Setting
Default Location for Outcasters: Third Generation
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |
Parkwood is a part of 
Outcasters: Third Generation.
24 Characters Here
Sunday Montez [143] "How Tragic"
Alec Iris [129] "Tsk. Just leave it be, yeah?"
Slade Davenport [122] "I will return one day... And when I do, my mother will know the truth." [MWIP]
Erieda Davenport: Queen of the Seelie Fae [113] "I am still the Guardian of the Converge..."
Eida Iris [96] "We're all just so... fucked up."
Alexis Davenport [90] "I'm not a fucking zombie....not entirely anyway..."
Alexander Davenport [87] "I will not give an excuse for the choices I've made. This is just how it had to be."
Mycah Youngfire [50] "This realm is so strange, I think I'm going to like it here."
Kellin Davenport [46] "Listen, I really don't give a shit."
Bertoldo Ettore [38] "My door is always open."
Start Character Here »
"Eida..." came a familiar voice from the direction of the barricaded doors, which caused Eida to look up from the body she was hovering over. She was resting her weight on her forearm beside the girl's head, while the other hand was slipping down her thigh. Eida was surprised, at first, to see her mother standing before her, mouth agape, but this was quickly swapped out with a rage that burned in the pits of her stomach. She sat upright, hands in her lap while the breathless woman remained on the ground, her eyes clenched shut. The other women took up various positions around them, some girls grasping at her bare skin whilst others played with her long, dark hair. "Clearly there is something wrong... What happened?" her mother asked, which at first elicited an eerie silence from the girl, before she chuckled dangerously. She leaned over and, taking a firm grip on the girl's head, pulled her upright, keeping the hold so that she could force the girl to look at her, which she did with wide eyes filled with fear.
"Clearly..." she repeated, as if it was the most amusing thing in the world to her. "Say, my dear, are you hearing this?" she asked the girl, who - despite the fact that her head was being held in place - tried her best to nod. Eida huffed her amusement allowed, before continuing. "I explained this to you... So you can imagine why that's funny to me... Do you want to explain it to her?" she asked, turning the girl's head towards Symone. She looked terrified, like words were suddenly lost on her, and she opened her mouth to form some but merely garbled incoherently. Eida growled, her lips momentarily drawing back in a snarl, which shut the girl up instantly. "Alright... Anyone else wanna give it a try?" she called, challenging at least one of them to make the attempt, before a pale-skinned girl piped up. "She says you put the idea in Victoria's head... To recruit her, and that's why... why she spent three days being raped by... Inc... Inca..?" she couldn't seem to say it, so Eida snapped the name instead, now glaring daggers at her mother. She stood suddenly, unabashed by her nakedness.
"Tell me it's not true, that you weren't encouraging Alec to destroy the worlds and create a new one... That it wasn't your idea to drag me into this after I openly expressed not wanting to be part of this war," Eida was yelling now, holding nothing back, her fingers curling into her palms with such force that blood ran down her fingers and dripped onto the already soaked floor. She knew her mother wouldn't have allowed Victoria to give her to the Incubi if she'd known, but that wasn't the point. Everyone knew how much she wanted to avoid being part of the war in any way, her mother should have known that most of all, but then she'd never been much of a mother... The old Eida never held that against her - she never wanted the Demon throne but she held her tongue and stepped into the role of a Queen. She'd admired her mother once but now she hated her. "I blamed Mycah for failing me, I broke his heart, but it wasn't him..." There was a sadness to her voice and expression alike but it was gone as soon as it had appeared. "You aligned yourself with that bitch for whatever reason. You nurtured Alec's psychotic notions of destroying everything in the name of peace. You destroyed dad, left him a shell of a man. You let me be raped, have my sanity shredded to pieces, for me to destroy my relationship with the one man who would love me unconditionally. And for what? So you can have a piece of metal thrown on your head at the end of it all... I hope that's worth it, because while you're sitting with that victory on atop your head, I and everyone will be carrying these scars forever..."
She turned and walked to the other side of the bar, grabbing whatever bottle was closest to her and removing the cap."I don't know why you came here... You need to leave," Eida growled suddenly, her tone challenging, before she lifted the bottle to her lips.
Alexis smiled as he leaned in for a soft kiss. She sighed a little, feeling the rush she felt before when he first kissed her. Her emotions were back now, and she could feel. Of course I'll come back," He said, after moving to look her in the eyes. His tone was as though that was the most absurd thing for her to ask him but in a playful way. She smiled. "Like I said, I love you, so much... And I'm not giving you up for the world." He said and she closed her eyes some when his thumb brushed against her skin and opened them when he cupped her cheek. "I hope I'm not being too forward about this, Alexis, but I want this to become something... more. I've never felt this way about another before and it's likely I never will again. And, as I mentioned to you before, I am a major opportunist," He said and she looked at him, forcing herself not to hear she thoughts as he stopped to chuckle. "If you'd have me... I would love from now until my dying breath." He said and she rose her thick brows. "Lemlihr?" she asked cocking her head like her mother. "Are you proposing to me, right now?" she asked, with a wide smile. "Is that what just happened?" She asked, feeling giddy. For too long she thought she'd be alone, that she would never find love or someone to love her, she was always so strange, but in that strangeness, she did find love, in a demon no less. "Cause if you are, then the Remei are gonna have to wait just a bit..." She said and bit her bottom lip, and when he said yes, she leapt into his arms, with a laugh. "Yes! My answer is yes!" She told him, hugging him tightly before pressing a kiss to his lips deeply. She was glad her emotions came back now, otherwise, this would have really sucked.
"Clearly..." Eida repeated, annoyed. "Say, my dear, are you hearing this?" She asked the poor girl she had pinned down. "I explained this to you... So you can imagine why that's funny to me... Do you want to explain it to her?" She said and Symone was flabbergasted at the sight of this, she could do nothing but watch. "She says you put the idea in Victoria's head... To recruit her, and that's why... why she spent three days being raped by... Inc... Inca..?" Symone felt sick, her baby girl, thrown to those things, turned into whatever this person was, and all because Victoria put it in her head that this was all her doing, her say.
"Tell me it's not true, that you weren't encouraging Alec to destroy the worlds and create a new one... That it wasn't your idea to drag me into this after I openly expressed not wanting to be part of this war," She shouted, clenching her fist so hard, she was bleeding. "I blamed Mycah for failing me, I broke his heart, but it wasn't him..." Symone closed her eyes. "You aligned yourself with that bitch for whatever reason. You nurtured Alec's psychotic notions of destroying everything in the name of peace. You destroyed dad, left him a shell of a man. You let me be raped, have my sanity shredded to pieces, for me to destroy my relationship with the one man who would love me unconditionally. And for what? So you can have a piece of metal thrown on your head at the end of it all... I hope that's worth it, because while you're sitting with that victory on atop your head, I and everyone will be carrying these scars forever..." She said and most of that she couldn't deny.
Eida found herself a drink and cracked it open. "I don't know why you came here... You need to leave,"
Symone took a breath. "I did many things wrong, many things, but I never, ever, told Victoria to do anything with you, I would never have you....I've been through that, by that bitch's brother, I would never have that happen you to." She told her, tears in her eyes as she approached her daughter slowly, stepping over bodies. "Your right about your brother, your father, but you....I wanted you apart of this." She said, and the sigil burned her skin. "I wanted you with us, so we could all be together, I didn't want a war, Your brother spoke of peace, and he thought he could---" She stopped, her sigil burning so hot, it caused her to grunt and clutch her arm. "He wanted to unite the realms, so there would be....No more fighting...." She forced it out but hte sigil was beginning to corrupt her now. "I am sorry, about Mycah." She said, and hated herself for not knowing who he was. It was clear she didn't know anything about her daughter, and this has spun out of control. She stopped her walk. "I'm so sorry, baby, I didn't.....I didn't mean for this to happen to you, This wasn't never about a crown, I just wanted to peace for you all...." She sobbed before turning away. "I'll find away to make this up to you, Baby girl, I swear it. " She told her, and with that took to the shadows and slipped outside.
"Dahvie, I am so sorry." She told him, wrapping her arms around him. "Cut this off me, and I'll tell you everything." She said, sobbing into his shoulder. "I need to fix this." She told him. "She's....I need to fix this now." She said, clinging to him, near hysterics.
"You think this is about the Remei?" Victoria replied with a scoff. "Hardly."
If it were even possible, Simon's frown deepened and he felt his entire body tensing. He didn't know why he'd been pinning so much hope on Victoria seeing sense in his words. He should have known better but in that moment he was thinking solely about ways to get Sashi out of the cage, short of lunging for Victoria then and there, so much so in fact that he barely noticed Sashi stirring until the pale-skinned woman approached the bars and grasped them. "This is about you... that whelp of a daughter, and the rest of your wretched family." Simon felt himself go cold, and - much as they usually did in these situations - many selfish, unreasonable thoughts entered his mind, such that he was always the one being punished for Symone's wrongdoings... Yes, Simon killed Victoria's brother, but that was it... And it always seemed to be him that had to suffer for that. He had his wife killed, her body stolen so that he could be raped, his daughter raised in such an environment before being used as a way to get back at him, and now Sashi... He had only been protecting his family from those who caused them so much harm and for that he had to deal with this life. He would be angry if he didn't feel so defeated.
