Dabbles The Citadel The Citadel

Ilnonta's Husband

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Jun 18, 2021 22:43:37 GMT

Post by Dobu on Jun 18, 2021 22:43:37 GMT

Fire and Ice For Breakfast

His eyes dragged open slowly, the light from the sun hitting his retinas like bullets made for the sole purpose of inducing his morning headache. The boy hated hangovers and every time he had them it only served as a reminder to why he made it a purpose to continue drinking no matter the time of day. His white hair was messy to say the least, but sitting up and running his hands through it straitened it out enough for his morning routine.

Leaving the bed was a nightmare and only served to induce a deeper migraine than before. A few light steps across the room and into the bathroom where he brushed his teeth and took a shower, a gloomy state to say the least and keeping his head on strait felt like something he could go without doing for at least a few more hours, but then he saw it.

Of to the side just in his peripheral vision he spotted Shinzo’s sword resting in its normal place as he’d normally find it when the fire claimant was home. He could feel his heart scream as he crept his way across the house only to find him meditating like some fucking prick! They were both in the house and he left him in the bed alone to meditate? It’s not like it was anything new, but he still wasn’t happy about it.

He snuck up behind him as best he could, albeit the Irishman wasn’t worth a damn when it came to sneaking around. The moment he was within range he leaned in close, his lips closing in on his partner’s ear like a cat hungry for its prey and yet he couldn’t even get a nibble before Shinzo’s hand grabbed his jaw at a speed he couldn’t even do anything to avoid. A bad idea to try his stunt? Maybe. Did he regret it? Fuck no he didn’t. His grip wasn’t letting up either, instead opting to keep him from moving away as if he’d try to do so. At this point he was exactly where he wanted to be.

“What do you think you’re doing? I thought I had asked you not to disturb me during my meditation”, he asked as he turned his attention to the ice claimant. “Did you really think you could sneak up on me breathing so hard in my ear?”

Shinzo rose from his position with his grip adamantly on Haden’s jawline. With their bodies now facing one another he waited in anticipation for the excuse he would give him as he looked up to him from his hands and knees. Could things be any more perfect? Could the situation have gone any further in his favor. His cheeks lighting up against his pale skin as he struggled to find which words he could say next, to convince him to take charge and push things even further. This is what he does best! If all he had to do was tap into his constant nature and say something to make him boil over then he might get what he wants!

“Left me in the bed alone again ya fecker. I’m not happy about it, but I suppose ya won’t listen to me.” The FUCK was he saying? “If you can’t do something so simple then don’t cry to me about not following your every order.” That’s what he was looking for. That was more like it.

“Why are you always so needy? I swear you’re more of a woman than you would have everyone else believe”, the swordsman spoke as he released him from his grasp.

NOOO!

Haden pouted and laid back on the floor. He always did his best to destroy his advances, but this time Shinzo had gone too far! He took a deep breath and upon releasing it the room was coated in a freezing cold. Shinzo quickly acted to melt the ice which now soaked the entire floor and walls but couldn’t even question the most childish man he knew before he did it again! Everything coated in ice which he again had to melt. This time diving on top oh Haden and placing his hand over his mouth. The boy was cold as he always was when using abilities, his fair skin a subtle tint of white and blue.

“What are you doing? You’re going to ruin the house! Have you completely lost it?” He watched as the boy’s soft yellow eyes turned away, a look he knew quite well after all the years he knew him. “If you wanted sex you could always ask like a good housewife and not ruin the property in the process.”

“Hmph”, his voice pressed against Shinzo’s hand still placed over his mouth as if he knew that he wasn’t done being a nuisance. It wasn’t until he realized that his partner was only wearing a pair of briefs, how could he have managed to have on less cloths than him? He had been meditating but at least he wore pants!

“You’re insufferable”, he spoke as he removed his hand yet before he could stand himself back up Haden pounced on top of him. The tables turned for only a brief moment as Shinzo once again pinned him on the ground so swiftly his attempt seemed useless from the start. With his hands pressing his shoulders against the ground and his weight pressed against his midsection he started, “you’re terrible at close range combat! Why are you doing this?”

“Are ya not going to make me stop? You’ve had me in your grasp three times already and yet ya still haven’t forced me to do anything.”

“You’re not going to let me do anything today are you?”

“Unless what you’re doing is me I’m going to have to decline. I waited for you all night and if ya think I’m waiting any longer then you’re dreaming sweetheart.”

Shinzo scoffed at his words as if he were speaking poison into the air, his right hand wrapping around his neck as if to threaten him for his choice of name. “Don’t call me that asshole, I’m not some little girl.” His grip tightened ever so slightly which made Haden smile the smile of victory.

“Would ya rather I call you daddy then? Seems like you’re in the punishing mood, so have I been bad enough for you swordboy?”

Shinzo leaned in close, just close enough to feel the chilled air escaping from his lover’s lips and much to his disparity gave the boy the kiss he had been trying to force out of him. He was far too easy to please as always and with him being sober it was like he felt things in multiples of ten. The feeling of superiority as he watched Haden’s eyes roll back was intoxicating. How the person who managed to give him so much trouble around every corner was also one of the most sexually sensitive men to exist was impossible to fathom. He pulled back and spectated his work as the boy gasped for air, the steam emanating from his mouth a mix from the his own heat and Haden’s personal cold breath.

“You know you’re a massive contradiction right? I’d call you bipolar but I feel like you’re an asshole in public just to piss me off personally.”

The moment he caught his breath a smug smirk spread across his face, his tongue licking his lips as if savoring the flavor of their passion. How someone so pale could have so much red on their face was astounding, but things came in waves as it always did with a sober Haden. “Sounds to me like ya found another reason to punish me. Am I going to have to beg? Please love?”

The black haired claimant rolled his eyes. If he let this go on any longer then he’d be stuck here with him all day clinging to him like a lost kitten. While it wouldn’t be too bad and far better than being around a pissed and no doubt drunken Haden in public trying to make his life hell. He could at the very least keep him from drinking if he gave him what he wanted and so long as he wasn’t drinking then he’d only have to deal with a horny man and not a drunken Irishman.

“Fine, if that’s what you want then I’ll give it to you. Don’t think I’m going easy on you though.”

Haden giggled and sighed in victory. If only Shinzo made it a bit harder and played a bit more aggressive he’d be able to have more fun with his lover, but this was more than enough. “I’d hope you didn’t. How am I supposed to enjoy ya if you’re treating me like I’d break at any moment? You’re supposed to be trying to break me and while it’s easy enough to gobble up that little dick of yours I’d much rather you give me a challenge in some way.”

“Oh so it’s little now? That’s not what you were saying last time you had me to yourself.”

“Then why don’t you remind me what it was I was said and I’ll apologize if I’m wrong. If daddy's gonna give me the dick then it'll have to be pretty good to make me take my words back.”

Ilnonta's Husband

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Jun 19, 2021 19:27:21 GMT

Post by Dobu on Jun 19, 2021 19:27:21 GMT

If Things Were To Go My Way

The door creaked open and the lights flashed on to reveal a rather messy living space. The apartment wasn’t very large as only Haden had been living there, but most of the space had been taken up by empty bottles of whiskey and blankets strewn about. Aside from that there wasn’t a single spec of dust in sight and everything was kept in a condition that was damn near brand new. Aside from that it was quite hot as if he were trying to keep the place at unbearable temperatures and yet as Shinzo turned to see him enter the home it was as if the heat disappeared and it was a casual fifty degrees. A walking tundra at times as always.

“You could have at least cleaned the place up for me. You’ve got blankets all over the place. What? Were you just sleeping anywhere in here?” He jested and joked with him in a casual manner and yet his partner refused to answer. He seemed too busy fidgeting to register the conversation.

Shinzo examined him closely, he had been rushed out of his home to meet him clearly, his clothes looked as if he were sleeping in them. A white t-shirt that seemed a few sizes too large and loose fitting gray sweat pants. On his feet were a pair of fluffy red socks and resting on his head of messy hair was the same hair clip he would always wear. His hair was longer than the last time he had seen him, granted it had been a long time since he was with the ice claimant. His hair reminded him of a story he told him about his mother, hair so long it brushed against her back and when she’d lean over to blow on her tea it would graze the top of the liquid and make her smell like the warm liquid for the rest of the day. His hair was so long he could only see half of his face, still as cleanly shaven as always and yet signs of exhaustion sprinkled across his pale skin. He looked so girlish compared to what he once knew it was something he had to get accustomed to. He always had rather feminine features, but the hair made him look exactly as he’d imagine his mother to be from his descriptions.

Haden made his way over to the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab a fresh bottle of whiskey which Shinzo wasn’t having at all. The first thing on his mind when they’re together again was drink? He quickly approached him from behind and snatched the bottle from his hand, an action he thought would be more difficult as the Haden he knew would kill a man before he ever let them take his drink but now only shivered a bit at the action. What happened to him? He wouldn’t have imagined anything making him so soft.

“You’re not going to just drink the night away are you? I know you’re an asshole but I’d at least expect you to give me a bit more attention after all this time apart.” His words didn’t even seem to reach the Irishman. The only response he received in return was his hands brushing up and down his arms in a subtle manner as if he were cold, but he knew for a fact that Haden never felt the cold. This wasn’t anything like him.

He reached a hand over to him in an attempt to turn the ice claimant around as the only time they had faced one another was when he had first seen him, it was also the only time he spoke. As his hand rested on his shoulder he was surprised to see him turn around and slap his hand away. It almost infuriated the samurai and yet his lover’s tears freezing on his skin was enough to understand the situation. His eyes were just as yellow as they had always been, like little golden rings which it hurt to see so sad after so long. Had it really been this hard for him? Haden was always a rather needy boy, but to this extent?

“Haden, it’s fine. I’m here now aren’t I?” His question seemed to have the opposite effect as he could feel his hands press against his chest at an attempt to shove him away and yet the strength he once had wasn’t there. Had he gotten weaker?

“You have some feckin nerve”, his words sliced through the air like shards of glass. “I’ve been sitting here for so long waiting for nothing because I thought ya were dead and you’ve been hiding away this entire time? Then I see ya and you’re burnt to shit and I don’t even know what happened! I thought you were dead…”

Had no one told him he was still alive? If he thought he was dead then what had he been doing here this entire time? Did they just allow him to sit around and wallow in his own regrets?

“Haden I didn’t know. I’ve been going through the process of healing this entire time. I apologize for making you suffer the way you have been.” He reached out towards him and watched with a pain in his chest as his spouse opted to back away.

“All I’ve been doing is suffering. I thought I could do it, that I could just keep going without worrying about a damn and then at some point it just hit me. Everyone I spent any type of time with disappeared in a single fell swoop. Daenu was too focused on herself to care about anyone else and instead thought it’d be a better idea to take shit from me instead! I’ve been losing shit back to feckin back and now I find out you’ve been alive this entire time? Lucas came back! AJ came back! I was wondering why everyone except for you were coming back!”

Shinzo watched his distressed face, the red that was building up in it a clear sign of him straining himself. His words were something he didn’t know he never wanted to hear until they left his lips. He’d just been waiting the entire time. He survive that day as he had hoped but only spent everyday after that waiting for him to come back. It didn’t even look like he was taking care of himself physically but he was as clean as always. He clearly still enjoyed his hot showers at least. He was an absolute wreck and he had to take care of this carefully.

“I hate this shit”, Haden began to speak again. “I hate feeling like this and it’s how I’ve felt for so long I just wanted to give up and yet here I was. Still waiting with so much anticipation I damn near ran through the door to get out of the house only to find out you were still alive the entire time!”

His tears were horrible to see. They either froze and stuck to his face or fell to the floor as solid droplets of frozen saltwater. He seemed so small, so helpless, it wasn’t something he could allow to go on any longer regardless of how he once knew him to be. He grabbed hold of his lover, the struggle he put up was so frail it didn’t even deter him as he pulled the damn near freezing male in close and wrapped his arms around him in an embrace he had missed so much it was euphoric. Haden on the other hand continued to struggle for escape.

“Get your feckin hands off of me you god damned kung fu captain of the samurai warriors! I mean it, you get the hell off of me.”

“I missed you too idiot, so stop moving around so much.”

The longer he held onto him the less he fought, the heat from his body brushing against his skin was so soothing and strong his tears were able to fall without being held by the cold. Within a matter of moments his struggle became an embrace that he had begun to believe he’d never experience again and then to a wailing the likes of which Shinzo thought was impossible to get out of the man he once knew, but then again he clearly wasn’t that man anymore. Time had changed him far more than he had expected but it wasn’t just the time, it was the loneliness.

“Look at me”, he spoke to the now heated up and far more comfortable Haden who reluctantly remove his face from his lover’s body to gaze up at him. That’s what he wanted to see, the golden eyes he knew looking strait at him just as they did in the past. Eyes that always seemed to want more yet seemed so content with what he had. He swept the hair that covered the left side of his face aside and revealed his full face. His hand pressed against his cheek and it felt so cold it was alarming, colder than it had ever been before. “Are you okay now?”

“I’m fine”, Haden spoke without taking his eyes off of Shinzo. This was a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time and he could tell his partner was feeling it as well. He pushed himself up on his toes and placed his hands against his chest. “Do it, I’ve missed it so much.”

He almost couldn’t even keep track of how quickly his lips pressed against his own. His heart was pounding, he could feel the heat building in his body, it was difficult to even stay conscious it was so hard to believe. He could feel his lips, his teeth, his tongue with his own and just as he felt he might fall over his ball of flames backed away. The steam trailed from his lips and his eyes had to regain focus before he nearly opened his mouth to protest. “I wasn’t done yet ya know.”

“Well I can’t have you passing out on me so easily. Don’t think I forgot about how easy you are to actually please woman.”

Haden’s eyes widened until he looked like a cat ready to pounce, his cheeks swirling with reds and pinks but the yellow orbs turned away which was something else he wasn’t ever expecting to see from the ice claimant. With a huff of air the remaining steam in his system was blown out and replaced by a plume of ice cold air. “Well I suppose you can call me your woman if that makes you happy.”

“Wait, you’re serious? So you’re saying I can call you my wife?” Shinzo asked with an eyebrow raised.

“As always, you’ll have to make me agree, but I guess it’s okay if it’s you. As if there’d be anyone else”, he chuckled! Something else that was absolutely out of the ordinary! It’s as if he was drained of all his testosterone.

“So can I call you my little ice cube now too?”

“Don’t push your luck, sorry fecker. Imagine the legendary sword boy himself thinking he could call me anything other than-“

Shinzo pressed his lips against his lips again for a short kiss. “Enough talk I’d say. Right?” Haden nodded rapidly and positioned himself for another kiss which the fire claimant happily obliged with. He was so light now it took no effort at all to lift him from the floor, the heat from his own body balanced out the cold that radiated from the ice claimant’s skin and he could tell he was more comfortable than before has his moans began to pour out. They seemed different than normal as if he lacked the resistance he had in the past, they were louder and more frequent as well. He almost lost it when he felt his legs wrap around his waist.

His teeth clasped onto Haden’s bottom lip and he could feel him quiver ever so slightly. Both of their grips tightened as if trying to melt into each others bodies and it was then that Shinzo noticed a lack of something he wouldn’t so easily miss.

“Haden, Ai , I have to ask. Where’s your dick?” He could tell the question was something he had been dreading to hear as he simply looked away and refused to answer for a moment before finally speaking up almost a minute later.

“Well do ya remember when I said Daenu decided to take something from me? Well she did the same for every other one of her claimants. Most of them lost their eyes, but I outright refused. Aside from my eyes being the exact same as my mother’s… I wasn’t prepared to not be able to see you again. She wasn’t happy with my explanation and so, you can guess what happened next.” That explained it, the lack of absolute and undeniable aggression. His body was completely different and coupling that with his mind adjusting over time as well it was all just a poor series of events. “Does it make me unsightly?”

“What kind of question is that? You’re still wearing all your clothes and I don’t think I’d call my own wife unsightly.” Haden smiled and pushed his face away with cheeks red as roses.

“W-well then, as ya should! I think I changed my mind. I don’t know about the whole wife thing”, he spoke with a more clear smirk and face. By this point he looked more normal than ever, the way he contently sat in his arms was almost nostalgic albeit he was far lighter and easier to hold onto even as he moved about. “I think I’ll go back to being your husband.”

“So you’re my husband again?”

“Hmm, now that ya say it I don’t think I like that one anymore. Maybe I should think of something else to have ya call me.”

The fire claimant was fed up already by his antics, he was clearly as comfortable as he remembered him being in the past if he was going to be acting like this. “How about I just call you whatever I want? It’s not like you could stop me anyway.”

“Oh? Ya think so? Well then ya know what I’m going to say next right?” He hovered closer to Shinzo’s face, his lips almost touching his own. “You’re going to have to make me listen aren’t ya?”

Of course he’d say that. He was so passive aggressive with sex it was astounding to experience, but with his sense of pleasure it was only more interesting. With how cold he always was the heat from his body only made more of an impression, simple touches would make him act as if he caressed every single nerve in that place. It was always a treat to see the way he reacted and if things continued the way they had been it would be even more intense after waiting for him for so long. He even left the heat on high in hopes of remembering the feeling of his lover being around.

He carried his slender frame to the bedroom which was exceptionally well kept and without a single trace of dust in sight. Shinzo didn’t even bother to examine the area and approached the bed before all else to lay his lover down in front of himself who watched in anticipation as he removed his shirt. The moment he leaned back in he lifted his hands to intercept is chest and abdomen where he brushed his hands across to feel every nook and cranny as his lips pressed against his once again.

It was as if he knew every single weakness he had, the way his lips gently pressed against his own at the perfect timing in waves, his tongue moving about his mouth as if examining every place it had touched in the past to make sure it was all still the same. He refused to give him any moment to breathe which was always a massive turn on for the ice claimant and the longer it went on the more difficult it became to hold on. His moans a rhythmic melody to which he timed every motion and yet he still acted as if he wouldn’t be defeated, his slender hands finding their way down his abs and into his pants. How he had undone his belt so quickly was a trick of his own. But things were just getting started clearly.

“And just like that my wife thinks she can outdo me”, he uttered in between kisses. “However I don’t recall a moment you could ever outdo me.”

His teeth pressed against Haden’s tongue, an action that made his eyes shuffle back. His vison blurred for a moment yet he continued to stroke Shinzo’s now fully erect cock with a refusal to be outdone. As much as he struggled it remained futile however as it seemed his husband’s tongue didn’t know how to hit a single spot that wasn’t more sensitive than the next. He could feel his spine shivering, hit toes gripping onto the blankets as he wouldn’t let up. Surely the bastard knew what he was doing to him.

His voice grew louder, his eyes darting back and forth in a panic which made Shinzo chuckle as he moved in for the finish. The moment his hands slid upward and found themselves wrapped around Haden’s neck the high pitched noise that came from his spouse could only be described as a squeak followed by his legs wrapping around his waist like a cobra. His back arched as much as he could muster, it felt as if he were trying to pull away which wasn’t going to be allowed to happen. The moment his eyes tumbled into the back of his head followed by a soft moan he released his lips and watched as his body relaxed into a comfortable position lying down.

After a few seconds he began to gasp for air, the steam rising from his lips was thick and rose in plumes with every breath. “So how is my wife feeling?” He asked to see him shift his head to look up at him. His face was flushed, eyes looking in his direction yet out of focus and filled with tears. His long hair drizzled over his face again which he adjusted out of the way before lifting his hands towards his lover. He still wasn’t done after all of that?

