Alarica pursed her lips together, staring straight at the bright blue eyes of her familiar. Angelus merely swayed his tails back and forth, amusement crossing his features as Alarica blinked slowly. This staring contest had been going on for ten minutes, something Angelus found very amusing. She placed the black disc across the red one, taking the red one in the process. If he could have, Angelus would have smiled wickedly, instead, settling for the small little smirk his lips could make. This was perhaps the reason why Alarica was not the strategist of the family. Or perhaps she just wasn't good at playing Checkers. Whichever it was, it was still very amusing.
"Perhaps you should have chosen another game?" he stated as he used the last of his red checkers and claimed a spot. "King me," he spoke as Alarica rolled her eyes. Before she could retort to his statement, something in the air caught her attention. She knew that scent. Oh she knew that scent. Abruptly, she stood from her chair, almost knocking it over in the process. Angelus jumped from the table, trailing behind her as she walked, perhaps with a bit more fervor than most usually walked. He tilted his head slightly as he watched her face, studying it for any sign of discomfort or perhaps a feeling of danger, but there was none.
"Why didn't you tell us you were back?" Alarica stated, staring up at a tree that seemed apparently empty. Angelus tilted his head slightly, staring at the tree for a moment, and was about to ask if his master was going insane. "Uncle Vincent said you were supposed to be in Romania right now," she spoke, her lips pulling into a frown as she crossed her arms over her chest. She knew he was there. She'd always known where her brothers were. She was as intune with them as they were any of her other family members.
A laugh answered her, a loud, ringing tone, one that was both calm and jolly all at the same time. As the laughter sounded, Emrys shimmered into view, losing the ghost-like quality to his appearance. The bracelets on his wrists jingled as he lept out of the tree, landing lightly in front of his sister. "Now how is it I can hide from Keir and everyone else, but not you?" There was an easy smile on his face, something reminiscent of their father, but not quite as...cold.
His red eyes lighted on Angelus, and he bent down, offering his index finger to the little familiar. "So this is the little guy who's been driving Luke up the wall, huh?" He smiled, but the look softened when he glanced back up at his sister. "I heard what happened to Mikhail. I'm so sorry, Rica. That's why I came back, I heard you and Keir were comatose. I'm late, as always, but, you know how traffic can be. There wasn't time to send word ahead of me, really, and I didn't let anyone know where I was going till I got here. Mom'll be pissed, I'm sure, but I'll deal with that later."
"Because you are my brother? And they aren't as perceptive?" she replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "And you forget that I inherited mom's ability. I always know where you're at," she replied, the smirk returning to her face. It was perhaps the reason why when they played hide-and-seek, Emrys could not hide from her. He could hide from the others, but never from her. She'd just nullify it a bit so that she could sense where he was, and over the years, it just came to her. Angelus, however, leaned into Emrys' hand as he purred softly. Alarica then frowned at the next statement.
"Mikhail," she began, pausing to release a deep sigh. "Mikhail died protecting us. He died protecting me," she began, pursing her lips together as she remembered her familiar's words. She banished them from her thoughts as she turned towards Angelus, scooping him up in her arms in the process. "And yes, Angie here has been terrorizing Lulu ever since she was born," she replied, a small smile returning to her face. Angelus merely smirked when Alarica referred to him as she but said nothing about it. He'll tell her one day, but for now, he was biding his time.
"Speaking of which," she paused, glancing around, half expecting something to materialize out of thin air, but nothing happened. "Where is Ryvrn?" she questioned, half expecting the familiar to pop out with the mentioning of his name. Ryvrn and Emrys were as close as Mikhail was to Alarica and Alucard was to Keir. For him to not be by Emrys' side, it was a little startling, and Alarica could not stop the hairs along her neck to stand, nor the chill that ran down her spine at the silence.
Familiars had an uncanny way of protecting their masters, and they were all fiercely loyal, without a doubt. Emrys, and now Rica, knew that all too well. He'd been petting Angelus when his hand stilled at her question. There was a dark shadow across his eyes, hiding them from his sister, but the familiar could see them. Two years, and it hadn't gotten any easier. It had only been a couple of months for Alarica, and she'd created a new familiar. She had more guts than her older brother, he should be ashamed.
There was a sad little smirk on his face when he spoke, though it was not a direct answer. "You're a lot braver than me, Rica. You were able to create this little guy, even after losing Mik. But I can't. It's been two years since I lost Ryvrn, and half the time I can't even speak his name, let alone think of creating a new familiar."
Alarica frowned at the first choice words that Emrys spoke, and it wasn't until his full statement crossed her, that she realized exactly what had happened. Ryvrn was gone, just like Mikhail was. Her brows knotted, furrowing before she reached out, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder in the process. Mikhail's death still affected her, she still cried when no one else was watching, and to have just lost him a few months prior, she couldn't possibly fathom how it would have felt losing him two years ago. Angelus merely glanced up at the darkened eyes of Emrys and jumped upon his shoulder, rubbing his face against Emrys' in an attempt to soothe.
"I'm sorry, Em," she stated, finally slipping her arms around his torso and leaning against his chest. She felt her breath still, her eyes burning as she tried to keep herself from crying. "At least...at least he has Mikhail to keep him company. Those two were just about as inseparable as our family," she stated, trying to convince herself that her familiar was somewhere in the afterlife humans were so fond of speaking. Did familiars even get an afterlife? In a way, they were merely carbon copies of their master, something created from them. They were not born, they were not given life, only by the blood of their master.
"I know you won't do it, so I'll do it for you," she replied solemnly. With that, the tears that she held back finally loosened themselves upon her face, cascading like the autumn rain, hellbent on falling no matter the restraint on it.