"Simon..." Sashi spoke, and he looked down at her with furrowed brows. He couldn't step any closer to the cage but he wanted to reach out and hold her hand. It wasn't long before a slender arm slipped around Sashi's throat and pulled her backwards out of the cage. Simon walked around it so that there was nothing between himself and Victoria. "You took everything from me... My father, my brother... My throne... I will take every you all hold near and dear, and I will kill it slowly." Simon flinched at her words, and he wanted to yell and scream his earlier thoughts, but he stopped himself. He couldn't... He wouldn't wish this upon anyone, least of all Symone or his mother.
Simon was distracted by the sudden flash of silver, his eyes suddenly darting to the blade Victoria held in her hands. He was frozen in place much that his inner self screamed at him to dart forward and pull Sashi from her grip. "This is freshly forged iron, Simon," she told him. "Made just for this moment." Just then, Sashi spoke up, and Simon swallowed. "It's not your fault, Simon. It's not," she tried to reassure him and he shook his head, knowing those words not to be true. He'd been warned and he ignored it, he tried to tell Sashi that it meant nothing because he was selfishly thinking that he wanted to be with her, but it was his selfishness that landed them in this position, and no amount of reassurance was going to make him believe otherwise.
"Ahh, look at that. It knows it's going to die," Victoria chimed in and Simon set his jaw, about to tell her to shut her mouth, before it happened. The knife had been plunged into Sashi's stomach, and Simon was still frozen in place, his legs refusing to carry him forward much that he tried to force himself. The stabbing just continued, and Simon's legs were getting weaker, practically trembling as they tried to continue supporting his weight. His entire body felt weak, and all he could do was stare with wide eyes and an open mouth. Suddenly Sashi was limp, and Simon's eyes shifted to Victoria. "So weak..." she murmured, and Simon could only choke out something incoherent. "Funniest thig to find she had no idea what you are, what any of us are..." Then she let Sashi fall to the floor, and Simon's legs suddenly decided they wanted to work again, carrying him towards her fallen body - though still weak enough that he stumbled a bit on the way there. "I'll give you two a moment, it'll be your last," Victoria told him but he cared little about her in that moment.
Simon was over to Sashi in a second, and he placed his hands on her only to scoop her up and turned her around, cradling her in his arms as he sat with her on the floor. At first his eyes moved to the blood coming from the multiple wounds on her stomach. He pressed a shaky hand over this area but he couldn't pour the healing magic into it... It was the iron, preventing him from using his healing abilities which were limited even by fae standards. And it was having an effect on him in general, removing most of the strength he still had within himself. If he couldn't save her, the least he could do was to spend this last moment saying what was on his mind. Hopefully it would be of some comfort to her...
"Sashi, I'm so sorry," Simon choked, the tears that once sat in his eyes now rolling down his cheeks as he looked at her. "This happened because I fell for you... I should have known it would happen again, this woman lives to make my life miserable... By killing anyone and everyone I get close to... that I fall in love with." he told her. "I've been dishonest with you about who I am, what I am, and for that I can never begin to express how sorry I am... This is my fault." He brushed a hand through her hair. "You're too good, too sweet... You didn't deserve this."
All she could see was Simon's face, the paleness of it, the panic and worry in his eyes, as he focused on something she couldn't really make out. Magic she figured. How nice it would have been to know this side of him, to get to that point. He spoke to her, and she could see it in his eyes. He was blaming himself."Sashi, I'm so sorry," He choked, tears sliding down his cheeks. She wanted to reach up and wipe them away. "This happened because I fell for you... I should have known it would happen again, this woman lives to make my life miserable... By killing anyone and everyone I get close to... that I fall in love with." he told her. and she shook her head, or at least she thought she did. "I've been dishonest with you about who I am, what I am, and for that I can never begin to express how sorry I am... This is my fault." He said, brushing his hand through her hair. "You're too good, too sweet... You didn't deserve this."
"H-Hey, You--You weren't--Dishonest---F-Faeries--can't lie, right?" She tried to joke, but her words were short and full of gasps. The woman wasn't lying when she said she was going to kill her slowly. "Y-You, couldn't tell--me-- w-what would--y-you have said, huh?" She smiled though, through the pain. "It-It ex-explains---s-so much, though--I will admit--" She laughed, causing herself more pain, but she didn't care anymore. She found it funny. She'd told him about her strange little faery obsession when she was a kid, he seemed to find it particularly amusing. "All those--years, reading about them--I guess it's n-no wonder--I fell--I fell-- in love-- with one.." She said and smiled. She knew she was in love with him, she tried to deny it to herself before then saying it was too soon, or it was the sex talking, but she really did fall for him, head over heels. Her chest contracted, and she choked out more blood, spraying it over him as well as herself. "S-sorry-- that was...n-no-not attrac-tive...." She said, still trying to keep up a joke, but the pain was intense. A sob crawled up her throat and she wished it hadn't. "Hey...That guy...Th-this, wasn't...you....okay...I don't blame you....You shouldn't either..." She said and she started to cough, harder and harder, wheezing and gasping. "That...woman...She...wow, she's a real bitch....this--this is h-her doing, n-not yours..." She said. . "It's okay....okay?" She looked at him, knowing she was losing the fight, she was trying to stay awake, stay alive, but it was hard. Her eyes felt heavy, and she felt cold, she knew she was dying. "Simon...It's okay...okay, I'm not afraid....Just--Look after th-that bea-beautiful gi--girl of yo-yours--Sh-she t-takes after--you. She--'ll be al-alright. She-s gotta---w-work on t--that Math though." She said and smiled, tears sliding down her eyes.
She didn't want to die, she wanted to live, she wanted to see Sunday one more time, she wanted to see her grow, and she wanted to be with Simon...See his world, she wanted to show him that she loved him, even if it was only a couple of days,. Pain wrecked her body, suddenly, she could feel herself slipping, she just needed to hold on long enough to say it. She reached up with her last ounce of strength and he took her hand. "and Simon," She looked at him, his image blurring in her eyes as she felt life sleeping from her grip." I--I love--I love--"
"I did many things wrong, many things, but I never, ever, told Victoria to do anything with you, I would never have you... I've been through that, by that bitch's brother, I would never have that happen to you," Symone began, and Eida set her jaw as she set the drink down on the counter, having taken a long, long sip of it already. She didn't want to hear any of that, mostly because she knew it was true; her mother was bound by the truth, much like all fae. But Eida didn't need reason and excuses in that moment. She wanted to scream and shout and curse, she wanted her mother to hurt just as much as she was hurting inside. Instead she could only watch as her mother crossed the many bodies lying between the two of them, closing the distance. Eida eyed her dangerously, not knowing that she would be able to resist smashing that pretty face in until it was little more than a fleshy, bloody mess beneath her fists. "You're right about your brother, your father, but you... I wanted you a part of this," she continued. "I wanted you with us, so we could all be together, I didn't want a war. Your brother spoke of peace, and he thought he could-" Something was stopping her, and it didn't take long for Eida to figure it out.
"He wanted to unite the realms, so there would be... No more fighting," Symone pressed on, fighting to get her words out. "I am sorry, about Mycah," she continued, and Eida could have slapped the taste out of her mouth for that... She'd never met Mycah, even though he'd been such a huge part of her life for a little over a week. She never bothered to check in, she was too busy babying Alec even while her daughter was depressed and confined to her room. Mycah had been her saviour. For the first time in a while, she felt like herself again, but as this thought vanished so did Eida. The creature that stood in her place only scoffed in response. "I'm so sorry, baby, I didn't... I didn't mean for this to happen to you. This was never about a crown, I just wanted peace for you all..." There came a sob, and though Eida recognized the truth behind these words, she felt no sympathy for her mother. She wanted Symone to hurt... "I'll find a way to make this up to you, baby girl, I swear it," she finished, before she decided she wanted to try to take off. But, much unlike before, Eida was no longer finished with her mother. Not just yet.
Eida hopped over the counter with a yell of frustration, the room shaking around her. The girls, still affected by her allure in such close quarters, all made moves towards her but she was in no mind to fuck around with them anymore. Reaching seemingly into mid-air, she withdrew a sword as if from nowhere, and swung at the nearest female. Eida hadn't been trained much with a sword but her overwhelming strength was a benefit, and so the woman's head was cleanly disconnected from her body. It hit the ground with a deep thud and Eida watched as it rolled a little before stopping. The others jumped back in alarm, but they couldn't bring themselves to move away. Eida was mostly fae, her allure turned all the way up like this made them easy to keep around, and she used this to her advantage as she hacked and bludgeoned her way through the rest of them. Soon enough they'd been reduced to little more than heaps of bodies on the floor, and as Eida scanned around for an outfit to put on, one in particular caught her eye.