“My turn”, he exclaimed as pushed against his chest, his partner having to back away on his own as he clearly couldn’t muster the strength to do it himself. As soon as Shinzo found himself on his feet Haden found himself sliding off the bed down onto his knees. His hair fell over his face again which he didn’t mind, but wasn’t going to deal with it getting in the way. After slowly sliding down Shinzo’s briefs and undergarments he found his member flying up to hit him on the nose, he had forgotten how long it was and the laugh that followed from the swordsman only served to make him even more embarrassed. He wouldn’t allow that to stand.

With his eyes aimed up for his love to see he used his finger to tuck the stray hair behind his ear and proceeded to engulf the entirety of his dick without so much as a struggle. Clearly he had forgotten just how good he was at this. He took his time moving back, as much of a tease as he had always been, lips pressed firmly around the shaft as if saying ‘you’ll feel every moment of this’ until all that was left in his mouth was the head of his rod. He smiled smugly, his tongue skillfully swirling about the tip as he savored every sigh, grunt and groan that came from the ‘legendary swordsman’. Just like that he was back to work giving him the pleasure he desired.

His head was as phenomenal as it had always been, not a single cough or need for breath as he felt his cock gliding into the back of his throat until the familiar feeling of his lips pressing against the base caused him to grip his hair which was a feeling new to him. He looked down at Haden who was now staring up with an expression more pissed than he’d expected until he began to suck him off in a manner that made his legs feel as if he were standing on bones made from papier-mâché. Haden on the other hand could feel the cum dripping down his throat yet refused to back away. It tasted like Shinzo and he’d savor every drop. Meanwhile the man in question held on for dear life as if his death was marked by his cock exiting his partner’s throat, but when he noticed the nearly passed out Haden he released him and watched as he fell back against the bed.

Shinzo leaned down and pressed his hand against his cheek. “Are you okay? Ai?” A gasp followed by a few coughs and exacerbated breathing knocked the worry strait out of the fire claimant, he had nearly forgotten just how much more fragile he was. He helped him up onto his feet and watched as he swallowed and smiled with a content smile. “I’d say I’m sorry but it seems you feel as if you’ve accomplished something grand.”

The ice claimant chuckled like a child who just couldn’t be beaten at a videogame. “Well it’s good to know that I can still put ya on the ropes!” He spun around like a ballerina and pulled his hair over his shoulder to reveal the back of his neck before laying forward on the bed. “Now the as much as I’d like to make ya fight for it I have to ask… are ya gonna fuck me or not?”

Shinzo looked at his frame, his curvature, he was thinner and yet the components of his body were more defined. He didn’t waste any time to remove his clothes, piece by piece until nothing was left. Haden himself seemed reluctant to let him do it, but it wasn’t until he did that the realization had occurred. His body was so much different it was confounding. His crotch itself was completely empty, devoid of anything that would be on the normal person’s body meanwhile his arms were slightly thinner yet his legs and ass had seemed to be slightly thicker. It was as if his body changed on its own overtime to grow more accustomed to the type of person he had no doubt become after Daenu’s little stunt and him being away. He looked even more feminine now than he did at times before.

“So is the samurai not gonna play with me today?” Haden spoke with confidence as if he knew he had already reeled him in. “If you’re ready to tap out then-ah!” He looked back to see his lover climbing on top and preparing to take what was rightfully his. It was at times like this that the size difference really stood out, he looked like a giant hovering over him which made it all the more satisfying the moment he felt the pressure of his dick pressing against his lower body. He was ready for this and yet things were moving way too slow. It was time to have things go his way. As much as he loved being the submissive type he wanted this, no, needed this more than anything else. The feeling of his partner giving him the love he desired.

As Shinzo focused on trying not to harm his more fragile spouse there was nothing that could have prepared him for his dick suddenly being engulfed by his lover’s ass. He had only started putting the head of his cock in and yet everything was now nice and snug in its place. He looked down to see Haden who had clearly jumped the gun, slowly pulling away as shivers could be seen going up his spine. The fire claimant knew exactly what it was he wanted however and wasn’t going to let up after that last stunt, his member pressing deeper into him and pressing his waist and lower section against the bed. His back arched, hand pushing against the bed as his fingers intertwined with the blankets. He wasn’t done yet however, his hand wrapping around Haden’s neck, an action which caused a surprised “oh” to escape his lips before the only thing that filled the air were moans and screams that were so high pitched Shinzo couldn’t keep himself from moving with the sole purpose of producing more.

His subtly grunts and pants as he railed into him were intoxicating. Haden could feel the passion in every movement, every stroke, every inch that slide its way in and out. The position was perfect as well, one of his absolute favorites and he knew that Shinzo knew it. Consciousness was becoming a thing of the past as his eyes began to roll back yet again, his vision blurring and his voice becoming less manly by the moment until he was nothing but a small package of sex crazed lust and seduction.

“I love you Shinzo! Fuck I love ya so much!” He cried out which was the nail in the coffin for the yakuza member, a phrase that he thought he’d die before hearing anywhere other than their wedding. As he pressed himself as far as he could go Haden’s arms and legs were now outstretched, Shinzo’s hand still wrapped tightly around his neck as he released as much cum as he could muster into his convulsing ass. He could feel the cold emanating off of him as if attempting to cool him off before he completely melted, gasping for air and whimpering until the very last second.

Shinzo refused to pull away for the time being, laying on top of his partner instead and keeping a close eye on the frost that escaped his lips with every breath. Even with all the sweat that covered them both he still managed to be so cold on the inside. “You need me to help you out?” His words caught Haden’s attention just before he pressed his lips against his yet again, a long exchange. It was too much, although he’d never admit it, but the moment a light moan floated through the air his lover pulled away and he could tell. Once released the frozen air that slipped through his lips replaced with warm streams of steam. “That better, Ai?” No response, not even a peep, only the limp sight of his fainted love with tears of ecstasy and bliss. Of course he’d fall asleep after making him do all that work.

He leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the cheek and neck, an which let off the slightest bit of steam as he moved away but most importantly put a perfect smile on his face. “I love you too Haden.”

Ilnonta's Husband

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Jun 22, 2021 19:48:55 GMT

Post by Dobu on Jun 22, 2021 19:48:55 GMT

For The Sake Of Love

The sound of distance voices woke him from his slumber, as if the softest unknown voice wouldn’t be enough. He certainly would have gotten up sooner if Haden hadn’t kept him awake all night and yet it was the same person’s voice who made him sit up in their bed.

“For the last time no! I’m not going to the Poles and that’s the end of that conversation!”

“But I’ll need your help if I’m to accomplish this objective. Please, I implore you to change your mind.”

What could this possibly be now? He stepped out into the open, relinquishing himself from their comfortable blankets and readying himself to go and see whatever situation Haden had gotten himself into today. The hall felt longer than normal as if some looming omen of horrible things awaited him the moment he rounded the corner and the moment he saw his small spouse talking to a person who was almost as tall as him he could feel the world shifting down a horrid path. He had brown skin, a smile that could make anyone feel like they were in the wrong and hair as silver as his own sword. Just looking at him you could tell he was one of Nammay’s claimants.

“Is everything alright out here? You normally don’t start yelling until maybe the afternoon and yet its pretty early for you.” Shinzo spoke as he made his way to Haden who gave him a loving smile.

“Not a single thing! Just getting rid of a pest who I’d hoped not to see for a long while.” Haden responded. It was as if he forgot not to show any signs of affection in front of others as he clung to the man without signs of letting go the moment he was within range.

“So… who is this anyway?” He asked the ice claimant who refused to answer, his attention instead fully on him and yet the question wouldn’t go unanswered. He wouldn’t allow it.

“I’m glad you asked! I am Nier! Master repair smith, warrior of Nammay and most importantly craft smith of marital items! Seeing you here with Haden has moved my heart the likes of which no other has done in the past. I’d say my soul has been moved, no, shaped by the confidence and structure of your separate passions combined into one single dedication. For allowing me to experience even the slightest fraction of your love and loyalty I will give to you both a gift the likes of which you’ve never seen before!”

Before Shinzo could even properly question who or better yet what he had walked into the boy was focused far beyond what he would have believed possible for someone of his odd nature. Multiple differing alloys floated and fluttered about in the air as if melding into the wind itself. His hand motions were intoxicating, as if tempered and mastered over years of experience, he didn’t even know how to react to what was happening. Almost as if by instinct the alloys parted ways and all that was left to mold together was bismuth and titanium, forming into a ball that spun and swirled until strains of both metal seemed to be weaved together like a ball of yarn that mixed into itself. Before either of the pair could react the metal separated into two smaller orbs which quickly wrapped themselves around their ring fingers.

“I have seen only but a small fraction of the love you two share and it has moved me to my core. So for you I have two gems to offer”, he spoke as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a rather fancy silken pouch. From the bag of mystery he drew forth two gems the likes of which would be ungodly to imagine being in his possession, Ceruleite and Cuprite. The rare gems were so beautiful Shinzo could see the amazement of Haden’s face as he watched the man throw them into the air. Two rather large daggers flew from his pockets as if moving on their own and began shaping and crafting them into whatever he desired, any doubt he was one of Nammay’s claimants could be thrown away at this point as the gems were cut down into perfectly symmetrical shapes then sliced in half and fitted into one another. The shaved pieces retrieved and ground into a vibrant dust which was absorbed into the make of the rings which hovered from their fingers and back towards the crafter himself before the half and half gems were directly connected to the shapes of the rings.

They were beautiful, the metals swirling about like liquid mixed into one another. The gem dust crafted from the excess materials made it seem as if the metal carried a sheen that couldn’t be properly replicated and the gems which were made to be symmetrical were a sight to see indeed. One of a kind, made to fit something the boy himself saw as beautiful. With an exhausted sigh he took them both in his hands and clenched his fists, an action that would prove to be paramount as once his hands opened up to reveal the jewelry they were found to be polished and perfected. A master of his craft indeed.

“This is my gift to the two of you. I’m just glad I got to meet both of you and make these for the occasion.”

Shinzo looked at the boy, Nier, what an odd person! He just shows up out of no where, granted he knows Haden and yet the first thing he does upon seeing them is craft them rings? He was almost prepared to tell him it was too much. They looked as if they’d cost hundreds, thousands, millions even with the attention to detail and yet when he saw the look of pure desire for them in Haden’s eyes he couldn’t turn them down. He wouldn’t let him get off easy however.

“I appreciate the gift, truly. You should help him Ai. It’s the least you could do for something like this.”

“I… well I suppose you’re right… I guess it’s only right that I aid ya with your silly mission lad. So when are we leaving?” Haden asked with a huff. He was going to hold Shinzo hostage today! Apparently those plans would have to be put on hold.

Nier smiled with honesty that was more unsettling than anything else. With a flick off his phone and a few presses he tucked the device away into his pocket and waited patiently. “We’ll be leaving now so we can take care of this before they wake up.”

Shinzo raised an eyebrow at his words. What did he mean by that? What did he mean by before they wake up?

“So tell me, what exactly are you two going to be doing? I don’t know what’s going on but I’d rather not send my wife into a dangerous situation without knowing what exactly it is. This isn’t something excessively dangerous is it?”

Haden seemed to be far too busy examining the ring to even pay attention to what they were talking about, but Nier was more than happy to fill him in. “Well you see Daenu has a new love interest, someone that I’m sure Haden hasn’t introduced you too as well, but I’d like to make them both a pair of rings as well. Problem is that Daenu has outright refused my requests in the past. So… I’m going to sneak into the Poles while they’re both asleep and do it while she can’t stop me.”

What did he sign Haden up for?! This sounded like an idea so horrible that Haden himself couldn’t come up with it! Who is this Nier and why is he so full of reckless abandon? An act of kindness with the rings quickly looked more like an uncontrollable obsession and it didn’t seem as if he thought many of his plans through in the slightest.

“Excuse me, who exactly are you again?” He asked the metal claimant as if trying to find reassurance in any form.

“Well let me tell ya, probably not gonna believe this one”, Haden cut into the conversation as he tucked the ring into his pocket. “This rather flamboyant craftsman who obsesses over items of marriage is none other than the lad who’s on a path to trying his hardest at getting married at the request of his mother. He won’t admit to it, but we all know he has a thing for Chaemai of all people. I assume he's been annoying her for quite some time now.”

“Well I asked her to marry me and she didn’t refuse, so it’s only natural that I try harder right?”

Haden laughed at his words before whispering in Shinzo’s ear, “it sounds wholesome beyond belief until you realize he asked her to marry him on their first proper day meeting. The moment he got the chance he basically popped the question without any warning. He's known her for a while, but he managed to stay rather respectful as a kid. it was almost as if Nammay knew he'd be a nuisance to her and was avoiding letting him meet her after he got a wee bit older.”

This boy was bold beyond comprehension! He had to take it back, he couldn’t possibly let Haden go anywhere with him and expect him to come back unscathed! He almost started saying what had to be said to get his partner out of this scenario and yet before he could even get the words out Gahbreal himself stepped out of the void and grabbed the two boys on the shoulders.

“Alright alright, it’s gonna be a tight squeeze, but Haden is just small enough to give me the room to take him with us. I’ll pick y’all up when you call for me again in the same spot. I don’t know what y’all are doing but let’s get it over with.” Before Haden could manage to lash out towards Gahbreal’s perceived insult they were both swept away into the void, gone from where they had just been.

Shinzo stood for a moment, wondering if this was at all a good idea before simply shrugging it off. Haden would be fine. Surely it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

“Oh my, it’s just as cold here as I remembered it being”, Nier spoke as he looked about the area.

He kept his voice low, Gahbreal was always reliable in situations like this and he managed to get them both quite close to the place they wanted to be. This was surely Daenu’s place of residence. "Take care of your business and meet me back here when you're done. Send me a message and I'll be here to pick you two up", he disappeared as soon as his sentence finished.

“So loverboy, you stick close to me and you do everything I tell ya to do. You get me? Daenu isn’t very happy with me so if any of the other ice cubes realize I’m here we’re in deep shite.” He spoke as he casually opened the doors and scanned the entrance of the building. Empty. Daenu always enjoyed their privacy so there wouldn’t be many people around. It was all a matter of who they ran into if they did run into anyone.

Nier stuck close behind him as they checked every corner. He hadn’t prepared for the trip himself, but he was rather used to the cold. He would have preferred to wear something other than shorts and a button up short sleave shirt but would just have to plan better for next time. Haden however looked as if he’d be even more uncomfortable! He wore white leggings and what looked to be a casual yet comfy sleeveless dress. His hair was long again and tied up into a messy bun, no doubt concealing a weapon and on his feet… absolutely nothing. He didn’t even take into consideration that they had taken him strait from his home.

“Are you not cold Haden?”

“What? What are you on about now?”

“Well you just seem like you’d be cold wearing that. It looks like you didn’t plan on leaving the house today.” He could see the dissatisfaction slowly rising in his eyes.

“Well that’s because I didn’t plan on going anywhere today Sherlock, and I’m always cold. You act like you’ve never been near me before. Now shut up and lets keep going, we’re almost there and you’re working me last nerve.” He spoke with his attention trained on Nier as he ran strait into someone else.

They both looked as if everything were going down the drain, the plan so quickly ruined and yet this wasn’t an unfamiliar face. The girl stood with a look that told them she knew exactly who they were but didn’t want them to be near her. What she was doing here Haden hadn’t the slightest clue and yet Nier would at least attempt to work his magic with words.

“Well if it isn’t Natasha, beautiful as always I see!”

“Nope, I don’t want anything to do with whatever it is you two are doing. I knew one of you was Haden right away, but I’ll be damned if I have anything to do with whatever the two of you could possibly be doing here. I didn’t see anything.”

Just as quickly as they ran into her she took her leave. It wasn’t often she came here, but clearly she knew as well as everyone else that anything Nier decided to do was either borderline criminal or just absolutely unacceptable. Nat wasn't going to have anything to do with them here nor would she want to be around when they started doing whatever it was they had come for. With that possible disaster avoided they quickly continued on their way until they finally made it to their destination.

“Alright boy you listen to me, I’ve never known her to sleep anywhere but in this room. If we go in here and the two you’re looking for are in here we do this quick and quiet. Am I clear?” His smile was so off putting he could tell that the metal claimant was going to do something outright insane at some point, but they had already come this far. No need to turn back now.

Haden opened the door slowly, the room as neat as he last remembered it and just in front of them on the opposite side of the room awaited her rather large bed. On the bed wrapped in blankets they would no doubt find the two with Daenu clinging to Najya as best she could. It reminded him of Phita and he couldn’t keep himself from getting slightly pissed off, but this wasn’t the time for that. He’d save his grudge for a later time. His job now was to watch as Nier sprung into action, it was amazing how he could move so quickly and quietly.

He didn’t waste a single moment to make his way right to their bedside, Haden following slowly behind him. He wanted to ask him what he was doing yet refrained from speaking so closely to his ancient, her waking up would be their biggest problem. How did he always end up in these situations? Nier reached into his pockets and pulled out a small cube of a metallic material Haden didn’t even know anything about. It was sky blue and white gold, almost like snow brushing against the rays of the sun which held a spectacular sparkle as if diamonds had been ground to dust and mixed within the alloy itself. He seemed to knead it together with his hands before it melted into a liquid and floated into the air on its own. Haden sat impatiently watching the boy do what he did best yet when his works began making its way towards the two sleeping women he could feel the panic steadily rising inside of him.

“What the hell are ya doing lad?” He whispered to the Arabian male as he continued to stay quite focused with his work. “Have you lost your marbles?”

“Just give me a second, this wont take long at all", he whispered in response remaining quite focused.

“You’re going to wake her up if you’re breathing down her neck ya fecker!”

The liquid metal split into two smaller orbs which hovered over their ring fingers, twisting and shaping themselves around their target area into the shape of perfect rings. It was a captivating experience as always yet this wasn’t the time for awe amd admiration. Nier was clearly passionate about his work, too passionate one might say, but it only meant that his works were one of a kind and were either met with absolute approval or complete disapproval and Daenu was one of the latter.

“Now it’s time for the difficult part. Get ready to move.” He spoke as his movements slowed and adjusted.

“What do you mean by that? Nier, what the hell do you mean?”

The rings began to take perfected shape. Not a single mistake in their craft and yet he still seemed as if he had more work to do. They were both beautiful, made to be perfectly symmetrical as if crafted by the hands of gods and you could tell that was what he had aimed for. They almost seemed as if they were glowing, shining even without light and yet the blues and shimmering gold of its make heralded shades of malevolence and divine force. Nier was so serious it could be seen on his face as if his entire being were in the process of melting into his work and then, without even the slightest warning, the rings clasped themselves onto the two sleeping woman’s fingers before hardening and sliding of towards Nier who caught them both in his hand.

“Run! Run like everything is on the line!” The silver haired boy shouted as he dashed out of the room.

“What? Was that Nier! You little fucking sneak! And who’s this little girl?!”

“That’s Haden… you know that right?” Najya spoke as she lifted up from her rest.

“Bullshit this is Haden! He’s one of the most masculine claimants I have and not to mention an asshole! Why would he show up here wearing a dress?” Her words cut deep and almost made the ice claimant burst into tears which was more than enough convince her that this wasn't Haden. He held back the impending rage that swelled up in his chest and instead chose to turn and run behind his partner in crime as quickly as he could. Daenu rushed out of the bed quickly, not even bothering to put on clothes as her chase ensued. “Nier! You’re not getting away with this shit! You’ve crossed the fucking line this time!”

