liked the pain so much more than putting in an effort. It was apparent on both sides if they were to really help one another, they were going to have to hurt one another.
Luckas woke with a sharp pain, a groan escaping him as he tried to open his eyes and make sense of what was going on exactly. “wha-...” Before he even got the chance to finish his
mumble he felt pain again; this time recognizing it as being a kick to his back.
“Boy. Pick it up..”
Luckas growled as the second hit brought him back to consciousness abruptly, his eyes flashing red momentarily at the words that reached his ears. It couldn’t be... Real... It couldn’t be... Her. Luckas pushed himself up to his hands and knees, his fingers reaching out to feel the metal of a blade lying on the floor by him. Luke felt his eyes sting as the sunlight reached them, raising his head to stare up at his attacker snorting in anger as Lena’s ghost mocked him, his hand finding the hilt of the weapon and closing a tight fist around it still on his knees inside the tent. “Go back to hell, witch... Leave me alone.” He muttered out, still unsure of whether he was actually awake or stuck in a vivid dream. He felt awake, his body hurt from the blows, but his disoriented mind had trouble comprehending what he was seeing before his eyes.
The Lena clone chuckled, “Hell? So you believe in Hell?” Nodding a bit, she spun dragging her sword through the dirt to kick it into a brown fog that encased Luckas in a passing sand like storm. She advanced, moving to kick out his knees, lazily holding the blade at the ready. “Is that where we are now? Perhaps I am just another ghost here to haunt you or maybe the problem doesn’t lie with me, but with your own mind.” Using the momentary cover of the dirt cloud, she sidestepped and leapt so she could be behind Luckas. Her voice echoed and seemed to come from all angles with this approach and so she continued. “You acknowledged me, so either way, now you’ve made the illusion of me, quite real. So, what do you do now, Kid?”
Luckas jumped to his feet when a brownish cloud of dirt rose from the ground and pretty much blinded him; even if only momentarily, he disliked the idea of losing sight of that woman.He wasn’t standing for long however, as he soon felt another blow hit him in the knees and throw off his balance. Luke stumbled forward not completely steadying himself as he pushed to make his way out of the tent, rushing as if he meant to run away, but stopping after just a couple of steps; his grip on the sword so tight his entire body was shaking from the tension. If he took the time to think, really think, of what was going on right there and then, it wouldn’t be so difficult to understand, but thinking in itself was difficult now. He couldn’t get his mind to settle long enough to tell himself this made no sense and so he continued to treat this ghost as a reality. “What I do, depends... You’re in my head... Are you in my head...? If you’re in my head then I am you, if not then maybe I’m dead... And this is hell... Where else would we be, you and I? Or you’ve come back from the dead just for the sake of tormenting me some more... So which way are you pushing me now? Huh? You want to make me kill you again, or just return the favor? WHAT do you want?”
The woman didn’t respond with words but with steel, purposely striking at Luckas’ sword and dragging her blade along his to straighten in a defensive stance. Taking a deep breath, sparks flew as she swung right for Luckas’ head, expecting him to duck the attack but she was already slicing downwards in a vertical maneuver that added to a flurry of merciless advances. “Stupid Boy...” She spat. “If I’m in your head and I am you...or even if I am a ghost, why are you seeing me? It isn’t a matter of what I want. THINK. Do you even have a brain in there? Maybe the only way to rid each other of this Hell, is for you to face it. Defend yourself!” Taking a leap backwards she spun, sword outstretched horizontally, moving as a windmill caught in a storm. “What’s left if you couldn’t use your ‘Talents’? Strike me down, if you can...” She snorted in playful mockery.
Luckas’ eyes widened at the woman’s actions, holding the sword in the stance he had been pushed into and awkwardly trying to keep the blade between the woman’s sword and his flesh as she struck at him. Luckas retreated some at the advances, the look in his eyes unusually frightened for a split second before his expression shut down completely. “What the hell does that matter? We’ll never know now and whose fault is that!? On my experience so far, facing hell only helps you burn faster.” He scoffed.
Lena kept Essence at bay the more and more she felt herself drifting into character. It didn’t matter how much she knew exactly about the woman for what she did know was that she was starting to get under Luckas’ skin. For a moment, she forgot herself so that she would believe she was actually Lena. The focus in keeping the glow of her violet eyes hidden was starting to dwindle so she kept up with the advances, drawing the attention to her slashing at Luckas’ shins, forcefully bringing the hilt of the sword abruptly towards his face in an attempt to knock him down. She was daring in attempting to bombard attacks she would never have been able to pull off a few months ago, pushing herself to deliver more than a few cuts and bruises upon her friend. Before there was hesitation in causing serious harm to her friend, but now she knew if he wouldn’t defend himself and let it happen, it was his own fault.
“So, whose fault is it? Mine? Yoooours?” She snickered through tight lips. “Sometimes, you have to burn to ash in order to come back as something stronger, no? I mean, look around you Luckas. You haven’t even noticed how empty the camp is.” Lena scoffed, stepping back a few paces to extend her arms as if about to present a show. It was true, the area was quiet and there was nothing around. Ess had made sure to clear the area in order to prevent any interruption, no matter what anyone heard coming from her camp; they were to stay away. It was almost eerie. Lena shrugged, “Didn’t even notice how she’s gone, did we? What would you say to her being taken, right under your nose because you were too much of a coward to raise a sword!? Where is that wolf of yours? The Captain? My Nephew? Oh, maybe I’ve overstepped and forgotten myself...don’t you only care about yourself? What a waste of time...”
Luckas’ time with Adam had paid off; and right then and there was when it was apparent just how much. Sure, he still hadn’t tried to make an advance, not yet, but he had done a decent job of not getting slashed open by the woman’s sword. His balance was thrown off here and there by trying to keep up with her attacks, but he managed to stay unharmed and standing. If he wasn’t way too angered to even realize what he was doing he might have been proud of himself. That wasn’t the case though. Even if in some level, in some part of his mind, Luckas felt that something was off even for a hallucination he couldn’t bring himself to care or question. The mere sight of Lena standing there and demanding things of him made him ill, her words were poison pushing fire through his veins and everything else simply melt away in its flames.
“You have no... Right...” The words were barely strong enough to completely break the silence, Luckas stood still as the woman stepped back from her advances his entire body shaking from head to toe at her words. He didn’t look around as she told him to, his head remained lowered so that his eyes were hidden underneath strands of sweaty hair. Inside his mind Luckas was screaming, he was shouting so many obscenities at once he could barely make out his own thoughts, he was screaming so loud his ears were ringing, his head was filled by a sharp agonizing ache, but still as he spoke his voice was so soft it would’ve gone unheard hadn’t their surroundings been so silent. “And who are you to talk, Witch? Who the fuck do you think you are? Don’t pretend you ever cared how this would end, don’t pretend you ever really wanted to help me, you... You only kept me around because I was useful... You only gave a shit while you needed me for something... Just like everyone else... Just like everyone else... Well, you know what... In the end, I’m always the coward and the monster and the fool, because, guess what; you can’t fix me, you never could... No one can... This... THIS... Is who I am. No amount of hell can change the facts.” Luke’s voice sounded soft still, but he was far from calm; he felt as though he was drowning and burning all at once, the fire spreading painfully to every part of his body, the pain so intense he barely felt himself move, raising the sword and rushing towards the woman standing before him, slashing blindly without as much as caring if the blade hit steel or flesh. All he wanted was for this to end, he didn’t care how. “Is this what you wanted!? IS IT!? THIS IS THE LAST TIME I DO ANYTHING YOU SAY! I’M DONE... LISTENING TO YOU... I’M DONE... I DON’T OWE YOU ANYTHING ANYMORE!”
To say that Essence was surprised, was an understatement. She hid it well, responding with a wide sneer and heckling laughter, her mind racing to understand the bits she was absorbing. Not knowing too much on Luckas’ and Lena’s arrangement, she had looked upon it as a mutual agreement, even if the terms were not completely known to her. Luckas’ words slowly began to sink into her and in some ways cutting deeper than expected. It didn’t matter if it was or not directly targeted at her. It didn’t matter if she herself had or had not treated Luckas as such because in that moment she began to understand a bit more that lurked inside her friend. It was something she was quite familiar with herself. Ess had actually paused, momentarily distracted on Luckas’ words when he attacked. ’Stupid.’ Essence thought to herself as she just avoided a sword to the face, yet it sliced through a few inches of her ponytail; the black loc falling into the grass, changing back to a burgundy curl. It was in the next few moments that would prove to her just how much Luckas was absorbing in their training realizing even some things she was sure she had never taught him.
Ess was trying to focus on the wonderful progress that was unraveling before her, starting to actually struggle against some of her friend’s advances. At one point their swords locked, each of them pushing against the other, trying to throw one another off balance. “Spare me, Boy...like your only reason for sticking around me was to get something out of it...even if the choice wasn’t all yours. Who says I am trying to fix you?” Shaking a few strands of hair from her eyes, Ess purposely locked hers with Luckas’, a sudden brilliant flash of violet enveloping her stare, giving herself away but her features of Lena remaining. The mini stand off was shattered, when she moved to stand down first, Luckas’ sword grinding down along her blade and slicing her forearm. Ess simply smiled, her gaze darkening. “For the record.” The woman muttered in her own tone. “I thought I was doing you a favor by not going easy on you, no?” Again she moved as if to back off but instead lept forward, knocking Luckas’ sword so it was parallel with his body, and headbutted him square between the eyes. Fluid and easy her next steps were as she brought down his wrist still holding his weapon, against her raised knee, quickly knocking it to the ground and raising her own up to his throat as if she meant to run it clear across his flesh. Ess spoke with hints of anger in her voice, as if she were giving a warning, “For the record...I am not EVERYONE else...and-”
Without warning Ess was brought to her knees as something knocked out her footing. Amusement crossed her features as they melted back to hers when she let go of the illusion, finding a black furball tightly latched to her ankle, growling dangerously up at her. To Ess’ delight, Stalker had finally managed to break or dig out of his personal prison to join the session. The wolf looked slightly confused when her features changed and relaxed his jaw a bit, sniffing at her curiously. “Good boy..” Essence whispered, releasing the sword and uttering a command in unison: “Disarm.” Stalker released Ess’ foot and cocked his head in a confused daze, his growl fading to a soft whine. It was going to take some time for him to understand but Ess was still very proud of the wolf. Gently pressing her wrist against his snout she forced his mouth to open and placed her wrist inside and repeated the command again before pulling back her arm. “Good boy.”
Luckas didn’t seem to mind the fact he had lost his sword so much, as soon as it slipped out of his hand he simply stood, only barely feeling the ache where he’d been struck in the forehead, his expression was blank for the most part as he stared at Ess, watching as Stalker growled biting at her ankle. Some amusement momentarily crossed his features as the scene reminded him vaguely of the time Tala bit him; a mix of honest surprise and gratitude momentarily breaking through his rage, his eyes softening only a bit as he looked at the pup, before his expression shut down to a completely vacant and emotionless one. Slowly Luckas started to move, picking the fallen sword from the ground and turning to walk away without another word, stopping a few steps away and sinking the blade into the dirt before resuming his walk.
Essence remained where she knelt, watching Luckas curiously in his silence before he turned to walk away. Her first reaction was annoyance but she held back, fists clenching slightly as she thought about it some more, her gaze softening finally. As Stalker moved to follow Luckas as he left, Ess reached for her forearm, making sure to put pressure on the wound. It didn’t hit a vein but it was deep enough and worth more of her attention actually than the wolf bite on her ankle. “Luckas...You did very well...Luckas...” She called after him. When he was almost out of sight she yelled after him, “I’m really getting use to watching you walk away! I bet I could pick you out of a crowd from your backside only!” Ess grunted, letting Luke disappear and went about tending to her wounds mumbling a bit to herself. “Can dish it out but can’t take it...pffft..”
Luckas wasn’t sure how long he had walked for exactly, only that he didn’t stop until it felt like hours had passed. In reality it might have only been a few minutes, he couldn’t really tell. He was aware that it was probably not fair of him to be this angry, all things considered, but he couldn’t really help it and it was just better to walk away and sit someplace quiet until it passed than to stick around and risk shouting out all of the unpleasant things going through his mind. Finding a quiet spot not too far from one of the main paths of the camp, Luckas sat by a tree, not seeming at all surprised to see Stalker jump out from one of the nearby bushes and run to pounce onto his lap with a tiny growl, biting down and persistently tugging on the cuff of his shirt in an invitation to play, eventually letting out a disappointed whine when Luckas didn’t react to his advances, nudging at his hands with his nose as if saying he’d settle for some pats and scritches instead. Luckas ignored the pup’s advances for a few more moments, lost in his thoughts, before finally giving in and idly running his fingers along the back of the wolf’s neck in a soothing manner. “Bad... Wolf...” He mumbled under his breath, amusement crossing his eyes as Stalker began to settle down, stretching across his legs and letting out a long yawn as if ready to take a nap.
“Not so fun on the other side, is it?” A voice called from the trees just beyond Luckas’ line of sight; not that he needed to see in order to know it was Jake.
“You speak as if this was my first time on the ‘other side’... Or my worst... Maybe that seems terrifying to someone like you, but me... That’s where I go to unwind... Jakey-Bear.”
“Oh, so that was you unwinding? My bad, I seemed to have mistaken it for a rage fit.” Jake chuckled, stepping out of his hiding and leaning casually against a tree opposite Luckas. “I still think she was a tad bit soft on you, Lukey, but then that’s also why my involvement in these little games of yours needs to be somewhat... Limited, right?”
“You were a lousy consultant, Jakey... Lena would have never uttered the words ‘my nephew’ to me, she would have mentioned you by name. You left that detail out, because that’s one of the many, many, things you hated about that woman... But she’s dead now, so you can’t admit to that.”
Jake snickered. “Oh, no... I forgave her... Didn’t even occur to me to mention, really. That is one unresolved issue I don’t have, pal. I hated Lena, a lot, and for some things I was right to hate her, but I did truly let it all go when she died. See, I don’t have the emotional range of a potted plant, so I was able to understand and accept some things.” He shrugged dismissively, letting his gaze wander around the tree branches over his head as if he was bored. “...But hey, shouting like a maniac and storming off are good substitutes for facing your demons and accepting them... Keep up the good work.”
“Fuck you.” Luckas muttered out, the aggressiveness in his words seeming to bring Stalker to attention as the pup lifted his head and barked in Jake’s direction in a perfect imitation of Luke’s gesture.
“Did I hit a nerve, Lukey?” Jake chuckled. “Are you going to try and stab me now too? Because that would be fantastic.”
“Don’t...” Luckas stopped himself to take a moment to breathe before he continued. “Don’t call me that.”
Jake arched an eyebrow, his expression filled with amusement as he stared down at Luckas in visibly fake confusion. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
“You fucking heard me... DON’T call me that.” Luckas repeated, nudging Stalker from his lap and standing up. “Twins help you if I have to say it again.”
Jake blinked a couple of times as if trying to process what he was hearing, and then broke into a fit of mocking laughter. “Oh, my... The irony!” He exclaimed, choking in his laughter.
“Piss off.” Luckas muttered. “I mean it...”
“I don’t know, Luckas... You don’t sound like you mean it...”
“Don’t you have some Wolves to annoy, hm? A redhead to chase? Whatever else you do in your spare time? I’m really not in the mood for your crap right now. So yeah, I mean it; Piss. The hell. Off.”
Jake opened his mouth to answer but whatever he was going to say was completely lost to him the moment he felt something warm soaking his pants causing him to wince and look down to see that Stalker was casually taking care of his business at his feet. “Oh, come on!” He muttered. “Really!?”
Stalker huffed in Jake’s direction as he finished before casually trotting his way to sit next to Luckas, looking up at him as if expecting praise. Luckas held back his laughter and gave the pup a visibly forced scowl and mumbled amongst escaping chuckles. “Stalker... No... Bad... Bad puppy...”
Jake shook his head seeming unsure of whether to laugh or be angry so he walked away in silence in the direction of his tent mumbling about his ruined pants. As soon as the man was out of hearing range Luckas fell into a small giggle fit, kneeling down to pet the wolf. “Served him right for being an asshole, right?” He chuckled.
Darren quirked a brow, glancing between both boxes, each brow alternating for each direction he looked. Motioning towards the right he pointed. “I think that would be a bit...much, Aiden..but then again it’s not just from you.”
“You think she won’t like them?” Aiden sighed, looking between the boxes.
“No...that’s not what I meant. She will like them. She likes..pretty things and I know you will get…Quite the reaction from her. I just think you should have stuck with the first one and let it be at that.”
“You think I should give up.” He stated simply, his voice flat.
“I...well…” Darren adjusted his hat, half covering his face before tipping it away from his eyes. “Honestly...I think you come on strong. I think you are just scaring her away.”
Aiden stared at the larger box for some time before shrugging. “She was just really prou-.”
“I know. I know you’re thinking behind it. You are trying to give her something that was lost. I’m just saying..it comes off strong..”
“But Deidre is the one who made it for her...Darren, you really think-?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters.”
“No..it doesn’t…” Darren smirked. “No offense Aiden...but I think I know my mother better than you do..”
Six Months Ago...Raven’s Nest
Darren was rolling several small pieces of parchment together and tying it with twine to a Raven’s leg, whispering words of encouragement to the bird before releasing it. He chuckled at himself, watching the creature circle several times before flying off in the direction of the White Shadows. Now it was off to go wake up his Uncle Jakey.
-Annie-
I haven’t given myself too many moments to sit quietly and think for the past few days since I left. I returned to discover my Mother is still very much alive and here, taken under the Captain’s wing. She was someone I had met at the Ball...someone Jake knew as a child...the same redhead I saw flash behind my eyes when I encountered a dark eyed stranger in the wilderness. Luckas. It was like a fabled creature one would be unsure of if it was mischievous and curious or if it was hell bent on something more sinister. It was just the way he hid in the shadows and I couldn’t be sure if he was following me. Turns out, he is someone very special to my Mother. I’m afraid for her, truthfully. He seems like a complicated fellow but I kind of like the guy.
Words will not express my utter despair and joy that is swirling beneath my feet. She is beautiful, strong, and wise except when she looks inwardly. She tries to so hard to not hide herself, but I guess that is not easy when that was all she ever knew for so long. She almost reminds me...when I look into her eyes, of something fragile that was shattered to pieces more than once and somehow pieced back together. The atrocities she has endured because of those people...because of my Father..I am heartbroken. I have never been one to hate. I have never wanted to kill someone so bad in my life..and It scares me. I don’t want my Mother to have to see my Father ever again. He twisted her mind so far, I don’t know if she could handle the encounter. I want to protect her, to take this burden from her. I told her that every woman deserves a man who makes her forget her heart was ever broken and that if she feels that way around Luckas then she can’t hide from it. She just hugged me and said when she looks into my eyes, I help her forget the pain. Nice dodge Mom. She just deserves so much and yet I see her spiraling down a dark path. Maybe it’s unfair of me. She’s not all dark and dreary. Her smile is contagious and so is her laugh. It’s crazy how much she secretly fears everyone around her, but they are drawn to her like a moth to the flame. It’s true. You meet her and you can’t help but love her and want to protect her.
-D-
Present Time
“Darren?”
The boy blinked. “What? Sorry.”
“Again?” Aiden snickered.
“What? No..well yea...but no I was just thinking about..”
“..Something besides the leader of the White Shadows?”
“Aiden, you said Deidre was apart of the last scouting party that went out. You mentioned her being upset..you were as well about your friend..What happened?” Darren placed a hand on the man’s shoulder for a moment before pulling back respectively.”
“...the place was rigged with traps. It was...an unfortunate lapse of his attention to his surroundings.”
“Aiden..Do I look like the Captain? I didn’t ask for a report..”
“He was ripped in half...ok?” Aiden scowled. “ He just...something exploded..so she said. They of course...no one from the wagon escaped but from what I hear..the Captain only got...a few things, minor useful things..out of them. Well besides the wagon full of explosives. We think they were meant for Newhaven.”
“But nothing..else?” Darren swallowed, remembering the cages and human remains discovered at the abandoned camp.
“...Thankfully...no...but at the same time…”
“Captain believes there are more wagons…and that my Father messed up. He messed up bad. We are hoping…”
“That it will start a cascade effect.” Aiden finished. “..You and I are going out with the next rotation.”
“I hope we find something...soon…But...Aiden…? What did the Captain do with all those explosives?”
Aiden snickered and shook his head. “You know I don’t know that...for sure...just that they are being dispersed...appropriately.”
Six Months Ago...Raven’s Nest
Essence couldn’t have been asleep more than an hour when she stirred, her form slowly rising to a sit up position. Her face was covered by massive amounts of thick curls, her head drooping forward along with her shoulders making her appear she would lay back down along her pile of pillows. Crawling out of her blanket, she rolled to her right onto her knees so that she was positioned quite close to Luckas, her head gradually turning from left to right in a continuous searching motion only to pause and move in the opposite direction. Violet eyes peeked out past her curls in tiny slits, dull and almost faded in color like the green gown she’d always wear for bed. They appeared worn and distant. In one fluid motion she rose to her feet with such ease, someone might as well have picked her up in the effortless way she moved. Yet, when she stood her form swayed slightly as she stepped outside of her tent and began circling both her tent and the Oak it was positioned against. From her side, steady along with each step, Tala heeled, whining softly up at her. The wolf tried several times to use her snout to deter Ess from her path, trying to lead her back into the tent, but Ess always spun as if she were dancing, still lost in her trance like search.
The familiar brown fog rolled in, thicker this time, so much that Ess felt almost suffocated until a warm breeze brushed across her face. Stepping forward, her eyes narrowed as she tried to see through the fog, searching all around her until the distant giggles reached her ears and began to follow blindly ahead. “Jakey, I’m going to find you..I always do. Can’t we play another game?” Ess spoke not even very loud, but her voice echoed and rolled as the fog parted and there before her stood the great oak. She didn’t see the boy standing at her left, but merely felt he was there and turned, unsurprised to see those sweet blue eyes smiling up at her. As before, when he spoke, the voice did not match the visage of the small boy, but mimicked that of the adult version. “Ess, stay back. You can’t stop it. You can’t change what you know will happen.” The boy’s smile faded, his hand finding hers and giving a firm squeeze, he leaned back in an attempt to lead Ess away. Instead, Ess lead the boy forward, tightening her grip on his hand as well, not wanting to let him go. He didn’t struggle, only sighed as he kept in step at her side.
Luckas woke up when he felt movement, mentally protesting a bit as he realized it hadn’t been very long since he’d fallen asleep, only opening his eyes when he noticed that he wasn’t hearing the usual sounds of the woman and wolf breathing in their sleep. He sat up with his sight still a bit blurry and confirmed that he was in fact alone inside the tent. “Lady?” He mumbled, scratching his head a bit in confusion before letting out an annoyed sigh and making his way out of the tent.
The Nest was always just quiet enough at night to be peaceful, it almost created the illusion of vulnerability, when in reality the place was nothing but. In that silence it wasn’t difficult to hear the sounds of a woman walking and the occasional whines of a wolf following her closely. Even if he couldn’t, Ess hadn’t wandered very far, although she seemed to him as if she was wandering around aimlessly. Luckas tilted his head to face her as he stood watching for a moment before following after her as well.
After another lap around the oak, Ess paused, her eyes closing a moment before she knelt down to Tala’s level. Placing her hands upon the wolf’s shoulder blades along her back, she rested her head against Tala’s and smiled slightly before pulling away and standing back on her feet. Again her body swayed, the whites of her eyes appearing as her eyelids parted, turning around to face the tree.
Ess stopped when she saw the Oak, standing with a curious strength, the fog changing to smoke that swarmed and enveloped the mass before her. Protectively she pulled the boy behind her and let go of his hand. “Stay, Jakey...”
“No, Ess. You stay. Just let him burn...” The boy protested.
Ess turned around and knelt before the boy and pulled him into a gentle hug. “I won’t let either of you die, Jake.” She whispered before standing and turning back just as the flames started to spread. The figure wasn’t clear at first, trapped against the tree; a shadow with glowing, grey eyes staring back at her.
Ess was on the move again, this time circling the fire pit in front of her tent, the flames settled and soft which gave the appearance they were dying. This time when she stopped, her eyes widened, still dull and lifeless except for the reflection of light dancing in her pupils.
Luckas was watching Ess at first with a mix of curiosity and amusement. It was somewhat clear that she wasn’t seeing a thing of her surroundings, even though she seemed to be seeing something, once realizing that it wasn’t hard to reach the conclusion that the woman was dreaming; sleepwalking. Luckas had heard before that one should never wake a sleepwalker, and at this point he wish he had bothered to ask a healer if that was actually a fact or not. He wasn’t sure if it was best to try and wake the woman or just let her wander and try to keep her out of trouble. He didn’t have to think much on that fact however; the decision pretty much made itself when Ess started heading towards the lit fire.
“Lady, Lady, Lady...” Luckas started calling after her as he followed, trying to get her attention, but still a bit reluctant to just grab her and shake her awake.
“Ess, Ess, Ess...” The boy called, grabbing her hand once again. “What are you doing?”
Essence shook the hand loose and snarled. “Stop it. My life is not your decision, Jake. Every time I come here, you tell me the same thing over and over: The hardest ones to love, are the ones who need it the most. And now you want me to just turn my back?” The woman pushed at the boy and ran forward towards the Oak, feeling the warmth of the flames around her feet as she worked to free the figure before her. The shadow faded as the fire grew hotter, her eyes focusing on Jake’s blue eyes as the darkness appeared by his side, slowly coming into focus. Ess managed a smile through the fear that crept inside and it wasn’t for the victory in her stubbornness or the fact that she was indeed sacrificing herself for something she cared deeply for; it was for the very aspect of the dream she was able to change, however slight.
Tala growled, leaping forward she bit into Ess’ hand, trying to pull her back. Essence simply growled back as if she were mocking the wolf, and pried the mouth off her hand, revealing minor teeth marks and a bit of blood. Ess wasn’t even fazed, instead stepping up onto the short rock wall that bordered the flames, one foot after another forward into the fire.
Luckas groaned as his attempts to get Ess’ attention failed and even Tala’s efforts didn’t even seem to faze her. He didn’t have much left to do but one thing, and he didn’t waste much more time with thinking about whether it was a smart thing to do; he grabbed Ess by the waist and used all his weight to pull her away from the fire pit. “Come on Lady, this is not how you play with fire... Wake up! Wake up.”
A perfect overlap of illusion and reality; dream and awake melded together as the figure focused in her mind. She awoke staring into those same eyes, the grey darkening to their proverbial black as her own brightened into their traditional, violet glow. Pure bewilderment entranced her gaze, her hands finding Luckas’ arms around her waist and naturally left them resting there. Ess’ thoughts were of her dream and who she had saved from the fire and as she looked away from Luckas to take in her surroundings, an ironic laugh awkwardly resounded at her friend. Who was saving who? As it dawned on her, her lips parted in a luscious smile. This awkwardness was nothing like when Aiden had picked her up into his arms; she didn’t want him that close. Luckas, on the other hand was different entirely. “Why is it, whenever fire is the subject of interest, you are somehow involved?” She whispered faintly.
Luckas sighed somewhat relieved, but not in one bit amused by the whole situation; an annoyed expression on his face as he stared at Ess, still holding onto her as if to make sure she wasn’t wandering off again. “What’s so funny, Lady? If this is your idea of a joke, I’ll have you know I’m not very amused. In fact this is the less amused I’ve been around fire ever.” Raising an eyebrow curiously he added. “And if this is not a joke, then... What was it?” He asked, looking around as if trying to find some explanation lurking around.
Ess’ smile was thoughtful as she spoke, whispering into Luckas’ ear. “Irony...is what I find so amusing, my Dear Luckas. The irony of my nightmare; the irony on how I could almost control the entirety; the irony of how this was another example of how my dreams are coming to a reality.” She paused quirking a brow. “..At least in a way...but I wonder If I still am dreaming, and if I am, I think I’d like to hold onto it for just a little while longer.” Ess carried a certain kind of charm in her words, almost a tantalizing, teasing sweetness as she pushed to avoid exactly what had just occurred. She did all she could to hide her embarrassment, instead shying her gaze away coyly. “Besides, if this is what I need to do to be this close to you, then maybe I should go back to sleep.” Ess giggled, her fingers gingerly squeezing Luckas’ arm.
Luckas winced internally as he became very aware of how he’d been clinging to Ess as if she would vanish otherwise, but outwardly he just nodded his head slightly, pushing his annoyance with himself and the whole situation out of the way the best he could. “Remember that I said it’s not true that you can’t die in your dreams, Lady? That’s certainly not amusing.” He mumbled, pulling her a couple of more steps away from the fire pit before releasing his hold on her waist. “Besides... You are already closer than anyone else. There’s no need to jump into any fires now.” He added; a playful smirk breaking through his seriousness as he spoke. “So what was about this nightmare that you found so ironic exactly?” He asked casually, reaching for her hand; the one Tala had bitten, and raising it to eye level to check on it. “You should wash this bite, you know... Not that it is serious, but enough to break skin...” He pondered, brushing off a bit of blood with his thumb and giving a light shrug.
A shiver traveled from her waist and along her arms when Luckas moved away. Forcing herself to hold onto her sweet smile, it barely faltering, her mind focused on the chill upon her skin from where it was warm a moment ago. “I’m always happy for the reminder that my death would not be very amusing, Luckas. It wasn’t meant to be...”Her tone softened just below a whisper as she listened to Luckas speak. “I always remember what you say..” Still she smiled as her eyes flickered from her friend’s eyes to her hand, unaware until that moment that she was bleeding and that the skin felt slightly itchy; surprisingly she wasn’t in any pain. “Huh...Did you bite me to wake me up, Luckas?” She teased, purposely skipping over his question on her nightmare. Ess instead thinking long and hard if she wanted to answer and how exactly to answer, unsure exactly of what it all meant. The silver lining of her irises flashed as she muttered a bit of her answer. “...Each time I witness the dream, another irony is realized; something comes true; my subconscious forces me to realize what I thought was buried beneath the fear.”
Luckas stared at Ess with an eyebrow raised curiously. “Did I bite you? Of course not, Lady. If I was to bite you I’d make sure you’re awake...” He snickered. “I definitely would not bite your hand.” He added playfully, with a little grin. “No, this was Tala’s doing. She was very concerned for you as well.” He let his gaze wander from the oak tree to the fire pit and then back to Ess as he heaved a small sigh. “The dream with the burning tree again?” He asked; a subtle look of concern in his eyes as he recalled the bits and pieces he’d picked of the dream on previous occasions. “But you have not... Gotten out of bed like this before, have you?” He frowned slightly, going into thought for a moment, opening his mouth as if to speak again, but changing his mind. After a moment of silence he looked at her hand again and gave a half smile. “Do you have clean bandages or am I going to have to go steal from the medics?” He chuckled. “Or I could tear a piece of my shirt for bandages, I’ve seen guys do that and it always looks somewhat heroic... Although, this is my only shirt at the moment.”
Ess lips came together in a comical, pouty pose; the look of disappointment in her eyes was unclear if it was honest and true or a harmless jest. Her eyebrows rose curiously, still holding her pouty look, “Ooh? I wonder what I would have to do to get bitten then..” She pondered, not really expecting an answer. Turning her gaze downward, she retracted her hand from Luckas and let Tala sniff at the minor wounds, her smile returning. “Good girl, as always..” Ess giggled when the wolf began to lap at her hand in a careful, nurturing manner. Nodding to Luckas’ question about the burning oak, she sighed. “What does an Oak tree represent, Luckas?” Glancing back up she continued, “Strength...and what does it mean to me? It reminds me of innocence, as well as strength and how it all began with something so small it almost went unnoticed before one day surprising the world with it’s magnificence.” She looked back down at the wolf, her other hand gently patting the wolf along her snout. “And...in my dream...the tree doesn’t burn. It attracts me, calls to me more and more now and in the beginning the boy was faceless. Now, the boy is revealed to be Jake, as I remember him...with a...” Ess shrugged, “Minor difference....and the figure who I always work to save, has also always been faceless...” Ess trailed off, thinking Until tonight. “Looks like, at the same time I was protecting this shadow of mine, you were protecting me. Another example of the Irony I speak of.” She finished, not quite mentioning the figure had been Luckas, but not denying it either. Ess also kept to herself, the familiar repetitive message that was always spoken in those dreams, afraid of coming off as foolish or maybe seeing things that aren’t really there. Wouldn’t be the first time. “..And no, My Dear Luckas...I’ve not acted out my dreams, per se before...although...” Ess sighed, “I have been sleep walking...ending up in the most random places.”
Tilting her head to the side, Ess held back a laugh, the dimples at her cheeks appearing like tiny pits when her smile broadened. Looking around, as if lost she shrugged, “Medics have the supplies, if you really feel it’s necessary..” Pulling her hand back from the wolf’s nursing, she snickered causing herself to cough in her amusement. “Heroic huh? You secretly want to be my hero now or just a case to case basis?” Essence turned, sending a sly wink in Luckas’ direction.
“Hmm...” Luckas mumbled as he listened to Ess speak of her dream, he could almost swear some words of her story were spoken only inside her mind and he almost wished it was within his abilities to listen in, but he didn’t ask any more questions. “Ironic indeed...” He scratched the back of his head, giving her a curious look as she mentioned having walked in her sleep before, not seeming all too glad to hear that. “I can’t always be here to rescue you, Lady... May I suggest you tie yourself to the oak or something? Just in case?” He played, smiling although his concern was genuine; he really couldn’t be there at all times, although he couldn’t deny that he’d very much like to. “Good girl, Tala.” He whispered under his breath, glancing down at the wolf with an appreciative smile. “I’ll go get those bandages then, Lady... Be back in a minute.” He said, turning to walk away, but stopping to answer her final question. “And it’s not really my intention to be a hero or a Knight-in-shining-armor in any way, Lady. I’m not cut out for that kind of stuff... I’m much more comfortable with just being your shadow. If that’s alright with you.” He smiled over his shoulder as he started to wander off to snatch some supplies.
Essence doubled over in a fit of giggles, “Oooh..first it’s biting..now it’s tying me up?” Smiling she shrugged, standing back up straight so that her curls bounced along her shoulders, cascading down her back. “Not sure if tying me up will actually work..or how i’d do it myself..” She muttered knowingly, rolling her eyes. As Luckas wandered off in search of medical supplies, Ess’ smile widened so far she thought her face would crack, noting the way Luckas mentioned he’d rather be her shadow. “Smarter than you let on...” She breathed quietly to herself. Resting her hand along her chest, beside her heart, she glanced down at her tattoo and then back over at the Oak to the spot Luckas was usually found. Violet eyes burned, sparkling deep in thought, “My...shadow...”
A Few Days later…
“Psst....Aiden...you awake?” She whispered, a bit of urgency and childish excitement in her voice that squeaked when she remembered she was trying not to wake the others. A tired groan suddenly sounded like the loudest thing ever especially when the air was oddly silent; not even the sounds of insects echoing in dawns light.
“Ess..?” Aiden rubbed at his eyes and slowly sat up, quirking a brow at the woman’s wide smile masking a look of worry that laid beneath her eyes. “What’s wrong?...Wha..?”
Ess covered Aiden’s mouth with her hand which brought him to silence. “It’s time...get your stuff..” The redhead stood, turned and walked back out of the cabin without mentioning what she meant exactly but by Aiden’s hurried footsteps it was obvious he knew. Tala had begun a difficult labor early on in the night and something seemed off in the struggle the wolf was having with the first whelp and many still to come. With the wolf’s age, Ess had been afraid for her furry friend and was doing all she could not to think about it so not to add more stress to Tala’s situation.
The kennel Aiden had built was quite large with a separate, dry bedded area of hay, sheltered for weather accompanied by an enclosed grassy area of three or four yards, fenced in with a gated door that was now open. Shaded beneath the foliage, it was almost hidden and made to look like a den, to which Tala seemed to find instant comfort. Puppy was unusually protective of the den and even though was a gentle and patient soul most times, actually bared his teeth when Ess and Aiden approached. The Beast Speaker lowered his head in a submissive gesture, kneeling until he was actually on his side. Puppy nudged Aiden with a sort of approval before the man stood once again, moving to Tala. Others in the camp were stirring now, curious to the sudden excitement during the night, but Puppy wouldn’t let anyone else besides maybe the Captain, get close.
Tala’s belly seized and shivered amidst her heaving panting as more time passed, Aiden working feverishly to ensure Tala’s comfort and attempting to help breech the first welp. It felt like forever but when the first pup escaped it’s confines, Tala was a natural, brushing Aiden aside to cut the umbilical cord and tear the amniotic sac. Furiously she worked to clean the pup off but was soon accompanied by another and then another. Ess and Aiden had no choice but to jump in and assist, desperate to protect each one, cleaning them off enough so that Tala could finish after each one was freed from their tiny prisons.
“One...three...” Ess began counting as she stared at the freckled array of colored pups appearing before her; Tala helping the blind and deaf children to their first meal. Most latched on for milk with no further assistance but there were two who seemed to struggle. One, the last to be born; the runt, was a deep, sheer black. The other was grey with white trim around it’s paws and along it’s belly. At first they fell upon one another trying to find their mother’s milk and as the black one finally latched on, the other slowed and grew quiet.
“Seven....seven pups....My, My Tala you do have your hands full.” Aiden beamed, washing his hands in a basin of water. Tala looked at the immobile pup and began lapping at the tiny body and Aiden grew quiet, a saddened cloudiness taking over his eyes.
“..Six....” Ess whispered softly, slowly reaching for the pup. It wasn’t breathing and even though they tried all they could for the little soul, he was already too far gone. The soft grunts and squeals similar to a pig were drowned out by Tala’s mournful whine. She stared at Ess who was still holding her cub. Something passed between the two in an unspoken understanding, the wolf clearly feeling sorrow for the loss but quickly turning back to tend to her other cubs.
“I’m going to bury him..” Ess sighed, wiping a few tears. It didn’t take long of course to dig a hole big enough for the tiny creature, which she did just beneath her Oak tree. Another silent prayer and the act was done. Six cubs survived, which was better than anyone could expect but something changed in Tala’s eyes. Most didn’t notice it, except those who knew the feeling of losing a child. Some didn’t think the wolf would really notice or remember. She’s just an animal.. They whispered but never did they dare do so around Aiden because he knew different and so did Ess. It did matter and she did remember, but life goes on..
~~~
Two weeks passed so quickly, Essence spending so much of her time with Tala and the pups that she was there when they first opened their eyes.
“They will all have blue eyes at first but most will change as time passes.” Aiden had explained to her one day as Ess sat beside the tiny grave now scattered with budding Irises. As time went on and the pups were able to see and hear, they were quickly becoming harder to keep up with. Thank goodness for the children who never tired of following the pups around as they stumbled and rolled on all fours. They were surprisingly agile and a bit larger than expected by the time a month went by.
When the pups reached two months old, Aiden swore they looked the size of three months. They had also managed to meet everyone in the camp who in turn always kept an eye out to ensure they didn’t leave the perimeter. There was the biggest of the lot, a male, who resembled a tiny brown bear, with golden brown eyes. The largest female was all white with one blue eye and one golden. Then there was the one that most resembled Puppy; a male with pointed ears and a longer snout and reddish, rust, grey-like fur, but with Tala’s sapphire blue eyes. The second female was splattered with whites, browns, and blacks so that her face took on the appearance of wearing a mask; leaving white around the snout and mouth and piercing yellow/golden eyes. The third male with slate grey fur, frosted blackish ends, had the appearance of a thick mane, giving the illusion he was as large as his older brother. There was no ignoring the calculated, golden-amber stare that followed any who would cross it’s path. Finally, there was the smallest but still quite large, male of the pack. The runt. He was black as night and leaner than the others but still just as strong if not quicker. Ess couldn’t help but love the deep browns of his eyes and his annoying, persistent curiosity for all things.
Both the black and bear-like cubs were probably her favorites, if one could get her to admit to such. They were also the best of pals as they were always wrestling and sleeping together. It was poetic to Ess because it appeared that the strongest and the weakest of the pack were equals and ignored all ranks and thus were stronger together. They tended to sneak up on the others and pounce the females but the white one would always get the best of them in the end. She was stubborn and a force to be reckoned with when ticked off. One day she chased her pesky brothers into their den where they refused to leave until next sunrise. The masked female was more carefree and she didn’t bother with her brothers most days but spent more time tackling their mother with a determined need for attention. The other two males; the rust colored and the dark grey one, were mostly fascinated with the company of the Guard and it’s Captain. If they weren’t constantly trying to partake in the training spars, there were sideline, barking and howling mockeries at the losers. Most times if Ess needed to find them, they were either hanging out with the children or wrestling with Puppy. Some days it was a wonder who was babysitting who.
With the pack eating solid foods already and their ever budding curiosities, Ess felt it wasn’t too early to start training the little fluffballs. Besides, they were already making it quite obvious who was who in hierarchy within their ranks, even if only in ‘title’ as they all played together as equals. Not to mention how they were already accompanying Tala and Ess on hunts, even if they were still too young to hunt themselves. The intelligence was awe inspiring and the possibilities were endless of what kind of wolves these cubs would become.
“Why does Luckas get a furry friend? Can I have one too?” Darren had playfully complained to Ess one morning while rolling around with a few of the pups, letting one attach to his ear and tug on it hard. “Ow! No you can’t drag me..” He laughed.
Essence chuckled. “It doesn’t work like that, exactly. If one chooses you and you are ready to take on the responsibility, then yes. You have my blessing.” Quietly she stared at the small spectacle and smiled at the little wolf cub, thinking the mischievous girl drew a bit of blood on Darren. “Maybe you’ve already been claimed by our little masked crusader right there.” She partially joked, laughing again when the cub stared between them and began barking in this high pitched noise, as if she were chirping like a bird. Spinning a circles a few times she dashed over to the Oak, bounced off the trunk and leapt on top of Darren to land clumsily against his chest. Darren groaned, taking a sharp breath. She had taken the wind right out of him.
“She does that a lot.” Darren mumbled sitting up.
“What, kick your ass?” Ess laughed hard.
Darren scowled trying to hold back a laugh. “No...well yes...but no that’s not what I meant. She seems to sing or talk quite a bit I’ve noticed. Reminds me of a songbird..which I guess is weird because she’s not a bird..she’s a wolf. Aren’t you fluffball?”
The pup adjusted herself when Darren sat up, placing her paws on his shoulders, her cold nose pressed against his in silent understanding before covering his face in kisses.
“Oh, now you’re quiet.” He complained, ruffling up the pups fur. “You need a name besides masked crusader. Mom apparently can’t figure out what to name all of you..”
“What’s wrong with my name for her?” Ess teased, the pup turning to bark up at her in protest. “Ok ok..So give her a name then. You can take her with you when you go to sleep. Bond with her some more and maybe she’ll follow you around like Stalker does Luckas.”
“..Stalker….really?” Darren quirked a brow at the choice of name. “Guess it makes sense…” He paused, scooping up the pup into his arms and nuzzled the furry face. “How..about Sora..” He looked back up at his Mother. “It means songbird.”
Essence leaned over her son and kissed the top of his head. “I think it’s perfect..”
Darren smiled, staring thoughtfully at Sora for a moment before turning back to Essence. “Mom...when do they start to howl?”
Ess kneeled beside Darren, several of the pups rolling around in play still. “Well...Sora here already does howl. We were doing it together yesterday. Watch..” Ess whispered, leaning into the pup as she began to howl softly at her. Sora sat back on her haunches, tilting her head curiously, her ears flopping a bit in her curiosity, front paws tap dancing in the dirt in excitement.
Darren laughed, joining in with Essence and Sora responded by tilting back her little head and letting out the tiniest, squeakiest howl that went on for almost a minute. Darren and Ess stopped their chorus to chuckle, a couple of the other wolves pausing in their play to stare curiously at them. Tala stood up, wagging her tail a moment at Ess expectantly and the woman nodded. “Sound the alarm Tala…”
Tala began her beautiful, mournful howl soon followed by Sora which lasted a few moments before the other pups attempted themselves. Ess and Darren sat for the longest time in silence, as if hypnotized and didn’t even notice Aiden and a few others from the camp that had hurried over in haste at Tala’s call. Once they saw the pack ‘singing’ together, they also sat and stared until their chorus ended. All except two of the females: A white puffball and Sora, who continued to sing an enchanting tale known only to them. Well and maybe Aiden.
~~~~~
About A Month Later..
“Jemma...I’m so sorry...” She whispered, wandering in the direction of the river, further from Luckas but closer to camp. Keeping her head low, she kept her eyes towards the ground as she passed a few people, happy that they barely paused to notice her presence. At first, that is. Ess was so focused on the memory of her friend she didn’t pay much attention to where she was going and actually looped through and around the heart of the camp twice before she was noticed and someone spoke up.
“..Uh, Sweetie...you alright?” A man’s voice asked. Ess ignored the question, oblivious it was even directed at her. ‘Sweetie’ was definitely not a nickname she carried in the camp, so it had passed in one ear and out the other.
“...Hey...are you lost? You seem, lost..” Another voice rang, causing Ess to look up to search for perhaps someone that didn’t belong in camp, but recognized her fellow brothers and sisters of the Guard only. A look of confusion crossed her features but she pressed on, not giving it much thought otherwise. She felt tired, as was expected and she feared if she sat down she would indeed fall asleep. Since that was against sound advice, Ess kept on her feet, absently overhearing mumbles behind her.
“Who....where....Does the Captain know? Shouldn’t someone find out? You do it if you’re so concerned.” That was when she felt a hand rest upon her shoulder, instantly shrugging it off. Don’t touch me..” She muttered, turning to face Deidre, a concerning and sad smile crossing her lips.
“Hey there...something I can help you with, Darlin’?” The woman kindly asked. Gradually her eyes widened and her smile faded to a slacked jaw in a surprised shock when she locked eyes with Ess as she responded. “What is it Dee? Do I look like I need your help? What is everyone’s issue...” She groaned glancing around to notice a few others were standing around her, staring. “What do I have to do to be left alone!?” Essence snarled, turning to push between a couple guys so she could ‘escape’.
“Was that...?”
“I don’t know...”
“Should we get the Captain?”
“Captain is away right now...may not be that extreme...”
“Should I get Aid-”
“No...I wouldn’t....”
~~
“There’s no fish.” Irvin mumbled, an annoyed tone in his voice. “You want me to sit here like an idiot holding a stick, and there is no fish. You’re just messing with my head aren’t you?”
Jake chuckled in response and gave the boy a careless shrug. “Maybe. I already told you, you need to learn to be more patient... Whether you accomplish that by catching a fish or holding a stick like an idiot is actually pretty irrelevant. Pick one and make your peace with the task instead of whining about it.”
Irvin snorted in annoyance, but didn’t complain again, staring intently at the waters of the river as if wanting to see for himself. Jake watched him almost just as intently, but his behavior was much more relaxed than Irvin’s as he sat by the water. He had thought anyone would very much enjoy sitting by the river holding a stick after several days of just sparring, but it seemed the kid wasn’t convinced this was all there was to it. That was probably a good thing, some level of paranoia always proves useful in the end. When Irvin finally stopped huffing and muttering under his breath, Jake thought he heard sounds coming from the center of the camp, and he let his attention be caught by them. It wasn’t exactly a commotion, but more like a growing sense of confusion. “I’ll be right back... Stay here.” He told Irvin as he jumped to his feet and started to walk towards the camp. Upon reaching the center he caught bits and pieces of conversations here and there, attentions focused on this little blond girl who Jake had never seen around camp. The girl didn’t seem to be older than eight years old and at first Jake was, much like everyone else, wondering how she’d gotten there and if she was lost or in need of assistance, it was only after a few moments that he noticed how she seemed confused by people’s reactions, asking to be left alone, then he noticed her eyes and the scene immediately made sense to him... To a point at least. He did understand that Ess had changed and was unaware of it, but he didn’t understand why.
Jake remained standing where he was until he caught the attention of the woman who had been hanging around the blond child despite her annoyed protests and signaled her with a nod of his head, after which she proceeded to slowly push the rest of the Guard members back to their normal duties. As she did so, Jake made his way towards Ess and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, just firm enough to make clear he wasn’t going to let her brush him off, starting to walk her towards his camp as he spoke. “They’re confused because you don’t look like yourself right now, Ess.” He explained simply. “Why are you wandering around as a little girl? Is something wrong?” He didn’t ask who the girl was just yet, even if he was almost certain she was someone; the only times he’d seen Ess change without noticing, she changed into people she knew. For now he just planned to lead her somewhere quiet.
Instinctually Ess tried to shrug off the hand that was lightly gripping her shoulder, but only attempted it once, immediately recognizing her friend by auditory and visual confirmation. She lifted a brow at him, her curious look of confusion fading to one of disbelief, staring for a moment as if Jake was clearly joking. Ess let a minute or so pass before she responded, letting the words sink in. “I didn’t though...What?”
All around the camp there were buckets of water that hung from hooks outside of each cabin for the men and women during their work day and even a few scattered upon the ground for Puppy, Tala and their offspring as they roamed. Ess hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going, the tip of her foot colliding with a wooden bucket of water causing ripples to multiply and disappear below. Leaning towards the reflection her expression was not one of shock like someone may expect, instead her eyes softened and she kneeled down, gripping the edges of the bucket firmly as she focused on the image of her departed friend, Jemma; straight blond hair, sun kissed skin, a tiny button nose and even a few freckles along her cheeks. Slender fingers reached out towards the mirror image, skimming the surface of the water as she tried to grasp what was only an illusion and clearly not there. Ess forced a sad smile, reddish tears streaming down silently before she covered her face in her hands and standing to continue along with Jake. “I’m so sorry...” She whispered. “I let you die....over and over..again.....I let you die...So pretty...such a waste...” It wasn’t clear exactly if her words were directed at just the memory or the failed exercise as well but as she walked, all other sounds went silent and all she could hear was Jemma calling out her name. Ess’ hands snapped away from her face and over her ears, snarling in frustration, knowing she wasn’t really hearing her friend; at least she didn’t believe she was. It was almost like an echo.
“I called for him... .over and over....It didn’t matter that I knew he wouldn’t come...It didn’t matter that he was dead...I still called to him when Jasper....” Ess’ voice cracked through a heavy sob, fighting to catch a breath. “Da.....Daaa....” Ess whispered to herself, shaking a bit when she realized she was no longer in the center of camp near all those people. She turned away from Jake absently noting a rustle in the bushes a little ways off but fell back into her silence.
Jake was silent as he watched Ess as they walked, catching bits and pieces of her words, but not exactly making much sense of anything. He understood that girl was dead and he caught a mention of Jasper, which meant that this wasn’t something recent, but the man’s involvement was not in any way a good sign. Upon reaching his camp Jake went over to a bucket of water by his tent and got some into a metal cup. Ever since the days had started to get warmer Irvin had gotten into the habit of freezing the water solid in the morning, even though the ice melted quite quickly the water kept cool for a few hours still. He couldn’t deny it was a smart idea, but he had warned the kid that if word got around camp of what he could do he’d never be left alone, especially when summer came around. The still partially frosty water made the metal cup cold enough in Jake’s hands to make his fingers ache slightly, but he didn’t quite mind it and brought the water to Ess, pushing the cup onto her hands. “Here, drink.” He stated, watching his friend with concern in his eyes and wondering if it would be a good idea to try and get her to talk about whatever was troubling her. Words escaped him though, and before he could finish his thinking he was already asking questions. “Who are you? I mean, you know, who was she?” He paused for a moment as if trying to keep himself from speaking further, his next words coming out in a whisper, although they seemed somehow more audible. “Why are you sorry?”
Ess stared off, spacing out into the trees, not noticing the cup in her hand until the cold tingles began to spread along her fingertips. A subtle groan echoed from her, her free hand falling to her stomach as it twisted in another wave of nausea. Slowly she took a sip and then placed the cup down atop a rock, still not wanting to sit. “I didn’t forget what I was told...just don’t think I can keep anything down..right now...ok?” Ess muttered in defeat, resting her cooled fingers along the back of her neck, her eyes closing in response as it sent a pleasant feeling down her back. When Jake began his mini array of questions her eyes snapped back open, her gaze falling back to her feet. “Her name...was Jemma, Jacob. She was my best friend....my only friend...and she died because of me...” Ess quickly turned, hiding her face as a quick fit of dry heaves passed over her, more painful than the last but only because nothing came up. When she thought it was over she stood back up straight and sighed. “What happened to her...what happened to me...” She turned to face Jake, looking up at him warily. “I’d rather suffer through that a thousand times...if I knew it wouldn’t have been for ‘Nothing’.”
Jake sighed softly, holding back not to push Ess to continue sipping the water, she didn’t seem well to him at all, and he was starting to form suspicions in his head as to why that was... Why were these memories coming back to trouble her now all of a sudden? A small frown crossed his features but he willed it away as he nodded at her answers. “Look, I don’t have all the information here, but then I don’t I really need it to know that what happened to her, to you, was in no way your fault. It was their fault, you know that. No matter what anybody says, you were innocent, Ess.” Jake went silent for a moment or two before he started again with the questions, taking a seat on a log near his fire pit, eyes always fixed on his friend. “Why is this troubling you now? I mean, it’s been a long time, something must have happened to bring it up.” He didn’t ask what he really wanted to ask, he didn’t think he could do that in a non-confrontational way when he could see that Ess was clearly physically ill, instead he just waited to see what she would choose to tell him.
Again, Ess cradled her face in her hands, silent sobs shaking her. “It was my idea to escape..how could we escape? Stupid...Didn’t pay to have friends...” Gently she massaged both her temples, opening and closing her eyes to focus more on the water sitting idle before her than the memories still running rampant through her mind. Ess felt like she was still on repeat so she reached for the glass once again and forced down a few more sips of water. Heaving a sigh, she wiped at her tears accumulating along her jaw, simply nodding up at Jake as he spoke. “I know...I know...I feel like...I’m facing certain things..for the first time, Jacob...Do you understand? It’s because I failed and maybe I’ll get to try again..” She muttered, trying to explain to a point but her mind was still fuzzy so it didn’t come out quite clear. It was as if more than one thought was jumbled together when she spoke. That, and she felt like she shouldn’t tell Jake what she had been up to and that apprehension showed as she shyly looked away from her friend. Technically she really wasn’t suppose to talk about it. “You know...you remind me...of my father a bit, Jakey.” A sad smile appeared again as she thought how it wasn’t just similarities in appearance but also the mentality of her father and it was quite fitting if she was honest with herself; Jake being family and all, in a way. Ess was afraid slightly of hearing Jake’s disapproval and probably more. She didn’t think he’d listen. “I’ll be ok, Jakey....it’ll pass...Like most things tend to.”
Jake ran a hand through his hair, still watching Ess with concern although relieved to see her drink more of the water. He noticed how she didn’t really answer his questioning as to what had happened, but the hints were there, subtle but there. Jake frowned only slightly when she mentioned trying again, but his expression softened when she mentioned her father, the remark catching him a bit off guard. Jake stood, quietly making his way to Ess and wrapping one arm around her in a gentle embrace. “Alright now, brace yourself... I’m going to tell you a couple more things you probably already know...” He stated firmly. “Your friend, well, we don’t know how long she would have lived if you hadn’t befriended her, or suggested you try to escape, but we do know that in the time the two of you were friends, that girl had someone in her life who cared about her, someone to remind her that she mattered. If there’s something I’ve learned is that sometimes just not being alone is everything. Maybe having a longer life, without any support, in that place, would have been worse. I don’t know, but you shouldn’t blame yourself because it was simply an impossible situation.” He paused for a moment and then added with a small sigh. “Look, I know you’re up to something you’re not exactly telling me. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but just ask yourself if you really think it’s the best idea to let your overprotective little brother draw conclusions on his own... Especially if you plan on doing this again... You know me, whether I like it or not, I’ll always have your back.”
Ess sighed, leaning her head against Jake’s chest as he spoke. Closing her eyes she was so silent she could hear her friend’s heart beating. A familiar, sweet scent of burning pine mingled with smoked game, fresh herbs, and wild moss clung to Jake’s shirt and gradually anointed her curls. It was a gentle reminder of her own father, minus the herbs. Those who dabbled in poisons tend to smell of herbs, even more so than those who cook with them.
A subtle breeze awakened her eyes when she felt hair tickle her skin. Smiling up at Jake she noticed the deep reds had returned, and the more she relaxed (as much as she could in that moment), the more Jemma’s features melted away back into her own. “I wish...he could have met you, Jake. You would have liked him, I think...I know he’d have loved you.” She pulled away, still smiling through the occasional streak of reddish tears giving a small shrug. “I am doing better than I thought I’d do, considering the mental strain. No bleeds, right?” Quirking a brow she added, “So..You think I did for Jemma, what you’ve done for me? Could you imagine...who I would have been...if I’d never met you?” Her smile faded but she shook the idea from her mind. “It was my idea, sorta...well...it’s just...all this...is a part of my training you see. I mean, Luke did have a point....if I can deter his mind tricks, then technically I may be able to keep anyone out. Apparently, I have an advantage...” Ess trailed off noting the look she was receiving as she spoke yet she lifted her head high as if she were a bit proud of herself but fell quiet again. She knew there was no avoiding it and technically she may have been talking about it but it was Jake. He was her only family left, in a sense, besides Darren. Her problem had always been bottling up her fears when it came to Jake and no matter what she continued to think of herself she knew she needed to remember to give him a chance to be her family even if there were those moments where she knew he’d not be too happy with her decisions. She had to remember to accept his concern and that he did love her. “Jake...”
