Introduction
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Our history books regale us in the tale of monsters that roamed our earth, creatures with tails and scales that ruled over the humankind, governing the mortals with an iron fist and causing much bloodshed.
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They were terrible creatures that drank the blood of mortals and slaughtered their young, trying to take the earth for themselves.
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But where there are villains, there will also be heroes. Rising up among the ashes of what little humans were left was a group of mortals that conquered the beasts and repopulated their homes, bringing about an era of peace and prosperity.
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They were terrible creatures that drank the blood of mortals and slaughtered their young, trying to take the earth for themselves.
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But where there are villains, there will also be heroes. Rising up among the ashes of what little humans were left was a group of mortals that conquered the beasts and repopulated their homes, bringing about an era of peace and prosperity.
The world was not always this broken. Humans used to live side by side in harmony, they could rest easy, knowing the Tower Society would protect them. A unity of demons and humans, working together to end the pestilence that plagued their world. Fellow demons, wrecking havoc upon the unsuspecting. It was the job of the Tower Society to put them down before they became a threat.
It was the Third Impact that nearly ended the world. London had become a war zone, Berlin had fallen, becoming completely overtaken by the demon race. All over the world, demon nests began to attack upon the human populace. Japan was the only country safe from the attack and many fled for safety, the small island nation forced to shutter its borders to protect its own people. The humans were left to fend for themselves.
It was the Third Impact that nearly ended the world. London had become a war zone, Berlin had fallen, becoming completely overtaken by the demon race. All over the world, demon nests began to attack upon the human populace. Japan was the only country safe from the attack and many fled for safety, the small island nation forced to shutter its borders to protect its own people. The humans were left to fend for themselves.
Things had finally began to calm, but the demons united with the vampires. The humans formed a new alliance and another war began, this time against the undead. When all seemed lost and the vampires began to gain territory, they vanished. As though it were some sort of nightmare, or perhaps a distorted memory, the world began to build anew. On the forefront of the rebuilding were the poster children of the Tower Society. Christopher Delanore and Doll King, their notoriety spreading far and wide, hailed as the heroes who ended the Third Impact.
The world is not perfect, no, it is still far from it, but the humans could rest a bit easier, knowing that they were well cared for. Once more, sky scrapers rose, the walls around Paris fell. Life moved on, the world continued to turn. Humans would survive and thrive, as they always would. Granted, there were less of them. Due to the drop in population, pieces of nature began to return to the city. Trees as tall as buildings thrived, the walls of glass and steel skyscrapers becoming entwined with ivy. A new era on earth had begun.
The world is not perfect, no, it is still far from it, but the humans could rest a bit easier, knowing that they were well cared for. Once more, sky scrapers rose, the walls around Paris fell. Life moved on, the world continued to turn. Humans would survive and thrive, as they always would. Granted, there were less of them. Due to the drop in population, pieces of nature began to return to the city. Trees as tall as buildings thrived, the walls of glass and steel skyscrapers becoming entwined with ivy. A new era on earth had begun.
For some, the world was still frozen in time. They were eternally stuck, having fallen through the cracks. Broken beyond repair, they may never recover. The world did not care for their kind, it made no difference to the humans if they would ever see the light of day again. Troubled by emptiness, deemed a waste of time; they were sent away. Heaving through corrupted lungs, collecting names of the lovers that went wrong. Chasing visions of the future while trapped in the past, perhaps one day, they would be able to rejoin the world.
Name || Echo King
Age || 4
Gender || Female
Species || Demon || Elemental
Face Claim || Nursery Rhyme: Fate
Played by|| The_Queen
Name || Mara LaFleur, AKA Flourspar
Age || 18
Gender || Female
Species || Perhaps human, maybe demon.
Face Claim || Nana Deviluke
Played by|| Bunny!
Name || Mason Nik
Age || 17
Gender || Male
Species || Human
Face Claim || Akihito Kanbara
Played by|| NPC
Name || Polaire
Age || 87
Gender || Female
Species || Demon || Crystal Formation
Face Claim || Diamond, Houseki no Kuni
Played by|| NPC
Name || Harris Standstead AKA Samurai
Age || 19
Gender || Male
Species || Human
Face Claim || Ikki Kurogane
Played by|| NPC
Name || Calciferous Graves
Age || 150
Gender || Male
Species || Demon || Lightning Wielder
Face Claim || Rin Okomura
Played by|| NPC
Name || Tamaki Roe AKA Shadow
Age || 18
Gender || Male
Species || Human
Face Claim || Agata Katsuhira, Kiznaiver
Played by|| The_Queen
Name || Sana
Age || 16
Gender || Female
Species || Human
Face Claim || Asuza Azuki
Played by|| NPC
Name || Doll King
Age || 580
Gender || Olga Animusphere
Species || Demon || Possession
Face Claim || Mahiru Hiiragi
Played by|| NPC
Name || Christopher Delanore
Age || 23
Gender || Male
Species || Human
Face Claim || Guren Ichinose
Played by|| NPC
Name || Melody King
Age || 290
Gender || Female
Species || Demon || Songstress
Face Claim || Meltilith
Played by|| NPC
Name || Mako West AKA Flame
Age || 25
Gender || Male
Species || Human
Face Claim || Mikoto Suoh
Played by|| NPC
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 7 authors
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❝Where am I? What am I doing? Do you know where I am?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
"You two have fought well." Miranda was hobbling on a broken leg, barely able to stand up, panting hard as blood poured out of her wounds. Wicked wasn't faring so well either, having lost all of her limbs in a desperate attempt to destroy them. "You're the ultimate enemy." Wicked hissed, her voice sounding sick and pained. Baroness Zinnia looked at them both with indifference in her eyes as she and Messiah found them in the maze of blocks that was Frey's lantern. "Not only do you want to kill humanity, you're also the enemy of Queen Kitra! I can't just let you live!" Wicked regrew her limbs with alarming speed, but it was clear she was running out of energy. "What are you gonna do?" Miranda asked in wonder. "I'm finishing him off. Miri, you might wanna get somewhere far away, this is gonna be the end for everyone here unless you get the heck away!"
Just like Pray and the other Generals, naturally Miranda also had the ability to use all of her power in a single attack. It would result in her death, but something like that would definitely be able to take out Baron Messiah if she tried hard enough. "So they're still trying to fight." Baron Messiah smiled at Zinnia, who simply looked agitated. She only wanted to come to find a girl named Pandora. She didn't know who these two were or why they bothered to get in her way. "This is a waste of time." With a wave of her hand, Zinnia froze both Wicked and Miranda in time. "Let's just keep going." It wouldn't do to spend too much time here.
Eventually both Messiah and Zinnia felt the power of an old threat, one even Queen Kitra would have problems dealing with Baron Ifrit was here in the lantern. "He's in the way of our goal." Messiah said simply. "We should go eliminate the troublesome General." Zinnia nodded dully, following Messiah's footsteps as they navigated the red void, making sure not to touch the flowers. Zinnia's eyes widened as she saw Nova get impaled by a tree after falling a great distance, landing on the same block Zinnia and Messiah were on. Acting on instinct, Zinnia grabbed her, cutting the tree and then freezing her in time. "Like this she won't die." Why did Zinnia want to save her? There was a lot she needed to know. "We could use her." Messiah offered, his greedy hands reaching forward. "It looks like she has friends in the Tower Society. I won't take her away from them." Was Zinnia's reply, glaring at her benefactor, who shrugged and stepped away.
For now they had an enemy to defeat. Ifrit was still wrecking havoc at the block above and up there Zinnia could feel the outside world waiting for her. They needed to go there anyhow. There was Ifrit in his full power, mighty and strong. "I'll get her to safety first. Messiah, can you fight him for now?" Messiah almost seemed proud that she had regained an old spark within her. "I see." He said calmly. "I should be able to deal with him until you return." Zinnia raised her arm, summoning all three time-frozen victims in time bubbles so the time within the bubbles would not go forward until she popped them. A nearly dead Miranda, an about to kill herself Wicked, and a dying Nova all floated towards her. "See you soon."
Upon exiting the Gate, Baroness Zinnia found herself in Zone 7's Gate in the sky, surrounded by Tower Agents. She growled menacingly. "I'm only here to return these three. Now I-" Her eyes stopped as she saw someone being pulled out of a mirror. It was Pandora, looking emaciated and weak as she slumbered. A small blonde demon pressed a glowing orb to her, and suddenly like electricity, Pandora Vale woke up, eyes opening. She was just as beautiful as in Zinnia's memory. She froze, staring before her at the scene.
"That's your cousin, Flo." Said a regal voice. Holding the Glaive of Longinus, Pandora swung it slowly, closing the Gate with ease behind her. A blonde Princess smiled, aiming a hand at her. "Now!" Chains glowing with dark energy shot out from guns at the order, wrapping around her, sealing her powers. "Pray, take care of the injured ones." The Princess commanded. Zinnia hissed and snarled, trying to break out but she wouldn't. "Our very own Alex Drake designed these. Special anti-time chains, just for you. You'll be coming with us, old friend." The bubbles popped as Nova, Miranda, and Wicked, were healed by glowing light. "You'll pay for this." Baroness Zinnia whispered, eyes glowing with hatred when she heard another voice. What was with all the blonde girls? This one shared a mark with her, both on their hands.
"Sleep." It was an Ultimate Command. No doubt this was Mare then... and Zinnia fell on her face, unable to resist the Ultimate Command.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
She couldn't speak, there was blood in her throat. She couldn't breath, it filled her lungs like a river rushing down a waterfall. She could still see though and hear. She could see Baroness Zinnia waltzing towards her, Messiah by her side like a doting-kidnapper. "Ghhaa," Echo tried to speak to her and that was it. Were her last words really so unintelligable?
