Quincy Bordelon's Story

Were Valko's horns showing? He thought they might be, and if so then his skin had darkened every so slightly, as if he had gotten a sudden tan. His eyes would be a bright blue, his hair reddish, and that damned scar would be visible. Being around any of the sins made it hard for him to control his darker side, but Aj-Sha, it was always worse with her. Maybe it was her power, maybe it was the sheer fabric.

"Careful of papercuts, dear." Valko says, reaching down to pull a similar letter, though it was now a bit crumpled, from the from pocket of his dress pants. Opening it, he holds it up for Aj-Sha to see, then folds it back up and places it once again in his pockets. "So, we're going home then? I don't know whether it sounds like a dream or a nightmare. Place brings back a lot of memories, huh?"

Just thinking about the place, what had caused them all to decide it was time to even invent that place, causes green energy to wisp up from Valko's hands, now clenched at his sides. Taking a breath, he looks Aj-Sha over, getting a good look at her now, and the wisps thicken a bit before he lets the breath out and begins to ease back into his humans form. He was sure no humans were close enough to be affected by either of them, but better safe than sorry. Boy was that a phrase he'd learned the hard way.

"Are we getting the band back together then?" He asks before turning and walking over to the bed. He takes a seat at the foot of it, crosses his arms over his chest as he looks back up at Aj-Sha.

(Meanwhile...)

Quincy was a big man, even if it was mostly muscle, and standing under the lights all day had taken a toll on him. His feet hurt, he was sweating buckets, and all he wanted to do was retire to his dressing room, slip into a pair of his worn jeans and a ratty t-shirt and be on his way. The combination of heat from the stove tops and the bright overhead lights, not to mention those the camera people set up all around the set, almost made him miss the old days, when he wandered the dark back alleyways. Thankfully this would be over soon.

Some cooking network had decided that Quincy needed to be on television for longer than thirty seconds. They wanted a show, not just some commercials. Personally, Quincy didn't care one way or the other. He was getting to cook and eat as much as he wanted, and he was getting paid for doing it.

"Alright Bo, we're done for the day." Alexandria, one of the producers, a dark haired woman who might have been attractive to Quincy if she wasn't the size of a dry stick. She had taken to calling him Bo and he didn't mind that, he just wished she would eat something every once in a while. "You looked good out there. They tell me the pilot episode will air in a couple of weeks, and if all goes well the network wants to sign you to a ten episode series, with a holiday special, of course."

"Of course." Quincy says. He reaches back to untie his apron, and as he does so he activates his ability. Everyone is busy cleaning up the set and doing whatever it is they do with the equipment. Taking just a dash of his red energy, he touches it to Alexandria's shoulder, just enough to make her a little hungry for something other than salad. "I don't suppose you'd like to grab something to eat later, would you?"

"Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry." Alexandria says, blushing as her stomach growls.

"I know a nice little Italian restaurant downtown." Quincy says with a smile, folding up his apron as Alexandria walks him towards the dressing room. "Meet there in half an hour or so?"

"Sure..." Alexandria says as she turns back. The smell of the food that had been cooked during the episode lingered in the air and she almost licked her lips.

After speaking for a moment more, Quincy steps into his dressing room and shuts the door behind him. Turning to face the door, he hangs his apron on a hook mounted there, and when he turns back he finds a raven perched on his mirror. "Nevermore?" Quincy mutters as he walks over to the bird, unable to discern how it got into this room, and how no one noticed it. He notices the letter then and after the raven lets him take it, he breaks the wax seal and takes a look.



"I see," Quincy says as he looks up from the letter, frowning when he finds the bird mysteriously gone. "It seems I may have to cancel my dinner reservations. Such a pity, I was looking forward to seeing Alex enjoying herself tonight. Maybe I'll return before she grows old and dies. Shouldn't be gone for that long this time...I hope."

