Tommy Vincent's Story

Erieda hated herself, and enjoyed herself all at once. She spent half the night, kissing a man to whom was not her husband, but what made it worse was that she enjoyed it. Wanting to was one thing, and the first time, that was unexpected but this time, she asked for it. As angry as she was with Alex, as hurt and as betrayed as she was, it didn't give her the right to do this to him but she did it and she knew she would do it again.

At some point, they'd stopped, and just kept each other company, talking about anything and it felt nice. IT wasn't something she could do with Alex, he had secrets, too many secrets, Bertoldo didn't, not a one, atleast as far as she was concerned.

Sitting sidewise on the couch beside him, they spoke and soon dawn approached. The Council will probably have gathered the votes from the Colonies. No doubt you will soon have an entire army of Vampires at your back." He said with a grin that made her chills rise on her skin, he pulled her close and kissed her again, softly. Like he cared. Erieda barely kissed him back, but she did. "I'd love to invite you along, but the Council refuse to speak to outsiders." She just smiled, and nodded. Climbing off of the couch, she allowed him to take her hand, and lead her to the door. He turned to her and letting go of her hand and she felt colder for it. "I would love to see you again, soon?" He said and she hesitated a moment before speaking.

"I would too..." She said and walked out but not before giving him a soft smile. She had to force herself not to look back.

She didn't go home when she left, not to the hotel atleast, instead she went to her lifetree and let out a choked breath. What was she doing? Nothing she was doing made any sense anymore. She needed to talk to someone that wasn't Bertoldo, he was now part of the problem.

With that, she pressed a hand to her life tree and called out.

"Thomas."

It was in the moment that the branches of her lifetree, began to curl and move like snakes, up and around, over itself forming a circle and inside the image of a man appeared like a reflection in water.

"Erieda? Whoa what's wrong?" Her brother, Tommy spoke and Erieda smiled at the sound of his voice, she hadn't seen her brother is far too long and she needed him now.

"There is so much, my brother, I do not know how much I can take." She said, tears glossing her dark eyes and so she told him everything, from Alex, to Sunday, and ending with Bertoldo.

"....I wanted him....I've never been with another man, never wanted one, and what makes it worse is that, I know it is wrong, I should not be doing this, wanting this, but I....can not help myself. I know it wrong, but I want...I am going to do it anyway, I just know it, and I don't want to fight it....and it's confusing me, I don't know what to do." she sobbed and Tommy took a deep breath and was quiet for a long time before looking up.

"I'm on my way." and with that, the connection was severed leaving Erieda in shock. What has she done?

It didn't take much for Tommy to leave, not much motivation either. His now ex wife's fleeting santiy was enough to drive any man away, but after the lost of Andy, and Ashley, they didn't have much left, so when Erieda called, talking about all of her problems, Tommy jumped at the chance.

"Are we truly going to your home realm, milord?" called Mycah Youngfire, a handsome young lad with markings on his pale face, feathers in his long dark hair and a excited grin. "Yes, Mycah, My sister needs me." He said, with the hopes that helping her with her problems, would make him forget his own.

"The Fae Queen, I heard she is the most beautiful creature in all the realms, Is that true? Well, I suppose you wouldn't really notice something like that, but still, she must be lovely." Mycah said excitedly as he followed Tommy, bouncing on his feet. The young dragon boy was excitable, and a terrible flirt, but otherwise harmless, Tommy took to the task of looking after him, after the boy escaped a child fighting ring. Tommy himself dismantled the ring and it's creators and after the lost of his own son, welcomed the chance of bringing up another child.
"She is lovely, Mycah, but she is my sister, and I will not have you being disrespectful, she is....taken." he said, carefully, He was going to say that she was married, but after their conversation, that seemed a little less relevant.
"Of course, Milord, I would never." He said, earnestly and Tommy only smirked. "Good, Let's go." He said and stepped inside of a grand mirror like portal, swirling with pinks and purples, and they were off to the Mortal Realm.

Tommy hadn't realized how much he missed his home until then.

It didn't take him long before he and Mycah made it to the hotel. "Things are small here." Mycah commented and Tommy chuckled. Compared the the things in the Dragon Kingdom, things were small and much less grand, the dragon realm had large pillers of gold and red, everything stood tall and vast. Even now, he wore anarmor, a deep red, and light and Mycah wore a similar garb only less grand and no armor, both of their clothing considerate simple where they came from.

Mycah, unaware, walked right into the door, expecting it to open all it's own. "Opf, What...What is wrong with this door, why does it not open?" Mycah frowned, rubbing his face. Tommy laughed. "That's because you haven't opened it, not all things work like that here." He said, chuckling and Mycah, cheerful as ever, nodded. He was a good student, and accepted things as they were, not how he wanted them to be, unlike most of the world. He was a good kid, and Tommy vowed to protect him with his life, especially after what happened to his own children.

"Here, it is polite to knock first, and let the people inside, open the door, that way, you can introduce yourself and they can greet you properly, and if you are polite enough, they'll let you in." He said and Mycah nodded, and Tommy gestured for him to knock. Mycah rose his hand and knocked, hard, a little too hard, but that was to be expected, he was a young dragon, TOmmy knew his strength was hardly matched, and Mycah probably thought he was knocking lightly.