A light encased her, but it did not touch the pain. Pray's light was trying to heal her, but why wasn't it working? Was the wound too old? Had she been frozen for too long? Echo gurgled, she couldn't breathe; perhaps Flo unfreezing her was not a good thing. "Echo!" Loki and Melody screamed in unison. They pounced on her, but she could not tell them not to touch her, that it hurt too much. There was a gaping hole in her neck and chest where the branches used to be, you could see clean through her. "Clear the way," the medics were as calm as ever. They didn't mind the blood or the fact that Echo had loosed her bladder. They lifted her up dutifully, carting her away as she dripped crimson everywhere. "Alright, we're gonna give you the good stuff now, just hang on." The good stuff? Oh, the pain stuff.
There was yelling in her head. No, that wasn't in her head, that was outside. There was yelling outside the dark room, her eyes taped shut. Their voices were familiar, it was Melody and Doll. Who else would be yelling outside of the demon ICU? "I'm going to have to ask you both to either quiet down or leave," Wei, of course. Why was he here? He was busy, why would be bother with Echo? Was it because she was a Baroness? The door slid open, she could hear everything. There was pressure on the end of the mattress, it smelled like Loki. Was she sleeping there? "We'll move her to the step down ward today," Wei's voice filled her head. "She'll make a full recovery, don't worry. Echo's always been a bit more durable than other demons." Durable? What a laugh. She felt something burn in her arm and the darkness dragged her back under.
Someone was playing with her hair, no, they were brushing it. Her eyes opened, flinching at the small amount of light peeking in through the covered window. "Oh, you're awake," Melody's happy voice filled her ears, far too loud. Echo winced, nodding. Her throat hurt, they must have just removed the throat pipe. "Don't move around too much, alright?" She nodded, attempting to speak, but she couldn't. Why couldn't she speak? Panic filled her, she grabbed onto Melody's hand, terror in her eyes. This was her fault, wasn't it? She was bad, wasn't she? She was a bad demon, so they punished her, didn't they? Her hands trembled. "Hey, it's okay." Melody misinterpreted, she didn't understand Echo's trauma, she didn't know Echo needed her medicine, the one that stopped the yelling inside of her head.
"Just lay down, okay? You don't want to exaccerbate anything." No, Melody didn't understand, they took it from her. They took her voice. The door slid open, a nurse came in, carrying a black briefcase. "What is that?" Melody asked, shaking Echo's hands off. "Don't worry, it's just Echo's special happy medicine." Melody nodded, as though this made sense. "Ah, pain medicine. Don't worry Echo, the nurse is here to help you." But it wasn't pain medicine, not in the literal sense. A syringe filled with pink liquid went into the button in her stomach. When the nurse lifted the blanket, Echo could see the drain going into her lung, filled with pink discharge and red blood.
Everyday of recovery was different. Wei came to speak to her, to tell her that the mission was a success, that he was surprised to hear that she had taken the hit for Melody. He said he was proud of her, then he left. Loki spent every moment that she could with her, there was no television in recovery for demons, no they had no such luxury. Instead, there were books, but Echo couldn't focus on reading, so Loki read to her. Doll came to tell her that Christopher had awoken and was doing better, she also thanked her for saving Melody. Melody spent time with her too, doting on her, leaving her presents when she slept, feeding her because her hands were shaking too much. Then discharge came, two weeks after the initial rescue.
It was a relief to be in her own flat, in her own bed. It was a relief to be in a place she could deny visitors, as there had been far too many. Why were they painting her as a hero? Echo had always been the villian, the evil demon set to destroy humanity. So why were there so many gifts left in her room? Why were people thanking her when she did nothing? She laid in a hospital bed and recovered. Her voice still hadn't returned, Wei promised it would, he said that the tree branch had narrowly missed her windpipe and vocal cords. If it had hit them, she would have been dead the moment she unfroze. "Welcome home!" Loki flicked on the lights, their flat decorated for Halloween. "Do you like it? I thought you would, since you told me you never got to celebrate before."
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❝Where am I? What am I doing? Do you know where I am?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Princess Charlotte grinned at her as the chains kept her tied down. How long has it been, a week? Where was Messiah, why wasn't he coming to save her? "So even with all of Ellen and Alex's tools, your memories still haven't come back." Princess Charlotte somehow still looked pretty in her dress despite having injected Zinnia with yet another strange drug that made her hallucinate things that were impossible. "I'm not who you say you are. This is all a misunderstanding." Her pink hair hung limp as she coughed painfully, feeling weak and fatigued. The drugs messed with her so bad that she saw a strange green haired girl that could not exist sitting in the containment chamber with her, looking almost bored as she stared at her.
"No, you're definitely our dear friend. Wei tasked me with returning you to us, but your memories sure aren't working." Charlotte put a hand on her pearly pink lips, deep in thought as she paced the room. Zinnia watched her with a glum frown, wincing in pain. Ever since Messiah gave her the Egg, she's been in pain. It was important, it was her duty to deliver the egg. She wouldn't tell them, she wouldn't let them find out. "Messiah told me that you're all enemies. I'm not to trust you." She wanted to go back to the Mad Scientist Ellen who kept asking Messiah for more samples to work with, she wanted to go back to the kind and nurturing Elimine, she wanted to go back and train with Eudaikos, she wanted to touch Messiah's face again. This wasn't her family, Zinnia knew that, but they were good to her. At least Princess Charlotte was kind enough to give her her breathing medicine.
One day Charlotte decided to try a new tactic. The black haired girl approached in the wheelchair, wheeled by a blonde girl with an eyepatch. There was another slightly german looking blonde girl behind her, looking frantic and nervous as they walked up to the glass of the containment chamber. "W-will you be okay?" The skittish girl asked, holding her wrist. Pray touched her hand with a nod. "If anyone can handle this, Pandora can." Princess Charlotte pressed the button, the door to the chamber opening. Pandora nodded in thanks, still looking both beautiful and weak all the same. She'd been trapped in the Lanturn for a long time, so her real physical body had decayed awfully. Still, frail and small, Pandora was still a stunning sight for the sore eyes.
"It's been a long time, Mara." Zinnia glared at her, trying to snap herself out of the beauty. "Mara? My name is Baroness Zinnia. I'd rather you didn't forget that." Messiah told her that if someone didn't call her by her proper name, they weren't respecting her. So these humans and traitor demons were all simply looking down on her, was that how it was? "You're still as stubborn as always." Pandora sighed, taking a deep breath, her eyes shining like gems. "Let's do this for old time's sake then." Pandora weakly stood up out of the wheelchair on shaky, unsteady legs.
And then she leaned in for the kiss.
It was gentle. It was passionate. It was somehow everything Zinnia ever wanted in a way she did not understand.
"Pan... why?" Flo asked, whimpering as she sobbed. "I thought we were over..." Her whole body shuddered and her head exploded with pain. "We are." Pandora sounded almost sad. "But I had a feeling it would bring you back."
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
"No, you can't see her." Wei put down his thick file and turned to look at Echo, who had stormed into his office, demanding to see Flo. Well, she had signed, but Loki had to translate for her, not using the threatening tone Echo had wanted her to. Why? Echo signed, clearly grumpy. She was still on pain medicine for her wounds and it was giving her mood swings. "She wants to know why," Loki was still timid with Wei, she did not yet know how to properly storm into an office and demand things the way Echo did. "Because the last thing we need is for her to take you and leave. You're our main power source right now while Doll and Christopher are out of comission. If the uppers know we've lost another Baroness, it'll be my head next."
I can help! She'll remember me! Echo tried to reason, with Loki frantically translating for her. "Echo, my answer is remaining a big fat no. If Flourspar proves she can be trusted again, then maybe, under supervision, you can visit her. I can't give in to all of your whims, now go. You're not cleared to be walking around yet, the last thing you need is more agitation." Echo turned, she wanted to get back into action already, she wanted to go back to training with Team Lupin, but she was technically still on bed rest until her voice returned, which meant that Loki had to train by herself. "To be fair, I told you it wouldn't work." Loki said in the hallway, stuffing her hands into her pockets.
"Echo!" A friendly voice filtered down the hall, she stiffened, turning slowly. Cal ran towards her, his tail swishing at a hundred miles a minute. "You're up and walking, I was told you wouldn't be leaving the West Wing for at least another week." Echo shrugged and scratched her cheek. Restless, she signed. "She's tired of sitting around," Loki translated. "Yeah, you've always been like that. Listen, I got some insight on a sighting I thought you might be interested in. Remember your good old friend, the witch?" He produced a photo, a blurry one, of a red headed girl, short, with mismatched eyes and a streak of white in her hair. Where did you get that? Echo signed, wondering if it was real. "Shadow and I have been answering calls all week about mysterious lights cropping up around the city. Apparently, this little lady has something to do with it. I thought you might be interested, since you used to visit her all the time while she was here."
Echo took the photo, holding it up to the light. It was definitely real... her stomach felt strange. If Zinnia was poking around in the human world and the Tower Society had eyes on her, she was going to be detained. On the other hand, if Zinnia was poking around in the human world, Blithe would be on top of her like white on rice. Unless... this was why she was doing it? To draw the generals away. Don't interfere with her, witches will bring you nothing but trouble. Loki frantically translated. "What do you mean?" Cal blinked, clearly not satisfied. I mean, if there's a witch running around, it's best not to get in her way.
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❝Where am I? What am I doing? Do you know where I am?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
The Seven Generals were in disarray. It was clear that something was wrong. Normally, all Seven Generals of Hell were supposed to serve Queen Kitra, but the meeting room was quiet, full of nervous energy. Blithe paced the room, restlessness strong in her bones. She needed to not be here, she was wasting too much time here. She needed to act before it was too late. There was someone she had to go back to, someone who needed her more than this Queen ever did. Frey was hugging his lantern, still tearing up that he had lost so much of his power. Apparently Baron Messiah was able to kill Ifrit within the Lantern. "I failed my Queen!" He wailed, hugging the lamp. "I can't do anything right!"