Eida shrugged the jacket over herself, after putting the rest of the items on, and looked down at herself with a little smirk. The room was still shaking, and soon enough the whole building would come down around her. She made her way towards the door and without even lifting a hand, she walked through the barricades, the wood splintering and shifting around her as if she'd taken a running start to power through. Her eyes instantly found her parents, where her father had her mother bound in shadows.
It wasn't long after Symone had entered the bar that she reemerged, tears in her eyes. He'd heard yelling from within but not loud enough to make out anything specific. Whatever interactions had transpired between the two, Symone had been left deeply hurt, and he could only imagine what state Eida was in to cause something like this. He felt worry, but also - strangely enough - anger. "Dahvie, I am so sorry," Symone told him, approaching quickly, before she wrapped her arms around his torso. His own arms slipped around her neck, and he kissed the top of her head. "Cut this off me, and I'll tell you everything," she continued as she sobbed into his shoulder. He felt himself frowning, tears in his own eyes - he hated seeing his wife so upset. "I need to fix this... She's... I need to fix this now." Dahvie looked up at the entrance to the bar as the building began to tremble, presumably by Eida's doing. If the girl was angry, at her power level, then there was a chance Dahvie and Symone could be in for some real trouble. But, what concerned him more was Symone asking him what he'd hoped she would from the very beginning; she wanted to be free of her ties to the Remei, she wanted to be a part of her own family again.
Dahvie pulled away after a moment, his lips finding Symone's for only a moment, before his own, paler form of shadows slipped up her legs and curled around her form, effectively pinning her in place. He stared into her eyes, knowing that by doing so he could take a hold of her through her mind to keep her calm. He'd seen what could happen to those who tried to remove a Remei sigil and he was going to take no risks with his wife. Physically, she was superior to him in most ways, but mentally, he had the advantage. He slipped a knife from his belt and - after revealing the skin of her arm - pressed it to the soft, olive skin he'd only moments ago been caressing. Suddenly a crash from the direction of the bar made him looked up, and he saw Eida moving towards them with a wicked smile on her features. He'd never seen anything like it from her and, in his surprise, he barely noticed that she was getting ready to strike him, which she did with incredible force. However, she had only intended to knock him back a bit and she needed him to maintain enough focus not to lose grip of Symone.
Eida turned to her mother, sword in hand, and in one foul swoop took the skin clean off, leaving a red raw patch where the sigil once sat. She eyed the wound for a moment, before stepping even closer and pressing the blade to her mother's throat, waiting until the darkness bled from her eyes and she could focus on what her daughter was saying. "It would be so easy for me to kill you right now... One movement and your throat's left open... You'd bleed out before dad could get enough strength to help you," Eida murmured, almost as thoughtfully as if she was musing whether it would be worth it or not. "No, it's not your time yet... But I'll make you pay for the shit you and your ilk have put me through, this I swear to you on my word as a Fae. Whether that's by killing you, or finding some other way to punish you for what you've done to this family, to me... I will make you pay... Through blood or tears, it matters not." There was a small pause. "I hate you, Mother." She heard her father stirring behind her and suddenly the shadows were gone from Symone's body. Eida turned and began walking away, but teleported regardless.
Dahvie sat himself up and his eyes found Symone. He picked himself up and walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her. He wanted to reassure her that it wasn't true, that their daughter had been corrupted by some unknown force, but it wasn't true. Eida was fae, she couldn't lie. She'd vowed to punish Symone, and she would have to keep that promise, one way or another. "I'm so sorry, Symone," he told her quietly, thinking of nothing else he could possibly say to her then.
Symone couldn't help the feel a warmth wash over her as Dahvie held her. She was a failure as a mother, she knew it. Instead of raising her kids, she sent them off to her mother, who raised them well, but Symone kept popping into their lives and popping out, much like her father had done to her and Simon over the years, only this just confused them, not giving them a proper home setting. This lead to this, if she would have raised them herself or even let Erieda raise them right, they wouldn't be in this situation, they would be better. Alec had great ideas, she knew that came from Erieda, not her, all she did was encourage it.
She met Dahvie's kiss as he pulled her back, and felt the cold chill of his shadows crawl up her legs and around her body. She would have made some kinky joke about it if her heart wasn't broken in pieces. He pulled back the sleeve of her top, and she looked down at the burning sigil, black ink began to bleed into her skin, turning her veins from green to black and she began to fight, She couldn't stop herself as the darkness overwhelmed her.
She snapped and snarled unaware of who or what was attacking her arm, until she felt a blade cut into her skin freeing her from the sigil's magic. She gasped, as the darkness bled from her eyes, like tears, as Eida's image appeared to her, hope bloomed and deflated as she looked at her, memories flooding back. She then noticed the blade at her throat, and a part of her, wanted her to do it, she wanted to feel the bite of the blade for her failing her daughter so wholly.
"It would be so easy for me to kill you right now... One movement and your throat's left open... You'd bleed out before dad could get enough strength to help you," She said and Symone didn't even notice Dahvie was elsewhere, her focus was solely on her daughter. She closed her eyes, preparing for the sting. "No, it's not your time yet... But I'll make you pay for the shit you and your ilk have put me through, this I swear to you on my word as a Fae. Whether that's by killing you, or finding some other way to punish you for what you've done to this family, to me... I will make you pay... Through blood or tears, it matters not." She said and Symone opened her tear filled eyes. "I hate you, Mother."
Eida might as well shoved that sword through her heart anyway, the result would have been the same. She spat her title like a curse, and Symone's couldn't breath, watching her daughter, her baby girl walking away from her, hating her. She was Fae, she did hate her, and there was nothing she could do about it. Whether or not she knew it, Symone was paying for her foolishness, for her failure, watching her daughter walking away from her, so far out of her reach. It all could have been avoided if she would have been a decent mother.
Davhie came to her, pulling her to her feet, and holding her clothes, her arm bleeding over his sleeve. She just held to him. "I'm so sorry, Symone." He cooed and Symone just sobbed into him. Soon they were back at their home, Dahvie's childhood home, and he was the one holding her now, Symone not having the energy, or the will to do anything else, by laying in his lap, and sob. "I failed you all...."
"H-Hey, You--You weren't--Dishonest---F-Faeries--can't lie, right?" Sashi began, and despite himself Simon gave a sad smile, wishing he only had the time to explain it to her... No, that he had the time and the power to save her, that would've been his one wish in that moment. "Y-You, couldn't tell--me-- w-what would--y-you have said, huh?" she asked, somewhat rhetorically, and Simon's inner voice hissed, many things, more at himself than at Sashi. "It-It ex-explains---s-so much, though--I will admit--" she continued shortly after, and while he wanted to offer another sad smile, he just stared, his eyes flitting from Sashi's to the multiple open wounds on her stomach. "All those--years, reading about them--I guess it's n-no wonder--I fell--I fell-- in love-- with one.." Simon continued brushing a hand through her hair for a moment, the warmth in his chest spurring him to brush his thumb across her jaw as he had done a few times before. She loved him... If his heart wasn't breaking at the sight of her dying before him and knowing he could do nothing, that would've been the thing to make it skip a beat.
Suddenly he felt specks of blood on him, and he realised he'd been looking at the ground for a while. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he hadn't noticed her choking. His eyes then found Sashi, concern filling them where most would be disgusted. "S-sorry-- that was...n-no-not attrac-tive...." she apologised and Simon found himself murmuring a quick response of reassurance, before she released a choked sob. Simon felt the tears falling even heavier now, with the recognition that she didn't have very long left at all. "Hey...That guy...Th-this, wasn't...you....okay...I don't blame you....You shouldn't either..." Sashi continued, as if trying to change the subject. Simon couldn't bring himself to shake his head, if these were her last moments then he didn't want to be his usual stubborn self, he wanted to be utterly devoted to Sashi and all she had to say. "That...woman...She...wow, she's a real bitch....this--this is h-her doing, n-not yours..." Simon released the breath he'd been holding in without knowing, and it was shaky. "It's okay....okay?" He couldn't form the words to respond.
Simon...It's okay...okay, I'm not afraid....Just--Look after th-that bea-beautiful gi--girl of yo-yours--Sh-she t-takes after--you. She--'ll be al-alright. She-s gotta---w-work on t--that Math though." He decided then that he admired her. She was a human yet she dealt with this situation with strength; it was any wonder she'd managed to hold on for as long as she did. Simon found himself surprised, even, that the species could be possible of such things. She lay there, stomach near enough torn open, dying in the arms of the man who had hidden so much from her, yet she wore a smile... "And Simon," she piped up again, her voice weaker, if that were even possible. "I--I love--I love--"
And just like that she was gone...
The room was filled with an eerie silence with that moment. Not a single sound nor movement came from Simon and Sashi then. She was dead, truly. And Simon was near enough to it, having watched as those once warm eyes ran dull; he felt the life escaping her just as she likely had. He'd been so unbelievably broken, so upset and defeated and angry, but now there was nothing... Just a numb ache in his chest, a lump in his throat, and the overwhelming inability to think or act as a functional creature.