"It is I, Mycah Youngfire, of the Youngfire Clan, First of my name and Ward of the Great Dryad Dragon Thomas of the Vincent Clan, I bid you welcome!"Mycah said and Tommy laughed behind his hand, but let it go, he thought he was being polite, and so there was no harm it that.

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Both siblings looked up as Sunday appeared at the top of the staircase with a smile, and there was an awful pause that followed, before she spoke. "Oh... Good Morrow," she greeted, making her way downstairs and into the kitchen to join them. Alec returned her smile, grateful at least that she was in a decent mood after last night, but still he felt the need to make some jumbled plans within his own mind for their day together, hoping they could make the best of their time alone before his - or... their - family got in the way.

Eida gave a smile and a small laugh as Sunday hugged her, thanking her for the clothes, but it faded quickly with the mention of Slade, her father, and her recent addition to the family. Eida found herself nodding and not really saying anything, until Alec looked down, at which point she mumbled an 'ah, I see' and let it be. Then came the comment of being able to heal, which Eida had recently come to learn was something of an impossibility before last night; she was just grateful her brother had been nice enough to grant her some context on the situation, 'else she probably would have just stared, uncomprehending. This, however, still happened, as Sunday lifted up her palm like she expected Eida to understand why it was relevant. Alec seemingly did, because he had a stupid smile on his face, a mixture of pride and approval. "It is not wonderful?" she asked, and Eida eyes widened comically, accompanied with a nod, as if agreeing but not really.

"Well, you're in luck, it would seem," he joked. "Before you sit two current students who've never shown an inkling of interest in their studies of the usage of their powers." Eida shook her head; she'd always taken a preference to the mortal realm, and to mortal school, but it was important for her to learn about other things as well, so she wasn't completely useless. "Since you might now know, I can probably tell you what I know about earth manipulation, and Eida can do the same with all of her shadows and stuff... You're part Wraith, anyhow. You might have a natural talent for it. Shadows are known for being easy to manipulate, as far as Supernaturals go," he continued, moving to the fridge as he talked. Eida nodded along with his words, watching him stand before shifting her gaze to Sunday once more. "I've never taught anyone before, so... just keep that in mind if you ever come to me for 'lessons'."

Alec returned from fumbling around the fridge with a bottle of orange soda, which he opened with ease, and passed to Sunday, hoping to bring another smile to her face. He loved it when she smiled. She was so beautiful. As he extended it towards her, there came a knock at the door, which Eida moved to answer so that neither he or Sunday would have to. But the voice that followed the loud knocking stopped Eida in her tracks, right in the doorway to the kitchen. "It is I, Mycah Youngfire, of the Youngfire Clan, First of my name and Ward of the Great Dryad Dragon Thomas of the Vincent Clan, I bid you welcome!" The siblings exchanged glances, with Eida questioning whether or not to even bother opening the door and Alec admitting that he really didn't have an answer for her. Sighing, and after another moment of delay, Eida continued towards the door, which she opened with an unimpressed expression painted on her face. It didn't change when she spotted Tommy stood there, dressed in weird clothes, and it only worsened when she spotted the younger boy stood beside him. "It's too early for noise," she mumbled, sounding tired, and moved out of the way to let them enter. "Welcome back, though," she continued, speaking specifically to her Great Uncle.

Alec made his way into the lobby, catching sight of Mycah first, then Tommy. He greeted them both with a smile, but said nothing at first. He made his way over to the sofa, hopefully followed by Sunday, and took a seat. "I don't know where Grandma is, exactly," Eida said, moving to sit on the arm of the chair. "I'm assuming that's who you're here for. I didn't hear her come in last night..." she continued, and Alec scoffed loudly, causing her to turn her head to him. "Eida, we could've put a lion in your room with you last night and you wouldn't have noticed," he said. "But, nah, I didn't hear anything from Erieda, not after she came in to help Sunday."

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"Well, you're in luck, it would seem," Alec said after smiling widely causing a smile to come to Sunday's face as well. "Before you sit two current students who've never shown an inkling of interest in their studies of the usage of their powers." He said and Sunday took a seat, feeling like this was a lesson she should pay attention to. . "Since you might now know, I can probably tell you what I know about earth manipulation, and Eida can do the same with all of her shadows and stuff... You're part Wraith, anyhow. You might have a natural talent for it. Shadows are known for being easy to manipulate, as far as Supernaturals go," He told her and Sunday looked at her hands. She is Wraith? She should have known, but she'd focused on the better part of her heritage, Being Fae, she hadn't known that she was part Wraith, as Simon didn't seem anything like the Gener---Her Grandfather. The idea of that still scared her. "I've never taught anyone before, so... just keep that in mind if you ever come to me for 'lessons'." Eida said and Sunday smiled. "I have so much to learn, Thank you both." she said. It was then that Alec came over with a bottle of Orange Soda. Sunday's eyes went wide, and she smiled big, clapping her hands in excitement, she loved Orange Soda, almost as much as she loved Alec, only this she wouldn't have to hid. She took the bottle at the same moment, a loud knock came to the front door, it rattled the wood in a way that made Sunday feel uncomfortable. Her smiled faltered some.