Valko grumbled nearly the whole journey, starting from the time they left the brothel. There was no part of this situation that he liked, and even worse, there was nothing he could do about it. Unless they wanted to take weeks to reach their home then flying was the only option, and he hated flying. Then there was the cold. He had been born in this region, by which he was tossed out into the snow after his creation by his father, and he had left as soon as he could manage it. The accusations of his being a demon and begin chased out by holymen had helped as well, of course. But now he was back, and worse, that bastard Quincy would be there.

Since they had met, neither man had liked the other. Each of them tried again and again to get the other caught or killed when they were younger, then they tried to use their powers on one another. The joke was on Quincy, though, because Valko never ate anything he didn't prepare for himself.

The snow crunched and the cold winds sang through the trees. Valko had no idea what season it was, there was always snow, a perpetual winter no matter what the calendar might say. Over his normal attire, Aj-Sha had persuaded him to wear an old long coat, made of leather and lined with the fur of a grey wolf. If not for her insistence he wouldn't have worn a coat at all. The cold wouldn't kill him, thanks to his power he ran to hot for that.

To Valko, the barrier was, at first, completely invisible, but the closer he got he saw it as something like a mirror, reflecting the mortal world back, warning humans to stay away. A green light shimmered before him on the surface, and it rippled as Aj-Sha stepped through to the other side. Cursing, Valko followed soon after.

The surge of power that hit him was like being struck by lighting; it hurt, it burned, and it pissed him off. His human appearance was burned away by the energy, and at once it was like his arms were engulfed in dark green flames. Rattling off a string of curses in a language long forgotten, Valko walks off to the side, where a plain looking black slab of stone stands. Scratches and cracks pit the surface, and when he slams first his left, then his right fist into the stone, two more cracks appear. If this stone were from the mortal realm, it would be dust, but as it was Valko took the brunt of the damage. But it helped calm him down.

"I see you're just as reckless as every, Val." Said a rumbling voice from across the way.

Turning, Valko can see Quincy, his stomach open and grinning at him, licking it's lips. He often wondered if the oaf had a second brain to control that thing.

"And you're still shamelessly plugging your shit microwave food." Valko says, wrath, his namesake, flooding into his voice. "They tried to make me eat one of those lard and chicken bone stomach aches on the flight over here!"

Vanessa pulled her white fur coat tighter as she trudged through the heavy snow in thick hiking boots. Snow belted down around her melting on her skin as it landed wetting her blond hair causing strands to cling to her cheeks. She had taken a helicopter to a nearby town in Russia. From there she had rented a red Ferrari and driven as far as the roads were able to the place where they all began. At the foot of the mountain, she had met up with her fellow sins. It had been a very long time since she had seen any of them. It was a sobering reunion.

Together they followed an all too familiar path through the thick fog of snow against a grey sky. She had never truly wanted to return to this place. It was bleak and reminded her too much of their past, of the harsh truths they had learned about mortals when discovering themselves. It had been an incredibly difficult time of their lives as they grew, learning to control their powers, and themselves.

Soon they reached the barrier that lead to their home in those dark times. It shimmered against the light that struck it colours flickered through along the edges. Thier colours, their powers. Vannessa stood back as Aj-Sha took the first step through the barrier. As she moved her full body through Aj-Sha disappeared behind the barrier. Vanessa knew she would now be in her true form. A curse of the barrier.

Valko was the next to take the plunge. Quincy following eager not to be left behind by his rival. Vanessa rolled her eyes at them. Since their existence sparked life they had been at each other's throats. It irritated her but she had grown accepting of it after all these years. She no longer tried to talk them out of their ways as she once did in the past.

With a heavy sigh Vanessa loosened her grip on her fur coat.

"Let's get this over with then" she grumbled.

Without hesitation, she stepped through the portal in one quick motion preferring to take the blunt of the power surge rather than inching her way through. As she stepped through to the other side her arms flexed beside her as instant pain surged through her body. It felt as though needles were prickled against her skin in every nook and crany of her body. She winced her expression showing her pain as power coarsed through her body. Brown mist began to flow from her feet flowing smoothly from the ground wrapping itself around her legs traveling towards her torso, arms and finally head. "Fucking Hell" she cursed as her head became engulfed.