Jacob tried the best he could, but it was impossible to keep an angered spark from crossing his eyes at the mention of Luckas. He didn’t say what he was thinking though. He did understand how this could be helpful to Ess in the future, he just couldn’t bring himself to accept the idea of Luckas messing with her head for any reason. Much like everything else though, it was not his decision to make. “Alright... I see...” He mumbled softly, forcing a small cough to try and clear his voice. “And... Where, if I may ask, is Luckas right now?” He asked, noting his tone came out a bit more upset than it should and he shook his head. “Never mind... That doesn’t matter... Now at least.” He sighed scratching his chin idly as he looked over his friend. “How’re you feeling? Does your stomach hurt? Are you sleepy? Have you eaten anything today?” The small wave of questions was cut short as Jake abruptly turned his head towards the source of some noises coming from the bushes, an intrigued look crossing his eyes as he caught traces of movement.
Ess went back to nursing her glass of water, positioning herself against the rock so that she was leaning for support. “He’ll be back...I just couldn’t stand to have him around after everything that he saw...embarrassing and shameful don’t even cut it, Jake. Only reason I can stand to have you around is because you didn’t see...you don’t know. Maybe, I thought I’d do a little better than I did.” She shrugged at his array of questions. “..Everything hurts...course I’m sleepy, but Luke told me to not go to sleep for a while...and yes I ate...but that was kind of pointless since it all came back up. Ugh..and no I don’t want anything to eat...” Ess covered her mouth as if in fear she would get sick again, even though there wasn’t much in her belly. “This training thing with Luke is proving more of a challenge than I thought. I mean...I can’t even get him to attack me. I tried teasing, mocking, joking, and I even turned into Aiden. He won’t raise a finger against me...I need to find...a way to really piss him off.” Ess’ eyes glowed, a mischievous smile curling her lips as she looked back over at Jake. “And..before you tell me once again how you don’t approve of my methods...Jaakey....how can I tick off Luckas? Who is someone that gets under his skin?”
Jacob half smiled as he thought he caught a glimpse of dark fur moving amongst the bushes, but his expression turned serious again as he listened to the answers to his questions. “I don’t understand, I thought... Luckas had gone through your memories before... Hasn’t he already seen... Everything?”Heaving a small sigh, he opened up his tent only to catch a glimpse of a white blur running past dragging one of his boots. “No, damn it, bloody wolf...” He muttered out, already losing sight of the pup in the tall grass. “Third time this week.” He sighed in annoyance, going through his things for something. “So you want me to give you advice on how to piss off a psycho so that he’ll want to attack you? Why wouldn’t I approve something like that?” He asked in a sarcastic tone, resurfacing from his mess of things with a small teapot which he proceeded to fill with water and hang over the fire. “I’m making you some tea, should help with your upset stomach.” He informed, sitting at a log by the fire. “You can sit if you’re tired, I’ll keep you awake, don’t worry. An hour or so and it should be safe to get some sleep.” Jake went silent for a moment, fiddling with random locks of dark hair in the back of his head as his thought. “Hmmph... I probably shouldn’t tell you this, because I don’t like it... Not at all, buuut... I will, because I know I can’t change your mind about it anyway. Besides, I’d much like to see his face, heh...” Jake chuckled to himself for a moment, a devious look crossing his blue eyes. “You should take Lena’s appearance, and just... Be as condescending as you possibly can. That’ll push him right over, trust me.”
Ess finished off the water and set the cup down beside her. “Jake....He hasn’t seen everything....no...not everything...but plenty still.” She whispered, her voice fading away as she drifted into thought. Clearing her throat she added, “Not to mention all he saw in Jasper’s head...I just..don’t think about it...but maybe that’s my problem.” Essence was momentarily distracted by Jake’s sudden cursing and only just caught the end of Kaya’s white tail disappear in the grass. Kaya.. A small chuckle escaped, quickly cut off by a cough and minor choking fit. “Meaning Wise Child or Forgiveness” “Pretty mischievous if you ask me.” She whispered to herself remembering how the pup had been drawn to Crys during one of her visits, by the sweet melody of her flute. Still the wolf spent most of her time in camp, keeping Jake on his toes.
When she quieted, Ess thought she heard a yip and a flustered yowl echo from behind her and as she turned, she caught a brown fluff ball somersaulting out of the bushes to land beside her. The wolf pup shook his confusion off and let out a small warning howl and leapt back into the bushes with a whine as he collided into something. The foliage came alive with chaos, shifting and swirling wildly as if by some strong wind until moments later a black wolf pup rolled out of the bushes, its brother trotting proudly behind him. “Aww...look, it’s my mini Stalker...and the little bear looking pup. Probably should give him a name..”
Lifting her gaze upwards and back towards Jacob, her smile faded, a puzzled look crossing her face. A bit unsure of what Jake just said to her, she wondered if she heard right.
“Uh...Jakey...you’d be ok with me looking like Lena? Acting like Lena? Honestly..I don’t want to disrespect you by taking her form, so you sure? I...only met her twice...you’d have to help me with...some details...” Ess paused to look back down at the wolf pup, muttering over names in her head. ‘Bear...Little Bear...hmmm won’t be little for long...’ Stalker sat up on his haunches and barked at his brother, tilting his head curiously as if waiting for a response of some sort to whatever question he was asking. The pup began hopping around Stalker playfully growling as he teased his brother by always remaining just out of reach. Stalker yawned, looking bored and turned around so his back end was facing his brother and laid down. ‘BearWolf...WolfBear...’ Ess sighed, trying to remember if there were any other terms that may sound better but carry the meaning ‘Bear’, her thoughts drifting back to a story her father use to tell her when she was small, her favorite character’s name meaning bear: Beowulf. She repeated it to the pup who seemed satisfied enough with the name, barking in agreement. “Hm...Beo for short?” Her eyes softened as she watched the pup prance over to Stalker and lazily drape his large body across his brother’s back and closed his eyes.
Jake watched the pups curl up together to sleep with amusement, seemed like the little furballs were just everywhere now. It would be more than interesting to watch when they all grew to full size. Hopefully the white one would stop stealing his things though, because that was surely bothersome. And awkward when Crys had return them later. Jake couldn’t for the life of him understand why that wolf kept doing that... And he figured he just might have to talk to Aiden about it if it kept happening. Shaking his head as he took the teapot out of the fire and found two cups to pour it into he snickered. “I’m pretty sure Lena would be amused. So personally I don’t mind. You’re family just as much as she was, more so than her in a way.” He gave a small shrug, automatically adding a spoonful of honey to each cup before handing one of them out to Ess. “It’ll help your stomach settle... What kind of details do you need?”
~~~
A couple days later…
She did it for the wolf’s own good. Locking him up wouldn’t hold the small pup for long, but long enough to make her point. There was no denial. It couldn’t be helped to enjoy it, just a little bit and there couldn’t be distractions. It would be like hitting two birds with one stone.
A swift kick to Luckas’ side and it began, a plain looking but still sharp sword with freshly sharpened edges, pointed just above the man’s skull. While he was in mid response, she sent another foot into his lower back this time. The act was powerful as if she fueled by some mighty purpose and yet her smile and mocking gaze hid her eyes from view, her tone relaxed and nonchalant . “Boy. Pick it up..” She commanded, pushing with the point of her boot another sword within Luke’s reach and took a step back outside of the tent, swinging the blade so that it tore the flap of the tent clean off, morning rays of light piercing through. “Are you too weak? Or are you afraid? Do you speak Boy or are you going to stare like an idiot?” Jamming the sword into the dirt she quickly tied back her long, jet black hair before retrieving the weapon. Casually she rested it upon her shoulder, swinging it lazily as if she were growing bored.
The look on the woman’s face was a mix of amusement and annoyance, a hint of weariness in minor lines beneath her eyes. Those details were the hardest to get down because they were so subtle as well as finding clothes that the healer would have worn. Jake had helped with that, finding white robe like pants and shirt that were extremely comfortable and easy to move in. The way Lena had stood when she spoke and held herself was another thing she had help with, fooling even Jake for a bit this morning, when she showed off the finishing touches. Now the real challenge would be going on minimal experience, practice, and knowledge of how the woman fought. This was going to be fun.
“..Be as condescending as you possibly can. That’ll push him right over, trust me.”
Hopefully this would work. Enough taking it easy, even if she was anything but. No more childish toys or letting him storm off in frustration. She wasn’t sure how much of a natural instinct to protect one’s self from injury would kick in with Luckas. Sometimes it seemed he liked the pain so much more than putting in an effort. It was apparent on both sides if they were to really help one another, they were going to have to hurt one another.
Luckas woke with a sharp pain, a groan escaping him as he tried to open his eyes and make sense of what was going on exactly. “wha-...” Before he even got the chance to finish his
mumble he felt pain again; this time recognizing it as being a kick to his back.
“Boy. Pick it up..”
Luckas growled as the second hit brought him back to consciousness abruptly, his eyes flashing red momentarily at the words that reached his ears. It couldn’t be... Real... It couldn’t be... Her. Luckas pushed himself up to his hands and knees, his fingers reaching out to feel the metal of a blade lying on the floor by him. Luke felt his eyes sting as the sunlight reached them, raising his head to stare up at his attacker snorting in anger as Lena’s ghost mocked him, his hand finding the hilt of the weapon and closing a tight fist around it still on his knees inside the tent. “Go back to hell, witch... Leave me alone.” He muttered out, still unsure of whether he was actually awake or stuck in a vivid dream. He felt awake, his body hurt from the blows, but his disoriented mind had trouble comprehending what he was seeing before his eyes.
The Lena clone chuckled, “Hell? So you believe in Hell?” Nodding a bit, she spun dragging her sword through the dirt to kick it into a brown fog that encased Luckas in a passing sand like storm. She advanced, moving to kick out his knees, lazily holding the blade at the ready. “Is that where we are now? Perhaps I am just another ghost here to haunt you or maybe the problem doesn’t lie with me, but with your own mind.” Using the momentary cover of the dirt cloud, she sidestepped and leapt so she could be behind Luckas. Her voice echoed and seemed to come from all angles with this approach and so she continued. “You acknowledged me, so either way, now you’ve made the illusion of me, quite real. So, what do you do now, Kid?”
Luckas jumped to his feet when a brownish cloud of dirt rose from the ground and pretty much blinded him; even if only momentarily, he disliked the idea of losing sight of that woman.He wasn’t standing for long however, as he soon felt another blow hit him in the knees and throw off his balance. Luke stumbled forward not completely steadying himself as he pushed to make his way out of the tent, rushing as if he meant to run away, but stopping after just a couple of steps; his grip on the sword so tight his entire body was shaking from the tension. If he took the time to think, really think, of what was going on right there and then, it wouldn’t be so difficult to understand, but thinking in itself was difficult now. He couldn’t get his mind to settle long enough to tell himself this made no sense and so he continued to treat this ghost as a reality. “What I do, depends... You’re in my head... Are you in my head...? If you’re in my head then I am you, if not then maybe I’m dead... And this is hell... Where else would we be, you and I? Or you’ve come back from the dead just for the sake of tormenting me some more... So which way are you pushing me now? Huh? You want to make me kill you again, or just return the favor? WHAT do you want?”
The woman didn’t respond with words but with steel, purposely striking at Luckas’ sword and dragging her blade along his to straighten in a defensive stance. Taking a deep breath, sparks flew as she swung right for Luckas’ head, expecting him to duck the attack but she was already slicing downwards in a vertical maneuver that added to a flurry of merciless advances. “Stupid Boy...” She spat. “If I’m in your head and I am you...or even if I am a ghost, why are you seeing me? It isn’t a matter of what I want. THINK. Do you even have a brain in there? Maybe the only way to rid each other of this Hell, is for you to face it. Defend yourself!” Taking a leap backwards she spun, sword outstretched horizontally, moving as a windmill caught in a storm. “What’s left if you couldn’t use your ‘Talents’? Strike me down, if you can...” She snorted in playful mockery.
Luckas’ eyes widened at the woman’s actions, holding the sword in the stance he had been pushed into and awkwardly trying to keep the blade between the woman’s sword and his flesh as she struck at him. Luckas retreated some at the advances, the look in his eyes unusually frightened for a split second before his expression shut down completely. “What the hell does that matter? We’ll never know now and whose fault is that!? On my experience so far, facing hell only helps you burn faster.” He scoffed.
Lena kept Essence at bay the more and more she felt herself drifting into character. It didn’t matter how much she knew exactly about the woman for what she did know was that she was starting to get under Luckas’ skin. For a moment, she forgot herself so that she would believe she was actually Lena. The focus in keeping the glow of her violet eyes hidden was starting to dwindle so she kept up with the advances, drawing the attention to her slashing at Luckas’ shins, forcefully bringing the hilt of the sword abruptly towards his face in an attempt to knock him down. She was daring in attempting to bombard attacks she would never have been able to pull off a few months ago, pushing herself to deliver more than a few cuts and bruises upon her friend. Before there was hesitation in causing serious harm to her friend, but now she knew if he wouldn’t defend himself and let it happen, it was his own fault.
“So, whose fault is it? Mine? Yoooours?” She snickered through tight lips. “Sometimes, you have to burn to ash in order to come back as something stronger, no? I mean, look around you Luckas. You haven’t even noticed how empty the camp is.” Lena scoffed, stepping back a few paces to extend her arms as if about to present a show. It was true, the area was quiet and there was nothing around. Ess had made sure to clear the area in order to prevent any interruption, no matter what anyone heard coming from her camp; they were to stay away. It was almost eerie. Lena shrugged, “Didn’t even notice how she’s gone, did we? What would you say to her being taken, right under your nose because you were too much of a coward to raise a sword!? Where is that wolf of yours? The Captain? My Nephew? Oh, maybe I’ve overstepped and forgotten myself...don’t you only care about yourself? What a waste of time...”
Luckas’ time with Adam had paid off; and right then and there was when it was apparent just how much. Sure, he still hadn’t tried to make an advance, not yet, but he had done a decent job of not getting slashed open by the woman’s sword. His balance was thrown off here and there by trying to keep up with her attacks, but he managed to stay unharmed and standing. If he wasn’t way too angered to even realize what he was doing he might have been proud of himself. That wasn’t the case though. Even if in some level, in some part of his mind, Luckas felt that something was off even for a hallucination he couldn’t bring himself to care or question. The mere sight of Lena standing there and demanding things of him made him ill, her words were poison pushing fire through his veins and everything else simply melt away in its flames.
“You have no... Right...” The words were barely strong enough to completely break the silence, Luckas stood still as the woman stepped back from her advances his entire body shaking from head to toe at her words. He didn’t look around as she told him to, his head remained lowered so that his eyes were hidden underneath strands of sweaty hair. Inside his mind Luckas was screaming, he was shouting so many obscenities at once he could barely make out his own thoughts, he was screaming so loud his ears were ringing, his head was filled by a sharp agonizing ache, but still as he spoke his voice was so soft it would’ve gone unheard hadn’t their surroundings been so silent. “And who are you to talk, Witch? Who the fuck do you think you are? Don’t pretend you ever cared how this would end, don’t pretend you ever really wanted to help me, you... You only kept me around because I was useful... You only gave a shit while you needed me for something... Just like everyone else... Just like everyone else... Well, you know what... In the end, I’m always the coward and the monster and the fool, because, guess what; you can’t fix me, you never could... No one can... This... THIS... Is who I am. No amount of hell can change the facts.” Luke’s voice sounded soft still, but he was far from calm; he felt as though he was drowning and burning all at once, the fire spreading painfully to every part of his body, the pain so intense he barely felt himself move, raising the sword and rushing towards the woman standing before him, slashing blindly without as much as caring if the blade hit steel or flesh. All he wanted was for this to end, he didn’t care how. “Is this what you wanted!? IS IT!? THIS IS THE LAST TIME I DO ANYTHING YOU SAY! I’M DONE... LISTENING TO YOU... I’M DONE... I DON’T OWE YOU ANYTHING ANYMORE!”
To say that Essence was surprised, was an understatement. She hid it well, responding with a wide sneer and heckling laughter, her mind racing to understand the bits she was absorbing. Not knowing too much on Luckas’ and Lena’s arrangement, she had looked upon it as a mutual agreement, even if the terms were not completely known to her. Luckas’ words slowly began to sink into her and in some ways cutting deeper than expected. It didn’t matter if it was or not directly targeted at her. It didn’t matter if she herself had or had not treated Luckas as such because in that moment she began to understand a bit more that lurked inside her friend. It was something she was quite familiar with herself. Ess had actually paused, momentarily distracted on Luckas’ words when he attacked. ’Stupid.’ Essence thought to herself as she just avoided a sword to the face, yet it sliced through a few inches of her ponytail; the black loc falling into the grass, changing back to a burgundy curl. It was in the next few moments that would prove to her just how much Luckas was absorbing in their training realizing even some things she was sure she had never taught him.
Ess was trying to focus on the wonderful progress that was unraveling before her, starting to actually struggle against some of her friend’s advances. At one point their swords locked, each of them pushing against the other, trying to throw one another off balance. “Spare me, Boy...like your only reason for sticking around me was to get something out of it...even if the choice wasn’t all yours. Who says I am trying to fix you?” Shaking a few strands of hair from her eyes, Ess purposely locked hers with Luckas’, a sudden brilliant flash of violet enveloping her stare, giving herself away but her features of Lena remaining. The mini stand off was shattered, when she moved to stand down first, Luckas’ sword grinding down along her blade and slicing her forearm. Ess simply smiled, her gaze darkening. “For the record.” The woman muttered in her own tone. “I thought I was doing you a favor by not going easy on you, no?” Again she moved as if to back off but instead lept forward, knocking Luckas’ sword so it was parallel with his body, and headbutted him square between the eyes. Fluid and easy her next steps were as she brought down his wrist still holding his weapon, against her raised knee, quickly knocking it to the ground and raising her own up to his throat as if she meant to run it clear across his flesh. Ess spoke with hints of anger in her voice, as if she were giving a warning, “For the record...I am not EVERYONE else...and-”
Without warning Ess was brought to her knees as something knocked out her footing. Amusement crossed her features as they melted back to hers when she let go of the illusion, finding a black furball tightly latched to her ankle, growling dangerously up at her. To Ess’ delight, Stalker had finally managed to break or dig out of his personal prison to join the session. The wolf looked slightly confused when her features changed and relaxed his jaw a bit, sniffing at her curiously. “Good boy..” Essence whispered, releasing the sword and uttering a command in unison: “Disarm.” Stalker released Ess’ foot and cocked his head in a confused daze, his growl fading to a soft whine. It was going to take some time for him to understand but Ess was still very proud of the wolf. Gently pressing her wrist against his snout she forced his mouth to open and placed her wrist inside and repeated the command again before pulling back her arm. “Good boy.”
Luckas didn’t seem to mind the fact he had lost his sword so much, as soon as it slipped out of his hand he simply stood, only barely feeling the ache where he’d been struck in the forehead, his expression was blank for the most part as he stared at Ess, watching as Stalker growled biting at her ankle. Some amusement momentarily crossed his features as the scene reminded him vaguely of the time Tala bit him; a mix of honest surprise and gratitude momentarily breaking through his rage, his eyes softening only a bit as he looked at the pup, before his expression shut down to a completely vacant and emotionless one. Slowly Luckas started to move, picking the fallen sword from the ground and turning to walk away without another word, stopping a few steps away and sinking the blade into the dirt before resuming his walk.
Essence remained where she knelt, watching Luckas curiously in his silence before he turned to walk away. Her first reaction was annoyance but she held back, fists clenching slightly as she thought about it some more, her gaze softening finally. As Stalker moved to follow Luckas as he left, Ess reached for her forearm, making sure to put pressure on the wound. It didn’t hit a vein but it was deep enough and worth more of her attention actually than the wolf bite on her ankle. “Luckas...You did very well...Luckas...” She called after him. When he was almost out of sight she yelled after him, “I’m really getting use to watching you walk away! I bet I could pick you out of a crowd from your backside only!” Ess grunted, letting Luke disappear and went about tending to her wounds mumbling a bit to herself. “Can dish it out but can’t take it...pffft..”
Luckas wasn’t sure how long he had walked for exactly, only that he didn’t stop until it felt like hours had passed. In reality it might have only been a few minutes, he couldn’t really tell. He was aware that it was probably not fair of him to be this angry, all things considered, but he couldn’t really help it and it was just better to walk away and sit someplace quiet until it passed than to stick around and risk shouting out all of the unpleasant things going through his mind. Finding a quiet spot not too far from one of the main paths of the camp, Luckas sat by a tree, not seeming at all surprised to see Stalker jump out from one of the nearby bushes and run to pounce onto his lap with a tiny growl, biting down and persistently tugging on the cuff of his shirt in an invitation to play, eventually letting out a disappointed whine when Luckas didn’t react to his advances, nudging at his hands with his nose as if saying he’d settle for some pats and scritches instead. Luckas ignored the pup’s advances for a few more moments, lost in his thoughts, before finally giving in and idly running his fingers along the back of the wolf’s neck in a soothing manner. “Bad... Wolf...” He mumbled under his breath, amusement crossing his eyes as Stalker began to settle down, stretching across his legs and letting out a long yawn as if ready to take a nap.
“Not so fun on the other side, is it?” A voice called from the trees just beyond Luckas’ line of sight; not that he needed to see in order to know it was Jake.
“You speak as if this was my first time on the ‘other side’... Or my worst... Maybe that seems terrifying to someone like you, but me... That’s where I go to unwind... Jakey-Bear.”
“Oh, so that was you unwinding? My bad, I seemed to have mistaken it for a rage fit.” Jake chuckled, stepping out of his hiding and leaning casually against a tree opposite Luckas. “I still think she was a tad bit soft on you, Lukey, but then that’s also why my involvement in these little games of yours needs to be somewhat... Limited, right?”
“You were a lousy consultant, Jakey... Lena would have never uttered the words ‘my nephew’ to me, she would have mentioned you by name. You left that detail out, because that’s one of the many, many, things you hated about that woman... But she’s dead now, so you can’t admit to that.”
Jake snickered. “Oh, no... I forgave her... Didn’t even occur to me to mention, really. That is one unresolved issue I don’t have, pal. I hated Lena, a lot, and for some things I was right to hate her, but I did truly let it all go when she died. See, I don’t have the emotional range of a potted plant, so I was able to understand and accept some things.” He shrugged dismissively, letting his gaze wander around the tree branches over his head as if he was bored. “...But hey, shouting like a maniac and storming off are good substitutes for facing your demons and accepting them... Keep up the good work.”
“Fuck you.” Luckas muttered out, the aggressiveness in his words seeming to bring Stalker to attention as the pup lifted his head and barked in Jake’s direction in a perfect imitation of Luke’s gesture.
“Did I hit a nerve, Lukey?” Jake chuckled. “Are you going to try and stab me now too? Because that would be fantastic.”
“Don’t...” Luckas stopped himself to take a moment to breathe before he continued. “Don’t call me that.”
Jake arched an eyebrow, his expression filled with amusement as he stared down at Luckas in visibly fake confusion. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
“You fucking heard me... DON’T call me that.” Luckas repeated, nudging Stalker from his lap and standing up. “Twins help you if I have to say it again.”
Jake blinked a couple of times as if trying to process what he was hearing, and then broke into a fit of mocking laughter. “Oh, my... The irony!” He exclaimed, choking in his laughter.
“Piss off.” Luckas muttered. “I mean it...”
“I don’t know, Luckas... You don’t sound like you mean it...”
“Don’t you have some Wolves to annoy, hm? A redhead to chase? Whatever else you do in your spare time? I’m really not in the mood for your crap right now. So yeah, I mean it; Piss. The hell. Off.”
Jake opened his mouth to answer but whatever he was going to say was completely lost to him the moment he felt something warm soaking his pants causing him to wince and look down to see that Stalker was casually taking care of his business at his feet. “Oh, come on!” He muttered. “Really!?”
Stalker huffed in Jake’s direction as he finished before casually trotting his way to sit next to Luckas, looking up at him as if expecting praise. Luckas held back his laughter and gave the pup a visibly forced scowl and mumbled amongst escaping chuckles. “Stalker... No... Bad... Bad puppy...”
Jake shook his head seeming unsure of whether to laugh or be angry so he walked away in silence in the direction of his tent mumbling about his ruined pants. As soon as the man was out of hearing range Luckas fell into a small giggle fit, kneeling down to pet the wolf. “Served him right for being an asshole, right?” He chuckled.
The setting changes from Valcrest to Raven's Nest
“Why me?” Irvin protested, almost in a whimper as he followed Jake to his tent. “I mean really, ask Darren.”
“She might get suspicious if it’s Darren or me. She’ll definitely know if it’s me. Just make something up and get her out of the camp for a couple of hours. If you can get her to follow you to Newhaven, even better; then you won’t run into anyone coming into camp. Just for a couple of hours Irvin, walking to the city and back is about half the time we need.”
“Oh, come on... What reason would she have to follow me to Newhaven? I’m not that good looking you know?” Irvin muttered. “I honestly don’t even understand why are you throwing her the party if it’s your birthday.”
“Because... Well... Let’s say it’s a family tradition of sorts.” Jake replied simply. “Come on now... Off you go. She should be back from her run any minute and I don’t want her noticing any unusual behavior. Just look at it as training.”
“Training?” Irvin retorted, shaking his head.
“Hey, deception is a very useful skill. Go practice it.” Jake chuckled, playfully nudging Irvin in the direction of Ess’ camp. “Just remember; keep her out of camp all costs... And try to stay out of trouble.”
“It’s either one or the other Killer... I’m no miracle worker.” The boy retorted.
“Make it work Irvin. I don’t want her around for the preparations, but I’d like you both to be back for the party, get it?”
“Aaargh, you’re not making this easier for me, Killer!” Irvin exclaimed, stomping his way towards Ess’ camp. “I’ll figure something out, okay? Just remember you’ll owe me for this!” The boy concluded.
Jake shook his head, laughing as the boy wandered off in the direction of Ess’ camp. It had been a bit of a hassle to plan a party in the camp without letting word of it reach Ess, especially considering how excited people had gotten with the idea. They even made sure not to tell the children about it until the night before to keep them from saying something to her in their excitement. Some would argue that, the way things were going, maybe this wasn’t the best of times to party, but Jake was of the opinion that a party was exactly the kind of thing that was needed in times like these; which was confirmed by how the moods in camp had improved in the past few days of planning.
“Oy, stranger!” A cheerful voice called from the path that led to Jake’s little camp. “I just passed Irv... The kid’s not too pleased, I could be the distraction if you rather... The last trip to Newhaven with Essence was surely entertaining.”
Jake snickered as he shook his head, turning to face Allison as she walked by, carrying a very a long thin package that was unmistakably a bow. “I dread to wonder how entertaining it really was.” He played, his eyes scanning his friend in a quick assessment of her overall well-being. “I want Irvin to do it.” He stated simply. “You know... I’m pretty sure he could learn a thing or two from hanging around Ess for a few hours. There’s only so much I can teach the kid for myself.”
“I suppose that makes sense.” Ali agreed. “Annie won’t be coming around, I’m afraid... I’m sure you were already expecting that though, what with all the... You know, she’s got a lot on her hands.” She mumbled with a small shrug. “She sent a gift though, and... She said she has one for you, BUT... You’ll only get it if you visit.”
“Oh? Well, that’s not very fair now, is it? Not like she ever visits me.” Jake retorted, rolling his eyes playfully. “I’ll think about it.” He concluded stubbornly.
“I’m sure you will, Jacob... Sure you will.” Ali laughed.
“So... You made Ess a bow?” Jake asked, nodding towards the package Ali was carrying. “You’ve taken a liking to crafting for others, maybe you can open a shop.”
“Who knows.” Ali smiled. “I’m afraid the ones I crafted for the guard are not nearly as special as this one, but then... I took my sweet time with it. Maybe now I’ll finally get mine finished one of these days.”
“Can I take a look?” Jake asked excitedly, leaning towards Ali as if hoping to peek inside the package.
“Absolutely not.” Ali scolded. “It’s not for you, you shouldn’t get to be the first to see it.”
“You people are aware that it is my birthday today, right?” Jake muttered.
“Aaaw...” Ali taunted. “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten you, my friend. I have something for the birthday boy too.” She snickered, ruffling Jake’s hair and pulling from her pack a rectangular item hidden inside a dark velvet sack. “Happy birthday.” She declared cheerfully, handing it over to him.
Jake picked up the present and opened it; it was book. Not an ordinary looking book however; it was without question the nicest looking book Jake had ever seen in his life. For one thing it was brand new; impeccably clean sheets of paper encased in black leather. The front cover was a smooth dark color aside from a simple engraving on the bottom right corner consisting of the silhouette of a wolf howling beneath a crescent moon. The engraving was almost unnoticeable at first glance, the contours of the wolf and moon colored in a dark shade of grey only a few tones lighter than the black surface of the leather cover. Jake spotted it immediately however, as though he just expected it to be there for some odd reason. “It’s a journal.” He mumbled, opening it to find his name written on the center of the first page, in black ink and fancy lettering.
“Observant as always, Jake. Well done. Yes, it’s a journal. Remember that you told me how you burned yours down after that whole... You know... Treason... Situation... Episode?”
“That’s a simple way to describe the whole ordeal...” Jake mumbled, not all too amused, but nodding along to her words nonetheless. “Sure, I remember. I burned it not too long after moving to the desert. Not like I needed any reminders anyway.”
“Well... You are twenty four years old now... That’s about four years since that whole thing happened. Figured it’s about time you think about rewriting your story. Maybe this time you’ll want to remember it, hm?”
“Maybe.” Jake agreed simply, a contemplative smile crossing his features for a moment. “Thanks. It’s a really nice gift.”
“Well, you’re welcome... Now you can stop whining about not getting cool things on your birthday.”
“I wasn’t whining.” Jake protested, frowning at her.
Ali snickered, ruffling up Jake’s hair. “Sure you weren’t.” She teased. “Do you know what time Crys is coming over?”
“Hopefully soon, she’s bringing the liquor. Actually, I haven’t seen Kaya in a little while, so I’m guessing she’ll be here in a bit.” Jake concluded, starting to walk Ali into the camp. “You haven’t spoken to her lately?”
“No, I’ve been with the Newhaven crew for the past few weeks.” Ali explained.
“Then how did you talk to Annie if you’ve been in Newhaven?” Jake questioned, confused.
“I didn’t... I talked to Alistair last week when he was in town visiting his aunt. He brought me Ess’ gift and told me Annie won’t be coming. Seriously though, Jake; you should go see her. Alistair doesn’t think she’s doing as well as she looks.”
“Maybe I’ll go after the party, then.” Jake agreed.
As they reached the center of camp they were greeted by the kids, who immediately surrounded Ali wanting to know if she had brought them any new toys and eventually they just dragged her off with them.
----------------------
“That’s a lot of booze Crys, can we afford to give this away like this?” Nicholas half-protested, glancing at the small wagon Shadow was pulling.
“It’s for a friend and we spare no expense when it comes to friends, Nick. Besides, business is going well... We can afford to let go of some bottles.”
“I suppose.” Nick mumbled, kicking up some dirt as he walked and making a pouty face. “It’s not fair that you all get to party and I have to go back and WORK.” He exclaimed dramatically.
“Aaaaw, you poor little man... Forced to go back to his bar and drink and flirt with the drunken ladies....” Crys snorted. “Give me a break.”
“Heeey...” Nicholas protested. “That’s not all I do! It’s a great part of what I do, but it’s not ALL I do.”
Dastan chuckled at the man. “I’d take that job anytime.”
“You have a job, Shaykh.” Crys scolded. “And we both know it has never gotten in the way of your drinking and flirting before. Right?” She asked, poking the man on his side playfully.
“Aye, Red... When you’re right, you’re right.” He agreed with a snicker.
“Are we there yet?” Nick questioned.
“We’re close, not much longer n-” Crys stopped abruptly, halting the group of men following after her, a wide smile crossing her expression. The group of ten Crimson Shadows, as well as Dastan and Nicholas, seemed confused as to what they were waiting for until there was very audible rustling in the vegetation coming closer and closer, finally visible in the form of a large white wolf jumping out of the bushes, dragging a dark green thick fabric that flowed behind her like a cape as she ran. The Crimson were a bit startled, but Dastan and Nicholas seemed highly amused at the sight, the Crimson leader motioning for his men to stand down as a couple of them were starting to reach for weapons. The wolf circled the group a couple of times dragging around the cloak before dropping it at Crys’ feet and circling the group again, sniffing everyone and seeming to particularly annoy Shadow by bouncing around excitedly around the horse emitting high pitched barks and short howls of greeting.
Crys calmly crouched to retrieve the article of clothing on the ground, feeling the fabric and mumbling a bit to herself before calling out to the animal. “Kaaaya...” She sang softly, chuckling as the wolf immediately halted at her call and dashed in a straight line towards her, nearly sliding past as she halted, but quickly regaining her balance and pouncing on Crys; almost knocking the woman over and covering her in kisses. “There, there, girlie... I know... I missed you too...” Crys spoke soothingly, patting the wolf’s side trying to get her to still a bit. “By the Twins, you’ve gotten bigger since I was last in camp, haven’t you, hm?” She asked, scratching behind Kaya’s ears lovingly, wrapping the cloak around the wolf so that she was wearing it. “There, now you look badass.” She stated, chuckling as she stood up, trying, but failing to brush all the white fur from her clothing.
“Sure... When the wolf does it it’s cute... If I try to pounce on you and lick your face it’s all ‘you’re too drunk, Dastan... Knock it off or I’ll stab you’...” Dastan snorted in a fake offended tone. “Why does your wolf have a cloak? Is she like an honorary assassin or something?”
“It’s not hers, it’s Jake’s... but yes, yes she is.” Crys replied calmly. “And I stand by my previous statement... I WILL stab you.”
“She brought you Jake’s cloak?” Dastan asked in a tone of laughter.
“She always does it. If I stay in camp she leaves his stuff in my tent as well. I don’t know why, I think she just likes his scent so when she wants to hang around me she has to have something of his...” Crys shrugged. “I don’t know. She spends pretty much all her time following him around when I’m Blackpond, so I guess it makes sense.”
“So you two share custody of the wolf?” Nicholas asked, snorting a laugh. “Like... Baby practice?”
Crys simply glared at Nicholas and the man’s laughter silenced immediately, but she shrugged and responded. “She likes him. I can’t exactly blame her.”
“Well, I can’t blame her either... Jakey is adorable... Like a teddy bear.” Nick played.
“Don’t make me smack you, Nicholas.” Crys muttered.
“Whaat? You can’t handle a bit of competition? Geee.” The man chuckled, idly patting Shadow as he walked beside the horse.
“I stabbed one innkeeper and I’ll stab another if I have to.” Crys retorted.
“You stabbed her and then bandaged her up.” Dastan pointed out with a chuckle. “You can’t stop being nice if you try, can you?”
“I don’t like to lose my temper and I felt a bit remorseful, alright? Don’t think I would be that nice a second time. Especially if she were to provoke me after what I’ve already done; I’m not too kind when people are too dumb to learn from their mistakes.”
-------------------------
Jake was on top of a tree tying up one end of a long string to one of the higher branches. From his tree to the one on the opposite end of the string several colored flags hung above the party area, several rows of those flags were being hung up by other members of the guard all over the encampment. The flags had been visibly made by the children, but they did give the place a more cheery and festive look, one couldn’t deny that. Jake was on his way down when he heard a bit of a commotion of excited barks and laughter just below him, he looked down to see Kaya running about dressed in his cloak the hood fallen over her eyes blocking her sight. He dropped down from the lowest branch of the tree and chuckled at the wolf. “Not enough you steal my clothes, you’re wearing them now, too?” He snickered as the wolf halted at the sound of his voice, walking over to the wolf and tugging on the dark green hood. “There you are.” He smiled,
ruffling up Kaya’s fur, not at all surprised to see Crys was not too far behind. “So, you did go back for it, huh?” She questioned as Jake freed Kaya from the cloak and tried a bit hopelessly to get rid of all the white fur that had stuck to the fabric.
“Well, you said I shouldn’t have left it. Besides, I’m rather fond of this cloak.” Jake shrugged. “It wasn’t too much trouble.”
“I bet it wasn’t.” Crys stated simply.
Jake sighed as he looked past Crys to the group of people that were unloading boxes of liquor and some other supplies. They were clearly not assassins and Jake was not too thrilled to see that Dastan was one of them. “Why did you have to bring him?”
“Why not? Besides, the Crimson are good at parties... You said you needed help with the party, who else was I supposed to bring? Don’t worry, they’re not going to break anything... I hope.”
“Fine.” Jake muttered. “I just can’t quite say the same for myself, that’s all.”
Crys chuckled. “Hey... Suit yourself. I’m almost positive you’d get your ass kicked... In front of the guard... On your birthday... Just think about it.”
Jake snorted, walking past Crys to help with the boxes. “I would not get my ass kicked, just try me.” He mumbled under his breath.
“What’d you say there, Jakey?” Crys asked, holding back a bit of laughter as she followed him towards the others.
“I said I’ll help with those boxes.” Jake replied simply.
“Mhm... That’s what I thought I heard.”
-----------------------------
Raven's Nest/Newhaven
Curses and grumblings of minor complaints of pain, halted Ess’ progress for a few moments before she looked at her sketch again and then back up at the Oak. She was hidden beneath the leaves except for the frustrating rustling of her movement here and there. Her patience seemed thin today.
In the past, if she was jealous about something she would never willingly admit such a thing, but when she saw Darren’s cozy tree house he had built, hidden away behind the branches and new leaves, Ess had a childish outburst of sorts.
“Of course I’m bloody jealous!!” Essence had blubbered out, her face contorting into a pout of sorts.
Darren just shook his head and chuckled. “I’m sure Aiden and I could build you one…”
“Forget it. Things between Aiden and I are just weird now. If I let him do something for me, he’ll just think he’s got a chance or something..” Ess snorted through a slightly aggravated sigh.
“Alright. If your stalker is going to throw a fit about it, then I can build it myself..” Darren smiled.
“ No, it’s fine. I’m sure I can handle it. I mean...how hard could it be?”
Several blisters and bruises later, Ess had only managed to clear out the center of the oak in preparation, and as she leaped down from a high branch and rolled to her feet, her fingers were still gripping an axe as if it were apart of her arm. Everything she managed to rearrange, she never put the ax down because truthfully, she had forgotten she was still holding the weapon.
“Deception is a useful skill, Irvin.... Try to stay out of trouble Irvin... Be back in time for the party, Irvin...” The boy mumbled, kicking up dirt as he walked towards the oak, not really paying much attention to his surroundings. Irvin honestly prefered to stick around and help set up for the party than be the one to distract Essence; he didn’t exactly think he’d be able to hide the truth for long if the woman started to suspect something was off. If she started to question he knew he’d get nervous and tell her everything. He just didn’t want to screw up weeks of planning. It would really suck if the surprised got spoiled, not to mention Jake was almost sure Ess would run away if she knew there was something like this being planned for her.
Distracted as he was Irvin approached the oak without noticing any movement, idly pacing towards the tree as if half-expecting Ess to be hiding behind it. He was almost right. As he stopped by the tree, looking around to see if someone was coming by, he was startled by an axe wielding redhead dropping from the tree branches. The boy jumped in place and let out a loud yelp. “What the hell!” He shouted, resisting the urge to reach for his chest as if it was still possible to hide the fact she had scared the hell out of him.
Essence quirked a brow before turning her gaze to meet Irvin’s as she acknowledged his presence. “Good morning Kiddo…” Ess snickered in slight amusement, “Coming by to steal something different today? You can settle on something else besides the bear because he is being babysat by Miss Lily at the moment.” Holding back a chuckle, she rested one hand on her hip, the other holding the axe, absently tapping her leg with the side of the blade.
Irvin let out a rather shaky laugh, still trying to calm his nerves from his little scare. “No, I’m not allowed to touch the bear... Jake said I’m too irresponsible to handle the stuffed animals.” He played, taking a deep breath as he felt his heartbeat finally settle back to normal. “Besides, I think that little stunt already served its purpose... Although not how I expected it... Eh... Plans can’t always run perfect; where’s the fun in that?” The boy stopped talking, his eyes scanning the area as though he was trying to find something interesting around. “Hmm... Well... I wouldn’t mind stealing you for a bit... Unless you have plans to hack someone to bits.”
A devilish, yet teasing giggle escaped her lips, finally noticing she was still gripping the axe. Raising the weapon before her eyes, as if to examine it for the first time, she shrugged, resting the blade upon her shoulder. “Things could have gone much worse. Everyone survived, so all in all it was a productive...day. I did not have any plans, though, on hacking anyone today to pieces...unless you have someone in mind? A favor needed perhaps?” Ess giggled again, slowly dropping the axe beside the oak. “You want to steal ’Me?’ I don’t know if I should be flattered or worried. Maybe both.” Ess crossed her arms, tilting her head in curiosity at the meaning behind Irv’s words. “Where you going?”
“Hmm...” Irvin mumbled under his breath, somewhat considering the offered favor, but shaking his head slightly as if brushing it aside. “Maybe some other time.” He muttered to himself. Sometimes it wasn’t all too easy to keep to his part of the deal he and Jake had made all those months ago, he couldn’t deny. His tone returning to its previous casual manner Irvin shrugged slightly. “All the responsible adults seem to have something better to do, and I haven’t actually been to the city yet. Not really. There must be some fun to be had over there, no?”
Essence glanced over the boy again slowly, thinking on his words, a slightly confused look crossing her face. “I don’t think you need a chaperone, right?” Essence groaned as a possibility crossed her mind. “Is Jake running out of people to assign to keep an eye on me? I am not always a good influence, I think at least. Someplace in particular you want to visit?” Ess didn’t wait for Irv to answer her last question before gathering her things and strapping her sword and dagger to her waist. “Darren’s not in camp? Ugh..where did that boy wander off to..” She mumbled partially to herself. Rummaging through one of her bags, she retrieved a few of her daggers, habitually tucking them away inside her boots. “Tala...Beo...come…” Ess commanded at what appeared to be to herself. None of her wolves were in sight, but once she spoke, both of them came bursting through the foliage, pouncing excitedly around Irvin in play. “Weapons...wolfies...check. Ok I will try to be a responsible adult and keep an eye on you then. Just promise to not tell Jake where I may bring you..” The woman winked playfully, nodding forward. “Lead the way then.”
Irvin flinched slightly at Ess’ questioning. He wondered how often did Jake have someone check up on the woman, she didn’t seem to him like she needed babysitters or anything of that sort. He didn’t make any comments however, he was just glad that she didn’t push him for answers and played along. Hopefully in the city they’d find something entertaining, he wasn’t really sure. “I don’t know any places in particular.” The boy stated, jumping slightly as the wolves suddenly jumped out of the bushes, causing him to chuckle in a mix of amusement and annoyance. “Everyone is trying to give me a heart attack today.” He mumbled playfully. “Like I said... Haven’t actually been to the city, except visiting Jake’s buddies... Apparently they’re keeping an eye out for someone, but he won’t tell me who and why... No luck so far either...” Irvin sighed slightly, not paying much mind to the path as he found the general path towards Newhaven. “No word on the people who took my sister either... You’d think these assassins would be a bit better at finding people, huh?” He mentioned casually, as if finding amusement in the fact, but quickly changing the subject. “I kind of needed to practice some skills, but then... It wouldn’t be too responsible of you to let me... You know, stealing is rather unethical and whatnot... I technically am not supposed to do it... If it becomes a necessity in the future though I’m gonna want to be at the top of my game. Do you know how? You know, picking pockets and stuff?”
“Hmm…” Essence pondered over the idea of her being a bit of a tour guide for Irvin on Newhaven and was trying to settle on where to bring him first. Still thinking it over, she stretched her arm and lightly rested it across the boy’s shoulders and paused in step to lean on him casually. She didn’t know exactly what to say to Irv on the topic of his sister. How could she know if she was indeed alive or not? The whole thing was twisted and made her sick and she feared for her, a few memories of her ordeal creeping to the surface. Darren had mentioned the camp him and the others had found and even after the scouting party had returned, Mageria had sent them back out, with more men. “Soon…” Was all the Captain said, but the look in her eye was a mix of a promise with excitement and a cold clarity that this would only be the start when things went into motion. So, Ess pushed to remain upbeat. “Well, even though we haven’t found her yet, or heard anything, you can’t think the worst. Sometimes, people disappear for their own protection. We’ll find her, Irvin. Trust Jake and trust me. This is personal for me on many levels as well and Darren has your back.” Ess nodded at her own words. “A bloody reckoning is coming...in our favor. I have faith in my new family as well as Jake.”
Tala and Beo were keeping pace with Ess and Irvin but ran off ahead when they paused in their step. Ess whistled a shrill, bird like noise and shortly after both wolves responded in a small howl off in the distance to alert her of their presence. Pulling back from Irvin, Ess ruffled up his hair and smiled warmly, her features flickering to mimic Darren’s and then Irvin’s. “I’m not bad at pickpocketing, but I kind of cheat.” She bowed slightly and spun with an adorable flair in her step. “I am pretty good at disappearing. We could train some, while in the city. How about it? We’d be helping eachother. And Jakey? He doesn’t need to know.” Essence winked and giggled, walking backwards a few paces before turning back on the path. “What else is it that you do Irv? Darren said you can freeze water, or something? Can you manipulate liquids in general? Ooh ooh,..” Ess spun around a few times in excitement, her features fading back to her own. “Can you freeze someone’s blood? Ever make heads explode?”
Irvin nodded along to Ess’ words. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to hope his sister was alive or not, mostly he just tried not to obsess about it... And trust. Jake had said that he didn’t think she would be dead, but that was all he had said. Irvin had let that be the end of their conversation at that time; Jake seemed often indecisive on whether he wanted to protect him or be honest, and Irvin was afraid his head would just explode one day with worry. It was a bit funny to watch, he wouldn’t deny it.
The mere change of subject seemed to have lightened Irvin’s mood and he couldn’t help an impressed look from crossing his eyes as he watched Ess change her appearance to look like him. A playful frown forming itself in the boy’s expression as he mumbled “Wow, didn’t realize I was so pale... hmph...I might need a haircut too.” The boy stated amused, ruffling up his blonde locks and watching Ess as though looking into a mirror. Shaking his head, Irvin chuckled. “I see you and Jake don’t share the same view on these kinds of things then...” The boy pointed out, making a serious face and trying to imitate Jake’s speech as he muttered. “How are you supposed to learn anything this way? You can’t cheat your way through life, Kid.” Irvin rolled his eyes, kicking up a bit of dirt as he walked. “He’s one to talk... Mr. Invisible...Yeah, he doesn’t need to know...” The boy agreed, nodding along to his own words and glancing around momentarily instinctively checking that Jake wasn’t hiding in the bushes, even if he knew that the man was busy elsewhere. “I’ve never tried freezing, but I did kind of boil this dude’s blood once... Not intentionally, and it wasn’t very pleasant for me either... Freezing is harder, I take it that trying to freeze someone’s blood would drain me pretty quickly, I did freeze a guy’s hand solid once and it took me quite a bit to recover. It was cool though, my buddy hit it with a hammer and it smashed to bits... How could I explode someone’s head? I could try... Hmmm... Maybe I could. Yeah.”
Essence held a large smile for quite some time, listening to Irvin but fell silent in thought until they could see the city gates up ahead. Tala and Beo were waiting up ahead for them and as if they had grown bored, they had been engaging in some playful sparring of their own. Tala had Beo pinned to the ground, growling in a challenge. Even though Beo was now larger than Tala he had submitted until she stepped off and then he pounced and pinned his mother down in return. Tala was still, except her tail, thumping in approval and only paused in their play when they heard Ess and Irv. Ess clapped her hands loudly, motioning towards the woods and the wolves barked in understanding before bolting back off into the trees. “They will wait for us outside..can’t train properly with wolves following us, now can we?”
Ess walked over to a guard at the gate and muttered something in his ear and the man simply nodded and motioned for both of them to enter. Entrance to the city could be tricky at certain times of the day as things grew more tense in general in Valcrest. People were definitely more on edge and cautious than they were before the whole fallout with Xypher and the guard but that was nothing in comparison to all the commotion lately. “Irv, Jake and I agree on many things, don’t get me wrong. We just have some different ways of learning I think. His method is not wrong. I hope you don’t think I don’t respect him or his way of thinking and teaching. Just saying. I have two rules. One, if we separate and there’s trouble..go to the Inn on the other side of town and wait for me. I’ll find you. Two, don’t get caught.”
Up ahead Ess could see the market, and quietly she weaved through a small crowd, her eyes darting around hungrily as if searching for something in particular. Or someone. Her eyes began to glow suddenly in excitement, her hand darting outwards to grab Irv’s shoulder as he whispered quickly in his ear. “Let’s play...see that large, balding man over there? Start with him...and then you can pick one for me.” Casually she wandered across the street, acting as if she was interested in some minor trinket of cheap jewelry for sale, watching Irvin from the corner of her eye.
“I don’t necessarily think Jake is wrong either, I just think he needs to loosen up a bit. Seriously, I worry that guy’s head is gonna explode someday.” Irvin mumbled, rolling his eyes impatiently for a moment, but forgetting all about Jake as they joined the crowds of the city, the boy’s eyes instinctively following the flow of people across the market areas. He didn’t know Newhaven as well as Blackpond, he didn’t know the alleyways, the rooftops, the abandoned buildings, none of it. The crowds were the only smart place to hide in circumstances like that. He followed Ess closely until she pointed out to him a man. The boy nodded in agreement his eyes casually following the man as he joined the crowds, disappearing amongst the groups of people. For a while he just circled around, watching the man’s movements and quickly determining what he had of value and what was the best way to reach it. The boy kept hidden in the masses of shoppers, never straying too far from his target, but keeping his distance until there was an opportunity; timing was important and Irvin wanted to make his move when the man was the most distracted. It took a bit of time, but eventually the opportunity presented itself as the man had his attention drawn by one of the nearby merchant stands. At this point Irvin moved, quickly, always following the motions of the crowds his hands reaching calmly to swiftly remove the the knife from the sheath at the man’s belt, using it to cut his coin purse loose, and placing it back before walking away. By the time the man noticed the weight of his gold had been lifted Irvin was already out of his line of sight completely. Irvin waited until the man had given up trying to find his thief in the crowded area before joining Ess. “The lady in a light blue dress, she’s about pass us by in about ten seconds.” Irvin stated, what was undeniably a satisfied grin playing on his lips as he spoke.
Essence grinned, a sly wink her only response before she ‘accidentally’ bumped into a gruff looking blond man. If Ess was to guess he had to have been in his forties but looked even older.
“What you doing Buddie? Watch it!” He snapped at Ess, who features had already melted away, reflecting the same violet eyes encased by dark skin, short goatee, and a perfectly shaven head. Given time to walk the crowd, Ess was able to blend her new masculine features and credit them to some of the passing patrons. She was thankful that she wore only a simple tunic, her belt cinching at the waist, plain, black slacks and boots, all indifferent for whatever form she decided to change to during their little trip. “You’re the one who needs to watch it, Guy.” Ess’ voice was venomous and deep, nothing compared to her normal airy and melodic tone. Just as the woman in blue went to pass, now behind where Ess was facing, she shoved the man before her in challenge, who reciprocated in a mirrored reaction, sending Ess violently backwards. She spun on her feet in a half circle, catching her balance while ironically colliding into the woman, but managing to keep both of them on their feet even if whatever bags where in his arms had fallen into the dirt. Ess was hoping the mild disruption would give Irv the distraction needed to pick any pockets that were left gawking at the small incident. Either way, she was already bent over the mess she had created, quickly working to pick up the bags and give them back to the lady in blue. The girl was young, brown hair, brown eyed and clearly not enjoying the spectacle around her. She wasn’t even looking up at the figure who had slammed into her until her hand reached for the same package, the man’s fingertips tickling her arm as he brought her hand to his lips. “Apologies for the scare...but I’m not sorry for this moment..” Ess flashed a handsome smile. “Anthony...and who I have the honor of…?”
“None..of your…” The girl paused, trying to hold back a shy smile. “..Elexa..” The longer she stared at the smiling man the more nervous she grew. “You should be sorry...acting like a complete animal...for what…”
Anthony stood, his arm firmly gripping the girl’s to assist her to her feet and gently placing the packages back into Elexa’s arms. “..Would you believe me if I said it was so I could meet you?” Anthony chuckled, letting his fingers fall away from her wrist, lifting now a second bracelet from his/her target, happy for the familiarity with the clasps to unsnap said bracelet without damage or notice.
“...Wouldn’t that be a nice thought..” Elexa sighed, shaking her head as she turned to move on her way.
“I guess you’ll never know..” Anthony whispered, bowing slightly before turning back towards Irvin. Turning two or three corners, Ess let her facade fade to match Irvin’s once again, rolling up her sleeve to show two dainty, bracelets adorning her forearm and then letting the sleeve slip over the stolen jewelry. “I was kind of hoping that guy I slammed into wouldn’t lose interest but guess he wasn’t as mindless as I hoped.” She smiled, lightly tapping Irvin’s arm. “So, how’d you make out?”
Irvin had wasted no time in making the best out of the distraction provided, however, half his attention was, much like everyone else’s, drawn by the small commotion Ess had created with curious admiration. Irvin didn’t like, as a general rule, to draw any type of attention to himself, but then again: what does that matter if you can change your face? The boy smiled slightly as Ess joined him, responding to her question with a simple shrug. “So, it’s official; everyone does better with the ladies than me.” He complained, seeming amused. “Have to admit though, that was a pretty effective cheat.”
After a little bit more time spent on the city streets and after properly disposing of whatever stolen property they had gathered during their training, Irvin was pretty excited to accompany Ess to the Inn, if not for any other reason because Jake had made pretty clear he was not to go there. Irv didn’t think it was such a big deal though. The bar was empty as they entered, a small chime sounding above the door as it opened announcing that customers had arrived. Irvin stopped, leaning on the counter, idly humming to himself this song that seemed to permanently linger on the back of his mind as of late, wondering how much longer until nightfall, when they were meant to return to camp for the big surprise party, it was best if they weren’t late for that.
Ess playfully threw one arm over Irv’s shoulder, her features melting back to her own. “It’s only cheating if there are set rules. We should be allowed to have fun if at when all possible, don’t you think?” She winked, “Or have you forgotten how Jakey told me he could go invisible? That was a lesson, believe it or not. I can show you how I did it with the girl as myself or to either of the sexes. Learning to read people, is an entire language all it’s own. I can see you know quite a bit by watching you, watch others. Soo...Watch and learn kid..”
Essence couldn’t deny Irv taught her a few tricks in return, a frozen smirk planted across her face in her delight. The sun was past midday when she had suggested a break. Before she let Irv lead the way into the Inn though, she had made it a purpose to stop at several different stores to pick up three or four packages. Everything had already been paid for, just sitting there waiting for her arrival. Not once did she try to push off any to Irv for him to lighten the burden, instead she passed through the doorway to the Inn with two of the smaller packages balanced perfectly on her head, the other two nestled safely in her arms. She spun just to show up a bit, before placing the packages down upon the counter and looking around for the barkeep. “Helllooooo?”
No answer. Ess just laughed and released several coins on the counter and was highly amused to see Sheila poke her head out from behind a corner. “It’s like a whistle with you...that and..”
“Alright Alright, don’t be spoiling all my secrets in front of the young man here..” Sheila smiled, leaning over the edge of the counter, brushing a stray hair from out Irv’s eyes. “Thirsty? See ...anything you like?”
Ess snickered, glancing at Irvin curiously. “Give the kid an ale and a shot.” Turning towards her current companion she leaned in as if to tell a secret. “Jake doesn’t need to know about this either but I’m sure it’s not a big deal..I think...I dunno..I believe you deserve it so I’ll buy em.”
“I don’t know..” Sheila played, as she began to pour the drinks. “Do you think you can handle it kid?”
“Hey, can I sneak back there and wash up a minute Sheila?” Ess moved around a couple stools and already past the counter as if she knew she didn’t need permission.
“I guess...stay out of the barrels this time..” The woman joked.
“I never did any such thing. It was my wolf..all Tala’s fault..” Ess laughed, disappearing for a few moments.