"It is I, Mycah Youngfire, of the Youngfire Clan, First of my name and Ward of the Great Dryad Dragon Thomas of the Vincent Clan, I bid you welcome!" came the voice and Sunday cocked her head in a way that was very much like her grandmother as Eida went to do door. Sunday peeked over, and saw a tall dark skinned man at the door with a boy about their age, The man wore armor while the boy wore a feathers in his hair.

It was then that Eida spoke again It's too early for noise," She said, with less enthusiasm then she had when greeting her but she let them in anyway "Welcome back, though," she said and the boy, Mycah, gave a grand bow to Eida.

Mycah wore a large grin when a lovely girl opened the door allowing them entry. He looked at Lord Thomas who gave a nod and gestured for him to enter . When he did, he took the girl's hand, gave a bow, setting a foot in front of him, and bending at the waist so that his dark hair brushed the floor. "My Lady, You honor me with your kindness," He said, and pressed a feather soft kiss to her knuckles, looking up at her with a devilish grin.. "Take it easy, Mycah,"Lord Thomas called, though he grinned. Mycah released the fair maiden's hand and huffed a bit. "You say that, Often my Lord, yet I still do not know what it is you wish me to take, How does one take an Easy.?" Mycah said and Lord Thomas sighed as always. "It's an expression, Mycah"
"Ah yes, Forgive me, I forget." He said and Lord Thomas gave the girl a kiss atop her head.
"I don't know where Grandma is, exactly, The girl said, ""I'm assuming that's who you're here for. I didn't hear her come in last night..." She said and Lord Thomas looked concerned. There was a boy and another girl sitting together, they looked like a couple but apparently not was family. Mycah ignored this. "Eida, we could've put a lion in your room with you last night and you wouldn't have noticed," The boy said teasing the girl,"But, nah, I didn't hear anything from Erieda, not after she came in to help Sunday." He said and Lord Thomas nodded. "That's fine, I’ll wait for her to come back. It’s nice to see you two again.” He said with a smirk to the boy. ”Mycah, This is Alec, my great nephew” He said and Mycah stood straight, placing a solid fist to his chest in salute. ”I am honored, to meet such a man for whom my Lord addresses as Great, Young Lord Alec.” He said and Lord Thomas chuckled. ”He...Well, He’s new, I’ll explain it to him later, Anyway, Mycah, that is Eida, my great neice.” He said and Mycah turned to the girl then and smiled, bowing, though less grandly. ”My Lady Eida.” Mycah said, still smiling, she was quite lovely, he turned away when Lord Thomas spoke again. ”And you must be Sunday, My sister has told me a lot about you, says you’re the sweetest thing she’s ever met.” He said kneeling to the small girl beside Lord Alec, the girl smiled. ”I’m sorry, I do not know you?” she said, softly and Mycah smiled, she seemed like a hatchling, small and sweet. ”I am Thomas, Your Great Uncle, Erieda’s brother, You can call me Tommy.” He said, smiled, and offered the girl a hand, which she took and then shook. ”Nice to meet you ,Tommy.” she said with the sweetest little smile Mycah had ever seen. Mycah bowed to the girl, she seemed too childlike for him to kiss her knuckles so he didn’t. ”My Lady Sunday, It is an honor.” He said and Sunday nodded, she seemed to understand his bowing better then the other two. ”Guys, this is Mycah, My ward, I look after him, he’s new to our realm, so make him feel welcome okay?” he said to the two and Mycah smiled at them.

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"That's fine, I’ll wait for her to come back. It’s nice to see you two again," Thomas said, and both siblings nodded in response, their suspicions confirmed. Eida, being as unnaturally intuitive as she was, feared that Thomas had not come back all the way from the Dragon Realm without reason enough to do so, which in turn meant that Erieda was in some kind of trouble. The thought alone made her stomach turn, and she had to look away from everyone for a moment or two, even as Tommy commented on seeing them again. She didn't hear a response from Alec, but she knew he would've at least offered a smile. Eida was too focused on her own thoughts; if Erieda was in trouble, everyone was screwed. No doubt about it.

When she finally turned back, she caught sight of something that brought a smile to her face, despite herself. Mycah, if she remembered correctly, had a closed fist pressed against Alkec's chest, and to her it looked to be some sort of sign of respect, which was most likely more common in the Dragon Realm than the Mortal. Alec didn't seem to reach the same understanding as his sister, and the urge to slap the unfamiliar boy's fist away from his body was evident only by the slight indecisive twitching of his arm. "I am honoured, to meet such a man for whom my Lord addresses as Great, Young Lord Alec," Mycah announced, and Alec remained speechless for the longest time until Tommy thought to explain the boy's strange behaviour, to which Alec responded with a nod. The boy's focus then returned to Eida and she found herself smiling under his stare; his eyes, she now saw, were surprisingly charming. He was cute, despite his quirkiness. As he bowed, she gave a subtle nod, and she smiled wider, if that was even possible. "My Lady Eida," he spoke.