“What the hell is wrong with ya lad?! What’s the plan now? To just run until we get caught?” Haden spoke as the floor beneath his feet froze over and he slid carefully down the halls alongside the claimant who managed to run much faster than he had expected.

“No you see, I’ve thought it all through! We’ve got this so just make sure you don’t get hit.”

“Don’t get hit? What the hell are ya on about?” Just as his question ended sharpened spears of ice came careening down the hall in their direction. Haden just barely managed to slip by with his life while Nier seemed as if dodging attacks of this type was second nature, even smiling while doing it! “Nier ya tell me this plan right now because I don’t have the slightest clue what’s going on in that wee noggin of yours!”

“Okay, so we run yeah?”

Haden blinked a few times as if expecting him to continue. “Yeah, and then?!” His question only met with playful laughter. This kid was just as crazy as always! Haden had to speed himself up, opting to run along the ice that formed at his feet instead of sliding to increase his momentum while Nier continued running as if escape from danger was all he knew. How many times had he pulled a stunt like this to where Daenu knew him by name? Why was he so comfortable dodging her attacks? Why did he know the layout of the building so well? “Wait a jolly darn second! You’ve done some shit like this before haven’t you?” Haden questioned his companion as he ducked and weaved between multiple attacks.

“You got me there”, he said with a laugh. “Nammay brought me here once in the past and I asked her to marry me! She declined of course but then I asked her six more times and she forbade me from coming back.” He jumped and ducked around corners and decorations that rested about the building. With the same smile on his face he pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a message which only managed to make Haden even more skeptical of the entire debacle. “I've snuck my way in a few times before to ask her to marry me again, but clearly it was not met with kindness. Any who we’re almost home free!”

“That should be the very least of your feckin worries lad! She doesn't even think I'm me the wench, but she won't just let you run off if shhe knows ya!” He spoke as the onslaught of ice and frozen air continued to grow more frantic and sporadic. Daenu was clearly not having any of their shit today, he’d never seen her run so fast in his life! She was even distorting and misshaping the ice he was using, forcing him to resort to running on foot with Nier. “I’m not as fast as you are Aladdin, get me the hell out of here!”

As they continued moving Nier threw his two daggers forward, where he had them kept a mystery of its own. They flew forward and smashed threw the window they found themselves running towards before pausing in the air and flying back into he shirt. How was he so good at this type of stuff? What did Nammay have him do on a daily basis?

“Nier you little shit! Stop destroying my property!”

“Alright, we’re out of here!” He grabbed Haden by the wrist and dove through window, the ice claimant screaming as they fell towards the ground.

“You’re out of that damned mind of yours I swear! I hate you!”

“It’s not so bad! Look in three… two… one…” Right on queue Gahbreal casually walked through the void to hear Haden screaming like a girl with Nier who looked far too normal to not be cautious about.

“The fuck is going on here? You always do some shit like this Nier for fucks sake”, he spoke as a hail of ice shards came pouring down over them. “Holy shit!” He quickly sprung into action, moving to catch the two and using the force of said action to fall back into the void with his company in tow. It was disorienting to say the least, the nauseating tumble through the void. It made Haden and Gahbreal’s stomach turn yet the silver haired eccentric laughed the entire way. "You're not gettin off easy with this one Nier!"

Within moments they came rolling out onto the carpet of a familiar place, Shinzo standing in shock looking at the pile of previous company sprawled out on the floor before him. It hadn't even been all of thirty minutes and they were back in this type of condition? Haden specifically looked sick to his stomach as well as pissed beyond belief and the only person pissed more than him would be Gahbreal.

“Never again. I’m never helping ya with anything again.” Haden spoke as he stumbled up to his feet and leaned against the nearest wall. "I'm goin got be feckin sick... ugh."

“Oh come on. It wasn’t that bad was it? We got what we went for anyway so it all checks out”, he spoke as he pulled the two rings from his pocket and examined them. Both beautiful to say the least, as if crafted to be special even by his standards. No doubt the makings of of master. "Definitely worth it." Gahbreal on the other hand sprung to his feet and grabbed his collar with a look that spelled punishment in his eyes.

“Ten days! I’m locking you in the basement for ten fuckin days, you hear me? I can’t believe you with this shit”, he yelled as he dragged the boy through the portal and disappeared. Meanwhile Shinzo looked at his partner who still looked as if he’d hack up his entire stomach at any moment. For a person who drinks so much it was unusual to ever see him so nauseous.

“So did you have fun with Nier?” He asked with his hand over Haden’s shoulder.

“Oh you son of a bitch... ya owe me a blowjob for signing me up for that bull shite. Oh fuck.”

“But… your dick is gone”, he spoke as Haden proceeded to grab the nearest object and throw it through the window. “Property damage will not solve your problems. You should practice humility.”

"I can't stand you."

edited Jun 22, 2021 19:49:14 GMT by Dobu

Ilnonta's Husband

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Jun 22, 2021 21:10:05 GMT

Post by Dobu on Jun 22, 2021 21:10:05 GMT

Birds That Burn

The slow jazz tune soothed the very air itself as patrons conversed and seduced one another. The vibrancy of shoes tapping, voices mixing and glasses being set upon the tables made for a somber tone when coupled with the bass violin and saxophone being played in the background. Smoke filled the air in a thin layer and that left a soft scent of cigarettes and alcohol which was being served out by only one man in this scenario.

His hands were skillful as always, the way he flipped glasses and bottles in tandem a means to make anyone interested in his capabilities and talents. The smile on his face was ominous, devious even, as if his whispers had tainted the air and his every sentence would con the sky itself with bittersweet lies and honeyed words. He wore a black shirt with a crimson silk tie that was covered halfway down by a vest with a floral inlay and embossing, black as well. His black slacks were nice and neat and the only thing that complimented his crimson suede and gold accent Chelsea boots were his cufflinks of the same color combination. His hair was medium length, swept back and clean accompanied by his clean shaven face. His eyes glowed a deep red that drew in more people than his company had been expecting.

“Well aren’t you popular? I thought the only reason anyone liked you was for your drinks”, Evyette spoke as she leaned forward to place her elbows on the countertop. She was stunning, he could barely keep his eyes off of her but that was par to the course for the boy. She had been planning to be his company tonight and as such she opted to match his style with a rather fancy crimson dress with black lace sleeves, black pumps with wraparound red lace and gold bracelets on each wrist. In fact he wasn’t the only one with his eyes on her, most of the people who weren’t watching him closely were ogling his charge.

“It only comes natural doesn’t it? When you do the types of things I do everyone always has their attention trained on you.” He flipped a bottle of tequila into the air and caught it upside down right above the glass he set in place. He popped the cap off and let it pour as his other hand reached into a small refrigerated compartment and grabbed a bottle of rather fancy looking orange juice. Did fancy orange juice even exist? He flipped the tequila back over and took a long swig as he poured just enough of the orange liquid to make a beautiful orange beverage that swirled the ice cubes about inside. “Although I’d have to say that I’m pretty sure everyone is more focused on you lovely.”

The ancient smirked at his assumption, her eyes following the cubes of ice which seemed to have started swirling around in the liquid on their own. “When you say it like that I’d almost believe you’re jealous.”

The moment the cubes of ice ceased to spin he poured a perfect amount of grenadine into the mix and placed an orange slice on the rim of the glass as well as a cherry which rested on the ice cubes. The drink was complete and in a condition he could be more than proud of as he slid it across the counter to the being he looked up to the most. “A drink with the hues and name of the blazing sun for my special guest. I wouldn’t say I’m jealous however, that would imply me saying that there’s anyone here who could outdo me.”

She took a sip from the glass, sublime as always. It was confounding how someone as temperamental and villainous at heart could have such a talent for making such delicious drinks. If he and Gahbreal could ever manage to get along then the two of them making meals would probably be something that no one alive could pass up on. He is a cocky boy, but that just made him more endearing. Too bad he hated Gahbreal the way he did and Gahbreal didn’t even know he existed.

“Tell me Hellfire, what makes you act the way you do? I spend so much time with you these days and you’ve been on rather good behavior. What makes you decide on violence for your answers so often?”

Her question caused him to pause for a moment, his eyes catching her gaze for a slight moment and he spied the curiosity behind her eyes. The red orbs locked onto her lips as she sipped from the glass, the imprint her lip gloss left on the rim sending a shiver up his spine before he continued serving out drinks to other patrons. A sigh escaped his lips which made at least five others swoon, a reaction that caused Evyette to roll her eyes. How thirsty could these people possibly be?

“The explanation for your question”, he started which caused the ancient of fire to put her drink to the side. “It’s not somethin so simple I can just explain it in public. I ain’t gonna lie to you, it isn’t somethin I much like to think about and I’d rather no one else think about it as well.” He waved off the ever growing crowd who whined in response which made him chuckle in a way so dishonest Evyette could see it was all a jest. He wasn’t happy with her question in the slightest. “I’m going on break for a few! Y’all can wait on me for a bit while I take care of something important.”

Important?

As everyone moved away from the bar and left him and the ancient with a moment of privacy he grabbed a bottle of crown royal and a cigar from a box under the counter. He took a long drink from the bottle and raised it as if offering Evyette some which she refused. Placing the cigar between his lips he took a deep breath as the end of the item erupted into a black flame which died down just as fast. A single draft and he seemed prepared to speak.

“When you grow up in an environment where violence is the answer to all problems then it only comes naturally. Everyone else looks at it as an act of villainy, but me? Well I see it as the solution to all my problems. I won’t beat around the bush and I ain’t makin excuses. I do what I do and I do it with pride knowing that when the deeds are done the world comes out in a better state than it was before. I don’t care for praise nor do I look for anyone’s guidance because waiting for someone else to do what must be done? Ell... it’s not worth the heartache.”

She could see the clear distaste for the topic on his face. His handsome features formed into something she hadn’t seen with him prior, regret. Whether it was regret for the actions he’s taken or simply regret for not taking the actions sooner she didn’t know and she wouldn’t ask. He was strong, talented and had a knack for making things go his way with a skill in combat that could rival Gahbreal if they ever managed to come face to face, but that situation had to be kept from happening.

“You’re rather caring. You know that don’t you?” She questioned the boy who raised an eyebrow in response. “I can see it in your eyes, as red as they are. You didn’t want things to turn out this way but you didn’t have much of a choice.”

“When your life hangs in the balance then there never is a choice.”

“There’s always a choice Hellfire, even when one of those choices leaves you in a poorer state.”

“Well when it’s to be what I am now and death then the choice is rather clear!” His voice rose above the music like a shadow looming over all the patrons. Many faces turned to see the once docile and well mannered claimant of darkness ready to set the entire place up in flames. The claimants in the crowd were cautious, the humans concerned. He looked back to Evyette who seemed shocked to see him raise his voice to her, coughed a few times and remembered to keep his voice down, cursed with an even deeper voice than his brother. “I apologize, but could have either died that day, unknown, uncared for by anyone and left to rot in my own filth by the people I cared for the most or I could take up arms and handle it all myself. I love combat, I love the feeling of it and I most certainly love the rage it brings... but that doesn't mean I don't know exactly what it does to me.”

Another hit from his cigar followed by downing the rest of his bottle and he seemed lost. How could a family craft two people so engulfed in trials and tribulations? It was as if they purposefully raised them to have them suffer and then left them behind. The only difference was that Gahbreal had Xainayne whilst he on the other hand? This boy was left with no one. Alone with people who’s lives faded away in his eyes and marred by constant struggle and a loss of hope. He lacked faith in anyone but himself and the ancient questioned if he even held faith in her.

“Hellfire, you still have the choice to be different. You’ve overcome your past and grown considerably since then. I wouldn’t call you evil or a villain, but you most certainly aren’t on the path of a good person.” She finished what was left of the drink he had prepared for her and was almost sad the beverage was gone. “I’ll have to ask you to at least try to overcome the urges you have, choose to make violence secondary to reason and I will help you where I can.”

The boy looked down at his gloved hands, he could still feel the stinging under his skin across his body. He dragged his teeth across his tongue and could feel the flesh that had healed it back together and his eyes died down the slightest bit to a crimson glow that matched his tie. “If you ask it of me then I suppose I can at least try… I ain’t gonna make any promises, but I can at least do what I can.”

“Good. Now make me another drink.” She shoved the glass back in his direction. "You'll be taking care of a job tonight correct? I'd like at least one more drink from you."

He grabbed the glass and smirked in her direction. “I could do that, but if I do then everyone else will end up coming over here for drinks again and our privacy will be ruined.”

The ancient giggled under her breath, an action that made the boy swoon as if his souls escaped his body. “And you say you aren’t jealous, you’re a terrible liar Underworld.”

“Well birds can sing songs that make people drop their guards but if a phoenix sings it will make for a better show, right?”

“What does that even mean.”

He leaned over the counter and clasped her hand with his own. “It means that liars are after unsuspecting normal people, but a con artist looks for the opportunity to exploit the ones who are most worthy. I’m no liar because a lie is bitter and I’m a fan of my sweets, dear Evyette.”

“Get back to work before your customers leave.”

The lights were rather dim as her eyes crept open. What was this place? Where was she? Thee two thoughts that hit her mind first as she came to. Her vision adjusted to the poorly lit environment and as they did the chairs and tables from the bar she was in just earlier that night came into view. Why was she back here? Last she remembered she was on the way home by taxi yet she was back?

“Looks like you came to. It’s about time love, thought I might have lost you for a second.” His voice made alarms ring in her head as she turned to see them, the two glowing red eyes in the darkness on the far side of the room. It was the barkeep, the man who had been serving drinks that night or at least those eyes gave it away. “You woke up just in time for the main event.”

“Please, help me! You have to get me out of here!” She tried to stand yet found herself tied to the chair. Was this the cause of her panic? She hadn’t even realized it until that moment but she was bound and unable to escape this place.

“Now come on, you can’t be that trusting. I suppose I’ll have to spell it out for you”, he took a few gulps from a drink or at least that was what it sounded like he did. He placed the glass down on the countertop which rang out through the room. “I’m the one who brought you here, but you’ll see why in a short moment. I believe it should be anytime soon now, I ain’t gonna hurt you so just play along. I’m under contract after all.”

Just as his voice ceased echoing through the building the door flew open, a man dressed in rather dingy attire rushing into the room. He looked as if he were trying to stay hidden or concealed from someone yet clearly was here for all to see.

“Diana! I’m here!”

“Farron? What are you doing here? I thought you were missing? You've been gone for weeks!”

“He was, until I decided he needed to be found”, his voice shot through their reunion. “Now you’re right here, standin in my damn face out of the rat hole you decided to hide yourself away in.”

“Who the hell are you and what are you doing with my sister?” The boy yelled. He seemed desperate, as if not wanting to be there yet having no choice. “If it’s money you want I can give you everything I have!"

The darkness claimant laughed at his offer, a sorry display for a sorry person. He was standing in his own bar and trying to offer him money? The price on his head alone was far more than he could ever give him and even so he wouldn’t allow him to escape. If it was his job to issue out punishment then it was going to be given out without a second thought. For the sake of his duty and the sake of his own desires.

“Don’t play games with me boy, I ain’t some toy for you to play around with. Long story short your sister dies if you run away from this place.” He walked across the room, rolling his sleeves up as he came into view of the brother and sister. “Now then, try to put up as much of a fight as you can. I’d rather not be bored with you like I was with the last two.”

“I don’t understand. What’s going on here?” The hostage asked as her brother drew a small knife from his cloak.

“You’ve got to be smarter than this! Two and two ain’t sparkin up for you? Your brother killed another claimant and has been running around hidin ever since. Now I’m not one to shy away from a bit of murder but it is my job to deal with him.”

“This is Gahbreal, Diana”, the mention of his name alone caused the boy’s eye to twitch for a moment. He could feel his blood boiling already. What a way to ruin his night. “You know him, the one who hunts claimants. Right now he’s hunting me so I’ll fight him. If I don’t he’ll kill you no doubt as he said.”

He walked back over to the counter where he laid down his glass and grabbed something from top, it had been sitting there the entire time and yet it was so dark it couldn’t even be seen. The moment he stepped back into their sight instantaneous panic flooded the boy who saw his weapon and knew he had made a grave mistake. The serrated edge of the sword, the rounded off and almost flattened tip of the blade, a signature weapon that anyone who was assigned to watch over him in the Prism would bring up. His executioner's sword. Rumors spread quickly yet were kept to a minimum, drowned out as no one even knew his name and yet there he was, standing right in his face.

“It’s you. That murderer who’s been locked away for over a century… how is this possible? I thought it was just a rumor.”

“Well a lie is only that when you don’t know the truth now isn’t it? You called me by a name I hate and I have to admit… It has pissed me of royally. Now you have a choice. Lift up that flimsy weapon and die a warrior’s death or lay down your weapon and die and honorable death. You can always try to run, but then you’ll just die a cowards death. Death is the only outcome”, his words cut through the air like razorblades. His threat felt so real it was hard to keep composure when listening to him speak.

He would have to fight, there was no other way! His sister was right here and if he tried to flea then she would surely die in his place only for him to be hunted down later. There was only one option now. He lifted his knife at the ready, it wasn’t much and looked at if it could easily break under pressure, but it was all he had for now.

“I’ll fight! I won’t cower away and leave my family to die!”

“A fine choice, but don’t believe it will change the outcome.” He lifted the blade to the ready, the action alone sending a shiver up his spine. Stories about this man were all shrouded in mystery, no one knew his name or what it was he was doing before he was imprisoned, but everyone knew he was a murderer above all else. That was the thing that remained true in all of his stories. He on the other hand knew the stories and knew they were all true.

The boy rushed forward with his dagger raised. He was clearly inexperienced and yet even if he were experienced it wouldn’t have changed things. Evyette’s claimant slapped the boy’s hand aside and watched as he struggled to make distance between them. A sigh escaped his lips as he pushed forward to close the gab immediately and send a knee strait into his stomach.

“Is this the best you’ve got? You’re talking about protectin your sister with power like this? You killed another claimant, a younger claimant and then you have the audacity to fight like this with me? Fight like your life depends on it! This isn’t a game boy!” His words acted as a rally and yet his actions acted as a deterrent.

Black flames with edges that held a crimson glow rose from the fingertips of his free hand, his right hand holding the sword with the flat of the blade resting on is shoulder. With a single swift motion he waved his hand forward and the flames enveloped the entire room. They didn’t burn and yet they were warm, somewhat comforting and somehow making the very air feel thick and agitating. The boy didn’t waste time to see what would happen next and simply rushed forward again, his attacks now more controlled as if learning from his inexperience on the fly. It was almost too bad he was going to die here with such potential.

“That’s it, push yourself even further! You wont satisfy me unless you die with a bit of fight in you.” The boy began to use differing attacks as if trying to catch him off guard. A poor attempt at technique yet it seemed the boy was at his limit. He was straining himself, speed lacking, strength unnoticeable. This had gone on long enough and the boy was useless, it only pissed him off even more to think the he killed some kid with this meager strength. It was always the weak who believed themselves in the right when murdering their own people. “That’s enough… you’re utterly useless. You could never be a warrior with strength like that. I’ll make sure you understand exactly what it is that separates me from you.”

He raised his sword from his shoulder to the Ochs stance, his eyes closing for a moment as if channeling something within himself. The flames dispersed from the sister’s position and filled the rest of the room, but that only made the boy wonder what was happening. Then things changed drastically.