As quickly as it had started the pain began to dissipate the brown mist falling back to the ground. As the mist left her body her once human features were replaced with those of her true form. Her skin pale she looked towards Aj-Sha, Valko and Quincy with cold blue eyes her head now crowned with two large golden jagged horns which splintered. They curled towards her shoulders as overlapping horn straightened above her head. The skin of her arms was pure white before melting into a darkened black at her wrists her hand the colour of coal. Opening her ruby red lips she spoke with a velvet voice. "Let's be glad we don't 'have' to do this every day" Vannessa replied to Aj-Sha's comment.

"I must agree with Valko Quincy, I am sick of only having your 'meals' as an option when I travel. Vannessa raised her eyebrows at him before dropping her shoulders and relaxing into her true form after a long absence. "Though I have to commend your achievement to infect the world with your gluttony"

Stepping forward into the cave out of the glare of the barrier Vanessa turned to face the sins placed her hands on her hips holding her head with air of superiority. "Well, shall we return to our beginnings" she indicated towards the darkness of the cave and the home that it lead too.

Estrelle trudged through the snow ridden forest, her head facing fully into the snow, her body wrapped in the fur cloak she had made when she was last here. She walked alone, asking for help to hike up the mountain was weak and beneath her. If she was going to return to that place she would do so how she left it, with the power and grace of the only person who could ever be known as 'Pride'. It wasn't easy, it never was, especially in conditions like this where it was more natural to show weakness, but that only made the stakes higher. As everybody knows, the higher the stakes the greater the outcome for the winner.

The woman saw footsteps all leading up to the cave, there weren't a ton of footprints so she knew she wasn't the last like she had hoped. However, it was too late to turn back now or to wait. Part of being who she was, was to hold her head high no matter what happened, no matter what the circumstances. If she made a mistake or miscalculated a circumstance she would move forward from it. If she didn't like the outcome of something, she would never complain.

It was a long hike to the cave from where she began, she was starting to sweat and that sweat was starting to freeze. Estrelle gritted her teeth, refusing her body to shiver, but she did pull her cloak tighter around her.

She slowed her pace as she saw the faint glow of their energy peek through the falling snow and fog. She could see all the different colors, but her own, at least to her, was the brightest and floated out like fabric being blown by wind. She paused, gritted her teeth one last time and raised her head. This was going to be painful, but even though everyone understood she was in pain she would not allow them to see it written on her face.

With her decision made, she un-clutched her cloak and as she stepped through without hesitation, as if she had done so in stride. Her cloak flew out behind her as the depraved pink of her energy layered over the her fur cloak. She took a breath and her eyes closed, though they weren't squeezed shut, as the burst of energy ripped through her body. It happened quickly, all the natural light on her seemed to disappear until she was nothing but a shadow and great antlers grew out of the top of her head crowning her silhouette.

She opened her hidden eyes and walked forward, not even a twitch had shivered her shadow. She sauntered forward towards the others.

"If we are so inclined to come back then there's no reason to put off going further in," Estrelle said, "And you really should be commended Quincy on advancing your gluttonous plague so well. And Vanessa, your own empire seems to be rather brilliantly large I hear as well. I'm guessing they didn't have much for evidence if you're here so quickly?" She said all this as she traversed passed the group, heading further down into the cave.

Marjeta found the flight to be nearly unbearable, crammed into her two first class seats. No amount of leg room, champagne, or in flight amenities could make up for the fact that she was stuck travelling with common humans and not on her own private jet. It wasn't as if her late husband couldn't afford such a thing. He preferred to spend his money on yachts, cars, and jewelry for her. He himself didn't care for flight, and had never invested in so much as a small helicopter.