Mycah's focus turned back to Tommy, and strangely she found herself awaiting - anticipating - the moment where their eyes would meet again. As such, she kept her attention on him, only looking down once in a while so as not to look like a complete creep.

Alec's cold gaze found Tommy as he began to speak to Sunday. His entire body tensed; his Great Uncle was getting too close, and though he had no real reason to be so wary, he could not seem to fight the feeling away. It was consuming him, with each and every word that they exchanged. He found himself subtly reaching an arm across the back of the sofa, so that it was resting behind Sunday's head, but in a manner so casual it couldn't have looked like he was jealous. Of course, his sister, who'd stopped staring at Mycah long enough to notice, picked up on it immediately and gave him a scolding glare, as if warning him to drop it. He didn't act on it. He had no reason to; in his eyes, he was doing nothing wrong. Besides, the way Mycah had been smiling at Sunday made Alec feel a little uncomfortable.

"Guys, this is Mycah, my ward, I look after him, he’s new to our realm, so make him feel welcome, okay?" Tommy asked, and there was a long moment of silence before Alec finally released a huff, avoiding Mycah's smile, whilst Eida found herself captivated by it. "I mean, sure thing... And I'd love to show the dude around," Alec said, clearly lying, "but yesterday was rough, and I wanted to take Sunday out for a bit, to get away from... everything." There was something in his tone that suggested uncertainty, almost as if it was a question more than an outright statement. He hadn't actually asked Sunday if she wanted to go anywhere, because he hadn't had the chance to, but he was hoping both that he could spend some time alone with her and that also she'd see how much he didn't want to be around his family and go along with it for a while. Casting a glance at Eida, he smirked. "Eida can make him feel... welcome, if he'd like."

A small amount of shadows pulled from the darker recesses from the room formed a whip and smacked Alec around the back of the head, causing a chuckle to erupt from him, and Eida shook her head in disapproval as she turned her head to Mycah. "Up for a tour, kid?"

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[center] Sunday smiled at the new people that had arrived. Tommy was nice and Mycah seemed valiant. He was Tommy ward, which meant that Mycah didn't have a family of his own, and Tommy was looking after him. She could see how he and her grandmother were related, they both seemed to care for all manner of creature. "I mean, sure thing... And I'd love to show the dude around," Alec said and Sunday looked at him. "but yesterday was rough, and I wanted to take Sunday out for a bit, to get away from... everything." He said and Sunday looked down at her feet, she was in a better mood, so clearly this was more of his benefit then hers, but at the same time, she didn't care, any excuse for to be with Alec, alone, was good enough for her. He turned to Eida, with a grin that clearly meant he was up to no good, with caused Sunday to smile. "Eida can make him feel... welcome, if he'd like." He said and there was clearly something she missed because shadows sprang up and hit him in the back of the head causing Sunday to jump but he only laughed in response.

Mycah seemed just as confused as she was, but they both let it go. "Up for a tour, kid?" She offered and Mycah gave a grin. "I would be honored, my lady." he said, but no sooner had he said that, did her grandmother enter the room, walking through the door that Tommy and Mycah had entered.

"Oh, you made it," Erieda said with a smile, she looked tired, but somehow still impossibly beautiful. She walked over, and hugged her brother, who hugged her back. Sunday looked away, she wanted her brother to be like that, but he wasn't, and after last night, he'd probably never be.
"Of Course, you called, I came," Tommy said before releasing her, and gesturing to Mycah, who seemed not to know where to look.
"E, This is Mycah, the one I was telling you about."
"Ah, yes, Mycah, I remember, Nice to meet you, Mycah."
Mycah dropped to a knee, a fist over his chest. "It is...a great honor, My Queen of the Faeries, you humble me with your presence,I thank you, for allowing me into your home." He said, still not looking at her. Erieda smiled at her brother then Mycah. "Rise, Mycah Youngfire, You are a guest in my home, and you have been a great help to my brother, it is I that thanks you." She said, tipping his chin with a finger, Mycah looked as though he could fall over and die right then. He looked to Tommy for help, unsure of what to do next. "Eida was just about to show him around,"Tommy said, as Mycah rose to his feet, with a nod. "Oh, how nice, please, Go on." She said and gestured for Mycah to go to her and he did, after bowing to each of them before offering his hand, gentlemenly to Eida. "Milady?"

In that moment, Sunday looked up. "Alec and I were going to go someplace too." Sunday said, not really sure why. ERieda smiled. "That's good, how about you, take her to the mall, help her get some clothes, and things for her bedroom, she'll be staying with us, until Simon returns." She said and Sunday smiled at Alec. "You know where my card is, spend as much as you need." She said with a smile to the both of them, though she was talking to Alec and Sunday stood up and hugged her. "Thank you, so much,Grandmother." She said and Erieda kissed the top of her head. "Of course, Darling, now go, make sure you're back before supper." she said and Sunday nodded, then took Alec's hand, pulling his to his feet. "I am so excited, I have never been to a 'Mall' before." She said, and wasn't entirely sure what it was, but she figured it was someplce to get new things, something she was excited to do.