Irvin looked from Ess to Sheila as they conversed with amusement and curiosity in his blue eyes, not quite understanding exactly some bits of their exchange, but finding it quite entertaining all the same.Wasn’t until Ess excused herself that the boy actually got some words out to Sheila, clearing his throat a bit awkwardly as she served the drinks. “Actually, could you also get me some water?” He asked.
“Already asking for water, kiddo? You sure you want that shot?” The woman teased as she poured the boy a cup of water from a pitcher.
Irvin shrugged, grabbing the shot of liquor first and drinking it down, coughing only slightly at the burn of the liquor, but not seeming too fazed by it overall. “It’s not my first, you know.” He stated simply, taking the water and taking a large gulp, his eyes wandering around the empty bar. “Why is it so empty here?”
“Nice of you to notice. We’re not actually supposed to be open... Orders of the Alpha, but you know... I’m not doing anything, so might as well.”
Irvin emptied the glass of water quickly and pushed the cup towards Sheila for a refill. “So you don’t have to be working, right? Got any plans?”
Sheila chuckled softly. “Aren’t you forward? Well, I can make time, maybe.” She replied, refilling the water. “You have something in mind, sweetie?”
Irvin drank half the water in one large gulp, again, before looking around to make sure Ess wasn’t listening, leaning forward and lowering his voice. “Didn’t Jake tell you about the party?”
“In the Raven’s camp? No, he didn’t.” Sheila replied matching Irv’s tone of voice. “I’m a Wolf, boy, would not be very smart of him to invite me, now would it? Why are we whispering?”
“It’s a surprise.” Irvin mumbled.
“Oooh, I see... Wait, I thought it was his birthday, why...?”
“The hell do I know.” Irvin shrugged, his voice back to it’s normal volume. “Hey, I don’t think it’d be a problem, you’re his friend, why wouldn’t he want you there?”
The woman smirked. “I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you.” She stated simply. “I’ll think about it though. So, how old are you, kid? You seem a bit younger than my regulars.”
“I’m... Hm... I’m eighteen.” Irvin mumbled, drinking the rest of his water.
“Damn...” Sheila snickered. “Jake bet me that’s what you’d say.”
Irvin sighed, scratching the back of his head a bit awkwardly at the woman’s response. “You know who I am, don’t you? He told you about me.”
“Of course he did, you don’t think he expected you to come here behind his back? I honestly thought I’d see you sooner.” Sheila chuckled at Irvin’s expression and playfully ruffled his hair before taking the mug of ale the boy hadn’t touched and drinking from it.
“Does he come here often, the Alpha?” Irvin questioned simply.
“Rarely. Nowadays, I don’t see why he would bother.That’s not why Jake didn’t want you here, kid, it’s just very easy to be noticed in this bar. Assassins always notice a new face, but that won’t be an issue today, I guess.”
“I guess not.” Irvin muttered. “I’m fifteen, well... Sixteen in a month or so.” He admitted.
“Well, then I guess I’ll ask again in a few years, hm?” Sheila smiled, giving Irvin a playful wink.
Essence dropped the boots she had been wearing, onto the counter beside one of the four packages, startling Sheila slightly, as if Ess had appeared from thin air. Reaching for an empty glass from behind the counter, Ess held it in the air before the woman’s face until she took the glass to fill it with Ess’ usual choice of poison. Opening one of the packages, she removed some sort of leather skin shoes which she promptly put on. Ess had not only cleaned up any trace of dirt or grime but also had changed into a red, frilled skirt with a matching, sleeveless shirt. Casually she was unbraiding and rebraiding her curls while staring at the other packages in silence. “Almost ready to go?” She smiled to Irvin, tilting back her glass until every drop was claimed. “..I have to get these to Jake before it gets too late, I think. Did you know..that it is his birthday today?”
“Today? No…” Sheila answered with a smirk.
“I wasn’t talking to you…” Ess shook her head. “Oh ha ha..course you know…” She turned her attention to the door at the sound of a distance howl echoing from the other side of the city. “Think that’s my sign..” Stepping back she twirled playfully in her outfit. “So, whatcha think?”
“It’s Cute...what you expecting company?” The woman smiled knowingly. “Let me guess..that one I see following you around…?”
“I’m..hoping for company..” Ess whispered, closing her eyes a moment as if to listen to her surroundings before opening them with a start. “What do you mean?”
“You know...the one that is always asking about you.”
Ess’ tone grew cold as she honestly tried to think how many times she had visited the Inn with Luckas or when he was around. Even Jake or Darren, but besides them, there should be no other companions as of late. “No..Sheila...I don’t know.. Who has been asking about me?”
“She might get suspicious if it’s Darren or me. She’ll definitely know if it’s me. Just make something up and get her out of the camp for a couple of hours. If you can get her to follow you to Newhaven, even better; then you won’t run into anyone coming into camp. Just for a couple of hours Irvin, walking to the city and back is about half the time we need.”
“Oh, come on... What reason would she have to follow me to Newhaven? I’m not that good looking you know?” Irvin muttered. “I honestly don’t even understand why are you throwing her the party if it’s your birthday.”
“Because... Well... Let’s say it’s a family tradition of sorts.” Jake replied simply. “Come on now... Off you go. She should be back from her run any minute and I don’t want her noticing any unusual behavior. Just look at it as training.”
“Training?” Irvin retorted, shaking his head.
“Hey, deception is a very useful skill. Go practice it.” Jake chuckled, playfully nudging Irvin in the direction of Ess’ camp. “Just remember; keep her out of camp all costs... And try to stay out of trouble.”
“It’s either one or the other Killer... I’m no miracle worker.” The boy retorted.
“Make it work Irvin. I don’t want her around for the preparations, but I’d like you both to be back for the party, get it?”
“Aaargh, you’re not making this easier for me, Killer!” Irvin exclaimed, stomping his way towards Ess’ camp. “I’ll figure something out, okay? Just remember you’ll owe me for this!” The boy concluded.
Jake shook his head, laughing as the boy wandered off in the direction of Ess’ camp. It had been a bit of a hassle to plan a party in the camp without letting word of it reach Ess, especially considering how excited people had gotten with the idea. They even made sure not to tell the children about it until the night before to keep them from saying something to her in their excitement. Some would argue that, the way things were going, maybe this wasn’t the best of times to party, but Jake was of the opinion that a party was exactly the kind of thing that was needed in times like these; which was confirmed by how the moods in camp had improved in the past few days of planning.
“Oy, stranger!” A cheerful voice called from the path that led to Jake’s little camp. “I just passed Irv... The kid’s not too pleased, I could be the distraction if you rather... The last trip to Newhaven with Essence was surely entertaining.”
Jake snickered as he shook his head, turning to face Allison as she walked by, carrying a very a long thin package that was unmistakably a bow. “I dread to wonder how entertaining it really was.” He played, his eyes scanning his friend in a quick assessment of her overall well-being. “I want Irvin to do it.” He stated simply. “You know... I’m pretty sure he could learn a thing or two from hanging around Ess for a few hours. There’s only so much I can teach the kid for myself.”
“I suppose that makes sense.” Ali agreed. “Annie won’t be coming around, I’m afraid... I’m sure you were already expecting that though, what with all the... You know, she’s got a lot on her hands.” She mumbled with a small shrug. “She sent a gift though, and... She said she has one for you, BUT... You’ll only get it if you visit.”
“Oh? Well, that’s not very fair now, is it? Not like she ever visits me.” Jake retorted, rolling his eyes playfully. “I’ll think about it.” He concluded stubbornly.
“I’m sure you will, Jacob... Sure you will.” Ali laughed.
“So... You made Ess a bow?” Jake asked, nodding towards the package Ali was carrying. “You’ve taken a liking to crafting for others, maybe you can open a shop.”
“Who knows.” Ali smiled. “I’m afraid the ones I crafted for the guard are not nearly as special as this one, but then... I took my sweet time with it. Maybe now I’ll finally get mine finished one of these days.”
“Can I take a look?” Jake asked excitedly, leaning towards Ali as if hoping to peek inside the package.
“Absolutely not.” Ali scolded. “It’s not for you, you shouldn’t get to be the first to see it.”
“You people are aware that it is my birthday today, right?” Jake muttered.
“Aaaw...” Ali taunted. “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten you, my friend. I have something for the birthday boy too.” She snickered, ruffling Jake’s hair and pulling from her pack a rectangular item hidden inside a dark velvet sack. “Happy birthday.” She declared cheerfully, handing it over to him.
Jake picked up the present and opened it; it was book. Not an ordinary looking book however; it was without question the nicest looking book Jake had ever seen in his life. For one thing it was brand new; impeccably clean sheets of paper encased in black leather. The front cover was a smooth dark color aside from a simple engraving on the bottom right corner consisting of the silhouette of a wolf howling beneath a crescent moon. The engraving was almost unnoticeable at first glance, the contours of the wolf and moon colored in a dark shade of grey only a few tones lighter than the black surface of the leather cover. Jake spotted it immediately however, as though he just expected it to be there for some odd reason. “It’s a journal.” He mumbled, opening it to find his name written on the center of the first page, in black ink and fancy lettering.
“Observant as always, Jake. Well done. Yes, it’s a journal. Remember that you told me how you burned yours down after that whole... You know... Treason... Situation... Episode?”
“That’s a simple way to describe the whole ordeal...” Jake mumbled, not all too amused, but nodding along to her words nonetheless. “Sure, I remember. I burned it not too long after moving to the desert. Not like I needed any reminders anyway.”
“Well... You are twenty four years old now... That’s about four years since that whole thing happened. Figured it’s about time you think about rewriting your story. Maybe this time you’ll want to remember it, hm?”
“Maybe.” Jake agreed simply, a contemplative smile crossing his features for a moment. “Thanks. It’s a really nice gift.”
“Well, you’re welcome... Now you can stop whining about not getting cool things on your birthday.”
“I wasn’t whining.” Jake protested, frowning at her.
Ali snickered, ruffling up Jake’s hair. “Sure you weren’t.” She teased. “Do you know what time Crys is coming over?”
“Hopefully soon, she’s bringing the liquor. Actually, I haven’t seen Kaya in a little while, so I’m guessing she’ll be here in a bit.” Jake concluded, starting to walk Ali into the camp. “You haven’t spoken to her lately?”
“No, I’ve been with the Newhaven crew for the past few weeks.” Ali explained.
“Then how did you talk to Annie if you’ve been in Newhaven?” Jake questioned, confused.
“I didn’t... I talked to Alistair last week when he was in town visiting his aunt. He brought me Ess’ gift and told me Annie won’t be coming. Seriously though, Jake; you should go see her. Alistair doesn’t think she’s doing as well as she looks.”
“Maybe I’ll go after the party, then.” Jake agreed.
As they reached the center of camp they were greeted by the kids, who immediately surrounded Ali wanting to know if she had brought them any new toys and eventually they just dragged her off with them.
----------------------
“That’s a lot of booze Crys, can we afford to give this away like this?” Nicholas half-protested, glancing at the small wagon Shadow was pulling.
“It’s for a friend and we spare no expense when it comes to friends, Nick. Besides, business is going well... We can afford to let go of some bottles.”
“I suppose.” Nick mumbled, kicking up some dirt as he walked and making a pouty face. “It’s not fair that you all get to party and I have to go back and WORK.” He exclaimed dramatically.
“Aaaaw, you poor little man... Forced to go back to his bar and drink and flirt with the drunken ladies....” Crys snorted. “Give me a break.”
“Heeey...” Nicholas protested. “That’s not all I do! It’s a great part of what I do, but it’s not ALL I do.”
Dastan chuckled at the man. “I’d take that job anytime.”
“You have a job, Shaykh.” Crys scolded. “And we both know it has never gotten in the way of your drinking and flirting before. Right?” She asked, poking the man on his side playfully.
“Aye, Red... When you’re right, you’re right.” He agreed with a snicker.
“Are we there yet?” Nick questioned.
“We’re close, not much longer n-” Crys stopped abruptly, halting the group of men following after her, a wide smile crossing her expression. The group of ten Crimson Shadows, as well as Dastan and Nicholas, seemed confused as to what they were waiting for until there was very audible rustling in the vegetation coming closer and closer, finally visible in the form of a large white wolf jumping out of the bushes, dragging a dark green thick fabric that flowed behind her like a cape as she ran. The Crimson were a bit startled, but Dastan and Nicholas seemed highly amused at the sight, the Crimson leader motioning for his men to stand down as a couple of them were starting to reach for weapons. The wolf circled the group a couple of times dragging around the cloak before dropping it at Crys’ feet and circling the group again, sniffing everyone and seeming to particularly annoy Shadow by bouncing around excitedly around the horse emitting high pitched barks and short howls of greeting.
Crys calmly crouched to retrieve the article of clothing on the ground, feeling the fabric and mumbling a bit to herself before calling out to the animal. “Kaaaya...” She sang softly, chuckling as the wolf immediately halted at her call and dashed in a straight line towards her, nearly sliding past as she halted, but quickly regaining her balance and pouncing on Crys; almost knocking the woman over and covering her in kisses. “There, there, girlie... I know... I missed you too...” Crys spoke soothingly, patting the wolf’s side trying to get her to still a bit. “By the Twins, you’ve gotten bigger since I was last in camp, haven’t you, hm?” She asked, scratching behind Kaya’s ears lovingly, wrapping the cloak around the wolf so that she was wearing it. “There, now you look badass.” She stated, chuckling as she stood up, trying, but failing to brush all the white fur from her clothing.
“Sure... When the wolf does it it’s cute... If I try to pounce on you and lick your face it’s all ‘you’re too drunk, Dastan... Knock it off or I’ll stab you’...” Dastan snorted in a fake offended tone. “Why does your wolf have a cloak? Is she like an honorary assassin or something?”
“It’s not hers, it’s Jake’s... but yes, yes she is.” Crys replied calmly. “And I stand by my previous statement... I WILL stab you.”
“She brought you Jake’s cloak?” Dastan asked in a tone of laughter.
“She always does it. If I stay in camp she leaves his stuff in my tent as well. I don’t know why, I think she just likes his scent so when she wants to hang around me she has to have something of his...” Crys shrugged. “I don’t know. She spends pretty much all her time following him around when I’m Blackpond, so I guess it makes sense.”
“So you two share custody of the wolf?” Nicholas asked, snorting a laugh. “Like... Baby practice?”
Crys simply glared at Nicholas and the man’s laughter silenced immediately, but she shrugged and responded. “She likes him. I can’t exactly blame her.”
“Well, I can’t blame her either... Jakey is adorable... Like a teddy bear.” Nick played.
“Don’t make me smack you, Nicholas.” Crys muttered.
“Whaat? You can’t handle a bit of competition? Geee.” The man chuckled, idly patting Shadow as he walked beside the horse.
“I stabbed one innkeeper and I’ll stab another if I have to.” Crys retorted.
“You stabbed her and then bandaged her up.” Dastan pointed out with a chuckle. “You can’t stop being nice if you try, can you?”
“I don’t like to lose my temper and I felt a bit remorseful, alright? Don’t think I would be that nice a second time. Especially if she were to provoke me after what I’ve already done; I’m not too kind when people are too dumb to learn from their mistakes.”
-------------------------
Jake was on top of a tree tying up one end of a long string to one of the higher branches. From his tree to the one on the opposite end of the string several colored flags hung above the party area, several rows of those flags were being hung up by other members of the guard all over the encampment. The flags had been visibly made by the children, but they did give the place a more cheery and festive look, one couldn’t deny that. Jake was on his way down when he heard a bit of a commotion of excited barks and laughter just below him, he looked down to see Kaya running about dressed in his cloak the hood fallen over her eyes blocking her sight. He dropped down from the lowest branch of the tree and chuckled at the wolf. “Not enough you steal my clothes, you’re wearing them now, too?” He snickered as the wolf halted at the sound of his voice, walking over to the wolf and tugging on the dark green hood. “There you are.” He smiled,
ruffling up Kaya’s fur, not at all surprised to see Crys was not too far behind. “So, you did go back for it, huh?” She questioned as Jake freed Kaya from the cloak and tried a bit hopelessly to get rid of all the white fur that had stuck to the fabric.
“Well, you said I shouldn’t have left it. Besides, I’m rather fond of this cloak.” Jake shrugged. “It wasn’t too much trouble.”
“I bet it wasn’t.” Crys stated simply.
Jake sighed as he looked past Crys to the group of people that were unloading boxes of liquor and some other supplies. They were clearly not assassins and Jake was not too thrilled to see that Dastan was one of them. “Why did you have to bring him?”
“Why not? Besides, the Crimson are good at parties... You said you needed help with the party, who else was I supposed to bring? Don’t worry, they’re not going to break anything... I hope.”
“Fine.” Jake muttered. “I just can’t quite say the same for myself, that’s all.”
Crys chuckled. “Hey... Suit yourself. I’m almost positive you’d get your ass kicked... In front of the guard... On your birthday... Just think about it.”
Jake snorted, walking past Crys to help with the boxes. “I would not get my ass kicked, just try me.” He mumbled under his breath.
“What’d you say there, Jakey?” Crys asked, holding back a bit of laughter as she followed him towards the others.
“I said I’ll help with those boxes.” Jake replied simply.
“Mhm... That’s what I thought I heard.”
-----------------------------
Raven's Nest/Newhaven
Curses and grumblings of minor complaints of pain, halted Ess’ progress for a few moments before she looked at her sketch again and then back up at the Oak. She was hidden beneath the leaves except for the frustrating rustling of her movement here and there. Her patience seemed thin today.
In the past, if she was jealous about something she would never willingly admit such a thing, but when she saw Darren’s cozy tree house he had built, hidden away behind the branches and new leaves, Ess had a childish outburst of sorts.
“Of course I’m bloody jealous!!” Essence had blubbered out, her face contorting into a pout of sorts.
Darren just shook his head and chuckled. “I’m sure Aiden and I could build you one…”
“Forget it. Things between Aiden and I are just weird now. If I let him do something for me, he’ll just think he’s got a chance or something..” Ess snorted through a slightly aggravated sigh.
“Alright. If your stalker is going to throw a fit about it, then I can build it myself..” Darren smiled.
“ No, it’s fine. I’m sure I can handle it. I mean...how hard could it be?”
Several blisters and bruises later, Ess had only managed to clear out the center of the oak in preparation, and as she leaped down from a high branch and rolled to her feet, her fingers were still gripping an axe as if it were apart of her arm. Everything she managed to rearrange, she never put the ax down because truthfully, she had forgotten she was still holding the weapon.
“Deception is a useful skill, Irvin.... Try to stay out of trouble Irvin... Be back in time for the party, Irvin...” The boy mumbled, kicking up dirt as he walked towards the oak, not really paying much attention to his surroundings. Irvin honestly prefered to stick around and help set up for the party than be the one to distract Essence; he didn’t exactly think he’d be able to hide the truth for long if the woman started to suspect something was off. If she started to question he knew he’d get nervous and tell her everything. He just didn’t want to screw up weeks of planning. It would really suck if the surprised got spoiled, not to mention Jake was almost sure Ess would run away if she knew there was something like this being planned for her.
Distracted as he was Irvin approached the oak without noticing any movement, idly pacing towards the tree as if half-expecting Ess to be hiding behind it. He was almost right. As he stopped by the tree, looking around to see if someone was coming by, he was startled by an axe wielding redhead dropping from the tree branches. The boy jumped in place and let out a loud yelp. “What the hell!” He shouted, resisting the urge to reach for his chest as if it was still possible to hide the fact she had scared the hell out of him.
Essence quirked a brow before turning her gaze to meet Irvin’s as she acknowledged his presence. “Good morning Kiddo…” Ess snickered in slight amusement, “Coming by to steal something different today? You can settle on something else besides the bear because he is being babysat by Miss Lily at the moment.” Holding back a chuckle, she rested one hand on her hip, the other holding the axe, absently tapping her leg with the side of the blade.
Irvin let out a rather shaky laugh, still trying to calm his nerves from his little scare. “No, I’m not allowed to touch the bear... Jake said I’m too irresponsible to handle the stuffed animals.” He played, taking a deep breath as he felt his heartbeat finally settle back to normal. “Besides, I think that little stunt already served its purpose... Although not how I expected it... Eh... Plans can’t always run perfect; where’s the fun in that?” The boy stopped talking, his eyes scanning the area as though he was trying to find something interesting around. “Hmm... Well... I wouldn’t mind stealing you for a bit... Unless you have plans to hack someone to bits.”
A devilish, yet teasing giggle escaped her lips, finally noticing she was still gripping the axe. Raising the weapon before her eyes, as if to examine it for the first time, she shrugged, resting the blade upon her shoulder. “Things could have gone much worse. Everyone survived, so all in all it was a productive...day. I did not have any plans, though, on hacking anyone today to pieces...unless you have someone in mind? A favor needed perhaps?” Ess giggled again, slowly dropping the axe beside the oak. “You want to steal ’Me?’ I don’t know if I should be flattered or worried. Maybe both.” Ess crossed her arms, tilting her head in curiosity at the meaning behind Irv’s words. “Where you going?”
“Hmm...” Irvin mumbled under his breath, somewhat considering the offered favor, but shaking his head slightly as if brushing it aside. “Maybe some other time.” He muttered to himself. Sometimes it wasn’t all too easy to keep to his part of the deal he and Jake had made all those months ago, he couldn’t deny. His tone returning to its previous casual manner Irvin shrugged slightly. “All the responsible adults seem to have something better to do, and I haven’t actually been to the city yet. Not really. There must be some fun to be had over there, no?”
Essence glanced over the boy again slowly, thinking on his words, a slightly confused look crossing her face. “I don’t think you need a chaperone, right?” Essence groaned as a possibility crossed her mind. “Is Jake running out of people to assign to keep an eye on me? I am not always a good influence, I think at least. Someplace in particular you want to visit?” Ess didn’t wait for Irv to answer her last question before gathering her things and strapping her sword and dagger to her waist. “Darren’s not in camp? Ugh..where did that boy wander off to..” She mumbled partially to herself. Rummaging through one of her bags, she retrieved a few of her daggers, habitually tucking them away inside her boots. “Tala...Beo...come…” Ess commanded at what appeared to be to herself. None of her wolves were in sight, but once she spoke, both of them came bursting through the foliage, pouncing excitedly around Irvin in play. “Weapons...wolfies...check. Ok I will try to be a responsible adult and keep an eye on you then. Just promise to not tell Jake where I may bring you..” The woman winked playfully, nodding forward. “Lead the way then.”
Irvin flinched slightly at Ess’ questioning. He wondered how often did Jake have someone check up on the woman, she didn’t seem to him like she needed babysitters or anything of that sort. He didn’t make any comments however, he was just glad that she didn’t push him for answers and played along. Hopefully in the city they’d find something entertaining, he wasn’t really sure. “I don’t know any places in particular.” The boy stated, jumping slightly as the wolves suddenly jumped out of the bushes, causing him to chuckle in a mix of amusement and annoyance. “Everyone is trying to give me a heart attack today.” He mumbled playfully. “Like I said... Haven’t actually been to the city, except visiting Jake’s buddies... Apparently they’re keeping an eye out for someone, but he won’t tell me who and why... No luck so far either...” Irvin sighed slightly, not paying much mind to the path as he found the general path towards Newhaven. “No word on the people who took my sister either... You’d think these assassins would be a bit better at finding people, huh?” He mentioned casually, as if finding amusement in the fact, but quickly changing the subject. “I kind of needed to practice some skills, but then... It wouldn’t be too responsible of you to let me... You know, stealing is rather unethical and whatnot... I technically am not supposed to do it... If it becomes a necessity in the future though I’m gonna want to be at the top of my game. Do you know how? You know, picking pockets and stuff?”
“Hmm…” Essence pondered over the idea of her being a bit of a tour guide for Irvin on Newhaven and was trying to settle on where to bring him first. Still thinking it over, she stretched her arm and lightly rested it across the boy’s shoulders and paused in step to lean on him casually. She didn’t know exactly what to say to Irv on the topic of his sister. How could she know if she was indeed alive or not? The whole thing was twisted and made her sick and she feared for her, a few memories of her ordeal creeping to the surface. Darren had mentioned the camp him and the others had found and even after the scouting party had returned, Mageria had sent them back out, with more men. “Soon…” Was all the Captain said, but the look in her eye was a mix of a promise with excitement and a cold clarity that this would only be the start when things went into motion. So, Ess pushed to remain upbeat. “Well, even though we haven’t found her yet, or heard anything, you can’t think the worst. Sometimes, people disappear for their own protection. We’ll find her, Irvin. Trust Jake and trust me. This is personal for me on many levels as well and Darren has your back.” Ess nodded at her own words. “A bloody reckoning is coming...in our favor. I have faith in my new family as well as Jake.”
Tala and Beo were keeping pace with Ess and Irvin but ran off ahead when they paused in their step. Ess whistled a shrill, bird like noise and shortly after both wolves responded in a small howl off in the distance to alert her of their presence. Pulling back from Irvin, Ess ruffled up his hair and smiled warmly, her features flickering to mimic Darren’s and then Irvin’s. “I’m not bad at pickpocketing, but I kind of cheat.” She bowed slightly and spun with an adorable flair in her step. “I am pretty good at disappearing. We could train some, while in the city. How about it? We’d be helping eachother. And Jakey? He doesn’t need to know.” Essence winked and giggled, walking backwards a few paces before turning back on the path. “What else is it that you do Irv? Darren said you can freeze water, or something? Can you manipulate liquids in general? Ooh ooh,..” Ess spun around a few times in excitement, her features fading back to her own. “Can you freeze someone’s blood? Ever make heads explode?”
Irvin nodded along to Ess’ words. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to hope his sister was alive or not, mostly he just tried not to obsess about it... And trust. Jake had said that he didn’t think she would be dead, but that was all he had said. Irvin had let that be the end of their conversation at that time; Jake seemed often indecisive on whether he wanted to protect him or be honest, and Irvin was afraid his head would just explode one day with worry. It was a bit funny to watch, he wouldn’t deny it.
The mere change of subject seemed to have lightened Irvin’s mood and he couldn’t help an impressed look from crossing his eyes as he watched Ess change her appearance to look like him. A playful frown forming itself in the boy’s expression as he mumbled “Wow, didn’t realize I was so pale... hmph...I might need a haircut too.” The boy stated amused, ruffling up his blonde locks and watching Ess as though looking into a mirror. Shaking his head, Irvin chuckled. “I see you and Jake don’t share the same view on these kinds of things then...” The boy pointed out, making a serious face and trying to imitate Jake’s speech as he muttered. “How are you supposed to learn anything this way? You can’t cheat your way through life, Kid.” Irvin rolled his eyes, kicking up a bit of dirt as he walked. “He’s one to talk... Mr. Invisible...Yeah, he doesn’t need to know...” The boy agreed, nodding along to his own words and glancing around momentarily instinctively checking that Jake wasn’t hiding in the bushes, even if he knew that the man was busy elsewhere. “I’ve never tried freezing, but I did kind of boil this dude’s blood once... Not intentionally, and it wasn’t very pleasant for me either... Freezing is harder, I take it that trying to freeze someone’s blood would drain me pretty quickly, I did freeze a guy’s hand solid once and it took me quite a bit to recover. It was cool though, my buddy hit it with a hammer and it smashed to bits... How could I explode someone’s head? I could try... Hmmm... Maybe I could. Yeah.”
Essence held a large smile for quite some time, listening to Irvin but fell silent in thought until they could see the city gates up ahead. Tala and Beo were waiting up ahead for them and as if they had grown bored, they had been engaging in some playful sparring of their own. Tala had Beo pinned to the ground, growling in a challenge. Even though Beo was now larger than Tala he had submitted until she stepped off and then he pounced and pinned his mother down in return. Tala was still, except her tail, thumping in approval and only paused in their play when they heard Ess and Irv. Ess clapped her hands loudly, motioning towards the woods and the wolves barked in understanding before bolting back off into the trees. “They will wait for us outside..can’t train properly with wolves following us, now can we?”
Ess walked over to a guard at the gate and muttered something in his ear and the man simply nodded and motioned for both of them to enter. Entrance to the city could be tricky at certain times of the day as things grew more tense in general in Valcrest. People were definitely more on edge and cautious than they were before the whole fallout with Xypher and the guard but that was nothing in comparison to all the commotion lately. “Irv, Jake and I agree on many things, don’t get me wrong. We just have some different ways of learning I think. His method is not wrong. I hope you don’t think I don’t respect him or his way of thinking and teaching. Just saying. I have two rules. One, if we separate and there’s trouble..go to the Inn on the other side of town and wait for me. I’ll find you. Two, don’t get caught.”
Up ahead Ess could see the market, and quietly she weaved through a small crowd, her eyes darting around hungrily as if searching for something in particular. Or someone. Her eyes began to glow suddenly in excitement, her hand darting outwards to grab Irv’s shoulder as he whispered quickly in his ear. “Let’s play...see that large, balding man over there? Start with him...and then you can pick one for me.” Casually she wandered across the street, acting as if she was interested in some minor trinket of cheap jewelry for sale, watching Irvin from the corner of her eye.
“I don’t necessarily think Jake is wrong either, I just think he needs to loosen up a bit. Seriously, I worry that guy’s head is gonna explode someday.” Irvin mumbled, rolling his eyes impatiently for a moment, but forgetting all about Jake as they joined the crowds of the city, the boy’s eyes instinctively following the flow of people across the market areas. He didn’t know Newhaven as well as Blackpond, he didn’t know the alleyways, the rooftops, the abandoned buildings, none of it. The crowds were the only smart place to hide in circumstances like that. He followed Ess closely until she pointed out to him a man. The boy nodded in agreement his eyes casually following the man as he joined the crowds, disappearing amongst the groups of people. For a while he just circled around, watching the man’s movements and quickly determining what he had of value and what was the best way to reach it. The boy kept hidden in the masses of shoppers, never straying too far from his target, but keeping his distance until there was an opportunity; timing was important and Irvin wanted to make his move when the man was the most distracted. It took a bit of time, but eventually the opportunity presented itself as the man had his attention drawn by one of the nearby merchant stands. At this point Irvin moved, quickly, always following the motions of the crowds his hands reaching calmly to swiftly remove the the knife from the sheath at the man’s belt, using it to cut his coin purse loose, and placing it back before walking away. By the time the man noticed the weight of his gold had been lifted Irvin was already out of his line of sight completely. Irvin waited until the man had given up trying to find his thief in the crowded area before joining Ess. “The lady in a light blue dress, she’s about pass us by in about ten seconds.” Irvin stated, what was undeniably a satisfied grin playing on his lips as he spoke.
Essence grinned, a sly wink her only response before she ‘accidentally’ bumped into a gruff looking blond man. If Ess was to guess he had to have been in his forties but looked even older.
“What you doing Buddie? Watch it!” He snapped at Ess, who features had already melted away, reflecting the same violet eyes encased by dark skin, short goatee, and a perfectly shaven head. Given time to walk the crowd, Ess was able to blend her new masculine features and credit them to some of the passing patrons. She was thankful that she wore only a simple tunic, her belt cinching at the waist, plain, black slacks and boots, all indifferent for whatever form she decided to change to during their little trip. “You’re the one who needs to watch it, Guy.” Ess’ voice was venomous and deep, nothing compared to her normal airy and melodic tone. Just as the woman in blue went to pass, now behind where Ess was facing, she shoved the man before her in challenge, who reciprocated in a mirrored reaction, sending Ess violently backwards. She spun on her feet in a half circle, catching her balance while ironically colliding into the woman, but managing to keep both of them on their feet even if whatever bags where in his arms had fallen into the dirt. Ess was hoping the mild disruption would give Irv the distraction needed to pick any pockets that were left gawking at the small incident. Either way, she was already bent over the mess she had created, quickly working to pick up the bags and give them back to the lady in blue. The girl was young, brown hair, brown eyed and clearly not enjoying the spectacle around her. She wasn’t even looking up at the figure who had slammed into her until her hand reached for the same package, the man’s fingertips tickling her arm as he brought her hand to his lips. “Apologies for the scare...but I’m not sorry for this moment..” Ess flashed a handsome smile. “Anthony...and who I have the honor of…?”
“None..of your…” The girl paused, trying to hold back a shy smile. “..Elexa..” The longer she stared at the smiling man the more nervous she grew. “You should be sorry...acting like a complete animal...for what…”
Anthony stood, his arm firmly gripping the girl’s to assist her to her feet and gently placing the packages back into Elexa’s arms. “..Would you believe me if I said it was so I could meet you?” Anthony chuckled, letting his fingers fall away from her wrist, lifting now a second bracelet from his/her target, happy for the familiarity with the clasps to unsnap said bracelet without damage or notice.
“...Wouldn’t that be a nice thought..” Elexa sighed, shaking her head as she turned to move on her way.
“I guess you’ll never know..” Anthony whispered, bowing slightly before turning back towards Irvin. Turning two or three corners, Ess let her facade fade to match Irvin’s once again, rolling up her sleeve to show two dainty, bracelets adorning her forearm and then letting the sleeve slip over the stolen jewelry. “I was kind of hoping that guy I slammed into wouldn’t lose interest but guess he wasn’t as mindless as I hoped.” She smiled, lightly tapping Irvin’s arm. “So, how’d you make out?”
Irvin had wasted no time in making the best out of the distraction provided, however, half his attention was, much like everyone else’s, drawn by the small commotion Ess had created with curious admiration. Irvin didn’t like, as a general rule, to draw any type of attention to himself, but then again: what does that matter if you can change your face? The boy smiled slightly as Ess joined him, responding to her question with a simple shrug. “So, it’s official; everyone does better with the ladies than me.” He complained, seeming amused. “Have to admit though, that was a pretty effective cheat.”
After a little bit more time spent on the city streets and after properly disposing of whatever stolen property they had gathered during their training, Irvin was pretty excited to accompany Ess to the Inn, if not for any other reason because Jake had made pretty clear he was not to go there. Irv didn’t think it was such a big deal though. The bar was empty as they entered, a small chime sounding above the door as it opened announcing that customers had arrived. Irvin stopped, leaning on the counter, idly humming to himself this song that seemed to permanently linger on the back of his mind as of late, wondering how much longer until nightfall, when they were meant to return to camp for the big surprise party, it was best if they weren’t late for that.
Ess playfully threw one arm over Irv’s shoulder, her features melting back to her own. “It’s only cheating if there are set rules. We should be allowed to have fun if at when all possible, don’t you think?” She winked, “Or have you forgotten how Jakey told me he could go invisible? That was a lesson, believe it or not. I can show you how I did it with the girl as myself or to either of the sexes. Learning to read people, is an entire language all it’s own. I can see you know quite a bit by watching you, watch others. Soo...Watch and learn kid..”
Essence couldn’t deny Irv taught her a few tricks in return, a frozen smirk planted across her face in her delight. The sun was past midday when she had suggested a break. Before she let Irv lead the way into the Inn though, she had made it a purpose to stop at several different stores to pick up three or four packages. Everything had already been paid for, just sitting there waiting for her arrival. Not once did she try to push off any to Irv for him to lighten the burden, instead she passed through the doorway to the Inn with two of the smaller packages balanced perfectly on her head, the other two nestled safely in her arms. She spun just to show up a bit, before placing the packages down upon the counter and looking around for the barkeep. “Helllooooo?”
No answer. Ess just laughed and released several coins on the counter and was highly amused to see Sheila poke her head out from behind a corner. “It’s like a whistle with you...that and..”
“Alright Alright, don’t be spoiling all my secrets in front of the young man here..” Sheila smiled, leaning over the edge of the counter, brushing a stray hair from out Irv’s eyes. “Thirsty? See ...anything you like?”
Ess snickered, glancing at Irvin curiously. “Give the kid an ale and a shot.” Turning towards her current companion she leaned in as if to tell a secret. “Jake doesn’t need to know about this either but I’m sure it’s not a big deal..I think...I dunno..I believe you deserve it so I’ll buy em.”
“I don’t know..” Sheila played, as she began to pour the drinks. “Do you think you can handle it kid?”
“Hey, can I sneak back there and wash up a minute Sheila?” Ess moved around a couple stools and already past the counter as if she knew she didn’t need permission.
“I guess...stay out of the barrels this time..” The woman joked.
“I never did any such thing. It was my wolf..all Tala’s fault..” Ess laughed, disappearing for a few moments.
Irvin looked from Ess to Sheila as they conversed with amusement and curiosity in his blue eyes, not quite understanding exactly some bits of their exchange, but finding it quite entertaining all the same.Wasn’t until Ess excused herself that the boy actually got some words out to Sheila, clearing his throat a bit awkwardly as she served the drinks. “Actually, could you also get me some water?” He asked.
“Already asking for water, kiddo? You sure you want that shot?” The woman teased as she poured the boy a cup of water from a pitcher.
Irvin shrugged, grabbing the shot of liquor first and drinking it down, coughing only slightly at the burn of the liquor, but not seeming too fazed by it overall. “It’s not my first, you know.” He stated simply, taking the water and taking a large gulp, his eyes wandering around the empty bar. “Why is it so empty here?”
“Nice of you to notice. We’re not actually supposed to be open... Orders of the Alpha, but you know... I’m not doing anything, so might as well.”
Irvin emptied the glass of water quickly and pushed the cup towards Sheila for a refill. “So you don’t have to be working, right? Got any plans?”
Sheila chuckled softly. “Aren’t you forward? Well, I can make time, maybe.” She replied, refilling the water. “You have something in mind, sweetie?”
Irvin drank half the water in one large gulp, again, before looking around to make sure Ess wasn’t listening, leaning forward and lowering his voice. “Didn’t Jake tell you about the party?”
“In the Raven’s camp? No, he didn’t.” Sheila replied matching Irv’s tone of voice. “I’m a Wolf, boy, would not be very smart of him to invite me, now would it? Why are we whispering?”
“It’s a surprise.” Irvin mumbled.
“Oooh, I see... Wait, I thought it was his birthday, why...?”
“The hell do I know.” Irvin shrugged, his voice back to it’s normal volume. “Hey, I don’t think it’d be a problem, you’re his friend, why wouldn’t he want you there?”
The woman smirked. “I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you.” She stated simply. “I’ll think about it though. So, how old are you, kid? You seem a bit younger than my regulars.”
“I’m... Hm... I’m eighteen.” Irvin mumbled, drinking the rest of his water.
“Damn...” Sheila snickered. “Jake bet me that’s what you’d say.”
Irvin sighed, scratching the back of his head a bit awkwardly at the woman’s response. “You know who I am, don’t you? He told you about me.”
“Of course he did, you don’t think he expected you to come here behind his back? I honestly thought I’d see you sooner.” Sheila chuckled at Irvin’s expression and playfully ruffled his hair before taking the mug of ale the boy hadn’t touched and drinking from it.
“Does he come here often, the Alpha?” Irvin questioned simply.
“Rarely. Nowadays, I don’t see why he would bother.That’s not why Jake didn’t want you here, kid, it’s just very easy to be noticed in this bar. Assassins always notice a new face, but that won’t be an issue today, I guess.”
“I guess not.” Irvin muttered. “I’m fifteen, well... Sixteen in a month or so.” He admitted.
“Well, then I guess I’ll ask again in a few years, hm?” Sheila smiled, giving Irvin a playful wink.
Essence dropped the boots she had been wearing, onto the counter beside one of the four packages, startling Sheila slightly, as if Ess had appeared from thin air. Reaching for an empty glass from behind the counter, Ess held it in the air before the woman’s face until she took the glass to fill it with Ess’ usual choice of poison. Opening one of the packages, she removed some sort of leather skin shoes which she promptly put on. Ess had not only cleaned up any trace of dirt or grime but also had changed into a red, frilled skirt with a matching, sleeveless shirt. Casually she was unbraiding and rebraiding her curls while staring at the other packages in silence. “Almost ready to go?” She smiled to Irvin, tilting back her glass until every drop was claimed. “..I have to get these to Jake before it gets too late, I think. Did you know..that it is his birthday today?”
“Today? No…” Sheila answered with a smirk.
“I wasn’t talking to you…” Ess shook her head. “Oh ha ha..course you know…” She turned her attention to the door at the sound of a distance howl echoing from the other side of the city. “Think that’s my sign..” Stepping back she twirled playfully in her outfit. “So, whatcha think?”
“It’s Cute...what you expecting company?” The woman smiled knowingly. “Let me guess..that one I see following you around…?”
“I’m..hoping for company..” Ess whispered, closing her eyes a moment as if to listen to her surroundings before opening them with a start. “What do you mean?”
“You know...the one that is always asking about you.”
Ess’ tone grew cold as she honestly tried to think how many times she had visited the Inn with Luckas or when he was around. Even Jake or Darren, but besides them, there should be no other companions as of late. “No..Sheila...I don’t know.. Who has been asking about me?”
The setting changes from Raven's Nest to Valcrest
Setting
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Blackhurst- 2553 Years Ago
A clear spring day it was. The wind blasted through the fields, causing the tall grass across the plains to flatten nearly to the ground. This was the most refreshing of spring days though as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the only reason for this beautiful breeze was due to the blessings of the great Twin, Wind. Within the types of spring days, this was one of the best of them and even in the darkest days of this brewing war, there were things that could be seen as good in the great world of Valcrest. In Blackhurst especially.
During this time of war, Blackhurst was the first stop for all the pacifists. The ruling parties of Blackhurst refused to get involved in this war, just seeing it as a poor excuse to gain an unreasonable power. These pacifists came from the remaining four great cities of this land. From the great city of Sun and Moon, Newhaven; a city very much interested in the prospect of perfection. Possibly even jealous of the ability of Blackhurst to seemingly achieve this perfection they too sought after. Then there was the city of Blackpond; proud in its military might and so ready to show it off to those they deemed weaker than them. Seen by many as a childish threat, but to those who were smart to see beyond that, an ounce of fear of being their next target was seen as healthy. And of course, Brightvale; the trade capital of the great land, Valcrest. It’s only flaw was its greed. If it could have direct control in what it had to trade, the monopoly would cause much strife in the markets, but they didn’t control the product; they were only a central point at which the product was sold. But who could forget Effort; a city so distant from its partners that the only relationship it had was with the people in the desert. Not able to properly contact with its more distant counterparts, it was sadly left in the dark to the true nature of things in Valcrest for the most part.
Duncan sat on his second floor balcony to enjoy the spring’s refreshing breeze. As usual, he was on his own. Duncan’s loneliness was that of choice. He had charisma for hours, but he thought it dishonourable to use it to ascertain a woman. In what could have been seen as utter hopelessness, he wished to find someone who could steal his heart with their own charisma. It wasn’t seen as hopeless by anyone who thought to know him, but rather a humble admittance that swooning over him would be nothing more than a feeble attempt. Duncan didn’t mind the loneliness, however. He was usually surrounded by people who deemed him to be important and a chance to sit on his balcony and enjoy some morning tea. Peace.
“Duncan! Duncan!”
So much for a peaceful Saturday morning. Duncan watched his younger brother, Malcolm running down the otherwise empty street. Running by the potted plants and screaming to his brother. Duncan huffed his way out of his masterfully crafted chair and leaned himself over to look at the cobble path that lead to his house. His brother stood under the balcony with excitement projecting from his face far beyond what it probably needed to be. “What news?” Duncan lazily asked his brother.
“Terra’s here! She’s here!” Malcolm exclaimed.
“Who?” Duncan wasn’t impressed. He didn’t know who Terra was and didn’t understand what the deal was.
“How don’t you know her name! I thought everyone knew it! I mean, she’s been in town twice before…” Malcolm continued, but Duncan had exited into his house. He could still hear his younger brother blabber away through the walls though. Sometimes Duncan wondered how Malcolm, with no sense of social cues, could possibly be his brother. He wasn’t even sure if Malcolm noticed him leave. Duncan slowly walked down the stairs and walked towards the back door where Malcolm continued to yell from. He opened the door.
“… you have to… oh there you are! Come with me!” Malcolm grabbed Duncan’s arm and tried to pull him away, but Duncan didn’t move a single foot.
“Relax a moment, Malcolm. I’m not going to run in town for some woman who I know nothing of and who likely knows nothing of me. Let me have a day of peace. I don’t get many of them and I was hoping this would be one time it could actually go well.”
“You don’t understand, Duncan!” Malcolm yelled until he remembered what his brother requested of him. “You need to come. This is a once in a lifetime chance.”
Rather smugly, Duncan retorted, “I thought you said that this has happened twice before.”
“Just come.” Malcolm said and then ran. He didn’t even look behind him to see if his older brother followed.
Duncan simply rolled his eyes and followed his brother. Not running after him, but taking his time, striding through the street as if a ghost. His steps so smooth it seemed as if he floated across the street. Others stumbled in comparison.
Even when Malcolm ran out of Duncan’s sight, he was still able to guess exactly where the commotion was by the direction that the rest of the people in town were also travelling. They were going down to the main street; towards the square.
Whoever this person was seemed to actually be a big deal. His brother wasn’t just inflating things this time. This Terra woman must have had something worth seeing, even if it was a thrice in a lifetime experience.
It only took another five minutes for him to reach the square. The crowds were huge. Hundreds of people surrounded this poor woman who he couldn’t even see. People were yelling and pushing to get a look at this woman. This was completely unlike what the people of Blackhurst. Usually, there would be a calm crowd that would wait their turn. One voice, however, suddenly boomed over the already roaring crowd.
“Everyone quiet!” Yelled the King Alec. Alec, his servants and his nobles walked from the castle, down the main road. Duncan would be there with them, but he had chosen to take the day off. The crowd had silenced instantly. The great King Alec demanded respect and there wasn’t a single person in the city that would ever deny it. It was a special kind of respect. One that none of the other Kings were able to accomplish and really, only the Boundless Fourteen were able to surpass it. “Let the young lady pass. Let the King formally welcome our guest.” Now that the crowds had settled down, Alec’s voice merely had the volume of a mannered conversation, yet it still carried itself.
Duncan only knew where the woman was walking because of the view he got of the crowds moving in unison to let her through to the king. It took her nearly a minute, even with the crowds cooperating, to get through. Still, he couldn’t see her. He had to wait for her to walk up the step.
About halfway down the main road in Blackhurst, every hundred meters, there were five steps. This went on for nearly Five kilometres until the road reached the castle. By that point, the city had been raised by 240 steps. At the foot of the castle, before you reached the castle doors, there were still 100 more steps that needed to be concurred. The crowd covered everything in Duncan’s view until the first flight of five steps.
She walked up that first step, only the back of her head could be seen.
Simply unbelievable.
Her hair was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Everyone in Valcrest had brown, black or blond hair. Terra had red hair with loose, but well defined curls which bounced with every stair step. At the top of the stairs, the rest of her back could be seen. She wore a dress which was also unlike anything anyone had worn. The dress was form fitting, showing off her form completely. It followed her curves completely until it reached about half way down her calf, at which point the dress flared slightly. When she turned around, the dress revealed its continuation of broken boundaries. The dress clearly exposed the top of part of her chest, but not enough to expose cleavage thankfully. The sleeves rested halfway down her arms, just above her elbows, which kept them up. This meant that her shoulders were completely exposed. The sleeves were just there for show. There was no practical use for it. Going following the curves down again, Duncan noticed a slit in the dress that seemed to be there intentionally. It ran up Terra’s right side practically up to her hip. No wonder every man in Blackhurst had come around to check it out. For a thrice in a lifetime experience, it sure was worth calling it a once in a lifetime one.
The King welcomed her and spoke to the entire community and she whispered into his ear. Duncan tried to read the expression on the King’s face, but the King had the best poker face of anyone he knew. He didn’t give anything away. All he did was motion his nobles to follow him and they were off with Ms. Terra. Duncan wasn’t sure what compelled him to go. Nearly twenty minutes ago, he was reluctant to even see what was going on. He’d completely forgotten why he was reluctant. He pushed through the crowds of people. Nothing was going to be an obstruction in his path. For once, his stride wasn’t as perfect as he would have wanted it to be.
When he passed through the crowds, he ran to catch up to the King and his nobles. Gracefully, he stepped into his place in the V-shaped procession and followed along into the castle.
“Glad to see you make it, Duncan.” One of the nobles behind him said. “Some of us were starting to guess you’d died.” It was a joke. Not a very good one. He got it every time he took a day to himself, but it was a joke none the less. Duncan remained silent to keep his dignity. Out of all the nobles, he was the one whose image had the farthest to fall. It wasn’t like a single joke would do it, but he kept the shield of silence because if he were to let his guard down for one moment, he could find himself plummeting fast.
They all walked into the throne room. It was special throne room that was dedicated to creating a sense of equality among the nobles. Each noble had a throne, personalized to their liking and none were any less illustrious than the other. The final throne, for the King was nothing special at all. In fact, it would appear that all of the money used to make the throne had gone into the nobles’ thrones. It was still a better chair than a towns person’s chair would be. Each chair was placed at equal distances from each other across the room. Two small pillars separating each chair allowing for a balconied seating area above the room allowing for the public to sit in on all meetings which were determined to be fit for the public’s eyes and ears. For a secretive meeting, the doors would be locked to make sure no one would get in. There were a total of thirteen chairs in all.
Duncan was the only of the nobles with any sort of intuition in this particular situation. While all the other nobles went to sit in their seat, Duncan just stood beside his. There were only thirteen chairs, but there were fourteen people in the room. “Would you care for a seat my lady?”
Terra slowly walked towards the seat. She got within a foot of him, but sharply turned around. The waft from her hair burst across Duncan’s face leaving the scent of magnolia and lilac. Duncan stood there in shock. A small chuckle could be heard, stifled under someone’s hand. Duncan didn’t even bother to check who it was. He was far too focused on the fact that she actually refused his offer.
“Just sit down and listen.” She said sternly. But Duncan didn’t listen. “Okay then sir. I might as well do it now since you are standing. I’d like to speak with the King Alec of Blackhurst alone. All of you can leave now, but don’t go far.”
Everyone left the room, but Duncan stayed fixed in his spot. He continued to look at the woman in awe. It was a woman who didn’t swoon over him. He felt speechless in her presence. Oh, and what a presence it was. She commanded that room, yet still, she still seemed unable to hold command over him. Instead, she seemed to do the opposite at the moment.
“Good sir Duncan. It is hard to have a private meeting without privacy.” Alec said.
This snapped Duncan out of his trance. He bumbled out of the room like a child too young to carry a glass of water without spilling. When out of the room, all of the nobles stood there watching him. Since that woman had entered into his life less than an hour ago, he had been far less suave than he usually was. His charisma was nearly nonexistent in her presence and it was obvious to anyone who paid attention. It was clear that every nobleman was paying attention. They all had wide grins on their faces and it was clear that they were all thinking the exact same thing. Duncan was actually falling for someone as opposed to the other way around. All Duncan could do was waiting for the first of them to say something.
“Will you all stop looking at me like schoolboys and just say what you want to say.”
One spoke up. “How… what is it like to be on the other side of attraction like the rest of us?”
“We’re all nobles. We don’t have any real issues with that.” Another one piped up.
“You can’t say that we all don’t feel the same way as Duncan does about the woman in there. She’s absolutely stunning!”
“Wait, where are you going?” One yelled at Duncan, who was now running out the castle doors. “She said to stay close.”
“I’ll be back before Terra calls us back.” He yelled as the servants shut the large door behind him.
He ran through the streets. Not the main ones, but the side streets and the shortcuts, the alleyways and the parks. He even ran right through someone’s yard. Jumping through ponds and nearly getting him soaked to the bone. It was worth it for what he was doing. When he made it to the square of the marketplace in the wealthy district, he was surprised to see that none of the shops were open. They must have still been out and about after the commotion in the city’s centre earlier that day. Did he have time to go anywhere else? Would anywhere else even be open? He stopped to think about his question.
Of course, the poorer district of the city would be open. They wouldn’t be able to even afford giving up a day on the job to see the commotion in the city. They banked on the chance that there will still people who needed to buy something even on these occasions. Duncan was going to make their assumption a reality. There was really no way to tell if he was going to make it in time.
Then he saw the horse in the stable. There was no one there to take care of the horse. The stable boy must’ve been taking time off as well. It was going to be very dishonest of him and his character to do this, but he needed that horse. Was it ever worth it to steal? He didn’t stop to think of this question. Running to the stable, he didn’t even think. He opened the door and hopped onto the horse. Coxing it with the reigns, he rushed to the poorer district.
Within minutes he was there. He had never been on a horse that could run through a city that fast. In Blackhust, the poorer district wasn’t even impoverished. It was merely the least rich of the city. These people did have to work harder to keep up with the rest of the city, but they were far better off than the middle class of any of the other cities, besides maybe Brightvale, but the people of Brightvale were known for their hard workers and it paid off in their economic status. This part of town still looked better than the poor places in Blackpond and even Newhaven. It was something that Blackhurst could be thankful for.
Another thing that he was thankful for was that the stores here were actually open. Just as he suspected. He actually hadn’t been down to this part of the city all that often, so he actually had to search for the store that he was looking for. Jumping off his horse, he walked past each of the stores looking for the right one. The Jewellery store.
“Hello there mate.” The man said, quickly catching himself when he noticed who it was. “Oh my! My good sir Duncan. What’re you looking for?”
Duncan didn’t speak at all. He was in a rush and wasn’t too interested in the small talk that accompanied the jewellery business. “I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t have a single bit of cash on me, but if you could give me your most beautiful ring in the store, I would reward by paying you three times what your entire store is worth. I promise you this.”
The man’s eyes brightened instantly. It was something that was rewarding to see. He swung around his counter and rushed to the window where the best ring was. It was a silver band with a particularly large opal. Then it appeared as he remembered something. He run to the back of the store and when he came back, he came with another silver band, but this one had a cut Kunzite stone in its center surrounded by very small quartz of different colour. He couldn’t count how many of these gems were in it, but he could tell there was somewhere around ten. It must’ve been his prized possession. He probably never intended on selling it. It was actually a thing of beauty. Maybe he intended it for someone himself.
“You don’t know how much this means to me.” Duncan said.
“Oh no. It means far more to me than you would ever imagine.”
“I will… by next week, I will have a ring that is just as good as this for you as well.”
“Thank you.” The man said. He waved Duncan off as he left his store. A tear was in his eye from utter happiness.
Duncan hopped back on his horse. The horse was obedient enough to stay exactly where he left it. It was a good horse. He again whipped down the reigns and ushered it back to the castle for him. The horse sped so fast, he couldn’t even tell if it was windy out anymore or if it was just the wind from the travel. It was something unbelievable, especially in roads like the ones he was going on. Too soon, he had to slow down a little. Crowds were beginning to gather around the city again. It was almost out of nowhere, but he had to make sure he didn’t people. He slowed to a strut. At this pace, he was going to be late. He was going to take the risk.
Again, he ripped at the reigns, but this time the horse took only a few steps. Before he even realized what was happening, he was thrown from the horse. His face hit the ground hard and he slid about a foot. He got up and composed himself as best he could. People had quickly rushed to see if he was alright, but he didn’t let anyone get close. Despite the blood running from his scrapped cheek, he insisted to people that he was alright. The horse on the other hand…
He looked behind him to check on the horse. It was still on the ground. Actually, trying to get up, but it couldn’t. The horse’s left hind leg was broken and every time it tried putting weight on it to get up, it just fell back down. He didn’t even know the name of the horses owner, let alone its name and now it was going to have to be put down. He felt bad about it, but he almost had no time for remorse. He was compelled to get back to the castle.
To his surprise, he left the horse to be dealt with by others and continued on his way to the castle. Again at a running pace, he didn’t stop for anything. When the made it to the castle, the doors of the throne room had just been closed. Duncan stopped in his tracks. Standing before the door, in complete hesitation. After all he went through, all of a sudden he was about to do something of complete disgrace to the highest of degrees. Interrupting the business of the throne room didn’t seem like a good idea, but again, his arms compelled him to open the doors. No, not open, but bust through them with excitement.
Duncan ran to the middle of the room where Terra stood. He grabbed her hand, not even knowing this woman, he grabbed her hand. He got down on his knee and presented the ring to her.
“Live your life with me Terra. I don’t know how I know, but I know that you are what I’ve been living for. Be with me; love me as I love you. You are the only woman to do this to me. I know it’s true. Just please say yes!”
Duncan's Home- A Week Later
Spring came with its ups and downs when it came to weather. One of those downs—for people at least—was the rain. On this day, it was pouring down from the skies. Of course, who didn't enjoy a good rain though. The sound it produced from trickling down the road and the patter of the rooftops. Today, there was nothing that was going to interrupt his day of Peace. Coming out of his kitchen, with a warm mug of tea in his hand, he stepping into his living room. Sitting on a chair facing his large window was Terra. He stopped and smiled before taking a quick sip of his tea while taking a step. Quickly, Duncan projected himself away from the tea as he accidentally spilt some and was afraid of getting some on his shirt.
He went to sit in the seat beside Terra. “Here you go.” Placing the tea on the small rounded table that separated the two chairs.
“You drank some didn't you?”
“No.”
“You're worse than a child.” Terra smirked and wiped Duncan's face of the tea that he didn't realize missed his mouth.
Duncan shied his head away from her. His smile was sheepish as he reached his hand to his face to wipe anything that was left. “Maybe I can make one for myself.”