Simon felt the pressure shifting behind him, and it took him a very long time to draw his eyes from Sashi's corpse enough that he could turn to the pale-skinned woman. He looked at her with a placid expression, no hatred in his eyes though the tears still fell freely. She was grinning at him, like she'd just accomplished some great feat by killing a human, or that the pain hidden behind his passivity in that moment was still very much apparent. A moment passed and Simon found himself setting Sashi's lifeless body down on the ground. After another moment he was lifting himself into a stand. One more and he was turned to face Victoria. She has no idea, he thought, as the deep green glow radiated from him then, seeping across the rest of his skin until it covered him completely.
There was a moment of slight inner confusion from Simon as he had intended to shift into his hybrid form, but something else struggled to take hold. Something from the much darker recesses of his mind and powers alike. Like the darkness and the light, the fae and the wraith, mingled in an effort to create some grotesque and untold combination of the two. Simon closed his eyes, submitting, and from then the change happened in a matter of seconds, the green energy surrounding him shifting into the outline of something unidentifiable, before this energy hardened into the wood that covered him entirely. By the end he resembled some type of half man, half tree concoction, though there was something dark about it. Something demonic.
The creature merely stood for a moment, the deep rising and falling of its chest indicated that the change had given it such a rush of energy and power. It lifted it's hands up, observing the long, sharpened fingertips as if trying to judge how it would use them in that moment, whilst every shift of it's now 12ft form came with it the sound of deep creaking and splintering wood. It's green eyes, which had remained the same for the most part, were now trained on the pale-skinned woman on the other side of the room.
It remained still for the longest time, before in one jittered flash, it was behind Victoria, slamming an inordinately large fist down on top of her. It did so at unparalleled levels of speed, enough that it knew to expect the sickening crunch of bone. It kept it's hand pressed down on her, not wishing to give her time enough to escape it's grip. In a split second it was hovering over her, it's claws remaining by its side as it seemingly thought, with a tilted head, about what action would be adequate to show her how much pain and torment and misery she'd made it experience in it's life. There came a soft clicking as the creature's mouth parted slowly, it's eyes now searching for Victoria's as she lay beneath.
It reached a hand for one of Victoria's arms, and after curling the long claws around it, the creature pulled it straight off her torso, seemingly observing it before lifting the limb to it's open mouth. It bit down once, and again, and several more times before the flesh and bone was gone completely, and it's hand was empty. Still holding Victoria down, it did the same to the other arm. He cared little if she was alive or dead, struggling or submitting. It knew that in her last moment she'd experienced pain, and that was good enough, in addition to wanting to be sure that there was no way she could ever come back. It moved on to her legs next, then her torso, and then her head.
Before long there was nothing left but the skull, which it had affectionately hollowed out but not cleaned properly. Blood and flesh still clung to it as the creature turned the thing in it's hand. "She had no idea..." It whispered, with Simon's voice.
Sunday sat on her father's bed, her legs drawn up, her forehead on her knees. She'd finally stopped crying, and suddenly felt numb as if she'd run out of tears, and all that was left was this emptiness. For a moment, a blissful moment, she had everything she'd ever wanted, her father, Alec, and she was away from her mother, but now it was all gone, sure she had her father but she knew her mother, Sashi was likely already dead and Alec....
The thought of him made her clutch her chest. All the things he said to her, the hatred in his voice when he said them. Your mother was right, you're pathetic and whiny and you know nothing, and frankly you're not quite worth my time and effort,"
She whimpered at the echo and it was that moment, there was a knock at the door. She looked up and moved to it, opening it to find Kellin looking down at her. They weren't on good terms, the last time they were even together she tried to rupture his brain.
He spoke up, first, before she could, and his words surprised her. "You...felt me?" She asked cocking her head, avian-like. "A great deal is wrong...but You came here....for me?" She asked, and she didn't dare hope that he cared about her, she wanted him to, she'd always wanted a brother, big and strong, and honestly, she felt safer with him here, already, contrary to before.
She walked up and wrapped her arms around him, and at first her hug was stiff but then she loosened up, and relaxed. "I am sorry about before, apparently our family gets very anger, worst of all to each other." She said, and she involuntarily gave him a tighter squeeze, not that her little frame could do much. "You are my brother, and I don't want you to hate me too." she told him and that she didn't realize would open the door to more questions but she wouldn't have minded, she felt better with him there.
"I fought, three days, through... hordes and hordes of demons... my only thought was to get to her, and I failed," Mycah replied, causing Alex to look up. The boy had gone through some much, and for this in return. He gave a small sigh but said nothing, knowing that Mycah would want to say his peace, and Alex was of the mind to listen for as long as he was needed. "She is this way because of me, because of my failure," he continued. Alex watched the piece of paper light up in an instant. "The old Eida, may not have said those words, but that thing... she did, and she is Fae, she can not lie..." There was truth to Mycah's words, and whatever this thing within Eida was, it was cunning enough to know that there were tricks around a fae's inability to lie. Alex had lived with them long enough to know that, but he also knew about demons; they liked to get under people's skins, mess with their minds. A cross between the two was a dangerous combination. "They are true, I failed, I can not bring myself to look at her, to see her face, knowing that she waited for me and I did not come when she needed me to the most..." Alex sat down on the end of his bed as Mycah continued. "She may return... but I don't know that I can see that face, that beautiful face and know that I wasn't strong enough, that she endure, that because I was weak?" Alex's default frown merely deepened for a moment, and he ran a hand over his short, blond hair.
"Could you imagine?" Mycah asked suddenly, drawing Alex's attention back to the boy, only to make eye contact at long last. "If it were the Queen, knowing she was waiting for you, trying to hold on long enough for you to save her, and you couldn't make it in time, for all your struggle, you just narrowly missed the mark and the damage was done?" he asked, and the question caused Alex to swallow, surprised by the sudden shift towards him. "What would you do, if she reminded you of your weakness, of your failure?" Mycah continued, before following up with two more questions. "Even if you knew it wasn't her speaking? How would you feel?"
Alexander felt cold suddenly, more than usual, and he looked down at the ground with a pained expression. "I wouldn't need Erieda to remind me, these failures... the things I have done, they are with me always. Every time I look at her, even when she's smiling, I am reminded of them. Those times when she looked at me with sadness and pain in her eyes, the image is hardwired into my brain, it won't ever go away..." He looked up at Mycah then, his expression notably calmer than it had been a moment before, he seemed to almost be on the edge of a smile. "If Erieda ever used these things to hurt me, then so be it, because I deserve as much. But you don't, Mycah... You think your failure was bad, but you've no idea the things I have done to this family. You said it yourself; you battled for three days straight, through hordes of demons, pushed yourself to the brink of death. All for someone you love. You may not have made it in time but you were never weak. That's simply a case of unfortunate timing." Alexander sighed, lifting a hand to scratch his bearded jaw, before letting it drop back into his lap with another huff. "I understand your decision to leave, and even your decision to stay away from Eida, but don't think less of yourself for this... You are a strong boy, but strength doesn't always equal success. Seasoned warriors, of skill far exceeding your own, have failed at lesser tasks than this."
Alexander stood then, extending an arm to the young Dragon. "If you believe yourself to be weak, you will become weak. Don't let yourself reach that point, Mycah... Your strength, as it is, is something to behold. Truly."
"I wouldn't need Erieda to remind me, these failures... the things I have done, they are with me always. Every time I look at her, even when she's smiling, I am reminded of them. Those times when she looked at me with sadness and pain in her eyes, the image is hardwired into my brain, it won't ever go away..." Alexander said and Mycah looked defeated. If what he said was true, even if Eida returned to herself and forgive him, he'd never be rid of the images. Alexander seemed to want to smile then, which was odd given the conversation. "If Erieda ever used these things to hurt me, then so be it, because I deserve as much. But you don't, Mycah... You think your failure was bad, but you've no idea the things I have done to this family. You said it yourself; you battled for three days straight, through hordes of demons, pushed yourself to the brink of death. All for someone you love. You may not have made it in time but you were never weak. That's simply a case of unfortunate timing." He said and that didn't really make him feel any better but it did give him a little insight as to why Alexander spoke those things about his own failures. "I understand your decision to leave, and even your decision to stay away from Eida, but don't think less of yourself for this... You are a strong boy, but strength doesn't always equal success. Seasoned warriors, of skill far exceeding your own, have failed at lesser tasks than this." he said and Mycah swallowed, wanting to feel proud but he couldn't as Eida's demented giggle echoed his mind, the sight of her on the bed, a strange grin on her face. Alexander reached out, gripping his shoulder. "If you believe yourself to be weak, you will become weak. Don't let yourself reach that point, Mycah... Your strength, as it is, is something to behold. Truly." He said and Mycah sighed.