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Eida's disgruntled expression faded within seconds as a grin found its place on Mycah's face, bringing a charm to his features. "I would be honoured, my lady," he replied, and Eida parted her lips, aiming to tell him that he didn't need to refer to her as such, but Erieda entered the hotel through the front door and suddenly all attention seemed to go to her, which effectively put an end to Eida's attempt at speaking. There was something off about Erieda, and it wasn't just the way she looked so tired. She was tainted, in some strange way, but Eida couldn't put her finger on what it was. The faintest wisp of an idea entered her mind, and she stayed quiet from then on.

Alec watched the interaction between the siblings with a slight sense of curiosity; since Tommy had not visited much, none of the younger generation had gotten the chance to see how they were towards each other. They seemed to be friendly, but something wasn't right. He wasn't as intuitive as his sister, and if he'd inherited any of his parent's abilities - like she had - then he hadn't realised it yet, but even he was getting a strange feeling, like they both knew something that the rest of them didn't. He was dragged from his brief train of thought when Sunday's head turned, like she had to look away from the scene before her. He understood that, in a way. She'd only just found out she had a brother, and Kellin hadn't left the best of first impressions. No doubt Sunday still felt bad. The arm that Alec had snaked behind her head shifted, so that he could pat her gently on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, before it moved back to where it was.

"Eida was just about to show him around," Tommy said, and Eida looked up then, having spent most of the past minute or so staring down at her hands. She looked almost thoughtful, but still alert. "Oh, how nice, please, go on," Erieda persisted, and Eida watched as Mycah approached her, stealing her attention immediately. "Milady?" he said, as if he was asking her to take his hand, which she did after only a second of hesitation. She hadn't thought the touching was all that necessary, but she wasn't going to say no. She gave him a soft smile as she stood, still having to look up at him, but then her attention turned back to Erieda. Her eyes were attempting to read her body language, to no avail. She'd have to get closer if she wanted any chance at getting in on their secret. She faked a sudden look of realisation, and slipped her hand out of Mycah's for a moment. "I just need to go grab something," she said, directly to him, before rushing upstairs.

"Alec and I were going to go someplace too," Sunday blurted, and Alec's eyes instantly went to Erieda, whose reaction he was almost dreading. He didn't know how much she knew about things, about how much he cared for her - and not in the way one cousin cares for another - so he remained silent for a little while, his eyes wary for any signs of disapproval. "That's good, how about you, take her to the mall, help her get some clothes, and things for her bedroom, she'll be staying with us, until Simon returns. You know where my card is, spend as much as you need," Erieda said, and Alec felt a weight lift off of his chest. He returned Sunday's smile, only briefly, but it faded somewhat when Sunday embraced Erieda, and called her 'grandmother'. That would take some getting used to, he realised.

Suddenly, he was being pulled to his feet, and he could only offer a faint chuckle. "I am so excited, I have never been to a 'Mall' before," she said, and Alec smiled as if the information really wasn't too hard to believe. "It's just a huge ass building," he said, leading her towards the location of Erieda's card, which he'd been dying to get his hands on for a while. "Filled with shops and stuff, to buy things. We've got to get you a lot of stuff, so it's perfect." Slipping it into his pocket, he entered the lobby and made a straight line for the door, passing by Erieda and Tommy with only a mumbled goodbye, just as Eida came down the stairs and guided Mycah in the same direction. Alec was just happy to be getting away from all the supernatural crap; a simple shopping trip with Sunday would be a much-needed breath of fresh air. He waited until they were a little way away from the hotel, and out of Mycah and Eida's sight, before finally relaxing and moving his arm over Sunday's shoulder. He gave her a smile. The mall was only a short distance from them.

Eida slung her bag over her shoulder, and as she passed Mycah, she gave a gentle nudge to his arm as if to gesture that he should follow. She didn't bother taking his hand again, she needed it free for a couple of moments. Besides, she hardly knew the guy. Eida was, to use mortal terms, rather easy. She was more Fae than her brother - despite her powers being centred mainly around her (mostly) Wraith parents - and seemed to have gotten all of her mother's quirks, so she craved intimacy more often than she liked to admit. If Mycah wanted sex, there was no problem, but he seemed too much like a gentleman - charming as he was - and all the silly little things such as hand-holding and being close to someone was not something she ever took well to, at least with men. She gave him another soft smile as she made her way to the door, and acted as if she hadn't been paying attention to her path, allowing herself enough closeness with Erieda that their knuckles brushed against each other, and that was enough for a brief sensation to flicker through Eida's body, straight into her mind. She had meant to turn and apologise, but the words hitched in her throat, and she found herself backing out of the doorway with strangled sound and a confused glare, directed straight at her grandmother.

There was not one image in her mind, but two. One for each second that the vision lasted. Neither was clear, but they weren't hard to figure out. She'd seen her fair share of blurry visions, enough that she could depict strange scenes with ease. The first image contained blood, and a man. The second, a man and a woman, holding each other. The woman looked like Erieda, with her caramel skin and long, dark hair. She didn't know the man, but it certainly wasn't her grandfather. With that, she grabbed Mycah's arm, and hurried away from the hotel.