As it was, her mood was already rather sour upon arriving. Of all places for their sanctuary to be, it had to be somewhere in the middle of nowhere on this godforsaken ice box called Russia. She tugged her fur coat tighter around her as she trudged out of the town and up the mountain towards their unseen refuge (if one dared call it such). It was at least 2 hours before she could finally make out the otherwise invisible barrier that surrounded the place, the colors shimmering and moving like the walls of a bubble. Her own color stood out the most, the orange a far cry from the human assumptions. People used the phrase 'green with envy', and yet her power was a burning orange. She never did understand how such a saying came about.

Stopping for a moment before the barrier keeping humans blind and unawares of their home, Marjeta pursed her lips in distaste, not looking forward to the experience. Thinking it incredibly unfair for them to need to feel power in such a sudden rush, she stepped through the veil of energy. She nearly vocalized her discomfort, but kept composed even as a burning pain prickled along her entire body, coursing through like an electric shock. She didn't want to be seen as inferior to any of the others. All the sins were fairly cunning, and each was powerful. These were people who could rival her in power and beauty. She couldn't look weak and therefore unworthy of their attention.

Her human form gave way to reveal her truest nature- her appearance not unduly frightening to look at (unlike gluttony for example- that stomach really unnerved her), but it was bizarre all the same. Scales covered most of her skin, and her hair became accented with green. She secretly thought herself superior to the others, though she wished others could see it. After all, what really made people turn to sin in the first place? Sure, her fellow sins were the specific types of failings, but what was the ultimate reason people did things? They want something. Money, power, an enemy eliminated, favor, attention, respect, love, sex, drugs, food, drama, reactions. All these things and more were because they wanted what they wanted. No matter what feelings or desires people had, the motivation was wanting the world to be their way. Envy was the original sin, the one that prompted all the others. So therefore, she reasoned she must be superior.

Not that any of the others agreed, obviously.

Turning to face the others, she frowned at Vanessa's grumbling. Get it over with? What nerve! "You should talk. After all, you're the reason we're here in the first place." Marjeta snapped at the mistress of greed, walking past her with a huff before catching Valco and Quincy bickering. She regarded them with an arched brow, wondering if it was even possible for the two to be in the same space and NOT argue. She had no problem with either of the two males or their sins, but she couldn't bring herself to be completely comfortable around Quincy's stomach, the extra maw making her more that just a tad queasy. Shame, since he was otherwise likeable enough. She nodded in acknowledgement and greeting to both Valko and Quincy in turn, only to hear Estrelle complimenting her fellow sins. Marjeta continued to walk towards their 'home' as it was, hoping Estrelle would give her some praise as well.

For a few moments neither Valko nor Quincy said a word as the others crossed the barrier. Valko was still fuming, literally, as his green energy misted up his arms, lingering around his horns like a faintly glowing cloud of smoke. In this form, his scar was revealed, something he'd always hated. The other sins knew just how hard it was to injure one of their kind, but to do enough damage to leave a scar? In all honestly, Valko scarcely remembered how he had gotten the scar. Hints of memory said it had something to do with Aj-Sha, back when this place had first been called their home.

"Humans were born to bask in the warm light of our essences, dear sister." Quincy replied to Vanessa, grinning at her with both mouths, though never taking his eyes off Valko. "And, while I pride myself on my skills, it is not my fault humans adore such slop."

In truth the frozen meals Quincy's company produced were no better than any other freezer section dinner you could buy across the world. The only reason people ate them so much was because a little of his power was slipped into each of the meals. People had, at first, thought it odd that he would insist on seeing off each shipment of his product, but now it was just another phase in the operation, like plastic wrapping or placing the price tag.

"Technically, we've gone a few decades without fighting," Valko says, relaxing a little upon hearing Aj-Sha's voice close to his ear. He knew her well enough to detect the slight quiver in her tone. It was a rare thing for her, the sin of lust, always so sure of herself and full of confidence. He didn't like to her that tone in her voice, but in this place, he understood its being there.

Without a word, Valko reigns in his energy, until the green mist about his hands faces completely, and slips an arm around Aj-Sha's shoulders. He knows that even a creature like her needs a little comfort every now and then. He ignores the look Quincy gives him, and, guiding Aj-Sha forward gently, he follows the others further into the cave. It was pitch black for a time, but then the faint light of candles ahead began to illuminate their path for them.