His eyes shot open, burning with a rage so intense that the flames in the room began to flare up and dance about as if wanted after the lives of everything in sight. The boy who stood in them began to moved about frantically, seeking release from the blazing inferno that spread across his body like centipedes thirsting for his flesh. The smell of charred and burning skin filled the room quickly as the target flailed about in a sporadic manner, a dance of death that made the dark skinned boy smile in a way that only a man marred by evil could smile. His laugh melded into the crackling of the roaring flame and just as it did the flames vanished… the room clocked in darkness for a short moment before the flames appeared again, this time sticking to his sword, eyes profound and profane as he dashed forward toward the boy who had seemed to just calm himself from the burning that had been taking place.

The moment he came within range he thrust his sword directly into his chest, the unsharpened blade making a sound that could turn stomachs as it crushed his ribs and forced its way into the meat and bones of his latest victim. He didn’t stop however until he could feel the separation of his spine, the weapon passing through his vertebrae and out of his back. The serrated edge scraped against the bones and made a sound that was reminiscent of an old comb being dragged lengthwise against a hollow tube, the flesh that clung to the blade as he drew it back outward like strings of blood red threads, the threads of death he had personally drawn from the body of this trash, this filth!

The flames roared and burst forth, devastating him from the inside out as the crackling of fat and muscle could be heard echoing off the walls of the room. The flames burned the flesh that hung from his blade to ash in a matter of moments, a sign that his rage was growing as the flames once again engulfed his target who he quickly grabbed before he could even fall to the ground. The flames dispersed from his body as he held onto life with his final breaths, but this wasn’t nearly enough.

“You think you can die so easily? You think you deserved the caring clutches of the Void or Elysian? I’ll make sure your soul is beyond repair, beyond saving! You will suffer a death the likes of which all claimants, treasures even ancients themselves fear!”

As he spoke the flames burst from his body and engulfed both him and his victim, the look on his face so marred by rage he looked to be in pure pain! The fires didn’t crackle nor did they sound as if they burned with the life of regular flames, instead simply sounding as if a strong wind were roared throughout the room. The flames raged on like a tide of forgotten souls left to burn, tearing away at his very flesh as he screamed with his last breaths! Cries for mercy! Cries for comfort! Cries for his mother and father! Cries for his ancient as if he should dare! It only made the flames grow in magnitude and intensity! The shadows that danced about as demonic serpents damned by every living creature, burning away at him until all that could be seen were flames and a skeletal silhouette.

Darkness again, the shadows no longer present, just the same glowing eyes the woman saw the moment she came to. The sound of bones colliding with the ground rang out through the building and caused the woman still present to jump in fear. What had become of her brother? This man didn’t speak, he showed no signs or looking to give an explanation or even showing her mercy. Hints of anger, a desire for retribution swelled up inside of her against her will and yet she knew it would be foolish to even attempt going against him.

“You know, I’m a fairly capable hunter and yet I hate the thought of it. ‘Leave that to my brother’ I’d say as I watched and waited with a reliance on others. As a child I didn’t believe in my own strength, no, I didn’t want to believe in it. Then one day it hit me… the world that is. If I don’t get up and make the choices myself then no one ever would, if I don’t fight for myself then no one will, the weak cower behind others and wait for aid while the strong move the world on their own in the way they desire.” He approached the girl slowly and much to her surprise undid the bindings which held her in place. She didn’t run, didn’t even stand and instead opted to continue listening to his words. A wisdom she would have never expected to hear from one of the most least likely people.

“Why are you telling me all of this? What are you getting out of it?” Her question caused his brow to raise, a laugh echoing through the room.

“Girl I don’t want anything, but I can see it in your eyes. The vestiges of rage hidden behind the walls of a peace you wish to claim all your own. Hold onto that rage but don’t let it consume you. I ain’t gonna hold back if they decide to send me after you so I’d refrain from killin people. You get me?”

He was far too relaxed, didn’t even view her as n enemy which made a pressure build up in her chest. Was it anger for his need to underestimate her strength? Or was it simply relief that he wasn’t going to kill her right then and there? Either way she wouldn’t take his words for granted. Up until now she hadn’t even known a claimant like him existed and from what she had heard about the claimant hunter Gahbreal, the Wolf by his own choosing, this one was far more violent and incapable of mercy. Still it didn’t keep her from stepping forward with her question that seemed to come out on its own.

“Would you teach me to fight?”

“Pardon?” He questioned the girl who still managed to be around. He was surprised she didn’t run for the hills the moment she was free. “Now why in the hell would I do that?”

“You’re strong, I can tell. What I saw here tonight was a first person example as to how weak I am. I couldn’t even get up and help my younger brother.” He hadn’t even known the boy was younger, he had heard he was the elder sibling. “I can’t forgive you for what you’ve done, but I’m not so foolish that I’d ignore his own faults. He brought his fate upon himself. I’d just like you to help me become stronger so I can be of more use to anyone, everyone in the future.”

He didn’t remove the smile from his face. As he suspected, she was far to kind. Even with rage dwelling in her she pushed it back in favor of peace and understanding. It was a good trait with quality of its own and yet one that would prove to be her undoing if she went down a path of power. She would no doubt end up losing her life jumping in the way of an attack for the sake of someone else and he wasn’t going to waste time with something like that. Even so her boldness was something that couldn’t be ignored so he simply spoke the first words that came to mind, a chuckle escaping his throat.

“You’re far too noble. Gain a bit of selfishness and then we can talk. Pick up a sword and go struggle for a few decades and when you understand the meaning of true struggle and desire then come and ask me again. I ain’t gonna turn you down if I can see a look in your eyes that’s cryin out for power, but as you are now it’s not power you seek… its comfort.” He almost seemed to melt into the darkness of the room as his footsteps grew fainter and fainter. His word struck her to her very core and she wouldn’t forget them any time soon, exactly what he had hoped. Plant the seeds of desire and want, then let them decide for themselves. “Well have fun! Oh, and remember not to tell anyone about what you saw here today.”

Sigmutt's Wife

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Jun 22, 2021 21:59:59 GMT

Post by kaiju on Jun 22, 2021 21:59:59 GMT

4. the amalgamated soul and the champion ii

It was nearing five in the evening and DeVian was still sleeping. The apartment had mostly been quiet and seemed to move on around them. The death and electricity claimants had been confined to the bedroom the entire day thus far. Stasia couldn't be sure who, but someone had cooked breakfast. When she went to get it, DeVian made it obvious she wanted to keep whatever they were starting between them. She wouldn't let the blonde leave the room.

While it was a little inconveniencing, Stasia didn't mind too much. She understood, after all. It was a nice change of pace to see Dev have to dote on her for the simple fact that she didn't want anyone to know anything. Dev went out herself to get their food even though she complained about how tired she was. Whenever the blonde spoke to her was like trying to engage a zombie.

Quite honestly Stasia still couldn't believe she'd gotten this far. DeVian was certainly different from Amarjeet but there was no doubt in her mind now that Dev was Lucas's resurrected wife. Stasia had seen the British-Indian woman through her very eyes via the anklet Eviax had given her so she could appreciate their differences.

As if on cue, Dev rolled over and threw one of her arms out wildly, Stasia huffed a syllable of a chuckle to herself. While on one hand the bed was huge, the girl was the wildest sleeper she'd ever seen. The only up side was that she didn't snore. Stasia leaned back on the bed to watch her companion sleep. It was peaceful. For once, the death claimant wasn't scowling. Stasia imagined she could paint the lines of Dev's face, tracing her finger in the air over the woman's strong jaw and supple lips. Part of her wondered how a woman like DeVian Law could be alone, but then again, it made sense. She seemed like the kind of woman that perpetuated the idea that she only wanted company when she needed something. So now Stasia wondered: what was it that Dev had needed that morning? Sex? Attention? To be challenged?

It didn't matter. She could have them all as far as Stasia was concerned.

The secret stealer's insomnia had kicked in again. She found herself impatient for DeVian to wake, opting to attempt to busy herself by exploring the room. It wasn't extremely personally decorated, as if the tech heiress didn't treat it like a home.

Stasia hummed lightly to herself and approached the floor-to-ceiling windows that stared out into the waning daylight. The view was amazing. The sun was growing sleepy and peeking at her between tall skyscrapers. It made her feel small and huge at the same time, like the world was at her fingertips but there was so much of it that it was overwhelming. Looking out at the city like this made her feel like a young god.

She stayed that way for a while before going to sit in an armchair next to the windows. Now she had an idea for a dress she wanted to design but nothing to sketch it out on.

"Dev?" The blonde's voice was soft as she called out, not wanting to startle the woman. When she got no answer except for the deep exhales of continued slumber she moved closer. "DeVian." Still no answer. "Come on unless you want to be late." Besides, waiting around was boring.

The dark-haired Brazilian groaned in response and rolled over in the bed. After a pause she pulled the blanket over her head.

"Don't tell me I wore you out that much."

Dev groaned again. "You're still here?"

"Well you're the one that said don't go anywhere!"

"You heard that but not me saying don't use my bathroom? Funny."

"That's simple: because I ignored that."

DeVian made a much louder, more pointed groan and sunk deeper into the blankets. Stasia rolled her eyes at how childish the woman was being but didn't scold her for it. She could understand why she slept so hard; after clearing her schedule for the day, Stasia had seen how busy the woman could be. The schedule barely had enough time to eat and sleep and this was only one day. The designer could be busy sometimes herself, but never this much unless there was a Fashion Week she had to prepare for.

Stasia crossed the room in only a few long strides before she was standing over the heap that was DeVian Law. She stared down at the mass before yanking the white comforter and sheet away.

"¡¿Qué diablos crees que estás haciendo ?!"
what the hell do you think you're doing?!

The blonde was undeterred by the complaints as she dragged Dev by the ankle to the edge of the bed. The death claimant clawed at the mattress to try to stop it to no avail. Stasia wasn't just tall and slender; she was also crazy strong. It would've turned her on more if she wasn't busy being a groggy brat.

"Come on, sleepyhead," Stasia murmured as her fingers tapped lightly on her companion's leg. When the woman tried to pull away, she momentarily tightened her grip and released again when Dev stopped struggling. They repeated the process two more times before Dev eventually sighed and gave up.

Fiery hazel eyes trained on Stasia's for a long minute before Stasia grinned and asked, "What's this look for?"

"You're annoying me."

"You're so grumpy." She frowned for a moment. "Too bad it's not working."

"Aghhh... Fuck you."

"Do you mean that as a proposition or an invitation?"

"A threat."

That brought a smile to her lips. "Good."

"I still think it's muy childish to make me wear a blindfold," DeVian grumbled as Stasia's hand on the small of her back guided her forward. "My nose still works so I know we're on the water!"

Stasia rolled her eyes to herself and laughed at Dev's continuous complaining. All of them were half-assed and not doing as great of a job revealing the fact that Dev was excited to get where they were going as she probably thought. It provided a good amount of entertainment for her date, though. The fact that she'd let Stasia blindfold her at all told her that there was a level of trust and there was no amount of prickliness that could erase that.

"I think it's pretty sexy when you do that."

Dev ran back the last few moments of their interaction in her mind to try to determine what Stasia was referring to. When nothing stood out, she inquired, "When I tell you you're being childish?"

"When you speak in Spanish. It's, um..." She snapped her fingers to try to bring the words to the forefront of her mind. "I don't know how to explain it."

"It's because it's a romance language... O tal vez eres fácil. Todo lo que tengo que hacer es llamarte hermosa y eres mía."
or maybe you're easy. all I have to do is call you beautiful and you're mine.

"Hm... Maybe." She stopped pushing Dev forward and instead steadied her in one place. The smile in her voice was audible. "Alright, we're here." She smacked the death claimant's impatient hands away from her blindefold, taking it off herself. She came around the front to see Dev's reaction to the surprise. She watched as light hazel eyes widened and eyebrows rose in restrained surprise.

"Well?"

"Have you brought me to a second location?"

Stasia rolled her eyes. "So you don't like it?"

"Did I say that?"

"Stop trying to come up with new and interesting ways to cover up the fact that you're flustered and embarassed that I did something nice for you. Ready to go in?"

Dev couldn't decide how she felt about Stasia's verbal handling of her. It was not something she was used to; it was more bracing than anything, like being slapped in the face with the sea breeze.

Before them, floating on salty ocean water, was a a medium-sized boat. It was lit up with candles and moonlight, the light wood accented by the dark decorations. Dev felt warm looking at it. Stasia went before her and she took the moment to exhale a shaky breath, closing her eyes to gather herself. It was the most romantic thing she'd ever seen.

Now it made sense that the blonde had asked her to wear something light. The air was humid around them but the ocean breeze made it more forgiving. DeVian advanced across the deck cautiously, Stasia reaching back to steady her when she realized Dev had no sea legs. The death claimant was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

There was a captain in front that smiled and waved when he saw his guests. Stasia gave him a pointed nod and he turned to bring the yacht to life.

"You can swim, right?" she teased as they eased into the rounded couch.

"I'm not going to wobble off the damn boat," Dev mumbled as she looked around at the rest of it. The fact that it wasn't too big was interesting because it made the water feel so much closer. She couldn't help but stare out at the bubbling wake the boat left behind.

"Hi." From nowhere, the blonde thrust her hand out towards Dev, who only looked between it and her quizzically. "I'm Stasia. I was thinking we could start over."

The death claimant couldn't hold in her laugh. "You fuck me like that and then ask to start over?" She shook her head as her laughs subsided into a smirk. "Fine. My name is DeVian Law. I feel as if we've met before."

"Well that's because we have. You've probably bought at leas one of everything I've ever made."

Dev guffawed for a second. "Wait, are you being serious?"

Stasia grinned. "Well that's because we have. You've probably bought at least one of everything I've ever made." At the continued quizzical look from her companion, she added, "The Noba fashion house?"

The Brazilian woman gasped loudly, her hand coming up over her mouth as if it could shove the breath back in. "Ay dios, you must think I'm such a groupie!"

"If you call spending millions of dollars on my creations being a 'groupie' there's no way I'm going to stop you."

"It just feels weird to know everything I wear you made and I don't remember meeting you."

"To be fair, it's only been a handful of times."

She gawked even more. "A handful?!"

"Oh yeah, last time I saw you was probably at a fashion show and I think you threatened one of the bidders in the front row." Thinking about it made her burst out in a fit of giggles. "Whenever I work with other houses they always ask about my mysterious benefactor."

"Okay look, if you're referring to the fall pop up shop from two years ago, that bitch already got a few pairs of heels before I got there and she's at every one! Like holy fuck, you don't have anything better to do with your days? Are you camping the fucking pop up shop?"

Stasia's laughter ramped up markedly as DeVian ranted. It was cute to see her get so worked up over something that was pretty trivial. Intent blue eyes studied her moves and the way her mouth formed words, completely entranced by whatever it was DeVian was saying because for once it didn't seem well-considered before she said it.

Dev's voice broke into Stasia's occupied thoughts when she asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Oh--"

Her expression changed to reflect a playful manner as her lips parted to reveal a grin. "I'm just teasing you. Who wouldn't want to stare at me?"

The other woman snorted. "You're insufferable."

"Insufferable but not wrong." Her gaze focused over Stasia's shoulder, nose crinkling in focus in such a way it made the blonde turn around to try to figure out what caught her eye. She looked mesmerized but Stasia couldn't follow what she was looking at. Eventually DeVian filled in the blanks by saying, "It's a constellation. I could never see Andromeda before." Her smile was wistful as she basked in the peacefulness of the revelation.

"Really?" Stasia turned in her seat, Dev moving her head accordingly to face the constellation. "Which one?"

Dev moved behind Stasia like an exoskeleton, molding to her body to be able to point her in the right direction. Stasia could feel a wave of heat going through her cheeks as Dev pressed against her back and her soft hands snaked up the blonde's long arms.

"Right there."

Stasia tried but couldn't keep most of her focus on the sky like she should've been. She couldn't help but be overly sensitive to Dev's body heat and touch. "What do you see when you look at the stars?"

The dark-skinned woman eased off of Stasia as she considered the question, eyes still turned towards the sky. "The whole world." She closed her eyes for a moment as if her body could drink in the night around her. "Papi taught me how to look at the stars. It was always an easy way to spend time with him." The memory brought a slight tug to the edge of her lips. "Recuerdo cuando mamá estaba tan enojada conmigo por estar cruzada con él. Se olvidaba de cosas o estaba demasiado ocupado para cosas que eran importantes para mí. Ella también, pero fue diferente, porque él prometió. Ella cocinaba y me decía que fuera a pasar tiempo con él cuando estaba en casa, pero cuando era niño, simplemente no importa, ¿sabes? Tu padre vuelve a perder tu cumpleaños porque está trabajando en la construcción de un imperio para dejarte. When you're a kid, your parents are your whole life. So a broken promise is the worst thing to ever happen to you."
I remember when Mama would be so mad at me for being cross with him. He'd forget stuff or be too busy for things that were important to me. So would she, but it was different, because he promised. She'd cook and tell me to go spend time with him when he was home but as a kid, it just doesn't matter, you know? Your father misses your birthday again because he's working on building an empire to leave you.

Stasia tried not to hang onto her word too obviously for fear she'd stop talking. She wondered if the woman knew she was speaking in Spanish.

"So both of your parents are alive?"

"I'm adopted but yeah. Yours?"

"We have much in common."

"I should tell your parents they raised a freak."

That brought a chuckle out of the blonde claimant. "I'm sure yours have already heard it plenty enough times."

She pushed the taller woman softly, joking, "They've only heard it once," and pulling another laugh from her partner. "Now it's time to feed me, woman. If you think I'm bad when I'm sleepy you're gonna hate me when I'm hangry."

Ilnonta's Husband

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Jun 23, 2021 8:07:45 GMT

Post by Dobu on Jun 23, 2021 8:07:45 GMT

What Is This?

The air was as clean as it always had been around their home. Home. It still felt odd letting the words conjure themselves up in her mind. This was Gahbreal's home as well as her own and the feeling of even knowing that were the way things were made her chest warm. He was an amazing man and far too misunderstood by his fellow claimants, yet none of that seemed to matter when they were together. All he was to Cyva was a big softie and she wasn't capable of seeing him in any other way unless he wasn't having any nonsense.

His home was well taken care of, staying in perfect condition even when he was injured. Her Wolf always managed to find the time to take care of the little things and it was because of that she often found herself lacking in things to do around the home. He's often go without sleeping if she didn't force him to do so and yet when he did fall victim to exhaustion waking him up could take days if he had been too busy beforehand and today managed to be one of those times. She found him sleeping on the couch under the spinning fan. Every window in the home was opened with the rays of the setting sun casting themselves onto the hardwood floor and leather couch. He looked so peaceful, so calm, so docile when he slept. He was just a big child at times and yet none of those compared to when he slept, curled up with a smile on his face. He must have fallen asleep before he could join her in the bed again, his outfit for work was still on save for hi coat which was lying on the floor next to him.

"Gahbreal, sweetheart, let us go to the bed", her voice like that of a mermaid's song. "You will cause yourself back pains if you stay here."

"Mmm, just a few more minutes."

She frowned. He wasn't going to make this easy as always. She pressed her hands against his arm and pushed him with all her might. He was so heavy it was difficult to even move him and yet he turned over on his own which caused her to lose her footing and stumble to her knees. Now she was mad, cheeks puffed up like that of a toddler preparing to throw aa tantrum and yet she wasn't going to let him rile her up so easily. It was a mistake to turn over on his back.

"So you're going to be like that? Okay then." She huffed as she spun around and plopped down on his stomach. A cough fled his throat as he lifted himself up quickly, his arms wrapping around the culprit. His eyes opened slowly and he was clearly still groggy as it seemed that alone was a struggle, but what was more important was the vestiges or red which rested within those eyes of his. "Hard day of work?"