Emrys smiled sadly at Angelus and Alarica, his arms wrapping around his sister. He wiped away some of her tears with his thumb. She knew him all too well. He never had been one to cry, he couldn't even remember if he actually cried when Ryvrn died, he was pretty sure he'd just sort of stared in some dumbfounded shock.
"Thank you, Rica." He whispered softly.
"Perhaps you should have chosen another game?" he stated as he used the last of his red checkers and claimed a spot. "King me," he spoke as Alarica rolled her eyes. Before she could retort to his statement, something in the air caught her attention. She knew that scent. Oh she knew that scent. Abruptly, she stood from her chair, almost knocking it over in the process. Angelus jumped from the table, trailing behind her as she walked, perhaps with a bit more fervor than most usually walked. He tilted his head slightly as he watched her face, studying it for any sign of discomfort or perhaps a feeling of danger, but there was none.
"Why didn't you tell us you were back?" Alarica stated, staring up at a tree that seemed apparently empty. Angelus tilted his head slightly, staring at the tree for a moment, and was about to ask if his master was going insane. "Uncle Vincent said you were supposed to be in Romania right now," she spoke, her lips pulling into a frown as she crossed her arms over her chest. She knew he was there. She'd always known where her brothers were. She was as intune with them as they were any of her other family members.
A laugh answered her, a loud, ringing tone, one that was both calm and jolly all at the same time. As the laughter sounded, Emrys shimmered into view, losing the ghost-like quality to his appearance. The bracelets on his wrists jingled as he lept out of the tree, landing lightly in front of his sister. "Now how is it I can hide from Keir and everyone else, but not you?" There was an easy smile on his face, something reminiscent of their father, but not quite as...cold.
His red eyes lighted on Angelus, and he bent down, offering his index finger to the little familiar. "So this is the little guy who's been driving Luke up the wall, huh?" He smiled, but the look softened when he glanced back up at his sister. "I heard what happened to Mikhail. I'm so sorry, Rica. That's why I came back, I heard you and Keir were comatose. I'm late, as always, but, you know how traffic can be. There wasn't time to send word ahead of me, really, and I didn't let anyone know where I was going till I got here. Mom'll be pissed, I'm sure, but I'll deal with that later."
"Because you are my brother? And they aren't as perceptive?" she replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "And you forget that I inherited mom's ability. I always know where you're at," she replied, the smirk returning to her face. It was perhaps the reason why when they played hide-and-seek, Emrys could not hide from her. He could hide from the others, but never from her. She'd just nullify it a bit so that she could sense where he was, and over the years, it just came to her. Angelus, however, leaned into Emrys' hand as he purred softly. Alarica then frowned at the next statement.
"Mikhail," she began, pausing to release a deep sigh. "Mikhail died protecting us. He died protecting me," she began, pursing her lips together as she remembered her familiar's words. She banished them from her thoughts as she turned towards Angelus, scooping him up in her arms in the process. "And yes, Angie here has been terrorizing Lulu ever since she was born," she replied, a small smile returning to her face. Angelus merely smirked when Alarica referred to him as she but said nothing about it. He'll tell her one day, but for now, he was biding his time.
"Speaking of which," she paused, glancing around, half expecting something to materialize out of thin air, but nothing happened. "Where is Ryvrn?" she questioned, half expecting the familiar to pop out with the mentioning of his name. Ryvrn and Emrys were as close as Mikhail was to Alarica and Alucard was to Keir. For him to not be by Emrys' side, it was a little startling, and Alarica could not stop the hairs along her neck to stand, nor the chill that ran down her spine at the silence.
Familiars had an uncanny way of protecting their masters, and they were all fiercely loyal, without a doubt. Emrys, and now Rica, knew that all too well. He'd been petting Angelus when his hand stilled at her question. There was a dark shadow across his eyes, hiding them from his sister, but the familiar could see them. Two years, and it hadn't gotten any easier. It had only been a couple of months for Alarica, and she'd created a new familiar. She had more guts than her older brother, he should be ashamed.
There was a sad little smirk on his face when he spoke, though it was not a direct answer. "You're a lot braver than me, Rica. You were able to create this little guy, even after losing Mik. But I can't. It's been two years since I lost Ryvrn, and half the time I can't even speak his name, let alone think of creating a new familiar."
Alarica frowned at the first choice words that Emrys spoke, and it wasn't until his full statement crossed her, that she realized exactly what had happened. Ryvrn was gone, just like Mikhail was. Her brows knotted, furrowing before she reached out, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder in the process. Mikhail's death still affected her, she still cried when no one else was watching, and to have just lost him a few months prior, she couldn't possibly fathom how it would have felt losing him two years ago. Angelus merely glanced up at the darkened eyes of Emrys and jumped upon his shoulder, rubbing his face against Emrys' in an attempt to soothe.
"I'm sorry, Em," she stated, finally slipping her arms around his torso and leaning against his chest. She felt her breath still, her eyes burning as she tried to keep herself from crying. "At least...at least he has Mikhail to keep him company. Those two were just about as inseparable as our family," she stated, trying to convince herself that her familiar was somewhere in the afterlife humans were so fond of speaking. Did familiars even get an afterlife? In a way, they were merely carbon copies of their master, something created from them. They were not born, they were not given life, only by the blood of their master.
"I know you won't do it, so I'll do it for you," she replied solemnly. With that, the tears that she held back finally loosened themselves upon her face, cascading like the autumn rain, hellbent on falling no matter the restraint on it.
Emrys smiled sadly at Angelus and Alarica, his arms wrapping around his sister. He wiped away some of her tears with his thumb. She knew him all too well. He never had been one to cry, he couldn't even remember if he actually cried when Ryvrn died, he was pretty sure he'd just sort of stared in some dumbfounded shock.
"Thank you, Rica." He whispered softly.