"Never did like the dark much." Valko mutters as they continue on.

"Or flying, if memory serves." Quincy says, having taken up the rear of the procession. "However did you manage to take the plane out this way? Stick your head between your legs and kiss your ass the whole way, I suppose." When the son of Wrath did not take his bait and turn to swing at him, the son of Gluttony was rather surprised.

When entering the tunnel leading down, the tunnel that they had left unlit and was completely consumed in darkness, her own figure was disappeared completely. It had always bothered her that her true form could so easily disappear, that it wasn't visible entirely all the time. It was why when she left this place she hardly transformed into her true form unless it could be seen. What's there to be proud of if you can't be see after all? However, when she approached the candles, her figure flickered back and this was the part in her true form she always loved because with her form flickering between visible and hidden it actually grabbed more attention. Yes, in fear usually, but it was attention none-the-less. A little lesson that Bertholdt had taught her and one she never forgot.

Estrelle's languidly long skirt dipped into the water, over the edge of stone that her toes curled over. She looked at the wide tunnel, the water streaming softly in the the still burning candles. However, the boat was old. It was still floating, but had grown rickety over the years, even with their powers they couldn't stop something from getting older and worn.

"I don't know about you, but this may end up being more interesting than we expected," Estrelle commented. She lifted her skirt slightly, so her foot could easily test the boat's buoyancy. It wobbled on the surface, the bottom just a little more damp than it should be. Then with a sure step, she moved to stand in the boat, her skirt skimming the water. The boat weighted down and the bottom became even more damp. She sat down without a pause and looked up at the others who were arriving behind her.

"Tell me, who will be joining me in this almost too worn boat?" she asked, raising an almost hidden eyebrow and taking extra care to make her smile as teasing and challenging as possible. After all what kind of sin would she be if she didn't challenge the other's surety and confidence and of course poke fun at those who didn't live up to what she challenged.

"There's no reason to be shy, after all if you are it'll only prove to me you're weak," she said, tapping her chin and lifting it high in the air.

As the sins began to make their way into their hideout as it were, Marjeta began to pout, feeling dismayed that she was not the focus of anyone's attention. No one was giving her any significant respect, and Estrelle was not praising her, though she praised the others.

Before she could sink further into her pity party, Aj-Sha's silky voice came in her direction, flirtatious and flattering words entering her ears. Marjeta smiled slightly as the temptress called her 'breath-taking', now suitably mollified for the time being. For one as lovely as lust to recognize her, it was good for her ego. Yes, she was breath-taking, wasn't she? That's right...

Even as they descended, Quincy and Valko continued to exchange verbal jabs, though surprisingly, wrath was maintaining his composure for the most part. At least for now in any case. What really caught envy's notice was how Valko bestowed attention on Aj-Sha. Sure, lust was a beautiful creature, but it wasn't fair! Marjeta had only recently had someone attending to her so carefully and readily, someone who even doted on her! But now she was alone again, and the gentlemanly display made her miss it anew. Why wasn't someone escorting her so gently?

Marjeta's brooding was cut short by the sight of the boat, only now pausing to take in her surroundings. Stopping to glance around her, she nearly shuddered at the cold, dark, and altogether uninviting atmosphere. And such a rickety boat! Who would want to step into such a thing?

Estrelle took initiative to step in first, and Marjeta glanced over sharply as pride challenged her fellow sins to follow her. Already not receiving attention from the woman, Marjeta was desperate to shove the mistake in her face. Taunting them and saying any who wouldn't was weak only sealed the deal, and despite her misgivings, envy followed before anyone else could seize the chance. She'd show Estrelle!

"I'm not afraid. Do scoot over so I have room." Marjeta announced, lifting her skirt just enough to spare it from getting wet, though it proved futile once inside the boat. Biting back a complaint, she sat down opposite the other woman, meeting pride's eyes.