Pray and Wicked were, of course, not here. They were traitors, betraying the Queen in order to fight for the humans to whom they were bound. "It's more fun to run around with Miri." Wicked would say whenever Blithe tried to convince her to change sides. "It's a lot more exciting to fight for the losing team!" And Pray wouldn't even respond to questions of the sort. Blithe wasn't particularly loyal to Queen Kitra either, but having all seven Generals on the same side would end this war more quickly than not. Ida grinned, patting her horns "I should make my move soon. They won't be expecting me." She glanced with a sneer in Frey's direction, whose attack had resulted in failure once Pandora Vale had been rescued from the red fog. "I'd do better than some useless kid with a cheap toy."
"It's not a cheap toy! My parents gave it to me!" Frey yelped, light flashing in his eyes. "How dare you look down on me, you mere 7th General?!" Blithe rolled her eyes, not caring. Usually the Generals weren't bad company, but right now she wanted to be anywhere but here. "And Gambit got himself caught before he could even do anything, how useless." Ida giggled, shaking her head. "Not even by humans, but by those mages sitting all high and mighty in Mango's walls." Mango? "Magnolia." Blithe corrected, clenching her fist. "It's called Magnolia." Ida looked delighted that Blithe spoke and stared at her. "Ah, right. That's where your dearest sweetie is!" Ida licked her lips. "Queen Kitra banned you from seeing her, didn't she? What if I went to find her? Or that dark mage of hers?"
Ida had a habit of taking girls she thought to be cute into her home in Hell and leaving them there as her playthings until they went insane and died of hysteria. "I'd rather you didn't. There are better girls to take from the Tower Society." She sighed, grimacing. While it made sense why Queen Kitra was busy fighting the demon civil war against Baron Messiah's forces, it didn't change matters that Blithe didn't want to be here. "Alright, that's enough squabbling." Zeal bonked both of their heads with his hands, snarling. "It's unbecoming for Generals to behave like this. We're Queen Kitra's elites, so our behavior reflects upon her as well." He looked Blithe in particular. "I know you, Blithe. You better not go do anything reckless. Else you might not live to go back to your contract."
It was a double edged threat and warning. "Don't worry." Blithe said flippantly. "I won't do anything crazy." But how long could she stand to sit around fighting Messiah when Zinnia needed her?
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
This wasn't supposed to happen, no, things were not supposed to go this way. "What rotten luck," Loki smiled as she coughed, blood spurting from her lips. They were sparing, that was it, sparing, so how did Loki impale herself with a claw? Stay here, Echo signed, desperation clawing at her throat. They were going to blame her, weren't they? They were going to say this was all Echo's fault, that she had attacked Loki. She ran, the small demon was faster than most, she had always been. Scenes flashed behind her eyes from her past life with Alistair, of being framed for murder. Help! Echo signed, she needed their help, but they didn't understand her. "Echo!" She turned, glad to see Flame. "Echo, how could you do this?" There was disappointment in his eyes, it was clear that they had found her. Didn't, she needs help. Stop wasting time, they needed to help Loki! Echo ran back towards the training room, they had already surrounded her partner.
Relief flooded her, surely Loki would tell them once she woke up that Echo hadn't done this? But the demon had a track record for hurting humans. She had a long history of killing them. "What a bad demon," they whispered, "It's not the first time, either. The only reason Wei let's that one run amock is because she's a Baroness." She could hear them, her ears twitching with their words. "Should be locked up with the others." A hand came to rest on her shoulder, "you know what comes next, don't you?" Flame asked, the words paining him. I didn't do it, Loki will tell you, Echo signed, but he didn't understand. She couldn't speak yet, her vocal chords were still healing. No one ever listens to me, why? Why doesn't anyone listen?
Flame brought her to Wei's office, but he wasn't there. Instead, Cress was. "I reviewed the footage," Cress spoke softly. "It's hard to tell, but when you slow it down like this," she showed Echo the video, "you can see it was Loki's own mistake." A breath of relief came from the demon as she leaned back in the chair. "Don't stress out about it, too much, alright?" She looked at Flame, dismissing him. The door closed behind him, it was just the two of them now. Will Loki be okay? Echo asked, she won't have to retire, will she? Cress shook her head, she was fluent in sign, she knew exactly what it was Echo was saying. "She should be just fine, sore for a while, I imagine, considering she sliced through her stomach, but she missed everything." Cress rifled around her belongings for a minute, "but since she is out of comission and you are a high enough level agent..." she slid a file across the table.
A mission? Without Loki? Cress nodded. "Loki will be resting and healing for a bite, honestly, this was almost too good of timing. We need an agent willing to go under cover. Of course, you wouldn't actually be disguised more like... a double agent." Cress smiled, it was almost intimidating. Echo picked up the file warily, "we need insight on what Kitra is up to, on how to make our next move. I know the generals like you and Kitra respects you, since you are a King. Honestly, I think you would be the best fit."Echo shifted in her chair, What about Flo? She signed, putting the file back down, uncertain. "Flo will be... taken care of, don't worry. Mara is taking great care of her," would she miss Echo? Oh, bloody hell, she didn't even remember her properly.
"The money is good and you'll move up an entire level when you return." Still, Echo was hesitant, "You're the only one I would trust with this mission."
What if I betray everyone? I hate humans.
"You won't betray us," Cress smiled and for a moment she almost looked like her twin. "We have ways to make sure you won't."
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❝Where am I? What am I doing? Do you know where I am?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
With Flo back to what seemed to be normal if you ignored her wings and fact that during night she transformed back into a demon, Wei decided to run a test on her memory, asking her many things that happened during her tenure at the Tower Society. "Um, I didn't even know a Third Impact happened. Weren't we still in shock about the Second Impact?" She blinked in confusion, coughing weakly in the chair. She still had the inhibitors on, just in case, but Wei didn't think they were going to be necessary. "You missed a lot." Pan looked at Wei, sitting straight in her own wheelchair. "She probably only remembers shortly after the Second Impact. I broke up with her a week before that, and then I went missing due to Director LaFleur's machinations."
Director LaFleur? "LaFleur...?" Mara asked, still confused. There was a lot she was going to have to take in. "Your mom and my aunt was the Director." Pandora explained with a shake of the head. "She's... gone now. Trust me, you're better off without her." Mara shuddered, not understanding anything. Everything was so different now. "And... who is the green haired ghost in the corner?" She asked, pointing at the transparent girl who flinched upon being noticed. "We can't see her, but that's probably Ayna." Wei said with a chuckle. "She was one of your friends who helped you a lot when you were comatose." Comatose? Even that happened? "Aidan's probably worried..." Her big brother was always freaking out. Mara wanted to tell him that she was okay. Pan and Wei glanced at each other, both probably unsure how to tell her that Mara herself was the one who ended her brother's life.
Pan decided to spend as much time as her doctors would allow her to give Mara an overview of everything that happened. It all came as a shock to learn about her and Harris's relationship, her bold choice to join the Tower Society despite her worsening health. But it all was even worse when it came to the demon Echo King who was supposedly as close as a sister, if not a soulmate, and realizing how often things went wrong yet Echo was always there. "That name..." Mara hissed, in pain as her stomach pinched. She didn't know about the egg after all, and Ayna wasn't sure if it had been implanted yet. "Baroness Nova..." For some reason the name still echoed in her mind.
The next day, there was someone new pushing Pan's wheelchair. A blonde girl entered, frowning sullenly. "Don't be shy. You know you wanted this more than anyone else." Pan told the blonde girl, before pointing to her. "This is your current partner now that you're part demon. Her name is Sana Blackwood, or better known as Mare." Mare flinched, blushing deeply. "I-I... I'm s-s-sorry! Th-this shouldn't have happened it was all my fault please punish me!" Sana went down on all fours, bowing ridiculously deeply. "From what I heard, it wasn't anyone's fault. Um, please, get back up." Mara told her with a smile. "And let's work hard together, okay?" For some reason that was enough to make Sana break into big tears.
"Pan... um, about Echo... I want to see her. Can she be brought here?" From what she knew, Echo King was someone very important to her. They were close enough to have been revived together by Baroness Lachesis after all. "I already asked Wei for permission." Pan said, already doing muscle training as she was lifting small weights with her arms. Even weak and emaciated, Pandora was hard at work to regain her old strength. "If he approves, she might help bring back your memories in a way no one else could."
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
No one knew of course, only a select few agents were let in on the mission, not even Doll and Melody knew where Echo was going. She took in a nervous breath, knowing that they could see everything, that Cress could extract her at anytime. She had next to no belongings with her, only her raid armor and daggers. Even those, were beaten up, to set the scene right. After all, Echo had to look like a traitor in front of the demons. She had to make them believe she had defected from the Tower Society of her own will. The car stopped on the edge of Paris, the two Tower Agents that brought her here wearing nothing that could identify them. "Let's go," Echo rose from her seat, nerves making the butterflies in her stomach flutter stupidly. If this didn't go right, they could all die.
They were within sight of the guards that stood outside of the gates, Echo didn't know them, but she knew that they were watching. She turned and attacked the two Tower Agents that were escorting her. This was planned of course and they knew it. The scrimmage happening all within view of the demons on the other side of the gate and boy, was there a crowd. Echo could hear them cheering her on, to kill the human, to smash their skulls. She was struck hard on the side of the temple, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. Her eyes widened as she looked at the sinister smiles on the Tower Agent's faces. "Finally, we can get rid of this no good traitor!" One of them cackled. This wasn't part of the plan, this wasn't supposed to happen! Blood ran down the side of her face. What are you doing?! Echo signed frantically.