"I'm up, I'm up", he responded without letting go of her. "You could always just wake me up like a normal person, right?"

"Well I always try that but you do not wake up. So I did things my way."

"Yeah, well your way tends to hurt", he picked himself up with her in his arms and spun about the room in the hues of orange and purple which flooded the room. She smiled knowing he wasn't too upset with being woken up so suddenly. It was always a fifty-fifty chance that he get up in a good or bad mood, but knowing he was in a good mood meant he wouldn't go back to sleep and their plans wouldn't be put on hold for the night. "So what have I done to be woken up by an angel today?"

She laughed at his words, motioning to be placed down on her feet. Quickly fixing her clothes she grabbed his hands and held them in her own. He smiled as well which he knew she was trying to get out of him and yet she wouldn't have to try hard to begin with. She often woke him up just to do simple things like lounge around in a different room or go outside and get fresh air, but he could tell she was planning something this time.

"Go and get ready, put on something casual and meet me outside." She rushed out the front entrance of the house which made him cautious yet filled him with an unwavering sense of excitement. What could she possibly be planning? Normally they would just relax at home or go out for dinner, but this was different from her normal way of doing things.

"Alright then. Let's see what you've got for me babe."

She waited patiently by his bike, a vehicle she had never even seen him use and yet he took great care of it. So many parts were custom made it couldn't properly be called by any branding and looked as if it were something from a movie. There was even a place on its side where his axe could be secured and taken with him if he so desired. It was clean and covered in multiple stickers and decals that depicted wolves, a few with bunnies which she had personally placed on there herself. He never told her she couldn't and instead seemed glad she did at times so she would continue adding little things as time went on. There was a picture of him and another woman on the gas tank which he told her was his previous love, but he resigned to calling her his best friend. She was a special person obviously and he had told her that she was human no less. To be a human capable of taming him was more to be respected over anything else, but even still he never spoke the girl's name.

Just as her mind began to wonder more about his past the doors flew open and out stepped Gahbreal. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a flannel black shirt with the sleeves rolled just above his elbows. His boots were a deep brown and the gloves he normally wore on his hands were replaced with a brown leather fingerless gloves. He closed the door behind himself and approached her with his normal confident stride and once within range he placed his hands on her waist quickly followed by a kiss.

"So what have you got planned for us today?" He asked with eyes examining the chaos claimant. She wore a white sun dress and with a black denim jacket and a pair of black boots. Her hair left down, a mix between strait strands of hair and braids which brushed against her shoulders. Her cheeks were a rosy red as if she were already embarrassed by something, but then he remembered he started this conversation with a kiss which never failed to make the German woman blush.

"Well let me show you!" She spoke in an excited manner as she jumped onto his bike, an action that made his heart drop. She grabbed her helmet which rested on one of the handlebars and secured it over her head of hair. "Get on and lets get going."

"Um, are you sure about that? You do know what you're doing right?"

He had never once seen her get on that bike without him at the helm and he hadn't the slightest clue as to what she was doing. The bike was always in the same condition he had left it in so she never used it for practice. Was she trying to say she wanted to learn? If so it would be better to do this during the day and yet she looked as if her patience was slipping away from her. No matter, if things went awry he'd simply have to prioritize her safety and things would turn out just fine.

He approached the bike and sat behind her which was already something new. She was so small, a whopping five feet and seven inches compared to him. It was a reminder of how much he simply had to protect her even if she was against his constant worrying. He trained her to be more than capable of handling any situation and yet he worried about her any time he got the chance. He grabbed his helmet from its spot hanging from the side of the bike and secured in over his head with a deep breath. She looked back at him and smiled the moment she felt his hands wrap around her waist. She knew why he enjoyed riding this thing with her at that very moment and as the engine revved and they took off down the dirt road it became even more clear. The feeling of his hands pressing against her stomach was beyond any other type of euphoria she could imagine. A feeling of reliance and stability, as if he put all of his trust in her and it only made her speed up even more.

"Hey you're pretty good at this. How long have you known how to ride?"

"I had to learn when I was a part of the Spezialeinsatzkommando, before I was assigned to Grenzschutzgruppe 9 or as they call it, GSG 9 and counterterrorism. I can operate any vehicle you put me behind the wheel of including motorcycles." He could tell by her confidence and control that she knew what she was doing, but he didn't know she was that experienced. Why hadn't she asked to drive before?

After riding down the dirt road for what seemed like hours they finally managed to reach the end of his property which connected to a paved road. Cyva turned onto the road and increased their speed as if they were running late. She hadn't told him where they were going and yet he wouldn't dare question her on it, no need to waste time asking her something he knew she wouldn't answer. She enjoyed surprises and surprising others even more. This was no doubt a plan of hers that she'd put together and he wasn't going to ruin it by prying the answers out of her as he normally did. The cool air was rather calming as it brushed past them and the feeling alone was enough to make him settle into the situation. Cyva on the other hand was quite pleased.

She could feel his heart beating on her back, slow and steady just as he took an approach to everything yet speeding up ever so slightly with each bump in the road they encountered. He was so comfortable and his presence alone made her want to just keep driving forever. Was this how it always felt for him when she would hold onto him? He rode his bike in a casual and loose manner, taking hard turns and driving as if he wanted a thrill from the road itself meanwhile she drove as if she wanted to experience him more, having him put his trust in her capabilities and looking to her for direction. He didn't speak however which made things even more comfortable and serene. The sun had just managed to creep beneath the horizon so deep purples and blues melted into one another throughout the sky until indigo and black spread about like thick ink in water. She'd certainly have to drive more from now on to experience this with him again.

As they arrived at a nearby town the buildings came into view, none that he cared to remember or commit to memory and yet Cyva knew them all, she had to if her plans for tonight were going to work out. The chaos claimant drove as if the law was simply a word that carried no meaning, swerving though cars, ducking in and out of traffic and speeding through stop signs and red lights like they didn't even exist.

"Woah woah woah, take it easy now! There's no rush!" It was almost as if her words weren't reaching her as she made so many close calls the night started to feel like it might be their last! "Just slow down woman, the roads not goin anywhere!"

A few more sharp turns and scrapes past death and the bike came to a screeching halt as they turned into the parking lot of a restaurant he'd never even seen before. He sat for a moment, eyes as wide as the ocean until the chaos claimant tapped him on the forehead. His attention shifted to her as his heart finally began to slow down and he hastily stood from the back of the bike and stumbled onto his feet.

"Alright... I'm drivin us back because I'll be damned if I experience that twice in one night. You drive like that all the time? We ain't runnin from the cops Rabbit."

She giggled at his reaction yet shrugged it off as if it were something to simply be shrugged off. "Well I couldn't be late. We would have left earlier but you were sleeping so soundly I actually let you sleep until we were an hour late."

"You what?" He questioned as she led him inside the building. "Do they even hold reservations for that long at these places? I've never even heard of this place before... and why the hell are all of the damn lights off? I swear I go between work and home so much I don't understand anything anymore about these places! Who else is even supposed to see in here except for me?"

As easily as he could see in the dark it seemed as if it were more difficult than normal. What was happening here? Or at least he would have asked the words aloud if his walking wasn't interrupted by tripping over something he couldn't even see! He fell forward, unable to see anything he could catch himself on as the sound of tumbling and the crashing of tables and chairs filled the silence in the room. The lights flashed on the reveal him lying on his back in a pile of now broken or toppled dining room furniture. He seemed as if he would refuse to get up for a movement yet slowly lifted his head as if expecting to find thousands of reasons to pick up his spouse and walk out of the building and instead was met with a conversation between his wife and a familiar face.

"Really guys? You cannot be serious." She questioned Shinzo who seemed to be speaking on behalf of the others actions.

"I apologize. We told them it would be a poor idea and yet they clearly wouldn't listen to us."

"Just let the feckers do what they want. They'll be the ones who get into trouble so don't apologize for them", Haden spoke from a table at which DeVian, Stasia, Steph, Vivian and Evans all sat together. "You're making it seem like we all had something to do with it Bruce Lee."

"What? He looks nothing like Bruce Lee my guy", Evans responded too the Irishman's words.

"Well shite, I'm sorry but I'm having trouble trying to find out when I asked ya Bobby Boucher!"

"I don't even know why you tried reasoning with him Evans. It never works and you know that", Stasia shook her head at their exchange. How could he still manage to be so childish even after all this time?

"Maybe we should just stop letting him watch movies so he discovers less shit to insult people with because he wont stop unless we stop him clearly", DeVian interjected.

"I don't know if that would be enough to solve the problem", Vivi responded to her suggestion.

"Guys... what the fuck?" Steph questioned the group as if everyone forgot what the reason was for them even being here.

Cyva placed her palm against her forehead. How could things have managed to become so chaotic so quickly? She had heard his friends were quite rowdy when they were all together and yet they seemed as if they were all on the very edge of collapsing in on one another. It was comforting to see that so many people with differing personalities were able to at least be in the same room for the same purpose, but from what she understood most of them were polar opposites of one another and
Dev specifically wanted to do everything to make Steph's life miserable. All this planning for nothing.

"Happy birthday!" Verin jumped up from the ground just in time to keep Gahbreal from charging Nier who he spotted laughing out of the corner of his eye, no doubt responsible for this.

"Wait a minute. What?"

"Would you look at that, at least one person was able to remember what we came here for", Shinzo spoke as he and Cyva shook their heads in tandem.

he didn't hesitate in the slightest to pick up Verin and hug her with everything he had. No matter how much she struggled, there would be no escape. "I'm lost, what are you all talking about?"

"Well I spoke to Xainayne who told me that your birthday was today and I wanted to gather all of your friends I have met and bring them here for a birthday party. I have never heard you speak of your birthday as long as I have known you and I wanted to at least celebrate it once with you." Gahbreal looked at her with a confused look which caught her off guard which he could see. He didn't want to make her upset and he was happy that she had been thinking of him yet that wasn't the problem.

"I'm glad you put all of this together... but I don't get it. What exactly is a birthday party? I thought you were just born and that was it you mean this is a normal thing that people do? I've heard people talk about birthdays but I just assumed they were talking about the day they were born and not a party."

"You've never had a birthday party?" Verin questioned him from her position constricted against his chest. "Now that I think about it you never did show up for my or Stasia's birthdays."

"Wait a minute... you're right. In fact Lucas doesn't have a single memory that involves Gahbreal being present for anyone's birthdays", Stasia spoke as they all came to the same conclusion.

He looked about the room at everyone who looked as if the situation had changed drastically. Had they really set up a party for something he didn't even understand? How had Xainayne allowed him to go for so long without a birthday party? Didn't he watch over him since he was a child? What no one expected however was for the wolf to start laughing the way he did. It was pleasing to say the least, as if he was happy regardless of what was going on.

"Look, I don't know what's going on but if I get to spend time with my friends and family then I'm more than happy to figure it all out later. For now let's just enjoy each others company." He spoke as he moved to sit at a table with Verin still in tow. "Besides, if I get to see my little baby once a year just because I was born then I ain't gonna complain about a damn thing."

She continued to struggle and fight against his grip and yet it was to no avail. Relief swept across the room after he spoke, this had managed to work out after all. Gahbreal was known for his strict nature and hard working attitude. He wasn't one to play around or act like a child and he certainly wasn't the type of person who'd just take things as they were without asking questions or trying to find the proper meaning behind things presented. He was a man known for his work and attention to his family known as claimants, he didn't act in a way that would ever prove to make him seem weak and yet everyone who looked as him laughing and smiling with the wolfling in his arms and his wife at his side could see for a fraction of the vast amount of time he had been alive what type of person he was. The things that truly made him happy.

"So was my driving worth it?" Cyva asked with a smile that filled his stomach with a heat that caused him to feel more comfortable than he'd felt in a long time.

"I suppose, so long as you don't drive like that again... Thank you beautiful Rabbit", he spoke in a manner she was only used to when they were together on their own. A glance in his direction and she could see the blue eyes she could only ever see so often, a thing that anyone who spotted it in the room other than Cyva would be seeing for the first time. A Gahbreal without a single trace of madness. "I love you Cyva."

Her eyes began to tear up at his words, just as emotional as ever and yet he was glad to see it. "I love you as well Gahbreal, my wolf."

Ilnonta's Husband

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Jun 23, 2021 19:55:58 GMT

Post by Dobu on Jun 23, 2021 19:55:58 GMT

Never Let This Happen Again

The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the hallway, he made sure to keep pace with the ancient who accompanied him. As per his contract Evyette was to accompany him everywhere he went within the realms as a deterrent for his behavior. It was always dangerous for him to be near certain ancients and treasures yet especially so for Jayhe. The boy held a special hate in his heart for her and although he never spoke the words aloud or showed it physically Stasia pried it from the few memories she could obtain from him. She had said that going through his memories was the equivalent of being stabbed with thousands of needles, slashed by hundreds of blades, flayed by whips on all sides and all whilst wading through a sea of shadows and flames. She had only ever touched him once and everyone agreed that it shouldn't ever happen again.

Although it did seem that his head was clear for a short while afterwards. She managed to be one of the few people he cared for in all existence. Whatever unseen connection the two brothers had to the electricity claimant was unheard of, but as it stood they just simply disliked the idea of her suffering. Now however he wasn't allowed to be near her anymore unless she approached him. Caution and yet no doubt something else he'd find unfair and a reason to hate the other ancients even more.

"It's about time I was done with this shit. Now his lazy ass can get up and do his own damn work", he spoke as the room came into view. "Now as I said, I'll continue to do jobs for all of you but only if I get my bar back. I'd like to at least make some money off of my drinks."

"Well I'm sure we can make that happen. If I can get to drink even more of your specialty drinks then I'll vouch for you and I'm sure everyone else would as well." Evyette always said the types of things that made him feel as if he were worth more than he would believe himself. He learned to make drinks as a means in the past to lure in victims, but knowing that they were worth something more to someone he actually cared for was a good feeling.

The moment was ruined however as the door ahead of them opened up slowly and two others stepped through. A rather large male who held the door open for a familiar female.

"Now that we're done here lets go meet up with Quinnox in the kitchen. He'll take us back home and fill you in on your next job. How does it feel to be back in action?" Quina seemed to be in a rather good mood as she spoke with her company.

"Well it feels like I'm gonna be busy again already. I ain't even willin to find out how upset Cyva is gonna be when I start comin home late", he spoke with his attention set on her. She smiled and patted him on the back with an open hand.

"You'll be just fine. If all else fails and she decides to leave you I'm always... free." Her words trailed off as she caught Evyette in an equally as panicked state as she was. How could this have managed to happen? What was he doing here right now of all places. "Fuck, um, why don't we just head to the Breeze now with your void and meet Quinnox there later. I've been wanting to get some alone time with you."

The dark skinned male raised an eyebrow and laughed a bit before responding. "Sweetheart I'm in a committed relationship. Besides, I know exactly how poor of an idea it is to be alone with you. I swear I'd think Evyette were your sister by blood sometimes. Well speak of the devil." He raised a hand to wave at Evyette who he had now spotted approaching with an unfamiliar face at her side. A new claimant maybe?

As they came closer to one another Evyette laughed in a nervous manner as she raised a hand for a quick wave. "Heeeyyyy you. Have fun with your work?"

"'Have fun with my work'? What the hell is going on? Well alright, thank you ma'am." He continued on her way without stopping, Quina at his side letting out a sigh of relief that neither of the two spoke to one another. "Hey... you."

Fuck.

She hesitated to even look in his direction, as if wanting to avoid the possible existence of the scenario she believed was taking place and yet she looked anyway... Gahbreal looking strait at the worst person he could ever pay attention to. "Damnit, Hellfire of all people", she spoke to herself under her breath. "Why is he even here?"

"Are you talkin to me? How about you watch your damn tongue before I take it from you."

"So I assume you don't understand the position you're in or maybe you just ain't capable of realizin when you should keep yourself in check."

"Oh? So we're doing this then? Ain't that about the luckiest thing today? I thought balls were in short supply and yet here you are pullin yours off and puttin em on display for the entire world to see. Well I ain't the one to play around with boy."

"Well you're playin with life and death clearly, I can smell the stench of blood on your person and I'm just wonderin who'd have the gall to walk by me as a clear murderer and think they'd get away with it."

"Comin from some flaccid fuck who has the exact same scent. Sounds like you just decided to conjure up the thought in your mind that you're above me in some way, but I can assure that it's a misplaced thought."

The ancient and treasure watched, neither knowing how to handle this situation without everything exploding into chaos. Out of the corner of her eye Evyette could see Quinnox rounding the corner, no doubt growing impatient waiting for Gahbreal and Quina yet the moment he saw the situation at hand there was no hesitation for the laid back ancient to slink back around the corner. Evyette wouldn't say it aloud but the look on her face screamed help us you son of a bitch! By now things were only getting worse as the two had approached each other and were face to face, looking directly into their counterpart's eyes.

"Who the hell are you and why are you here?"

"I don't have to answer a single fuckin question from you, bitch. Now back off before I decide I've had enough."

"Oh?" Gahbreal's eyes began to glow a deep red as his patience was clearly wearing thin. "You must really like testin people's god damn patience, but I ain't got time for your shit, kid!"

"Kid?" His eyes flared up in turn with a crimson glow. "Oh you must really hate livin if you thought I'd just let you say somethin like that and walk away with your sorry life! You can die right here and right now just for the audacity to piss me off this much."

"Them give it your best damn shot you lost fuck."

"Now you're just beggin to die, but there's no need for all of that. you've already convinced me to kill you where you stand."

The two boys stood still for a moment, silent, the calm before the storm. It was as if light itself was being erased around the two of them and just as it seemed they'd attack without holding back the unthinkable happened. From Gahbreal shadows rose from his person like water flowing around him in a thick smog, his counterpart in the same scenario as black flames emerged from his existence and in moments the entire hallway was bathed in a mixture of both their respective darkness. The crimson red mixing with the indigo hues and crafting a hell-scape of violet and black shadows that danced as if locked in a battle between themselves. They swirled about like walls of flames colliding and clashing with a tide of water and in the midst of it stood the two brothers who couldn't even be seen save for their respective glowing eyes. Just being in the area made Quina's stomach turn and Evyette was in no better condition. They hadn't even managed to throw a single attack and yet their confrontation was far too much to handle. This was them sizing each other up? This was them just pissed with one another? Staring each other down?! they could not be allowed to fight! there was no telling what might happen!

"Hey", Jayhe's voice broke through the situation like a knife. Even when angry it was hard to take her seriously. "Stop fucking up my house and get in here! I don't have all day you know! And you stop slacking and go talk to Quinnox! Do your job!"

The shadows dispersed slowly, the two boys both clicking their tongues in tandem as they turned their separate ways and continued on with their duties.

"Saved by the bell, you got off easy this time. It ain't happenin again."

"Shut your fucking mouth filthy cur. You'll die the next time I see you, a death plagued with so much sufferin your soul wont even survive."

Jayhe, Evyette and Quina all looked as if they might pass out. How they managed to avoid the worst outcome of this situation was beyond them and not allowing them to have seen each other beforehand proved to be a good decision... they couldn't be allowed to meet again however, clearly they were completely incompatible.

Sigmutt's Wife

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Jul 7, 2021 0:02:38 GMT

Post by kaiju on Jul 7, 2021 0:02:38 GMT

5. two times they didn't say 'i love you' and one time they did

The swordsman Shinzo Hazashi sighed contentedly to himself as he whisked the blood from his blade. He admired the reflection of the landscape around him as it waited to be sheathed. The metal reflected the burning remains of a mansion. It used to stand proudly, a landmark of wealth backed by a lake the further stood to outline the burning property. The mission had been relatively simple, and certainly easy--things had gotten a little out of hand in terms of liveliness, but it all worked out. It didn't matter now.