“I'll do it for you.” Terra got out of her seat. “It is only fair. Since you got mine.”
Duncan didn't argue with it. He already knew better than to argue these things with her. Terra was going to do what she wanted to do. There was nothing that he could do to stop her. Thinking about it made him realize that was exactly what made her special.
The things that Terra wore these days were far more subtle, but he was still compelled to look at her as she left the room. Still, she was beyond beautiful. Even better, her hair made her unique to everyone else in the world. Not even any of the Twins had hair of her colour. When it came to the way she dressed though, it was still a little re provocative than most people did, but he thought she did it for him more than anything. Despite him never saying it, he believed that she sensed his discomfort when she did wear extremely revealing clothing. Maybe she just felt as though she didn't need to dress the way she dd anymore. Now that she had found Duncan, she was fine. That was purely speculation on Duncan's part though so he decided to forget about it.
The sound of the rain attracted his attention. The rain beating against the window was like a rhythm of disjunctive drummers. Yet, it all sounded to be going in its own, perfect rhythm. The water slid past the window slowly. There wasn't much of it on the window though. It would only hit the window every once in a while when the wind pushed it in the right direction.
Duncan took one last moment to appreciate the view before he looked back at the creaking floorboard behind him. Terra was back, but not with a tea. She was holding a sword. It was a silver blade with a white gold pommel. The blade was thicker than many usual blades. He wasn't used to seeing such a configuration. It was sharp on only one end. It started out thin at the handle then flared out at the top, curving slightly to the tip.
“I haven't had a tea in a couple of weeks, but you still can't fool me. That is not a tea.”
“Relax. I'll get you your tea in a moment. This is a wedding gift sent to us by Queen Amber of Brightvale. While she cannot make the ceremonies, she wished to send us her blessings.” Terra said.
Duncan's eyes brightened a bit and he said, “Never mind then. Let me see the blade.”
Terra walked up to him with the blade and handed it to him, taking extra precaution to avoid cutting him. It was a thing of beauty, the blade. Not something he ever wshed to use, but something that was far more a decoration anyways. On the blade, an inscription. It wasn't any language that Duncan recognized though. “What is this?” Duncan asked, pointing to the inscription.
“Oh, that's just the traditional language used to inscribe important things in Brightvale. It says 'Drained of the soul'.” Terra exclaimed.
The words were almost jarring Duncan. 'Drained of the soul'; what exactly was that supposed to mean? It wasn't even a real sentence. What was it that was being drained from the soul? Duncan then asked. “I've not yet asked you this, but I believe this to be an appropriate time. Where did you come from?”
A knocking on the door interrupted the conversation before it went any further. Terra gave the sheath to Duncan. He sheathed the sword, and started to tie the belt around his waist as he walked towards the door. When he reached the door, he wasn't quite finished tying, but the door banged again. He scurried to finish tying the belt and then promptly opened the door. Alec stood at the other end. While his face usually embodied a relaxed decorum, he instead, looked strained.
“A moment of your time?” The king simply asked.
“Yes. What seems to be the issue.”
“May the Twins have mercy. They've caught wind of your relations with Terra and are looking to take her away from you, by force if they must. They are fighting wars between each other to get to you. To be frank, they will probably be at our gates within the hour, but even that is being modest.”
“Then I will be at the gate to defend my honour.”
“No!” Terra shouted. “The Twins are beyond nature. They do not bleed like we do.”
The King spoke up. “You may be an experienced swordsman, but Terra is right. You cannot even begin to match their prowess.” He sighed. “You need to come with me. We've set up a safe house for you to stay at. It is an underground house near the stables. The only way in is through a certain sewer grate about a half kilometre away from the safe house.”
“I don't wish to be rude, but I'd rather die than to live a life in a safe house.”
“There is no choice. The council has deemed it a necessary.”
“Why was I not called to this meeting?”
“Duncan, it was to address you as an issue. I feel it to be in ill taste to speak of such things with you present. To add to it all, humiliating.”
It was settled, but Duncan didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to defy the council even if he felt as though they defied him. It may not have been fair, but sometimes things had to be sacrificed for the greater good of things. People ad to be betrayed. In the end, however, it wasn't so much of a betrayal. He was only being protected. In the end, it was probably worse for the city that he was kept hidden, but the king was not about to admit that he was going to do something detrimental to the city.
Duncan didn't say another word. He grabbed Terra's hand, giving it a kiss and then turned back to the doorway. “Wait.” Terra said. “I'll grab our coats.”
“Terra, I don't expect you to come with me.”
“I know.”
Safe House- Two Months Later
The first signs of summer started to come. It was a stuffy and humid day in the safe house. Somehow Terra continued to look good. When most women's hair would do crazy things and puff up in this sort of climate, Terra's seemed unnaturally the same.
The city was under occupation by only one of the Twins now. Every single one of the had moved onto other places, thinking they had searched every last inch of the city. They believed that both Terra and Duncan moved onto another place in Valcrest. They split to many different lands since then and still couldn't find them.
The one Twin that remained was Life. His wicked nature made him attuned to the good in the world. He naturally wanted to find the good in the world and strike it down with an evil intent. While it wasn't fair, it was what it was and this meant that Duncan and Terra continued to hide in the safe house by the stables.
Today was the day that they got their regular supplies. They hadn't rationed the last week's rations well and they were in desperate need of more food. At least Duncan was. Terra was so stoic, she refused to show any signs of weakness that even Duncan had been starting to show from living underground for just over two months. Dunan couldn't even remember what day it was. Maybe he had been down there only a month. He had no clue.
“Terra.”
“Yes, Duncan.”
“Living a life with a Twin would be much better than living the rest of your life down here. Don't you think?”
“Now why would you say that Duncan?”
“I'm serious. I can't do this. I'm going now.”
Duncan walked towards the door that lead to the sewer exit. “Do you really love me!” A guttural shout came from Terra's direction. He turned around. “Do you!?”
Terra looked like night and day from what she looked like moments before. She was slouched with a wicked look in her sobbing eyes. Her hands were tense, but not clenched, making her fingers look like dangling twigs on a dying tree in fall. Even her hair had managed to tangle in the few seconds he had turned. “Do you love me!”
Duncan jumped. He had never seen her lose her composure. Why, so suddenly did this happen to her?
“Mr. Duncan...” A timid voice said from the doorway.
Duncan didn't turn away from Terra. She was heartbreaking in the way that she tried to get herself together for the company. Without turning to the man at the door, he asked. “Are you here with supplies?”
“No, they will come within the hour. I came to inform you of what has developed at the surface. Life has challenged been at the square all day, claiming that he wishes to duel you.”
Without another word, Duncan walked to one of the walls of the room. He grabbed his sword from off a rack and walked through the door, past the messenger. He didn't stop for anything...
“Why did you even tell him?” A rumbling alto came from the corner of the room, directed towards the messenger. “My fiancee is walking towards his death right now. WHY DID YOU SAY THAT!”
Blackhurst Square- Ten Minutes Later
Duncan hadn't seen the light of ay for a long time, but even the light of day managed to escape him. The sun had just begun setting and a reddish light covered the few clouds that were on the horizon. With the escape of Sun, came the Moon. It was a waning crescent that still lit up the night well enough that there was no use for the streets to be lit with torches. The only really relieving thing about the sun going down was that there wasn't a bright sun beating down on him. It made the humidity a lot more bearable and with a slight breeze coming in from the fields, it was almost nice out.
As a strong breeze ripped through the square Duncan stood opposite the god. “I'm here to defend my honour.”
Life looked to Duncan, his expression as stone cold as his heart. “A narcissist’s virtue; honour. Respect is far more selfless in its nature, only when done correctly however. Even the narcissist, who leads a life of honour deserves respect. This is why I will respect your wish to defend your honour.”
Duncan sneered at the god. He held himself in sch high regard, but was just as weak as any other human struggling through Life. “You speak of respect as if you have an ounce of it, but you are about to fight me, not for respect of a man's honour, but because you cannot contain your manhood.”
Life's expression changed in a moment. An ounce of human emotion in something beyond humanity. Life gripped onto the dagger in his hand and drew out his second sword. A parrying sword. Something that was far more familiar to Duncan than the scimitar-style sword that Duncan was fated with. He raised his sword to ready himself for the attack, but it didn't come. The first strike wasn't going to come from Life. He was too wise for that. The call to action was left for Duncan to decide.
Duncan placed a firm grip on his sword and slowly sauntered over to Life. He didn't have a care in the world as to how he went about making his first strike. He merely circled the god once around before looking him dead in the eyes. He quickly raised his sword out to his abdominal level hoping to see the god flinch, but nothing. He dropped his guard and then walked even closer to the god until he could feel the great being's breath against his mouth. This left him in a very open position to attack as Life had a dagger which could do great amounts of damage to Duncan if he chose to attack. Maybe the god actually did have a sense of honour after all.
At breakneck speeds, Duncan chose to make his first move. He jumped backwards and swung the scimitar above his head and across Life's stomach. Life did his best to lock the attack, but with such a light sword, it cause a chance for Duncan to make a swift attack while Life recovered from the first. The attack was clean and done to near perfection, but Life's dagger allowed him a chance to block with the other hand as well.
This was all just a test. Could Life fend for himself in a sword fight. He could, but it seemed that he didn't know the finer details of sword fighting which Duncan had had a chance to perfect over several years. It was his hobby, swordplay. While he had never used it as a means of violence up until this point in his life, he enjoyed it as a sport and played for fun when he wasn't too busy.
The next set of attacks came from Life. This gave Duncan a perfect chance to see Life's offensive. For the most part, it was pretty solid. He kept a good grip as he used his sword as it was intended to be used. Duncan didn't allow any of this to get to him though. He came back with his own counter. It was a devastating attack. One blow after another, after another until his defences were ideally broken. With that, he swung his sword over his behind his back and over his head again, swinging the scimitar down into the god's skull. Life simply smiled at the pitiful attack. Without a word, Life plunged the dagger into a shocked Dunan's temple. His body went limp and he fell to the ground.
“Oh by Mother and Father; Duncan!” Terra screamed. She had just made it to the square in time to witness the murder.
That night, despite all efforts, Terra clung to her dead fiancee's body. Attempts to pull her away were futile. Not a single soul in Blackhurst slept. Some knew why there was a woman shrieking out in the distance while others were unknowing. Some just knew that the first ever murder in Blackurst took place that night.
Duncan had fought for his honour and the honour that he fought for was unfortunately Terra. There was no contract or law that forced her to merry Life, but she felt an obligation to. The wedding took place not soon after Duncan's death.
A clear spring day it was. The wind blasted through the fields, causing the tall grass across the plains to flatten nearly to the ground. This was the most refreshing of spring days though as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the only reason for this beautiful breeze was due to the blessings of the great Twin, Wind. Within the types of spring days, this was one of the best of them and even in the darkest days of this brewing war, there were things that could be seen as good in the great world of Valcrest. In Blackhurst especially.
During this time of war, Blackhurst was the first stop for all the pacifists. The ruling parties of Blackhurst refused to get involved in this war, just seeing it as a poor excuse to gain an unreasonable power. These pacifists came from the remaining four great cities of this land. From the great city of Sun and Moon, Newhaven; a city very much interested in the prospect of perfection. Possibly even jealous of the ability of Blackhurst to seemingly achieve this perfection they too sought after. Then there was the city of Blackpond; proud in its military might and so ready to show it off to those they deemed weaker than them. Seen by many as a childish threat, but to those who were smart to see beyond that, an ounce of fear of being their next target was seen as healthy. And of course, Brightvale; the trade capital of the great land, Valcrest. It’s only flaw was its greed. If it could have direct control in what it had to trade, the monopoly would cause much strife in the markets, but they didn’t control the product; they were only a central point at which the product was sold. But who could forget Effort; a city so distant from its partners that the only relationship it had was with the people in the desert. Not able to properly contact with its more distant counterparts, it was sadly left in the dark to the true nature of things in Valcrest for the most part.
Duncan sat on his second floor balcony to enjoy the spring’s refreshing breeze. As usual, he was on his own. Duncan’s loneliness was that of choice. He had charisma for hours, but he thought it dishonourable to use it to ascertain a woman. In what could have been seen as utter hopelessness, he wished to find someone who could steal his heart with their own charisma. It wasn’t seen as hopeless by anyone who thought to know him, but rather a humble admittance that swooning over him would be nothing more than a feeble attempt. Duncan didn’t mind the loneliness, however. He was usually surrounded by people who deemed him to be important and a chance to sit on his balcony and enjoy some morning tea. Peace.
“Duncan! Duncan!”
So much for a peaceful Saturday morning. Duncan watched his younger brother, Malcolm running down the otherwise empty street. Running by the potted plants and screaming to his brother. Duncan huffed his way out of his masterfully crafted chair and leaned himself over to look at the cobble path that lead to his house. His brother stood under the balcony with excitement projecting from his face far beyond what it probably needed to be. “What news?” Duncan lazily asked his brother.
“Terra’s here! She’s here!” Malcolm exclaimed.
“Who?” Duncan wasn’t impressed. He didn’t know who Terra was and didn’t understand what the deal was.
“How don’t you know her name! I thought everyone knew it! I mean, she’s been in town twice before…” Malcolm continued, but Duncan had exited into his house. He could still hear his younger brother blabber away through the walls though. Sometimes Duncan wondered how Malcolm, with no sense of social cues, could possibly be his brother. He wasn’t even sure if Malcolm noticed him leave. Duncan slowly walked down the stairs and walked towards the back door where Malcolm continued to yell from. He opened the door.
“… you have to… oh there you are! Come with me!” Malcolm grabbed Duncan’s arm and tried to pull him away, but Duncan didn’t move a single foot.
“Relax a moment, Malcolm. I’m not going to run in town for some woman who I know nothing of and who likely knows nothing of me. Let me have a day of peace. I don’t get many of them and I was hoping this would be one time it could actually go well.”
“You don’t understand, Duncan!” Malcolm yelled until he remembered what his brother requested of him. “You need to come. This is a once in a lifetime chance.”
Rather smugly, Duncan retorted, “I thought you said that this has happened twice before.”
“Just come.” Malcolm said and then ran. He didn’t even look behind him to see if his older brother followed.
Duncan simply rolled his eyes and followed his brother. Not running after him, but taking his time, striding through the street as if a ghost. His steps so smooth it seemed as if he floated across the street. Others stumbled in comparison.
Even when Malcolm ran out of Duncan’s sight, he was still able to guess exactly where the commotion was by the direction that the rest of the people in town were also travelling. They were going down to the main street; towards the square.
Whoever this person was seemed to actually be a big deal. His brother wasn’t just inflating things this time. This Terra woman must have had something worth seeing, even if it was a thrice in a lifetime experience.
It only took another five minutes for him to reach the square. The crowds were huge. Hundreds of people surrounded this poor woman who he couldn’t even see. People were yelling and pushing to get a look at this woman. This was completely unlike what the people of Blackhurst. Usually, there would be a calm crowd that would wait their turn. One voice, however, suddenly boomed over the already roaring crowd.
“Everyone quiet!” Yelled the King Alec. Alec, his servants and his nobles walked from the castle, down the main road. Duncan would be there with them, but he had chosen to take the day off. The crowd had silenced instantly. The great King Alec demanded respect and there wasn’t a single person in the city that would ever deny it. It was a special kind of respect. One that none of the other Kings were able to accomplish and really, only the Boundless Fourteen were able to surpass it. “Let the young lady pass. Let the King formally welcome our guest.” Now that the crowds had settled down, Alec’s voice merely had the volume of a mannered conversation, yet it still carried itself.
Duncan only knew where the woman was walking because of the view he got of the crowds moving in unison to let her through to the king. It took her nearly a minute, even with the crowds cooperating, to get through. Still, he couldn’t see her. He had to wait for her to walk up the step.
About halfway down the main road in Blackhurst, every hundred meters, there were five steps. This went on for nearly Five kilometres until the road reached the castle. By that point, the city had been raised by 240 steps. At the foot of the castle, before you reached the castle doors, there were still 100 more steps that needed to be concurred. The crowd covered everything in Duncan’s view until the first flight of five steps.
She walked up that first step, only the back of her head could be seen.
Simply unbelievable.
Her hair was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Everyone in Valcrest had brown, black or blond hair. Terra had red hair with loose, but well defined curls which bounced with every stair step. At the top of the stairs, the rest of her back could be seen. She wore a dress which was also unlike anything anyone had worn. The dress was form fitting, showing off her form completely. It followed her curves completely until it reached about half way down her calf, at which point the dress flared slightly. When she turned around, the dress revealed its continuation of broken boundaries. The dress clearly exposed the top of part of her chest, but not enough to expose cleavage thankfully. The sleeves rested halfway down her arms, just above her elbows, which kept them up. This meant that her shoulders were completely exposed. The sleeves were just there for show. There was no practical use for it. Going following the curves down again, Duncan noticed a slit in the dress that seemed to be there intentionally. It ran up Terra’s right side practically up to her hip. No wonder every man in Blackhurst had come around to check it out. For a thrice in a lifetime experience, it sure was worth calling it a once in a lifetime one.
The King welcomed her and spoke to the entire community and she whispered into his ear. Duncan tried to read the expression on the King’s face, but the King had the best poker face of anyone he knew. He didn’t give anything away. All he did was motion his nobles to follow him and they were off with Ms. Terra. Duncan wasn’t sure what compelled him to go. Nearly twenty minutes ago, he was reluctant to even see what was going on. He’d completely forgotten why he was reluctant. He pushed through the crowds of people. Nothing was going to be an obstruction in his path. For once, his stride wasn’t as perfect as he would have wanted it to be.
When he passed through the crowds, he ran to catch up to the King and his nobles. Gracefully, he stepped into his place in the V-shaped procession and followed along into the castle.
“Glad to see you make it, Duncan.” One of the nobles behind him said. “Some of us were starting to guess you’d died.” It was a joke. Not a very good one. He got it every time he took a day to himself, but it was a joke none the less. Duncan remained silent to keep his dignity. Out of all the nobles, he was the one whose image had the farthest to fall. It wasn’t like a single joke would do it, but he kept the shield of silence because if he were to let his guard down for one moment, he could find himself plummeting fast.
They all walked into the throne room. It was special throne room that was dedicated to creating a sense of equality among the nobles. Each noble had a throne, personalized to their liking and none were any less illustrious than the other. The final throne, for the King was nothing special at all. In fact, it would appear that all of the money used to make the throne had gone into the nobles’ thrones. It was still a better chair than a towns person’s chair would be. Each chair was placed at equal distances from each other across the room. Two small pillars separating each chair allowing for a balconied seating area above the room allowing for the public to sit in on all meetings which were determined to be fit for the public’s eyes and ears. For a secretive meeting, the doors would be locked to make sure no one would get in. There were a total of thirteen chairs in all.
Duncan was the only of the nobles with any sort of intuition in this particular situation. While all the other nobles went to sit in their seat, Duncan just stood beside his. There were only thirteen chairs, but there were fourteen people in the room. “Would you care for a seat my lady?”
Terra slowly walked towards the seat. She got within a foot of him, but sharply turned around. The waft from her hair burst across Duncan’s face leaving the scent of magnolia and lilac. Duncan stood there in shock. A small chuckle could be heard, stifled under someone’s hand. Duncan didn’t even bother to check who it was. He was far too focused on the fact that she actually refused his offer.
“Just sit down and listen.” She said sternly. But Duncan didn’t listen. “Okay then sir. I might as well do it now since you are standing. I’d like to speak with the King Alec of Blackhurst alone. All of you can leave now, but don’t go far.”
Everyone left the room, but Duncan stayed fixed in his spot. He continued to look at the woman in awe. It was a woman who didn’t swoon over him. He felt speechless in her presence. Oh, and what a presence it was. She commanded that room, yet still, she still seemed unable to hold command over him. Instead, she seemed to do the opposite at the moment.
“Good sir Duncan. It is hard to have a private meeting without privacy.” Alec said.
This snapped Duncan out of his trance. He bumbled out of the room like a child too young to carry a glass of water without spilling. When out of the room, all of the nobles stood there watching him. Since that woman had entered into his life less than an hour ago, he had been far less suave than he usually was. His charisma was nearly nonexistent in her presence and it was obvious to anyone who paid attention. It was clear that every nobleman was paying attention. They all had wide grins on their faces and it was clear that they were all thinking the exact same thing. Duncan was actually falling for someone as opposed to the other way around. All Duncan could do was waiting for the first of them to say something.
“Will you all stop looking at me like schoolboys and just say what you want to say.”
One spoke up. “How… what is it like to be on the other side of attraction like the rest of us?”
“We’re all nobles. We don’t have any real issues with that.” Another one piped up.
“You can’t say that we all don’t feel the same way as Duncan does about the woman in there. She’s absolutely stunning!”
“Wait, where are you going?” One yelled at Duncan, who was now running out the castle doors. “She said to stay close.”
“I’ll be back before Terra calls us back.” He yelled as the servants shut the large door behind him.
He ran through the streets. Not the main ones, but the side streets and the shortcuts, the alleyways and the parks. He even ran right through someone’s yard. Jumping through ponds and nearly getting him soaked to the bone. It was worth it for what he was doing. When he made it to the square of the marketplace in the wealthy district, he was surprised to see that none of the shops were open. They must have still been out and about after the commotion in the city’s centre earlier that day. Did he have time to go anywhere else? Would anywhere else even be open? He stopped to think about his question.
Of course, the poorer district of the city would be open. They wouldn’t be able to even afford giving up a day on the job to see the commotion in the city. They banked on the chance that there will still people who needed to buy something even on these occasions. Duncan was going to make their assumption a reality. There was really no way to tell if he was going to make it in time.
Then he saw the horse in the stable. There was no one there to take care of the horse. The stable boy must’ve been taking time off as well. It was going to be very dishonest of him and his character to do this, but he needed that horse. Was it ever worth it to steal? He didn’t stop to think of this question. Running to the stable, he didn’t even think. He opened the door and hopped onto the horse. Coxing it with the reigns, he rushed to the poorer district.
Within minutes he was there. He had never been on a horse that could run through a city that fast. In Blackhust, the poorer district wasn’t even impoverished. It was merely the least rich of the city. These people did have to work harder to keep up with the rest of the city, but they were far better off than the middle class of any of the other cities, besides maybe Brightvale, but the people of Brightvale were known for their hard workers and it paid off in their economic status. This part of town still looked better than the poor places in Blackpond and even Newhaven. It was something that Blackhurst could be thankful for.
Another thing that he was thankful for was that the stores here were actually open. Just as he suspected. He actually hadn’t been down to this part of the city all that often, so he actually had to search for the store that he was looking for. Jumping off his horse, he walked past each of the stores looking for the right one. The Jewellery store.
“Hello there mate.” The man said, quickly catching himself when he noticed who it was. “Oh my! My good sir Duncan. What’re you looking for?”
Duncan didn’t speak at all. He was in a rush and wasn’t too interested in the small talk that accompanied the jewellery business. “I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t have a single bit of cash on me, but if you could give me your most beautiful ring in the store, I would reward by paying you three times what your entire store is worth. I promise you this.”
The man’s eyes brightened instantly. It was something that was rewarding to see. He swung around his counter and rushed to the window where the best ring was. It was a silver band with a particularly large opal. Then it appeared as he remembered something. He run to the back of the store and when he came back, he came with another silver band, but this one had a cut Kunzite stone in its center surrounded by very small quartz of different colour. He couldn’t count how many of these gems were in it, but he could tell there was somewhere around ten. It must’ve been his prized possession. He probably never intended on selling it. It was actually a thing of beauty. Maybe he intended it for someone himself.
“You don’t know how much this means to me.” Duncan said.
“Oh no. It means far more to me than you would ever imagine.”
“I will… by next week, I will have a ring that is just as good as this for you as well.”
“Thank you.” The man said. He waved Duncan off as he left his store. A tear was in his eye from utter happiness.
Duncan hopped back on his horse. The horse was obedient enough to stay exactly where he left it. It was a good horse. He again whipped down the reigns and ushered it back to the castle for him. The horse sped so fast, he couldn’t even tell if it was windy out anymore or if it was just the wind from the travel. It was something unbelievable, especially in roads like the ones he was going on. Too soon, he had to slow down a little. Crowds were beginning to gather around the city again. It was almost out of nowhere, but he had to make sure he didn’t people. He slowed to a strut. At this pace, he was going to be late. He was going to take the risk.
Again, he ripped at the reigns, but this time the horse took only a few steps. Before he even realized what was happening, he was thrown from the horse. His face hit the ground hard and he slid about a foot. He got up and composed himself as best he could. People had quickly rushed to see if he was alright, but he didn’t let anyone get close. Despite the blood running from his scrapped cheek, he insisted to people that he was alright. The horse on the other hand…
He looked behind him to check on the horse. It was still on the ground. Actually, trying to get up, but it couldn’t. The horse’s left hind leg was broken and every time it tried putting weight on it to get up, it just fell back down. He didn’t even know the name of the horses owner, let alone its name and now it was going to have to be put down. He felt bad about it, but he almost had no time for remorse. He was compelled to get back to the castle.
To his surprise, he left the horse to be dealt with by others and continued on his way to the castle. Again at a running pace, he didn’t stop for anything. When the made it to the castle, the doors of the throne room had just been closed. Duncan stopped in his tracks. Standing before the door, in complete hesitation. After all he went through, all of a sudden he was about to do something of complete disgrace to the highest of degrees. Interrupting the business of the throne room didn’t seem like a good idea, but again, his arms compelled him to open the doors. No, not open, but bust through them with excitement.
Duncan ran to the middle of the room where Terra stood. He grabbed her hand, not even knowing this woman, he grabbed her hand. He got down on his knee and presented the ring to her.
“Live your life with me Terra. I don’t know how I know, but I know that you are what I’ve been living for. Be with me; love me as I love you. You are the only woman to do this to me. I know it’s true. Just please say yes!”
Duncan's Home- A Week Later
Spring came with its ups and downs when it came to weather. One of those downs—for people at least—was the rain. On this day, it was pouring down from the skies. Of course, who didn't enjoy a good rain though. The sound it produced from trickling down the road and the patter of the rooftops. Today, there was nothing that was going to interrupt his day of Peace. Coming out of his kitchen, with a warm mug of tea in his hand, he stepping into his living room. Sitting on a chair facing his large window was Terra. He stopped and smiled before taking a quick sip of his tea while taking a step. Quickly, Duncan projected himself away from the tea as he accidentally spilt some and was afraid of getting some on his shirt.
He went to sit in the seat beside Terra. “Here you go.” Placing the tea on the small rounded table that separated the two chairs.
“You drank some didn't you?”
“No.”
“You're worse than a child.” Terra smirked and wiped Duncan's face of the tea that he didn't realize missed his mouth.
Duncan shied his head away from her. His smile was sheepish as he reached his hand to his face to wipe anything that was left. “Maybe I can make one for myself.”
“I'll do it for you.” Terra got out of her seat. “It is only fair. Since you got mine.”
Duncan didn't argue with it. He already knew better than to argue these things with her. Terra was going to do what she wanted to do. There was nothing that he could do to stop her. Thinking about it made him realize that was exactly what made her special.
The things that Terra wore these days were far more subtle, but he was still compelled to look at her as she left the room. Still, she was beyond beautiful. Even better, her hair made her unique to everyone else in the world. Not even any of the Twins had hair of her colour. When it came to the way she dressed though, it was still a little re provocative than most people did, but he thought she did it for him more than anything. Despite him never saying it, he believed that she sensed his discomfort when she did wear extremely revealing clothing. Maybe she just felt as though she didn't need to dress the way she dd anymore. Now that she had found Duncan, she was fine. That was purely speculation on Duncan's part though so he decided to forget about it.
The sound of the rain attracted his attention. The rain beating against the window was like a rhythm of disjunctive drummers. Yet, it all sounded to be going in its own, perfect rhythm. The water slid past the window slowly. There wasn't much of it on the window though. It would only hit the window every once in a while when the wind pushed it in the right direction.
Duncan took one last moment to appreciate the view before he looked back at the creaking floorboard behind him. Terra was back, but not with a tea. She was holding a sword. It was a silver blade with a white gold pommel. The blade was thicker than many usual blades. He wasn't used to seeing such a configuration. It was sharp on only one end. It started out thin at the handle then flared out at the top, curving slightly to the tip.
“I haven't had a tea in a couple of weeks, but you still can't fool me. That is not a tea.”
“Relax. I'll get you your tea in a moment. This is a wedding gift sent to us by Queen Amber of Brightvale. While she cannot make the ceremonies, she wished to send us her blessings.” Terra said.
Duncan's eyes brightened a bit and he said, “Never mind then. Let me see the blade.”
Terra walked up to him with the blade and handed it to him, taking extra precaution to avoid cutting him. It was a thing of beauty, the blade. Not something he ever wshed to use, but something that was far more a decoration anyways. On the blade, an inscription. It wasn't any language that Duncan recognized though. “What is this?” Duncan asked, pointing to the inscription.
“Oh, that's just the traditional language used to inscribe important things in Brightvale. It says 'Drained of the soul'.” Terra exclaimed.
The words were almost jarring Duncan. 'Drained of the soul'; what exactly was that supposed to mean? It wasn't even a real sentence. What was it that was being drained from the soul? Duncan then asked. “I've not yet asked you this, but I believe this to be an appropriate time. Where did you come from?”
A knocking on the door interrupted the conversation before it went any further. Terra gave the sheath to Duncan. He sheathed the sword, and started to tie the belt around his waist as he walked towards the door. When he reached the door, he wasn't quite finished tying, but the door banged again. He scurried to finish tying the belt and then promptly opened the door. Alec stood at the other end. While his face usually embodied a relaxed decorum, he instead, looked strained.
“A moment of your time?” The king simply asked.
“Yes. What seems to be the issue.”
“May the Twins have mercy. They've caught wind of your relations with Terra and are looking to take her away from you, by force if they must. They are fighting wars between each other to get to you. To be frank, they will probably be at our gates within the hour, but even that is being modest.”
“Then I will be at the gate to defend my honour.”
“No!” Terra shouted. “The Twins are beyond nature. They do not bleed like we do.”
The King spoke up. “You may be an experienced swordsman, but Terra is right. You cannot even begin to match their prowess.” He sighed. “You need to come with me. We've set up a safe house for you to stay at. It is an underground house near the stables. The only way in is through a certain sewer grate about a half kilometre away from the safe house.”
“I don't wish to be rude, but I'd rather die than to live a life in a safe house.”
“There is no choice. The council has deemed it a necessary.”
“Why was I not called to this meeting?”
“Duncan, it was to address you as an issue. I feel it to be in ill taste to speak of such things with you present. To add to it all, humiliating.”
It was settled, but Duncan didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to defy the council even if he felt as though they defied him. It may not have been fair, but sometimes things had to be sacrificed for the greater good of things. People ad to be betrayed. In the end, however, it wasn't so much of a betrayal. He was only being protected. In the end, it was probably worse for the city that he was kept hidden, but the king was not about to admit that he was going to do something detrimental to the city.
Duncan didn't say another word. He grabbed Terra's hand, giving it a kiss and then turned back to the doorway. “Wait.” Terra said. “I'll grab our coats.”
“Terra, I don't expect you to come with me.”
“I know.”
Safe House- Two Months Later
The first signs of summer started to come. It was a stuffy and humid day in the safe house. Somehow Terra continued to look good. When most women's hair would do crazy things and puff up in this sort of climate, Terra's seemed unnaturally the same.
The city was under occupation by only one of the Twins now. Every single one of the had moved onto other places, thinking they had searched every last inch of the city. They believed that both Terra and Duncan moved onto another place in Valcrest. They split to many different lands since then and still couldn't find them.
The one Twin that remained was Life. His wicked nature made him attuned to the good in the world. He naturally wanted to find the good in the world and strike it down with an evil intent. While it wasn't fair, it was what it was and this meant that Duncan and Terra continued to hide in the safe house by the stables.
Today was the day that they got their regular supplies. They hadn't rationed the last week's rations well and they were in desperate need of more food. At least Duncan was. Terra was so stoic, she refused to show any signs of weakness that even Duncan had been starting to show from living underground for just over two months. Dunan couldn't even remember what day it was. Maybe he had been down there only a month. He had no clue.
“Terra.”
“Yes, Duncan.”
“Living a life with a Twin would be much better than living the rest of your life down here. Don't you think?”
“Now why would you say that Duncan?”
“I'm serious. I can't do this. I'm going now.”
Duncan walked towards the door that lead to the sewer exit. “Do you really love me!” A guttural shout came from Terra's direction. He turned around. “Do you!?”
Terra looked like night and day from what she looked like moments before. She was slouched with a wicked look in her sobbing eyes. Her hands were tense, but not clenched, making her fingers look like dangling twigs on a dying tree in fall. Even her hair had managed to tangle in the few seconds he had turned. “Do you love me!”
Duncan jumped. He had never seen her lose her composure. Why, so suddenly did this happen to her?
“Mr. Duncan...” A timid voice said from the doorway.
Duncan didn't turn away from Terra. She was heartbreaking in the way that she tried to get herself together for the company. Without turning to the man at the door, he asked. “Are you here with supplies?”
“No, they will come within the hour. I came to inform you of what has developed at the surface. Life has challenged been at the square all day, claiming that he wishes to duel you.”
Without another word, Duncan walked to one of the walls of the room. He grabbed his sword from off a rack and walked through the door, past the messenger. He didn't stop for anything...
“Why did you even tell him?” A rumbling alto came from the corner of the room, directed towards the messenger. “My fiancee is walking towards his death right now. WHY DID YOU SAY THAT!”
Blackhurst Square- Ten Minutes Later
Duncan hadn't seen the light of ay for a long time, but even the light of day managed to escape him. The sun had just begun setting and a reddish light covered the few clouds that were on the horizon. With the escape of Sun, came the Moon. It was a waning crescent that still lit up the night well enough that there was no use for the streets to be lit with torches. The only really relieving thing about the sun going down was that there wasn't a bright sun beating down on him. It made the humidity a lot more bearable and with a slight breeze coming in from the fields, it was almost nice out.
As a strong breeze ripped through the square Duncan stood opposite the god. “I'm here to defend my honour.”
Life looked to Duncan, his expression as stone cold as his heart. “A narcissist’s virtue; honour. Respect is far more selfless in its nature, only when done correctly however. Even the narcissist, who leads a life of honour deserves respect. This is why I will respect your wish to defend your honour.”
Duncan sneered at the god. He held himself in sch high regard, but was just as weak as any other human struggling through Life. “You speak of respect as if you have an ounce of it, but you are about to fight me, not for respect of a man's honour, but because you cannot contain your manhood.”
Life's expression changed in a moment. An ounce of human emotion in something beyond humanity. Life gripped onto the dagger in his hand and drew out his second sword. A parrying sword. Something that was far more familiar to Duncan than the scimitar-style sword that Duncan was fated with. He raised his sword to ready himself for the attack, but it didn't come. The first strike wasn't going to come from Life. He was too wise for that. The call to action was left for Duncan to decide.
Duncan placed a firm grip on his sword and slowly sauntered over to Life. He didn't have a care in the world as to how he went about making his first strike. He merely circled the god once around before looking him dead in the eyes. He quickly raised his sword out to his abdominal level hoping to see the god flinch, but nothing. He dropped his guard and then walked even closer to the god until he could feel the great being's breath against his mouth. This left him in a very open position to attack as Life had a dagger which could do great amounts of damage to Duncan if he chose to attack. Maybe the god actually did have a sense of honour after all.
At breakneck speeds, Duncan chose to make his first move. He jumped backwards and swung the scimitar above his head and across Life's stomach. Life did his best to lock the attack, but with such a light sword, it cause a chance for Duncan to make a swift attack while Life recovered from the first. The attack was clean and done to near perfection, but Life's dagger allowed him a chance to block with the other hand as well.
This was all just a test. Could Life fend for himself in a sword fight. He could, but it seemed that he didn't know the finer details of sword fighting which Duncan had had a chance to perfect over several years. It was his hobby, swordplay. While he had never used it as a means of violence up until this point in his life, he enjoyed it as a sport and played for fun when he wasn't too busy.
The next set of attacks came from Life. This gave Duncan a perfect chance to see Life's offensive. For the most part, it was pretty solid. He kept a good grip as he used his sword as it was intended to be used. Duncan didn't allow any of this to get to him though. He came back with his own counter. It was a devastating attack. One blow after another, after another until his defences were ideally broken. With that, he swung his sword over his behind his back and over his head again, swinging the scimitar down into the god's skull. Life simply smiled at the pitiful attack. Without a word, Life plunged the dagger into a shocked Dunan's temple. His body went limp and he fell to the ground.
“Oh by Mother and Father; Duncan!” Terra screamed. She had just made it to the square in time to witness the murder.
That night, despite all efforts, Terra clung to her dead fiancee's body. Attempts to pull her away were futile. Not a single soul in Blackhurst slept. Some knew why there was a woman shrieking out in the distance while others were unknowing. Some just knew that the first ever murder in Blackurst took place that night.
Duncan had fought for his honour and the honour that he fought for was unfortunately Terra. There was no contract or law that forced her to merry Life, but she felt an obligation to. The wedding took place not soon after Duncan's death.
The setting changes from Valcrest to Raven's Nest
“Did you see those guy’s faces?They didn’t know what to do with themselves..” Essence laughed, reminiscing about Irvin’s and her day in utter delight. She had been giggling the entire walk from Newhaven and now as they reached the border of the Nest, a familiar whistle sounded which Ess repeated, signalling the trees, Tala and Beo running at full speed forward to greet Ward past the tree line. As they passed down the path, Ess was still talking about nothing of real importance when she fell silent. It was quiet, the crickets chorusing in rapid cannon instead of in unison. She was use to the dead spots of where there was activity, causing the buzz of life to be silent, their song continued in the quieter areas of the Nest. It dawned on her, pacing through the shadows of purples and reds as the sun descended past the horizon, how quiet it had become. It had startled her so, that she quietly set down her packages beside one of the small houses (if one could call them that) and drew her sword ever so quietly, only a soft ting of metal jingled when the sword left it’s sheath.
As the Sun started to lower in the sky everyone started to prepare for when Ess and Irvin would return from Newhaven. There was a small discussion on whether they would make the camp dark for this or not. Jake wasn’t personally sure whether that would be the smartest thing, he didn’t want Ess to think something bad had happened or something, but eventually it was agreed that they would risk it. She wouldn’t be wondering what was happening for too long. It was at this point that Dastan gave the idea for the fireworks, the Crimson made it so they could set them all off by lighting one single wick. Jake wasn’t too confident, and Ali even less, but it was done. Once everything was set up all there was left to do was wait. People crouched in the dark, hiding behind trees, and the only sounds were of the wolves moving around and occasional whispers from the children. The wolves were the first to arrive, immediately met by the rest of the pack, and then suddenly a voice sounded in Jake’s ear. “Ten seconds.” It was Irvin.
Jake startled a bit as he didn’t hear the kid sneak up on him and it was dead silent, but he managed to not raise his voice at Irvin. “Bloody hell, kid!” He whispered at Irvin, a bit amused though at the fact he had probably just randomly disappeared on Ess without warning. If Jake had counted from Irvin’s warning he would have counted exactly ten seconds before all the wolves shattered the silence of the encampment, the howls sounding on their own for a few long moments before all the people jumped out of hiding with one big shout of “SURPRISE!”, the fireworks lit mere seconds later, shooting off into the sky and exploding in small bursts of sparkles. All except for one, a larger one, that simply exploded on the ground sending some of the nearby people running off to take cover, laughing as two of the mercenaries struggled to contain a few small explosions still coming from the failed device.
Essence didn’t notice Irvin was gone at first, not until she heard the wolves howl in unison which caused her to retrieve her dagger and left to wonder if it was an alarm or something else. “Irv…?” The moment she whispered the kids name, numerous figures leapt out from hiding, shouting in unison, together as one, “SURPRISE!” Ess looked like she was about to kill someone and yet at the same time was too startled by the explosions that followed that she actually screamed and ducked as if she were under attack. Hearing laughter as the bright explosions continued, she opened one eye and glanced upwards curiously. Her eyes widened in pure awe at how the stars seemed to come to life and fall towards the land only to fade away. Ess screamed a bit more as another explosion went off but never left the ground. Once she saw the men struggling to contain more of the colorful delights, she couldn’t help but laugh too. Each of the fireworks, as they went off, lit up the darkness around her so that she noticed one by one, all the familiar faces of her friends and of the Guard. When the fireworks got a bit less consistent, lanterns and torches were lit to reveal every square foot of the camp decorated in colorful flags.
If it wasn’t for the noisy display in the sky to distract Ess from herself, she would have already tried to sneak away. The uneasy and awkward feeling eventually caught up to her, released with a shaky laugh. Half smiling, she placed her sword and dagger in their resting places at her hips and tried to scowl when she saw Irvin. “Scared the living….Tears of the Twins...Ooh I’m going to get you kid...just you wait…” She turned her gaze to eye Jake in a fake sternness. “This is your fault I know it.”
In the short time before the torches started being lit Jake had tried his best to put on a straight face, or at least to stop laughing as much, but that was a difficult thing to do when he could clearly hear Dastan’s men still cursing at the fallen firework that somehow just kept on constantly going off with no signs of completely stopping. Jake was still fighting through a bit of laughter as he finally spoke up. “Happy birthday, sis! Heh... Well, I don’t know if you can tell that the fireworks were a last minute addition, but yeah...” He snickered, glancing at the mercenaries trying to solve the problem, his tone a bit more calm as he walked towards Ess and gave a light shrug. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, but uh... We all took a vote and I was severely outnumbered.” Jake stated, trying to sound innocent, but failing miserably. “I promise you can sneak away in a bit if you want, but you know... Crys brought a lot of booze and if she drinks everything she’s going to start singing and....” Jake was cut off as he was forced to dodge a flying apple aimed perfectly at his head, but continued as if there had been no interruption. “... And you don’t want to miss that.”
“That’s not going to happen, Jacob.” Crys stated simply, not sounding too amused by the provocation. “Not again at least.” She added in an annoyed mumble, as she helped a couple of the Crimson Shadows sort through a few of the boxes she had brought, the mercenaries seeming quite impatient to start with the drinking. A few other mercenaries had brought drums of different shapes and sizes and a couple of them had flutes and violins as well. Random bits and pieces of music escaping amongst the sound of their chatter. Improvised tables were being set up with food and pitchers of water, and a small pile of presents had formed itself at some point, sitting beside the pile of packages there was a wooden crate painted in red letters that warned of its contents being explosive and to keep away from fire.
Ess crossed her arms, chuckling at Jake and Crys’ exchange. Glancing around she slowly took in her surrounding, noticing and quietly appreciating all the work everyone had put in to throw such a party. “Food...booze...fire...I guess you know me pretty well Jacob.” She snorted in amusement, her eyes widening as Beo and Sora came galloping towards her, both had one of the kids saddled onto their backs. “Oh that is low Jake! Bribing me with cuteness?!”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS ESS!” Both Lily and Clayton yelled as the wolves came to a hault.
“...Aren’t we forgetting something, kids?” A woman hinted from behind Ess. It was Jess, one of the women who had taken up bunking with the Captain and the kids, only just recently in the past six months, giving birth to a baby boy. She was cradling the baby in her arms, trying to block out the noise from the fireworks but he didn’t seem to mind it one bit, his brown eyes fixated upon the sky.
“Oh, right. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR JAKE!” The children chimed in and as they mumbled something else Ess couldn’t understand, the wolves decided they were going to visit the food table and began leading the kids, who were still on their back, towards the goodies.
“Uh..maybe you guys should have made those tables a bit higher…” Essence joked, pointing at Ward who already was sniffing dangerously close to the food. Ess approached Jake and smiled. “Guess the party is kind of like for everyone, in a way, huh? I think I may just stick around for a bit..” Wrapping her arms gently around Jake she stood on her tippy toes to hug him, not noticing that she was shaking until that moment as she whispered to him sweetly. “Happy Birthday Brother. You’re lucky you’re loved..”
Pulling away she spotted a bottle Crys was holding and she perked up. “Oh, wait! I call that bottle. It’s mine. It’s my favorite..please..” She mumbled dashing forward to half hug Crys and steal the bottle. “I’m glad you came. Those aren’t for me, are they?” Ess pointed at the present pile and a box of explosives, her eyebrows in a fake look of disagreement.
Jake gave Ess a firm hug, not hesitating to whisper back at her. “Well, so are you, sis.” The moment Ess let go of him however a group of five or six Crimson Shadows collided with him, shouting “HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. JAKE!”, lifting him up and carrying him for a fairly good distance before he manage to set himself free. “Knock it off!” He muttered at the men as they dropped him on his ass and wandered off laughing. Jake seemed a bit annoyed for a moment, but at the same time he was also laughing, as if it was just impossible not to do so. As he got on his feet he shouted out to Ali. “See, I told you about the tables.”
“Well, I did the best I could. I didn’t have days to plan, like some people.” She retorted, giving him a fake look of annoyance. “Be happy they haven’t fallen apart yet.”
“I think ‘yet’ seems to be the key word here.” Jake laughed, eyeing the wolves with suspicion, but shrugging it off. Not like that would actually ruin anything.
Crys heard Ess’ call just in time to pull the bottle she was holding out of the reach of one of Dastan’s guys. Not like that was the only one, but she still slapped the guy’s hand away from it all the same, laughing as the mercenary responded by whining at her like a puppy. “Just open the other boxes, I’m not going to be waiting on you people all night.” She stated in the best severe tone she could manage, turning away from the mercenaries as they started to finally pass bottles around to the rest of the group and not just amongst themselves, releasing the bottle of liquor to Ess with a cheery smile. “Well, I had to help Jakey, you can’t let boys plan a party.” She joked, casually taking a bottle from a nearby mercenary for herself. “You mean the presents? Yeah, they are. To be fair though, that part wasn’t exactly Jake’s idea, people just decided for themselves to bring them. Dastan brought you the big box of fireworks, it’s the first sort of successful batch the Crimson have managed in a few years. They’re very excited about them as you might have noticed.” She snickered. “I hear they’re quite impressive, even if a bit unstable at times.”
“Hey, wait, wait....” Ali came running, nearly tripping over herself as she halted beside Ess. “You can’t touch the presents until you open mine.” She stated.
“Where is it, Ali?” Crys asked, in a tone of utter amusement.
“Uhm... Wait, I left it in Jake’s camp... I’ll go get it... Don’t go anywhere!”
Crys snorted a laugh as Ali ran off in a hurry to where she had left her gift. “She seems really happy with it, that’s a good sign.” She pointed out, opening her bottle of liquor and taking a sip. “It’s nice to have nearly all friends in one place for once. Don’t think that’s happened since Blackpond, and that was bit of a... I don’t know what that was, really.”
Not even a minute had passed and Ali was back, a bit short on breath, but not seeming to mind it too much as she silently handed Ess the wrapped bow. Taking a long deep breath she finally managed to blurt out a “Happy birthday.”
Darren had been trying to cross the crowd since they all jumped out and gave Ess practically a heart attack. Between the malfunctioning fireworks to the rush on alcohol, he managed to catch the apple meant for Jake’s head, quietly munching on it and trying not to choke on his food simply absorbing the festivities around him. As Ali handed Ess the bow he poked his head between Crys and Ess, smiling brightly and swallowing his apple bit before speaking, “I see Crys brought the apples. Lovely to see you as always.” He bit into the apple with a crisp crunch, using Ess’ forehead to raise his hat above his eyes. “Hi ..Mother…” He dragged out, kissing her forehead. “Happy Birthday.”
“Darren!” Ess beamed, wrapping her free hand around his goatee and giving a slight tug. “Thank you…..where have you been?”
“Ow..” Darren played, pulling himself free from his mother’s grasp. “Oh, you know me...keeping Uncle Jakey on his toes..” He glanced over his shoulder as if half expecting the man behind him.
Ess looked at Ali, a genuine smile painting her lips but yet she was nervous by the simple gesture. “I missed you girl. I’m so happy you’re here! Is this…” She inhaled quickly, her eyes glowing slightly in excitement. “I was afraid to ask about it...thought maybe if I did I wouldn’t get it.” Essence smiled, slowly unwrapping the paper as if to drag out the moment of anticipation. Apparently it was too much for Darren.
“You are going to throw away the paper anyways...just tear it open already!” Darren complained with an adorable pout peeking out from beneath his favored hat. Without looking Ess swung her hand as if to smack Darren across the mouth but he easily dodged the ‘attack’. Ess froze when she saw just the tip of the bow, her fingers skimming over the belly of the bow as the paper fell to the ground. It was smooth, a similar feeling to a polished stone from the river with no rough edges. The yew was a dark honey and above each nock, a scaled down carving of an Oak tree accented the weapon, stained in golden dye or paint of sorts that caught a soft shimmer from the candlelight. It was what stood out the most and as her eyes grazed down the limb she smiled at the vine carving that was extremely detailed. Every aspect of the weapon screamed patience and sweat put into the creation. Ess finally tore her gaze away from the bow and looked up at Ali, a childlike awe flashing in her violet eyes. “You...made it like yours…” She breathed, her finger lightly tapping a notch like part of the grip. “For the arrow…” Ess held the bow in one and, the other still holding the bottle of liquor as she leaped at the girl in excitement and hugged her with a bit more force than she intended. “It’s PERFECT! I love it!! Thaaank you!”
Darren chuckled, removing his hat to itch the back of his head. “You sure you can string that thing now?”
“Hush! Ali taught me how.” Ess snickered, releasing the girl and turning towards Darren.
“I have a gift for you too...but eh..” Darren dipped his head down to fit his loose strands of hair into the hat before flipping his head back and tugging down the hat behind his ears. “It’s not ready yet...may not be for some time..”
“Oooh. Is it shiny?” Ess asked curiously, her attention suddenly drawn to the sky as another firework went off. She wondered how many of those were to randomly go off during the night and thought about moving her box of explosives somewhere..safer. “Speaking of ambiance...where is Dastan…” Ess mumbled half to herself moving to relocate the bow with her towards the table of gifts. Immediately she found the biggest explosive she could and quietly examined it taking the cap off the bottle of liquor finally.
Ali laughed, stumbling a bit at Ess’ hug but managing to keep her balance. “I’m glad you liked it. I really took a ridiculous amount of time to finish it, but I think it’s my best work yet.” She stated proudly. “Oh, I also got some arrows for you, have to remember to get them later. Twenty should be enough to get you started, right?” She asked, a playful smirk crossing her features. Ali’s eyes skimmed the pile of presents and smiled curiously as Ess inspected the explosives. Two seconds hadn’t passed since Ess had wondered about Dastan and the man just came out of nowhere and jumped Ali. “Am I late for the group hug again?” He asked playfully, laughing as he was forced to let go of Ali once she elbowed him hard on the ribs. “You need to stop doing that to people!” She scolded.
“Friends aren’t people!” Dastan protested in a fake childish tone. “Deal with it!” He added sticking out his tongue at Ali before turning to Ess with a charming smile. “And you, little lady... You... Have something I want.”
Jake had somewhat entertained with the kids and the wolves, patiently listening to Lily’s arguments as to why they should be allowed to stay up at the party all night like everyone else and when he was finding it difficult to reason against the girl’s pleas he said it was up to Jess to decide, which earned him a severe glare from the woman. Just the other day she had given him a bit of a scolding for not showing the kids any discipline and letting them have their way, especially Lily. Jake smiled a bit apologetically at the woman as he began to sneak away towards the others, noticing that Ess was already in possession of the bow Ali had made and he wanted to take a closer look at it. Making his way to the little group that had formed itself near the pile of presents, Jake reached it just in time to hear Dastan’s words, raising an eyebrow at the mercenary as he casually put one arm around Crys, stealing her liquor bottle for one sip and handing it back to her. “And what, if I may ask, could you possibly want from my sister?”
“Are you sure you want to hear my answer to that, mate?” Dastan questioned, seeming quite amused, at least as far he was showing.
“Are you sure you want to answer? I’m sure you remember the last conversation we had on the subject of sisters.” Jake retorted, not quite waiting on an answer from Dastan and turning to Ali with a smile. “Can I look at it now?”
“Yes, but look with your eyes, yes?” She answered, shooting him a rather severe glare for a moment.
“Oh, fine... You know... It’s been at least six years since I broke that bow... You’re never going to get over it, are you?”
“I’m over it, I’m just not going to let you put your hands on anything that took me months to create. I mean, look at it, it’s so pretty.”
Dastan chuckled. “Don’t feel bad, mate. Not everyone is good at caring for pretty things.”
“Dastan...” Crys mumbled in a tone of warning.
“What, I’m just playing. He did wonder how well I remember our conversation, I think that’s a valid answer, isn’t it?”
“And you...little lady...You have something I want.”
Essence quirked a brow, turning to meet Dastan’s smile. She tried to stare at him with a straight face, attempting to act annoyed but found that his smile was contagious. It didn’t help with Jake’s little entrance, adding to the ever growing circle Ess noticed before her. Giggling a bit at his comment, she began playing with a few loose curls that were gradually falling out of her braid. “..I bet I do…” Essence smiled, winking at Dastan coyly. Clinging onto her bottle knowingly she nodded. “I have a few things you want…” She poked Jake’s side, her tone matter of fact yet her expression was amused. “Oh Jake...I still have his cloak. What’s wrong with a woman having possession of a man’s cloak?” Ess glanced at Crys and smirked. “...And I owe him a drink..I’ll go get your stuff in a minute, hun, but first…” Ess paused to take her first swig of liquor passing the bottle towards Dastan to share. “..Share my first drink of the night with me...even if it’s not yours..” She played. When he handed it back to her she teasingly pulled the bow out of arm’s reach from Jake and started towards her camp. “Be right back.”
Essence returned a few moments later with Tala by her side. The wolf had not been with her offspring for the surprise, which was odd but when Ess had arrived to her campsite she was amazed to find Tala waiting patiently for her, surrounded by six or seven rabbit carcasses. All were untouched, except for where she had broken their necks. Ess had been hoping she would unload a few things for safe keeping at her tent but found she had her arms full for the walk back. She had all the rabbits tied to a rope and slung over her shoulder, the bottle of booze Crys had passed to her/stolen, and one large odd shaped package. Casually she greeted Aiden who approached when she returned to the small group and offered Dastan the package. Inside was his cloak he had loaned her from the Ball, clean, free from any of Ebony’s blood (which she had spent days being so uptight about her fingers were raw for a week) and any tears or patches that may or may not have been there, there was practically no trace of wear. “I took it upon myself to clean this and fix the tear and such. And the drink I owe you...there...is a bottle from the year I was born: 2526. I was surprised to find it actually. A very good year, might I say.” Unexpectedly Ess approached Dastan wrapping one arm around his neck with a firm squeeze. She was taken back a bit with how normal and good this was starting to feel, but Ess was still shaking some. For a moment she felt warm...safe. And it wasn’t just because she was a tiny woman hugging a quite noticeably taller man. “Thank you for the fireworks. Fire. You were paying attention.”
Ess stepped away and handed Tala’s kill over to one of the guard who went towards the fire they were building to being the ritual of preparing the rabbits. “Tala brought us food it seem..I am beginning to think..she thinks she has to feed the entire Nest.”
Darren smiled, playfully jabbing at Aiden’s arm as he walked by in a friendly and yet challenging manner. Aiden laughed. “You already want a rematch, huh kid?”
“I was going easy on you, Old Man..” Darren teased. “I still say you didn’t win arm wrestling..”
Ess glanced over at Aiden and her son, a questioning glow sneaking from her smile. Her thoughts weren’t on the conversation between her friend and her kid, but thinking everyone just about was indeed together. Which was nice for a change. Still, there was something missing.
Darren turned to start poking at the box of explosives on the table, casually stirring up conversation with Dastan on which components he favored and why, to create the glittery displays raining down still here and there, over their heads.
Ess hopped over to her table of presents and began picking them up one by one and lightly shaking the boxes. One was particularly heavier than she expected, which was apparently the tie breaker for what she was going to open next. “Darren..turn around….can you see the packages I left over there? Will you please retrieve them for me?”
Darren kept talking as he nodded and obeyed, retrieving said packages and placing them on the table beside the other gifts. “Jakey. Those are for you.” Essence smiled, still staring at the box before her.
What’s wrong with a woman having possession of a man’s cloak?
Jake snorted, but kept silent at Ess’ words as if he had a response but knew exactly what would happen if he spoke up, instead he quietly stole another sip off of Crys’ bottle.
“You know, if you wanted to see me drunk, this is not the way to do it.” She complained, snatching the bottle out of his hands. “Go get your own.”
“Aaw.” Jake whined. “I don’t wanna. The booze is all the way over there.”
“I’ll go get it.” Ali offered. “You guys are being too adorable for my liking right now. I kind of miss it when you were shouting at each other all the time.” She teased, wandering off to where the bottles of liquor were being kept.