"Perhaps I am not weak, but I still wasn't fast enough." he told Alexander. "I'll get stronger." He said after a long moment. He reached for his shirt. "I'll go back to the Dragon Realm, I'll train, I'll get stronger, faster, so that...when...if, Eida returns to herself, I'll be strong enough for her." He said and tugged his shirt over his head. "To Protect her like i Was meant to." He said, and slid off the desk and sighed "Thank you, Alexander, for everything." He said, and gave a respectful bow. "I can see why you and Lord Thomas are friends." He said and smirked. "He doesn't talk much about his friends, but he says he was glad you married his sister, he told me once that you two needed each other, You were too dark, and she was too light, I didn't understand it at the time, but I get it now. I think." He said, and thought of Eida, and while he wasn't dark by any stretch, he felt like she was apart of him that he'd been missing, her forwardness, offset his shyness. She was self-assured, where he was self-conscious. She was everything he wasn't, and made him want to be more. That was gone now. She was gone now. "I'll take my leave now." He said and started for the door. He stopped as he opened it and sighed. "If you see her...the old her....can you tell her where to find me...just in case...." he said, and when Alexander confirmed, Mycah nodded his thanks and made his way out of the hotel and toward the home he'd been staying, collecting what little he had so he could return him, heavy was his heart.
"Lemlihr?" Alexis asked, tilting her head to the side. Lemlihr couldn't help but smile gentle at that. "Are you proposing to me, right now?" she continued, and it took him a small moment to figure out what she meant by that, before his brain finally allowed him to put two and two together. "Is that what just happened?" she asked again, smiling broadly, and Lemlihr could tell she was feeling something bordering excitement and happiness. His own feelings mimicked this. "'Cause if you are, then the Remei are gonna have to wait just a bit..." The way she caught her lip with her teeth made him raise a single brow, and his gentle smile shifted into a smirk. He took another small moment to look over, before softly responding, "Yes, Alexis... I would take you as my wife, if you'd have me?" Suddenly she was jumping forward, and he wrapped his arms around her, chuckling as she laughed. "Yes! My answer is yes!" she replied, before her lips found his and pressed for a kiss as deep as the one they'd shared back in the demon realm. It wasn't long before Lemlihr was fighting every instinct within his own mind and body to take things further with Alexis. It was neither the appropriate time, nor the right thing to do so early, but by the gods, he wanted to.
Lemlihr held Alexis close, one arm still wrapped around her weight while his other hand was positioned at the back of her head, holding her in the kiss. He wasn't ready to be done yet, much that he feared he would soon enough give into temptation.
In the back of his mind, somewhere hidden behind the excitement and overwhelming joy, was the very slight thought that this had moved a little too fast. It wasn't enough to bring a single shred of doubt forward, he wanted to be with Alexis for the rest of his life, as he told her only moments ago. But there was something else he couldn't quite put his finger on, something that warned him this wouldn't be quite as easy as he was hoping or imagining.
After a while, Lemlihr gently broke the kiss, leaning back and opening his eyes to look down at Alexis. He wore a smile then, the hand on the back of her head moving to play with the tips of her hair, the other arm around her waist not letting up even a little bit yet. "I don't know how you've done it, my love... But for the first time in as long as I can remember, I do not wish to return to the Remei," he told her, a slight joking tone to his voice, while his eyes trailed towards the door for only a split moment. "I know you said they must wait, but I fear this absence of leadership will cause more chaos than anything, and... I worry for the soldiers." He leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead, letting it linger for another moment before the arm around her waist finally returned to his side, and he leaned back again. "I must go back now, make sure things are stable and that the men are returned to the Wraith realm where they belong, but as soon as I am done, I will return. I am not fae, but my word is just as good, and I make this promise to you... My love and my intended." He brushed a stray hair from her face, wearing a smile, and love in his eyes. "Farewell for a time," he continued, before waving a portal open and stepping through it.
Alexis couldn't believe it. She was going to get married, it was something she'd never imagined for herself, that she would ever find a date much less someone that loved her enough to handle all of her 'ness' and want to do it forever. What ever she was, she still lived a long time. She looked up at him, as he gazed down at her, playing in her hair, and one arm around her waist. "I don't know how you've done it, my love... But for the first time in as long as I can remember, I do not wish to return to the Remei," He said, and she clung to him, her arms resting on his shoulders. She could only smile, giddy as she'd every been, never before had she felt her emotions this strong. She always thought the Nether only control her rage, but it seemed to dull the reset of her emotions as well, she didn't know, but she didn't feel anything nearly as strong as she did now. "I know you said they must wait, but I fear this absence of leadership will cause more chaos than anything, and... I worry for the soldiers." He told her and she smiled, as he placed a small kiss to her forehead, her eyes closed for a moment before he pulled away, she felt a little colder for it, but she understood. It was his dream, he told her as much in the demon realm. "I must go back now, make sure things are stable and that the men are returned to the Wraith realm where they belong, but as soon as I am done, I will return. I am not fae, but my word is just as good, and I make this promise to you... My love and my intended." He said and she heard herself squeal a bit at the word 'intended". She rose a hand as he moved to the portal, and waved her fingers, smiling. "I believe you, My intended." She said, rocking on her feet a little bit as he stepped through and the portal closed behind them. She grinned widely, and squealed, happily. She couldn't believe she was getting married. To a demon, something that was the enemy of her people, or at least half of her people, for a long time. She was actually glad she was princess, maybe their union could unite the people.
Suddenly, Alexis' head began to pound and she was swarmed by the sounds of screams echoing in her head, thousands of voices crying out, wailing in pain. She grew dizzy, and stumbled over to the couch and braced herself on the back of it, clutching her head. She didn't want to use her power, she knew what would happened to her emotions, it was temporary but she didn't want to lose the high she felt form Lemlihr's proposal. Then she thought, she couldn't do much with this migraine.
She reached behind thet screams, and the pain, in her mind, and touched her newly unlocked power. Her mind then reached out and followed the pain, the screams, and found them in Parkwood, first a bar, and then wandered the streets.
Alexis then reached up, and opened her minds eye and saw from the eyes of the producer of the pain, touching the mind of the tormenter and almost gasped.
"Eida?" Alexis shook her head, snapping back into her body. She already felt her emotions muting, and it would only be worse, after what she did next.
She took a single step, and the world around her shifted, and she was standing before a blood covered Eida. "You have to stop." She told her, and knowing that she would not know who she was, Alexis made sure her mismatched eyes were prominent, the one blue one dark green, the last remnant of her former self. . "Eida,You know who am I, so listen, you have to stop the killing," She said, her voice lacking in emotion. "Or I will have to stop you." She said, lacking in all expression.
Eida stopped suddenly, mouth agape. She felt something reaching for her, touching her mind in a way no one else had before. There was a deep frown on her brows as she simply stared off into the distance, that was until a figure appeared before her. There was something familiar about the girl but it wasn't until Eida's eyes settled on the girl's mismatched ones that he realised it was Alexis. She cocked her head to one side, fighting the urge to smile. Alexis had grown immensely in power, and could be troublesome.
"You have to stop," Alexis began. And Eida nodded, not because she was agreeing with Alexis, but because she was merely confirming her earlier thought. "Eida, you know who am I, so listen, you have to stop the killing," she continued. "Or I will have to stop you."
Eida took a moment to process this, before she made a point of looking around for a good while. Her eyes settled on Alexis once more. "But I already did," she murmured in response, feigning confusion which was later replaced her her usual look of unsettling joy. "Mm, I'll admit I killed the women but it's okay, really. If they didn't want to be killed, they would have ran away." Eida began as if that was the most logical thing, and accompanied this with a light shrug. "Provided you fuckers stay away from me, I won't feel the need to, so please, leave me be. I killed my playthings, yet again, as a substitute for my own mother. Tell me you wouldn't have chosen her over them too." And with that she attempted to sidestep Alexis to proceed onwards. "No more killing, okay? But I'll be just fine on my own."
"But I already did," Eida said, all too pleased with herself. "Mm, I'll admit I killed the women but it's okay, really. If they didn't want to be killed, they would have ran away." She said plainly but Alexis was in no form for this. Eida shrugged and Alexis narrowed her sharp eyes. "Provided you fuckers stay away from me, I won't feel the need to, so please, leave me be. I killed my playthings, yet again, as a substitute for my own mother. Tell me you wouldn't have chosen her over them too." She started to side step her and Alexis turned only her head. "No more killing, okay? But I'll be just fine on my own."She said and Alexis reached out and grabbed her arm. "But you're not. You are not fine, Eida this isn't you," She said and gripped her arm a bit firmly, not too hard.
"Come home, Let me fix you." She told her trying to force emotion into her words but they were muted. SO instead she tried to speak to Eida's She'd said it herself she didn't kill her mother despite wanting to, so Eida was still in there, just like Alexis' own emotions, she was just muted. "Mycah left, because of you, because of what you said, what you made him do, You couldn't have wanted that?"She told her. "If you come back now you could maybe change his mind about staying gone." She offered, but she knew if Eida responded negatively, she'd have to use more of her power, she didn't want to, she didn't want to lose more of her emotions, especially not knowing when Lemhilr would return, and she really didn't want him to see her like this.