He sheathed his weapon, straightening to find his partner. It had only been a moment before he could see the white-haired man angrily marching towards him as he loaded his revolver.

Not this shit again.

"Ya missed one ye idiot," the smaller man spat in his familiar thick accent, prompting a skeptical eyebrow raise from Shinzo.

"You're lying," the black-haired man huffed as he cast a glance around. The mansion was enclosed in thick woods, but even so, he was fairly confident they'd taken out all of the security on the way in. Unless Haden really was lying... again. "Last time you--"

He didn't manage to get the words out as Haden angrily snatched Shinzo's face and brought it down to his level. Shinzo gasped, caught off guard and off balance when he was forced nose-to-nose with his yellow-eyed companion. Time moved at half pace in that moment. Here, the nuances of Haden's eyes were much more obvious. Here, Shinzo could appreciate the subtle beauty that enhanced Haden's handsomeness--not that anything like that would ever come out of the Japanese man's mouth.

Just as he was preparing to complain, a bullet whizzed past his head and landed just a few inches behind them in the ground. Shinzo was visibly surprised at it, Haden moving from in front of him to shoot back. Two shots later and there was the sound of someone falling out of a tree before complete silence.

"Go on, then." Haden put his gun back into its holster and crossed his arms.

"Go on and what?"

"Say you knew he was there. Only thing bigger than your ego is yer huge goddamn head."

Shinzo shook his head as he considered what he should say. He couldn't help but stare at the bullet hole in the dirt that had been meant for him. While teaming up with Haden in the past had more often than not ended with the shorter man shooting at him, lately hadn't been so bad. It originally felt like Phita and Daenu liked playing games with them by pairing them up together. Now a few drunk nights had certainly softened them up to one another.

"Thank you," the fire claimant finally relented. Haden was caught off guard by it, his crossed arms slacking slightly. "Drinks on me, I suppose."

The ice claimant's pale cheeks lit up with excitement, a wide smile crossing his features. "Oi, I'm gonna drink you out of house and home, swordboy."

Haden snorted himself awake, a vivid dream forcing him back into the world of the conscious. His eyes bleary with sleep and grogginess, he rubbed at them with the back of his hand before turning over and patting the bed next to him. Curiously, it was still empty. He groaned loudly--he knew he and Shinzo didn't have a label yet, but by god, that man's ninja antics got annoying. He woke up alone so many times it was starting to make him wonder if he'd always started there and hallucinated the hours in between.

He could smell something burning... somewhere. Smoke wasn't an unusual smell in Shinzo's house, but this intensity was strange. Haden considered just dealing with it when he woke up, but the consistent smoldering, burnt hair smell was becoming bothersome. The young man dragged his legs out of bed and grumbled to himself about how he wasn't going to sleep there anymore if Shinzo hardly did. Then again, Shinzo's bed was insanely comfortable--somehow even moreso when the swordsman wasn't in it.

Haden padded down the hallway as he got out the last of his yawns. The smell led him straight to the front door, where he could see a dark pile in the doorway. There was a small, weakening flame spread across Shinzo's shoulders like he was warming up a pot of boiling water. He was just a lump on the hardwood floors, breathing shakily and shallowly. Haden couldn't be sure how long he'd been there, rushing forward to tend to the injured man.

"What in feckin' hell!" was all he could think to say. Maneuvering Shinzo against grunts of protest, Haden could see he wasn't bleeding too much, but did look like he lost a street fight to twelve bodybuilders. "Was this Phita? Again? Or did ya manage to get stomped out by every able-bodied kid in the city?"

The white-haired ice claimant kneeled down and got Shinzo onto his back, uncurling his fingers from the hilt of his sword and relieving him of it. There was no blood on it or its sheath as if he hadn't used it. By the gods, did Phita have any mercy? Any consideration for the fact that her claimants were not immortal like her? Haden couldn't count a single time Shinzo had returned from a training session better than he'd left. Daenu had never raised a hand to Haden in such a way. Sure, there was the fact that Shinzo damn near asked for the treatment he got from Phita, but that didn't mean she had to give it to him... Especially not to this extent.

"I was... close... tonight," the black-haired male sputtered, then opened and closed his mouth a few times to get used to the aching muscles. "Should see the other guy."

"How many times are ya gonna get damn near murdered before you realize you can't beat yer goddamn Ancient in a duel? Are you dumb? Is she knocking all yer brain cells around in there?"

Shinzo chuckled weakly. "Maybe I lose because... You doubt me."

He scoffed, settling back on his heels. "I bet you wish you could blame how much you suck on me. Bastard."

"What's with all the worry?" The man struggled to turn over on his side, grimacing the entire time. "I'm--ah--the one who should be worried."

"Hell have you got to be worried about?"

"I didn't give you a key to my house."

Haden frowned and slammed a fist down hard on Shinzo's arm, making him flinch and yowl. "I'm going back to bed." He stood, glaring at the laughing Shinzo before turning his back to go down the hallway towards the bedroom.

"Wait!" The red-eyed warrior shouted after him with a bit of difficulty. "Can't you help me in the shower?!" He waited hopefully for an answer up until the moment he heard his own bedroom door slam closed.

Red and gold eyes retained a fierce staring competition as they both held their shot glasses up. It was almost customary at this point to try to intimidate one another with a stare before throwing the shot back.

Haden lost in facial discipline--he broke out into a goofy grin when he saw how hard Shinzo was trying to remain serious. It was immediately reciprocated, the two giggling at the bar like they had an entertaining inside joke. They both threw the shots of tequila back fairly quickly, watching each other's face for a negative reaction. Neither would give the other the satisfaction of seeing them gag.

Shinzo stood, wavering on his feet for a moment before pointing at a dart board that sat untouched on a far wall. This was one of the few places with darts that still let them play--they still got rolling bans from Amarjeet. Given, they deserved it, but it was quite the inconvenience.

Haden followed after his taller companion, paying extra attention to how he walked so he wouldn't look like a drunk idiot. Well--more of a drunk idiot. Being with Shinzo already brought out the most chaotic parts of him; adding alcohol to the mix was practically begging for trouble.

Haden took his turn first, switching with the Japanese man after and getting rowdier by each round. They poked fun at one another, their competitiveness exaggerated by the copious amounts of liquor they insisted on consuming. The other bar patrons ignored them for the most part, but as the fourth round came, it was something of a task. The music wasn't as loud as the fire and ice claimants jostling each other around in front of the dart board. It got to the point that the bartender asked them to quiet down but they could never abide by it for more than a few minutes.

Shinzo and Haden were joking about how bad Shinzo's last dart throw had been when they both received taps on the shoulder. They turned, red-cheeked and confused, to face whatever man was brave enough to ruin their good time. Before them stood three women and two men behind them.

"Excuse me," the woman who'd tapped them started, "are you guys done with the dart board?"

"Aye, do we look done, lass?" came Haden's snappy remark. "What part of this scene screams 'they're finished'?"

"Come on, man," one of the men interjected. "Watch your mouth."

"What's yer plan if I don't? Ya planning ta restore the lady's honor?"

"Look, you guys have already been here for hours. We just want to play a few games before we leave. It doesn't have to be a scene."

"Sure. That's reasonable." Haden's attitude seemed calmer as he glanced at Shinzo, the eye contact making the fire claimant roll his eyes. Not a full moment to appreciate the change of heart had passed before Haden was launching himself on the man that had been leading the talks like a feral raccoon. Shinzo knew his role and immediately headbutted the other one, effectively throwing the two into their third bar fight of the week. At this point, it was as much a part of their nights out as the drinks themselves.

Minutes later, Shinzo Hazashi and Haden Widweim were thrown out onto the chilly New York streets yet again. They didn't put up a fight when the security managed to do it; cutting them all down would've been more trouble than it was worth. Leaving without a ban was a win in their books.

They laughed with each other, stumbling through the dark back alleys of the city. Neither could remember a time they'd been so carefree around the other--especially considering their former title of longtime rivals. Shinzo never knew Haden could be so interesting. Haden never knew Shinzo was aware of what taking a break was.

They ended up lost after aimlessly wandering several blocks from the bar they'd gotten kicked out of. Eventually, they settled on a curb, staring up drunkenly into the sky.

"What do you think is the worst house to be a part of?" Shinzo mused after a quiet moment.

"Water," Haden answered instantly. At Shinzo's quizzical expression, he added, "Naiick is such a prick. Grade-A microdick."

Shinzo laughed. "I was just going to say ice cause you're in it."

Haden shoved him and snorted. "You're not good enough."

They lapsed into another comfortable break of silence, Haden training his gaze on trying to figure out what phase the moon was in while Shinzo admired him in profile. The staring didn't escape the yellow-eyed male, though, who questioned him when the staring persisted for more than a few seconds. "Hell's your problem?"

Shinzo shook his head and smiled, his face a far cry from his usual serious demeanor.

Haden sighed, turning to look at the fire claimant, who immediately caught his face and went in for a kiss. It was sloppy and unorganized, the motion catching Haden by surprise and causing him to move back and screw it all up. The end result was them awkwardly staring at each other, Shinzo looking dually embarrassed and too drunk to fully comprehend how embarrassing it was; Haden staring shell-shocked at how the last few seconds had played out.

Haden had never seen Shinzo so red. In fact, he was starting to see actual flames burn under the man's cheeks.

"Uh... I... Ahem... We don't have to talk about it."

The white-haired man held in a laugh, shaking his head at his companion. Shinzo sat uncomfortably scratching his head and probably preferring sparring with Phita in the Forge to this moment. Haden found it endearing, though--Shinzo had never lacked confidence in anything before.

He rolled his eyes and closed the distance between himself and the swordsman, pulling the taller man down to his level and locking lips. They both tasted like tequila, though Shinzo could faintly taste salt from pretzels on Haden's tongue.

They held onto it for a stretched minute, lips melding into each other and enjoying the feel of one another. While it was true they'd fucked before, they didn't really kiss--it always felt like a level of intimacy that wasn't meant for them.

Shinzo pulled back to look over Haden's face once more, his voice full of wonder as he asked, "Do you think I'm drunk enough to tell you I love you and forget it?"

"How is the kettle asking the pot how drunk they are?" He grinned, ignoring the furious fluttering in the pit of his stomach for the sake of pride. "Dunno if I'll remember," he lied, knowing full well he would recall every second.

"Well... You're not the worst." The red-eyed fire claimant fingered the hem of his pants as he considered his next words. "I guess I like you."

Haden rolled his eyes as he nudged Shinzo with his elbow. "I didn't know Sun Tzu got nervous. Yer a little chickenshit."

"No I'm not, dick!"

"Then say it."

"You say it. Since you want me to so bad."

"Yer thick in the head if you think you can bring it up and I'm gonna say it first."

"Because you're in love with me."

"Duh, you idiot!" Realizing what he'd admitted to, he clamped his hand over his mouth, his cheeks reflecting a solid blue. "Oh you're a dead fecker."

Shinzo laughed, springing from his spot on the sidewalk and running a few feet down the street as Haden halfheartedly chased after him. "You're in love with me!" he teased in a sing-song voice. "I knew it."

"You don't know anything!" he threw a wave of ice after the taller man, which was instantly melted on contact. "You wanted to say it first, so I don't care."

"Now you see what it felt like for you to pull away when I tried to kiss you."

"It was out of nowhere like a feckin' attack!"

The dark-haired man shrugged lightly as he slowed his pace to be back in step with Haden. "I love you, stupid. That better?"

Ice flew from Haden's fingers in a quick gesture, solidifying under Shinzo's lead foot and effectively tripping him up. "Watch yer step ya feckin' daisy."

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Jul 7, 2021 8:06:19 GMT

Post by Dobu on Jul 7, 2021 8:06:19 GMT

Home Is Where The Heart Isn’t

The drinks didn’t feel as if they were hitting with the strength the ice claimant had hoped for. How typical for the regular nights out these days. Haden hadn’t even stopped to think of how spoiled he had become with his drinking buddy, his partner, his love. O how he craved more time to spend drinking the nights away, sleeping the nights away with someone by his side. The thought alone made him pick up his glass and down the entire thing without a second thought.

“Another, and try not to take too much time.”

“I think you’ve had more than enough little missy, if ya drink anymore might find yourself sleeping with the saints”, the bartender retorted to which he was only met with yellow eyes. “Ideen? I thought ya were dead?”

“It’s her son ya feckin' coot! Get it right next time or I’ll be blastin’ off yer kneecaps! Can I get. Another. Drink!”

The elderly man behind the counter laughed in retaliation, his accent was even thicker than Haden’s and he clearly didn’t carry a wink of fear. Haden on the other hand was livid. How much more time was he planning to make him wait? All he wanted was to get a few more drinks before turning in for the night and this clown was doing everything possible other than his job.

“I couldn’t even recognize ya, but lookin’ like that I ought to just keep callin’ ya Ideen. If ya didn’t look like a wee lass in the past you sure as hell do now boy! You’re so pale it’s like the sun has never touched ya once in yer life!”

Displeased. Beyond displeased. Seething with anger in fact. It wasn’t like he didn’t know some shit like this would happen when he came back home, but he certainly didn’t expect it to piss him off this much. He wasn’t even feeling drunk yet and he was going to fight some guy who apparently knew his mother the disrespectful cunt!

“Oh so you’re a funny guy eh? Well let me show ya somethin’ a wee bit more entertaining”, just as he reached for his gun a hand pressed against his shoulder and caused him to almost jump right out of his skin. “Oi! The fuck?”

“Sorry for my little friend’s anger problems, I’ll be taking him home now. Put it on his own tab, I won’t be paying for his shit.” Only one person could carry a voice like this. And Little?!

He turned to see Gahbreal, a person he wasn’t hoping to see at all… ever. Not that he didn’t like him or consider him a friend, but past events could only end with a grudge no matter how anyone looked at it. He was wearing casual clothes which was a new thing. He seemed happier than when he had last seen him. At least he had managed to calm down a little but that was the least of his worries. Why was he interrupting his night of relaxation in such an abrupt manner?

“Hey, I’m not goin’ anywhere until the useless bag of bones gives me another drink!”

“Well that’s a shame because you don’t have a choice this time around. I didn’t waste my time coming here and looking for you so that you could believe you have a choice in the matter. We’re going… now.”

The serious look in his red glowing eyes was enough to make him at least follow his lead, albeit angrily.

“Have a nice day ‘lass’, yer mother would be proud to see ya followin’ so closely in her example!”

The white hair male paused, fists clenching which caught his escort’s attention. He could see in the way the shorter male held his mouth in a snarl that he was contemplating a decision that would no doubt be irrational and out of the question, but he would at least try to calm him.

“Haden, brother, don’t do it. I’m telling you.”

A few seconds passed and in the blink of an eye a gun pulled from god knows where was drawn and fired all in one quick motion. The boy’s affinity for killing people was far too keen and if he wasn’t swept into the void along with Gahbreal then the shot would have certainly landed. His drawn was far too fast when he was serious, the darkness claimant hadn’t even gotten to see where he pulled the weapon from. If only ge too his work that seriously.

“Well, just like that another person who needs to die gets to live.”

“Could you at least try not to kill people for no damn reason? You talk shit about other people literally all day if you get the chance, at least try to make my job easier.”

“Yeah, because I care about yer job. Where the hell are we anyway?”

Gahbreal sighed at the question. He was quick upon his travel yet the room he managed to pull them into was all too familiar. Passing through the void was tricky to learn, but was mainly an action that required accuracy. Without thinking about it or putting in effort you could end up anywhere in the void, but with the proper time and effort out into calculating your arrival and departure it would be a simple pass through to the next place or you could appear in a very specific place. He often came here specifically to speak with Novevu for jobs and other business so it was no surprised that they would be standing right in front of the ancient’s door like a couple of thugs, a door that slowly opened not even five seconds following Haden’s question.

“Hello, Novevu… sorry for the interruption”, Gahbreal spoke as if this weren’t the first time a disaster like this had taken place.

He could remember falling in the void at his doorstep when he would fail his starting tasks as a teen and needed to make a quick escape, but he couldn’t recall gunshots being fired ever in all his time coming here. In fact Haden’s gun was the only thing the ancient of death’s eyes were locked on, barrel still smoking.

“Heh, Novevu it’s been a long time. How have ya been?”

“I will erase you so quickly that time itself would shutter at the speed. Never again. You made a mess of my bar for years and you will not do the same to my home. Do you understand me?”

“Yes sir”, his yellow eyes turned to the ground. It wasn’t a normal reaction which both Novevu and Gahbreal had to double take upon even witnessing it, but in Haden’s mind he simply had to survive until Shinzo made it back.

“I’ll get him out of here. Sorry again for the disturbance.”

“Yes, please do. Take care of yourselves.”

Just like that they found themselves stepping out onto a hardwood floor that was of rather fancy design, in fact the entire room exuded the word ‘fancy’. Walls of tiles and marbles that was well kempt and of quality design. The furniture was all made from white soft clothes with silken beige coverings and every window had a similar sheet draped over it. A fireplace rested in the living area which they found themselves in and sitting right in front of it on a loveseat that looked as if it were crafted from comfort itself was a woman who looked to be in her fifties and relaxing as if the rest of the world meant nothing to her. Even so you could see the light in her eyes as she spotted Gahbreal.

“Well if it isn’t the big sweetheart himself. I was just thinking about you. Might this be your wife?” The words made him wish he hadn’t decided to do this and the crack from Haden’s throat made the feeling even stronger. Turning to see his devious smile peeking from beneath his long hair made him want to throw him out the nearest window before he even got the chance to speak, but it was far too late.

“Oh we just got together recently”, he spoke in as feminine a way as possible. “I don’t think I’m ready for that type of commitment.”

“Shut the fuck up Haden! I’m sorry, but this piece of shit is just a friend of mine who’s here to see Nier.”

The woman looked as if she were ready to jump out of her seat in excitement and yet the smile on her face was something Gahbreal dreaded. For fuck’s sake could anyone in this family be taken seriously?

“Oh my! Will he be making your rings? It’s always wonderful to see a new couple going through the motions.” It was as if the woman was feeding the ice claimant more ammo to use!

“Isn’t it? I was hopin' that he would make somethin' that can really represent us and yet this giant ball of love can’t seem to agree with me.”

“You’re both unbearable”, the darkness claimant spoke as he walked to the kitchen serenaded by their laughter. “Haden, go to the basement and through the door on the right and you’ll find the guy. I’m going to get a drink.”

Haden laughed and waved off his new favorite lady as he made his way down the stairs to the basement that was far darker than he had expected. Upon reaching the bottom he could see the long hallway of what seemed like ten or maybe more rooms. What was this place? It looked akin to a dungeon or a prison of sorts and yet the door Gahbreal pointed him to had light peeking thorough the cracks. This Nier must be a pretty dangerous guy.

He opened the door slowly and the moment he did it flew open and it seemed as if the very floor was moving beneath him, dragging him in. It was then that he noticed it, what had seemed like stone beneath his feet and on the walls was a darkened metal of some sort. This was one of Nammay’s claimants and a rather impatient one at that.

“The night is like a sweet mistress pulling in the wishes of my desires and yet I could tell from the weight of your footsteps that you aren’t here to marry me or anything like that. If I heard correctly then Gahbreal called you Haden when he sent you down here correct?” He heard that from all the way down here? “I am Nier and if the tall man brought you here himself then it must be pretty important. Let’s go see what he wants.”