“Yeah, well, it’s still early... I’m sure I’ll piss her off sooner or later.” Jake replied with a chuckle watching as Ali calmly dodged a few of the Crimson trying to dance away with her as she walked past them. The group of mercenaries with the instruments seemed to have organized somewhat and music was now flowing freely from the ‘band’ creating a carefree and joyful atmosphere in the encampment. Everyone seemed happy and relaxed like they hadn’t been in a long time.
“Jakey... Hello..” Crys snicker, poking him with her elbow. “Are you listening?”
“Hm?” Jake mumbled, averting his eyes from the rest of the party and turning his attention back to the group. “I’m sorry, did I miss something important?”
“A little bit, yeah. Ess got you gifts.” Crys replied, staring at him curiously. “What were you thinking there?”
“Oooh, gifts!” Jake exclaimed excitedly, immediately spotting the packages that weren’t there just a moment ago. “I... Uhm... Nothing in particular. Just enjoying the moment.” He stated simply, giving Crys a light squeeze before stepping away from her and inspecting the packages, opening the smallest one first and smiling as he spotted a small cluster of familiar black raven feathers tied together with a few silver and golden beads in a simple ornament. It had become somewhat customary amongst the Ravens to wear the black feathers in one manner or another, but it wasn’t something that had really occurred to Jake until just then. He just examined the gift silently until Crys took it out of his hands in a curious excitement. “Come on, what is it?” She asked.
“Hey, hey, careful with the feathers.” Jake complained.
“Well, don’t worry I know how to handle pretty things.” She teased. “Aw, it’s lovely. And you could wear it on your hair, like in a little braid.”
Jake laughed, shaking his head at the provocation. “I was thinking more like in the hilt of my sword, Crys... You know, it’s my favorite weapon; even if I rarely use it... And my hair is not long enough to braid.” He protested.
“Pffft... Sure it is.” Crys replied, returning the gift to him and playfully tugging on a strand of his hair. “I could totally braid it.”
“It’s not too long.” Jake protested, rolling his eyes. “It’s how I like it, okay? Ess agrees with me.”
“Is that so?” She asked calmly. “Okay then.”
“It’s not okay, is it?” Jake sighed.
“No, it isn’t.” She confirmed.
Jake snorted, noting that he wasn’t carrying his sword with him, and carefully attaching the feathers to his belt for the time being. “I like my hair longer.” He muttered.
“You could at least shave.” She insisted, letting her fingers graze the scratchy stubble that had formed itself on his face during the past couple of weeks. “Your face is starting to feel like a porcupine.” She added playfully.
“Well, I’m pretty sure porcupines don’t even have spikes on their faces, Crys.” Jake retorted, picking another one of the packages only to have it yanked out of his hands.
“You should open this one last.” Crys told him. “And fine, so your face feels like a porcupine’s ass. Is that more accurate of a comparison?”
“Why, yes, yes it is. Why can’t I open that now?” He asked curiously.
“Trust me, you want to open this one last.” She repeated with a smirk.
“Fiinee...” Jake chuckled, picking up the other package and starting to work his way through the wrapping, his eyes lighting up as he saw the pair of shiny new boots. “Niiice!” He exclaimed, inspecting the shoes further and mumbling. “Poisoned blades... Yeah...” a devious smile crossing his expression as he noticed the little red vials hidden within and the mechanism for a blade. “I’m going to have some fun with these.” he declared. “Definitely fun.” Putting the vials away in his pocket, Jake carefully placed the boots on the table and took the last package from Crys. “Can I?” He asked her playfully, not waiting for her to give him an answer and tearing at the package. Jake froze for a moment, the smell of cinnamon reaching him before he was even through unwrapping the plate of cookies, the look in his eyes momentarily distant before lighting up with joy as he immediately grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth. “They’re perfect.” He stated.
“I’m not cheating, I’m saying you didn’t win.” Ali exclaimed, returning to the group followed closely by Irvin, seeming quite amused at the boy.
“I guessed it right!” He protested.
“The Ruins is not an acceptable answer, kid. Not to mention they weren’t ruins when I was born. I was born in a village. Not ruins.”
“You asked where, and not when!” Irvin exclaimed. “That’s not fair.”
“Alright, but still... The Ruins, by itself, as an answer is unacceptable. It’s a large territory.”
“And again that’s not fair. No one remembers the name of all the villages.”
Ali frowned, as if that particular fact had never really occurred to her, not quite answering Irvin and simply mumbling something under her breath.
Irv flinched seeing that he seemed to have upset her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” He mumbled.
Ali sighed, shaking her head and handing Jake his drink. “It’s alright. Don’t worry about it.”
“Still say I win.” The boy mumbled.
While listening to Jake and Crys banter on about Jake’s hair, Ess’ smile faded for a second, staring idly at the box still between her hands as she was reminded of the same argument Jake would have with his sister. It looked like she wasn’t even paying attention to what was going on around her, until Jake finished opening his last gift of cookies. Without blinking she shyly commented on her gifts to her brother. “You are the only one in camp without the feathers...so we all agreed it was long overdue. Then I thought the boots would be practical, so I’m glad you like them both. The cookies...Jessica gave me her recipe a long time ago and even though I didn’t have the real means to bake them here..I had a part in it..” Essence sighed, glancing over as Ali and Irv approached the circle. There was a moment of silence and Ess moved to rest a hand on Ali’s shoulder. “I remember...a few…” Ess began, catching Lily out of the corner of her eye as she crawled from out between two tables.
“Tell the story again, Miss Ess.” Lily smiled up at her, reaching for her hand to give a small squeeze.
Darren perked up at the girl’s words and turned from Dastan to focus on the group, glancing from one person to the next. “What story?”
Twenty Six Years ago...Whirlwind..
“Da?” Ess whined, rubbing at her sleepy eyes and dragging her sheep’s blanket behind her. “Da...” She continued, not finding her father in his room but in the living area before the fireplace.
“Essy...it’s late...what’s wrong Sweetness?” Dirk whispered, putting down his pen, kind blue eyes looking over the tiny four year old with concern. “Did you have another bad dream?”
Ess answered only by squirming her way onto her father’s lap and covering both him and herself with her blanket. “I dunno..” She muttered, bouncing her feet that hung off of Dirks knees. “I didn’t know where you were..”
“Aww, sweetie..I’m always Here.”
“What you doing?” Ess asked, staring down at the table where Dirk had left his pen beside a small leather book, torn pages sticking out from beneath the journal.
“Writing stories, Essy.” Her father smiled leaning in and kissing the top of her head.
“What kind of stories? Are you going to read to me?” Ess’ eyes widened in interest as she looked up at her father.
“Maybe when you’re older Essy. Some of them are scary.” Dirk half played, suddenly hugging his daughter tight and pretending to shiver in fright.
Ess giggled, tiny dimples appearing at her cheeks. “Don’t worry Da...I’ll keep the monsters away..” She stated proudly and wrapped her arms around her father’s neck. “I won’t be scared, promise.”
“My brave little girl, so sweet that she would put herself first for her old man.” Dirk winked, absently tugging on Ess’ curls and running his fingers through her hair to loosen a few snarls. “It’s ok to be scared though, Ess. You being brave just shows that there is something more important out there than your fear. But it’s late and you’ll have nightmares, so how about I tell you a story about your Mother, hmm?”
Ess started to protest, glancing down at the journal as she began chewing on her bottom lip.
“Ok, Da...you tell me scary stuff when sun is out..and...” She sighed, snuggling up as close as humanly possible to her father, closing her eyes to listen. “I want to hear about mommy being little...” Ess commanded with a tired nod.
Dirk chuckled at his daughter, leaning back with her close against his chest. “Yes, M’am..”
“Let’s see.....when I was around your brother’s age, I first visited this town with my father. Your mother was born here in Whirlwind but I was born...”
Ess chimed in, “Oakstone!”
Dirk chuckled, patting the girl on the back. “Yes, very good Essy. My father was what we call a peddler but he wasn’t any ordinary tradesman because he acquired rare items for people besides the normal everyday stuff we need to live.”
“Like food and fur, but what are rare items?”
Dirk nodded. “Don’t forget the little wooden figurines my mother would carve.”
“Like the dragon!! But if grandma had never seen one, how did she know what a dragon looks like?”
“Now you are distracting me, Sweetness..patience. Daddy will get to that...”
Ess pulled the blanket up to her neck and closed her eyes as Dirk backtracked a bit. “I was not sure what was meant by ‘Rare items’ as they were always kept a secret from me because my Da said it was dangerous to speak outloud of such beauties. If everyone knew about them then everyone would want them and when that happens people fight and destroy those beauties.”
“Why?...If they break them and make them go away, then no one can have em’.”
Dirk leaned in and kissed the top of his daughter’s head. “You are very right. How did u get so smart?”
Ess peeked through slit eyelids and gave a tired smile and shrugged. “Ok, Da. Was this where you met Mommy? How old was she?”
“Oh, right right...Yes, this was when I met your mother. She had to have been a few years younger, so maybe around ten. I didn’t know it then, but your mom had a very special gift and it had just started to show itself. See, my Da set up shop for the day by the Cherry Blossom trees where your mom was playing in the fallen petals.”
Dirk took a slow breath, closing his eyes a moment as if to get a clearer picture, his smile fading as he fought to remain upbeat. “Symphony was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.” He opened his eyes again and nodded. “That is saying a lot too because my Da and I had been all over Valcrest. She was dressed in white, small pink blossoms embroidered along the sleeves of her gown, the folds of material flowing in the summer breeze. Her hair wasn’t as long as it was when she had you, but it was past her shoulders; straight, dark red hair. Your mom was singing as she danced beneath the blossoms and it looked as if they moved to her voice. It seemed like she was controlling them with her song.”
“Was she?” Essence opened her eyes to look up at her father.
“No, Sweetness. As I got closer I found that I couldn’t take my eyes off of her...and now that I think on it, I can’t remember the words of her song.” Dirk fell silent, quirking a brow as he thought, his handsome smile returning. “It could have to do with what I found out years later from your mother. Symphony believed that everything happens for a reason. Some things are within our control and some are not, but we always have a choice..even if the choice is one we don’t like to think about.”
Ess sighed, shaking her head in a bit of confusion. “Da..I don’t get it..”
“ What I mean Essy, is in my case, I had caught her eye one of the times I visited town but I had never seen her before this day. She chose to invite me into her life, even if in the most not obvious way. Her song was about me..so she said and it..brought me to her.”
Essence’s brows furrowed, a somewhat cranky look in her eye. “You saying, mommy’s song made you love her?”
Dirk chuckled, reaching down to lift his daughter’s chin to look directly into her eyes. “Your mother, only made me notice her. No one made me love her because that isn’t something that can be forced. It just...happens. We can’t control it but...we can control what we do with it.”
“..I still don’t get it..” Ess pouted, causing her father to laugh louder.
“You will..but there you go distracting me again..where was I..?”
“You just met Mommy...”
“Right, right. Your Grandpa, my father had been watching me with your Mother and tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention and passed over to me discreetly a couple small Iris flowers...the color of her eyes...of your eyes, Essy. She allowed me to place them in her hair and that was the moment I really first saw her eyes. It wasn’t just the color, but the way they flashed brightly when she laughed. It brought out an intricate pattern...I mean you know with lots of lines and zig zags...like the veins of that Birch Tree you watched me cut down yesterday.”
Ess nodded, once again closing her eyes as if she were trying to picture her Mom in her head. She listened for some time as she stayed quiet and her Father went off on the fine lines of her smile and the kindness in her touch when he held her hand. It was soothing to listen to the description, making it almost as if her Mother was there with them in that moment.
“Da..You miss Mommy a lot...” She whispered sleepily.
“Yes, Baby girl, I do..She was...the strongest woman I have ever known.” He answered, an obvious tone of sadness in his voice.
“So, what happened next? When did you move to Whirlwind?”
“Aren’t you getting tired yet?” Dirk poked his daughter in the side playfully.
“No..” Ess giggled through a yawn.
“Well..just as my Father was closing up shop and packing away the wagon, a stranger came riding on his horse. He was dressed in black and was carrying a curious package under his arm that he was looking to trade with my Father. Your Mother and I watched as the man revealed a large rock like object, rough to the touch but sparkled as if covered in gems and sapphires. My Da’s eyes lit up instantly, weighing the object in his hands, clearly stressing some under the heaviness before placing upon a table. Without a word he went into the wagon and retrieved what I saw as a dagger. It didn’t seem special but the stranger looked quite excited to trade his object for the dagger. After he left I asked my Da what he had traded the dagger for and he said..it was a Dragon egg.”
“Really? Did it hatch? Was there anything in it? How heavy was it?!” Ess sat up, spewing forth an array of questions.
Dirk leaned in close as if he was about to tell a secret, exaggerating his smile as he continued. “Well...I never found that out. See, I didn’t really believe it was a real Dragon egg, but not that whatever it was, wasn’t valuable. Yet, your Mother looked scared.. She said, ‘Get rid of it..Dragon eggs only bring death..’” Dirk whispered, clutching Ess tight as if he were afraid, but Essence’s eyes widened, jaw dropping in awe.
“So, I tried to get my Father to listen to her but naturally why would he indulge someone’s fears based on stories alone and no real facts. We can’t go by Myth alone..”
“What about the Twins? They are Myth..” Ess objected.
Dirk nodded. “Yes, Baby girl but they are also a guide. I want you to learn from life and make your own decisions and not just fear something because someone tells you to..”
“But, was it really a Dragon egg? Why haven’t I seen it?”
“..That night, after we had returned to our home, my Mother and Father and I were sitting down to dinner when the screams began. Outside, the town was burning in bright flames that seemed to spread from nowhere.”
“Was it a dragon?! Did it come for the egg?”
“That’s what I thought, Essy. My Father and I never saw what was causing the fires but we didn’t stay to find out. We escaped, leaving the egg in fear of taking it with us. My Ma swore the fires came from the sky and she kept telling my Da over and over she saw large shadows that resembled a winged creature but my Da would never admit to believing it.”
“That’s when Grandma made the wooden dragon.” Ess added, Dirk confirming with a nod. “Why did you leave? Why not build a new house?”
Dirk hesitated, finally stretching back and propping his feet upon the table and snuggled Ess closer. “We were all afraid. Many people died Ess and there were rumors. Rumors of what had happened to the town and who had caused the fires. The few who survived, after that, slowly disappeared. Or so I heard.”
Ess’ eyes widened again. “Did someone kill them? Steal them?”
“I don’t know, Sweetness. But that’s why we went to Whirlwind and made it our home. Wasn’t so bad because then I got to be with your Ma all the time.” Dirk sighed, “But now, little Miss, it is off to bed before all this talk of dragons gives you nightmares.” He stated, rising to his feet with his daughter in his arms, carrying her to her bed with little to no effort. Moving to leave after tucking her in and giving her a goodnight kiss, Ess cried out to her father.
“Da..can you stay in my room?” Essence asked sweetly, somewhat half asleep. “I miss you already...”
Dirk was silent in the darkness, an adoring smile crossing over an amused expression. “If that is what you want, Essy. I’m going to get a blanket, ok?” He shuffled out and back in the room in seconds, only taking the time to put away the book and torn pages first. He settled beside her bed, in an upright position upon the floor.
“I like it better when you’re here...” Essence mumbled almost incoherently.
Dirk rested his head next to her hand and watched her for a bit before falling asleep to the sound of Ess’ soft snores. “I will never leave you..
When Essence had finished, she had the biggest grin on her face, thinking that she had told more of the story this time than she had to the kids in the past. Both Lily and Darren spoke at the same time once Ess was silent. “Was it a dragon’s egg?”
Ess laughed. “I do not know. Could have been a metaphor.” Casually she wiped a stray tear aside, moving back to the distraction of her Gifts. “Darren, don’t forget to give Uncle Jakey your gift…” She snickered, her smile fading to a look of awe, once again surprised at what she found. Inside the box two silver chains were coiled, each double her arm length with a couple of her silver daggers nestled at the ends. Aiden approached from behind her and smiled. “I’m going to have to show you how to use those...probably best we practice without your daggers. There’s also a release...here...when enough tension is exerted, the daggers will release from the chain after it meets its target.”
Ess was so excited she didn’t wait to open her other gifts and began tearing the boxes and paper to shreds until almost every gift was open. Some of the guard had pooled their coin into a new punching bag, making snide remarks on how she would probably need one every few months at the rate she was going. In addition they had given her a new set of bone needles and a fresh assortment of dyes for her new found hobby. Deidra had appeared besides Dastan, taking a drink from a bottle she was given by some random mercenary. “I was thinking..maybe you could tattoo that idea I had of the feathers along my temple to ear..”
Aiden nodded along with Deidra’s words. “Also..we have something in the works...for the wolves. Since they are still growing we haven’t started on it yet, but we thought they deserve some sort of armor of their own, no?”
“That’s not true Aiden.” Deidra pipped in. “You had one made for Tala. A prototype of sorts.”
Darren smirked, poking Ali in the side and pointing over by the large fire that was behind the tables. “Look..”
“Puppy needs one too!” Lily whined slightly. Jess shushing the girl quietly and giggling as Beo came over to sniff her baby boy, the child giggling and reaching out towards the wolf.
Tala was sitting quietly, panting by the fire, her form endowed similar to what a Black Knight’s armor would entail. With a few modifications of course. Her tail, legs, ears and snout were free from the thin plating, while along her back, sides and underbelly several layered sheets protected flesh and fur. She even had a tiny helmet of sorts.
“No way…” Essence whispered. “Can she move in all that? Isn’t that heavy?”
Aiden nodded. “Tala..come..” He smiled as Tala stood and meandered her way through the circle to sit proudly in the center. “It is a bit heavier than we’d like, but we are working on it. As you can see, she can move pretty easily. The layers are molded to how she moves and bends.”
Lily was being held by the hand by Jess to give the adults some room, but she pulled away towards Tala and clipped something small and black to the wolf. Three, long, black feathers.
“We made some for all of them. And Puppy!”
Aiden cleared his throat and nudged Ess’ arm, motioning towards the table. “There’s still a few more gifts with your name on them over there.”
“I think it was.” Jake stated casually, taking a drink from the bottle Ali had brought him. “A dragon egg.”
“Sure you do.” Crys nodded. “Can I have one of those cookies?”
“Well, they existed!” Jake retorted, hesitating for a moment before letting Crys take one of the cookies. “I mean really, we’ve seen plenty, just between us here, are dragons that fantastical that they couldn’t have been real?”
“I guess not, but I don’t know.”She replied. “In the context, I believe it’s more likely the dragon egg stands for something else. It’s just the impression I get, but if they did or not exist... that’s a whole different matter Jakey.”
“Well...” Dastan started. “As much as it pains me, I have to side with Jake on this one... I mean... There are accounts of people seeing dragons in ancient times, and there are actually more recent accounts than that if you count those outside of Valcrest. I think it’s possible they existed and maybe still exist somewhere.” He spoke, very matter of fact like as he fiddled with the cloak that he was now wearing. “Don’t think I remember this ever looking so clean.” He mumbled.
“Well, it might if you had a wife.” Crys teased, smirking at him. “I’m just saying, you’re not getting any younger.”
Dastan stared at Crys in silence for a few seconds then shrugged. “You know, Red, maybe you do have a point.” He conceded. At which point he turned towards Deidra with a pleasant smile. “Hello, I’m Dastan.”
“Seriously?” Crys chuckled.
While the whole dragon debate was going on, Ali was taking a closer look on the armor Tala was wearing, seeming quite impressed with it. “Hey, Crys... Come check this out for a moment.” She called.
Crys left Jake’s side to kneel down by Tala, reaching out to feel the material that her protective gear was made of. “Hmm... You know... Blackwell would get a kick out of this. Maybe I should take Kaya to see him when I go home.”
“You’re taking Kaya to Blackwell?” Jake asked. “Oh please let me be there to see it.”
“Hush.” Crys snickered. “It’ll be fine. I think he’d be interested.” She stated, standing up straight and stopping as if trying to hear something beyond the music and chatter of the party around them. “Where is Kaya?”
“Hmmm....” Jake mumbled, looking around. “If she’s not around here, then my best guess is she’s going through my stuff.” He said, still looking around for the wolf even so. “She was with me up until I came over here.”
“I saw her when I went to get your drink, she was poking her nose at the musical instruments, but she’s not there now.” Ali stated. “You’re probably right and she’s at your camp.”
“Probably.” He agreed, taking another drink and suddenly taking notice of the fact he hadn’t seen Stalker anywhere. That wasn’t all too odd, considering that the wolf usually stayed out of sight, but he did have a habit to show himself when Aiden was around almost immediately. If anything Jake had to admit one thing about Luckas; he did a fantastic job of training the wolf.
Luckas’ mood had not improved much on the way to the Nest. He tried his best not to, but he couldn’t really stop thinking of some things Sam had said to him. He was mad at himself for getting the cut on his face healed like she wanted, he didn’t really think about it until it was already taken care of. He annoyed the woman in blue again by storming out of the medic ward without letting her examine him further; which he also regretted because now he was sore, and he still didn’t understand why Stalker was so agitated. It seemed like the wolf was frustrated with Luckas for being slow to reach the camp, even though he thought he was doing good time considering how bloody tired he was. Honestly, the last thing Luckas wanted to come across was a party, but it seemed like he was being dragged right into one. Before he even reached the camp he had already spotted the fireworks, and although they were quite impressive to look at Luckas had to wonder what was the point of hiding a camp so well if you’re going to shoot explosives into the sky right above it for everyone to see. “Seriously, Stalker? This is what was so important?” He muttered under his breath. Luckas’ first instinct was to go sit by the oak and wait there for whatever commotion that was to end, but the wolf kept pushing him whenever he stopped or tried to stray from the path he wanted him to follow. Eventually Luke just gave in and followed Stalker without any more resistance until the wolf led him straight to a group of people. Luckas stood there, just out of sight of the group, quietly for a little bit just trying to make sense of the context of why Ess was opening presents and why Tala was wearing armor, and who some of those people even were, because they weren’t part of the Guard. He recognized everyone from the small group he’d been led to, however. He didn’t know all of them; he didn’t know the man in the red cape or the blonde woman standing next to Crys, but he remembered seeing them at the Ball. He didn’t know why they were all there however and quite honestly the whole thing just made him a bit awkward, as though he had stumbled into something he wasn’t meant to be a part of really. He felt like walking away and if he was completely honest with himself he would admit the the only reason he didn’t was because Aiden was there as well. As if deciding that Luckas was waiting too long to show himself, Stalker took initiative rushing into the little circle of people rather abruptly and casually putting himself between Ess and Aiden.
Luckas chuckled at the wolf’s ‘entrance’ as he stepped out of hiding, one hand awkwardly scratching at the back of his head, the other holding onto two boxes, bound to one another with string. “What... Am I walking into, I wonder...” He mumbled in a half playful half confused tone.
“I’d like to think dragons are real but then again, do we really know if that’s as great of an idea as we dream?” Essence smiled, fiddling with a string that tied this particular package she held. “However..” Her smile faltered some as she pondered her next words. “I don’t think my town was burned down by a dragon...at least in this sense..” Ess turned towards Darren, catching his gaze a moment as they shared a silent understanding. It was subtle, but Deidra noticed it all the same.
“Lets just not talk about that right now, Ess..” She whispered encouragingly to the woman, knowing full well what Ess was thinking. Deidra politely turned to receive Dastan’s greeting, amber eyes looking over him from head to toe. “I know who you are..” She nodded, a half smile appearing. “Not the kind of impression you want to give a woman you just met. Besides.. marriage I think is overrated.” Deidra moved to stand beside Ess as the woman unwrapped her next gift. She turned as if to ignore Dastan, yet her hand gently brushed against his arm, her fingers lingering a moment before she playfully nudged Ess. “Well, what do you think?”
Essence was holding to what appeared to be purple silk, folded perfectly in a square. Her face went blank so it was unclear whether she was so happy for the gift that it took her breath away; rendering her speechless, or, she was trying to think of a polite response so not to offend anyone. Her fingers moved through an opening in the fabric and held it above her head so that it gracefully unravelled to reveal a sleeveless dress, simple and modest with little accents of the ruffles at all the right places to draw attention and leave much to the imagination. “It’s..the color of my eyes…” Finally she opened a smile.
“Who is it from?” Darren played, knowingly.
Essence was silent, glancing from Deidra to Aiden curiously. “This is too much..”
“No it’s not.” Aiden smiled, nodding towards Deidra. “A few of us chipped in and Deidra made it.”
Ess’ eyes widened, glittering with an intrigued sparkle. “You made this?”
“It wasn’t that hard..” Deidra shrugged, trying to play it off as not a big deal. “Aiden said you like pretty things. It was a joint effort...even if he did cover most of the cost.”
“Remember that bet we all had going? You know, on how long you’d last in training and such. I mean, even the Captain was in on it. Well the Captain won. But, so did I. So we split the pot.” Aiden snickered. “Think of this..as your share.”
Essence shivered, feeling slightly awkward, but gave in to Aiden’s reasoning by giving Deidra a long squeeze. “Thank you guys..” As she turned to give Aiden a hug as well, Stalker conveniently appeared between them, causing Aiden to twitch, sighing a bit frustrated at the wolf. Aiden’s brows narrowed, shooting a gaze over at Jake in a silent complaint.
“Aw, Stalker. There you are sweetie..” Ess cooed over the wolf, reaching over to run her fingers through his fur. She squatted down so that the wolf and her were at the same level. Well almost. Ess thought he was a bit taller than her like this. She laughed softly when he started licking her face in greeting, but only for a moment before Beo apparently grew jealous and shoved his brother aside in a sort of greeting as well and yet to block him from Ess.
“I was wondering when you were going to show up, Luckas.” Essence pushed through her chuckles, standing back on her feet. Turning to face him fully she quirked an eyebrow at him and what he was holding in his arms. There was something she caught in the man’s stare that shook her smile. “How are you?” She asked softly unsure of what was beneath the surface of his gaze.
Darren turned to see Luckas behind him and clapped. “Well now everyone just about, is here, huh? How do you do that….How did...eh...whatever you two are just weird.”
Ess just laughed, tossing an empty box at her son. “Weirdness runs in the family too.”
Darren playfully gawked, turning his back on Ess in fake resentment to her comment. “I can’t believe you would suggest such a thing about me.” Ess shook her head, reaching back towards her bottle to guzzle a quarter of the liquor before offering it to Luckas, a sweet and charming smile curling her lips. “Look! We got more fireworks too. You should set some off with me..”
“Not yet!” Darren yelled slightly, nodding towards the last gift on the table. “You have to open that one from Annie. And..where..did...Ugh..Beo. You knocked over a gift you big, bumbling fool.” Darren bent over to pick up a small package, which was unscathed, and placed it back on the table.
“Annie? I haven’t even met her…” Ess glanced over her shoulder, shifting to an awkward stance. “Why would she…” She whispered to herself in slight confusion.
Dastan was honestly taken by surprise at Deidra’s response and he flinched not really saying anything to the woman and simply shaking his head seeming quite amused, if not impressed. It was when he heard Irvin mumble something beside him that he seemed to snap out of his momentary stupor.
“Are women always confusing like this?” The kid questioned.
Dastan snorted a laugh, patting the kid’s shoulder. “Not all of them, no.” Dastan stated simply. “Besides, once you’ve lived a little, you’ll find that even confusing can be pretty simple, if you don’t worry too much about it. Know what I mean?”
“No, I really don’t.” Irvin mumbled, sounding really confused.
Dastan chuckled softly, pulling Irvin a couple of steps away from the bunch. “How old are you, boy? About sixteen?”
“Fifteen.” Irvin replied.
“Fifteen. Alright, Irvin, is it? When you talk to a girl don’t worry about the confusing stuff, don’t even worry about getting a ‘yes’ from her... You probably won’t. Just try to get a smile. If she smiles; even if she walks away, it means you’re allowed to talk to her again. Keep that in mind and it takes away a bit of the fear, a ‘no’ is not necessarily the end.”
“How do you get a smile, then?” Irvin asked, his tone making clear he didn’t think that really made things easier.
“For the first time you talk to a girl, you want to be simple. As an example: In a party, like this one... If a girl catches your eye, and you want to talk to her, it’s for a reason, yes? Walk up to her, say hi, give your name, and tell her the reason. If she smiles, if she gives her name when you give yours without you having to ask for it, if she blushes when you pay her a compliment, these are all good signs.” Dastan explained. “Look her in the eyes, and be respectful of her personal boundaries. If she wants you in her personal space she’ll let you know somehow.”
“Says the guy who just tackled a woman moments ago.” Irvin pointed out.
“I’m not interested in her that way, nor would she ever be interested in me, and if I had truly been inconvenient with her; believe me kid, I would have been stabbed in the gut. Actually I kind of was once, a little bit, a few years ago, so... Yeah, just don’t ever do that if you want to live.” Dastan chuckled.
“Noted.” Irvin snickered. “So, that means you’re going to talk to Dee again, then?”
Jake snorted, trying to contain his usual response to the sight of Luckas, not wanting to spoil the evening with hostilities; he couldn’t say he was surprised to see the guy there even if he had made no effort whatsoever to let him know of the party, after all, when had Luckas ever needed an invitation really? It still bothered him somewhat that he was there and no matter how well he masked that feeling, he could never really hide from one person.
“You didn’t invite Luckas, did you?” Crys whispered to him.
“No. Even if I wanted him here, which I never do, the only way I know to maybe reach him is through Ess... And that would kind of kill the surprise.”
“I saw him a few days ago, I could’ve told him, but I thought he already knew.” She scolded. “He visits Annie regularly; which is about three times as frequently as you, and she could have told him also.”
“Yes, well... You know what I think of that.” Jake muttered. “And I’m going to visit, alright? It’s just that I’m a lot further away than I have been the past couple of years. How do you even know how often he goes there?”
“If you can keep drinking in Newhaven, then Luckas can keep drinking in my bar, yes?” Crys replied simply. “And I know because I asked him instead of immediately punching him in the face, which is what you do.”
“So you’re friends with the psycho now too?”
“He’s given me no reason to dislike him, yet. So I’m neutral in regards to the psycho, Jacob. I am glad he’s here though... The party is for Ess after all, isn’t it?” She snickered, poking him in the ribs and stealing another cookie.
“Heey, that’s enough, those are for me.” He complained, with a chuckle. “My cookies.”
“Fine, your cookies.” Crys agreed, ruffling up his hair. “You big baby.”
Luckas was still a bit confused at what was happening exactly, not answering the question of how he was and silently drinking from the bottle Ess offered him, eyes inspecting his surroundings as if trying to decide on what questions to ask exactly. “Alright...” He mumbled. “So we are having a party, which I suppose explains why Tala is dressed all fancy, but why are we opening presents exactly?” He questioned, a hint of amusement in his voice as he looked over the box of fireworks. “I didn’t bring anything... Well... I did, but...” He pointed at one of the boxes. “This is for the kids, actually, and the other one is mine.” He dropped the packages on the table, starting to fiddle with the fireworks. “These look quite unsafe... Lovely.”
“Just great, give the psycho some unsafe explosives.” Jake noted sarcastically approaching the gifts and curiously glancing at Annie’s package. “Yeah, I invited Annie to come for the party, but she couldn’t leave her camp right now... So she sent a gift instead. And the little one is from me. Just something I wanted you to have.” He mumbled, scratching the back of his head, his attention drawn from the gifts when Kaya showed up dropping something at Crys’ feet that caused him to wince slightly.
Crys crouched down to retrieve the object, seeming quite intrigued. “What the... It’s a plush... Dog... Of some sort?” She mumbled.
“It’s a dragon, alright? Drakey is a dragon.” Jake protested, snatching the toy from Crys’ hands looking a bit upset for a moment.
“Sorry, I was taking a guess.” Crys mumbled, honestly not sure whether or not Jake was genuinely angry at her. “You have a bedtime buddy, Jake?”
“No... Yes... No... It’s... A long story, alright? Shut up!” He muttered as Luckas started to laugh quite loudly.
“Hey, I’m not judging you, Jakey Bear... Admittedly there are more embarrassing things a guy might keep under his pillow then a stuffed... uhm... Dragon...” Luckas snickered.
“Very funny, freak... My sister made him for me, and I... Kaya...” He mumbled, leaving his sentence unfinished and staring blankly for a moment as the wolf sniffed at the plushie excitedly rubbing up against it persistently.
“Crys... I think Jake broke your wolf.” Irvin played.
Jake shook his head slightly, kneeling down to the wolf’s level and scratching behind Kaya’s ears lovingly. “Here, girl, do you want to keep him? Hm?” He asked, setting Drake down on the ground. “Here, take it.”
Kaya took a moment to sniff Jake and lick his face before snatching the toy dragon and running off with it. Jake snickered, getting on his feet and shrugging. “Maybe that’ll keep her from stealing my boots now.”
“Drakey?” Dastan asked.
“Jess named him, alright?” Jake snorted. “Drake was a big black dragon from this story my mom used to tell, but... Jess could never remember the story exactly, she’d change it every time she told it.... So I can’t quite remember it anymore either.”
“That’s interesting.... Another dragon story...” Ali pointed out casually.
As the Sun started to lower in the sky everyone started to prepare for when Ess and Irvin would return from Newhaven. There was a small discussion on whether they would make the camp dark for this or not. Jake wasn’t personally sure whether that would be the smartest thing, he didn’t want Ess to think something bad had happened or something, but eventually it was agreed that they would risk it. She wouldn’t be wondering what was happening for too long. It was at this point that Dastan gave the idea for the fireworks, the Crimson made it so they could set them all off by lighting one single wick. Jake wasn’t too confident, and Ali even less, but it was done. Once everything was set up all there was left to do was wait. People crouched in the dark, hiding behind trees, and the only sounds were of the wolves moving around and occasional whispers from the children. The wolves were the first to arrive, immediately met by the rest of the pack, and then suddenly a voice sounded in Jake’s ear. “Ten seconds.” It was Irvin.
Jake startled a bit as he didn’t hear the kid sneak up on him and it was dead silent, but he managed to not raise his voice at Irvin. “Bloody hell, kid!” He whispered at Irvin, a bit amused though at the fact he had probably just randomly disappeared on Ess without warning. If Jake had counted from Irvin’s warning he would have counted exactly ten seconds before all the wolves shattered the silence of the encampment, the howls sounding on their own for a few long moments before all the people jumped out of hiding with one big shout of “SURPRISE!”, the fireworks lit mere seconds later, shooting off into the sky and exploding in small bursts of sparkles. All except for one, a larger one, that simply exploded on the ground sending some of the nearby people running off to take cover, laughing as two of the mercenaries struggled to contain a few small explosions still coming from the failed device.
Essence didn’t notice Irvin was gone at first, not until she heard the wolves howl in unison which caused her to retrieve her dagger and left to wonder if it was an alarm or something else. “Irv…?” The moment she whispered the kids name, numerous figures leapt out from hiding, shouting in unison, together as one, “SURPRISE!” Ess looked like she was about to kill someone and yet at the same time was too startled by the explosions that followed that she actually screamed and ducked as if she were under attack. Hearing laughter as the bright explosions continued, she opened one eye and glanced upwards curiously. Her eyes widened in pure awe at how the stars seemed to come to life and fall towards the land only to fade away. Ess screamed a bit more as another explosion went off but never left the ground. Once she saw the men struggling to contain more of the colorful delights, she couldn’t help but laugh too. Each of the fireworks, as they went off, lit up the darkness around her so that she noticed one by one, all the familiar faces of her friends and of the Guard. When the fireworks got a bit less consistent, lanterns and torches were lit to reveal every square foot of the camp decorated in colorful flags.
If it wasn’t for the noisy display in the sky to distract Ess from herself, she would have already tried to sneak away. The uneasy and awkward feeling eventually caught up to her, released with a shaky laugh. Half smiling, she placed her sword and dagger in their resting places at her hips and tried to scowl when she saw Irvin. “Scared the living….Tears of the Twins...Ooh I’m going to get you kid...just you wait…” She turned her gaze to eye Jake in a fake sternness. “This is your fault I know it.”
In the short time before the torches started being lit Jake had tried his best to put on a straight face, or at least to stop laughing as much, but that was a difficult thing to do when he could clearly hear Dastan’s men still cursing at the fallen firework that somehow just kept on constantly going off with no signs of completely stopping. Jake was still fighting through a bit of laughter as he finally spoke up. “Happy birthday, sis! Heh... Well, I don’t know if you can tell that the fireworks were a last minute addition, but yeah...” He snickered, glancing at the mercenaries trying to solve the problem, his tone a bit more calm as he walked towards Ess and gave a light shrug. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, but uh... We all took a vote and I was severely outnumbered.” Jake stated, trying to sound innocent, but failing miserably. “I promise you can sneak away in a bit if you want, but you know... Crys brought a lot of booze and if she drinks everything she’s going to start singing and....” Jake was cut off as he was forced to dodge a flying apple aimed perfectly at his head, but continued as if there had been no interruption. “... And you don’t want to miss that.”
“That’s not going to happen, Jacob.” Crys stated simply, not sounding too amused by the provocation. “Not again at least.” She added in an annoyed mumble, as she helped a couple of the Crimson Shadows sort through a few of the boxes she had brought, the mercenaries seeming quite impatient to start with the drinking. A few other mercenaries had brought drums of different shapes and sizes and a couple of them had flutes and violins as well. Random bits and pieces of music escaping amongst the sound of their chatter. Improvised tables were being set up with food and pitchers of water, and a small pile of presents had formed itself at some point, sitting beside the pile of packages there was a wooden crate painted in red letters that warned of its contents being explosive and to keep away from fire.
Ess crossed her arms, chuckling at Jake and Crys’ exchange. Glancing around she slowly took in her surrounding, noticing and quietly appreciating all the work everyone had put in to throw such a party. “Food...booze...fire...I guess you know me pretty well Jacob.” She snorted in amusement, her eyes widening as Beo and Sora came galloping towards her, both had one of the kids saddled onto their backs. “Oh that is low Jake! Bribing me with cuteness?!”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS ESS!” Both Lily and Clayton yelled as the wolves came to a hault.
“...Aren’t we forgetting something, kids?” A woman hinted from behind Ess. It was Jess, one of the women who had taken up bunking with the Captain and the kids, only just recently in the past six months, giving birth to a baby boy. She was cradling the baby in her arms, trying to block out the noise from the fireworks but he didn’t seem to mind it one bit, his brown eyes fixated upon the sky.
“Oh, right. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR JAKE!” The children chimed in and as they mumbled something else Ess couldn’t understand, the wolves decided they were going to visit the food table and began leading the kids, who were still on their back, towards the goodies.
“Uh..maybe you guys should have made those tables a bit higher…” Essence joked, pointing at Ward who already was sniffing dangerously close to the food. Ess approached Jake and smiled. “Guess the party is kind of like for everyone, in a way, huh? I think I may just stick around for a bit..” Wrapping her arms gently around Jake she stood on her tippy toes to hug him, not noticing that she was shaking until that moment as she whispered to him sweetly. “Happy Birthday Brother. You’re lucky you’re loved..”
Pulling away she spotted a bottle Crys was holding and she perked up. “Oh, wait! I call that bottle. It’s mine. It’s my favorite..please..” She mumbled dashing forward to half hug Crys and steal the bottle. “I’m glad you came. Those aren’t for me, are they?” Ess pointed at the present pile and a box of explosives, her eyebrows in a fake look of disagreement.
Jake gave Ess a firm hug, not hesitating to whisper back at her. “Well, so are you, sis.” The moment Ess let go of him however a group of five or six Crimson Shadows collided with him, shouting “HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. JAKE!”, lifting him up and carrying him for a fairly good distance before he manage to set himself free. “Knock it off!” He muttered at the men as they dropped him on his ass and wandered off laughing. Jake seemed a bit annoyed for a moment, but at the same time he was also laughing, as if it was just impossible not to do so. As he got on his feet he shouted out to Ali. “See, I told you about the tables.”
“Well, I did the best I could. I didn’t have days to plan, like some people.” She retorted, giving him a fake look of annoyance. “Be happy they haven’t fallen apart yet.”
“I think ‘yet’ seems to be the key word here.” Jake laughed, eyeing the wolves with suspicion, but shrugging it off. Not like that would actually ruin anything.
Crys heard Ess’ call just in time to pull the bottle she was holding out of the reach of one of Dastan’s guys. Not like that was the only one, but she still slapped the guy’s hand away from it all the same, laughing as the mercenary responded by whining at her like a puppy. “Just open the other boxes, I’m not going to be waiting on you people all night.” She stated in the best severe tone she could manage, turning away from the mercenaries as they started to finally pass bottles around to the rest of the group and not just amongst themselves, releasing the bottle of liquor to Ess with a cheery smile. “Well, I had to help Jakey, you can’t let boys plan a party.” She joked, casually taking a bottle from a nearby mercenary for herself. “You mean the presents? Yeah, they are. To be fair though, that part wasn’t exactly Jake’s idea, people just decided for themselves to bring them. Dastan brought you the big box of fireworks, it’s the first sort of successful batch the Crimson have managed in a few years. They’re very excited about them as you might have noticed.” She snickered. “I hear they’re quite impressive, even if a bit unstable at times.”
“Hey, wait, wait....” Ali came running, nearly tripping over herself as she halted beside Ess. “You can’t touch the presents until you open mine.” She stated.
“Where is it, Ali?” Crys asked, in a tone of utter amusement.
“Uhm... Wait, I left it in Jake’s camp... I’ll go get it... Don’t go anywhere!”
Crys snorted a laugh as Ali ran off in a hurry to where she had left her gift. “She seems really happy with it, that’s a good sign.” She pointed out, opening her bottle of liquor and taking a sip. “It’s nice to have nearly all friends in one place for once. Don’t think that’s happened since Blackpond, and that was bit of a... I don’t know what that was, really.”
Not even a minute had passed and Ali was back, a bit short on breath, but not seeming to mind it too much as she silently handed Ess the wrapped bow. Taking a long deep breath she finally managed to blurt out a “Happy birthday.”
Darren had been trying to cross the crowd since they all jumped out and gave Ess practically a heart attack. Between the malfunctioning fireworks to the rush on alcohol, he managed to catch the apple meant for Jake’s head, quietly munching on it and trying not to choke on his food simply absorbing the festivities around him. As Ali handed Ess the bow he poked his head between Crys and Ess, smiling brightly and swallowing his apple bit before speaking, “I see Crys brought the apples. Lovely to see you as always.” He bit into the apple with a crisp crunch, using Ess’ forehead to raise his hat above his eyes. “Hi ..Mother…” He dragged out, kissing her forehead. “Happy Birthday.”
“Darren!” Ess beamed, wrapping her free hand around his goatee and giving a slight tug. “Thank you…..where have you been?”
“Ow..” Darren played, pulling himself free from his mother’s grasp. “Oh, you know me...keeping Uncle Jakey on his toes..” He glanced over his shoulder as if half expecting the man behind him.
Ess looked at Ali, a genuine smile painting her lips but yet she was nervous by the simple gesture. “I missed you girl. I’m so happy you’re here! Is this…” She inhaled quickly, her eyes glowing slightly in excitement. “I was afraid to ask about it...thought maybe if I did I wouldn’t get it.” Essence smiled, slowly unwrapping the paper as if to drag out the moment of anticipation. Apparently it was too much for Darren.
“You are going to throw away the paper anyways...just tear it open already!” Darren complained with an adorable pout peeking out from beneath his favored hat. Without looking Ess swung her hand as if to smack Darren across the mouth but he easily dodged the ‘attack’. Ess froze when she saw just the tip of the bow, her fingers skimming over the belly of the bow as the paper fell to the ground. It was smooth, a similar feeling to a polished stone from the river with no rough edges. The yew was a dark honey and above each nock, a scaled down carving of an Oak tree accented the weapon, stained in golden dye or paint of sorts that caught a soft shimmer from the candlelight. It was what stood out the most and as her eyes grazed down the limb she smiled at the vine carving that was extremely detailed. Every aspect of the weapon screamed patience and sweat put into the creation. Ess finally tore her gaze away from the bow and looked up at Ali, a childlike awe flashing in her violet eyes. “You...made it like yours…” She breathed, her finger lightly tapping a notch like part of the grip. “For the arrow…” Ess held the bow in one and, the other still holding the bottle of liquor as she leaped at the girl in excitement and hugged her with a bit more force than she intended. “It’s PERFECT! I love it!! Thaaank you!”
Darren chuckled, removing his hat to itch the back of his head. “You sure you can string that thing now?”
“Hush! Ali taught me how.” Ess snickered, releasing the girl and turning towards Darren.
“I have a gift for you too...but eh..” Darren dipped his head down to fit his loose strands of hair into the hat before flipping his head back and tugging down the hat behind his ears. “It’s not ready yet...may not be for some time..”
“Oooh. Is it shiny?” Ess asked curiously, her attention suddenly drawn to the sky as another firework went off. She wondered how many of those were to randomly go off during the night and thought about moving her box of explosives somewhere..safer. “Speaking of ambiance...where is Dastan…” Ess mumbled half to herself moving to relocate the bow with her towards the table of gifts. Immediately she found the biggest explosive she could and quietly examined it taking the cap off the bottle of liquor finally.
Ali laughed, stumbling a bit at Ess’ hug but managing to keep her balance. “I’m glad you liked it. I really took a ridiculous amount of time to finish it, but I think it’s my best work yet.” She stated proudly. “Oh, I also got some arrows for you, have to remember to get them later. Twenty should be enough to get you started, right?” She asked, a playful smirk crossing her features. Ali’s eyes skimmed the pile of presents and smiled curiously as Ess inspected the explosives. Two seconds hadn’t passed since Ess had wondered about Dastan and the man just came out of nowhere and jumped Ali. “Am I late for the group hug again?” He asked playfully, laughing as he was forced to let go of Ali once she elbowed him hard on the ribs. “You need to stop doing that to people!” She scolded.
“Friends aren’t people!” Dastan protested in a fake childish tone. “Deal with it!” He added sticking out his tongue at Ali before turning to Ess with a charming smile. “And you, little lady... You... Have something I want.”
Jake had somewhat entertained with the kids and the wolves, patiently listening to Lily’s arguments as to why they should be allowed to stay up at the party all night like everyone else and when he was finding it difficult to reason against the girl’s pleas he said it was up to Jess to decide, which earned him a severe glare from the woman. Just the other day she had given him a bit of a scolding for not showing the kids any discipline and letting them have their way, especially Lily. Jake smiled a bit apologetically at the woman as he began to sneak away towards the others, noticing that Ess was already in possession of the bow Ali had made and he wanted to take a closer look at it. Making his way to the little group that had formed itself near the pile of presents, Jake reached it just in time to hear Dastan’s words, raising an eyebrow at the mercenary as he casually put one arm around Crys, stealing her liquor bottle for one sip and handing it back to her. “And what, if I may ask, could you possibly want from my sister?”
“Are you sure you want to hear my answer to that, mate?” Dastan questioned, seeming quite amused, at least as far he was showing.
“Are you sure you want to answer? I’m sure you remember the last conversation we had on the subject of sisters.” Jake retorted, not quite waiting on an answer from Dastan and turning to Ali with a smile. “Can I look at it now?”
“Yes, but look with your eyes, yes?” She answered, shooting him a rather severe glare for a moment.
“Oh, fine... You know... It’s been at least six years since I broke that bow... You’re never going to get over it, are you?”
“I’m over it, I’m just not going to let you put your hands on anything that took me months to create. I mean, look at it, it’s so pretty.”
Dastan chuckled. “Don’t feel bad, mate. Not everyone is good at caring for pretty things.”
“Dastan...” Crys mumbled in a tone of warning.
“What, I’m just playing. He did wonder how well I remember our conversation, I think that’s a valid answer, isn’t it?”
“And you...little lady...You have something I want.”
Essence quirked a brow, turning to meet Dastan’s smile. She tried to stare at him with a straight face, attempting to act annoyed but found that his smile was contagious. It didn’t help with Jake’s little entrance, adding to the ever growing circle Ess noticed before her. Giggling a bit at his comment, she began playing with a few loose curls that were gradually falling out of her braid. “..I bet I do…” Essence smiled, winking at Dastan coyly. Clinging onto her bottle knowingly she nodded. “I have a few things you want…” She poked Jake’s side, her tone matter of fact yet her expression was amused. “Oh Jake...I still have his cloak. What’s wrong with a woman having possession of a man’s cloak?” Ess glanced at Crys and smirked. “...And I owe him a drink..I’ll go get your stuff in a minute, hun, but first…” Ess paused to take her first swig of liquor passing the bottle towards Dastan to share. “..Share my first drink of the night with me...even if it’s not yours..” She played. When he handed it back to her she teasingly pulled the bow out of arm’s reach from Jake and started towards her camp. “Be right back.”
Essence returned a few moments later with Tala by her side. The wolf had not been with her offspring for the surprise, which was odd but when Ess had arrived to her campsite she was amazed to find Tala waiting patiently for her, surrounded by six or seven rabbit carcasses. All were untouched, except for where she had broken their necks. Ess had been hoping she would unload a few things for safe keeping at her tent but found she had her arms full for the walk back. She had all the rabbits tied to a rope and slung over her shoulder, the bottle of booze Crys had passed to her/stolen, and one large odd shaped package. Casually she greeted Aiden who approached when she returned to the small group and offered Dastan the package. Inside was his cloak he had loaned her from the Ball, clean, free from any of Ebony’s blood (which she had spent days being so uptight about her fingers were raw for a week) and any tears or patches that may or may not have been there, there was practically no trace of wear. “I took it upon myself to clean this and fix the tear and such. And the drink I owe you...there...is a bottle from the year I was born: 2526. I was surprised to find it actually. A very good year, might I say.” Unexpectedly Ess approached Dastan wrapping one arm around his neck with a firm squeeze. She was taken back a bit with how normal and good this was starting to feel, but Ess was still shaking some. For a moment she felt warm...safe. And it wasn’t just because she was a tiny woman hugging a quite noticeably taller man. “Thank you for the fireworks. Fire. You were paying attention.”
Ess stepped away and handed Tala’s kill over to one of the guard who went towards the fire they were building to being the ritual of preparing the rabbits. “Tala brought us food it seem..I am beginning to think..she thinks she has to feed the entire Nest.”
Darren smiled, playfully jabbing at Aiden’s arm as he walked by in a friendly and yet challenging manner. Aiden laughed. “You already want a rematch, huh kid?”
“I was going easy on you, Old Man..” Darren teased. “I still say you didn’t win arm wrestling..”
Ess glanced over at Aiden and her son, a questioning glow sneaking from her smile. Her thoughts weren’t on the conversation between her friend and her kid, but thinking everyone just about was indeed together. Which was nice for a change. Still, there was something missing.
Darren turned to start poking at the box of explosives on the table, casually stirring up conversation with Dastan on which components he favored and why, to create the glittery displays raining down still here and there, over their heads.
Ess hopped over to her table of presents and began picking them up one by one and lightly shaking the boxes. One was particularly heavier than she expected, which was apparently the tie breaker for what she was going to open next. “Darren..turn around….can you see the packages I left over there? Will you please retrieve them for me?”
Darren kept talking as he nodded and obeyed, retrieving said packages and placing them on the table beside the other gifts. “Jakey. Those are for you.” Essence smiled, still staring at the box before her.
What’s wrong with a woman having possession of a man’s cloak?
Jake snorted, but kept silent at Ess’ words as if he had a response but knew exactly what would happen if he spoke up, instead he quietly stole another sip off of Crys’ bottle.
“You know, if you wanted to see me drunk, this is not the way to do it.” She complained, snatching the bottle out of his hands. “Go get your own.”
“Aaw.” Jake whined. “I don’t wanna. The booze is all the way over there.”
“I’ll go get it.” Ali offered. “You guys are being too adorable for my liking right now. I kind of miss it when you were shouting at each other all the time.” She teased, wandering off to where the bottles of liquor were being kept.
“Yeah, well, it’s still early... I’m sure I’ll piss her off sooner or later.” Jake replied with a chuckle watching as Ali calmly dodged a few of the Crimson trying to dance away with her as she walked past them. The group of mercenaries with the instruments seemed to have organized somewhat and music was now flowing freely from the ‘band’ creating a carefree and joyful atmosphere in the encampment. Everyone seemed happy and relaxed like they hadn’t been in a long time.
“Jakey... Hello..” Crys snicker, poking him with her elbow. “Are you listening?”
“Hm?” Jake mumbled, averting his eyes from the rest of the party and turning his attention back to the group. “I’m sorry, did I miss something important?”
“A little bit, yeah. Ess got you gifts.” Crys replied, staring at him curiously. “What were you thinking there?”
“Oooh, gifts!” Jake exclaimed excitedly, immediately spotting the packages that weren’t there just a moment ago. “I... Uhm... Nothing in particular. Just enjoying the moment.” He stated simply, giving Crys a light squeeze before stepping away from her and inspecting the packages, opening the smallest one first and smiling as he spotted a small cluster of familiar black raven feathers tied together with a few silver and golden beads in a simple ornament. It had become somewhat customary amongst the Ravens to wear the black feathers in one manner or another, but it wasn’t something that had really occurred to Jake until just then. He just examined the gift silently until Crys took it out of his hands in a curious excitement. “Come on, what is it?” She asked.
“Hey, hey, careful with the feathers.” Jake complained.
“Well, don’t worry I know how to handle pretty things.” She teased. “Aw, it’s lovely. And you could wear it on your hair, like in a little braid.”
Jake laughed, shaking his head at the provocation. “I was thinking more like in the hilt of my sword, Crys... You know, it’s my favorite weapon; even if I rarely use it... And my hair is not long enough to braid.” He protested.
“Pffft... Sure it is.” Crys replied, returning the gift to him and playfully tugging on a strand of his hair. “I could totally braid it.”
“It’s not too long.” Jake protested, rolling his eyes. “It’s how I like it, okay? Ess agrees with me.”
“Is that so?” She asked calmly. “Okay then.”
“It’s not okay, is it?” Jake sighed.
“No, it isn’t.” She confirmed.
Jake snorted, noting that he wasn’t carrying his sword with him, and carefully attaching the feathers to his belt for the time being. “I like my hair longer.” He muttered.
“You could at least shave.” She insisted, letting her fingers graze the scratchy stubble that had formed itself on his face during the past couple of weeks. “Your face is starting to feel like a porcupine.” She added playfully.
“Well, I’m pretty sure porcupines don’t even have spikes on their faces, Crys.” Jake retorted, picking another one of the packages only to have it yanked out of his hands.
“You should open this one last.” Crys told him. “And fine, so your face feels like a porcupine’s ass. Is that more accurate of a comparison?”
“Why, yes, yes it is. Why can’t I open that now?” He asked curiously.
“Trust me, you want to open this one last.” She repeated with a smirk.
“Fiinee...” Jake chuckled, picking up the other package and starting to work his way through the wrapping, his eyes lighting up as he saw the pair of shiny new boots. “Niiice!” He exclaimed, inspecting the shoes further and mumbling. “Poisoned blades... Yeah...” a devious smile crossing his expression as he noticed the little red vials hidden within and the mechanism for a blade. “I’m going to have some fun with these.” he declared. “Definitely fun.” Putting the vials away in his pocket, Jake carefully placed the boots on the table and took the last package from Crys. “Can I?” He asked her playfully, not waiting for her to give him an answer and tearing at the package. Jake froze for a moment, the smell of cinnamon reaching him before he was even through unwrapping the plate of cookies, the look in his eyes momentarily distant before lighting up with joy as he immediately grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth. “They’re perfect.” He stated.
“I’m not cheating, I’m saying you didn’t win.” Ali exclaimed, returning to the group followed closely by Irvin, seeming quite amused at the boy.
“I guessed it right!” He protested.
“The Ruins is not an acceptable answer, kid. Not to mention they weren’t ruins when I was born. I was born in a village. Not ruins.”
“You asked where, and not when!” Irvin exclaimed. “That’s not fair.”
“Alright, but still... The Ruins, by itself, as an answer is unacceptable. It’s a large territory.”
“And again that’s not fair. No one remembers the name of all the villages.”
Ali frowned, as if that particular fact had never really occurred to her, not quite answering Irvin and simply mumbling something under her breath.
Irv flinched seeing that he seemed to have upset her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” He mumbled.
Ali sighed, shaking her head and handing Jake his drink. “It’s alright. Don’t worry about it.”
“Still say I win.” The boy mumbled.
While listening to Jake and Crys banter on about Jake’s hair, Ess’ smile faded for a second, staring idly at the box still between her hands as she was reminded of the same argument Jake would have with his sister. It looked like she wasn’t even paying attention to what was going on around her, until Jake finished opening his last gift of cookies. Without blinking she shyly commented on her gifts to her brother. “You are the only one in camp without the feathers...so we all agreed it was long overdue. Then I thought the boots would be practical, so I’m glad you like them both. The cookies...Jessica gave me her recipe a long time ago and even though I didn’t have the real means to bake them here..I had a part in it..” Essence sighed, glancing over as Ali and Irv approached the circle. There was a moment of silence and Ess moved to rest a hand on Ali’s shoulder. “I remember...a few…” Ess began, catching Lily out of the corner of her eye as she crawled from out between two tables.