As Alec and Erieda passed through her memories, something broke through the mental link that Alec and Erieda has been in, and shot them both apart, not far, just a step or two.
She looked down at him, before her stomach lurched, and an overwhelming sadness washed over her. Both of her children were in extreme emotional turmoil, calling to her in a way she was sure they didn't even know they were capable of.
"Your Mother, and You're Uncle, they are in distress. We will pick this up later, for now we must go." She told Alec, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and sensing where the closest of her children were. Simon, he was in the demon realm, why? She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but she need to protect her children. First and foremost.
"Come." She said as her body broke off into leaves and blew toward Simon, it was out of place in the demon realm, but it was faster than running about the demon realm and opening a portal was just superfluous.
When she found where Simon's aura was, the first thing she noticed was the amount of blood, human and demon, that was scattered around the place. This was Victoria's throne room, she knew it well, and it had been the place of most of the atrocities that Victoria committed.
She took solid form before noting the hulking tree demon, seated beside the body of a gutted human. Erieda closed her eyes.
She never got to meet the woman that Sunday and Simon both seem to adore and it was clear that she never would.
She walked up to her crowned prince, his body morphed into his ultimate form, something she did not achieve until she'd reach grief of immeasurable heights, and kneeled beside him.
"Simon." She said softly, giving him space but close enough that if he wanted his mother, she was there. He turned to her, not a word, barely a breath, his eyes wide and unmoving, he just looked at her, staring into a place she could not reach.
She could see the black ink of demon blood, on his mouth, he was covered and blood and bone, and she knew what he'd done. Victoria was literally no more, but it wasn't until after she'd murdered his beloved, yet again.
Why Victoria chose Simon to torment, first with Tanya, then Sunday, and now this innocent woman, Sashi, if Erieda could recall, she didn't know, she couldn't say. Perhaps it was because she knew picking a fight with Erieda would mean her abrupt end, and Symone held too many political issues, so it was Simon would was left for all the pain and sorrow.
"I am so sorry, my love." She said softly, wanting to hold her son, but instead she could only touch his shoulder comfortingly. He shoved her hand away, and she stood. "Alec, Leave us." She said, and that sparked something in the now massive Simon, enough that is caused Erieda to react, she whirled, and stood between Simon and Alec. "Simon, He is not your enemy, you defeat your enemy." She said, and while she knew full well she could control him in this form, she didn't. He was down enough, she didn't want to make it worse by making him powerless yet again. "Alec, go, now, The first part of your training begins with setting things right with everyone.." She told him, and looked at Simon." Not with him yet." She said, and turned so that she was standing between them sideways, she held out a hand and simultaneously, Alec was shoved and a portal opened. She stood back from Simon and sighed. "Talk to me, my son, Please." She begged of him, standing down.
Kellin looked down at Sunday in confusion as she approached and wrapped her arms around him, a small frown pinching his brows together while his lips pursed. She relaxed some after a while but he did not; he merely stood, arms by his side, still confused. "I am sorry about before, apparently our family gets very angry, worst of all to each other," Sunday continued, her grip tightening. Kellin only huffed. "You are my brother, and I don't want you to hate me too," she told him, to which he replied - at first - with a huff. He wanted to ask her who hated her, or how they possibly could. It wasn't in his nature to care much for others but he had been subjected to his sister's temper once, and he respected her for her strength, if nothing else. His lips twitched as he attempted to form words, to ask a reasonable question amongst the many that crowded his mind, but all that came out was, "Whose ass do I have to kick?"
Sunday pulled back some, looking up at her brother before biting her lip. "Alec." She said sounding resigned. "He said some horrible things to me, things he knows I hate, and for a moment, I wanted to die for them..." She said, and frowned. "He called pathetic, and whiny." she chuckled humorlessly. "I don't know which is worse, because either he lied, to hurt me, or it's true..." She said and pulled from her brother. "He is Fae after all..." She said, trying to keep the tears back but they were audible in her voice.
Kellin shook his head, and lifted a hand to place it on her shoulder. "He's also a Davenport," he told her, before his gaze softened considerably. "He's just as batshit crazy as the rest of us. If he said those things, it's most likely because he couldn't find any other way to deal with his anger, not because he was trying to hurt you." Kellin removed his hand and stood a little straighter. "You shouldn't take his words to heart, because while he may think those things, there are plenty of others here who see you for what you are. You're stronger than you think, in a hell of a lot of ways. Despite your upbringing, you're happy like constantly, and you appreciate the small things everyone else takes for granted. That takes a kind of strength not many can manage. And, not to mention, you could probably beat that kid to a bloody pulp if you wanted to. I wouldn't want to face you in a fight."
Sunday cocked her head, listening to his words. She couldn't help but smile a little. "I did nearly bring the building down on us... Could have exploded his head, I thought about it..." She told him, with a light chuckle. "So maybe I'm not pathetic... not entirely..." She said but her smile faded. "But still, it hurt... it hurt so much, to hear him say the things my mother did all my life... It makes me wonder... It makes me doubt." She said and took a seat on the bed. "Kellin... I know this is probably wrong considering... but what was your mother like? I'm only here because... when I think about it... sometimes... most times, I feel like I shouldn't be here at all..."
Kellin flinched visibly at the question, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned with his back against the wall. "I don't remember her," he said honestly, his gaze now on Sunday, still soft as before as if to show that he held no resentment towards her for it. "I was only young when she was killed. Father doesn't like to talk of her, but I always thought she must have been one hell of a woman to steal his heart." He took a moment as he lifted a hand to scratch his jaw, before he walked over and took a seat beside Sunday, nudging her very gently with his elbow. "Nobody thinks it's your fault, y'know. You didn't ask to be born, but... I'm glad you were. Now I have a little sister I can look out for." He smiled down at her, and for the first time in a while, it was genuine.
Sunday looked up, and smiled but tears trickled down her cheeks slowly. "You mean that?" She asked softly. "I've always wanted a big brother." She said lay her head on his shoulder. After a long moment, she sighed. "Fear that father... He met someone, she was kind and loving... but... my mother has her... and--" She stopped, not wanting to finished the rest. She knew she didn't need to. "Why must he suffer so..?"
Kellin rested his head atop Sunday's, huffing gently and remaining quiet for a few moments. "He doesn't deserve to suffer," Kellin murmured, "he killed Victoria's brother to save Symone, but the rest... It was not his doing, yet he has been the target of Victoria's schemes from thereafter." There was anger in his tone now. "But if anything has happened to that woman... Victoria won't live long enough to witness his grief," he continued, before he lifted his head and looked down at Sunday, one arm reaching over her shoulder. "I wish I could reassure you that everything's going to be alright but I don't know. I can't be certain... I guess the best we can both do right now is hope that Father returns home safely."
Sunday sighed and shifted a little against her brother's shoulder. She felt sick, nervousness turning her stomach. She got the dark feeling that Sashi wouldn't be coming home, she just hoped that Kellin was right and her mother wouldn't come of this with her life as well. "He'll come home." She said, softly before looking up. "Will you wait with me, Kellin?"
Kellin met his sister's gaze with a soft smile. "Of course, I'll be here for as long as you want me to be," he told her, and - much in the way of his father - leaned forward to press a brief kiss to her forehead. "You should rest, Sunday. It's been a long day, and no doubt Father won't be returning soon. I'm not going anywhere."
Sunday nodded softly, before climbing in to her father's bed, and slipped beneath the covers, and sighed. "Thank you, Kellin..." She said softly. "All things father aside, I feel better with you here." She said. "And if Alec should return, I don't want to see him."
Eida felt a sudden pressure on her arm, halting her movements entirely. Her head snapped around, and after fighting against the urge to sneer, looked Alexis dead in the eyes. The girl was strong, more so than Eida had ever known her to be. If she wanted Eida to stay put, there was nothing she could do about that but keep her dignity by not struggling to resist and ultimately failing. "But you're not. You are not fine, Eida this isn't you," Alexis told her, tightening her grip only slightly, though it was enough to aggravate Eida. Still, she kept her composure, and merely cocked her head to one side, as if she needed some kind of explanation. She wondered, very briefly, why people kept telling her that... 'This isn't you'. She'd never felt more like herself; she felt free, for the first time in her life.
"Come home, let me fix you," Alexis continued, causing a deep frown to pinch Eida's brows together, her expression one of mild and momentary confusion. I don't need to be fixed, she thought bitterly, I don't want to be fixed.
"Mycah left, because of you, because of what you said, what you made him do. You couldn't have wanted that?" Alexis persisted, seemingly trying to appeal to Eida's former feelings for the boy. ""If you come back now you could maybe change his mind about staying gone." Eida looked at Alexis for the longest moment, no longer leaning against her hold but instead embracing it as she stepped closer and muttered, "Good fucking riddance." Eida then reclaimed her arm and crossed both over her torso, much in the way she would whenever she felt anxious or agitated. She released a quiet huff.