"What are we doing? Getting rid of the Baroness that's been preying on all of us once and for all!" A red diamond broke, flames straeked through the air, they fell back, fear flickering in their eyes. It was easy to get the jump on them once they hesitated, she struck, knocking the first one out. The second one hit Echo on the back of her head with their giant hammer, a vile sort of smile on their face. "Die already, won't you!" She was pinned to the ground, the hammer hitting her, over and over. She heard something crack, a bone no doubt. A voice in her head, Cress's voice, telling her to get out of there, wanting to know what was wrong. A yellow diamond broke, lightning striking the ground, attracted to the hammer. The Tower Agent attached to it was fried. She didn't look back, Echo rose, limping, one leg dragging, towards the gates.
Freedom, freedom loomed so closely. "I don't know what happened there, they weren't supposed to do that." Cress's voice filled her head, reminding Echo that she was being watched. She collapsed just outside the gates, shaking, where the demons guarding it were. Help me, she signed, reaching through with one arm, the one that wasn't full of bloodied fingers. "Echo?" It was a relief to see a familiar face as blood ran down her eyes. Blithe ran towards the gates, her tails aflutter. "Move, I know her!" slowly, the metal gates to Paris were opened and Echo was allowed through, Blithe taking her into her arms. "Echo, you're alive! You escaped!"
"Escaped? More like she bit the living daylights out of those bloody Tower Agents!" Blithe took in her state, lifting Echo up easily. "You're coming with me, don't worry, I won't let them hurt you again. I know someone that can fix you right up," that being Lilim of course.
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❝Memories of a falling flower, quick, collect the petals, collect the petals!❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Unfortunately, even with all of these events told to her, the fact remained that Mara herself did not remember any of it. She just couldn't connect to any of those memories. If she could meet Echo, that might solve the problem but right now the only anchor she had was Pandora. It was nice to see Harris, but Harris was also very distant now that he was a father and had a wife. Harris and Amy were very young, but they wanted to make a child since in this climate, you never knew when it would be too late. They were quick to marry and they were happy. Unfortunately, this made Harris very... he just felt so far away now. It was hard for Mara to get the same feeling as when the two of them would play around together as two twelve year olds.
Being mentally twelve year old was difficult in a nearly fully adult body, that's for sure. "Harris, who is this?" That didn't look like their son together. It was a slim white haired demon with eyes as red as thick dark blood. Harris smiled awkwardly. "He said he wanted to see you. Um..." Harris nudged the demon forward. "Wei took Seele's notes and tried making a manmade Baron, except this time using demon materials rather than the body parts of mages." The demon blinked and pointed curiously at Mara. "Pink hair?" He asked, confused. "I'm calling him Nell for now..." Nell? "The same as your old demon?" Mara remembered that Nell was Baron Ziel, and that Ziel was an ally of humanity, even though Nell had tried to hurt her many times out of curiosity. "Yeah. We used Ziel's old soul piece for him, so they look a lot alike. Except this time we're going to teach him properly about humanity."
Before the Third Impact, Seele created Baron Ziel and let him loose so that he could learn about humanity his own way. He ended up falling in love with humanity and decided to protect it, forming an alliance with people such as Paul Bruskey in order to try and find a peaceful route to solve the problem. The plan went awry when Baroness Zinnia captured Ziel and trapped him in her lair. "I hope it works out." Mara decided, nodding. Right now humanity only had Echo, herself (which was still odd for the twelve year old Mara to understand), but if they could turn this Nell into one of their allies too, wouldn't that make things even easier for the Tower Society?
Nell walked forward on unsteady legs, taking her hand, red eyes glowing bright as he looked at her. Mara blinked, blushing a little, not used to having boys other than Harris touching her. "I'm sorry." Nell said, squeezing the hand. "For what the other Nell did. Um, I can kind of see glimpses of his life in my memories... and I saw the things he did to you. It was mean and it won't happen again. I'll be a good demon." For a child, he was quite well behaved. "Th-thank you." Mara blushed even more deeply. She heard from Pandora what happened, but the Mara right now had no grudges against any Nell. "Alright, that's enough kiddo." Harris grinned. "We should get going. Pan's staring at us wanting a get back to teaching you." Pan had indeed come, holding her weights and her book. "You've done enough slacking off. You need to start building muscle again, Mara." The pinkette gulped, nodding, her heart beating wildly. She loved Pan so much... surely if she just asked again, it would all work out. There's no way Pan would ever say no!
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo had passed out sometime during Blithe carrying her from the gate and to the mansion where Kitra currently resided. She awoke to furious whispers, there seemed to be a heated argument carrying on. Echo wasn't in any pain, she realized, and she had been cleaned up and changed. "Remember what happened the first time? She just disappeared and ended up getting caught by the humans again! You can't just keep her here, not without supervision." Blithe nodded, Echo felt dizzy as she set upright. "Oh, you're awake!" Blithe turned, bounding towards her. The other demon made a face, not an unhappy one, but not exactly pleased either. "Wait until Kitra finds out what you've done," the other demon left, tail swishing unhappily. "Don't mind them," Blithe pat Echo's head, clearly she seemed to think that Echo was still fragile, which was fine by her.
Where? Echo signed, wanting to know what this place was. "This is the building Kitra and all of the Generals are staying in. Um, the apartment building was sort of smashed to smithereens when the Tower Society came looking for Alex Drake." Blithe scratched her cheek, "but that's alright. You'll like this place much better, I'm sure. I saw you fighting to get away, you did a good job." Blithe smiled, "come, let's go to your new room. You're staying here with me, I won't let anyone make you leave. Kitra will have to pry you from my cold, dead hands if she wants you to go." It seemed Echo was going to be playing the victim, which suited her just fine. Scared, nervous, Echo signed as Blithe gave her the tour. "You don't have anything to be afraid of here, no one's going to hurt you." Blithe assured her with a fanged smile.
Echo's own tail swished nervously, but not for the reason they thought. "You're doing great Echo, just play helpless for now." Cress assured her, her voice only audible to Echo. It's because, well, it wasn't a voice at all. Rather, new technology the Tower Society had come up with for stealth missions. An implant, behind Echo's ear that sent waves underneath her skin for only her to hear. It meant that, in a sense, the Tower Society could use Echo's own brain to see and hear everything she could. "Look, here's my room. You'll be staying here with me," Blithe opened the tall doors. It was a beautifully appointed room, well, rooms really. It was almost as though it were a flat within a castle. "Here, this is your room, alright?" Echo nodded, hiding behind Blithe. "It's okay, we'll fill it with furniture for you. So you can be comfortable," Echo's tail swished rapidly at the thought. Her own room, how strange it would be.
"And this is my room, that's the bathroom-" something began to ring. Echo jumped, this time in genuine fear. "Don't worry, just the telly, as you Brits say." Blithe tapped her on the nose, Echo reached up in confusion, touching her nose in wonder. "Hello? Oh Kitra... um... yes, I'll be right there." She pocketed the device and turned back towards Echo, holding out her hand. "We have to go, the Queen calls." Echo placed her hand in Blithe's, the fox demon giving it a light squeeze. "She won't hurt you, I won't let her." Blithe smiled, trying to be as reassuring as possible. Echo fidgeted, her nerves wound up.
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❝Memories of a falling flower, quick, collect the petals, collect the petals!❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
As Harris took Nell 2.0 out of the room, Pandora wheeled herself in, weight and books resting calmly on her lap. "We're going to do basic muscle training today. I think for now we'll give up on your memories until Echo's allowed to see you." Echo wasn't allowed to see her yet? "Why? Where is she?" Mara asked, a little bit sad. "She was my partner, I want to be friends with her again. Sana too." Because Mara was now a mixture of human and demon thanks to her soul piece being cracked and damaged, Sana was the conduit to keep her life stable. With Sana's help Mara could control her forced transformations. "I heard Cress has her doing some task." Pandora murmured, little slightly offput.
Pandora who was always the most trusted agent under Director LaFleur, was used to knowing all the highest priority information. Now that Cress replaced her in that aspect since her disappearance by Frey, Pan no longer had that kind of access. Not even Doll or Christopher were ever as high clearance as Pandora was. "If my guess is correct, probably to look for the 3rd Demon General, Frey." Keron was still in the lantern, and they didn't know how much longer it would take until she could no longer be saved. Pan lasted a while, but it varied on the person. "Here, see if you can lift these weights. You're human right now, but you need to get stronger." Distracted from her thoughts, Mare was handed a two pound weight. She stared at it, lifting it up the way one would carry a tote bag. It hurt her arm so she put it back down, wincing.
"It's too hard for me." How pathetic was that? How would Pan ever like her if she was so weak? Even in her wheelchair Pan looked so strong and beautiful. How Mara's heart burned, thumping hard as she stared at Pan in her skintight suit, at her muscles moving as they lifted her own weights. She was still thin and weak, but even so, Pan was doing her best to regain her old strength. She was once a top tier agent the way Doll and Christopher, or Miranda and Wicked were. She wanted to get back there, and that kind of inspiration was something Mara admired. Also, she was really hot. Mara wasn't used to nearly being an adult yet, but staring at Pan's thin yet developed body was always a plus.
Pan gave her an odd stare. "Stop gawking and get to work. You look really weak right now." Mare blushed heavily, nodding. Maybe she would just go out and say it. What's the worst that could happen? "U-um... b-before I start..." She blushed even deeper, humiliating creeping up. They broke up apparently, but it could always be rekindled. "Pan, do you wanna... try again? I still... I'm still madly in love with you. Please, I'll be yours again." Pan looked at her and sighed. "You need to get over that. It's over, Mara. We're cousins, and I don't see you like that anymore." The raven haired beauty frowned slightly. "But I'm used to you. The past you still had this same problem, but she was certainly better at hiding it." Mare felt tears dripping down her eyes. All she wanted was to get back together, why wasn't Pan going to go back with her? Did she not like it back then? Did she not miss how sweet their love was?