“Actually”, Haden interrupted the boy. “I was wonderin’ what he brought me here for. Who even are you?”

Nier laughed and spun around in his seat to reveal the crafts lying before him. It looked as if he were using personally made devices to grind up rare gems to dust and categorize them accordingly. What a weird hobby, but his mother did say he made rings so it must have been for jewelry of some sort.

“Me and Gahbreal are actually pretty close friends. Back when he and I were a bit too serious we both helped each other relax when the world around us became a little too much to bear. So tell me, before we go up there, what did he bring you here for? I’m sure you have a problem he thinks I can talk to you about.”

Haden was hesitant to speak on personal matters with a person he had just met, but something about the metal claimant’s presence was simply soothing. He smiled in a way that was honest and endearing. In the end he wanted to do anything but speak about it all and yet Gahbreal took the time to personally bring him here? The ice claimant could at least give it a shot.

“Everyone thinks I need to do somethin’ about me damn self because the sword boy died and…” He paused for a moment. Talking about it like that didn’t feel right. “It just doesn’t feel the same, ya know? When the person ya love more than anything just dies on you? I ain’t gonna complain because I’m not some kinda piss baby, but this shit feckin’ sucks! All I need are a few drinks and I can get through the day, but no one ever serves me what I want because the bastards are too busy lickin’ their own dicks to serve a damned drink! It would honestly be nice to go home and get in me feckin’ bed and yet here I am in the house of someone I don’t even know talkin’ about some shite I don’t want to feckin’ talk about because big, brolic and full of bullshite decided I don’t deserve to be in me damn bed and the most fun I had all week was shootin’ the shite with a woman who might be the first person in literal years who’s spoken to me without pissin’ me off beyond belief. I just want to go home, drink me own drinks and fall asleep so I can forget about today and wake up tomorrow if that ain’t too much ta ask for.”

Nier looked at him with a faded smile. He just met Haden for the first time and yet he didn’t feel as if he needed to speak with him at all. It seemed as if he knew exactly what the yellow eyed male needed and all this talk wasn’t it.

“You want to do some practicing?”

“Excuse the hell out of me?”

“You know, a bit of practicing. I think it’ll do you some good. In fact I know exactly what you’ll enjoy… combo moves.”

“The feck are you on about?” The Irish claimant retorted to his statement. “Did ya just say ‘combo moves’ like this is some sorta video game?”

“Yep! That’s exactly what I said! Let’s do it!”

“That might just be the stup-“ He paused as his eyes grew wide, a smile stretching across Nier’s face.

“Yeah… combo moves.”

Gahbreal finished off another drink and sat the glass down on the countertop prepared to pour another serving. He leaned the bottle towards his glass and not a single drop came forth. Empty. He sat the glass aside and sighed as the sound of bottle clanging together hit his head. How could they be taking this long? Long enough for him to finish four bottles of whiskey and rye? This was clearly a mistake to let these two spend any amount of time together and he wouldn’t be surprised if he found out they had gone off to cause some kind of trouble somewhere else.

“I’m gonna go check on these two idiots. I’ll be back ma’am.”

“Take your time Gahbreal, I’m not going anywhere”, the woman laughed at his clear state of distress. How she could manage to be so carefree all the time was insane with a child like Nier.

He stepped down the stairs and could instantly feel the change in temperature. It felt like a damn freezer in the basement and it was clear that Haden had been using his abilities at that point. The wolf rushed down the hall to the room that had light coming from it, now at eh very end. Troubling was all this was in his mind, no doubt something he knew could be possible but didn’t expect Haden to attack someone in their own home.

Upon reaching the door he opened it quickly to be met with a large room filed with what seemed like spikes of ice and metal protruding from the ground in a pattern that almost seemed floral, symmetrical even. It was beautiful in a way, captivating as he walked his way to the center of this ornate crater of clear blues and silvers until he made his way to the middle where he found resting two completely worn out claimants, both sleeping soundly.

Nier looked as if he had managed to overexert himself which he tended to avoid at all costs if he could, no doubt going to be asleep for a long while leaning against a sword of his own design to keep him sitting up. Haden on the other hand was resting against the boy’s chest, cheeks red and swollen while his arms clutched to the silver haired claimant. Thank god he had simply been overexaggerating. This had managed to turn out exactly as he had hoped. Haden refused to talk to anyone about his problems, but Nier always seemed to be capable of prying the words from people’s hearts just by asking. Maybe he just knew the words certain people needed or maybe he was just too easily approachable, but it was a good trait to have.

He leaned over and patted the top of Nier’s head as if giving him a notion of approval before pressing a hand against Haden’s cheek and smiling. Still cold yet warmer than he was before when he found him.

“Well you could at least try to relax a bit more now, I’d hope.”

“I’m sorry”, his words made the hunter roll into his own grave before he realized the ice claimant was simply speaking in his sleep. “Next time I’ll stay by your side. To the very end.”

“Note to self, don’t touch this asshole while he’s asleep... and don't let him do that.”

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Jul 10, 2021 3:07:42 GMT

Post by Dobu on Jul 10, 2021 3:07:42 GMT

Death Is Only Temporary For The Strong, Mine Is No Different

This job was far different from my normal ones. Even so I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy it. Every time I find that I’m sent out for a new job I dislike the taste of death more and more. I sense that Novevu has begun to realize it as he checks up on me more often, even more so that Xainayne does, but that doesn’t change my purpose. Why me? Why must I be the one sent to do these things? I’d rather help people, do something that will make people want to be around me or enjoy my company and yet the more work I do the more people find my presence distasteful.

This time around Xainayne is joining me. Mother and father are nowhere to be found and why they disappeared the way they did I do not know, but Xainayne says he can’t track them down. I feel as if he’s lying but I will not pry, she knows best.

“Tell me Xainayne, why are you joining me this time around? I would not have expected you to tag along for this job as your presence makes me coming here rather meaningless.”

“Don’t worry yourself too much Gahbreal, I simply enjoy looking over my children every once in a while.” That was a lie, I can tell.

She always lies to me, I hate it. I don’t know what it is that she seems to always be hiding but it pisses me off every time she does it. Am I that difficult to trust? I’ve put everything into this, my life, my entire existence and I’m still not to be trusted? It’s no different from the other claimants. No wonder they’ve all started calling me a wolf, it’s not like I can’t look at myself the same way but it still hurts.

“Okay. I understand.” I’ll settle for now. I have a job to focus on after all.

“Good, now come. The battlefield is up ahead.”

“Battlefield? Is that really the proper place for me to be? Aren’t I technically a bounty hunter and a fairly new one at that? How am I going to be of any use in a major battle like this?”

“Well this group of claimants would technically be classified as a bounty target as well so you’re still in the field of your normal duties. Just come with me and things will become clear in time.”

I don’t get it. What is all of this supposed to mean?

I felt as if it deserved more thought and yet in the distance I see a sight more troubling than I had originally expected. Novevu, Phita, Jaiho, Jayhe, Destodai, Alvax, Nammay, Flori, Florita, Chaemai, Solaria, Lunia, Naiick, Daenu and Quinnox. What they’re doing here I do not know but it surely wasn’t going to be good. This was the first time I’ve even seen them all in one place like this and not a single one of them looked happy.

“Xainayne, this goes way too far. You called us out here to watch you send your claimant out into the fray on his own?” Of course Novevu would start. It’s not like I’ve ever known him to hold back when not in a good mood. Although I have no clue what he’s talking about.

“He’s right. This goes far beyond decent in any way and I do hope you realize that”, Destodai spoke up next. It wasn’t often I’d get to hear her voice and yet it was always soothing.

“He’s your strongest, your most capable I’d even say and you’re so willing to do these types of things to him? Do you have no mercy for your children.” Florita is always so kind yet see seemed angry this time around. What is everyone talking about?

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I know Gahbreal better than anyone else here and you’d be wise to resect his abilities, granted I’ll be giving him a little push this time around. He’s not like anything you’ve seen before and especially so once he’s serious.”

Xainayne was such a fucking talker. To hear her talk me up like this only to take me back to the Vortex and run me ragged in training only served to make this confusing. It’s as if I’m never truly enough yet meant to be proclaimed as the greatest! What does he want from me? What am I supposed to do? As proud as I’d like to make her for doing everything she has done for me it seems as if I’ll never truly be enough and then at times she acts as if I am. What am I truly other than a wolf?

“If you called us all here just to show us your claimant dying I don’t think there will be a single person here happy with you Xainayne”, Phita spoke in a harsh tone.

“If he dies then that simply means he was too weak to hold the position he has. It’s as simple as that.” Solaria really could be harsh sometimes. Maybe it was just her motherly way… better than my own mother.

“Who asked your opinion? If he were to die he’d be just as useful in the Void as you are alive”, Naiick. Always the type of person to make things hard to swallow. Yet if he were ever to hold back it would be out of character. “The boy is simply going to prove himself and that’s that. No reason to overthink it.”

It was odd for Lunia to speak up and yet she chose to do so anyway, a surprise to say the least. “You should be more careful with your child. These types of things can change a claimant easily and he may become a completely different person if this situation isn’t handled with care.”

“Oh please”, Daenu began. “Not everyone is so soft. Besides, you’re just making a comparison to your own failures with that wild child. What was his name? Leroy?”

“It’s Le’eroy. To be fair that kid managed to be a top tier fighter to say the least although it was mainly our own decisions that caused his heartache.” Quinnox is as understanding as ever with these types of things. It would be nice to spend more time with him if Quina didn’t baby me all the time.

“No doubt Little Moon’s downfall was on my claimants”, Novevu interjected. Who is this person they speak of? Le’eroy? Little Moon? I’ll have to ask Xainayne when we’re done here. “This situation however is completely different. I wouldn’t compare the two and I am completely against this.”

“Not even taking into consideration the effects it may have on your claimant overall. Have you even done anything like this with him before? Run tests of any kind?” Nammay questioned her as if expecting a truthful answer of any sort.

“Of course I have. This has been in development for the greater part of his life. He should have no problem taking care of this.” A lie. I’ve never once fought however many people I’m suspecting they’re talking about. The mission still hasn’t even been properly explained to me yet! Whatever this was clearly wasn’t in anyone’s favor outside of Xainayne.

Chaemai and Flori did not speak and yet they seemed at odds with the entire scenario itself. Thinking about it now it didn’t seem like they didn’t want to speak yet refused to do so, as if it would only amount to a waste of time. Chaemai specifically seemed disgusted while Flori looked as if they could care less. Jaiho and Jayhe on the other hand did not seem to be too happy with this at all and yet Jayhe seemed to say everything the both of them were thinking.

“This is crazy. He’s clearly been proven to be effective beyond the normal means a claimant should be capable of and if I’m remembering correctly he’s only sixteen years old! You haven’t even given him time to completely mature and yet you think this is the proper course of action? He may be accepting jobs and has technically been for seven years, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready for war!”

“War?” I hadn’t even realized I said the words aloud but I did realize how quickly it caught everyone’s attention. It made my stomach turn to have all the ancients looking at me like this but I couldn’t help being pissed off. She didn’t tell me anything about this! “You’re sending me out to fight a war? Against who? Who are my allies in this? You thought I’d just run out onto a battlefield not knowing who’s friend and foe? Damnit Xainayne you’re always doing this type of shit! You’re always keeping secrets! Lying! Making me feel like a fucking idiot when I believe I can trust you and for what? Some random crap I won’t know about until I’ve had to kill an entire buildings worth of people?”

“Calm down Gahbreal. It’s time to explain it to you anyway.”

“What’s the point now? Might as well just let me run in blind at this point, it ain’t the first time you’ve let that happen!”

“Have mercy, you didn’t even tell him what he’s doing yet”, Naiick spoke as he watched the exchange of words between us.

“He didn’t need to know until now so I’ll explain it now… Your enemy is a large group, which is why we’re all here. A plot was discovered, around three hundred claimants grouped up and ready to turn on us. They’ve been recruiting for the past year and we’ve been letting it continue so that we could weed out as many traitors as possible. This is a mix of all the houses excluding the ancients who are not present. You will be executing them all tonight.”

“You’re out of your fucking mind. You must be out of your damned mind!”

“They’re about a mile west from here and you will be moving out as soon as I give the order. Do you understand?”

“The only thing I understand is that you’re a fucking lunatic!”

Does she really think I’m capable of fighting an army on my own? What the hell is going on here? If this isn’t just about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard! There isn’t a single person here who believes I can do something like this and it’s clear based on the way they spoke! Xainayne is the only ancient among them all who thinks I can just get up and wipe out an army and it sounds just as crazy as she clearly must be! I refuse. I can’t be bothered to be played around with like this anymore. I’m going the fuck home.

“Gahbreal”, her voice is annoying to even hear right now.

“What?”

“Who are you?” What the fuck?

“What kind of stupid question is that? You just said my name.”

“Looks like things are finally getting started”, Evyette spoke. The words caught my attention, what is she talking about?

“Gahbreal, look in my eyes.” I did as she said, although I didn’t want to. It was a sign of respect although at the time I can’t say I have much for her. “What do they call you? What do all of the others see you as?”

“A wolf? Why are you asking me this? You already know that.”

“Look in my eyes and tell me… who are you.”

“I.” I feel odd. As if the world doesn’t seem the same to me anymore. Shades of red and black, indigo seem to be clouding my vision yet I can’t refuse the question. “I am Gahbreal.”

“What are you?”

“I am a wolf.” The words almost seem as if they’re speaking themselves. What is this feeling?

“No you are not. Everyone else may see you as a wolf, but I know what you truly are. Now tell me, what are you?”

“I am… I am…” I am… I… am… I…

“Tell me Gahbreal! What are you?”

“I am… a knight… I am the one true knight amongst the filth that plague our ranks. The traitors, the lost, the fallen and downtrodden, among them all I am the one true knight! The black knight that will clear out the lost from our ranks.” What’s happening? It feels as if my thoughts are straying further from my own. As if a single push will have me thrown into a place I can never return from.

“Then kneel, my knight.”

I don’t think I should keep following these orders any longer and yet… my master desires for me to move and so I shall do what it is she commands. My knee fells down to the cold ground beneath me, head lowered as if offering my all to her. This is my place, my purpose, my reason for existing. This is the true purpose and reasoning of a knight.

“Xainayne this goes way too far! Did you brainwash the boy? This is completely unacceptable!” Quinnox seemed far more upset than he should be. Brainwashing? No, my purpose was simply made clear.

“He’s simply been awakened. This is what I call the Black Knight Gahbreal, created by precise training and locked behind a specific command that only I can give. All he has to do is look into my eyes and have me ask him the right questions and he becomes like this. My beautiful, perfect knight. Now stand Gahbreal.”

“Yes master Xainayne.” I rose to me feet to stand tall, prepared for the task at hand. I can feel my fingers itching in anticipation for the fight ahead.

“I wasn’t expecting something normal, but I certainly wasn’t expecting something like this. What in the void did you do Xainayne?” Alvax finally spoke.

“Something that clearly shouldn’t be done”, Destodai responded to the question.

“Just shut up and watch, the faster we get this done the better. Just make sure that Eviax is prepared to take care of him if need be and watch like everyone else will.” Ah my ancient, my master, ever so powerful and with great trust in me. I could never be more grateful. “Gahbreal!”

“At your command.”

“Go forth and fight with everything you have. Leave no one standing and clean up this mess.”

As much as I wanted to resist I couldn’t help but let the smile spread across my face. O how I enjoy dispatching my enemies and even more so when my masters are watching me. The ancients will look upon me today and feel nothing but proud to know that someone with my power is on their side.

As he walked each of the ancients followed closely behind. It was odd to see him take his time with this as if breathing in the fresh air. Gahbreal was like a completely different person as if he were just waking up the first time in years. This was far from normal and why Xainayne had decided to do something like this went over everyone’s heads, but just like Gahbreal the ancient believed that they would have to see him fight in order to understand.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the area, a field of all places littered with large and small tents filled to the brim with people who were all clearly claimants. The air was thick with the mixed scents of them all and it made Gahbreal’s smile swiftly fade away a poor omen. It was almost instant that a shout from the crowd of people alerted the claimants to the presence of the ancients who were surprised to see them there as well as panicked. However, nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.

I stepped forward, heart at the ready, soul bound to my duty. Their faces were symbols of disgust and betrayal to the ones who cared for them most. Things like this only ever happened once in a lifetime and the reasoning did not matter. To betray the ancients, as a claimant, is to betray your own life. I stepped forward and I could feel the words build up within me. It was stupid enough to make a war camp in the middle of the woods, by to place it in a clearing at lower ground was foolish. They would drown in darkness for a mistake like that.

“Lost! Hear me now!” The chattering from the crowd was so clear, as if all my senses were at their peak. Some questioned why I was here, others dreaded my presence and some comforted themselves thinking that this would be easy and the ancients brought themselves here to die… laughable. “You are all guilty of betraying your masters for reasons I don’t care to know, it’s meaningless to question the ranting of upjumped traitors and my actions have already been decided! Your actions are all deplorable, purposes without proper guidance and justice will be the only cure for the disease of you all! No ancient will lift a finger in this fight because they are all caring fathers and mothers who lead their children to victory and peace! I on the other hand! I am their knight, coated in blood and battle with a purpose made fully clear! You sought out retribution and you will be met… with execution.”

It was a sight that would no doubt be rare from that moment forward, Gahbreal preparing for war… a battle of great impact… a fight against hundreds of his fellow claimants. The armor that wrapped around his body as darkness was far too defined compared to normal. He looked as he normally did with his armor and yet every piece was sleek and clean without a single part being out of place, the most noticeable thing being a cape which he never used and yet it flowed behind him as a shroud of pure darkness, shadows that melted into the air as they brushed against the ground. His helmet resembled that of a wolf, another thing different from normal with the same long plume waving in the air behind him like a tassel of shadows. He clutched his axe tightly in his right hand and lifted it to his side as if it were just a small strait sword and that was when the fight truly began.

An arrow flew in his direction, as swift as a shooting star, and he caught it just before it struck his heart. He laughed as he snapped the item in has hand and began sprinting forward into the crowed. Now the battle was truly on.

All it took was a single attack and no one was capable of surviving it. If his axe collided with you then whatever it hit was gone, be it an arm of your torso, you were severed. He moved through the crowed flawlessly, tearing through whoever he came across with ruthlessness and reckless abandon of mercy. One leg, one head, one shoulder, through someone’s waist, through the shoulder collar bone and into the ribs, his weapon as fierce as his body.

A flurry of elemental attacks would come flying in his direction, electricity, fire, ice, vines as well seeming like they aimed to hinder his movement. How utterly useless. He moved his axe to take the electricity first, the feeling of it coursing through his body like a wakeup call as he jumped over the vines and strait through the fire. Nothing seemed to phase him and the icy projectiles that aimed to impale him were all shattered by his axe and fists. A quick rush forward and his hand was gripped tightly on the nature claimant who attacked with vines, the electricity coursing through his veins surging through them and causing them to shake and flail wildly. How disturbingly weak.

He turned to the remaining few, not only making them his targets but everyone behind them as well. He didn’t move a muscle and his presence alone invoked a strange fear. What would he do now? How would he attack and how could they counter it? They couldn’t.

“Flee”, his words rang out through the air as a waved of black and indigo darkness rushed forward from his person and enveloped all who stood in front of him. Screams and panic could be heard spreading through the air and the assault on their senses remained as he continued his attack.