“Tell the story again, Miss Ess.” Lily smiled up at her, reaching for her hand to give a small squeeze.
Darren perked up at the girl’s words and turned from Dastan to focus on the group, glancing from one person to the next. “What story?”
Twenty Six Years ago...Whirlwind..
“Da?” Ess whined, rubbing at her sleepy eyes and dragging her sheep’s blanket behind her. “Da...” She continued, not finding her father in his room but in the living area before the fireplace.
“Essy...it’s late...what’s wrong Sweetness?” Dirk whispered, putting down his pen, kind blue eyes looking over the tiny four year old with concern. “Did you have another bad dream?”
Ess answered only by squirming her way onto her father’s lap and covering both him and herself with her blanket. “I dunno..” She muttered, bouncing her feet that hung off of Dirks knees. “I didn’t know where you were..”
“Aww, sweetie..I’m always Here.”
“What you doing?” Ess asked, staring down at the table where Dirk had left his pen beside a small leather book, torn pages sticking out from beneath the journal.
“Writing stories, Essy.” Her father smiled leaning in and kissing the top of her head.
“What kind of stories? Are you going to read to me?” Ess’ eyes widened in interest as she looked up at her father.
“Maybe when you’re older Essy. Some of them are scary.” Dirk half played, suddenly hugging his daughter tight and pretending to shiver in fright.
Ess giggled, tiny dimples appearing at her cheeks. “Don’t worry Da...I’ll keep the monsters away..” She stated proudly and wrapped her arms around her father’s neck. “I won’t be scared, promise.”
“My brave little girl, so sweet that she would put herself first for her old man.” Dirk winked, absently tugging on Ess’ curls and running his fingers through her hair to loosen a few snarls. “It’s ok to be scared though, Ess. You being brave just shows that there is something more important out there than your fear. But it’s late and you’ll have nightmares, so how about I tell you a story about your Mother, hmm?”
Ess started to protest, glancing down at the journal as she began chewing on her bottom lip.
“Ok, Da...you tell me scary stuff when sun is out..and...” She sighed, snuggling up as close as humanly possible to her father, closing her eyes to listen. “I want to hear about mommy being little...” Ess commanded with a tired nod.
Dirk chuckled at his daughter, leaning back with her close against his chest. “Yes, M’am..”
“Let’s see.....when I was around your brother’s age, I first visited this town with my father. Your mother was born here in Whirlwind but I was born...”
Ess chimed in, “Oakstone!”
Dirk chuckled, patting the girl on the back. “Yes, very good Essy. My father was what we call a peddler but he wasn’t any ordinary tradesman because he acquired rare items for people besides the normal everyday stuff we need to live.”
“Like food and fur, but what are rare items?”
Dirk nodded. “Don’t forget the little wooden figurines my mother would carve.”
“Like the dragon!! But if grandma had never seen one, how did she know what a dragon looks like?”
“Now you are distracting me, Sweetness..patience. Daddy will get to that...”
Ess pulled the blanket up to her neck and closed her eyes as Dirk backtracked a bit. “I was not sure what was meant by ‘Rare items’ as they were always kept a secret from me because my Da said it was dangerous to speak outloud of such beauties. If everyone knew about them then everyone would want them and when that happens people fight and destroy those beauties.”
“Why?...If they break them and make them go away, then no one can have em’.”
Dirk leaned in and kissed the top of his daughter’s head. “You are very right. How did u get so smart?”
Ess peeked through slit eyelids and gave a tired smile and shrugged. “Ok, Da. Was this where you met Mommy? How old was she?”
“Oh, right right...Yes, this was when I met your mother. She had to have been a few years younger, so maybe around ten. I didn’t know it then, but your mom had a very special gift and it had just started to show itself. See, my Da set up shop for the day by the Cherry Blossom trees where your mom was playing in the fallen petals.”
Dirk took a slow breath, closing his eyes a moment as if to get a clearer picture, his smile fading as he fought to remain upbeat. “Symphony was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.” He opened his eyes again and nodded. “That is saying a lot too because my Da and I had been all over Valcrest. She was dressed in white, small pink blossoms embroidered along the sleeves of her gown, the folds of material flowing in the summer breeze. Her hair wasn’t as long as it was when she had you, but it was past her shoulders; straight, dark red hair. Your mom was singing as she danced beneath the blossoms and it looked as if they moved to her voice. It seemed like she was controlling them with her song.”
“Was she?” Essence opened her eyes to look up at her father.
“No, Sweetness. As I got closer I found that I couldn’t take my eyes off of her...and now that I think on it, I can’t remember the words of her song.” Dirk fell silent, quirking a brow as he thought, his handsome smile returning. “It could have to do with what I found out years later from your mother. Symphony believed that everything happens for a reason. Some things are within our control and some are not, but we always have a choice..even if the choice is one we don’t like to think about.”
Ess sighed, shaking her head in a bit of confusion. “Da..I don’t get it..”
“ What I mean Essy, is in my case, I had caught her eye one of the times I visited town but I had never seen her before this day. She chose to invite me into her life, even if in the most not obvious way. Her song was about me..so she said and it..brought me to her.”
Essence’s brows furrowed, a somewhat cranky look in her eye. “You saying, mommy’s song made you love her?”
Dirk chuckled, reaching down to lift his daughter’s chin to look directly into her eyes. “Your mother, only made me notice her. No one made me love her because that isn’t something that can be forced. It just...happens. We can’t control it but...we can control what we do with it.”
“..I still don’t get it..” Ess pouted, causing her father to laugh louder.
“You will..but there you go distracting me again..where was I..?”
“You just met Mommy...”
“Right, right. Your Grandpa, my father had been watching me with your Mother and tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention and passed over to me discreetly a couple small Iris flowers...the color of her eyes...of your eyes, Essy. She allowed me to place them in her hair and that was the moment I really first saw her eyes. It wasn’t just the color, but the way they flashed brightly when she laughed. It brought out an intricate pattern...I mean you know with lots of lines and zig zags...like the veins of that Birch Tree you watched me cut down yesterday.”
Ess nodded, once again closing her eyes as if she were trying to picture her Mom in her head. She listened for some time as she stayed quiet and her Father went off on the fine lines of her smile and the kindness in her touch when he held her hand. It was soothing to listen to the description, making it almost as if her Mother was there with them in that moment.
“Da..You miss Mommy a lot...” She whispered sleepily.
“Yes, Baby girl, I do..She was...the strongest woman I have ever known.” He answered, an obvious tone of sadness in his voice.
“So, what happened next? When did you move to Whirlwind?”
“Aren’t you getting tired yet?” Dirk poked his daughter in the side playfully.
“No..” Ess giggled through a yawn.
“Well..just as my Father was closing up shop and packing away the wagon, a stranger came riding on his horse. He was dressed in black and was carrying a curious package under his arm that he was looking to trade with my Father. Your Mother and I watched as the man revealed a large rock like object, rough to the touch but sparkled as if covered in gems and sapphires. My Da’s eyes lit up instantly, weighing the object in his hands, clearly stressing some under the heaviness before placing upon a table. Without a word he went into the wagon and retrieved what I saw as a dagger. It didn’t seem special but the stranger looked quite excited to trade his object for the dagger. After he left I asked my Da what he had traded the dagger for and he said..it was a Dragon egg.”
“Really? Did it hatch? Was there anything in it? How heavy was it?!” Ess sat up, spewing forth an array of questions.
Dirk leaned in close as if he was about to tell a secret, exaggerating his smile as he continued. “Well...I never found that out. See, I didn’t really believe it was a real Dragon egg, but not that whatever it was, wasn’t valuable. Yet, your Mother looked scared.. She said, ‘Get rid of it..Dragon eggs only bring death..’” Dirk whispered, clutching Ess tight as if he were afraid, but Essence’s eyes widened, jaw dropping in awe.
“So, I tried to get my Father to listen to her but naturally why would he indulge someone’s fears based on stories alone and no real facts. We can’t go by Myth alone..”
“What about the Twins? They are Myth..” Ess objected.
Dirk nodded. “Yes, Baby girl but they are also a guide. I want you to learn from life and make your own decisions and not just fear something because someone tells you to..”
“But, was it really a Dragon egg? Why haven’t I seen it?”
“..That night, after we had returned to our home, my Mother and Father and I were sitting down to dinner when the screams began. Outside, the town was burning in bright flames that seemed to spread from nowhere.”
“Was it a dragon?! Did it come for the egg?”
“That’s what I thought, Essy. My Father and I never saw what was causing the fires but we didn’t stay to find out. We escaped, leaving the egg in fear of taking it with us. My Ma swore the fires came from the sky and she kept telling my Da over and over she saw large shadows that resembled a winged creature but my Da would never admit to believing it.”
“That’s when Grandma made the wooden dragon.” Ess added, Dirk confirming with a nod. “Why did you leave? Why not build a new house?”
Dirk hesitated, finally stretching back and propping his feet upon the table and snuggled Ess closer. “We were all afraid. Many people died Ess and there were rumors. Rumors of what had happened to the town and who had caused the fires. The few who survived, after that, slowly disappeared. Or so I heard.”
Ess’ eyes widened again. “Did someone kill them? Steal them?”
“I don’t know, Sweetness. But that’s why we went to Whirlwind and made it our home. Wasn’t so bad because then I got to be with your Ma all the time.” Dirk sighed, “But now, little Miss, it is off to bed before all this talk of dragons gives you nightmares.” He stated, rising to his feet with his daughter in his arms, carrying her to her bed with little to no effort. Moving to leave after tucking her in and giving her a goodnight kiss, Ess cried out to her father.
“Da..can you stay in my room?” Essence asked sweetly, somewhat half asleep. “I miss you already...”
Dirk was silent in the darkness, an adoring smile crossing over an amused expression. “If that is what you want, Essy. I’m going to get a blanket, ok?” He shuffled out and back in the room in seconds, only taking the time to put away the book and torn pages first. He settled beside her bed, in an upright position upon the floor.
“I like it better when you’re here...” Essence mumbled almost incoherently.
Dirk rested his head next to her hand and watched her for a bit before falling asleep to the sound of Ess’ soft snores. “I will never leave you..
When Essence had finished, she had the biggest grin on her face, thinking that she had told more of the story this time than she had to the kids in the past. Both Lily and Darren spoke at the same time once Ess was silent. “Was it a dragon’s egg?”
Ess laughed. “I do not know. Could have been a metaphor.” Casually she wiped a stray tear aside, moving back to the distraction of her Gifts. “Darren, don’t forget to give Uncle Jakey your gift…” She snickered, her smile fading to a look of awe, once again surprised at what she found. Inside the box two silver chains were coiled, each double her arm length with a couple of her silver daggers nestled at the ends. Aiden approached from behind her and smiled. “I’m going to have to show you how to use those...probably best we practice without your daggers. There’s also a release...here...when enough tension is exerted, the daggers will release from the chain after it meets its target.”
Ess was so excited she didn’t wait to open her other gifts and began tearing the boxes and paper to shreds until almost every gift was open. Some of the guard had pooled their coin into a new punching bag, making snide remarks on how she would probably need one every few months at the rate she was going. In addition they had given her a new set of bone needles and a fresh assortment of dyes for her new found hobby. Deidra had appeared besides Dastan, taking a drink from a bottle she was given by some random mercenary. “I was thinking..maybe you could tattoo that idea I had of the feathers along my temple to ear..”
Aiden nodded along with Deidra’s words. “Also..we have something in the works...for the wolves. Since they are still growing we haven’t started on it yet, but we thought they deserve some sort of armor of their own, no?”
“That’s not true Aiden.” Deidra pipped in. “You had one made for Tala. A prototype of sorts.”
Darren smirked, poking Ali in the side and pointing over by the large fire that was behind the tables. “Look..”
“Puppy needs one too!” Lily whined slightly. Jess shushing the girl quietly and giggling as Beo came over to sniff her baby boy, the child giggling and reaching out towards the wolf.
Tala was sitting quietly, panting by the fire, her form endowed similar to what a Black Knight’s armor would entail. With a few modifications of course. Her tail, legs, ears and snout were free from the thin plating, while along her back, sides and underbelly several layered sheets protected flesh and fur. She even had a tiny helmet of sorts.
“No way…” Essence whispered. “Can she move in all that? Isn’t that heavy?”
Aiden nodded. “Tala..come..” He smiled as Tala stood and meandered her way through the circle to sit proudly in the center. “It is a bit heavier than we’d like, but we are working on it. As you can see, she can move pretty easily. The layers are molded to how she moves and bends.”
Lily was being held by the hand by Jess to give the adults some room, but she pulled away towards Tala and clipped something small and black to the wolf. Three, long, black feathers.
“We made some for all of them. And Puppy!”
Aiden cleared his throat and nudged Ess’ arm, motioning towards the table. “There’s still a few more gifts with your name on them over there.”
“I think it was.” Jake stated casually, taking a drink from the bottle Ali had brought him. “A dragon egg.”
“Sure you do.” Crys nodded. “Can I have one of those cookies?”
“Well, they existed!” Jake retorted, hesitating for a moment before letting Crys take one of the cookies. “I mean really, we’ve seen plenty, just between us here, are dragons that fantastical that they couldn’t have been real?”
“I guess not, but I don’t know.”She replied. “In the context, I believe it’s more likely the dragon egg stands for something else. It’s just the impression I get, but if they did or not exist... that’s a whole different matter Jakey.”
“Well...” Dastan started. “As much as it pains me, I have to side with Jake on this one... I mean... There are accounts of people seeing dragons in ancient times, and there are actually more recent accounts than that if you count those outside of Valcrest. I think it’s possible they existed and maybe still exist somewhere.” He spoke, very matter of fact like as he fiddled with the cloak that he was now wearing. “Don’t think I remember this ever looking so clean.” He mumbled.
“Well, it might if you had a wife.” Crys teased, smirking at him. “I’m just saying, you’re not getting any younger.”
Dastan stared at Crys in silence for a few seconds then shrugged. “You know, Red, maybe you do have a point.” He conceded. At which point he turned towards Deidra with a pleasant smile. “Hello, I’m Dastan.”
“Seriously?” Crys chuckled.
While the whole dragon debate was going on, Ali was taking a closer look on the armor Tala was wearing, seeming quite impressed with it. “Hey, Crys... Come check this out for a moment.” She called.
Crys left Jake’s side to kneel down by Tala, reaching out to feel the material that her protective gear was made of. “Hmm... You know... Blackwell would get a kick out of this. Maybe I should take Kaya to see him when I go home.”
“You’re taking Kaya to Blackwell?” Jake asked. “Oh please let me be there to see it.”
“Hush.” Crys snickered. “It’ll be fine. I think he’d be interested.” She stated, standing up straight and stopping as if trying to hear something beyond the music and chatter of the party around them. “Where is Kaya?”
“Hmmm....” Jake mumbled, looking around. “If she’s not around here, then my best guess is she’s going through my stuff.” He said, still looking around for the wolf even so. “She was with me up until I came over here.”
“I saw her when I went to get your drink, she was poking her nose at the musical instruments, but she’s not there now.” Ali stated. “You’re probably right and she’s at your camp.”
“Probably.” He agreed, taking another drink and suddenly taking notice of the fact he hadn’t seen Stalker anywhere. That wasn’t all too odd, considering that the wolf usually stayed out of sight, but he did have a habit to show himself when Aiden was around almost immediately. If anything Jake had to admit one thing about Luckas; he did a fantastic job of training the wolf.
Luckas’ mood had not improved much on the way to the Nest. He tried his best not to, but he couldn’t really stop thinking of some things Sam had said to him. He was mad at himself for getting the cut on his face healed like she wanted, he didn’t really think about it until it was already taken care of. He annoyed the woman in blue again by storming out of the medic ward without letting her examine him further; which he also regretted because now he was sore, and he still didn’t understand why Stalker was so agitated. It seemed like the wolf was frustrated with Luckas for being slow to reach the camp, even though he thought he was doing good time considering how bloody tired he was. Honestly, the last thing Luckas wanted to come across was a party, but it seemed like he was being dragged right into one. Before he even reached the camp he had already spotted the fireworks, and although they were quite impressive to look at Luckas had to wonder what was the point of hiding a camp so well if you’re going to shoot explosives into the sky right above it for everyone to see. “Seriously, Stalker? This is what was so important?” He muttered under his breath. Luckas’ first instinct was to go sit by the oak and wait there for whatever commotion that was to end, but the wolf kept pushing him whenever he stopped or tried to stray from the path he wanted him to follow. Eventually Luke just gave in and followed Stalker without any more resistance until the wolf led him straight to a group of people. Luckas stood there, just out of sight of the group, quietly for a little bit just trying to make sense of the context of why Ess was opening presents and why Tala was wearing armor, and who some of those people even were, because they weren’t part of the Guard. He recognized everyone from the small group he’d been led to, however. He didn’t know all of them; he didn’t know the man in the red cape or the blonde woman standing next to Crys, but he remembered seeing them at the Ball. He didn’t know why they were all there however and quite honestly the whole thing just made him a bit awkward, as though he had stumbled into something he wasn’t meant to be a part of really. He felt like walking away and if he was completely honest with himself he would admit the the only reason he didn’t was because Aiden was there as well. As if deciding that Luckas was waiting too long to show himself, Stalker took initiative rushing into the little circle of people rather abruptly and casually putting himself between Ess and Aiden.
Luckas chuckled at the wolf’s ‘entrance’ as he stepped out of hiding, one hand awkwardly scratching at the back of his head, the other holding onto two boxes, bound to one another with string. “What... Am I walking into, I wonder...” He mumbled in a half playful half confused tone.
“I’d like to think dragons are real but then again, do we really know if that’s as great of an idea as we dream?” Essence smiled, fiddling with a string that tied this particular package she held. “However..” Her smile faltered some as she pondered her next words. “I don’t think my town was burned down by a dragon...at least in this sense..” Ess turned towards Darren, catching his gaze a moment as they shared a silent understanding. It was subtle, but Deidra noticed it all the same.
“Lets just not talk about that right now, Ess..” She whispered encouragingly to the woman, knowing full well what Ess was thinking. Deidra politely turned to receive Dastan’s greeting, amber eyes looking over him from head to toe. “I know who you are..” She nodded, a half smile appearing. “Not the kind of impression you want to give a woman you just met. Besides.. marriage I think is overrated.” Deidra moved to stand beside Ess as the woman unwrapped her next gift. She turned as if to ignore Dastan, yet her hand gently brushed against his arm, her fingers lingering a moment before she playfully nudged Ess. “Well, what do you think?”
Essence was holding to what appeared to be purple silk, folded perfectly in a square. Her face went blank so it was unclear whether she was so happy for the gift that it took her breath away; rendering her speechless, or, she was trying to think of a polite response so not to offend anyone. Her fingers moved through an opening in the fabric and held it above her head so that it gracefully unravelled to reveal a sleeveless dress, simple and modest with little accents of the ruffles at all the right places to draw attention and leave much to the imagination. “It’s..the color of my eyes…” Finally she opened a smile.
“Who is it from?” Darren played, knowingly.
Essence was silent, glancing from Deidra to Aiden curiously. “This is too much..”
“No it’s not.” Aiden smiled, nodding towards Deidra. “A few of us chipped in and Deidra made it.”
Ess’ eyes widened, glittering with an intrigued sparkle. “You made this?”
“It wasn’t that hard..” Deidra shrugged, trying to play it off as not a big deal. “Aiden said you like pretty things. It was a joint effort...even if he did cover most of the cost.”
“Remember that bet we all had going? You know, on how long you’d last in training and such. I mean, even the Captain was in on it. Well the Captain won. But, so did I. So we split the pot.” Aiden snickered. “Think of this..as your share.”
Essence shivered, feeling slightly awkward, but gave in to Aiden’s reasoning by giving Deidra a long squeeze. “Thank you guys..” As she turned to give Aiden a hug as well, Stalker conveniently appeared between them, causing Aiden to twitch, sighing a bit frustrated at the wolf. Aiden’s brows narrowed, shooting a gaze over at Jake in a silent complaint.
“Aw, Stalker. There you are sweetie..” Ess cooed over the wolf, reaching over to run her fingers through his fur. She squatted down so that the wolf and her were at the same level. Well almost. Ess thought he was a bit taller than her like this. She laughed softly when he started licking her face in greeting, but only for a moment before Beo apparently grew jealous and shoved his brother aside in a sort of greeting as well and yet to block him from Ess.
“I was wondering when you were going to show up, Luckas.” Essence pushed through her chuckles, standing back on her feet. Turning to face him fully she quirked an eyebrow at him and what he was holding in his arms. There was something she caught in the man’s stare that shook her smile. “How are you?” She asked softly unsure of what was beneath the surface of his gaze.
Darren turned to see Luckas behind him and clapped. “Well now everyone just about, is here, huh? How do you do that….How did...eh...whatever you two are just weird.”
Ess just laughed, tossing an empty box at her son. “Weirdness runs in the family too.”
Darren playfully gawked, turning his back on Ess in fake resentment to her comment. “I can’t believe you would suggest such a thing about me.” Ess shook her head, reaching back towards her bottle to guzzle a quarter of the liquor before offering it to Luckas, a sweet and charming smile curling her lips. “Look! We got more fireworks too. You should set some off with me..”
“Not yet!” Darren yelled slightly, nodding towards the last gift on the table. “You have to open that one from Annie. And..where..did...Ugh..Beo. You knocked over a gift you big, bumbling fool.” Darren bent over to pick up a small package, which was unscathed, and placed it back on the table.
“Annie? I haven’t even met her…” Ess glanced over her shoulder, shifting to an awkward stance. “Why would she…” She whispered to herself in slight confusion.
Dastan was honestly taken by surprise at Deidra’s response and he flinched not really saying anything to the woman and simply shaking his head seeming quite amused, if not impressed. It was when he heard Irvin mumble something beside him that he seemed to snap out of his momentary stupor.
“Are women always confusing like this?” The kid questioned.
Dastan snorted a laugh, patting the kid’s shoulder. “Not all of them, no.” Dastan stated simply. “Besides, once you’ve lived a little, you’ll find that even confusing can be pretty simple, if you don’t worry too much about it. Know what I mean?”
“No, I really don’t.” Irvin mumbled, sounding really confused.
Dastan chuckled softly, pulling Irvin a couple of steps away from the bunch. “How old are you, boy? About sixteen?”
“Fifteen.” Irvin replied.
“Fifteen. Alright, Irvin, is it? When you talk to a girl don’t worry about the confusing stuff, don’t even worry about getting a ‘yes’ from her... You probably won’t. Just try to get a smile. If she smiles; even if she walks away, it means you’re allowed to talk to her again. Keep that in mind and it takes away a bit of the fear, a ‘no’ is not necessarily the end.”
“How do you get a smile, then?” Irvin asked, his tone making clear he didn’t think that really made things easier.
“For the first time you talk to a girl, you want to be simple. As an example: In a party, like this one... If a girl catches your eye, and you want to talk to her, it’s for a reason, yes? Walk up to her, say hi, give your name, and tell her the reason. If she smiles, if she gives her name when you give yours without you having to ask for it, if she blushes when you pay her a compliment, these are all good signs.” Dastan explained. “Look her in the eyes, and be respectful of her personal boundaries. If she wants you in her personal space she’ll let you know somehow.”
“Says the guy who just tackled a woman moments ago.” Irvin pointed out.
“I’m not interested in her that way, nor would she ever be interested in me, and if I had truly been inconvenient with her; believe me kid, I would have been stabbed in the gut. Actually I kind of was once, a little bit, a few years ago, so... Yeah, just don’t ever do that if you want to live.” Dastan chuckled.
“Noted.” Irvin snickered. “So, that means you’re going to talk to Dee again, then?”
Jake snorted, trying to contain his usual response to the sight of Luckas, not wanting to spoil the evening with hostilities; he couldn’t say he was surprised to see the guy there even if he had made no effort whatsoever to let him know of the party, after all, when had Luckas ever needed an invitation really? It still bothered him somewhat that he was there and no matter how well he masked that feeling, he could never really hide from one person.
“You didn’t invite Luckas, did you?” Crys whispered to him.
“No. Even if I wanted him here, which I never do, the only way I know to maybe reach him is through Ess... And that would kind of kill the surprise.”
“I saw him a few days ago, I could’ve told him, but I thought he already knew.” She scolded. “He visits Annie regularly; which is about three times as frequently as you, and she could have told him also.”
“Yes, well... You know what I think of that.” Jake muttered. “And I’m going to visit, alright? It’s just that I’m a lot further away than I have been the past couple of years. How do you even know how often he goes there?”
“If you can keep drinking in Newhaven, then Luckas can keep drinking in my bar, yes?” Crys replied simply. “And I know because I asked him instead of immediately punching him in the face, which is what you do.”
“So you’re friends with the psycho now too?”
“He’s given me no reason to dislike him, yet. So I’m neutral in regards to the psycho, Jacob. I am glad he’s here though... The party is for Ess after all, isn’t it?” She snickered, poking him in the ribs and stealing another cookie.
“Heey, that’s enough, those are for me.” He complained, with a chuckle. “My cookies.”
“Fine, your cookies.” Crys agreed, ruffling up his hair. “You big baby.”
Luckas was still a bit confused at what was happening exactly, not answering the question of how he was and silently drinking from the bottle Ess offered him, eyes inspecting his surroundings as if trying to decide on what questions to ask exactly. “Alright...” He mumbled. “So we are having a party, which I suppose explains why Tala is dressed all fancy, but why are we opening presents exactly?” He questioned, a hint of amusement in his voice as he looked over the box of fireworks. “I didn’t bring anything... Well... I did, but...” He pointed at one of the boxes. “This is for the kids, actually, and the other one is mine.” He dropped the packages on the table, starting to fiddle with the fireworks. “These look quite unsafe... Lovely.”
“Just great, give the psycho some unsafe explosives.” Jake noted sarcastically approaching the gifts and curiously glancing at Annie’s package. “Yeah, I invited Annie to come for the party, but she couldn’t leave her camp right now... So she sent a gift instead. And the little one is from me. Just something I wanted you to have.” He mumbled, scratching the back of his head, his attention drawn from the gifts when Kaya showed up dropping something at Crys’ feet that caused him to wince slightly.
Crys crouched down to retrieve the object, seeming quite intrigued. “What the... It’s a plush... Dog... Of some sort?” She mumbled.
“It’s a dragon, alright? Drakey is a dragon.” Jake protested, snatching the toy from Crys’ hands looking a bit upset for a moment.
“Sorry, I was taking a guess.” Crys mumbled, honestly not sure whether or not Jake was genuinely angry at her. “You have a bedtime buddy, Jake?”
“No... Yes... No... It’s... A long story, alright? Shut up!” He muttered as Luckas started to laugh quite loudly.
“Hey, I’m not judging you, Jakey Bear... Admittedly there are more embarrassing things a guy might keep under his pillow then a stuffed... uhm... Dragon...” Luckas snickered.
“Very funny, freak... My sister made him for me, and I... Kaya...” He mumbled, leaving his sentence unfinished and staring blankly for a moment as the wolf sniffed at the plushie excitedly rubbing up against it persistently.
“Crys... I think Jake broke your wolf.” Irvin played.
Jake shook his head slightly, kneeling down to the wolf’s level and scratching behind Kaya’s ears lovingly. “Here, girl, do you want to keep him? Hm?” He asked, setting Drake down on the ground. “Here, take it.”
Kaya took a moment to sniff Jake and lick his face before snatching the toy dragon and running off with it. Jake snickered, getting on his feet and shrugging. “Maybe that’ll keep her from stealing my boots now.”
“Drakey?” Dastan asked.
“Jess named him, alright?” Jake snorted. “Drake was a big black dragon from this story my mom used to tell, but... Jess could never remember the story exactly, she’d change it every time she told it.... So I can’t quite remember it anymore either.”
“That’s interesting.... Another dragon story...” Ali pointed out casually.
Ess began unwrapping the gift Jake pointed out was from Annie, falling silent for a moment as if she was trying to ignore the bit of tension that was coming off of Aiden and Jake. She took a deep breath. “It’s Jake’s birthday.” Ess replied simply, shooting a warning glare in Luckas’ direction before smiling. “..And I still manage to get presents.” She giggled, when a few of the children skipped over to greet Tala and smiled up at Luckas. They got halfway through their greeting before they were distracted by Kaya and her cute display of carrying a stuffed dragon in her mouth like it were her cub. “Aw, you brought something for the kids, Luckas? That’s sweet.” The children instantly turned their attention back towards Luckas when they heard Ess, their faces lighting up.
“This...wait…” Essence mumbled as the gift was revealed as a thick, black book with quite a bit of weight to it. Running her fingers appreciatively over the binding she flipped open it’s pages and fanned through to a random page in the middle and began reading. “It’s so organized..”
“What is? What the bloody hell is in there?” Darren asked impatiently, looking over Ess’ shoulder.
“Rutilas Radix..huh...she knows where to get the root I use for the active ingredient for the red vial. I didn’t think Sowthistle had any healing properties..ooh..it’s like the dictionary of poisons and antidotes!”
Darren chuckled. “She hasn’t even met you and she’s giving you the resources to kill people. That’s kind of scary.” He ducked below Ess’ assault, her hand missing his cheek once again.
“That’s not all that is in here, Darren.” Ess snorted, reading through another page, her eyes hungrily devouring each word. “This is great...Now I really need to meet her.”
Darren picked up Jake’s gift from the table and placed it in between the pages Ess was reading. “Alright, one more and then maybe you’ll come dance with me, Ma.”
It looked as if Darren was tapping his foot in impatience but it was to a distinctive drumbeat. It stood alone, echoing high over her head, beckoning the flute’s forlorn whisper to gain strength. Little by little more flutes joined in, picking up speed as if now to mock the drum. Some of the guard began dancing before the fire, almost tripping others who were carrying more food over to the tables. Ess herself, started bobbing her head to the beat, a pleasant, warm glow gracing her cheeks as the effects of the liquor began to show itself. She immediately, however, became still after opening Jake’s gift to her. A delightful, surprising squeal erupted past her lips as she held up a small, wooden pendant that had been crafted into a necklace with a detailed, oak tree design carved into it’s surface. Ess closed her eyes, letting her fingers trail over the image. Quietly she pulled the necklace over her head, peeking down to look at how it sat just over her heart. Ess took several deep breaths, turning to snatch back her bottle from Luckas, hoping a couple more swigs of the warm liquid would sooth an anxious, itching feeling that was stirring in the pit of her stomach.
“Great! You can wear that while you go and try on the dress I made you.” Deidra commanded with a nod. “I can tweak it if the dress isn’t snug enough for you..er or however you feel most comfortable.”
Luckas nodded simply retrieving one of the boxes he had left on the table after giving Stalker a bit of a nudge away from them as he was already showing signs of wanting to snatch them away. “Stalker... Come on... You already had some at the cake shop... You’re gonna get fat.” He muttered playfully at the wolf. “That box better be there when I come back or I’ll be really mad, you hear me?” He warned, seeming very unconvinced when Stalker obediently laid down at his feet. Carrying the box over to the children, Luckas sat on the ground, setting the box down on his lap and opening it to reveal a small batch of wolf-shaped gingerbread cookies and carefully passing them along to the kids so they each got two of the cookies, noting some were still left in the box. That’s when he felt someone poke him in the shoulder and turned his head to see that Lily was standing behind him, holding something behind her back. “Miss Lily... What did we discuss last time I was here? About you sneaking up on me?” He questioned.
“To never ever do it.” Lily answered.
“Becaaause...?” Luckas insisted.
“It’s unsafe.” The girl recited. “I forgot. I won’t do it anymore, I promise.”
“Good.” Luckas stated, offering the girl her two cookies and whispering to her. “What are you hiding there?”
Lily snickered, taking the cookies and placing a piece of paper in Luke’s hand. “Is for you to give Miss Ess...since you forgot to bring her a birthday present.” She answered in the same whispered tone Luckas had used.
“Oh?” Luckas mumbled, taking the extra cookies in the box and giving them out to Tala, Beo, and Stalker before jumping to his feet and examining the paper. It read ‘good for one hug’ in what was clearly a child’s handwriting, the letters surrounded by drawings of little pink hearts. Luckas shook his head, a thankful smile crossing his features at the girl’s gesture. “Why, thank you, Miss Lily... That’s very nice of you.”
“No problem. I can make another one for Mr. Jake too, if you want.” She offered.
Luckas chuckled. “No, no... I don’t think that’s necessary, thank you.”
“Okay. Thanks for the cookies, Mister Luckas.”
“Don’t mention it.” Luckas replied, smirking at the girl. “Really, don’t mention it... I have a reputation to keep.”
“Silly.” The girl giggled.
“See, you keep calling me things like that... and that’s not good for my reputation, kid.”
“Mister Luckas... When are we having story time again?” One of the boys asked.
“Well, I don’t know... I said it was just one story...”
“It was one story.” Lily argued. “And next time will be just one story too.”
“Hmmm... I’m pretty sure that’s not what...” Luckas mumbled.
“Pleeease Mister Luckas?”
“Well, uh... Fine... Tomorrow, if I’m still around by night time.” Luckas agreed. “Aren’t you kids up past your bedtime or something?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at them.
“Mister Jake said we could stay up late.” Lily said.
“Did he now?” Luckas snickered.
“Sort of... ” The girl shrugged.
“Okay, if he said so, sort of, then who am I to disagree?” Luke agreed. His attention was drawn from the children as he noticed the book Ess had opened and he wandered over to get a closer look at it with a curious expression. He’d obviously seen the book before, but that was a good few years ago. “I sort of stole that book once... It was just a terrible idea...” He mumbled.
Jake laughed. “Oh, come on, don’t tell me you’re afraid of my little cousin...”
“Aren’t you?” Luckas questioned. “I may be crazy, but I’m not that crazy.”
Jake sighed. “No, yeah, I see what you mean.” He mumbled. “I guess it makes sense she’d pass it along though, not like she needs to look at it.”
“Aren’t you a bit upset she didn’t give it to you?” Luckas questioned.
“Why would she ever think I need it?” Jake retorted with a smirk. His smile faltered a bit however as he saw Ess opening his gift. He had been really unsure, since he retrieved the piece of wood from his house, what to make of it, eventually he settled for following his sister’s advice and making it into something meaningful. “Yeah, Ali made that, but I did sketch the tree from memory and we all know that’s the hard part.” He stated playfully.
“Let me see this thing…” Darren muttered, waving his hand in front of Ess’ eyes before reaching to hold the pendant in his hand which was still attached around Ess’ neck. Essence looked up at her son, quirking a brow, watching as his eyes lit up like hers would, staring almost through the oak design. His eyes flashed violet each time an image fluttered past his vision.
“It’s nice to have a reminder of what is now lost..” Essence whispered, looking back down at the pendant.
Darren finally let it fall from his fingers, his eyes fading back to their baby blues. “...That tree you told me about where you and Uncle Jake would play as kids...you said it’s not there anymore, right? I honestly never paid much attention, living there, but I remember the fire. At least a piece of it remains.” Darren smiled, turning to pat Jake on the back. “That was a smart idea, Guy.”
Ess turned her gaze back to Jake, lips parted as if to speak when she realized what the pendant was made from. She smiled, tears shimming but never falling. “Jake…”
“Alright, now time to go try this on…” Deidra tossed the dress over her shoulder and boldly snatched Ess’ bottle from her hands, her free arm linking around Ess’ as she began to drag her away from the crowd and towards Dee’s bunk. “We’ll be back!”
“Dee...wait...I don’t want to be the center of attention...I’ll be the only one wearing a dress…” Ess complained, putting up some resistance.
“You are so full of it.” Dee chuckled. “But don’t worry...all of us girls decided we will join you..”
As Ess was being pulled away from the group, each hand snapped outwards, one hand gripping Crys by the arm and the other catching Ali’s sleeve. “You two are coming too.”
Aiden snickered at the small spectacle as he removed the armor from Tala, immediately following after Ess once she was free. Sora and Beo followed as well, but Aiden whistled to Beo and commanded him to stay. The wolf didn’t look pleased. “Girl time, pup.” He stated, moving to stand next to Darren. “See, that didn’t go so bad.”
Darren quirked a brow, leaning towards Aiden and laughed right in his face. “All due respect...you need to open your eyes..”
Jake chuckled softly as Crys momentarily held on to his arm to try and keep Ess from dragging her away before giving in and following after the other women. Ali didn’t put up much of an argument, but Jake was pretty sure that if Dee was considering putting her in a dress she’d have a pretty hard time.
“So, this has got to be the most time you two spent together in at least a month, right?” Dastan asked, calmly fiddling with the bottle Ess had given him. “Getting hopeful, are we?”
“None of your business.” Jake retorted, not wanting to get into whatever subject Dastan was trying to approach with him.
“Hmmph...” Dastan sighed. “Listen, kid... When Crys invited me to come along she asked me to be nice, not matter what you said, but... I was thinking... She’s not here right now, so maybe you want to take the opportunity to say whatever you think you need to say to my face instead of muttering shit under you breath like a scolded infant.”
“I don’t see what I could possibly have to say to you, Shaykh.. You’re the one who seems to have something to say.”
“Quite honestly, Jake, I’d like to say a few things, if you’ll allow me... I think it’s important we set matters straight, don’t you?”
“Go on.” Jake agreed, drinking from his bottle and staring at Dastan with a serious look in his eyes.
“I don’t dislike you, I don’t... I just feel that... This is a rather sad situation, Jacob. Crys is an outstanding woman and she deserves a good man... You... Act like a little boy.”
“Do you consider yourself a good man, Dastan?” Jake questioned.
“Maybe not, but I’m a grown man, Jake. A man in your position wouldn’t feel so threatened. I mean, you’ve been wasting a lot of energy keeping an eye on me, but really... What do you think I can do? I understand where you’re coming from, don’t get me wrong, I get that you see how I look at her and I’m afraid sometimes you can’t control how you look at someone, but I’m not stupid. I’ve known Crys for a very long time, it’s very clear to me where I stand with her; it’s very clear to me and pretty much everyone what she wants. I could sit around waiting for her to finally get sick of waiting for you to man up, but I have too much respect for her and myself to be that guy... So for Twins sake, man... Grow up, yes? That girl has been through a lot, she deserves something good in her life... For some stupid reason she’s convinced you’re it; all you have to do is not act like a jackass... It’s not difficult; try it sometime. Okay?”
“Yeah... Okay...” Jake snorted.
“Are we good?” Dastan muttered, opening up the bottle of liquor.
“I guess so.” Jake sighed, scratching the back of his head.
“Good.” Dastan stated, taking a swig from the liquor. “Sooo... What’s the deal with that Dee woman, is she taken?”
Jake snorted a laugh at the question. “Not that I know of. You’re not seriously going to ask her to marry you or something, right?”
“Naah... That’s more of a third date kind of thing, don’t you think?” Dastan played. “Hey, Little Man, was that your cake?” He asked, pointing out the box Stalker had knocked over and was digging into.
“Stalker!” Luckas muttered out. “No, no, no... That was my cake. MY cake!” He scolded, not really hoping there’d be anything left in the box at this point. “Can wolves get drunk on rum cake?” He mumbled.
Darren reached across the table of food and swiped a roll off a plate to munch on while engaged in the exchange between Dastan and Jake. Almost choking on his roll when Stalker was discovered nose deep in cake, Darren collected himself before approaching Dastan with a smile. “Nice to see you again, Guy. I knew I liked you.” Darren extended his hand in greeting and chuckled, glancing between Aiden and Luckas for a moment. “Ever feel like the whole world is blind?” He half heartedly joked.
Aiden shook his head and sighed, motioning to a crate where a few bottles still remained. “Come on, Kid. Come have a drink.”
Darren nodded, happily receiving one of the bottles. “You think by getting me drunk Old Man, you’ll hold your title?”
Aiden laughed. “Kid, I recall we were both sober.” Playfully he patted Darren’s back, tapping his bottle against the kid’s before taking a swig. “Just say when and where if you want a rematch.”
“Fine. But leave the squirrels out of it this time.” Darren snickered, finding Aiden’s facial expression priceless. “Don’t act all innocent. I know they are your spies.” Both men just stared at one another before breaking out into a fit of laughter.
“Girls, I think you’re needed. Miss Ess is calling for you.” Jess whispered to a few of the children, smiling when Lily handed her one of the cookies Luckas gave her.
“Ok, Hold that for later.” Lily commanded before running off with the others, Sora greeting the children when they approached by circling them a few times and barking.
“What was that about?” Darren asked Aiden, honestly expecting some crazy answer and was slightly disappointed and yet still amused when the man just shrugged. “I will wait for the squirrel’s report.”
Darren was about to shoot a smart ass remark back when he saw some of the women coming back towards the group and took off to wait for Ess. “She almost done?” He asked Deidra who had decided to change so that Ess wasn’t the only one dressed up. She had thrown her hair up so it was off her neck, a necklace of tiny black feathers dangling past her collarbone. Dee wore a simple, hunter green gown that dragged along the ground behind her. “Yea, she’s decorating the kids.” When Deidra met back up with the group she looked around as if surprised things were pretty much the same as when she left. “I take it you boys are behaving?”
The kids were the next ones to appear; three little girls, their hair adorned with blue irises in matching blue dresses that flowed around them as they ran over towards the fire and began spinning in circles around the blaze. The music paused and when it started again the pace had picked up again considerably to match the kid’s enthusiasm. Essence kept to the shadows, avoiding her son except for the fact she had Tala, Sora, and Kaya with Drakey still in her mouth, trailing behind her. She stepped out to join the girls, a few other women from the Guard following behind the wolves, also in dresses. Eventually all of them found a place around the fire, hand in hand to lift and swing the kids as they circled, becoming still when the music paused again. The adults would start and the kids would mimic their movements, arms outstretched like birds, alternating in direction as they spun, kicking up dirt towards the flames.
Darren waited patiently for an opening and reached into the moving circle to steal Essence, drawing her close as he changed up the dance and lead her towards the band. “You should wear your hair down more often, Mom. It suits you.” Darren smiled, tugging lightly on one of her shorter curls that hung along her eyebrow.
Essence smiled, shaking her head as she leaned in to whisper to her son “You knew about this?” Darren nodded.
“I finished that other bottle...Dee helped...I think I’m going to need another.” She sighed.
“You’re doing fine. You didn’t run away.”
“I would have if the girls didn’t come with me.” She chuckled.
Dastan simply chuckled at Darren, watching with half interest as Luckas wiped a bit of frosting Stalker couldn’t get off his fur by himself. “And you, Little Man... What’s your story? I remember you at the ball all those months ago. You seemed to be having a better time then.”
“I’d stop calling me that, if I were you.” Luckas stated simply, dodging Stalker’s attempts at licking his face. “Anyone would tell you I’m childish enough to want to make you swallow your words.”
“Well, excuse me, but you are quite little, I mean... You’re almost as little as Irvin over there and... what’re you eighteen?”
“I’m twenty... I think...” Luckas muttered. “Just stop calling me that.”
“Twenty... So you’re not younger than her kid... You kind of look like you are.”
“The kid is... He’s... Seventeen... Eighteen at most... What are you trying to say, pal?”
“Nothing, just... Making conversation...” Dastan snickered.
“Stupid wolf, you better not get sick and puke everywhere like that other time.” Luckas mumbled, ruffling up Stalker’s fur a bit before turning to face Dastan. “You have a strange way of making conversation, pal.”
“I’m a strange guy, I’ve been told.” Dastan agreed.
Luckas nodded, going silent for a bit before speaking again. “I don’t get what she sees in him either... She’s a pretty nice person.”
Dastan laughed. “Jake is not a bad guy... He’s just not very smart either.”
“No, not a bad guy... Not Jakey.” Luckas muttered, rolling his eyes. “Definitely not smart though, if I knew there was going to be a party I would probably not have come... Well, or at least I would’ve waited until later... Crowds are not my thing.” He shrugged. “I’d rather not have to make nice with people... Or Beast Speakers.... On days like today.”
“Is that right?” Dastan asked, holding back a chuckle. Whatever else he was about to say next was completely lost when he noticed Deidra had returned, and he gave Luckas a small pat on the back. “Nice talking to you, little man.”
Luckas snorted in response, muttering under his breath and smirking slightly as Dastan tripped over himself at his next step and hit the ground quite comically. “What did I tell you, about calling me that, mate?” Luckas asked.
Dastan laughed as he slowly got on his feet, shaking his head at Luckas. “Fair enough, suppose I asked for that... So I’ll let you get away with it, this time.” He stated in a tone of warning that was only half playful, calmly brushing the bit of dirt that had stuck to his clothes. He walked over to Deidra and sighed. “So much for trying to be cool.” He stated, glancing at the bottle he was holding and smiling to see the contents hadn’t spilled. “You know, I don’t like admitting it, but you confused me Miss... When you said you know who I am, did you mean you already knew my name or did you mean you know who I am?” He questioned, taking a sip from the liquor. “If it’s the latter, well, whatever it is you heard... It’s probably true, but I can explain.”
Jake was half watching the exchange between Darren and Aiden, frowning slightly as he wondered if Darren was serious about the squirrels or if it was all a joke... He couldn’t really deny that if he could use squirrels as spies he probably would; who would suspect a squirrel? “I think I’ve already had a bit too much.” Jake snickered, emptying his bottle and shaking his head at his thoughts. That was silly.
When the dance started Jake walked a bit closer to watch, but he didn’t see Crys or Ali anywhere and he wondered where they had gone. He distracted himself watching the girls dance, some of the mercenaries starting to clap their hands to the beat of the song as they stopped to watch as well. That was when Jake spotted Ali walking back towards the group in the company of another woman, who wasn’t Crys.
“Hey look, Jake... Sheila’s here.” Ali greeted as she brought the woman into their circle her blue eyes glaring at Jake as if she was mentally shouting at him.
“I see... That...” Jake mumbled, a little confused as to why the woman was there when he hadn’t invited her. “Irvin... Were you and Ess at the Inn today?”
“Uh...” Irvin mumbled. “Was that not okay?” The kid asked.
“Jacob, don’t panic... I’m not staying. I just stopped by to wish you a happy birthday. I’m on my way to camp actually. Sean wants everyone back by tomorrow at sundown. I think it probably has to do with your girlfriend, but we weren’t told, at least not yet.”
“You don’t seem too happy about it, I thought you didn’t like Sean.” Jake replied, fetching another bottle of liquor. “What changed?”
“You don’t want to discuss this on your birthday, Jake, but I think you know what changed. It’s hard to stay on your side after what happened. Everyone loved Katie.” Sheila answered with a shrug. “Can I have one of those, please?”
Jake sighed, handing her his bottle. “We had nothing to do with it, and by ‘we’, I mean not me or Crys, or Evin, or any of their people. Sean himself caught the guys, for what I heard.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, hun.” She replied, opening the bottle and taking a sip. “Hmph... So much better than our stuff...” She noted, shaking her head.
Jake let out a bitter chuckle at Sheila’s comment. “Don’t talk to me about sleep right now, Sheila. I bet Sean slept like a baby after he executed that boy Ali trained.”
The woman shook her head, not losing her smile. “See, I told you... You don’t want to discuss this now...”
“Suppose not.” Jake agreed, looking past Sheila. “Where’s Crys, Ali?”
“She was with me, but... We ran into Sheila and she split up with us... She mumbled something about hearing a squirrel and wandered off...” Ali replied, shrugging at the questioning look Jake shot her. “I’m sure she’ll show up soon.”
“A squirrel?” Jake mumbled a bit confused. “Ah, wait, there she is.” He nodded, spotting Crys as she walked in their direction.
“Did I miss anything?” Crys asked, stopping beside Ali, seeming a bit too calm considering the circumstances.
“Not really, no.” Ali replied. “Just a small discussion about why Katie’s death is our fault and... Sheila said she’s just passing through.”
Crys sighed. “Sean is calling everyone back, is he?” She shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”
“Tell me something about this whole thing that is necessary?” Sheila questioned.
“Give me a better solution.” Crys retorted. “Do you think this is what I want?”
“Hey.” Jake interrupted. “We’re not discussing this right now.”
“How did the hand heal up?” Crys asked in an interested tone, not withholding a satisfied smirk.
“It healed up just fine, thanks.” Sheila muttered. “I think... I should get going. Like I said, just wanted to stop by.” She started, handing the liquor bottle back to Jake and giving him a long hug before turning away and starting to leave the camp.
Jake winced slightly when Sheila hugged him, kind of sensing the reaction the gesture was provoking, but he didn’t say anything and just let the woman be on her way waiting to see if Crys would ask whether or not he invited her. She didn’t. Instead she turned to speak to Luckas.
“Hey, Just Luckas... Do you dance?” She asked.
“Not really.” Luke answered. “Why?
“I was just thinking that maybe you should... I doubt Darren would mind it too much.” She told him casually. “And how about you, Jakey, do you dance?”
“Depends on who’s asking.” Jake smiled.
“Well, you know... Technically, you should ask me, but... That’s one more thing I’ll let you get away with this time... because it’s your birthday.” She snickered, pulling him by the hand towards the music.
Deidra did her best not to laugh at Dastan when he so gracefully met the ground. The act had softened her gaze, an amused smile forming itself as she turned respectively towards the man as he addressed her. “To answer your question, a bit of both. I wonder though, exactly, what you feel you would need to explain about yourself? People are who they are and will act the way they will act, so unless you are not proud of your actions, one shouldn’t feel the need to explain.” Dee shrugged as if she didn’t expect the conversation to go much further, glancing around to retrieve a bottle from one of the crates and immediately opening it taking a deep draught. She laughed at herself when a bit of the contents trickled down her chin. “To be fair, I can’t honestly say that I know you. I’ve never met you before, so my knowledge would be naturally left with some holes.”
Darren and Ess continued their dance, both laughing when Ess’ eyes widened in surprise when her son would dip and then spin Ess with an unusual amount of speed. He was purposely working to make her laugh as much as possible, still aware of her tension by the way her fingers would occasionally dig into his arm. “You’re doing it again..” He whispered into her curls.
“I am not.” Ess turned her gaze away from her friends across the way and back up to Darren’s.
“Are to. You are staring at him.” Darren snickered. “..And don’t look now, but Aiden is staring at you again.”
Ess snorted, responding by leaning her head against Darren’s arm to look back over in Luckas’ direction. “...How much longer do you have to enjoy the party?” She muttered, changing the subject.
“Couple hours, then it’s the changing of the Guard. I’m probably going to visit Annie sometime in the next couple days too..if you want to tag along.”
Ess nodded. “Maybe. If I go out that way, if I have the availability..Ali said she’d take me out that way...to the Ruins..”
Darren sighed. “To what end? Do you expect to find something?”
“I don’t expect anything, Darren. Have you ever been out that way?”
“No. I am not sure if that would be a good idea for me.” He whispered, an uneasy look crossing his eyes. “I have been thinking of wearing gloves..It’s just not as predictable as it was before.”
“Oh? You feeling alright? You seem to be doing alright now.”
“Better than you are as of late. I found you sleep walking again last night.” Darren noted matter of factly, pulling back to look down at his mother. A concerned frown straining his face. “Essence...you’re bleeding..”
Ess released Darren, standing out in her statue like form as she wiped at her nose. Darren reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and held it above her lip, cleaning off the blood. “You sure this training thing you and Luckas…”
“It’s fine. If you are worried because of the side effects...I can tell you this is normal.” Ess began to argue, Darren interrupting her.
“You aren’t worried about the stress of it..and how it affects your enlightenment?”
“No.” Ess sighed. “I’m finding out there’s more to it than I originally thought..” Ess turned, taking the handkerchief from Darren and putting pressure to her nose, moving back towards the crates of alcohol. “I just need another drink..”
Dastan nodded, an amused smile crossing his features. “I’m not sure about you ladies, but I’m sure no man is proud of all his actions. Unless said man is a fool, that is.” He replied with a slight shrug. “I’m personally very aware of my reputation, and while it is very much accurate, it is not all there is... Still, I’m in a bit of a disadvantage here seeing as you haven’t even told me your name yet, Miss. And you know all these things about me too... That can make a guy feel a bit... vulnerable... know what I mean?” He asked playfully.
After Sheila had left and Crys had dragged Jake away to dance, Ali had gone get some food and water, as she returned to where their group had gathered she spotted Irvin in conversation with the quiet guy Ess had called Luckas. Ali hadn’t paid much attention to him until then, but then she remembered where she heard the name before. As she approached them Ali sighed as she realized Irvin was still going on about their bet, Luckas not seeming to agree with him either.
“It’s not an acceptable answer.” Luckas mumbled.
“It’s not a fair bet either though.” Irvin argued.
“Listen, kid; pick up a book sometime... If you did then you’d know the answer.” Luckas retorted, idly running his fingers through Stalker’s fur. “It’s not an impossible question, and it doesn’t matter if it is an unfair bet because you agreed to it.”
“Still, Irvin?” Ali asked the boy. “You really don’t like to lose, do you?”
“I couldn’t possibly know this, alright?”
Luckas snorted. “Rosefeld.”
“Oh, come on, you cheated!” Irvin mumbled.
Luckas glared at the kid, seeming insulted by his accusation. “I didn’t cheat. Like I said, pick up a book.”
Ali shook her head, patting Irvin in the head playfully. “There, there.” She chuckled. “Mind elaborating on that answer then? Luckas, is it?”
“It was the last village to burn and you don’t look much older than me. You were twitching at the fireworks, so you clearly remember the fire. It wasn’t too difficult really.”
“You know what... Screw you.” Irvin muttered, glaring at Luckas and wandering off.
“Pffft... Seriously... what the hell is Jake teaching that kid?” Luckas muttered.
“Oh, I don’t know... Are you sure you didn’t cheat a bit? Alistair told me a little about you, Luckas... All that time in the Shadows camp and Lena didn’t tell you about her village?”
“Alistair... Alistair... Hmmm... The name sounds a bit familiar... Tall, empath, a bit of a jerk, obvious mommy issues?” Luckas asked raising an eyebrow. “Whatever he told you, probably not good things, is likely true. I’m glad to say that Lena and I didn’t spend much time discussing her past... Who are you, exactly?”
“Call me Ali, Luckas... I’m with the assassins.” Ali replied with a small shrug. “So you read about the villages, then? Can you name them all?”
Luckas gave Ali a suspicious look. “What was the bet you had with the kid?”
“A kiss.”
“No wonder he was pissed... No thanks.”
Ali chuckled. “Does it have to be a bet?”
“I’m not giving it up for free.” Luke snickered. “How about the chess piece you have in your pocket?”
“How do you know what I have in my pocket?”
“I cheated.” Luckas stated simply. “Yes or no?”
“Okay.”
“Rosefeld, Ashdrift, Ironedge, Narrow Brook, Blissfalls, Oakstone, and Whirlwind.” Luckas listed casually.
“Very good.” Ali stated, fetching a small black pawn from her pocket and handing it over. “A pawn, huh?”
“Aren’t we all?” Luckas mumbled, taking the chess piece with a half smile, examining it for a few moments before putting it in his pocket. “Excuse me.” He said, moving past Ali as he spotted Ess moving towards the liquor boxes, catching up with her and raising an eyebrow at her bloody nose. “Since when has dancing become a violent sport?” He asked playfully. “Now, that’s a pretty dress Lady.” He pointed out, circling Ess a couple of times as if to see it from all sides. “I’d say you should wear it to our next date, but the way they tend to go it might end up torn... or scorched... and that’d be such a pity.”
“..And you know all these things about me too... That can make a guy feel a bit... vulnerable... know what I mean?”
Deidra tilted her head, a full smile spreading from ear to ear. “..It is at our most vulnerable...It is when we show a bit of humility, that we learn the most about ourselves, no? It is there, where those of us who pay attention, can see what is hidden beneath.” Nodding a bit at her words she raised her bottle before taking another sip. “I’m sorry, that is rude of me. Deidra...Reid...Deidra or Dee is fine. If I know apparently all these things about you...why not tell me something I don’t know? I’ll go first.” Dee took a moment to think, reflecting on the bit of conversation she had taken part with the man, before chuckling at herself. “I don’t believe in first impressions..”
Essence opening a smile when she heard Luckas beside her, her eyes darting between two kinds of liquor, unsure of which she’d rather try. “If I agreed dancing was a violent sport would that mean you’d dance with me?” Ess laughed, crinkling up the blood stained cloth in the palm of her hand. A noticeable pink hue heated her pale cheeks when Luckas commented on the dress. Finally she looked up at Luckas, after deciding on a bottle and winked at him. “Oh to think you’d be so heartbroken if my dress found itself in shambles. I shudder to think of how many eyes you’d poke out…” She trailed off still giggling. “So are we going on this date sometime soon? Suppose to be your party, your rules this time.”