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
"Blithe, it seems as though we have a bit of a pest problem," Kitra gnawed on her nail, her scissor blades resting on the throne behind her. Was Celeste here too? Echo wondered. She peered behind Blithe, her tail nervously squeezing her leg. "What do you mean?" Blithe asked, attempting to hide Echo behind her. "For a start, the Tower Agent you're hiding behind you." Blithe stiffened, Lilim looked away, "sorry-" she squeaked, but Kitra held a hand up. "Lilim, you have no reason to apologize. You, on the other hand, Blithe. What's the meaning of this?" Blithe looked down at Echo, who was still squirming. Play innocent, Cress had told her, she would do exactly that. "They hurt Echo, no, they were hurting her. She barely made it out of there with her life." Kitra's hand squeezed her throne, her nails digging into it. In truth, it was probably just a really nice chair she was using to symbolize the throne.
"How do we know it wasn't sent here to spy on us? Or that everything is a ploy?" Blithe took Echo's hand, the tiny demon stumbling out in front of her. "Take a look, do you think anyone this helpless could be here to hurt us? She can't even speak! They took her voice!" Echo looked down, it wasn't exactly true, but she played the part, fidgeting helplessly, wringing her tail in her hands. She knew that Cress was listening of course, that she was probably recording this exact moment for Wei to listen to later. In a sense, Cress was her mission coordinator. Kitra rose, walking in a circle around Echo. No doubt they could sense the power of a Baroness rolling off of her. "Fine, she can stay, but she'll be your responsibility. Feed, walking, whatever it is Tower Agents require." Blithe perked up instantly, grabbing Echo in a hug.
Echo stiffened instinctively, she had never liked being touched. All three gave her sympathetic looks as Blithe put her down. They seemed to think of her as some sort of kicked kitten and to make matters worse- "She has to wear this," Kitra took out what looked like a sleek metal band and clapped it around Echo's wrist. The tiny demon shook her hand, wanting it off. Don't look it, she signed to Blithe, "What is she saying?" Lilim asked curiously, already wanting to be friends. "It's to make sure you can keep track of her and she isn't here to spy on us." Blithe smiled, patting Echo's head, "she says she doesn't like it."
Someone was supposed to deliver her medicine, Cress had set up an arrangement with another spy that was on the inside. She had promised that Echo would not go without it. They were to meet her in the morning, every day. Except, when Echo awoke that morning, Blithe was standing there, her sword through a demon holding a syringe with the familiar, pale, pink medicine. Echo's eyes widened in alarm. She needed that, she needed it to make her head quiet. She needed it like lungs needed oxygen or a fish needed water. "Don't worry, I promised I wouldn't let them hurt you, remember? Looks like word must've already gotten out." She tossed the syringe on the ground, crushing it beneath her foot. "I'll get someone to clean this up, just try to sleep, alright?"
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❝Memories of a falling flower, quick, collect the petals, collect the petals!❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Muscle training with Pandora was very painful, even if the cousins couldn't do very much yet. It wasn't her muscle pain that bothered her even as Pan told her to try moving her body and doing stretches and yoga poses to get used to it again. Even as Pan gave her her puffer to help her recover from a coughing fit, that wasn't what was painful. It was her heart, it was her chest. Mara was not used to being rejected by Pan. She remembered many times the two of them - both in younger, ten and nine year old bodies, playing doctor and giving each other delicate, sloppy kisses. She remembered the good times and her heart felt like it was dying.
"You did good today." Pandora looked fatigued even as Mara's lungs burned in an attempt to gain air. It felt as if her breathing was being obstructed, Emphysema as usual being the curse in her body. She wasn't used to it having progressed this far yet, breathing was still a struggle for her. "But don't think I didn't notice you staring at me." Pandora's smile was almost pitying. "You need to get over me, Mara, I'm sorry. Maybe Wei should assign a different trainer for you." Mara shook her head, eyes glistening with tears as she took shaky attempts at deep breaths to regain her senses. "N-no. It has to be you! I-I'm sorry for staring! Y-you're just so... so pretty!" She had been getting eyefuls of her cousin's body as they did their exercises today. It was one of the things that kept her going.
As night fell and Pandora made her exit, someone else appeared, floating above her like a specter. It was the green haired girl, wasn't Ayna the name Pan told her? The astral projecting demon that she became friends with? "Flo, it's night time. You really should try to stay awake." Mara gave her an odd stare, not used to the name Flo just yet even though it was supposedly her name. She was told usually to sleep at nights. "There's something you have to realize. So stay up with me, okay?" Ayna Anranrara floated down to sit next to her with a grin. "C'mon, I don't bite. Here, let's hang out." Not that Mara could reply with the breathing mask affixed to her face.
When the hands on the clock struck midnight Mara began to squirm. Her whole body was on fire in a way she did not like or appreciate. She knew she was part demon now but she didn't really get it yet. She still acted properly like a human because it was all she knew. "It's happening. I'm here, don't worry." Horribly burning pain all over as her wings exploded out of her back in an impossible sensation to describe, as her skin on her feet tore to give way to ugly bird talons, twitching uncomfortably. Pink stripes appeared on her skin, on her face, a long black tail with a heart shaped tip wiggled on her rear end. "What is this? Why doe sit hurt so much?" Ayna pointed to her reflection in the glass containment room. "You're a demon now. You have to get used to this, because this is why the Tower Society needs you." It was clear Ayna's disdain for the Tower Society. "This is your true form."
Mara was a demon. One of those horrible creatures that hurt and killed people, eating them alive. One of the horrible creatures who had killed her father.
Baroness Zinnia looked back at her in the reflection, a monstrous and ugly design. How could Pandora ever love her? Was this why Pan wouldn't take her back? Weakness in her chest, Zinnia hugged herself, sobbing as her heart broke yet again.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo felt off balance. Blithe bathed her and braided her hair, dressing Echo in spare clothing she had stolen from one of the other general's rooms. "We'll buy you proper clothes today," Blithe promised as Echo could do nothing but shake. She could hardly muster a nod of the head in return. "Poor thing, so traumatized." Her head was swirling with horrible things, horrible thoughts the medicine had been repressing. "Echo? Do you want to eat breakfast?" She almost nodded, then an image of Flo flashed before her eyes. A dungeon, blood, a tongue. Echo shook her head, the thought of food made her physically ill. "Okay, we'll use this then," it was familiar, the pulse and hum of the machine as food filled her stomach without her mouth needing to move. It was wrong. Everything was wrong.
"Don't worry," Cress's voice filled her head. No doubt she could tell that Echo was panicking, "I'll find someone else to bring it to you." Echo looked down at her feet, the boots she had been wearing yesterday were now clean. "Oh gosh, I'm running late. Come on, we've gotta get to the meeting." Every morning, the Generals had a meeting with Kitra to check in on things, to find out where they stood in terms of the war, and what actions they would take based on that. As they entered the meeting room, Echo realized that this was exactly what Cress had wanted, this is what the Tower Society needed in order to get ahead. Her heart thrummed in her chest, Want to stay with you, Echo signed. "Don't worry, you're not going anywhere." Blithe assured her, falling right into the trap.
"Blithe, who is your little friend?" One of the Generals asked kindly, judging by his aura, that was Zeal, the strongest of the Generals. "This is Echo," a squeal came from the opposite end of the table. Echo jumped, grabbing Blithe's tail to hide behind. "She's so cute! Come here, I just want to squish her!" Ida, the weakest, but still formidable, General said. She jumped onto the table and ran across, her dress swishing behind her. "Like a little doll, so tiny! I just want to eat her up!" She lifted Echo up, spinning her in a circle. Echo felt sick. She hated being called cute, but in a room full of Generals, she was the weakest here. "So small, is she full grown, how old is she?" Ida asked as she set Echo down, who dizzily went back to hide behind Blithe. "Echo, how old are you?" Blithe asked, not knowing herself.
Four, Echo signed, to which Blithe relayed. By four years old, demon's were fully grown. This was the tallest Echo would get. "So precious," the door opened, all of the Generals stood and bowed as Kitra entered, Lilim by her side. "Good morning everyone," Kitra side eyed Blithe, "Lilim, take Echo and go find something to do."
"Noooo, I want her to stay." Ida whined, "I agree," Gambit winked, newely revived thanks to the efforts of a mage. "I think she should stay." Blithe nodded in agreement, don't want to go. Kitra seemed perturbed, but sighed, relenting. "Fine, get her a coloring book or something. That seems about the intellegance level of a Tower Agent." Lilim ran off to find coloring materials, seeming excited. The chairs were all taken, Blithe lifted her, placing Echo on her lap. She had a perfect view of their board. "Act uninterested," Cress ordered, knowing how dangerous this situation was. She had not expected Echo to be welcomed so freely by everyone.
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❝Memories of a falling flower, quick, collect the petals, collect the petals!❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Every night, Mara turned into Zinnia. Every night, she became just like those who killed her father. Ayna narrowed her eyes at her. "I'm a demon too you know. Just because your true form is a demon doesn't mean you're evil." Mara wanted to be human. She wanted to be the same girl she always was. She wanted to go back to the past, to when times were happier. She didn't want to be here in this strange place called a Tower Society. She wanted to escape, she wanted to be free. She wanted - she wanted to be with Pandora again. "Pan... I want to go back." The happiest she could ever remember was when she and Pan were a couple as children. "You can't." Ayna warned her. "So don't try. Come on, I'll take you on an adventure, okay?"
Ayna touched her shoulder, looking gentle. "If you let me, I can pull your astral spirit out and we can go wherever we want. So relax, and give up control." Ayna was trying to be nice, she was trying to help but it wasn't working. "What's my power again, Ayna? What can I do?" All Barons had something special about them, didn't they? If Ayna could be like aghost like this, what could Mara do? Did she have some sort of crazy ability as well? "You can stop time." Ayna told her after a brief hesitation. "And that's all you can do. So don't try to do anything else, okay?" But why was she like this? Why did she look so grotesque? Mare stared at the reflection as it taunted her, taunted her, tortured her just for existing.