"How are you supposed to be able to help me, Alexis? How can I be 'fixed'?" she asked suddenly, looking up once more. "I'm not possessed. The Eida you once knew isn't kicking and screaming to reclaim control because I am her, I'm just... different now." Eida's eyes shifted elsewhere for a while, seemingly being unable to focus on any one person or thing. "On my word, I will stop needlessly killing people. Aside from that, I don't see how any of my intentions or actions are your concern. Mycah can stay gone, it's probably better off that way. I'm not going to go chasing after him, we could both do better. Just... Leave me be, Alexis, okay?"
"Good fucking riddance." was Eida's response, snatching her arm away, in which Alexis merely loosened her grip to allow. She noticed how she reacted. She didn't like knowing that Mycah left, that she'd hurt him so badly. Whether she knew it consciously or not. Her body language told her as much.
"How are you supposed to be able to help me, Alexis? How can I be 'fixed'?" She said and Alexis didn't even blink as she gazed at her, deeply. She wasn't working any of her new magic, guilt did that for her. "I'm not possessed. The Eida you once knew isn't kicking and screaming to reclaim control because I am her, I'm just... different now." She said and looked away, not looking anywhere in particular, just around as if trying to find her words in space. "On my word, I will stop needlessly killing people. Aside from that, I don't see how any of my intentions or actions are your concern. Mycah can stay gone, it's probably better off that way. I'm not going to go chasing after him, we could both do better. Just... Leave me be, Alexis, okay?" Alexis looked at her for a long time, regarding her carefully.
"Okay. I'll leave you be then." She said and with that, she turned and walked off. She knew what was to come next. Eida didn't need to be pressured, that wouldn't bring her home. It stopped the killing, but that wasn't Alexis' or the family's concern. It was Eida herself that had the lot of them worried. None of them could reach her, not even her own mother could. It had to be someone Eida didn't feel the least bit threatened by. Someone Eida wanted to protect herself, from herself.
Alexis knew just the siren.
She took a few more steps before shifting back to the hotel. She knew Lemlihr wouldn't be back for some time so she could use her power a bit and still have time to recover her emotions.
It was then that Sunday and Kellin walked down the stairs. Sunday looking paler than usual but otherwise alright, smiled at her confused. "Hello?" She said and Alexis could only smile. "It's me, Dollface." She said, and Sunday's eyes went wide. "Alexis?" She gasped and Alexis nodded. "You're...You...." She stammered before Alexis merely shrugged. "I changed."
"You're beautiful!" She said, and Alexis was taken aback by that. "You look like grandmother!" She said and quickly made her way down the stairs to greet her properly. Alexis chuckled. "You think so?" She said, feeling her emotions coming back to her, or Sunday's enthusiasm was just infectious, she didn't want to know. Sunday reached up and hugged her, to which Alexis welcomed warmly. "I'm not scary anymore." "Oh, you were never scar..okay so maybe you were a little scary, but you were lovely before and you're lovelier still." Sunday said, catching herself in a bit of a lie and Alexis smiled, more brightly this time. "You always know just what to say." She said and Sunday looked at her oddly, cocking her head like her mother does. "Huh?"
Alexis didn't want to give it all away, she didn't want that on Sunday's shoulders' when it happened but she wanted her to have the confidence.
"Just...You have a way with words, you can convince anyone of just about anything."
Alexis said and Sunday looked at her. "Not Alec."
"Yes, Alec too, just trust yourself, and your words, they have a magic all their own." She told her and Sunday was struck dumb a moment as Alexis looked up at Kellin. He was her nephew but that was where their connection ended. He didn't have much to do with the family, but he would soon. Something entered Alexis' mind. Something she had to tell Kellin.
"Kellin," She said, almost like a greeting but she cocked her head, as if listening to something. "She...she does care, no matter what she does, she cares about you." She said, and frowned a little before shaking her head. "Sorry, these powers are still new. I'm gonna lie down. Have fun." She said and made her way up to her room but paused at the steps. "Remember what I said, it's important, both of you." She said. "Oh and one more thing, Kellin, stand down." She said, and with that she was in her room, the door closed behind her, wondering how to control the flow of information she kept receiving and subsequently, delivering. It was clear she didn't know everything, if she did, she'd be able to control this.
Simon's eyes flickered to a new presence in the room, his head turning with a creak. Mother... he thought. This is my mother.
The woman walked forward until she was beside him, and soon enough she was on her knees. Simon may not have welcomed such closeness but even in this state he knew better than to attack one of his own. So he merely knelt where he was. "Simon," she spoke at long last, and he could do nothing but stare, almost absentmindedly, at her. He dared not move an inch, nor speak a single word.
"I am so sorry, my love," she continued on, before presuming to touch his shoulder in what was undoubtedly a comforting gesture, and this did not sit well with Simon in his broken state of mind. While he offered no serious hostilities, he did feel it necessary to push her arm away. He didn't want to be close to anyone, physically or otherwise. He didn't want love or comfort or anything like that. Just Sashi. She was all he wanted, and so he stared down at her, watching for any sign of life, the slight rise and fall of her chest, anything at all...
Alec, leave us," Erieda snapped, having stood from her position by his side, and Simon's head instinctively snapped up. It took him a moment to collect his thoughts but whatever meaning that name held to Simon, it sparked rage within him, and his glowing green eyes narrowed dangerously. He was a mere second away from standing, his stare shifting around the room at unimaginable speeds, before a figure stepped into his vision, blocking the young blond boy from his grasp. Simon released a low growl, but moved not a muscle, and continued to sit, feeling somewhat defeated. "Simon, he is not your enemy, you defeat your enemy." Simon's head tilted to one side, as if he was somehow confused by her words, before she turned her attention elsewhere.
It wasn't long before the young blond had been shoved backwards through a portal, and Simon and his mother were alone once more. "Talk to me, my son, please," she spoke, her tone pleading.
Simon's gaze had already fallen, resuming his previous task of trying to will life back into Sashi's still corpse. He knew it was a futile task. She was too far beyond his reach now. After taking a long breath, Simon huffed loudly, before his arms shifted forward, scooping Sashi's body up and holding her to him in such a gentle way that it contrasted his rough, intimidating appearance. "She'll have a funeral," Simon told his mother, finally looking up at her. "A nice one."
Simon looked around the room once more, as if he was just remembering where they were, before he turned his colossal form back to Erieda. "I don't want to be here anymore," he told her, his voice monotonous. "I need to return... to tell Sunday."
It had been a fair amount of time since Mycah had left his company, and Alex was merely sat on his bed, his mind wandering to thoughts of his situation here at home. He had no purpose in life outside of being with his family, but those who were around did not need him, and the others were too preoccupied for him to risk getting in the way. It was in times like this that he would take it upon himself to train his men, but he could do no such thing any longer. He'd abandoned them all and they had surely already found a new General to lead them. Part of him wanted to smile because he knew Lemlihr would be the one to take his place, but more of him wanted to sigh at the thought that he was giving up all that he'd spent years building. His family were worth it, though. He was sure of that much, at least.
Alex's head dropped back, hitting the wall as he released a quiet huff, before some strange sensation clamped around his chest, and his breath hitched in his throat. He looked forward, brows pinching together in a frown as he tried to figure out what was happening. It didn't take him long at all. Symone, he thought. He was connected to his daughter in ways he never was with his son, and could sense her pain above all else. She was hurting badly, and Alex wasted no time in trying to decide an appropriate course of action. He was inside of her house in a mere moment, in the hallway.
Dahvie emerged from a doorway close by, holding a glass of water, and when he spotted Alex, he yelped loudly and dropped it on the floor. "Holy fuck, Alex," he snapped, before seemingly realizing who he was talking to and softening his expression considerably. "Forgive me," Alex murmured, which apparently surprised Dahvie, before he piped up again. "My daughter... Where is she?" When Dahvie pointed to the door, Alex wasted no time in entering, and Dahvie knew better than to follow.
Alex's eyes found Symone as she lay on Dahvie's bed, and he approached carefully but not slowly. "Symone, my child..." he spoke, trying his damnedest to maintain a gentle - perhaps even comforting - tone of voice. He knelt beside the bed, his eyes never leaving her. He wanted to speak, to ask her what was wrong, but he felt compelled to allow her to act first, in case she didn't wish to talk about it or to do so in her own time.
Erieda watched Simon for a moment, as he gazed at the body of his love. It broke her heart to see him suffer so much, he seem to continuously pay for his little sister's mistakes. He deserved so much, and got so little.
She watched as he lifted up to body, cradling her in his arms, looking at her as if she'd might move, but she wouldn't. Erieda knew death all too well, the paleness of her skin, the stillness of her body, Sashi was no more.
She hoped that mortals had their paradise afterwards, Fae had none, there was nothing after, but hopefully, mortals, did.
"She'll have a funeral," Simon finally said and Erieda looked him as he finally met her gaze. "A nice one." He said, and she gaze a single nod before he turned, looking around throne room, and turning back to her.