Dastan smiled, nodding his agreement as he drank from his bottle. “I suppose you’re right, Dee, it’s just not something I’m used to, I guess; being vulnerable. I like to think I know exactly where I stand at all times.” Taking a few more swigs, the man took his time thinking on what to say to what seemed like such a simple question. “Well, it’s hard to think of something you’d definitely not know, and I’m not sure exactly what you do know... but...” He took another drink, pointing at the scar on his neck. “I have never told anyone, not even my sister, how I actually got this scar.”
“Well, Lady...” Luckas chuckled, taking one of the bottles for himself. “I’m not one to agree that people should be violent for sport... There are so many better uses for violence, don’t you think?” He opened the bottle and took a drink from it. “But maybe... On a less crowded occasion.” He answered, giving a small shrug and drinking some more, choking in a small fit of laughter at the mention of poking out eyes. “As much as I enjoy making you shudder, Lady, I’d honestly not want to see all of Deidra’s hard work go to waste, because... Honestly, she’s a little bit scary, but who knows... We could give it a little ‘scar’, maybe. Nothing fatal.” He played, smirking as he glanced down at his liquor bottle, going into a moment of thought. “Hmm... Well... Soon-ish... I suppose I should find us something special, no? I heard third dates are meant to be a big deal... We should save some of those fireworks.”
Deidra’s eyes scanned over where Dastan pointed along his neck, giving a respectful pause before she spoke. She was slightly caught off guard and honestly was not expecting his words. Dee was curious to know more, but was not the type of person to ask such a personal question. “We all have scars…” Dee whispered, smiling and pointing to the one on the left side of her face. “It’s no secret Essence and I share a similar history on how we acquired ours.” Dee took a sip from her bottle before motioning to Aiden and the others of the Guard who were meandering through the party. “My scar, as my brothers and sisters here will contest to, was caused by my...well some would call him my benefactor...others would say legally he was my husband...but yes was something I acquired from him. It’s the only reminder of him now. What I’ve never told anyone..is what the real story is around his...sudden disappearance.” Dee shrugged as if the truth of it didn’t matter. “Honestly, I tell people I refuse to explain what happened because it’s funnier to see the looks on people’s faces when it comes up. I just don’t usually talk about it because it’s intimidating to find out about someone...especially when…” Dee snickered shaking her head. “..But if one were to think on it...why do people keep secrets if not to protect someone. I really...had nothing to do with it..directly..but no one would believe that.” She nodded behind Dastan, speaking as forward as possible, “If you want to take this opportunity to walk away, there would be your opening without worry of offense.”
Essence was half watching Deidra while listening to Luckas. “I get the crowd thing...I am feeling a bit whelmed, but not so much now that you’re here.” Ess couldn’t help but giggle at Luckas’ words on Dee and not wanting to damage her dress. “Deidra? Scary? That’s a riot. She has to be the biggest sweetheart I have ever met, but I agree to not wanting to destroy her hard work.” Her gaze lifted from Luckas, swiftly veering back towards Deidra, listening in a bit on her conversation. Dee had to have been one of the most direct women that she had ever met; at times as if she were fearless.
“Luckas…” She whispered. “You know...I almost wish it was going to rain...then I’d be left to dance in it...while everyone else ran.” Ess released a shaky breath which sounded almost like a shiver as she recalled the memory. “Maybe there we could take that moment to dance in the storm..”
About A Week Ago..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH_PKQMUyiI
“Luckas...” Ess breathed, opening a solemn stare, her orbs focused intently upon the flames before her. Tilting her head she rested her chin upon her hand, propping herself up from where she laid upon the grass, her free hand absently sifting through the soft blades basking in their gentle touch.
“Luuuuckaaas....” She whispered softly, Tala lifting her head to glance at Ess curiously, the only other movement around her perimeter. A sudden chill crept up Ess’ spine, sending warm shivers along every inch of her skin. Her eyes flickered in their violet incandescence, catching the light from the fire before blinking as a drop of water fell from the sky and hit her lashes. A powerful silence fell upon the wind; she couldn’t even hear the panting of Tala or her pups anymore. All of it seemed...distant. Even the crickets.
Ess let her stare travel towards the dark clouds above, a sudden rumble of the heavens deafening her ears causing an excited smile to curl her lips. Slowly she sat up, leaning back against the log beside the fire, several more specks of rain gaining in speed to disperse sparingly across her bare arms. Running her fingers through her loose curls, the air grew cooler in the stickiness of humidity, the smell of wet soil filling her nostrils seconds before the sky opened up and cried down upon her in an unrelenting force.
Essence giggled, slightly startled by a loud crackling and snapping of thunder, the air lighting up in a white haze. Her eyes darted side to side, another clap of thunder and a collision of clouds came together in sheer blackness, and an invisible fog seemed to lift off the ground. All she could hear were the rumbles above and a river roaring in her ears; her body soaked in seconds.
Again came the shivers, her eyes slowly rolling up in her head as they closed and the biggest smile opened her lips. An unmistakable fit of laughter shook her shoulders, adding a weight to cause her to almost double over. A blink of an eye was all it took for her to be squinting through the downpour, sloppily pushing her sagging curls off her forehead. A surge of energy ached in her belly and into every vein, jumping to her feet and staring up into the sky. The darkness irradiated to a soft tone, the clouds swirling like wisps of smoke. Essence stretched out her fingers, twirling gradually in place and leaping left and right to kick and splash in the massive puddles; a flicker of innocence that commanded everything else to static. A moment of peace.
Then, just as quickly it came, the rain slowed to the clouds breaking and a hint of crimson light from the setting sun teased her eyes from beneath those shadows. For a moment, she forgot she was alone and when she looked around, the crickets crept their way back around her. Ess sighed contently, her focus on the fading thunder as it rolled west towards BlackPond. Her eyes found their way back to the fire, smoke trailing upwards from scorched coals drowning from nature’s tears. Tala had not budged herself, several layers of fur dripping water in slow motion to the ponds below. Life should be about dancing in the rain and not waiting for the storm to pass...” Ess whispered, the gentle breeze coming to a standstill as the rain drained off the leaves, which led her to notice a few patches of blue lilacs scattered beneath the Oak. Ess stepped before the massive tree, kneeling down in front of the spot Luckas usually occupied, fingers gently tracing the bark. Lost in thought she sighed, leaning against the Oak, hugging her knees to her chest as she let herself drift off into that place between dreams and reality.
Present
Darren was momentarily stolen by the children, a few of the girls dragging him into the circle around the fire. He indulged the kids in the dance, finding the opportune time to sneak away when Jess announced they would be heading to bed soon, thus beginning the chorus of complaints and objections once more. He watched as Aiden’s face contorted in pure annoyance as Luckas commented on Ess’ dress, walking to join a few of his buddies who were busy arm wrestling near the band. Darren felt bad for the guy and as any good friend would, he proposed a plan for distraction. It didn’t take much convincing.
“Come on, Old …MAN….” Darren teased, his adorable and innocent smile taunting Aiden as they circled one another. Casually he took off his hat and threw it like a saucer towards Jake to hold onto for him.
“I think this might be considered child abuse..” Aiden shot back, both men sharing in a chuckle before fists started swinging. The men were having too much fun, lazily blocking one another’s advances. It looked as if they were just horsing around; having a bit of fun as they shouted mocking yet harmless insults.
“I think you gave Sora fleas, Aiden.” Darren snickered, ducking beneath Aiden’s arm. “You keep giving me openings, Guy.” He muttered, finally letting his fist meet its target with a challenging force, knocking the wind out of Aiden. His free hand caught Darren’s when he alternated his punches, and for a moment the two stared at each other, veins bulging along their necks or foreheads as they fought to out muscle the other. Darren countered Aiden’s other fist, throwing him off balance, giving him the opening to headbutt him hard. Aiden stumbled backwards, his amusement gone, as Darren stretched his fingers and cracked his knuckles while awaiting Aiden to recover from the momentary disorientation.
“Ready to give up, Aiden?” Darren’s eyes strobed in unison each time he blinked, trading off shades of purples and blues.
“And spoil the fun? Thought we were just getting started, Kid.”
Essence didn’t like this. To be truthful, it was awkward to give a crap about both opponents, even though, naturally she wanted Darren to win. She was biased, but no one could question her point of view on this. Ess was quite entertained with watching Luckas, watch the fight; not to mention Irvin who was taking bets. After Darren hit Aiden twice with more than just friendly force, something changed in both of the men’s eyes and the competition got a bit serious.
Ess just kept sipping from her bottle until it was almost empty, her eyes dull, cold; emotionless and empty, a complete contradiction to the chaos that was going on inside her mind. The moment Aiden reciprocated Darren’s assault, his knuckles cutting open Darren’s lip as it connected with the left side of his jaw, Essence began to sweat. She took a couple steps towards Aiden, whose back was now to her, before she stopped herself and stepped back, not wanting to get in between whatever was going on with the men. Still, she wanted to grab Tala’s helmet and beat Aiden’s face to a bloody pulp for hitting her son.
Dastan listened quietly to what Deidra was saying, his expression had little trace of his usual playful nature as he drank from his bottle, his gaze fixed upon the woman’s eyes. Once she was done talking Dastan calmly looked over his shoulder as if weighing his options, the playful smile returning when he turned back to face Dee. “I see how that can be intimidating.” He agreed, with a nod of his head. “You know... A lot of city folk think that my clan is... uhm... They like to say old-fashioned instead of what we know they mean... in regards to how we treat our women. I see where they get that impression, we don’t have many women in our ranks, most of them are civilian. My little sister was the first female commander our clan has ever seen and she had a lot to prove before she was taken serious, and our guys are... quite rough around the edges... That to say the least. I think that’s a part of my reputation as well, and it’s not untrue in itself; we are very old-fashioned guys, we’re not polite by most standards, I get how that may lead people to draw conclusions, but... Where I’m from, a man who puts a mark on a woman like this, doesn’t suddenly disappear; he is very publicly punished regardless of what anyone would call him.” Dastan spoke softly. “I’m not sure if that counts as something you didn’t know, but considering the topic of conversation I thought it was fitting to mention.” He smirked. “And if that doesn’t count then I have plenty more scars we can discuss.” He offered, winking at the woman as he took another drink.
Luke snorted, a bit amused at Ess’ comment of Deidra being a sweetheart. “I don’t disagree with that. We just have different definitions of scary, Lady.” He stated simply. Luckas smiled softly at Ess’ mention of dancing in the rain, it wasn’t in the best moment that she had called for him on the day of the storm and it had caused him a little bit of trouble, if not a good share of mockery from Amber due to how much his mood had improved in the few days that followed, but it was worth it for the experience, for the moment. If he could make it rain right then, he probably would, if not for anything else; just to try and lose the crowd. As he was about to answer her though his eyes caught Darren and Aiden going into a fist fight, a frown momentarily crossing his features mixed with amusement. He very much wanted to see the Kid give the Beast Speaker a good beating, he was betting on it; internally, not literally like some of the other party guests. At the same time, he caught Ess’ reaction with the corner of his eye and she didn’t seem too pleased. “I can break it up if you want, Lady.” He offered, not taking his eyes off the two men. “Or preferably, I can help the Kid.” He grinned.
Deidra opened a warm smile, the amber tone of her eyes brightening from the firelight. Placing the bottle on the table, Dee slid along the top, her legs dangling off the edge as she leaned forward, her palms gripping the sides for support. “Tradition and respect..two things that many lack now a days. I don’t think I could keep my sanity if I didn’t contribute and fight...Not to say those who don’t take up arms can’t contribute in other ways..not to say they don’t carry any honor..” Dee paused, an awkward giggle drawing attention to the fact she was distracted for a second as the boys began rough housing. Her eyes quickly found Dastan’s again, a bit apologetic perhaps for more reasons than she was letting on in that moment. “I’m just set on actions speak louder than words and If I say I believe in something I..can’t be a hypocrite.” Dee glanced down at her feet, still swinging her legs much similar to a child. “No..I take that back...tradition is everywhere. The problem is when it’s twisted to put down a minority...either it be women, less fortunate..” She shrugged. “So I did learn something..you know besides the fact you are taller than I would have imagined.” Deidra leaned back, repositioning her palms behind her so she now appeared more relaxed. “I guess I can understand what they would see in you.” She smiled, letting her eyes wander as if she was still unsure of some of things she may or may not have heard about the man. It was clear by how her smile remained that she was teasing. “You want to show me your scars?” Dee tilted her head to the side, a few loose strands falling out of her loose braid. “I’m sure they are more interesting than most of mine..” She played, pulling her dress up to her knee to show a thick, white scar across her shin. “That was from jumping off the rocks into a swimming hole and missing the deep end.”
“No, Luckas. Don’t interfere..” Ess still managed to breathe, just as Darren was kicked in his side, his loss of balance working in his favor as he barely avoided a black eye. Even so Ess knew it would upset her son if she interfered. He needed to stand on his own two feet. Darren blocked Aiden. Aiden blocked darren. It went like that until Ess chuckled at the men’s speed, a few of the spectators whistling, a minor uproar of laughter when Darren smacked Aiden not once, not twice, but three times across the face as a counter each time Aiden tried to hit him. The next Ess knew, her eyes actually began trailing behind the men’s assault. She couldn’t keep up with how fluid they moved. It reminded her of the only time she remembered moving so gracefully and perfect was when she was fire wielding. Almost as hypnotizing.
Darren used Aiden’s weight against him, twisting his outstretched arm sideways, putting stress against the elbow, threatening it into an unnatural position, his other palm open, flat practically cutting into his tricep. There was no pause when he pushed himself towards the ground to dip and slide under Aiden’s extended arm, knocking on his stomach, Darren’s knees crushing his left shoulder down upon his left hand. Darren brought the man’s arm into a lock behind his own knee and sat on Aiden’s wrist.
Aiden didn’t even realize what had happened until he was on the ground, his attempts to break out of the hold futile but he still fought against the pain. A little more pressure would be all it took for Darren to break his wrist and the man’s arm in two places. Darren’s stare eased up, gently placing his left hand on the back of Aiden’s head in a belittling gesture of comfort.
“Ready to give up now?” He chuckled.
Aiden grunted and remembered this was suppose to be in good fun. When did it escalate? So finally, he conceded and Darren let him go, helping the man to his feet. It took a few moments for the feeling to come back into Aiden’s arm but once it did, they acted as if nothing had happened.
Ess grabbed Darren’s arm as he walked past and looked up at him curiously. “What was that about?” She asked, her brows narrowing in inspection as she waited for his answer.
Darren shook his head and laughed. “But Mom, what ever do you mean? Just a couple guys having a bit of fun..” He pulled away from Ess’ grasp as he went over to the mercenaries who were still playing instruments. Ess didn’t believe Darren for one second that display was all innocent fun. It actually kind of scared her how much in that moment, Darren reminded her of herself.
“I think people don’t understand tradition... Most people see it as something set in stone, never to be messed with, I think it should be about what you’d like your kids to learn, and their kids. If the world changes then these lessons need to change with it as well. Otherwise you’ll be holding back your own kind while everyone else moves forward.” Dastan stated, his eyes wandering from the conversation for a moment, a look of amusement crossing them as he watched some of his guys taking part on the bets. “And you’re right; tradition is everywhere, no wonder Valcrest has changed so little in four thousand years. In part, maybe I’ve been contributing to that... We could have gotten involved a lot sooner than we have, and for better reasons than we have... Some traditions are difficult to break, I suppose.” Dastan shook his head, his gaze falling back on the woman as he drank in silence for a moment, noting that his bottle was just about empty, his dark eyes seeming to register the change in Dee’s posture, an eyebrow arching at the woman’s teasing as if he was wondering what exactly she meant by it, but wasn’t going to ask. He casually let his gaze trail down to the scar on Deidra’s shin. “Well that is a lovely... Scar...” He spoke, his eyes lingering for a moment before meeting hers once again as he shrugged. “Most of my scars were acquired in training... You know... Miscalculated moves... arrogant mistakes... All reminders of what not to do.” He smiled, seeming to remember his training quite fondly for a moment before lifting up his shirt up to his shoulder and turning to show a scar that extended from his left shoulder blade down to his waist. “Shadow...Crys’... Jake’s... Horse. I don’t know, they have this weird ‘shared custody’ thing going with their animals...” Dastan started, lowering his shirt and turning to face Dee. “I stole him from a Blackpond officer... The man stopped to answer a call of nature and I rode off on his steed... The bloody thing knocked me over and dragged me for a good few miles before I managed to get him to stop. Along the way a nice sharp piece of stone sliced me up.” He snickered. “Suppose letting him go would have been the smartest thing to do, but I can be foolishly stubborn when I feel something is worth it.”
“This...wait…” Essence mumbled as the gift was revealed as a thick, black book with quite a bit of weight to it. Running her fingers appreciatively over the binding she flipped open it’s pages and fanned through to a random page in the middle and began reading. “It’s so organized..”
“What is? What the bloody hell is in there?” Darren asked impatiently, looking over Ess’ shoulder.
“Rutilas Radix..huh...she knows where to get the root I use for the active ingredient for the red vial. I didn’t think Sowthistle had any healing properties..ooh..it’s like the dictionary of poisons and antidotes!”
Darren chuckled. “She hasn’t even met you and she’s giving you the resources to kill people. That’s kind of scary.” He ducked below Ess’ assault, her hand missing his cheek once again.
“That’s not all that is in here, Darren.” Ess snorted, reading through another page, her eyes hungrily devouring each word. “This is great...Now I really need to meet her.”
Darren picked up Jake’s gift from the table and placed it in between the pages Ess was reading. “Alright, one more and then maybe you’ll come dance with me, Ma.”
It looked as if Darren was tapping his foot in impatience but it was to a distinctive drumbeat. It stood alone, echoing high over her head, beckoning the flute’s forlorn whisper to gain strength. Little by little more flutes joined in, picking up speed as if now to mock the drum. Some of the guard began dancing before the fire, almost tripping others who were carrying more food over to the tables. Ess herself, started bobbing her head to the beat, a pleasant, warm glow gracing her cheeks as the effects of the liquor began to show itself. She immediately, however, became still after opening Jake’s gift to her. A delightful, surprising squeal erupted past her lips as she held up a small, wooden pendant that had been crafted into a necklace with a detailed, oak tree design carved into it’s surface. Ess closed her eyes, letting her fingers trail over the image. Quietly she pulled the necklace over her head, peeking down to look at how it sat just over her heart. Ess took several deep breaths, turning to snatch back her bottle from Luckas, hoping a couple more swigs of the warm liquid would sooth an anxious, itching feeling that was stirring in the pit of her stomach.
“Great! You can wear that while you go and try on the dress I made you.” Deidra commanded with a nod. “I can tweak it if the dress isn’t snug enough for you..er or however you feel most comfortable.”
Luckas nodded simply retrieving one of the boxes he had left on the table after giving Stalker a bit of a nudge away from them as he was already showing signs of wanting to snatch them away. “Stalker... Come on... You already had some at the cake shop... You’re gonna get fat.” He muttered playfully at the wolf. “That box better be there when I come back or I’ll be really mad, you hear me?” He warned, seeming very unconvinced when Stalker obediently laid down at his feet. Carrying the box over to the children, Luckas sat on the ground, setting the box down on his lap and opening it to reveal a small batch of wolf-shaped gingerbread cookies and carefully passing them along to the kids so they each got two of the cookies, noting some were still left in the box. That’s when he felt someone poke him in the shoulder and turned his head to see that Lily was standing behind him, holding something behind her back. “Miss Lily... What did we discuss last time I was here? About you sneaking up on me?” He questioned.
“To never ever do it.” Lily answered.
“Becaaause...?” Luckas insisted.
“It’s unsafe.” The girl recited. “I forgot. I won’t do it anymore, I promise.”
“Good.” Luckas stated, offering the girl her two cookies and whispering to her. “What are you hiding there?”
Lily snickered, taking the cookies and placing a piece of paper in Luke’s hand. “Is for you to give Miss Ess...since you forgot to bring her a birthday present.” She answered in the same whispered tone Luckas had used.
“Oh?” Luckas mumbled, taking the extra cookies in the box and giving them out to Tala, Beo, and Stalker before jumping to his feet and examining the paper. It read ‘good for one hug’ in what was clearly a child’s handwriting, the letters surrounded by drawings of little pink hearts. Luckas shook his head, a thankful smile crossing his features at the girl’s gesture. “Why, thank you, Miss Lily... That’s very nice of you.”
“No problem. I can make another one for Mr. Jake too, if you want.” She offered.
Luckas chuckled. “No, no... I don’t think that’s necessary, thank you.”
“Okay. Thanks for the cookies, Mister Luckas.”
“Don’t mention it.” Luckas replied, smirking at the girl. “Really, don’t mention it... I have a reputation to keep.”
“Silly.” The girl giggled.
“See, you keep calling me things like that... and that’s not good for my reputation, kid.”
“Mister Luckas... When are we having story time again?” One of the boys asked.
“Well, I don’t know... I said it was just one story...”
“It was one story.” Lily argued. “And next time will be just one story too.”
“Hmmm... I’m pretty sure that’s not what...” Luckas mumbled.
“Pleeease Mister Luckas?”
“Well, uh... Fine... Tomorrow, if I’m still around by night time.” Luckas agreed. “Aren’t you kids up past your bedtime or something?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at them.
“Mister Jake said we could stay up late.” Lily said.
“Did he now?” Luckas snickered.
“Sort of... ” The girl shrugged.
“Okay, if he said so, sort of, then who am I to disagree?” Luke agreed. His attention was drawn from the children as he noticed the book Ess had opened and he wandered over to get a closer look at it with a curious expression. He’d obviously seen the book before, but that was a good few years ago. “I sort of stole that book once... It was just a terrible idea...” He mumbled.
Jake laughed. “Oh, come on, don’t tell me you’re afraid of my little cousin...”
“Aren’t you?” Luckas questioned. “I may be crazy, but I’m not that crazy.”
Jake sighed. “No, yeah, I see what you mean.” He mumbled. “I guess it makes sense she’d pass it along though, not like she needs to look at it.”
“Aren’t you a bit upset she didn’t give it to you?” Luckas questioned.
“Why would she ever think I need it?” Jake retorted with a smirk. His smile faltered a bit however as he saw Ess opening his gift. He had been really unsure, since he retrieved the piece of wood from his house, what to make of it, eventually he settled for following his sister’s advice and making it into something meaningful. “Yeah, Ali made that, but I did sketch the tree from memory and we all know that’s the hard part.” He stated playfully.
“Let me see this thing…” Darren muttered, waving his hand in front of Ess’ eyes before reaching to hold the pendant in his hand which was still attached around Ess’ neck. Essence looked up at her son, quirking a brow, watching as his eyes lit up like hers would, staring almost through the oak design. His eyes flashed violet each time an image fluttered past his vision.
“It’s nice to have a reminder of what is now lost..” Essence whispered, looking back down at the pendant.
Darren finally let it fall from his fingers, his eyes fading back to their baby blues. “...That tree you told me about where you and Uncle Jake would play as kids...you said it’s not there anymore, right? I honestly never paid much attention, living there, but I remember the fire. At least a piece of it remains.” Darren smiled, turning to pat Jake on the back. “That was a smart idea, Guy.”
Ess turned her gaze back to Jake, lips parted as if to speak when she realized what the pendant was made from. She smiled, tears shimming but never falling. “Jake…”
“Alright, now time to go try this on…” Deidra tossed the dress over her shoulder and boldly snatched Ess’ bottle from her hands, her free arm linking around Ess’ as she began to drag her away from the crowd and towards Dee’s bunk. “We’ll be back!”
“Dee...wait...I don’t want to be the center of attention...I’ll be the only one wearing a dress…” Ess complained, putting up some resistance.
“You are so full of it.” Dee chuckled. “But don’t worry...all of us girls decided we will join you..”
As Ess was being pulled away from the group, each hand snapped outwards, one hand gripping Crys by the arm and the other catching Ali’s sleeve. “You two are coming too.”
Aiden snickered at the small spectacle as he removed the armor from Tala, immediately following after Ess once she was free. Sora and Beo followed as well, but Aiden whistled to Beo and commanded him to stay. The wolf didn’t look pleased. “Girl time, pup.” He stated, moving to stand next to Darren. “See, that didn’t go so bad.”
Darren quirked a brow, leaning towards Aiden and laughed right in his face. “All due respect...you need to open your eyes..”
Jake chuckled softly as Crys momentarily held on to his arm to try and keep Ess from dragging her away before giving in and following after the other women. Ali didn’t put up much of an argument, but Jake was pretty sure that if Dee was considering putting her in a dress she’d have a pretty hard time.
“So, this has got to be the most time you two spent together in at least a month, right?” Dastan asked, calmly fiddling with the bottle Ess had given him. “Getting hopeful, are we?”
“None of your business.” Jake retorted, not wanting to get into whatever subject Dastan was trying to approach with him.
“Hmmph...” Dastan sighed. “Listen, kid... When Crys invited me to come along she asked me to be nice, not matter what you said, but... I was thinking... She’s not here right now, so maybe you want to take the opportunity to say whatever you think you need to say to my face instead of muttering shit under you breath like a scolded infant.”
“I don’t see what I could possibly have to say to you, Shaykh.. You’re the one who seems to have something to say.”
“Quite honestly, Jake, I’d like to say a few things, if you’ll allow me... I think it’s important we set matters straight, don’t you?”
“Go on.” Jake agreed, drinking from his bottle and staring at Dastan with a serious look in his eyes.
“I don’t dislike you, I don’t... I just feel that... This is a rather sad situation, Jacob. Crys is an outstanding woman and she deserves a good man... You... Act like a little boy.”
“Do you consider yourself a good man, Dastan?” Jake questioned.
“Maybe not, but I’m a grown man, Jake. A man in your position wouldn’t feel so threatened. I mean, you’ve been wasting a lot of energy keeping an eye on me, but really... What do you think I can do? I understand where you’re coming from, don’t get me wrong, I get that you see how I look at her and I’m afraid sometimes you can’t control how you look at someone, but I’m not stupid. I’ve known Crys for a very long time, it’s very clear to me where I stand with her; it’s very clear to me and pretty much everyone what she wants. I could sit around waiting for her to finally get sick of waiting for you to man up, but I have too much respect for her and myself to be that guy... So for Twins sake, man... Grow up, yes? That girl has been through a lot, she deserves something good in her life... For some stupid reason she’s convinced you’re it; all you have to do is not act like a jackass... It’s not difficult; try it sometime. Okay?”
“Yeah... Okay...” Jake snorted.
“Are we good?” Dastan muttered, opening up the bottle of liquor.
“I guess so.” Jake sighed, scratching the back of his head.
“Good.” Dastan stated, taking a swig from the liquor. “Sooo... What’s the deal with that Dee woman, is she taken?”
Jake snorted a laugh at the question. “Not that I know of. You’re not seriously going to ask her to marry you or something, right?”
“Naah... That’s more of a third date kind of thing, don’t you think?” Dastan played. “Hey, Little Man, was that your cake?” He asked, pointing out the box Stalker had knocked over and was digging into.
“Stalker!” Luckas muttered out. “No, no, no... That was my cake. MY cake!” He scolded, not really hoping there’d be anything left in the box at this point. “Can wolves get drunk on rum cake?” He mumbled.
Darren reached across the table of food and swiped a roll off a plate to munch on while engaged in the exchange between Dastan and Jake. Almost choking on his roll when Stalker was discovered nose deep in cake, Darren collected himself before approaching Dastan with a smile. “Nice to see you again, Guy. I knew I liked you.” Darren extended his hand in greeting and chuckled, glancing between Aiden and Luckas for a moment. “Ever feel like the whole world is blind?” He half heartedly joked.
Aiden shook his head and sighed, motioning to a crate where a few bottles still remained. “Come on, Kid. Come have a drink.”
Darren nodded, happily receiving one of the bottles. “You think by getting me drunk Old Man, you’ll hold your title?”
Aiden laughed. “Kid, I recall we were both sober.” Playfully he patted Darren’s back, tapping his bottle against the kid’s before taking a swig. “Just say when and where if you want a rematch.”
“Fine. But leave the squirrels out of it this time.” Darren snickered, finding Aiden’s facial expression priceless. “Don’t act all innocent. I know they are your spies.” Both men just stared at one another before breaking out into a fit of laughter.
“Girls, I think you’re needed. Miss Ess is calling for you.” Jess whispered to a few of the children, smiling when Lily handed her one of the cookies Luckas gave her.
“Ok, Hold that for later.” Lily commanded before running off with the others, Sora greeting the children when they approached by circling them a few times and barking.
“What was that about?” Darren asked Aiden, honestly expecting some crazy answer and was slightly disappointed and yet still amused when the man just shrugged. “I will wait for the squirrel’s report.”
Darren was about to shoot a smart ass remark back when he saw some of the women coming back towards the group and took off to wait for Ess. “She almost done?” He asked Deidra who had decided to change so that Ess wasn’t the only one dressed up. She had thrown her hair up so it was off her neck, a necklace of tiny black feathers dangling past her collarbone. Dee wore a simple, hunter green gown that dragged along the ground behind her. “Yea, she’s decorating the kids.” When Deidra met back up with the group she looked around as if surprised things were pretty much the same as when she left. “I take it you boys are behaving?”
The kids were the next ones to appear; three little girls, their hair adorned with blue irises in matching blue dresses that flowed around them as they ran over towards the fire and began spinning in circles around the blaze. The music paused and when it started again the pace had picked up again considerably to match the kid’s enthusiasm. Essence kept to the shadows, avoiding her son except for the fact she had Tala, Sora, and Kaya with Drakey still in her mouth, trailing behind her. She stepped out to join the girls, a few other women from the Guard following behind the wolves, also in dresses. Eventually all of them found a place around the fire, hand in hand to lift and swing the kids as they circled, becoming still when the music paused again. The adults would start and the kids would mimic their movements, arms outstretched like birds, alternating in direction as they spun, kicking up dirt towards the flames.
Darren waited patiently for an opening and reached into the moving circle to steal Essence, drawing her close as he changed up the dance and lead her towards the band. “You should wear your hair down more often, Mom. It suits you.” Darren smiled, tugging lightly on one of her shorter curls that hung along her eyebrow.
Essence smiled, shaking her head as she leaned in to whisper to her son “You knew about this?” Darren nodded.
“I finished that other bottle...Dee helped...I think I’m going to need another.” She sighed.
“You’re doing fine. You didn’t run away.”
“I would have if the girls didn’t come with me.” She chuckled.
Dastan simply chuckled at Darren, watching with half interest as Luckas wiped a bit of frosting Stalker couldn’t get off his fur by himself. “And you, Little Man... What’s your story? I remember you at the ball all those months ago. You seemed to be having a better time then.”
“I’d stop calling me that, if I were you.” Luckas stated simply, dodging Stalker’s attempts at licking his face. “Anyone would tell you I’m childish enough to want to make you swallow your words.”
“Well, excuse me, but you are quite little, I mean... You’re almost as little as Irvin over there and... what’re you eighteen?”
“I’m twenty... I think...” Luckas muttered. “Just stop calling me that.”
“Twenty... So you’re not younger than her kid... You kind of look like you are.”
“The kid is... He’s... Seventeen... Eighteen at most... What are you trying to say, pal?”
“Nothing, just... Making conversation...” Dastan snickered.
“Stupid wolf, you better not get sick and puke everywhere like that other time.” Luckas mumbled, ruffling up Stalker’s fur a bit before turning to face Dastan. “You have a strange way of making conversation, pal.”
“I’m a strange guy, I’ve been told.” Dastan agreed.
Luckas nodded, going silent for a bit before speaking again. “I don’t get what she sees in him either... She’s a pretty nice person.”
Dastan laughed. “Jake is not a bad guy... He’s just not very smart either.”
“No, not a bad guy... Not Jakey.” Luckas muttered, rolling his eyes. “Definitely not smart though, if I knew there was going to be a party I would probably not have come... Well, or at least I would’ve waited until later... Crowds are not my thing.” He shrugged. “I’d rather not have to make nice with people... Or Beast Speakers.... On days like today.”
“Is that right?” Dastan asked, holding back a chuckle. Whatever else he was about to say next was completely lost when he noticed Deidra had returned, and he gave Luckas a small pat on the back. “Nice talking to you, little man.”
Luckas snorted in response, muttering under his breath and smirking slightly as Dastan tripped over himself at his next step and hit the ground quite comically. “What did I tell you, about calling me that, mate?” Luckas asked.
Dastan laughed as he slowly got on his feet, shaking his head at Luckas. “Fair enough, suppose I asked for that... So I’ll let you get away with it, this time.” He stated in a tone of warning that was only half playful, calmly brushing the bit of dirt that had stuck to his clothes. He walked over to Deidra and sighed. “So much for trying to be cool.” He stated, glancing at the bottle he was holding and smiling to see the contents hadn’t spilled. “You know, I don’t like admitting it, but you confused me Miss... When you said you know who I am, did you mean you already knew my name or did you mean you know who I am?” He questioned, taking a sip from the liquor. “If it’s the latter, well, whatever it is you heard... It’s probably true, but I can explain.”
Jake was half watching the exchange between Darren and Aiden, frowning slightly as he wondered if Darren was serious about the squirrels or if it was all a joke... He couldn’t really deny that if he could use squirrels as spies he probably would; who would suspect a squirrel? “I think I’ve already had a bit too much.” Jake snickered, emptying his bottle and shaking his head at his thoughts. That was silly.
When the dance started Jake walked a bit closer to watch, but he didn’t see Crys or Ali anywhere and he wondered where they had gone. He distracted himself watching the girls dance, some of the mercenaries starting to clap their hands to the beat of the song as they stopped to watch as well. That was when Jake spotted Ali walking back towards the group in the company of another woman, who wasn’t Crys.
“Hey look, Jake... Sheila’s here.” Ali greeted as she brought the woman into their circle her blue eyes glaring at Jake as if she was mentally shouting at him.
“I see... That...” Jake mumbled, a little confused as to why the woman was there when he hadn’t invited her. “Irvin... Were you and Ess at the Inn today?”
“Uh...” Irvin mumbled. “Was that not okay?” The kid asked.
“Jacob, don’t panic... I’m not staying. I just stopped by to wish you a happy birthday. I’m on my way to camp actually. Sean wants everyone back by tomorrow at sundown. I think it probably has to do with your girlfriend, but we weren’t told, at least not yet.”
“You don’t seem too happy about it, I thought you didn’t like Sean.” Jake replied, fetching another bottle of liquor. “What changed?”
“You don’t want to discuss this on your birthday, Jake, but I think you know what changed. It’s hard to stay on your side after what happened. Everyone loved Katie.” Sheila answered with a shrug. “Can I have one of those, please?”
Jake sighed, handing her his bottle. “We had nothing to do with it, and by ‘we’, I mean not me or Crys, or Evin, or any of their people. Sean himself caught the guys, for what I heard.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, hun.” She replied, opening the bottle and taking a sip. “Hmph... So much better than our stuff...” She noted, shaking her head.
Jake let out a bitter chuckle at Sheila’s comment. “Don’t talk to me about sleep right now, Sheila. I bet Sean slept like a baby after he executed that boy Ali trained.”
The woman shook her head, not losing her smile. “See, I told you... You don’t want to discuss this now...”
“Suppose not.” Jake agreed, looking past Sheila. “Where’s Crys, Ali?”
“She was with me, but... We ran into Sheila and she split up with us... She mumbled something about hearing a squirrel and wandered off...” Ali replied, shrugging at the questioning look Jake shot her. “I’m sure she’ll show up soon.”
“A squirrel?” Jake mumbled a bit confused. “Ah, wait, there she is.” He nodded, spotting Crys as she walked in their direction.
“Did I miss anything?” Crys asked, stopping beside Ali, seeming a bit too calm considering the circumstances.
“Not really, no.” Ali replied. “Just a small discussion about why Katie’s death is our fault and... Sheila said she’s just passing through.”
Crys sighed. “Sean is calling everyone back, is he?” She shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”
“Tell me something about this whole thing that is necessary?” Sheila questioned.
“Give me a better solution.” Crys retorted. “Do you think this is what I want?”
“Hey.” Jake interrupted. “We’re not discussing this right now.”
“How did the hand heal up?” Crys asked in an interested tone, not withholding a satisfied smirk.
“It healed up just fine, thanks.” Sheila muttered. “I think... I should get going. Like I said, just wanted to stop by.” She started, handing the liquor bottle back to Jake and giving him a long hug before turning away and starting to leave the camp.
Jake winced slightly when Sheila hugged him, kind of sensing the reaction the gesture was provoking, but he didn’t say anything and just let the woman be on her way waiting to see if Crys would ask whether or not he invited her. She didn’t. Instead she turned to speak to Luckas.
“Hey, Just Luckas... Do you dance?” She asked.
“Not really.” Luke answered. “Why?
“I was just thinking that maybe you should... I doubt Darren would mind it too much.” She told him casually. “And how about you, Jakey, do you dance?”
“Depends on who’s asking.” Jake smiled.
“Well, you know... Technically, you should ask me, but... That’s one more thing I’ll let you get away with this time... because it’s your birthday.” She snickered, pulling him by the hand towards the music.
Deidra did her best not to laugh at Dastan when he so gracefully met the ground. The act had softened her gaze, an amused smile forming itself as she turned respectively towards the man as he addressed her. “To answer your question, a bit of both. I wonder though, exactly, what you feel you would need to explain about yourself? People are who they are and will act the way they will act, so unless you are not proud of your actions, one shouldn’t feel the need to explain.” Dee shrugged as if she didn’t expect the conversation to go much further, glancing around to retrieve a bottle from one of the crates and immediately opening it taking a deep draught. She laughed at herself when a bit of the contents trickled down her chin. “To be fair, I can’t honestly say that I know you. I’ve never met you before, so my knowledge would be naturally left with some holes.”
Darren and Ess continued their dance, both laughing when Ess’ eyes widened in surprise when her son would dip and then spin Ess with an unusual amount of speed. He was purposely working to make her laugh as much as possible, still aware of her tension by the way her fingers would occasionally dig into his arm. “You’re doing it again..” He whispered into her curls.
“I am not.” Ess turned her gaze away from her friends across the way and back up to Darren’s.
“Are to. You are staring at him.” Darren snickered. “..And don’t look now, but Aiden is staring at you again.”
Ess snorted, responding by leaning her head against Darren’s arm to look back over in Luckas’ direction. “...How much longer do you have to enjoy the party?” She muttered, changing the subject.
“Couple hours, then it’s the changing of the Guard. I’m probably going to visit Annie sometime in the next couple days too..if you want to tag along.”
Ess nodded. “Maybe. If I go out that way, if I have the availability..Ali said she’d take me out that way...to the Ruins..”
Darren sighed. “To what end? Do you expect to find something?”
“I don’t expect anything, Darren. Have you ever been out that way?”
“No. I am not sure if that would be a good idea for me.” He whispered, an uneasy look crossing his eyes. “I have been thinking of wearing gloves..It’s just not as predictable as it was before.”
“Oh? You feeling alright? You seem to be doing alright now.”
“Better than you are as of late. I found you sleep walking again last night.” Darren noted matter of factly, pulling back to look down at his mother. A concerned frown straining his face. “Essence...you’re bleeding..”
Ess released Darren, standing out in her statue like form as she wiped at her nose. Darren reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and held it above her lip, cleaning off the blood. “You sure this training thing you and Luckas…”
“It’s fine. If you are worried because of the side effects...I can tell you this is normal.” Ess began to argue, Darren interrupting her.
“You aren’t worried about the stress of it..and how it affects your enlightenment?”
“No.” Ess sighed. “I’m finding out there’s more to it than I originally thought..” Ess turned, taking the handkerchief from Darren and putting pressure to her nose, moving back towards the crates of alcohol. “I just need another drink..”
Dastan nodded, an amused smile crossing his features. “I’m not sure about you ladies, but I’m sure no man is proud of all his actions. Unless said man is a fool, that is.” He replied with a slight shrug. “I’m personally very aware of my reputation, and while it is very much accurate, it is not all there is... Still, I’m in a bit of a disadvantage here seeing as you haven’t even told me your name yet, Miss. And you know all these things about me too... That can make a guy feel a bit... vulnerable... know what I mean?” He asked playfully.
After Sheila had left and Crys had dragged Jake away to dance, Ali had gone get some food and water, as she returned to where their group had gathered she spotted Irvin in conversation with the quiet guy Ess had called Luckas. Ali hadn’t paid much attention to him until then, but then she remembered where she heard the name before. As she approached them Ali sighed as she realized Irvin was still going on about their bet, Luckas not seeming to agree with him either.
“It’s not an acceptable answer.” Luckas mumbled.
“It’s not a fair bet either though.” Irvin argued.
“Listen, kid; pick up a book sometime... If you did then you’d know the answer.” Luckas retorted, idly running his fingers through Stalker’s fur. “It’s not an impossible question, and it doesn’t matter if it is an unfair bet because you agreed to it.”
“Still, Irvin?” Ali asked the boy. “You really don’t like to lose, do you?”
“I couldn’t possibly know this, alright?”
Luckas snorted. “Rosefeld.”
“Oh, come on, you cheated!” Irvin mumbled.
Luckas glared at the kid, seeming insulted by his accusation. “I didn’t cheat. Like I said, pick up a book.”
Ali shook her head, patting Irvin in the head playfully. “There, there.” She chuckled. “Mind elaborating on that answer then? Luckas, is it?”
“It was the last village to burn and you don’t look much older than me. You were twitching at the fireworks, so you clearly remember the fire. It wasn’t too difficult really.”
“You know what... Screw you.” Irvin muttered, glaring at Luckas and wandering off.
“Pffft... Seriously... what the hell is Jake teaching that kid?” Luckas muttered.
“Oh, I don’t know... Are you sure you didn’t cheat a bit? Alistair told me a little about you, Luckas... All that time in the Shadows camp and Lena didn’t tell you about her village?”
“Alistair... Alistair... Hmmm... The name sounds a bit familiar... Tall, empath, a bit of a jerk, obvious mommy issues?” Luckas asked raising an eyebrow. “Whatever he told you, probably not good things, is likely true. I’m glad to say that Lena and I didn’t spend much time discussing her past... Who are you, exactly?”
“Call me Ali, Luckas... I’m with the assassins.” Ali replied with a small shrug. “So you read about the villages, then? Can you name them all?”
Luckas gave Ali a suspicious look. “What was the bet you had with the kid?”
“A kiss.”
“No wonder he was pissed... No thanks.”
Ali chuckled. “Does it have to be a bet?”
“I’m not giving it up for free.” Luke snickered. “How about the chess piece you have in your pocket?”
“How do you know what I have in my pocket?”
“I cheated.” Luckas stated simply. “Yes or no?”
“Okay.”
“Rosefeld, Ashdrift, Ironedge, Narrow Brook, Blissfalls, Oakstone, and Whirlwind.” Luckas listed casually.
“Very good.” Ali stated, fetching a small black pawn from her pocket and handing it over. “A pawn, huh?”
“Aren’t we all?” Luckas mumbled, taking the chess piece with a half smile, examining it for a few moments before putting it in his pocket. “Excuse me.” He said, moving past Ali as he spotted Ess moving towards the liquor boxes, catching up with her and raising an eyebrow at her bloody nose. “Since when has dancing become a violent sport?” He asked playfully. “Now, that’s a pretty dress Lady.” He pointed out, circling Ess a couple of times as if to see it from all sides. “I’d say you should wear it to our next date, but the way they tend to go it might end up torn... or scorched... and that’d be such a pity.”
“..And you know all these things about me too... That can make a guy feel a bit... vulnerable... know what I mean?”
Deidra tilted her head, a full smile spreading from ear to ear. “..It is at our most vulnerable...It is when we show a bit of humility, that we learn the most about ourselves, no? It is there, where those of us who pay attention, can see what is hidden beneath.” Nodding a bit at her words she raised her bottle before taking another sip. “I’m sorry, that is rude of me. Deidra...Reid...Deidra or Dee is fine. If I know apparently all these things about you...why not tell me something I don’t know? I’ll go first.” Dee took a moment to think, reflecting on the bit of conversation she had taken part with the man, before chuckling at herself. “I don’t believe in first impressions..”
Essence opening a smile when she heard Luckas beside her, her eyes darting between two kinds of liquor, unsure of which she’d rather try. “If I agreed dancing was a violent sport would that mean you’d dance with me?” Ess laughed, crinkling up the blood stained cloth in the palm of her hand. A noticeable pink hue heated her pale cheeks when Luckas commented on the dress. Finally she looked up at Luckas, after deciding on a bottle and winked at him. “Oh to think you’d be so heartbroken if my dress found itself in shambles. I shudder to think of how many eyes you’d poke out…” She trailed off still giggling. “So are we going on this date sometime soon? Suppose to be your party, your rules this time.”
Dastan smiled, nodding his agreement as he drank from his bottle. “I suppose you’re right, Dee, it’s just not something I’m used to, I guess; being vulnerable. I like to think I know exactly where I stand at all times.” Taking a few more swigs, the man took his time thinking on what to say to what seemed like such a simple question. “Well, it’s hard to think of something you’d definitely not know, and I’m not sure exactly what you do know... but...” He took another drink, pointing at the scar on his neck. “I have never told anyone, not even my sister, how I actually got this scar.”
“Well, Lady...” Luckas chuckled, taking one of the bottles for himself. “I’m not one to agree that people should be violent for sport... There are so many better uses for violence, don’t you think?” He opened the bottle and took a drink from it. “But maybe... On a less crowded occasion.” He answered, giving a small shrug and drinking some more, choking in a small fit of laughter at the mention of poking out eyes. “As much as I enjoy making you shudder, Lady, I’d honestly not want to see all of Deidra’s hard work go to waste, because... Honestly, she’s a little bit scary, but who knows... We could give it a little ‘scar’, maybe. Nothing fatal.” He played, smirking as he glanced down at his liquor bottle, going into a moment of thought. “Hmm... Well... Soon-ish... I suppose I should find us something special, no? I heard third dates are meant to be a big deal... We should save some of those fireworks.”
Deidra’s eyes scanned over where Dastan pointed along his neck, giving a respectful pause before she spoke. She was slightly caught off guard and honestly was not expecting his words. Dee was curious to know more, but was not the type of person to ask such a personal question. “We all have scars…” Dee whispered, smiling and pointing to the one on the left side of her face. “It’s no secret Essence and I share a similar history on how we acquired ours.” Dee took a sip from her bottle before motioning to Aiden and the others of the Guard who were meandering through the party. “My scar, as my brothers and sisters here will contest to, was caused by my...well some would call him my benefactor...others would say legally he was my husband...but yes was something I acquired from him. It’s the only reminder of him now. What I’ve never told anyone..is what the real story is around his...sudden disappearance.” Dee shrugged as if the truth of it didn’t matter. “Honestly, I tell people I refuse to explain what happened because it’s funnier to see the looks on people’s faces when it comes up. I just don’t usually talk about it because it’s intimidating to find out about someone...especially when…” Dee snickered shaking her head. “..But if one were to think on it...why do people keep secrets if not to protect someone. I really...had nothing to do with it..directly..but no one would believe that.” She nodded behind Dastan, speaking as forward as possible, “If you want to take this opportunity to walk away, there would be your opening without worry of offense.”
Essence was half watching Deidra while listening to Luckas. “I get the crowd thing...I am feeling a bit whelmed, but not so much now that you’re here.” Ess couldn’t help but giggle at Luckas’ words on Dee and not wanting to damage her dress. “Deidra? Scary? That’s a riot. She has to be the biggest sweetheart I have ever met, but I agree to not wanting to destroy her hard work.” Her gaze lifted from Luckas, swiftly veering back towards Deidra, listening in a bit on her conversation. Dee had to have been one of the most direct women that she had ever met; at times as if she were fearless.
“Luckas…” She whispered. “You know...I almost wish it was going to rain...then I’d be left to dance in it...while everyone else ran.” Ess released a shaky breath which sounded almost like a shiver as she recalled the memory. “Maybe there we could take that moment to dance in the storm..”
About A Week Ago..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH_PKQMUyiI
“Luckas...” Ess breathed, opening a solemn stare, her orbs focused intently upon the flames before her. Tilting her head she rested her chin upon her hand, propping herself up from where she laid upon the grass, her free hand absently sifting through the soft blades basking in their gentle touch.
“Luuuuckaaas....” She whispered softly, Tala lifting her head to glance at Ess curiously, the only other movement around her perimeter. A sudden chill crept up Ess’ spine, sending warm shivers along every inch of her skin. Her eyes flickered in their violet incandescence, catching the light from the fire before blinking as a drop of water fell from the sky and hit her lashes. A powerful silence fell upon the wind; she couldn’t even hear the panting of Tala or her pups anymore. All of it seemed...distant. Even the crickets.
Ess let her stare travel towards the dark clouds above, a sudden rumble of the heavens deafening her ears causing an excited smile to curl her lips. Slowly she sat up, leaning back against the log beside the fire, several more specks of rain gaining in speed to disperse sparingly across her bare arms. Running her fingers through her loose curls, the air grew cooler in the stickiness of humidity, the smell of wet soil filling her nostrils seconds before the sky opened up and cried down upon her in an unrelenting force.
Essence giggled, slightly startled by a loud crackling and snapping of thunder, the air lighting up in a white haze. Her eyes darted side to side, another clap of thunder and a collision of clouds came together in sheer blackness, and an invisible fog seemed to lift off the ground. All she could hear were the rumbles above and a river roaring in her ears; her body soaked in seconds.
Again came the shivers, her eyes slowly rolling up in her head as they closed and the biggest smile opened her lips. An unmistakable fit of laughter shook her shoulders, adding a weight to cause her to almost double over. A blink of an eye was all it took for her to be squinting through the downpour, sloppily pushing her sagging curls off her forehead. A surge of energy ached in her belly and into every vein, jumping to her feet and staring up into the sky. The darkness irradiated to a soft tone, the clouds swirling like wisps of smoke. Essence stretched out her fingers, twirling gradually in place and leaping left and right to kick and splash in the massive puddles; a flicker of innocence that commanded everything else to static. A moment of peace.
Then, just as quickly it came, the rain slowed to the clouds breaking and a hint of crimson light from the setting sun teased her eyes from beneath those shadows. For a moment, she forgot she was alone and when she looked around, the crickets crept their way back around her. Ess sighed contently, her focus on the fading thunder as it rolled west towards BlackPond. Her eyes found their way back to the fire, smoke trailing upwards from scorched coals drowning from nature’s tears. Tala had not budged herself, several layers of fur dripping water in slow motion to the ponds below. Life should be about dancing in the rain and not waiting for the storm to pass...” Ess whispered, the gentle breeze coming to a standstill as the rain drained off the leaves, which led her to notice a few patches of blue lilacs scattered beneath the Oak. Ess stepped before the massive tree, kneeling down in front of the spot Luckas usually occupied, fingers gently tracing the bark. Lost in thought she sighed, leaning against the Oak, hugging her knees to her chest as she let herself drift off into that place between dreams and reality.
Present
Darren was momentarily stolen by the children, a few of the girls dragging him into the circle around the fire. He indulged the kids in the dance, finding the opportune time to sneak away when Jess announced they would be heading to bed soon, thus beginning the chorus of complaints and objections once more. He watched as Aiden’s face contorted in pure annoyance as Luckas commented on Ess’ dress, walking to join a few of his buddies who were busy arm wrestling near the band. Darren felt bad for the guy and as any good friend would, he proposed a plan for distraction. It didn’t take much convincing.
“Come on, Old …MAN….” Darren teased, his adorable and innocent smile taunting Aiden as they circled one another. Casually he took off his hat and threw it like a saucer towards Jake to hold onto for him.
“I think this might be considered child abuse..” Aiden shot back, both men sharing in a chuckle before fists started swinging. The men were having too much fun, lazily blocking one another’s advances. It looked as if they were just horsing around; having a bit of fun as they shouted mocking yet harmless insults.
“I think you gave Sora fleas, Aiden.” Darren snickered, ducking beneath Aiden’s arm. “You keep giving me openings, Guy.” He muttered, finally letting his fist meet its target with a challenging force, knocking the wind out of Aiden. His free hand caught Darren’s when he alternated his punches, and for a moment the two stared at each other, veins bulging along their necks or foreheads as they fought to out muscle the other. Darren countered Aiden’s other fist, throwing him off balance, giving him the opening to headbutt him hard. Aiden stumbled backwards, his amusement gone, as Darren stretched his fingers and cracked his knuckles while awaiting Aiden to recover from the momentary disorientation.
“Ready to give up, Aiden?” Darren’s eyes strobed in unison each time he blinked, trading off shades of purples and blues.
“And spoil the fun? Thought we were just getting started, Kid.”
Essence didn’t like this. To be truthful, it was awkward to give a crap about both opponents, even though, naturally she wanted Darren to win. She was biased, but no one could question her point of view on this. Ess was quite entertained with watching Luckas, watch the fight; not to mention Irvin who was taking bets. After Darren hit Aiden twice with more than just friendly force, something changed in both of the men’s eyes and the competition got a bit serious.
Ess just kept sipping from her bottle until it was almost empty, her eyes dull, cold; emotionless and empty, a complete contradiction to the chaos that was going on inside her mind. The moment Aiden reciprocated Darren’s assault, his knuckles cutting open Darren’s lip as it connected with the left side of his jaw, Essence began to sweat. She took a couple steps towards Aiden, whose back was now to her, before she stopped herself and stepped back, not wanting to get in between whatever was going on with the men. Still, she wanted to grab Tala’s helmet and beat Aiden’s face to a bloody pulp for hitting her son.
Dastan listened quietly to what Deidra was saying, his expression had little trace of his usual playful nature as he drank from his bottle, his gaze fixed upon the woman’s eyes. Once she was done talking Dastan calmly looked over his shoulder as if weighing his options, the playful smile returning when he turned back to face Dee. “I see how that can be intimidating.” He agreed, with a nod of his head. “You know... A lot of city folk think that my clan is... uhm... They like to say old-fashioned instead of what we know they mean... in regards to how we treat our women. I see where they get that impression, we don’t have many women in our ranks, most of them are civilian. My little sister was the first female commander our clan has ever seen and she had a lot to prove before she was taken serious, and our guys are... quite rough around the edges... That to say the least. I think that’s a part of my reputation as well, and it’s not untrue in itself; we are very old-fashioned guys, we’re not polite by most standards, I get how that may lead people to draw conclusions, but... Where I’m from, a man who puts a mark on a woman like this, doesn’t suddenly disappear; he is very publicly punished regardless of what anyone would call him.” Dastan spoke softly. “I’m not sure if that counts as something you didn’t know, but considering the topic of conversation I thought it was fitting to mention.” He smirked. “And if that doesn’t count then I have plenty more scars we can discuss.” He offered, winking at the woman as he took another drink.
Luke snorted, a bit amused at Ess’ comment of Deidra being a sweetheart. “I don’t disagree with that. We just have different definitions of scary, Lady.” He stated simply. Luckas smiled softly at Ess’ mention of dancing in the rain, it wasn’t in the best moment that she had called for him on the day of the storm and it had caused him a little bit of trouble, if not a good share of mockery from Amber due to how much his mood had improved in the few days that followed, but it was worth it for the experience, for the moment. If he could make it rain right then, he probably would, if not for anything else; just to try and lose the crowd. As he was about to answer her though his eyes caught Darren and Aiden going into a fist fight, a frown momentarily crossing his features mixed with amusement. He very much wanted to see the Kid give the Beast Speaker a good beating, he was betting on it; internally, not literally like some of the other party guests. At the same time, he caught Ess’ reaction with the corner of his eye and she didn’t seem too pleased. “I can break it up if you want, Lady.” He offered, not taking his eyes off the two men. “Or preferably, I can help the Kid.” He grinned.
Deidra opened a warm smile, the amber tone of her eyes brightening from the firelight. Placing the bottle on the table, Dee slid along the top, her legs dangling off the edge as she leaned forward, her palms gripping the sides for support. “Tradition and respect..two things that many lack now a days. I don’t think I could keep my sanity if I didn’t contribute and fight...Not to say those who don’t take up arms can’t contribute in other ways..not to say they don’t carry any honor..” Dee paused, an awkward giggle drawing attention to the fact she was distracted for a second as the boys began rough housing. Her eyes quickly found Dastan’s again, a bit apologetic perhaps for more reasons than she was letting on in that moment. “I’m just set on actions speak louder than words and If I say I believe in something I..can’t be a hypocrite.” Dee glanced down at her feet, still swinging her legs much similar to a child. “No..I take that back...tradition is everywhere. The problem is when it’s twisted to put down a minority...either it be women, less fortunate..” She shrugged. “So I did learn something..you know besides the fact you are taller than I would have imagined.” Deidra leaned back, repositioning her palms behind her so she now appeared more relaxed. “I guess I can understand what they would see in you.” She smiled, letting her eyes wander as if she was still unsure of some of things she may or may not have heard about the man. It was clear by how her smile remained that she was teasing. “You want to show me your scars?” Dee tilted her head to the side, a few loose strands falling out of her loose braid. “I’m sure they are more interesting than most of mine..” She played, pulling her dress up to her knee to show a thick, white scar across her shin. “That was from jumping off the rocks into a swimming hole and missing the deep end.”