"You can do so much more. Our powers are almost the same." A deep male voice echoing in her head as Mara shivered, coughing and panting. "If you can extend your powers, you'll be surprised as to what you can accomplish." Mara closed her eyes, concentrating. She focused as hard as she could, remembering the happier times when she and Pandora were a couple, when they were in love together. If she could go back to those happier days, if she could go back to when she didn't have to be a monster, then-
Little Pandora smiled, hugging Mara. "It's okay if you're sick. I'll be a good doctor for you, okay?" Pandora hugged the little brown haired girl with a sickly complexion as she coughed. They were in a hospital room together and their father had gone out to the bathroom. "I'll protect you and make sure you're better! Maybe if I get a job at the Tower Society!" Pandora's eyes were bright. "Then I'll make enough money to find a cure for you!" Mara nodded, smiling. "I'd like that. Um..." She blushed deeply, wiggling. Pandora nodded, leaning in for a kiss. That was when wings fluttered and talons reached out, grabbing the little Pandora right up off the ground. "I need you, so I'm taking you now."
A little and very confused eight year old Pandora Vale stared at the glass room in confusion, at the pink demon glowering at her. "Wh-what? What's going on?" Ayna was just as confused because it had only been a second, had time been stopped? "You're mine now! We're going to be together forever!" Baroness Zinnia said with a smile, having changed her body to have the appearance of the little Mara in the hospital, way back then. As a demon she could do this, this was her power. "Do you love me, Pan?" Little Pan blinked and nodded. "Y-yes, I do. I always will!" If only that was true.
Mara would make sure it stay true.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo wasn't listening to the meeting, she was busy trying not to panic. It didn't matter what she did, however, as Cress could hear it all. Their future attack plans, what position they stood in now, what the vampires were up to in terms of alliance. The meeting was dismissed a few minutes after Lilim had returned with crayons and paper. "Just leave it for tomorrow I guess," Kitra shrugged, "since Blithe seems attached to small things." Blithe hissed, playfully of course, sticking her tongue out. Ida bound over to them as the meeting ended, Frey glaring. He could recall, of course, the power Echo had, had within his lantern. Baron Zeal rose, towering over all of them. His skin was ashen gray, his eyes yellow. He smiled, holding out a hand, Echo hesitated. "Go on," Blithe smiled, her presence calming. Echo took it, Zeal shaking her hand. She could feel the power rolling off of him in waves, she felt as though she were going to drown.
"So delicate, I can sense your power in these tiny hands." He pat her head, Echo feeling supremely confused. The door opened, two familiar faces appearing. "I heard my little friend is in here," Celeste smiled, Raphael right behind her. Echo's legs were shaking, Zeal stepped away and she could finally breathe once more. Missed you, Echo signed, Celeste running over to her. "I missed you too!" She squealed, lifting Echo up to hug her. "It's been a while," Raphael ruffled her silver hair. Echo felt calm with them, her head quieting. These were her special people after all, they had taken care of her when all hope was lost. They were more her family than Doll and Melody had ever been. The last ones who had not abandoned her. "Are those... angels?!" Cress seemed incredulous, Echo winced, her voice loud inside of her head.
"We're gonna go shopping, do you guys wanna come?" Blithe asked. "I do!" Ida pipped, "I wanna come too! Kitra, can I?" Celeste asked, grabbing her wife's arm, her expression eager. "Of course, go have fun." They exchanged a kiss, Celeste's cheeks turning bright pink. Kitra leaned over to whisper something in Celeste's ear, which caused her to go bright red. "Not near the children!" She teased, pecking Kitra's cheek. "Let's go!" She cheered, their gaggle of demons and an angel setting off into the center of town. "Pay attention, I'll start mapping," Cress said in her head, it seemed she wanted to map out how the demons had changed the streets of Paris. It was cleaner now, the air was breathable. Blithe bundled her in a jacket and scarf that were too big. "We'll get you proper fitting ones soon." She promised, since Echo was pint sized compared to the rest of them.
The snow outside was pleasantly white, piled into snowy hills so that the streets were clear. It seemed as though there were no cars, but a light rail that drove through the streets to allow mass transporation. Blithe paid for their tickets and they stepped on, heading towards the shopping district. Echo looked outside in wonder. She had only taken the train from Paris to London in order to return home, she had not been able to take in the splendor that was a demon city, living freely from the rest of the EU. It was wonderful. For a moment, she forgot about everything, for just a moment, her head was quiet again. Then the light rail jolted and she fell, bumping into Ida. "Careful," they all treated her like a child, which in demon terms, she still was.
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❝Memories of a falling flower, quick, collect the petals, collect the petals!❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Little Pandora was stared at by Director Wei, who sighed and shook his head. "How did you break the inhibitors, Mara?" He asked, pointing to the fried devices by her wrists. "I had to go back." She touched her messy brown hair defensively, glaring at the man. Mara LaFleur had abducted a younger version of Pandora from the past, and brought her here. "You know she can't stay here." Even Ayna looked a bit perturbed at the scene. The two were hugging each other, as if clinging to each other. "Don't trust anyone, they're just going to try and take you away from me." Mara told Pan, her wings unfurling behind her. "They're evil, they turned me into a demon! So you have to trust only me, okay?"
Wei groaned. "Cress, call in Pandora. Our Pandora." Mara clung to Pandora who was quiet and confused. "Even if you're a demon, I love you." It was night, so this was the only time she could do anything right. Once she was human again her lungs would keep burning, she would be powerless. The door opened and Pandora was wheeled in, followed by Pray and Sana. Everyone was here now. "Flo..." Sana's voice was mournful. "What are you doing?" Pandora touched her hand to the glass to her younger self. The two raven haired beauties stared at each other in awe. "I see." Bigger Pandora sighed. "Wei, Mara's usually not this bad. I've suspected for a while, but..." Her eyes glared right at the former pinkette, at Baroness Zinnia. "I feel like Messiah must have done something to her."
"Flo. Your memories are gone, but you need to remember. This isn't you. This isn't right." There was sharp pain in her skull and she clung harder to Little Pandora. "Why is there an older me?" She asked, unable to take her eyes off of her counterpart. "Your Mara is still in the past. My Mara simply kidnapped you to the future." Pandora explained softly. "This isn't your time. You're only a victim." Little Pan stared at her older self. "But why are you not with her? Didn't we promise to always protect Mara?" There was a bit of pain in the older Pandora's face as she remembered the past. "Things change." She explained with a little pause. "We can't be together, not like that. Eventually you'll understand." The treachery of Auntie Addison would turn her world upside down.
Mara had enough. A voice was speaking in her head, whispering, enticing. "Get out of there. Come back to me, to where you belong." Mara's wings burst out, breaking through the glass cage as a surge of power knocked everyone to the ground. "I have to go! It's not safe here!" She gently lifted Little Pan up with her, pink wings beating wildly. "I have to follow the voice! W-we'll be safe there!" They broke through the wall, flying out into the cold of night. "Cress, wake up Doll and Christopher." Wei murmured, watching after as they flew. "We can't let them go to Baron Messiah."
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo wasn't actually certain what love felt like. There were times when she had thought that she felt loved, but ultimately, had always ended up being betrayed by those she trusted most. Her sisters? Left her locked in a cage to rot. Tara? Had betrayed her for power. Cal? Had testified against her in court. Mara? Well, Echo wasn't sure what was happening with her. As she strolled down the streets of Paris, wearing new clothes and shoes, holding Blithe's hand, she thought that maybe this was what a family looked like. Not the weird, forced family dynamic that she was used to, but a real family. Echo Cress smiled down at her, Raphael was watching where they were walking, Ida was holding her other hand, occasionally reaching over to fix the ribbon in Echo's hair.
Echo felt... happy, she realized. She hadn't felt happy like this in a long time. "Let's stop over there and get something to eat!" Cress suggested with a smile. A diner with a silver colored exterior flashed at them from the street corner, the words, once in French, now written in English. The interior was brightly lit and warm, their party taking a booth by the window. There were fall decorations hung up, it would be Halloween in a few days. "I want to sit next to Echo!" Cress chimed, "I want to sit on her other side!" Ida said quickly, prompting a glare from Blithe. It will be okay, Echo signed quickly, not wanting them to fight over her. "Fine," Blithe sighed. Echo sat between the two, "Do you want to eat anything?" Cress asked, her wings wrapped with a tasteful shawl. Raphael was disguised as a demon, but Echo could tell it was him.
Echo shook her head, the thought of eating food made her stomach turn in disgust. "How about... ice cream!" Ida chimed, the table trying to guess what would make Echo eat. Cress was awfully quiet inside of her head, there must have been something happening on her side. Or perhaps things like diners did not concern her? Ice cream? Echo had never had that before, or at least, not that she could remember. "Ice cream it is," Blithe smiled, glad that Echo had decided on something. It came in a large bowl, piled high with whipped topping and a cherry. Echo looked at it warily, untrusting of the strange concotion. "Go ahead," Raphael encouraged. They all watched as she dipped her spoon into the bowl and took a bite, making a face at how cold it was.
Too sweet, Echo signed. Blithe laughed, "well, you ordered it. Try another bite," Echo did, the second one not so bad. Her stomach roiled, an image of Flo bleeding out flashing before her eyes. She shook her head and pushed the bowl away. "Alright, well, at least you tried it." Ida encouraged, her horns gleaming in the flourescent lights.
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❝Memories of a falling flower, quick, collect the petals, collect the petals!❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
A location was strong in Mara's mind. She didn't know what or why, all she knew was that she had to go there. That if she went there, she would be promised safety. A castle with dark halls and oily shadows awaited her. "Where are we going?" Little Pandora asked, smiling pleasantly. "I trust you, so let's go on an adventure!" Mara nodded, feeling dizzy. Had she ever used her powers like this before? If what the others were saying was true, she never had pushed them to the extent of going to a different timeline. "It's probably not on Earth. We're going to go to somewhere strange." Could she do this? Was it really possible? She winced, pain reverberating all over. Naturally she did not remember the egg being implanted inside of her. All that was in the brunette's mind was to cling to Pandora as much as possible until they could run away and find salvation together.