"I don't want to be here anymore," He said, no life in his voice, nor in his eyes. "I need to return... to tell Sunday." He said and she nodded once again. "Of course." She said, and opened a portal for them to enter through. All the while she thought of all the ways to bring a mortal back but she wasn't sure if Simon was prepared for that, she didn't want to plague him with thoughts of possibly bringing her back when it could end in more heartbreak. Mortals were strong, but they were fragile, very few things could bring them back. They were complex creatures indeed.
For now, She just walked her son home.
Once inside, having opening the portal to the parlor room of the hotel, that was closed off from the rest of the hotel, so that Simon to lay Sashi's body down and allow him to change back to himself.
"I'll retrieve Sunday, might I suggest you.." She gestured to his form. "It might startle a bit." She said, trying to make it a suggestion rather than an order, she was being as gentle as possible with him. She turned to leave but paused. She wanted to tell him something that would lift his spirits but couldn't find the words, so she just walked out.
She found -to her surprise- Kellin with Sunday, seemingly watching over her, as they were walking out together. It was a nice sight to see.
"Grandmother?" Sunday smiled. "Kellin and I were going to go out for a bit, fresh air and all that." She said but Sunday's smile faded seeing Erieda's face.
"I am glad I caught you both, Sunday, Your father wants to see you, he's in the parlor." She said and Sunday sat up from the bed, her brow creased.
"She's gone, isn't she?"
Erieda didn't say. Sunday merely climbed out of the bed, and took Kellin's hand. "Will you come with me, Kellin?" She asked him, her face turning red from the tears that was forming behind her eyes. He took her hand and walked with her out of the room while Erieda watched on.
She went to her study and began to search for any possible way to bring this woman back. Simon deserved it.
Soon enough, they had returned to the Parkwood... The mortal realm. Simon took a quick glance around and quickly acknowledged their location as the Hotel's parlor. His eyes quickly found Sashi, he was still cradling her body against his chest, unwilling to part with her.
"I'll retrieve Sunday, might I suggest you..." Erieda began, drawing Simon's attention to her. "It might startle a bit," she added, and Simon could do little more than nod in understanding. Truth be told he'd almost forgotten; this form felt strangely natural, more so than his human glamour ever did. Still, he was aware that this form would be an odd sight to Sunday, and he didn't want to cause her anymore distress than seeing Sashi's corpse already would. He gave a soft sigh, noticing Erieda's hesitation to leave him alone, before she eventually turned and left. Simon watched her go, saying not a single word, before he turned to a nearby sofa and - with increasing hesitation - set Sashi's body down on top of it, positioning a pillow beneath her head as if he thought that might make her more comfortable.
Simon stood once again, and called forth his human glamour. He felt his power decreasing, and tight skin forming over his body where there was once solid wood. He looked down at himself and was thankful at least that he'd worn fae-made clothes, which managed to survive both of his transformations. He knelt beside the sofa once more, almost leaning over Sashi. One hand shifted to brush some hair back off her face, before he pressed his forehead to her temple. He felt tears forming behind his closed eyelids.
It was a good while before Simon heard another sound in the room, but eventually there was the soft click of a door handle being turned, and two people entered the room. He expected to find Erieda with Sunday when he looked up and turned his head, but instead he saw Kellin by Sunday's side, their hands intertwined. If he wasn't hurting so much he might have thought that was sweet, but as it was he simply looked at Sunday, and forced himself to stand up. He couldn't make a move towards her, much that he wanted to wrap his arms around her.
"I'm so sorry, Sunday," he suddenly blurted, his voice broken. "I couldn't... I failed her... I'm so sorry."
Sunday's heart was racing as she and Kellin approached the parlor door. She felt her grip on her brother's hand tightened as he opened it.
The first thing she saw, was her Father kneeling in front of the couch before he rose and looked at her. Sunday's heart was in her throat as he looked at her with such sadness in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sunday," he said, suddenly, and Sunday's closed her eyes, tears finally falling free. . "I couldn't... I failed her... I'm so sorry."
"Oh Father!" She cried and she ran to him wrapping her arms around his waist and holding tight. She already knew, she knew what he mother was capable of, it wasn't the first time she'd done something like this. She looked opened her eyes and gasped, her eyes finding Sashi's body.
She looked up at him, and then slipped from him, too look at Sashi one last time.
There was a look on Sashi's face, as if she merely sleeping. Sunday knelled down, taking Sashi's cold hands and swallowed and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "I wish you were my mother...." She said softly, so softly that it was barely audible to the men in the room. "I am so sorry, Sashi, you didn't deserve this." She said, her eyes falling on her blood covered stomach. She knew her mother made Sashi suffer. "Father..."
"Is she dead....The woman birthed me..." She said, turning only her head, the room was dark, lit only by the overcast from the window, giving the room a grey hue, however, Sunday's eyes gave a red glow, as she looked back at him. "Did she suffer?" She asked, and when her father answered, Sunday nodded. "Good." She said, and pressed Sashi's hand to her face and was quiet a long moment before speaking again, her eyes now brown again. "She would have liked you, Kellin." She said, with a nod. "Don't you think, Father?"
"Oh Father!" Sunday cried, and before Simon could speak again she was over to him, her small arms wrapped around his torso. He didn't hug her back, he couldn't, but unlike with his mother, he couldn't bring himself to force her back. She was hurting just as much, if not more. The embrace didn't last too long, as Sunday had now turned her attention to Sashi with a gasp. Simon stood back to allow her some room, his head down. He felt Kellin's hand on his shoulder and the two shared a glance, but their displays of affection stopped there, as per usual.
Simon watched as Sunday interacted with Sashi. He felt the tears falling at long last but not profusely. He was a lot like his mother in the regard that he didn't enjoy crying in front of others; he wouldn't have allowed the tears to fall in front of his children if the pain of loss wasn't so severe within him. Sashi's death had whittled away at his remaining strength, which had been so apparent through his childhood and the recent years, as well as the constant reminder that he'd actually just consumed a person in their entirety.
"Father..." Simon's eyes flickered to Sunday. "Is she dead... The woman who birthed me..." she asked, and Simon was taken aback by that, but then he was in no position to judge how a person's grief could change them. There was a great anger within Sunday, as shown by the redness of her eyes. He found himself looking at her for a moment before he spoke. "She is," he replied quietly. "Did she suffer?" she proceeded to ask, and Simon paused for only a moment, trying to guess the appropriate way to respond. But then, after a moment, decided that being appropriate wasn't the least of his worries right now. And so, after clasping his hands together behind his back, he took a breath and muttered his response. "Greatly." This seemed to sit well with Sunday as she nodded. "Good."
"She would have liked you, Kellin," Sunday suddenly piped up, seemingly having returned to normal now. Kellin didn't quite know how to take that. "Don't you think, Father?" she asked again, to which Simon replied with a loud huff. "I, uh... I don't know," he replied, "probably... She was a sweet... A truly good person." His eyes found Sashi's face, noting how peaceful she looked despite the blood that covered her abdomen. "Like others before her she died simply because she fell for the wrong person."
He paused for the longest time, not looking at anyone or anything, until he lifted his head, the tears now gone from his eyes. "We'll hold a funeral for her, tonight. Out in the gardens," he informed them suddenly, as if his mind was already made up. "Excuse me, I... I need to be alone, for a while." He leaned down and placed a kiss atop Sunday's head, and on his way out he placed a hand on Kellin's shoulder, but he spoke not another word to either of them, and slowly made his way up to his room.
Symone lay a near lifeless heap on the bed. She couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, she just lie there, allowing the darkness of her failure swallow her whole. She failed them all, Eida, Alec, Dahvie Simon, her mother and father. All she wanted was her family together and she managed to ruin it all. Eida was broken, and she blamed her for it. Whatever Victoria had done to her, Eida believed it was Symone's doing.
The worst of it was, that while she had nothing to do with what Victoria had done, she did have a hand in the whole of it. Working with that creature, rather than killing her when she had the chance. Alec spoke of peace, uniting the realms, that she decided that if she were to do that with him, for them, then working with an enemy would be a good first step. It was not and now, her daughter had devoured, and she hated her. Eida was more fae than anything else. She said she hated her and so she did.
This swirled in her chest, making it nearly hard to breathe, Dahvie couldn't reach her, try as he might, she couldn't keep any of the food he brought for her down, water barely stuck but she wasn't even trying anymore. She let come what may.
"Symone, my child."a voice called and Symone barely looked up until he came into her vision, knelling before her.
"Daddy?" She squeaked, barely over a whispered. She'd thought she cried all her tears but the look in his eyes, and the comfort that came with them, brought them forth.
"Oh Daddy, I failed them all, Eida she was....I....she hates me, she said so, I don't know what to do" She sobbed as she clamored up and wrapped herself around her father, taking in his comforting cold, that was decidedly warming then it had been. He was no longer what she had been, a mindless drone, or a willing slave, they were both free to feel their guilt.