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As the two of them arrived at the mall, Alec was relieved to find that the car park wasn't really as crowded as he thought it would be. Then a realisation came to him, and he checked the watch he kept on his wrist, letting out a laugh. They should've been in school. It was still a week day, and it was around 9am, roughly. No wonder the place wasn't too crowded, though he doubted they would've been the only teenagers there who'd skipped out on their education for the day. Besides, even if he'd remembered, he wouldn't have wanted to send Sunday back to the school after all that happened the day before, and he couldn't have left her in the hotel on her own. She needed to be cheered up, and he had the feeling that buying her a shit load of new stuff was one of the ways to go about accomplishing that.

Still with his arm over her shoulder, Alec guided Sunday towards the building, and as they entered he gave a brief glance at his surroundings, letting out a huff as if he was sort of lost, unsure of what to do first or how to even go about doing it. Eida always took charge when they had to do shopping, so suddenly being the one who had to take the lead was unusual.

"Right, well, here's the thing," he said, returning his arm to his side as he turned to look directly at her. "The shops we go to first depend on what you want to buy first," he continued, gesturing around them at all the choice, which he knew might've seemed a bit overwhelming, but not quite scary. "You don't have anything, so we're going to have to go to a lot of places, but I think we'll stop for lunch at some point... Let's see... You're going to need clothes and furniture, most importantly. But then there's... hygiene products, and all that crap." Touching his hand to his forehead, he turned his attention back to Sunday. "I'm sure I'll remember everything else as we're going along. Is there anything you wanted to get first? It's completely your choice, I'm good with anything."

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Eida didn't know what she'd been expecting to see when she bumped into Erieda, but that wasn't it. It didn't tell her anything in particular, and she wasn't alone so she couldn't stew in silence as she thought about it for a while. In the few seconds that she was moving away from the hotel, a whole disarray of thoughts entered her mind, taunting her with all the possibilities and explanations. The most prominent of which being something that turned her stomach to think about. She shook her head and drew her arms so that they were crossed over her stomach, and she didn't give Mycah the time of day until she was at a safe distance away, at which point she slowed into a regularly paced walk, her eyes shifting around the forest that seemed to part for the path into Parkwood.

"I'll take you to the main town first," she said after a moment or two, her head turning to him, "so that you can get a basic feel for the town." Lifting her hand, she ran it through her brown hair, bringing it around so that it rested over her shoulders. She hadn't bothered to put on a jacket or anything, which she then realised was incredibly stupid of her. It probably wasn't even cold, but shivers ran up and down her spine regardless, and she found herself somehow unable to hold Mycah's gaze. "The mortals aren't exciting in any way, shape or form. It's actually a really boring town, where nothing ever seems to happen... I think that's what makes it so... attractive," she murmured, getting carried away. "It's just normal. And I like normal." She didn't bother to ask him his views; she found herself not caring too much.

Reaching the end of the road, she continued on for a bit, before they reached the centre of the town; a small market place, near enough empty but for the odd couple or wandering mortal eyeing up the vegetables laid neatly on the stalls. Most people's eyes were drawn to Mycah, and his strange attire, which she'd completely forgotten to tell him to change before they got out of the hotel. She'd been too distracted to worry about how people would view them. A lot of them were frowning, turning to others and muttering hushed questions or insults. Eida sent a glare of daggers at each and every one of them. "People just aren't used to seeing others in... feathers and cloaks, and stuff, y'know." She turned to him then, her gaze oddly understanding but also a little stern. "And, not to offend you, but you might want to tone down on all the 'my lady, my lord' stuff. The behaviour that's normal in the Dragon Realm, people here find it weird. Just... act how I act, and you should be fine, yeah?"

---

---

Symone smiled meekly as her husband came for her. She shouldn't have left without him, and in all honesty she had no idea he wasn't with her when they crossed into the portal. She smiled at him, brushing her hand against his cheek sweetly. He was almost an animal in this form, but he still loved her, and she him.

Thankfully, Alexis opened a portal and Symone managed to drag herself toward it. The cold iron was not something she could handle well, despite being more wraith then Fae.

"Lexi, did you see-" Symone called, making sure that Dahvie was with her this time, keeping her hand on him, more for her own strength then it was to drag him along.
"Victoria yes....she yet lives....make sure Father keeps his word."Alexis said, and Symone swallowed, she hated when Alexis was like this, she wasn't her sister, she was something dark, and for the current Queen of Demons, that was saying quite a bit.

"I will, The-"
"Dead...."Symone smirked some.
"I told her you would eat them."
"She didn't believe you. Come." She said and they moved through the portal.

Symone took a deep breath, as they entered the forest. Fresh mortal air was something she couldn't quite describe, almost like walking inside a warm home after being out in the cold.
Alexis, then stood up, stretched and cracked her neck, taking in the scent as well. She reacted well to fresh air like they all did.
"Ahh That's better, no one dying around here." she said and smiled at them, and though her marks were still glowing, she wasn't what she was in the demon realm, but she still was covered in black blood.
"C'mon inside." She said and led them all inside. She found her mother with Uncle Tommy.

"Whoa....Hey guys." He said as he stood up from the couch, he seemed to be talking with their mother. She turned and smiled at her. "Well done, Alexis, I would hug you but...."