She would save Pandora from the tragedy waiting to befall her at the hands of Addison LaFleur, she would save her from a life of fighting and suffering. Focusing hard, a rift appeared before her, red and eerie. "What is that?" Little Pandora asked, holding tight as they floated in the sky. "I think it will take us to Hell." Together, the two lovers entered the rift to Hell, something all Barons had the power to create. Opening their eyes, they saw a barren fiery landscape waiting for them as the rift to Earth faded away into nothing. "Is this where demons live?" Little Pandora queried. "I think maybe?" Or at least where they used to live before they went to the paradise city of Paris. "But I'm sure there are still some demons who still didn't make the move over yet."
Flying through Hell was a strange experience. The two girls were lost as they tried to find the image in the pink Baron's head, the dark empty castle with halls of shadow. After an unknown amount of time a scissor blade slashed out in the air in front of her. Mara yelped, floating back, hugging Pandora even harder as she froze time. A small demon with three scissor blades and three tentacles was flying in front of her. Queen Kitra, the ruler of demons. Did human-demons like Mara fall under her jurisdiction? Time flowed again and Queen Kitra spun her electric spear, the threat very clear. "You two shouldn't be here. I knew Messiah was planning something awful." Messiah? Who was that? "Who is this?" Pandora pointed a small finger bravely at Queen Kitra, but even Mara could sense her power. Fighting her would not work, that much was certain.
"I'm Queen Kitra. And you two are just pawns in his little demon civil war." Her eyes were bright as she channeled her power. "You two know nothing about the Herald of Destruction, Orbus Coelus." One of the oldest and most powerful Barons from an older time, many eons in the past. "Only a little bit. But most humans don't talk about that one anymore." It was split in two by the founders of the Tower Society, into Baroness Occasus and Baroness Vaswald. Only then could they be sealed away and contained. "And Messiah's clearly planning on using you two to awaken Occasus! Once Occasus and Vaswald are reunited, the sisters will become Orbus Coelus again! Everything will be destroyed! So I can't let you to go any farther."
"We're not going back!" Mara didn't care about any old stories like that. "We have to run away from the Tower Society!" Pandora was coughing, looking sick. "Normal humans can't survive in Hell. They shouldn't even be here." Kitra pointed mercilessly at Pandora. "You sense it too, don't you? If you keep her here any longer, she'll die. If you really want to keep her, you should come to Paris." Pandora was going to die?
But wasn't there another solution?
Mara bore her fangs. What if Pan could be a demon with her? What if they could both be demons together?
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
They returned to the castle, or really, a building that Kitra had declared her castle. "I have to bring Celeste back now, she can't be on earth for too long." Raphael explained, Celeste knelt down to give Echo a hug, who stiffened at the touch. "I'll be back soon, I promise." She smiled, releasing Echo to go with Raphael. "Where's Kitra? I want a kiss before I go!" She huffed, but Raphael only shook his head. "Doing Queenly stuff, she'll come see you soon." He placed a hand on Celeste's shoulder to make sure his sometimes-crazy sister couldn't escape. After all, Celeste had a history of disappearing if one did not keep a careful eye on her. The last thing they needed was for Kitra to invade another planet because she thought Celeste might be hiding there.
"You look like you're having a good time," Cress commented, it seemed that sh ehad returned. Echo nodded, she couldn't quite answer her, but she could tell that Cress had gotten the message. It had been al ong time since Echo had felt as though she were surrounded by people that truly loved her. "Come on, let's go get you ready for bed." The sun had set long ago, after all. Echo took Blithe's hand, waved goodnight to Ida, and followed her inside. Blithe prepared the bath with plenty of bubbles. She took the bow out of her hair and helped Echo shuffle out of her new clothing. Clothing she would have to abandon once this mission was over, once Cress had deemed it complete and had a team come to extract her.
Of course, it seemed that they had other plans. The next morning, during the meeting, Zeal rose, a strange smile on his face. "While we wait for our Queen, allow me to delve into what I think we should do, going foreard." He pulled down a map of the territories, Echo looked straight at it, curious. Lilim wasn't here either, which meant that there was nothing to do and no reason to pretend she wasn't curious. She was sitting on Ida's lap today, since Ida had stolen her as soon as she and Blithe had walked into the room. "Since the Tower Society was so kind to provide us with a little gift, we should use her as bait." Echo stiffened, bait? "No, absolutely not!" Blithe slammed her palms against the table in disagreement, "Echo's been through enough already, we're not just going to dangle her in front of them!"
Scared, Echo signed, visibly shaking. Ida wrapped her arms around the tiny demon, "we won't let them have her, of course. We'll just use her to spring the trap and once they fall for it, we'll have them right where we want them." Cress could hear all of this of course, which meant that they would not fall for this trip. "Of course, we have to wait to hear what our dear Queen says," Gambit waved a hand lazily in the air. "I think it's cruel to use such a tiny thing for our personal gain, but then again, great things come in small packages."
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❝Memories of a falling flower, quick, collect the petals, collect the petals!❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
"You know we're not vampires." Kitra looked with incredulity at Mara and Pandora. "You can't turn her into a demon that way." Only Baron class demons could turn humans into demons. Mara was Baroness Zinnia, so there was no reason why she couldn't accomplish something like that. "Then what do I do? What about the dark castle?" Pandora's breathing was getting faint, but there was an urge deep inside her, telling her to go to the castle. "You..." Queen Kitra paused to think. "You two wouldn't know anything about an egg, would you?" Mara shook her head, having no memory of such. Pandora obviously wasn't in a state to answer either. "Fine. For now, just come with me to Paris. God, just what is Messiah even doing?"
Kitra wouldn't let them proceed to the dark castle. Moreover, she grabbed Mara by the wrist. "If you want a place to be safe from the Tower Society, you can come with me to Paris." Her smile was inviting, gentle. "You won't be pawns of Baron Messiah either." Through a rift created by Queen Kitra Mara found herself in a strange, beautiful city, cleaned of pollution, of waste. It was a city that the demons were caring for better than any city held in human hands. Paris, the demon's paradise. "I have a meeting to go to, but I'll bring you two along to introduce you." Mara and Little Pandora would be considered VIPs for now, special guests at the behest of Queen Kitra herself. At the building, the Generals and a small blonde demon were waiting for Queen Kitra's presence.
"Sorry for keeping you all waiting. I'm here now so we can discuss what next to do." Zeal, tall and strong, nodded at her in respect. Frey rubbed his lantern, sparing a glance in her direction. Ida grinned, forked tongue slithering out of her mouth like a viper. Blithe did a short, almost grudging bow. "Who is this?" Zeal asked, pointing at them. "Why is there a human here?" Kitra smiled, pushing the slightly less pale Little Pandora and Mara out to the forefront. "This is Baroness Zinnia, and her companion, Pandora Vale." Zeal narrowed his eyes. "Isn't Pandora that shadow girl, Silence? The one in Team Holmes?" Everyone in Team Holmes was famous, of course. "Don't worry about it for now." Queen Kitra shook her head dismissively.
Would Pan be safe here in Paris? Would she have to become a demon to be safe? When coming here Kitra promised that the demons were well behaved, that they didn't hate humanity. They only hated the Tower Society for persecuting demonkind for centuries. "Wait... Echo? Is that you?" The girl looked so familiar, even though they had never seen each other before. "You've been here this whole time?" Kitra coughed to clear her throat, glancing at the map Zeal made out. "So you're proposing we use Echo as bait?" Her face tensed, it was clear she didn't seem to like that idea all that much. "If I station Minerva and the Dragon Knights close, I'm sure they can keep Echo safe."
"Is this a war meeting?" Little Pandora asked softly into Mara's ear. "I think so." Mara wasn't sure she wanted to be a part of a war. She just wanted to keep the Pandora that loved her to herself.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Had they figured out that Echo was a spy? Was that why they wanted to use her as bait? Echo shook in Ida's lap, unable to meet any of their eyes. "Look at the poor thing, she's shaking like a mouse!" Blithe pointed an accusing finger at Zeal, "you just want to manipulate her power, don't you!" Zeal shook his head, smiling calmly. Ida was hugging Echo protectively, as though this would protect her from the other demons. "Think about this calmly," Zeal leaned forward, his hands laced together. "Echo has been so kindly dropped right into our lap, clearly the Tower Society will want a demon of her caliber back." Considering she was one of their two Baron Class fighters, they really did need her back.
Echo is not important, no one will come for Echo. She signed, Blithe translating for the rest of them. "You are important," Blithe reached across the table to squeeze her hand.
The doors swung open, it seemed Kitra had arrived. They all rose to greet their Queen, Ida holding Echo against her like a stuffed animal. Echo's eyes widened as two familiar figures entered the strategy room. "What are Flo and Pandora doing there!" Cress yelled in her head, causing Echo to wince. No one looked at her strangely, it seemed they all thought her to be a meek Baroness. To Echo's surprise, Flo looked right at her. Did she.... remember her? No, no doubt she recalled a different Echo. One with vibrant honey colored hair and red eyes. An Echo that would jump head first into danger and beat anyone that looked at her funny. No, this was not the same Echo. This was a beaten down and traumatized Echo. This was an Echo with pink eyes and silver hair who could not look anyone in the eye or touch the food she once ate with vim and vigor. This was an Echo who no longer wanted to fight.
"How cute, a reunion!" Ida squealed as Lilim set down crayons and paper for them to color on while the Generals strategized. Yes, it's me, Echo signed, Blithe translating. I haven't been here long. Kitra cleared her throat to gain their attention, this was an important strategy meeting after all. It was clear that Kitra did not oppose the idea of using Echo as bait. They would station Dragon Knights around her, but Echo knew that the Tower Society would take her back. They needed her, after all. They needed Echo's power. "Don't worry, we'll get you home," Cress assured her. There was only one problem, Echo did not want to go back.