“No, Luckas. Don’t interfere..” Ess still managed to breathe, just as Darren was kicked in his side, his loss of balance working in his favor as he barely avoided a black eye. Even so Ess knew it would upset her son if she interfered. He needed to stand on his own two feet. Darren blocked Aiden. Aiden blocked darren. It went like that until Ess chuckled at the men’s speed, a few of the spectators whistling, a minor uproar of laughter when Darren smacked Aiden not once, not twice, but three times across the face as a counter each time Aiden tried to hit him. The next Ess knew, her eyes actually began trailing behind the men’s assault. She couldn’t keep up with how fluid they moved. It reminded her of the only time she remembered moving so gracefully and perfect was when she was fire wielding. Almost as hypnotizing.
Darren used Aiden’s weight against him, twisting his outstretched arm sideways, putting stress against the elbow, threatening it into an unnatural position, his other palm open, flat practically cutting into his tricep. There was no pause when he pushed himself towards the ground to dip and slide under Aiden’s extended arm, knocking on his stomach, Darren’s knees crushing his left shoulder down upon his left hand. Darren brought the man’s arm into a lock behind his own knee and sat on Aiden’s wrist.
Aiden didn’t even realize what had happened until he was on the ground, his attempts to break out of the hold futile but he still fought against the pain. A little more pressure would be all it took for Darren to break his wrist and the man’s arm in two places. Darren’s stare eased up, gently placing his left hand on the back of Aiden’s head in a belittling gesture of comfort.
“Ready to give up now?” He chuckled.
Aiden grunted and remembered this was suppose to be in good fun. When did it escalate? So finally, he conceded and Darren let him go, helping the man to his feet. It took a few moments for the feeling to come back into Aiden’s arm but once it did, they acted as if nothing had happened.
Ess grabbed Darren’s arm as he walked past and looked up at him curiously. “What was that about?” She asked, her brows narrowing in inspection as she waited for his answer.
Darren shook his head and laughed. “But Mom, what ever do you mean? Just a couple guys having a bit of fun..” He pulled away from Ess’ grasp as he went over to the mercenaries who were still playing instruments. Ess didn’t believe Darren for one second that display was all innocent fun. It actually kind of scared her how much in that moment, Darren reminded her of herself.
“I think people don’t understand tradition... Most people see it as something set in stone, never to be messed with, I think it should be about what you’d like your kids to learn, and their kids. If the world changes then these lessons need to change with it as well. Otherwise you’ll be holding back your own kind while everyone else moves forward.” Dastan stated, his eyes wandering from the conversation for a moment, a look of amusement crossing them as he watched some of his guys taking part on the bets. “And you’re right; tradition is everywhere, no wonder Valcrest has changed so little in four thousand years. In part, maybe I’ve been contributing to that... We could have gotten involved a lot sooner than we have, and for better reasons than we have... Some traditions are difficult to break, I suppose.” Dastan shook his head, his gaze falling back on the woman as he drank in silence for a moment, noting that his bottle was just about empty, his dark eyes seeming to register the change in Dee’s posture, an eyebrow arching at the woman’s teasing as if he was wondering what exactly she meant by it, but wasn’t going to ask. He casually let his gaze trail down to the scar on Deidra’s shin. “Well that is a lovely... Scar...” He spoke, his eyes lingering for a moment before meeting hers once again as he shrugged. “Most of my scars were acquired in training... You know... Miscalculated moves... arrogant mistakes... All reminders of what not to do.” He smiled, seeming to remember his training quite fondly for a moment before lifting up his shirt up to his shoulder and turning to show a scar that extended from his left shoulder blade down to his waist. “Shadow...Crys’... Jake’s... Horse. I don’t know, they have this weird ‘shared custody’ thing going with their animals...” Dastan started, lowering his shirt and turning to face Dee. “I stole him from a Blackpond officer... The man stopped to answer a call of nature and I rode off on his steed... The bloody thing knocked me over and dragged me for a good few miles before I managed to get him to stop. Along the way a nice sharp piece of stone sliced me up.” He snickered. “Suppose letting him go would have been the smartest thing to do, but I can be foolishly stubborn when I feel something is worth it.”
Aiden and Darren’s fighting had drawn Jake and Crys’ attention away from the the music and they joined the others who had stopped to watch them, Irvin wasting no time in taking bets from the boys of the guard and some of the Crimson Shadows. Crys snickered as the boy asked if she wanted in on the action. “That wouldn’t be fair.” She told the boy with a smirk.
“What does that mean?’ Irvin asked, raising an eyebrow, leaning forward and whispering excitedly. “Can you tell who’s going to win?”
Crys laughed softly. “No, of course not, Irv... Well, not exactly...”
“Well... If you were to take a guess...” Irvin insisted.
“She’s messing with you, Irvin.” Jake pointed out, shaking his head at the boy.
“Oh... Haha, very funny.” The boy mumbled. “You guys suck.”
“Oh, come on Irvin, don’t be so sensitive.” Crys chuckled, putting one arm around the boy’s shoulders. “I was just playing with you a bit. No, I can’t tell who’s going to win. I can’t even tell what is going on right now unless someone tells me. I’m good, but not that good.”
“Well... I think Darren’s winning... Yeah... Yeah... He’s got him.” Irvin confirmed. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some bets to collect.”
“Luckas is probably happy to see that.” Jake stated casually, giving Crys’ hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be right back, I still have Darren’s hat.” He told her, watching Darren as he parted ways with his mother. Placing the hat on his head he walked after the boy. “Hey, is this my birthday present, kid? It does look better on me, doesn’t it?” He teased.
Crys nodded as Jake told her he was going to go return Darren’s hat, smiling as Kaya joined her, scratching behind the wolf’s ears. “You’re going to carry that thing everywhere, aren’t you?” She mumbled in amusement. “Jakey broke my wolf.” She chuckled, wandering off from where Jake had left her and approaching Aiden. “Hey, Aiden, right? I see you’re enjoying the party.” She greeted. “Now I feel kind of bad for telling Dastan’s guys not to pick fights. Although they do tend to hit pretty much everything but their targets with this amount of liquor in them.” She smiled, running her fingers along Kaya’s snout. “That armor you built for Tala, you were saying it’d have to be lighter still?”
The fight had ended, but Luckas was still somewhat glaring after Aiden with an annoyed expression. “The Kid won... Can I... Interfere now, Lady?” Luckas asked, glancing at Ess with a somewhat pleading look in his eyes. “Just a little bit?”
Deidra breathed an airy laugh, staring off at her knees before pushing herself to her feet and raising her hands palm up to examine. She looked up at Dastan, raised her hands up, palms out for him to see and then returned to them to their previous position. Dee approached Dastan, still staring at her open palms, to stand a few steps away. “So you have managed to not turn your mistakes into tradition?” She whispered, presenting her palms in front of Dastan and flexing her fingers so that one could notice mirrored scar tissue that extended across her palms just below her fingers. “Not all scars need to be a consequence of pain in order to grow. Not all are reminders of a regret or even a lesson learned. As you pointed out, it can be a reminder of..a more pleasant nature. These..” Dee’s eyes flickered between her hands and the man before her, a shy smile peeking past her lips. “..barely stopped the blade..one of many that were astray. I still don’t know how, but I did..and I can. It happened so fast, I was only aware of the aftermath of bloody palms and a six inch blade between them.” Deidra’s lips parted as she inhaled slowly, holding her breath a moment before releasing. “And then I had to do it again...and again...until it became an art. That was the day I realized what I wanted to do with my life.” Deidra cleared her throat, leaning backwards to stretch her fingers to retrieve her liquor, quickly swallowing down a few shots worth. Playfully, she tilted her head back as if to get a better look at Dastan when a particular question came to mind. “...What to you...deems something worthy? Are we talking, worthy to give your time? Worthy of the world’s? Or..” Dee winked, “..Worth dying for?”
“Hey, is this my birthday present, kid? It does look better on me, doesn’t it?”
“Ha! Don’t you wish..Uncle Jaaakey.” Darren snorted, a mischievous smile forming. “If I knew you wanted a hat, I would have bought you one...and not these little ol’ things..” A fake look of disappointment crossed his eyes as he reached towards his belt, untucking his shirt to reveal a thin wooden case, not longer than the length of his hand. “Maybe I should just give them away…” He played before smiling and handing Jake the small package. “Happy Birthday Jake.” He paused a moment, watching silently, choosing to speak again at the moment Jake snuck past the paper to his present. “Mom...told me about this little dagger she gave you long ago...so I thought to get something that matched..aaannnd Mom and I figured out her...poison that she gave you, reacts quicker when it interacts with other elements...in particular….Gold. I personally don’t get why, but she was rather excited by it.” Darren chuckled in amusement.
Essence couldn’t help but giggle when Luckas looked at her for permission to mess with Aiden. She glanced at her bottle, a brief thought of clocking Aiden over the head with it caused her to frown. “Alcohol abuse…” She snickered. Ess almost answered Luckas if it wasn’t for the fact that because she was feeling just a bit intoxicated and not paying attention to where she was going, causing her to trip and fall over some invisible inconvenience and start laughing until she rolled onto her back in hysterics, she may have agreed to be carefree to what Luckas would do to Aiden. Truth be told, she was feeling a bit of pity for the man and actually cared not to be cruel to him as entertaining as it would be. She couldn’t deny that part of her. “You’re not my pet to command, Luckas….I would prefer you hold off for another day..but I can’t tell you what to do.” Essence moved to stand but fell to her knees and just laughed again. “Ok ok..slower this time…” She muttered to herself as she was successful to stand on her feet once again. Her eyes lit up as they once again found the crate of fireworks, Essence shuffling over to it with a devious smirk.
Aiden quirked a brow at Crys when she approached, and shrugged. “It’s not a bad party at all, truthfully..especially considering the guest list.” He grinned. “I’ve seen you around before...Crystal right? Er..Crys...that’s what Jake calls you. His spirits are always up when you’re around...that is something I think we all notice.” Aiden felt something nudge his hand and looked down to see Ward who had sat beside him to stare at Kaya and what she had in her mouth: Drakey. Ward was cautiously sniffing in the stuffed dragon’s direction while still keeping out of reach. It looked almost like he wanted to steal his sister’s toy, but was scared to. “I think, since the wolves have become a part of so much and can be a weapon in itself, that it made sense for the armor, no? Lighter is better.. enables them to move at their natural speed..faster, and protect against the point of a sword. Plus…” He chuckled. “It makes them scarier...or cuter...depending whose opinion you favor. You have something in mind to use instead?”
“Funny.” Dastan stated. “I never realized, or decided, what I wanted to do with my life. My life sort of became what it is... That must be an interesting feeling.” He smiled going into a moment of thought, before seemingly changing the subject. “I stole Shadow for my sister, she loves horses and I saw him, standing there waiting for this guy to finish his business, and I thought... Such a waste. In the end it didn’t work exactly as I planned, because that horse just wouldn’t have any of it.” While he spoke he reached for Deidra’s hand, very slowly as if to give her plenty of time to stop him if the gesture was unwelcome. “You can’t quite see this one.” He explained, leaning forward a bit as he raised her hand to reach the back of his head, where it was possible to feel a small raised line just above the base of the skull. “This one... This one was by a woman.” He stated, releasing her hand and lowering his. “This... really great girl... I met her while she was traveling with her family and they crossed our encampment. We talked and we drank for a very long while, we were laughing loudly and I could very much tell she liked me and then... Amongst our laughing; and having had quite a few drinks... I call her by another woman’s name. So she was obviously quite insulted and chose to express her feelings by smashing a bottle on my head.” He chuckled, head still lowered as he stared at his feet. “That was a quite a while ago, it was when I realized how the loss of someone can sneak up on you without warning; in one moment you’re laughing and the next thing you know you’re saying their name as if they’re the one sitting beside you. Then you realize that they’re not, you just wish that they were.” Taking a deep breath, Dastan lifted his head and gave a small shrug. “As far as living beings go... You can tell they are worthy, special, when they humble you by simply being themselves, when they find a way to sneak up on you even when they’re not actually around, when you meet them and you immediately know that if you walk away you’ll never meet someone quite like that again in your lifetime. When someone like that comes into your life they are definitely worth the time it takes to know them, and it’s sure worth fighting to keep them, or dying to protect them... Like I would, for any of these drunken fools roaming your camp tonight.”
Jake laughed as he accepted Darren’s gift, opening it up and examining the small blades for a long moment. “Hmmm....” He mumbled under his breath in fake indecision. “Yeah, alright, these are pretty cool, you can have this back.” He played, taking off the hat and placing it on Darren’s head. “I’m pretty sure Crys wouldn’t let me keep it anyway.” He concluded with an amused chuckle. “She’d either tell me to get rid of it, or steal it from me.” He joked, glancing at where she was speaking to Aiden. “You know, this is my third birthday party since I was a kid... It’s going pretty well... In spite of malfunctioning explosives and uninvited guests.”
“You’re not my pet to command, Luckas…”
Luke had been laughing quite amused until he heard that very familiar word, his smile shut and he twitched slightly before forcing it back on, keeping close to Ess as she tried to steady herself in a manner comically similar to someone watching a child that was just learning to walk. “Another day it is, then, Lady.” He mumbled simply, relaxing as the woman finally got on her feet, but still keeping close enough that he could keep her from falling over again. “How much have you had already?” He asked her, raising a brow. “I’m just wondering if I’m at risk of being taken advantage of yet.” He teased, glancing at the box of fireworks and honestly wondering what would happen if he lit one of those and shoved it into someone’s pants.
“Crys is what most people call me, at least to my face.” Crys said, smiling at Aiden. “And that’s very nice of you to say that, Aiden. Although, I’ve been able to not worry so much about Jake this past year; he’s got some good people to knock sense into him when I’m not around.” She snickered. “And now Kaya too, of course.” She added, ruffling the wolf’s fur playfully. “And I think the armor is a great idea. I’m not exactly sure how to improve on it myself, but I do know a person... uhm... If I can get him to take interest. The guy is a bit of a... Well, he’s crazy, but he’s the best. He works with some metals that not many know too, so maybe he’ll know of some material that would work better for this. Something maybe lighter and more resistant. Do you guys have the armor sketched? Maybe I can go to him with the design, I know he won’t leave his shop, making him move to Blackpond was a hassle.”
“Interesting, hmm? I guess so. I look at it as I had a choice. I had the choice to continue as I was..with what I was given..knowing I’d die...or I could choose to live.” Dee smiled, watching Dastan carefully as he gently took her hand to place it behind his head. She wiggled her fingers beneath his hair, finding the scar and when he pulled his hand away, hers remained. As she listened to Dastan’s story, her smile disappeared. “What a waste of alcohol..” She joked through a sigh. “...I could understand someone being offended if the wrong name was called during a more..intimate moment...but besides that..” Dee trailed off in thought, moving her fingers in a soothing massage motion on the back of Dastan’s head as if the man’s head still hurt. After a moment her fingertips lifted, trailing out of Dastan’s hair slowly as if to grab his attention, placing her hand over where her heart would be. A sad smile formed as she tilted her head, moving closer to the man so that she was in his line of vision as he stared at his shoes. “I know what that is like...that wanting. Those scars that are here...people say they can’t be seen. I don’t think that is entirely true. I still think this woman went a bit overboard.”
“Deidra! Matthew wants to see you..” A voice yelled across the way, that person never approaching.
Dee turned and yelled back, a clear look of impatience crossing her eyes. “Tell him to give me five minutes, please!” She signed, turning her gaze back to meet Dastan’s. “Duty calls…” Dee shrugged. “If I knew I was going to meet you, I may not have volunteered for this job..but..” She paused, smiling softly at the man, her gaze trailing over towards Ess for a moment. Her eyes shifted, troubled thoughts barking at the back of her mind. Tonight she would leave for Blackpond and nobody knew what for, except the Captain and Matthew. The first thing Matt had said was, “...There’s a likely chance you won’t come back from this. You may encounter situations where you will not be allowed to act...for yourself or another. We will not be able to come for you if you run into trouble. Do you understand the importance and severity of your role?”
Dee didn’t hear Dastan when her mind faded from the present moment and when she remembered where she was, glossy eyes focused up towards the night sky. “..People worth dying for...and many of them I will never even know.”
Essence fell into a small hiccup fit and shrugged. “I imagine...I have had enough…” She smiled, leaning over the table comically to reach for Deidra’s bottle while she wasn’t looking, turning her back towards the woman while she casually sipped the bottle even though she still had a bit left of her own. “Hmm..” She muttered sipping one bottle to the next and alternating once more. “Are these suppose to taste different? I don’t get it.” Ess stared down at the bottles as if they were annoying her, her brows furrowing in puzzlement before she pushed the nearly empty one onto the table and leaned into Luckas to whisper. “I have a secret to tell you..” She paused to smile, turning away, and grabbing him by the arm to drag him away with her as she moved in the direction of her camp.
Darren laughed, adjusting the hat which Jake had returned to his head. “Crys would look good in a hat..I think better than you.” He played, politely tipping the brim of the hat towards Jake. “I’m glad you’re having fun. This was a good idea…” Darren paused, yelling a bit above the music. “It’s a wonder how you kept it from Mom..”
“I knew all along! What you talking about , boy?” Ess chimed in, her back towards her son.”
Darren shook his head. “Is it really smart to be giving that woman explosives? I mean, I could give her some pointers..but I doubt she really knows what she is doing...You do see the one she’s trying to hide right?” He said, nodding towards his mother who was trying to conceal a large firework beneath her arm.
“One more! Then we go to bed.” Clayton crossed his arms, Lily nodding in agreement through slitted eyes.
“What did we say about bedtime, kids? When it’s time it’s time..” Jess sighed, shooting a glare at Jake. “Hey Mister Jake..why don’t you go put the kids to bed?” She teased, the kids looking over at Jacob with a hopeful smile.
Aiden laughed at Jess and glanced over at Jake, while still talking to Crys. “He lets those kids walk all over him..that Lily has him wrapped around her finger. But right, Blackwell...I heard of him. I can get you a sketch before you leave camp and I’m sure we can pull together something to pay the man with. I’m happy to have caught your interest. Many here thought it was impractical and honestly, the way it is now..it’s just doable. They can get by but I can tell Tala wasn’t thrilled. The way it is now...also not very quiet. We don’t all need to be Ali to hear them coming.”
Dastan closed his eyes for a moment as Deidra massaged the back of his head as if the gesture automatically made him sleepy, opening them again as she pulled her hand away. “Well, that girl had had a lot to drink...” He elaborated. “She apologized the next day, but... I had made it clear to us both it was just too soon for me. We became good friends after that. I was at her wedding a few years later and everything.”
“Deidra! Matthew wants to see you..”
“Don’t you people know parties are sacred?” Dastan snorted slightly, playfully looking past Deidra as if trying to scold whoever was calling for her, but not really speaking loudly enough to be heard. “Kids these days...All about duty and responsibilities... They respect nothing...” He playfully mumbled, his expression shifting from amusement to slight concern at the look on Deidra’s eyes, as well as the tone of her words. “Sounds really serious this job you took...” He pointed out. “Which makes the thought of you turning it down on my behalf quite a flattering one, but I take it it also means I won’t be seeing you again so soon.” He spoke in a tone that was only half questioning. The idea seeming to bother him a bit more than he’d like to admit, he was really enjoying the company of this woman. Finally he smiled and leaned into her to whisper playfully. “I won’t forget your name, I promise.”
Jake laughed at Darren’s comment, nodding in agreement. “Crys would definitely look good in a hat.” He smiled softly. “Definitely.” He mumbled, shaking his head and laughing a bit more at Darren and Ess’ exchange, frowning a bit as he actually wondered if Ess should be trusted with a bunch of unstable fireworks. “I don’t know if it’s smart, but... You know... I’m not going to be the one to try and confiscate her toys.” He snickered. “With a bit of luck most of those won’t actually go off anyway.” Taking a look around the party, Jake nodded. “Yeah, I’m enjoying myself... And I think it wasn’t too much of a traumatic experience for Ess either. Guess we all needed this, right? Lighten the mood for a night at least. I’m just sorry Annie couldn’t make it... I think maybe if I had gone to the plains to pick her up I could have convinced her, but... I’m not sure, the kid is stubborn.” Jake sighed, looking genuinely concerned for a moment. “She could use some time with family and friends right now.”
When Jake was called to put the kids to bed he winced, sighing as the kids looked at him with hopeful smiles. “That’s so not fair, Jess.” He whined under his breath. “Come on now, kiddies off to bed you go.” He commanded, running over to the kids and carrying off Clayton and Lily under his arms, receiving a mix of giggles and protest in return. “Why can’t we stay just five more little minutes?” Lily whined.
“Becaaause, I told you it was Jess’ decision whether or not you could stay up and she said it’s bedtime.” He stated firmly, walking in the direction of the Captains cabin, the other children reluctantly following.
“But... but...” Lily protested. “Do we at least get a story?” She complained.
“Miss Ess already told you guys a story, didn’t she?” Jake asked. “Hmmm...” He mumbled, pretending to think about it.
“Okay, okay... Can you sing then instead?” Lily asked.
Jake halted in his step, putting the children down and lowering himself to Lily’s eye level. “If you all go to bed, this instant, without any more protesting, then okay. I get to pick the song though.”
“Deal.” The girl agreed with a smile, running off into the cabin.
“Yes, Blackwell...” Crys chuckled softly. “The man is an artist, but he has quite the temper, gladly he was quite fond of my father so he tends to tolerate me a bit more. I’m sure payment won’t be much of an issue if he thinks the project is worth his time. I’m going to be leaving tomorrow... I’d like to say morning, but I think it will depend on how long it will take a bunch of hungover mercenaries to move their asses, I agreed to stop by their encampment before tending to my own affairs so I will be riding with them.” Crys sighed softly, a sweet smile crossing her features for a moment as Kaya affectionately rubbed up against her hand before wandering off to follow Jake and the children. “You know, Aiden...” She started, turning her attention back to the man. “You’re a really nice guy, I can feel it, and as much as I don’t like to meddle in people’s affairs if I can help it, this is a rather difficult one for me, because Ess is a sister to Jake, which means she is in a way, family to me as well... So I’m going to share with you a piece of advice I also gave Jake, and I hope you don’t resent me for my intrusion: It’s unfair to expect someone to change what is in their heart. It’s like asking them to cut off a part of themselves and no matter how good your intentions or feelings may be; eventually they will resent you for it.”
Luckas was without a doubt a bit confused at what Ess was going on about and stumbled a little bit as she pulled him by the arm. “What kind of secret?” He asked curiously. “Okay, I’m starting to worry... Last time someone dragged me by the arm like this I ended up in a tea party.” He complained.
“I won’t forget your name, I promise.”
Deidra smiled, turning to catch Dastan’s gaze and nodded. “I believe you.” She whispered, motioning him to lean in closer, her voice getting softer. “I hope to see you again…” Dee breathed, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes which melted away with her smile. For a moment she wished she didn’t volunteer just so she could forget the world for a while; forget the pains and sorrows of others and just be selfish. She was afraid of failing and not coming back, but she refused to believe it would turn out that way. Deidra’s role was too important. The risk was there, but Dee believed she was strong enough. She had to be. After all, life in itself was a risk. At that thought, Deidra slid her fingers beneath a few locs of Dastan’s hair and wrapped them firmly to give a noticeable tug, pulling his face close to hers to let her lips brush his cheek. “In case I don’t see you.. for a while, there’s something for me to remember. I would have regretted otherwise…”Dee pulled away, turning to walk towards the other end of the Nest. “Be safe, Dastan..”
Darren chuckled, playfully hitting Jake in the arm. “Yea...if we want to keep our fingers..we don’t mess with Mom.” Darren sighed, thinking of Annie and agreeing it was a shame she couldn’t make it tonight. “I haven’t been by there for a few weeks..at least..she didn’t say much in her last message so I was planning on going tomorrow or maybe the next day. You want to tag along, Jake? I was thinking maybe to bring her something..but I’m not sure what. Wish I could give her the answers she is searching for..you know what I mean?”
Darren didn’t expect an answer to his last question, especially since the children had managed to use their puppy dog eyes to sway Jake, bending him to their will. Master manipulators, those kids were. They didn’t complain about not having their moms and dads around, even though he was sure they were missed. Every single member of this camp watched over and cared for those kids as if they were their own, thus never leaving the children wanting in most matters. Jason though, the eldest of the pack of children, had more to worry about than the smaller ones. He paid attention to the adults and their evasion on certain matters and with the Captain in Newhaven most of the time, many thought it was best to protect them at all costs. They weren’t being lied to, just some truths were held back, especially from the brutality of their contents. Jason, however, could see the holes in what he was being told. Darren found that he liked the kid, impressed with his understanding and problem solving smarts. He could be almost completely honest in his answers to whatever questions Jason threw at him. Jason, was the only one of the children that didn’t follow Jake to bed, instead he sat next to the bonfire, staring off in deep thought and didn’t even blink when Darren sat beside him in silence.
Aiden’s smile disappeared, a bit of surprise and resentment clouding his eyes when Crystal spoke to him about Ess, yet he remained silent until she was finished. A frustrated sigh mixed with a groan was his only answer at first and when he spoke, his tone carried a bit of sadness to it. “I feel like one day I have a chance and then the next I don’t...I feel confused and I’m not sure if she means what she says because...her actions speak differently. I honestly...was ok with how things were but then there was just something about the way she looked at me and ...all those...everything I thought was pushed aside...came flooding back.” Aiden ruffled up his hair, shaking his head. “You probably think I’m pretty pathetic…” He mumbled softly.
Essence scoffed in amusement at Luckas’ comment on being dragged to a tea party. “Well, if Miss Lily was throwing it, then those can’t be missed. Event of the year by all social and acceptable standards.” She giggled, pausing to look around inspecting her surroundings. As if she was satisfied she revealed the large explosive of sorts from her side and under her arm and stabbed a place for it, into the ground. Ess circled it a couple times before sprinting over to a tree where a lantern hung and returned with it in hand, offering it to Luckas. “Apparently this is my party but I think you should be the first to light our fireworks. Don’t worry, there’s plenty left over.” Essence swayed a bit from where stood behind Luckas, giggling at herself again when she hiccuped once again. Her brows furrowed when Beo approached to sniff at what Ess stuck into the ground, the woman whistling and snapping her fingers for the wolf to back away. “No no, it’s not a stick or something..you are not a doggie…” Ess sunk to her knees, smiling when she found that Tala had snuck up on her and was waiting by her side. She wrapped her arms around the wolf’s neck and buried her face in Tala’s soft fur, the act seeming to steady her.
“Luckas, I’ve always wanted to see the ocean” She whispered finally, her words not appearing to be very significant but it was clear by the look in her eye, it was quite important to her. “Have you ever been to the ocean?”
”Be safe, Dastan.”
Dastan smiled as he watched Deidra walk away, a slight frown marking his expression with concern. Dee seemed worried about what she was about to face and because of that, he was also worried for her. Dastan liked Dee, she was interesting and easy to talk to... A bit easier to talk to than he expected as he had told her things he didn’t usually tell women he had just met, it was an interesting change.
“Hey, Shaykh!”
Dastan turned to the small group of mercenaries that had been calling for him, the men looked as though they were plotting something and that immediately caused Dastan to laugh as he walked to join them.
“You’re not pathetic.” Crys smiled. “Well, maybe a little, but... Everyone is pathetic in moments like this. There’s no way around it.” She spoke, reaching for the man’s arm in a comforting gesture. “I just think you need to be careful for your own heart’s sake, Aiden. If she’s really confusing you she probably doesn’t know it. Ess is not cruel like that, she wouldn’t just toy with you, right? In my opinion though... When you love someone, you know. If she loved you the way you’d like her to, she would know.” Crys sighed softly. “I guess I’d just like you to keep in mind that you deserve someone who loves you and knows it, not someone who may or not give you a chance if her stalker goes away.”
Luckas mumbled something under his breath at Ess’ comment on the tea party. “At least I got to wear a cool cape... And not the princess hat.” He added with a snort watching with amusement as Ess set up the firework and handed him the lantern. “I have to say Lady, you do know what I like.” He said playfully, inspecting the explosive with a delighted look in his eyes. “I don’t get... why is this your party though? I mean... Lily said it’s your birthday... but you were born in the winter...” He mumbled, calmly lighting the explosive and standing back a few steps, watching with a confused frown as smoke escaped the device, but it didn’t go off. “Hmmm...” He mumbled, giving a light shrug and turning to face Ess. “No, I’ve never seen the ocean... Never been outside Valcrest... Never had a reason to go that far.”
“What does that mean?’ Irvin asked, raising an eyebrow, leaning forward and whispering excitedly. “Can you tell who’s going to win?”
Crys laughed softly. “No, of course not, Irv... Well, not exactly...”
“Well... If you were to take a guess...” Irvin insisted.
“She’s messing with you, Irvin.” Jake pointed out, shaking his head at the boy.
“Oh... Haha, very funny.” The boy mumbled. “You guys suck.”
“Oh, come on Irvin, don’t be so sensitive.” Crys chuckled, putting one arm around the boy’s shoulders. “I was just playing with you a bit. No, I can’t tell who’s going to win. I can’t even tell what is going on right now unless someone tells me. I’m good, but not that good.”
“Well... I think Darren’s winning... Yeah... Yeah... He’s got him.” Irvin confirmed. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some bets to collect.”
“Luckas is probably happy to see that.” Jake stated casually, giving Crys’ hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be right back, I still have Darren’s hat.” He told her, watching Darren as he parted ways with his mother. Placing the hat on his head he walked after the boy. “Hey, is this my birthday present, kid? It does look better on me, doesn’t it?” He teased.
Crys nodded as Jake told her he was going to go return Darren’s hat, smiling as Kaya joined her, scratching behind the wolf’s ears. “You’re going to carry that thing everywhere, aren’t you?” She mumbled in amusement. “Jakey broke my wolf.” She chuckled, wandering off from where Jake had left her and approaching Aiden. “Hey, Aiden, right? I see you’re enjoying the party.” She greeted. “Now I feel kind of bad for telling Dastan’s guys not to pick fights. Although they do tend to hit pretty much everything but their targets with this amount of liquor in them.” She smiled, running her fingers along Kaya’s snout. “That armor you built for Tala, you were saying it’d have to be lighter still?”
The fight had ended, but Luckas was still somewhat glaring after Aiden with an annoyed expression. “The Kid won... Can I... Interfere now, Lady?” Luckas asked, glancing at Ess with a somewhat pleading look in his eyes. “Just a little bit?”
Deidra breathed an airy laugh, staring off at her knees before pushing herself to her feet and raising her hands palm up to examine. She looked up at Dastan, raised her hands up, palms out for him to see and then returned to them to their previous position. Dee approached Dastan, still staring at her open palms, to stand a few steps away. “So you have managed to not turn your mistakes into tradition?” She whispered, presenting her palms in front of Dastan and flexing her fingers so that one could notice mirrored scar tissue that extended across her palms just below her fingers. “Not all scars need to be a consequence of pain in order to grow. Not all are reminders of a regret or even a lesson learned. As you pointed out, it can be a reminder of..a more pleasant nature. These..” Dee’s eyes flickered between her hands and the man before her, a shy smile peeking past her lips. “..barely stopped the blade..one of many that were astray. I still don’t know how, but I did..and I can. It happened so fast, I was only aware of the aftermath of bloody palms and a six inch blade between them.” Deidra’s lips parted as she inhaled slowly, holding her breath a moment before releasing. “And then I had to do it again...and again...until it became an art. That was the day I realized what I wanted to do with my life.” Deidra cleared her throat, leaning backwards to stretch her fingers to retrieve her liquor, quickly swallowing down a few shots worth. Playfully, she tilted her head back as if to get a better look at Dastan when a particular question came to mind. “...What to you...deems something worthy? Are we talking, worthy to give your time? Worthy of the world’s? Or..” Dee winked, “..Worth dying for?”
“Hey, is this my birthday present, kid? It does look better on me, doesn’t it?”
“Ha! Don’t you wish..Uncle Jaaakey.” Darren snorted, a mischievous smile forming. “If I knew you wanted a hat, I would have bought you one...and not these little ol’ things..” A fake look of disappointment crossed his eyes as he reached towards his belt, untucking his shirt to reveal a thin wooden case, not longer than the length of his hand. “Maybe I should just give them away…” He played before smiling and handing Jake the small package. “Happy Birthday Jake.” He paused a moment, watching silently, choosing to speak again at the moment Jake snuck past the paper to his present. “Mom...told me about this little dagger she gave you long ago...so I thought to get something that matched..aaannnd Mom and I figured out her...poison that she gave you, reacts quicker when it interacts with other elements...in particular….Gold. I personally don’t get why, but she was rather excited by it.” Darren chuckled in amusement.
Essence couldn’t help but giggle when Luckas looked at her for permission to mess with Aiden. She glanced at her bottle, a brief thought of clocking Aiden over the head with it caused her to frown. “Alcohol abuse…” She snickered. Ess almost answered Luckas if it wasn’t for the fact that because she was feeling just a bit intoxicated and not paying attention to where she was going, causing her to trip and fall over some invisible inconvenience and start laughing until she rolled onto her back in hysterics, she may have agreed to be carefree to what Luckas would do to Aiden. Truth be told, she was feeling a bit of pity for the man and actually cared not to be cruel to him as entertaining as it would be. She couldn’t deny that part of her. “You’re not my pet to command, Luckas….I would prefer you hold off for another day..but I can’t tell you what to do.” Essence moved to stand but fell to her knees and just laughed again. “Ok ok..slower this time…” She muttered to herself as she was successful to stand on her feet once again. Her eyes lit up as they once again found the crate of fireworks, Essence shuffling over to it with a devious smirk.
Aiden quirked a brow at Crys when she approached, and shrugged. “It’s not a bad party at all, truthfully..especially considering the guest list.” He grinned. “I’ve seen you around before...Crystal right? Er..Crys...that’s what Jake calls you. His spirits are always up when you’re around...that is something I think we all notice.” Aiden felt something nudge his hand and looked down to see Ward who had sat beside him to stare at Kaya and what she had in her mouth: Drakey. Ward was cautiously sniffing in the stuffed dragon’s direction while still keeping out of reach. It looked almost like he wanted to steal his sister’s toy, but was scared to. “I think, since the wolves have become a part of so much and can be a weapon in itself, that it made sense for the armor, no? Lighter is better.. enables them to move at their natural speed..faster, and protect against the point of a sword. Plus…” He chuckled. “It makes them scarier...or cuter...depending whose opinion you favor. You have something in mind to use instead?”
“Funny.” Dastan stated. “I never realized, or decided, what I wanted to do with my life. My life sort of became what it is... That must be an interesting feeling.” He smiled going into a moment of thought, before seemingly changing the subject. “I stole Shadow for my sister, she loves horses and I saw him, standing there waiting for this guy to finish his business, and I thought... Such a waste. In the end it didn’t work exactly as I planned, because that horse just wouldn’t have any of it.” While he spoke he reached for Deidra’s hand, very slowly as if to give her plenty of time to stop him if the gesture was unwelcome. “You can’t quite see this one.” He explained, leaning forward a bit as he raised her hand to reach the back of his head, where it was possible to feel a small raised line just above the base of the skull. “This one... This one was by a woman.” He stated, releasing her hand and lowering his. “This... really great girl... I met her while she was traveling with her family and they crossed our encampment. We talked and we drank for a very long while, we were laughing loudly and I could very much tell she liked me and then... Amongst our laughing; and having had quite a few drinks... I call her by another woman’s name. So she was obviously quite insulted and chose to express her feelings by smashing a bottle on my head.” He chuckled, head still lowered as he stared at his feet. “That was a quite a while ago, it was when I realized how the loss of someone can sneak up on you without warning; in one moment you’re laughing and the next thing you know you’re saying their name as if they’re the one sitting beside you. Then you realize that they’re not, you just wish that they were.” Taking a deep breath, Dastan lifted his head and gave a small shrug. “As far as living beings go... You can tell they are worthy, special, when they humble you by simply being themselves, when they find a way to sneak up on you even when they’re not actually around, when you meet them and you immediately know that if you walk away you’ll never meet someone quite like that again in your lifetime. When someone like that comes into your life they are definitely worth the time it takes to know them, and it’s sure worth fighting to keep them, or dying to protect them... Like I would, for any of these drunken fools roaming your camp tonight.”
Jake laughed as he accepted Darren’s gift, opening it up and examining the small blades for a long moment. “Hmmm....” He mumbled under his breath in fake indecision. “Yeah, alright, these are pretty cool, you can have this back.” He played, taking off the hat and placing it on Darren’s head. “I’m pretty sure Crys wouldn’t let me keep it anyway.” He concluded with an amused chuckle. “She’d either tell me to get rid of it, or steal it from me.” He joked, glancing at where she was speaking to Aiden. “You know, this is my third birthday party since I was a kid... It’s going pretty well... In spite of malfunctioning explosives and uninvited guests.”
“You’re not my pet to command, Luckas…”
Luke had been laughing quite amused until he heard that very familiar word, his smile shut and he twitched slightly before forcing it back on, keeping close to Ess as she tried to steady herself in a manner comically similar to someone watching a child that was just learning to walk. “Another day it is, then, Lady.” He mumbled simply, relaxing as the woman finally got on her feet, but still keeping close enough that he could keep her from falling over again. “How much have you had already?” He asked her, raising a brow. “I’m just wondering if I’m at risk of being taken advantage of yet.” He teased, glancing at the box of fireworks and honestly wondering what would happen if he lit one of those and shoved it into someone’s pants.
“Crys is what most people call me, at least to my face.” Crys said, smiling at Aiden. “And that’s very nice of you to say that, Aiden. Although, I’ve been able to not worry so much about Jake this past year; he’s got some good people to knock sense into him when I’m not around.” She snickered. “And now Kaya too, of course.” She added, ruffling the wolf’s fur playfully. “And I think the armor is a great idea. I’m not exactly sure how to improve on it myself, but I do know a person... uhm... If I can get him to take interest. The guy is a bit of a... Well, he’s crazy, but he’s the best. He works with some metals that not many know too, so maybe he’ll know of some material that would work better for this. Something maybe lighter and more resistant. Do you guys have the armor sketched? Maybe I can go to him with the design, I know he won’t leave his shop, making him move to Blackpond was a hassle.”
“Interesting, hmm? I guess so. I look at it as I had a choice. I had the choice to continue as I was..with what I was given..knowing I’d die...or I could choose to live.” Dee smiled, watching Dastan carefully as he gently took her hand to place it behind his head. She wiggled her fingers beneath his hair, finding the scar and when he pulled his hand away, hers remained. As she listened to Dastan’s story, her smile disappeared. “What a waste of alcohol..” She joked through a sigh. “...I could understand someone being offended if the wrong name was called during a more..intimate moment...but besides that..” Dee trailed off in thought, moving her fingers in a soothing massage motion on the back of Dastan’s head as if the man’s head still hurt. After a moment her fingertips lifted, trailing out of Dastan’s hair slowly as if to grab his attention, placing her hand over where her heart would be. A sad smile formed as she tilted her head, moving closer to the man so that she was in his line of vision as he stared at his shoes. “I know what that is like...that wanting. Those scars that are here...people say they can’t be seen. I don’t think that is entirely true. I still think this woman went a bit overboard.”
“Deidra! Matthew wants to see you..” A voice yelled across the way, that person never approaching.
Dee turned and yelled back, a clear look of impatience crossing her eyes. “Tell him to give me five minutes, please!” She signed, turning her gaze back to meet Dastan’s. “Duty calls…” Dee shrugged. “If I knew I was going to meet you, I may not have volunteered for this job..but..” She paused, smiling softly at the man, her gaze trailing over towards Ess for a moment. Her eyes shifted, troubled thoughts barking at the back of her mind. Tonight she would leave for Blackpond and nobody knew what for, except the Captain and Matthew. The first thing Matt had said was, “...There’s a likely chance you won’t come back from this. You may encounter situations where you will not be allowed to act...for yourself or another. We will not be able to come for you if you run into trouble. Do you understand the importance and severity of your role?”
Dee didn’t hear Dastan when her mind faded from the present moment and when she remembered where she was, glossy eyes focused up towards the night sky. “..People worth dying for...and many of them I will never even know.”
Essence fell into a small hiccup fit and shrugged. “I imagine...I have had enough…” She smiled, leaning over the table comically to reach for Deidra’s bottle while she wasn’t looking, turning her back towards the woman while she casually sipped the bottle even though she still had a bit left of her own. “Hmm..” She muttered sipping one bottle to the next and alternating once more. “Are these suppose to taste different? I don’t get it.” Ess stared down at the bottles as if they were annoying her, her brows furrowing in puzzlement before she pushed the nearly empty one onto the table and leaned into Luckas to whisper. “I have a secret to tell you..” She paused to smile, turning away, and grabbing him by the arm to drag him away with her as she moved in the direction of her camp.
Darren laughed, adjusting the hat which Jake had returned to his head. “Crys would look good in a hat..I think better than you.” He played, politely tipping the brim of the hat towards Jake. “I’m glad you’re having fun. This was a good idea…” Darren paused, yelling a bit above the music. “It’s a wonder how you kept it from Mom..”
“I knew all along! What you talking about , boy?” Ess chimed in, her back towards her son.”
Darren shook his head. “Is it really smart to be giving that woman explosives? I mean, I could give her some pointers..but I doubt she really knows what she is doing...You do see the one she’s trying to hide right?” He said, nodding towards his mother who was trying to conceal a large firework beneath her arm.
“One more! Then we go to bed.” Clayton crossed his arms, Lily nodding in agreement through slitted eyes.
“What did we say about bedtime, kids? When it’s time it’s time..” Jess sighed, shooting a glare at Jake. “Hey Mister Jake..why don’t you go put the kids to bed?” She teased, the kids looking over at Jacob with a hopeful smile.
Aiden laughed at Jess and glanced over at Jake, while still talking to Crys. “He lets those kids walk all over him..that Lily has him wrapped around her finger. But right, Blackwell...I heard of him. I can get you a sketch before you leave camp and I’m sure we can pull together something to pay the man with. I’m happy to have caught your interest. Many here thought it was impractical and honestly, the way it is now..it’s just doable. They can get by but I can tell Tala wasn’t thrilled. The way it is now...also not very quiet. We don’t all need to be Ali to hear them coming.”
Dastan closed his eyes for a moment as Deidra massaged the back of his head as if the gesture automatically made him sleepy, opening them again as she pulled her hand away. “Well, that girl had had a lot to drink...” He elaborated. “She apologized the next day, but... I had made it clear to us both it was just too soon for me. We became good friends after that. I was at her wedding a few years later and everything.”
“Deidra! Matthew wants to see you..”
“Don’t you people know parties are sacred?” Dastan snorted slightly, playfully looking past Deidra as if trying to scold whoever was calling for her, but not really speaking loudly enough to be heard. “Kids these days...All about duty and responsibilities... They respect nothing...” He playfully mumbled, his expression shifting from amusement to slight concern at the look on Deidra’s eyes, as well as the tone of her words. “Sounds really serious this job you took...” He pointed out. “Which makes the thought of you turning it down on my behalf quite a flattering one, but I take it it also means I won’t be seeing you again so soon.” He spoke in a tone that was only half questioning. The idea seeming to bother him a bit more than he’d like to admit, he was really enjoying the company of this woman. Finally he smiled and leaned into her to whisper playfully. “I won’t forget your name, I promise.”
Jake laughed at Darren’s comment, nodding in agreement. “Crys would definitely look good in a hat.” He smiled softly. “Definitely.” He mumbled, shaking his head and laughing a bit more at Darren and Ess’ exchange, frowning a bit as he actually wondered if Ess should be trusted with a bunch of unstable fireworks. “I don’t know if it’s smart, but... You know... I’m not going to be the one to try and confiscate her toys.” He snickered. “With a bit of luck most of those won’t actually go off anyway.” Taking a look around the party, Jake nodded. “Yeah, I’m enjoying myself... And I think it wasn’t too much of a traumatic experience for Ess either. Guess we all needed this, right? Lighten the mood for a night at least. I’m just sorry Annie couldn’t make it... I think maybe if I had gone to the plains to pick her up I could have convinced her, but... I’m not sure, the kid is stubborn.” Jake sighed, looking genuinely concerned for a moment. “She could use some time with family and friends right now.”
When Jake was called to put the kids to bed he winced, sighing as the kids looked at him with hopeful smiles. “That’s so not fair, Jess.” He whined under his breath. “Come on now, kiddies off to bed you go.” He commanded, running over to the kids and carrying off Clayton and Lily under his arms, receiving a mix of giggles and protest in return. “Why can’t we stay just five more little minutes?” Lily whined.
“Becaaause, I told you it was Jess’ decision whether or not you could stay up and she said it’s bedtime.” He stated firmly, walking in the direction of the Captains cabin, the other children reluctantly following.
“But... but...” Lily protested. “Do we at least get a story?” She complained.
“Miss Ess already told you guys a story, didn’t she?” Jake asked. “Hmmm...” He mumbled, pretending to think about it.
“Okay, okay... Can you sing then instead?” Lily asked.
Jake halted in his step, putting the children down and lowering himself to Lily’s eye level. “If you all go to bed, this instant, without any more protesting, then okay. I get to pick the song though.”
“Deal.” The girl agreed with a smile, running off into the cabin.
“Yes, Blackwell...” Crys chuckled softly. “The man is an artist, but he has quite the temper, gladly he was quite fond of my father so he tends to tolerate me a bit more. I’m sure payment won’t be much of an issue if he thinks the project is worth his time. I’m going to be leaving tomorrow... I’d like to say morning, but I think it will depend on how long it will take a bunch of hungover mercenaries to move their asses, I agreed to stop by their encampment before tending to my own affairs so I will be riding with them.” Crys sighed softly, a sweet smile crossing her features for a moment as Kaya affectionately rubbed up against her hand before wandering off to follow Jake and the children. “You know, Aiden...” She started, turning her attention back to the man. “You’re a really nice guy, I can feel it, and as much as I don’t like to meddle in people’s affairs if I can help it, this is a rather difficult one for me, because Ess is a sister to Jake, which means she is in a way, family to me as well... So I’m going to share with you a piece of advice I also gave Jake, and I hope you don’t resent me for my intrusion: It’s unfair to expect someone to change what is in their heart. It’s like asking them to cut off a part of themselves and no matter how good your intentions or feelings may be; eventually they will resent you for it.”
Luckas was without a doubt a bit confused at what Ess was going on about and stumbled a little bit as she pulled him by the arm. “What kind of secret?” He asked curiously. “Okay, I’m starting to worry... Last time someone dragged me by the arm like this I ended up in a tea party.” He complained.
“I won’t forget your name, I promise.”
Deidra smiled, turning to catch Dastan’s gaze and nodded. “I believe you.” She whispered, motioning him to lean in closer, her voice getting softer. “I hope to see you again…” Dee breathed, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes which melted away with her smile. For a moment she wished she didn’t volunteer just so she could forget the world for a while; forget the pains and sorrows of others and just be selfish. She was afraid of failing and not coming back, but she refused to believe it would turn out that way. Deidra’s role was too important. The risk was there, but Dee believed she was strong enough. She had to be. After all, life in itself was a risk. At that thought, Deidra slid her fingers beneath a few locs of Dastan’s hair and wrapped them firmly to give a noticeable tug, pulling his face close to hers to let her lips brush his cheek. “In case I don’t see you.. for a while, there’s something for me to remember. I would have regretted otherwise…”Dee pulled away, turning to walk towards the other end of the Nest. “Be safe, Dastan..”
Darren chuckled, playfully hitting Jake in the arm. “Yea...if we want to keep our fingers..we don’t mess with Mom.” Darren sighed, thinking of Annie and agreeing it was a shame she couldn’t make it tonight. “I haven’t been by there for a few weeks..at least..she didn’t say much in her last message so I was planning on going tomorrow or maybe the next day. You want to tag along, Jake? I was thinking maybe to bring her something..but I’m not sure what. Wish I could give her the answers she is searching for..you know what I mean?”
Darren didn’t expect an answer to his last question, especially since the children had managed to use their puppy dog eyes to sway Jake, bending him to their will. Master manipulators, those kids were. They didn’t complain about not having their moms and dads around, even though he was sure they were missed. Every single member of this camp watched over and cared for those kids as if they were their own, thus never leaving the children wanting in most matters. Jason though, the eldest of the pack of children, had more to worry about than the smaller ones. He paid attention to the adults and their evasion on certain matters and with the Captain in Newhaven most of the time, many thought it was best to protect them at all costs. They weren’t being lied to, just some truths were held back, especially from the brutality of their contents. Jason, however, could see the holes in what he was being told. Darren found that he liked the kid, impressed with his understanding and problem solving smarts. He could be almost completely honest in his answers to whatever questions Jason threw at him. Jason, was the only one of the children that didn’t follow Jake to bed, instead he sat next to the bonfire, staring off in deep thought and didn’t even blink when Darren sat beside him in silence.
Aiden’s smile disappeared, a bit of surprise and resentment clouding his eyes when Crystal spoke to him about Ess, yet he remained silent until she was finished. A frustrated sigh mixed with a groan was his only answer at first and when he spoke, his tone carried a bit of sadness to it. “I feel like one day I have a chance and then the next I don’t...I feel confused and I’m not sure if she means what she says because...her actions speak differently. I honestly...was ok with how things were but then there was just something about the way she looked at me and ...all those...everything I thought was pushed aside...came flooding back.” Aiden ruffled up his hair, shaking his head. “You probably think I’m pretty pathetic…” He mumbled softly.
Essence scoffed in amusement at Luckas’ comment on being dragged to a tea party. “Well, if Miss Lily was throwing it, then those can’t be missed. Event of the year by all social and acceptable standards.” She giggled, pausing to look around inspecting her surroundings. As if she was satisfied she revealed the large explosive of sorts from her side and under her arm and stabbed a place for it, into the ground. Ess circled it a couple times before sprinting over to a tree where a lantern hung and returned with it in hand, offering it to Luckas. “Apparently this is my party but I think you should be the first to light our fireworks. Don’t worry, there’s plenty left over.” Essence swayed a bit from where stood behind Luckas, giggling at herself again when she hiccuped once again. Her brows furrowed when Beo approached to sniff at what Ess stuck into the ground, the woman whistling and snapping her fingers for the wolf to back away. “No no, it’s not a stick or something..you are not a doggie…” Ess sunk to her knees, smiling when she found that Tala had snuck up on her and was waiting by her side. She wrapped her arms around the wolf’s neck and buried her face in Tala’s soft fur, the act seeming to steady her.
“Luckas, I’ve always wanted to see the ocean” She whispered finally, her words not appearing to be very significant but it was clear by the look in her eye, it was quite important to her. “Have you ever been to the ocean?”
”Be safe, Dastan.”
Dastan smiled as he watched Deidra walk away, a slight frown marking his expression with concern. Dee seemed worried about what she was about to face and because of that, he was also worried for her. Dastan liked Dee, she was interesting and easy to talk to... A bit easier to talk to than he expected as he had told her things he didn’t usually tell women he had just met, it was an interesting change.
“Hey, Shaykh!”
Dastan turned to the small group of mercenaries that had been calling for him, the men looked as though they were plotting something and that immediately caused Dastan to laugh as he walked to join them.
“You’re not pathetic.” Crys smiled. “Well, maybe a little, but... Everyone is pathetic in moments like this. There’s no way around it.” She spoke, reaching for the man’s arm in a comforting gesture. “I just think you need to be careful for your own heart’s sake, Aiden. If she’s really confusing you she probably doesn’t know it. Ess is not cruel like that, she wouldn’t just toy with you, right? In my opinion though... When you love someone, you know. If she loved you the way you’d like her to, she would know.” Crys sighed softly. “I guess I’d just like you to keep in mind that you deserve someone who loves you and knows it, not someone who may or not give you a chance if her stalker goes away.”
Luckas mumbled something under his breath at Ess’ comment on the tea party. “At least I got to wear a cool cape... And not the princess hat.” He added with a snort watching with amusement as Ess set up the firework and handed him the lantern. “I have to say Lady, you do know what I like.” He said playfully, inspecting the explosive with a delighted look in his eyes. “I don’t get... why is this your party though? I mean... Lily said it’s your birthday... but you were born in the winter...” He mumbled, calmly lighting the explosive and standing back a few steps, watching with a confused frown as smoke escaped the device, but it didn’t go off. “Hmmm...” He mumbled, giving a light shrug and turning to face Ess. “No, I’ve never seen the ocean... Never been outside Valcrest... Never had a reason to go that far.”
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The White Shadows
Group of Healers the resides in the ruins of the citiy of Blackhurst in the Plains.
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Welcome home, Promethean. Here, you can manage your universe.
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Arcs are bundles of posts from any location, allowing you to easily capture sub-plots which might be spread out across multiple locations.
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You can create Quests with various rewards, encouraging your players to engage with specific plot lines.
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By creating Collectibles, you can reward your players with unique items that accentuate their character sheets.
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Use your INK to craft new artifacts in Shadows of The Forgotten. Once created, Items cannot be changed, but they can be bought and sold in the marketplace.
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Buy, sell, and even craft your own items in this universe.
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View All » Add Character » 51 Characters to follow in this universe
Newest
Sif Aeducen
Mercenary - "What do you do when you've lost the will to live, but fear death? You fight on."
Alisa "Temeti" Mare
"Pain... s-sister?"
Alina "Suferinta" Mare
"What is there to be said? Nothing? Begone."
Samantha 'Johnson'
"Trust is the most powerful thing, and yet...It's fascinating how easily it shatters..."
Darren Hearst
"A Friend is just another version of yourself."
Stephan Kalir
Don't fret, my bite is worse then my bark
Isyer Tiaem
"You wanna know how I got this eye?" *grins*
Trending
Annie Turner
Leader of the White Shadows: "Peace is the most pleasant illusion"
Crystal Rivers
"Sometimes, there is no such thing as justice... This might be one of those times."
Sif Aeducen
Mercenary - "What do you do when you've lost the will to live, but fear death? You fight on."
Evin Bana
"It takes the better man to end a grudge -- I'm not that better man."
Mageria Talsheir
Black Knight Captain. Things are so much more complicated than they seem.
Ella Page
"The Queen is the strongest on the chess board. Why is it that I feel so weak?"-Deceased
Allison Blake
"The world becomes such a beautiful place once you learn to close your eyes."
Isyer Tiaem
"You wanna know how I got this eye?" *grins*
Darren Hearst
"A Friend is just another version of yourself."
Phantom/Spirit
"Try to kill me, just try. You'll never get the chance."
Most Followed
Lamya
"When there is more than one side to the moral coin, there is no morals. Blackpond is just one of those examples."
Samantha 'Johnson'
"Trust is the most powerful thing, and yet...It's fascinating how easily it shatters..."
Annie Turner
Leader of the White Shadows: "Peace is the most pleasant illusion"
Ess
Not many can resist her charms, deny her loyalty. Trying to outrun her violet stare, will only hypnotize one into her arms for eternity.
Crystal Rivers
"Sometimes, there is no such thing as justice... This might be one of those times."
Jake Turner
"There is no truth, only perception."
Thomas Sidin
White Knight Captain. You look like you could use a friend.
Evin Bana
"It takes the better man to end a grudge -- I'm not that better man."
Luckas
"There's nothing to fear... Except maybe reality." *snickers*
View All » Places
54 posts · 10 characters present · last post 2016-10-18 06:14:55 »
Valcrest ↪ Raven's Nest Owner: RolePlayGateway
Camp of the former Black Guard.
71 posts · 4 characters present · last post 2016-08-09 18:17:50 »
City of Blackpond
115 posts · 17 characters present · last post 2016-06-03 19:24:58 »
Valcrest Owner: Blackbird26
The Land of Valcrest
18 posts · 1 characters present · last post 2016-03-27 07:16:28 »
Valcrest ↪ Assassin's Camp Owner: RolePlayGateway
The Wolfpack Camp
161 posts · 9 characters present · last post 2016-03-03 02:57:30 »
City of Newhaven
19 posts · 4 characters present · last post 2016-01-24 01:31:26 »
Valcrest ↪ The Ruins (Healer's camp) Owner: RolePlayGateway
The Ruins of Blackhurst, home of the White Shadows
13 posts · 1 characters present · last post 2015-07-26 04:59:58 »
Headquarters of The Order.
30 posts · 5 characters present · last post 2014-09-04 03:18:33 »
Valcrest ↪ The Desert Owner: RolePlayGateway
The ruins of Brightvale, home of the Crimson Shadows
Fullscreen Chat » Create Topic » Shadows of The Forgotten: Out of Character
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Shadows of The Forgotten
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Shadows of The Forgotten
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Valcrest Calendar: Year 2556
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Valcrest Calendar: Year 2556
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Important NPCs
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Important NPCs
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The Past Events
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The Past Events
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