Alexis only shrugged, and headed upstairs for a well deserved shower.

"Mom....Uncle Tommy." Symone smiled, weakly. Her mother walked up to her, and embraced her, and Simon both. "I'm so sorry for all this, this is my fault....her revenge..."
"Victoria hates everyone, especially me....don't apologize." She said, and then smiled at Tommy, who hugged her with an arm and kissed the top of her head as her mother went to Simon. She tried not to feel jealous, especially given what he was going through.
"What are you doing in this realm, Uncle Tommy?"
"Your Mom needed to talk, so I came."
"I'm glad you did." She said softly.

Meanwhile, Erieda went to Simon, touching her son's face, she gave him a once over. "I know must be wondering, yes, we know, and Sunday knows, she was...happy, to know, in a way, that you are her father, She loves you already...she loved you before and she still does now. ." She told him and only could imagine what he was going through, and she did, two of her children were harmed because of their father, though it was unintentional, but still, it didn't stop her from wanting to harm Alex.

"She's out with Alec now, they are shopping, you have to talk to her, about her....love for him...We aren't in the realm for that sort of thing, and I think it is best for you, to talk to her." She said softly.

---

---

Slade found that he wasn't entirely paying attention to the conversation going on between Alexis and Symone, although - upon occasionally glancing up at them - he could tell that Alexis was still pissed off, despite Symone wearing a gentle smirk, still generally looking weak from the iron. Slade's eyes didn't focus, his mind in all kinds of places in that moment. Dahvie, on the other hand, could focus on nothing but Symone, his pale eyes drawn to her like he was worried she might disappear in a blink. He had one hand hovering a little bit away from her, ready to grab her in a moment's notice, and his every movement mimicked hers as she pulled herself towards the portal which Alexis had opened, before moving through it completely. Slade followed after, saying nothing.

The air of the human realm, whilst oddly refreshing, hit him like a brick, and he left the rest of them behind as he started towards the hotel within a second; his slow movements meant that they easily caught up with him, and surpassed him without effort. He entered the hotel a few moments after they did, and surprise registered on his features as he spotted Tommy, his uncle. In his state, Slade hadn't picked up on his presence, and he remained silent for a moment before murmuring a brief 'hello'. As Alexis left, Slade watched her go. He hadn't had a chance to thank her properly yet, but he would do so soon. In that moment, he was more distracted by the embrace his mother pulled both himself and Symone into, and he gave a pained huff, but let it go pretty quickly as they soon jumped to playing the 'blame game', each one insisting it was their own fault. Slade couldn't care less who Victoria wanted; he needed to see Sunday.

Symone moved away, and soon Erieda's attention was solely on him. Slade withered under her gaze, and found himself looking at the ground even as she touched his face. "I know must be wondering, yes, we know, and Sunday knows, she was... happy, to know, in a way, that you are her father. She loves you already... she loved you before and she still does now..." The words hit him in a soft spot, and he felt his entire body tensing. He'd failed her in the worst possible way, by allowing her to be harmed and not even being there to see her recovery, and she was still happy to have him as a father. He felt sick, more so than before. "She's out with Alec now, they are shopping, you have to talk to her, about her... love for him... We aren't in the realm for that sort of thing, and I think it is best for you, to talk to her," she continued, and Slade's expression turned sour, his lips pinching together. His daughter and his nephew... romantically involved with one another. He'd once thought they were cute. Now the image in his mind was sick and twisted.

"No," was his only response. Stepping back a bit, he pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like he might throw up, before he pushed past everyone and went upstairs, heading for his old room, which had since been abandoned after he moved into Tanya's home and they had Kellin together. Since her murder and the loss of his son to the Remei, he'd only used it as a place to sleep every once in a while, and the rest of the time he spent wandering around, keeping himself as busy as possible. For the past three years he assumed that it had been left to gather dust, but nothing inside had changed. He still had all of his old clothes, ones he deemed not important enough to bring with him, and the same furniture. Just as he remembered it, from the days of his childhood, his teenage years. Things, weird as it seems, were simpler then. His family wasn't divided, he had no children, he wasn't in love, the realms weren't on the brink of war. There was drama, and people died. He had the strangest feeling that his past was only going to repeat itself. He didn't know if he was strong enough to handle it.

Releasing a shallow but drawn-out breath, he sat on the end of his bed, and cried.

---

---

Sunday and Ale returned home with all of her things, poor Alec carried most of it, while Sunday carried a few bags herself. "Oh That was so much fun, Alec, I want to do it again, real soon!" She chimed as they made their way inside the hotel. They were greeted with the unbelievable smell of cooked meats, steamed vegetables, and baked bread. Sunday sniffed. It smelled amazing. She was glad they made it back before supper.
Setting down her bags, she followed the smell into a large kitchen where her grandmother and grand Uncle Tommy where cooking together. It looked like so much fun.