She wanted to stay here where there was no fighting. She wanted to remain with Blithe, who treated her like a little sister, and Ida who braided her hair. She wanted to eat ice cream in the diner, and see Cress and Raphael again. Of course, Echo could not tell them she was a spy. They would kill her right then and there. So instead she stayed quiet and colored while Blithe and Zeal fought over whether or not she would be used as bait to trick the Tower Society.
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❝Memories of a falling flower, quick, collect the petals, collect the petals!❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
Paris was beautiful in a way Mara could scarcely understand. Queen Kitra made the plan and nodded happily. "Alright, that should work. I'll personally be there, so no one will get past me." It was rare that Queen Kitra personally took to the battlefield, but she always put the Tower Agents who tried to face her through the ringer whenever she could. "It'll be good to fight alongside you again, Queen." Zeal looked almost excited. "The Tower Society has enslaved our kin for far too long now." If they could capture Team Holmes, especially Doll and Christopher, Queen Kitra could very well turn them both into her Apostles to fight under her as servants. "We'll lure them out at the English Channel." Queen Kitra said with a nod. "Our armies will be positioned to intercept and disrupt them before they can arrive. We have the troublesome mirror thought of as well." Lana's mirror would not be a problem because Frey could steal it using his lantern. "I-I won't mess up again." The lantern wielding general muttered. He was still ashamed at his blunder.
"Do you know where Gambit is? Do you know who could have taken him?" Ida asked unhappily. Their numbers were still small, Wicked and Pray had made their choices, and Gambit had gone missing, refusing to respond to Kitra's summons to war. "I had my agents find his trail." Kitra said with a smile. Ami and Finn, two Angels, had infiltrated a certain city known as Magnolia, the Capital of Magic. "Some pesky mages have gotten their hands on him. We'll send some people to punish them later." Zinnia and Pandora were sitting awkwardly in the corner, not really having a say in any of this war talk. "Are we safe here?" Zinnia asked Pan, who shrugged. "It's better than the glass tube you were in." Little Pandora decided. "If they try anything, you can take us away again like before." Not even Kitra would be able to stop her time freezing.
Blithe's attempt to spare Echo being used as bait seemed to be overruled. "But if you'd rather, we could use a different bait, Echo." Queen Kitra was a kind ruler thanks to Celeste's intervention. "You're a friend of Celeste and helped her when she was still a captive of the Tower Society. So if you don't want to, I'll find another way." She looked at Echo, waiting for her response in order to end this strategy. One way or another, they would have to find a way to continue surviving. As much as she hated to admit it, the situation was becoming more dire. Cascade Bau, a defensive fortress built outside Paris, was constantly under attack by Messiah's forces. Baroness Anthra and Baron Philan were doing their best to hold it, but they could only last so long. While Kitra was the Queen, most demons were following Messiah's army. He was charismatic, and he wanted demons to continue spreading bloodshed and war across the globe like they always dis. Most demons did not want to change, they still wanted to remain close to their instincts, so they sided with him. Kitra's faction of demons who wished for peace were losing the war, as much as they didn't want to admit it.
Once that was done, Ida pointed at the two newcomers. "So what's their story? Why are they here?" Zinnia gulped, blinking. "They're pawns of Baron Messiah. He had something planned with both of them." Kitra explained. "But I found them and rescued them, bringing them here instead. He won't be able to revive the Herald of Destruction without them." Why was it so important that it was them? Zinnia had no idea. "Echo... I'm sorry for everything." Even though her hair was brown, even though she looked just like she did when she was twelve, she still remembered what the others told her.
Mara owed so much to Echo, and still hadn't paid back her debt yet. "I still don't remember much, but from what everyone told me, I want us to be friends." There was still another problem though. "Um, we need a puffer." Little Pandora mumbled, decidedly unafraid of the powerful demons around them. "Even though Mara's a demon, during the day she's human so she needs something for her lungs. She has Emph... a lung illness." Even now her soul piece was fragmented, and one of the culprits was right here, not that Mara remembered any of her time at Castle Seylum.
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❝Why do I always end up destroying everything I've ever loved?❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#EE3B3B ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFCCCC】
|| The Death of a Bachelor || Panic! At the Disco ||
Echo knew that there was no getting out of this, that this was something she had to do. She would be taken away again, taken back to the forced labor of the Tower Society. Scared, but I'll do it. Echo signed, Blithe grinding her teeth. "She says she's scared, but she'll do it. She trusts us to protect her," Blithe was visibly upset. They would be attempting to take London and topple the Tower Society at the River Thames. No doubt the London Bridge would be coming down. What would happen if humanity lost? Echo didn't know, she thought back to Loki, who had lost her entire family to the demons, she thought of Sana, of all of the lost souls that had died in the Third Impact that she may or may not have helped bring on and then end.
"Are you sure?" Ida asked as Zeal smiled. "What a brave little thing. I'm sure she will be I'm accordingly once we come back with our victory." There was kindness in his voice, perhaps he really did believe that what he was doing was best for the demons, the same way Echo knew that both sides were waltzing right into a trap. The meeting was finished, now that a decision had been made. Kitra wanted to make Doll and Christopher her Apostles, if she did that, then the humans may as well surrender London. They would flee, the same way they had Paris, for the outlying provinces. If this failed, everyone Echo held dear might die. Then again, most of those she cherished were demons. Except Loki and Gwyneth, who was a vampire. Would Echo ever see her again? She didn't know.
Flo was addressing her, she was sorry for everything, for things she did not understand or recall. Echo could tell that much from the look on her face. How blissful it must be without memories of the bad things, how wonderful it must have been to have a head that was quiet. Perhaps Echo could find someone to take all of those bad things away, those last three years, perhaps someone could lock them all in a box or remove them from her head completely. How nice that would be, to only have pleasant memories. "There's nothing to apologize for," Echo signed, Blithe translating helpfully. She closed her eyes, her head spinning. There was too much going on. "Echo, are you alright?" Cress whispered in her ear. No, she was not alright, but she would continue pretending to be for the sake of those around her.
"I think Echo must be tired," Blithe said helpfully, taking her from Ida. I would like us to be friends too," she signed slowly. A puffer... Echo knew where they could get one of those, of course, but it was inside of the Tower Society. "What if we found a way to fix the soul piece?" Ida drummed a claw against her chin. "Fix the issue at the source!" Of course, that would require a demon that knew how to manipulate soul pieces or had a special ability, which would be hard to come by, but easier in the long run for Flourspar's body. No doubt there was some sort of strain on it, having to switch back and forth.
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❝Memories of a falling flower, quick, collect the petals, collect the petals!❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#FF7BC1 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #4ba348】
|| The Ballad of Mona Lisa|| Panic! At the Disco ||
It was a very surreal experience to have to learn so much about demons. After the meeting was over Kitra and Pandora were given a crash course on demon society on what they needed to know. Queen Kitra told them about the current civil war, and the demons who were active on both sides of the war. "What about Baroness Lachesis?" Mara knew that name well, that was the name of the Baroness who was responsible for killing her father, right before her eyes. "Lachesis? We haven't seen her since the Kings were resealed." Queen Kitra's expression was unreadable. "My sources tell me she's living peacefully and happily in human territory in America. If she found happiness that way, then I'm glad for her." Happiness? She didn't deserve happiness! She was a killer, wasn't she? Mara took a deep breath, knowing better than to let her emotions get the better of her.
"You two should get going to bed. I gave you a room with Echo, seeing as how you are close." A maid was assigned to deliver them to the room and Mara was coughing, feeling weak. It would be midnight soon, so then she could become a demon and be able to breathe normally again. Little Pandora glanced back at Kitra with a frown. "It sounds like you guys are the right ones." She said helpfully. "Peace between humans and demons would be good. Um... if I became a demon, would I be able to help?" Mara coughed, shaking her head. "No! I-I want you to stay human!" She didn't want Little Pandora to have to be a demon like her! "But then we could be together forever." Pandora muttered with a frown. "Do you not want that?" It was complicated. While that sounded nice, Mara also wanted to keep Little Pan innocent and safe. She didn't want to get her involved in any of this.
Slinking into the shared room with multiple bunk beds, Mara felt weak so Pandora helped her onto the bottom bunk. "Echo, are you there?" She asked, wondering if Echo was awake. "They told me we were partners. Um... do you think if I kept talking to you, it would bring back some of my memories?" Mara wanted to remember everything. She didn't like not knowing what she was supposed to know. Here in Paris, it seemed that they were getting involved in dangerous business. Little Pandora remained quiet, it seemed she was still trying to take things in. "I'll ask Queen Kitra if I can stay close to you tomorrow for the fight. I'm supposedly pretty strong, so maybe I could..." She coughed, feeling faint, panting.
After a bit of time passed she wasn't able to beat the clock. Midnight struck and her wings tore out from her body, she began to wince and writhe in pain as her feet twitched and burst into talons, as her eyes and hair turned brilliant shades of pink. "Shh, it'll be okay." Little Pandora soothed her gently. "I'm here..." But she sounded sleepy. She was only eleven, so it was far past her bedtime as well. "Here, here." She climbed into the bunk with her, snuggling close to her beloved. Even as children their attachment was unhealthy, but it was all they had to cling to now that they escaped human lands and there was nothing left of their families anymore.
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Mara LaFleur
"Sometimes I can't help but wonder if the dream will end and we'll wake up to something even stranger."
Echo King
"My existence was a mistake."
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Echo King
"My existence was a mistake."
Mara LaFleur
"Sometimes I can't help but wonder if the dream will end and we'll wake up to something even stranger."
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Mara LaFleur
"Sometimes I can't help but wonder if the dream will end and we'll wake up to something even stranger."
Echo King
"My existence was a mistake."
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