"Hello Darling," her grandmother smiled. "Hey, Kiddo."Tommy said. Sunday smiled with a short bow. "Did you have fun, Sweetheart, you two were out all day." Her grandmother said as she set down her wooden spoon and walked over to her, Sunday nodded as Erieda kissed her head. "I did, I did, Alec let me go in every shop! There were stuffed bears, I thought it was a torture chamber, all the skin was off, but they were only toys, Alec told me, I got to make one myself" She said happily while Erieda and Tommy chuckled. "There were all sorts of clothing, I got alot of those, and there were books, and music, none of them were as good as Alexis, but they were okay. I had a great time."
Erieda smiled sweetly at her. "That is wonderful, Darling, Why don't you take those to your room and get washed up for supper." She said and Sunday cheerfully bounded up the stairs back into the room she had mentally chosen for herself. She opened the door, to find someone sleeping in the bed. Sunday froze when they stirred. "Oh, Sorry," She peeped and then her face turned as white as a sheet when she saw that it was her father. She didn't know what to say to him, nor did she know if she would speak. She couldn't lie, but she wasn't about to tell him about her and Alec, not only that, she felt horrible, she was the cause of his wife's death. She didn't know if he would want her as his daughter, Kellin didn't want her as his sister....

---

---

With every step that Alec and Sunday took towards the hotel on the return trip from their shopping spree, he could feel his mood dampening, and his willingness to communicate at all was disappearing very quickly. "Oh, that was so much fun, Alec, I want to do it again, real soon!" Sunday chirped, and Alec found himself nodding, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He turned his head to cast a brief glance over her face, and his smile only widened. "We will, I promise," he replied, sounding sure of himself, as per usual. However, as he turned his head away, the first thing that he spotted was the hotel, and his features immediately dropped, a steady breath working its way past the narrow gap between his lips.

As they both entered, the stench of cooked food was almost overwhelming, but it wasn't anything he hadn't been used to. He lived with Fae, Wraith and many other species alike. Being mostly Wraith, Alec found that he didn't need to consume food as often as other people normally would have. However, he had some human in him too, no thanks to his father, so he was required to consume food - at the very least - once a week. He hadn't eaten anything in a while, and the smell made his stomach growl, but the mere idea of sitting down to eat with his family, after all that had gone on, caused any desire to eat to vanish from his mind. He could do without for a while.

Alec set the bags down as Sunday did, and kept himself perched in the doorway to the kitchen while she entered, and immediately began a conversation with the one person he wanted to avoid the most. Erieda had a nasty habit of trying to fix problems, he noticed, and no doubt his affection for Sunday (and vice versa) was going to be the topic of another 'talk'. As Sunday spoke, he found himself smiling softly. Her energy and childlike cheeriness were almost infectious, in a sense, and no matter what mood he was in, he would always appreciate that. For all that she'd been through, it was amazing that she was so happy. He prayed nothing would ever happen to change that.

As Sunday moved past him and out of the kitchen, Alec was greeted by sudden realisation that he was now alone with Erieda and Tommy. They were probably more concerned with their food, anyhow, so he tried not to seem too awkward, or make any movements/noises that might've drawn their attention to him, if it hadn't already. Moving over to the fridge, in silence, he opened it and pulled out a bottle of coke, before walking out of the room and into the lobby. Releasing a quiet sigh, he let his entire weight slump onto the sofa, his head dropping back momentarily, before he twisted the cap on the bottle and took a much-needed sip, nose crinkling at the burning sensation in his throat.

His phone vibrated next to him, atop the patch of sofa he'd set it down on. His eyes flickered to it as he swallowed his mouthful of coke, before he hesitantly reached for it. Skimming the message, he released a sigh, then locked it and shoved it back into his pocket.

---

---

It hadn't been easy, but Slade has somehow managed to fall asleep, lying in a foetal position over the top of his blanket. It wasn't the door opening that had woken him up, though it had caused his body to stir slightly, but instead the peep of a voice that followed afterwards.

Sunday.

Forcing his eyes to open, they found the girl frozen in his bedroom door, and he immediately shifted to push himself up, half-sitting and half-leaning. The bedroom light was off, but the light from the hallway was cast over Slade, making his weak appearance all the more visible. There were dark patches around his eyes, almost grey in colour, and deep bags under them which hinted both that he lacked sleep and that he'd been crying, however brief. His hair was sticking every which way, and his clothes were disarrayed. As he sat up more, with a low grunt of effort, his unnaturally pale complexion became more visible, as did his bloodshot sclerae.

"Sunday," he blurted, "don't leave, please." He forced his entire body weight upwards, and remained still while he steadied himself, before he moved towards Sunday and pulled her into an embrace, as if he hadn't believed she was healed or even alive. Seeing her in person removed a lot of worries from his mind, but as soon as they were banished, new ones took their place. Worse ones. He held her to him for what felt like the longest time, saying nothing, but after a while he figured he should say something. "I promised to keep you from harm, and the very same day you're taken right from underneath my nose, and injured to near death... I failed you, Sunday," he murmured, pulling away from her so that he could look her in the eyes. "But, on my life, I will not let that happen again." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, gentle as it was brief. "You are my daughter. Should anyone even make the attempt, I'll skin them where they stand."

Shifting his arm, Slade reached for her hand and, as a gesture of the promise he'd made, he wrapped his little finger around her own. "A pinky promise is for life."

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