Just like that an entire section of the battlefield was removed from play, shrouded in shadows that no one would dare risk going through. Few who were caught within made out it, the rest still inside screaming and begging for help. There was no time for rest however as Gahbreal continued to press on with his axe in tow. He danced around in combat like an otherworldly entity, as if the way he fought was tailor made for him and no one else of his category. There weren’t many people who could be named capable of lifting his axe and even so none could move it around as freely as he did. Nammay could even recall the weight specifications that Xainayne asked for thinking it was some kind of cruel joke, but looking at it now it was a marvel to behold.

In the blink of an eye he took a stance that was different from normal and everyone who even thought to approach paused. Left hand outstretched, axe held tightly in the right with the axe’s head curling back and around over his left shoulder. What attack could this be? Regardless of the answer no one was prepared for the powerful throw that tore through the air like a whirlwind. His axe Flew forward, unstopped or slowed by the multitude of bodies it cleaved through before hitting the ground.

“How many was that? Fifteen? Twenty?”

“I don’t know! At least a forth of our numbers are gone and barely any time has passed?”

“Don’t touch the shadows! They’ll drive you mad!”

“Don’t stay near him for too long either! Switch in and switch out to avoid going crazy!”

“Where are the fucking archers? We need the archers!”

“The archer line was hit by the axe throw! There aren’t many left but they’re getting into position!”

“He threw his weapon! Now it the time to attack!”

“To me my precious companion. Ignore their voices and come to your one true friend”, Gahbreal spoke as his axe became covered in the indigo edged darkness and slowly began the journey back to his position.

“Attack now!”

Multiple claimants rushed his position and he responded in kind, the first to come within range taking a foot to the face so devastating their feet were lifted from the ground. The other claimants stopped for a moment yet continued the attack, if he received his weapon again then there would be no chance. As if they ever had one to begin with.

“What the hell even is this? Why do you believe something like this even need to exist?” Quinnox questioned Xainayne who looked on at his claimant with pride.

“Because aside from us and the treasures we need at least a single claimant who is more than capable of fighting as if they are meant to be a one man army. In battle we can’t always rely on our claimants to be undefeated and even more so when we share a common enemy. With this we my not even need to raise our hands in any battle, although he’s nowhere near ready for that right now.”

“You speak so surely of yourself Xainayne, but what if your knight is the one who betrays us? Did you think of that outcome?” Florita questioned him next.

“That won’t be a problem because he’s not capable of the thought. I raised him from the ground up, sensed his strength from birth and personally crafted him into the person he is today. He may be opposed to some of our choices and dislikes a few of us in his own way, but he holds respect for us above all else. To him we are his family as much as he is mine and that is an undeniable truth. This is just part of the process to make sure he’ll never be defeated when we need him to succeed.”

“So… you’re just afraid he’ll die and want to make sure your little baby is safe?” Novevu teased at the ancient to which he was met with a glare. No response, although he quickly turned back to monitor his claimant.

By now he was still at work, his bare hands breaking bones and grabbing victims to throw and break under the strength of his grip. The axe was steadily making its way back and yet he still moved with the same dancing movements as before, fists and feet pounding and ripping his opponents apart. By now, with the amount of people rushing his position, nearly half of the opposing claimants were done in.

“Is this all you have to offer? You’re like ants marching beneath my heels to be smothered out like waning flames. You should have taken your weakness into consideration before challenging your masters the way you have! Now you’ll die without even getting to lay a finger on them.”

As his words finished an barrage of arrows soared through the sky, their target clear and yet his hands quickly moved to intercept them. It was magical to see his arms like snakes slicing through the air to knock down all the arrows, or at least all but one.

The arrow slammed into his chest and yet he didn’t move or show any sign of immediate reaction. Everyone watched as if they had accomplished the task of finishing him off, a clean shit directly on his heart, and yet he did not fall nor did he flatter. Xainayne had to force herself to stay put, to keep from rushing to her claimant’s side. This was his task, his trail, but it was difficult to see him suffer any pain that wasn’t done for the sake of his strengthening. The laugh that began to creep outward from him however was not a good sign.

“Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful! To imagine that I would feel pain such as this… magnificent. It would be the most honorable of deaths to fight and die for the sake of my masters, these figures above all else and yet you seem as if you believe this is a moment for your own celebration! No. This is the moment where I finally take you all seriously”, he spoke as the area on his armor where the eyes would rest began to glow a bright chilling red.

Simply looking at them sent a shiver up your spine, the armor that was once clean and powerful rippling like water. Even with the worry that came with it Xainayne couldn’t help but smile. The red eyes, the armor moving like sheets of water, the way he now carried himself. Gahbreal was finally taking this seriously. For the first time Gahbreal would fight with everything he has as was the purpose of it all. This entire process was to push his claimant to the limits, make him fight as if he had nothing holding him back. Gahbreal normally hated the fighting, the violence, the power he was gifted with. When he activated him like this, used the brainwashing that had been trained into him for years, then he would throw that all away. This wasn’t the true Gahbreal, it was the Gahbreal that abandoned his true feelings.

He turned in the direction of the archers which had now began to ready another volley of arrows and once again a wave of shadows swept forward like a rushing tide. Of course they couldn’t escape it, it was much faster than the previous time. His axe came flying towards him at an increased speed, his right hand outstretched as the weapon found itself back into his grasp. He continued to laugh yet again as if some great joke were known only to him which no one else could comprehend.

“Don’t mock us! We won’t lose to some claimant!”

“We’ve been planning this for years. You won’t stop us now!”

“Hurry up and die already! You can’t win with a wound like that!”

His red eyes gazed over the crowed of survivors, still about a little under half of them remaining. His work was indeed cut out for him and yet under the darkness that shrouded him he would be found to continue smiling to the bitter end.

“I can’t win? Is that what you think? Mocking you? I won’t stop you?” He laughed as if all of their words were simple jokes and banter. “Foolish. How utterly foolish! I refuse to die until my job is done. Your ranks are sundered, your moral waning and you believe you can stand up to e after landing a few choice hits? I won’t even bother dodging or defending another attack. From this moment on I will fight as if the fates of every ancient, every loving parent who stands and watches… hangs in the balance. That is my wretched gift to you.”

The enemy charged forward, their anger and malice clear on their faces and yet I would fret not at the sight of it. None of it mattered to me as I fell backwards to the ground into the loving grasp of the void. As I passed through that eternal darkness I could feel it calling out to me, arms outstretched as if begging me to let go and yet I still was not done with my duty!

I fell forth from the void above the battlefield, my precious companion in tow, my beloved, my Ruinous Edge, and I let my darkness seep into its very core. Before now it was as if the weapon refused to respond to anything else and yet my dedication was everything here and it felt that dedication pumping through me like blood through my veins. It did not coat the weapon as it does me, no, it slipped into the very fabric of its making and became one with the tool. Every edge of it now glowing with the same indigo light that I remember beckoning me from the darkness when I needed it most. It was always there, by my side all along!

Ruinous Edge, O Ruinous Edge, how I have named you so. As we fall together and out bodies are one will you gift me all your power as I have mine? You are not simply just a tool or an item to be used as such, but a glorious friend who will forever be by my side. My darkness is your darkness, my shadow is your shadow, my everything is your everything. Fight by my side until the bitter end! Be by my side until the bitter end! I am a knight and as such you are my one true companion on this lonesome journey! So please… Give me your all.

Everyone looked around frantically as if wondering where he might be and yet the ancients already knew, eyes trained towards the sky to see Gahbreal falling with his weapon in tow, glowing as if it had its own heartbeat.

“I’ve never seen this before. He never has been able to use his weapon effectively until now", Xainayne spoke which caught Nammay’s attention.

“When you asked me to make it you specified the material and that I make it an amplifier for his abilities, although he has no abilities for attack so I’ve been confused as to why. Perhaps we will see what he can do with it right now.”

By the time anyone noticed him it was far past too late, his feet planting themselves on the ground and his axe held in reverse, head of the tool plunging towards the ground. Just one look at the weapon and no one hesitated to rush forward. It was ominous, spine chilling, frightful to even see and yet the instincts of all claimants present told them to attack before he could finish the attack. Even so no one was nearly fast enough and as the head of the axe began its decent into the ground until only the handle was left pointing upwards everyone could feel a deep sense of dread overcome them.

The ground beneath them seemed to pulsate, veins of black and blue spreading across the ground like a disease and just when no one believed it could get worse or do too much damage every vein erupted. The ground split open into small fissure, thick plumes of pure indigo spraying forth from the pitch black cracks that had now formed. It was hard to see, hard to move even and simply touching them caused victims to flail in madness and panic. The screaming, the crying out! It was intoxicating for no one but Gahbreal himself.

The ancients looked on in disbelief and disgust as this claimant who they had known to be so sincere and kind even with the duty he bared shows his fangs in a way that no one would have been prepared for and yet even as they thought this not a single one was incapable of denying his dedication as everywhere in the surrounding area was coated in this attack excluding the area around them. All they could do was watch on as it seemed these former claimants were drowning in despair and agony. Some crying out for their ancients, some crying out for their parents, others crying out for mercy and yet still some simply cried like children. A terrible experience.

Through the vestiges of darkness, madness and the void Gahbreal could be seen fighting on as if pain and madness were nothing to him. Spears impaling him, other claimant abilities pelting him head on, he refused to avoid or block a single one just as he had said! He plowed through attack after attack like a tank as his armor reused to fade and his weapon never once imagining to falter. Every slice it made through the air left a ringing vestige of madness that could no longer be passed through, it was as if the weapon and the aftermath of its attack resulted in instantaneous madness, amplifying nothing but the level of exposure! Every cut or tear to the flesh would cause the blood in the body to rush with it, their veins glowing with the same indigo hue as if their very bodies were being infected with madness itself and yet the panic for such a trick took time to set in. His weapon was no doubt far too dangerous in his hands.

It seemed like hours and yet it only took maybe thirty minutes for the silence to kick in, the rushing darkness the only thing that could be heard and it was at that point that the fissures died down and the shadows and madness subsided and fell like waves of water crashing to the ground and fading into nothing. What was left? Nothing short of a bloodbath with Gahbreal standing triumphantly in the midst of it, axe raised high as if declaring his victory whilst weapons of all sorts protruded from his body. Xainayne was the first to rush forward to him as everyone else followed behind.

“My duty is fulfilled. None left standing. Let this be a reminder that no one is to ever raise their hand to the ancients again or it will be me and my companion that they’re left to deal with… me… and me alone… I will fight… on my own…” The axe fell to the ground from his hand and as soon as it did the darkness retreated from its craft, him soon falling to the ground behind it.

“Gahbreal! I’m right here with you”, no response other than raspy breathing. His eyes shined a bright red as he looked on at his ancient’s face filled with worry. He wanted to tell him that this was perfect, that dying in this way was exactly how it should be and yet the words wouldn’t form in his throat.

“Make him send away the armor”, Eviax demanded as she approached the claimant and his ancient. “I don’t want to risk getting affected by his madness while I’m trying to work.”

“You hear her Gahbreal”, the ancient spoke to which Gahbreal responded by sending the armor off of his person like a thick molasses that crept to the ground before fading away. The sight was atrocious.

His body was burned, punctured and sundered in multiple places. There were cuts and slashes everywhere as well as hole that bore into and even through his body in some instances. His veins looked to be burned out, no doubt by the electricity he took in, and his skin seemed to have been effected by multiple abilities in multiple areas. Rotting, degrading, frozen, it even seemed as if in some places he had been torn into by jets of water and yet what did the most damage was the flames no doubt which had burned away most of the skin from his body. He looked as if he shouldn’t be alive and upon looking at his face again Xainayne would find that he was not.

“It’s fine, I can take care of things from here”, Eviax spoke quickly.

“Xainayne”, Novevu spoke before anyone else could get the chance, as if anyone else wanted to speak. “I don’t believe I ever want to see or hear about anything like this again. I don’t care how dire the situation or what you believe should be done. Never let me see something like this again. Your claimants don’t deserve to experience death in this manner and you should be more than capable of understanding that by now.”

“Of course, I understand.”

The words were quick to leave her lips and things were truly distasteful to see end up like this. This was not an expected turn of events, but that just meant the boy would need to be tempered. Gahbreal wished to protect everyone in as best a way he could so this wasn’t just for the ancient of darkness but also for her loyal claimant who was at odds with his purpose and feelings. He would be better next time but for now this ordeal wasn't to leave this group of ancients and Eviax.

As his eyes rolled opened he brushed his fingers against his face. What had happened? Where had he been? It felt as if he were walking in unfamiliar skin and even that didn’t feel like a proper description.

He looked across the room at his axe which rested against the wall, a feeling of comfort rushing over him to see it which confused him and yet he didn’t pay it much mind. For now he was far too focused on his newest development, the red glowing eyes that stared back at him from his reflection on the polished metal. Was that really his own eyes?

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Jul 11, 2021 22:07:58 GMT

Post by Stoopdo on Jul 11, 2021 22:07:58 GMT

The Lonesome Hunter

In the deep wilderness of southern Europe, Loic would find himself meandering about as usual, this time, looking to find a proper meal for him to hunt. For most people, that would mean some quality meat from the local butcher...Not for this man. He needed no money, for he was a hunter. Taking a deep breath, he would pull out his trusty bow, Gaoth, and begin looking about. One might call him a lonesome being, but in actuality, he wasn't exactly alone...

"Oi there, been a while since we talked..." Loic uttered to himself in a slightly different tone of voice, to which he then huffed as he stalked through the bushes, continuing to speak in an ushered tone. "A while? Been fockin' ages, ya scooner..." He then went through the bushes, his furs and mask of dirt helping him blend into the environment. "Whatcha huntin' now, eh? Rabbits?" "Deer, actually...Should be everywhere in this part o' Croatia..." After finding a suitable spot, Loic stood still, as he saw what seem to be silhouettes of deer in the distance. "Easily feart, mate, y'better be a wee bit careful." "Aye, aye, wha'ever." He said, calmly looking on as he could see them come closer. So he decided to blend in even further, the fur he had on seemingly fusing into his skin and having lighter patches here and there, making him harder to spot..."Ooohoho, noice and sleekit. Been thinkin'. Y'ever get bored o' this?" "Naw, why th'fock y'asking me now? "'Coz five years mate. Five bloody years. How ya even manage t' live like tha'?" As he could see a Deer approach, he immediately put an index and middle finger against his lip. "Haud yer wheesht fer once, dammit." He then observed, finding that the upcoming prey happened to be a rather meaty-looking stag...Good think he put his face-mask on and wore his lucky wolf hat. To cap the luck off, he would proceed to pull out a handmade arrow from his quiver, and give the tip of it a brief lick before slooooowly stretching it against the string as he set the bow upwards. He would steadily aim towards the stag aaaaand--

The hunt begins...

With the arrow landing a clear shot at the neck, the buck would immediately run off, but Loic was far from done, because this was where the fun would begin...He would give chase, his body taking on a more canine form as the fur and bow on him melded together, turning him into a wolf of rather impressive size, and moreso in speed. The Claimant ran and ran after the beastie, tracking its scent using his enhanced senses.

Eventually, the shapeshifter found his pray, laying on the ground in a puddle of blood. Since it was dying by this point, he had transformed back into his true form and check for signs of life. Feeling the stag struggle, he proceeded to carress its neck as he would pull out a crude hunting knife that had been hanging from his side, speaking extremely quietly. "Baw's on the slates, buck. Rest now, laddie, y'fought yer best...Sorry, bu' y'kno' how it is, the predators gotta feed. Hope ya found a bonnie doe tha' fancied ya." And with that, a stab in the neck, and all was over. Its soul would now return to the cycle and be reborn as another being, in another time. With that done, he would then disect it, and pull out its heart, burying it next to the corpse so that its spirit could rest, else bad luck follows. A hunter without his superstitions wasn't a hunter at all. Once this small ritual was done with, he would wrap the deer in a blanket of leather, before picking it up by the legs and coming back to his campfire at a calm pace.

The woods were filled with fresh spring air...

"Woo, tha' was a fun one, got me all yaldy. Say, remember me question?" "I live like tha' 'cause Ah wanna. 'Cause is natural an' Ah umnae shoved b'tween walls nor dragged along with money. Why'd I ever get boke o' it? Is th' life ah lived b'fore and I see nothin' wrong with tha', so awa' an' bile yer heid." The convo with himself continued on, with his actual self being a bit irritated by...Himself. When you live alone for a while in the wilds, you tend to learn to take up time in various ways. "Aye, aye, but widnae be fun if ya got someone b'sides me with ya? Per'aps a bonnie lass t'keep ya warm eh--" "Psssh, shut yer geggie. Whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye! Naw in a rush fer anythin'. Got me food, got cousins in th' hoose, wha' else would I ever need, eh?" With that, the hunter would go back to his camp and begin preparing the buck, first skinning it, making sure the horns would stay intact for him to make a new hat out of...The last one was getting old and reeking, and since it wasn't his lucky huntin' cap, it means it may as well be tossed in the fire! After the skinning, he would stretch the animal using multiple long sticks, letting it slowly cook up as he occasionally turned it, following with carefully tanning the hide...

Ilnonta's Husband

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Jul 17, 2021 6:47:24 GMT

Post by Dobu on Jul 17, 2021 6:47:24 GMT

An Assassin With Love

A wedding, a pairing between two ancients, how despicable. Between Novevu and Florita of all beings as well! It was as if every action Florita took was to outshine and stand above him. Flori could not see it all any other way and there was no reason to do so. Florita specifically was a thorn in his side, an ancient which would undermine his authority by existing in the slightest manner. Was nature not a part of earth? Should his powers not include everything that exists on and within the earth he controls as well?

“Flori?” The claimant who stood by called out to him.

“You’re still here? What is it?”

“The wedding sir. How will you be going about handling the wedding? As your claimants we should all be prepared for whatever decision you make here.”

“Hm”, the ancient looked out the window for a moment. “Give me more time. I will give my decision later. I don’t have time for this right now.”

The claimant bowed in an orderly manner before turning away to take his leave from the room. He looked so much like a butler it made sense that he acted as a sort of attendant to his ancient of the earth, however he knew this was simply a means to waste time. There was no doubt that Flori would have some kind of plan up his sleeve for this situation but they would just have to wait and see what the ancient would choose to do.

He despised everything that Florita did and didn’t really care much for the other ancients as a whole, or anyone else for that matter. It was the reason why he worked to aid humans in their progression of society, the reason why he ordained to erase what the nature ancient has built. The more power and strength he would gain the better and in time he would eventually gain what it is he truly desires. This wedding, this joining of Novevu and Florita, was just another thing to agitate him further. As if it were a personal assault on himself that she would dare to have a relationship of her own, prove to have her own family in the future while he could not.

“Take your time with the decision. I will be waiting patiently sir.” The claimant spoke as the door closed, that was when things took a rather unexpected turn. Behind the once opened door stood quietly a person who almost seemed completely unfamiliar until his face could be seen clearly. His eyes, his features, hair, complexion, all things that one would be an idiot to not recognize at this point. How he managed to find himself in everyone’s realms at any given moment was still a mystery and yet it was the first time seeing him here.

“Hello Flori. Just stopping by for a chat, no need for alarm.” Nier was dressed quite averagely albeit in all black, alarming to say the least.

A long black silken coat with slacks and a clean button up shirt, the top few buttons undone as if attempting to be unrestricted. Around his neck hung a rather ornate necklace that seemed very out of place yet it stayed quite comfortably there. He never wore gloves as far as he knew and there were black, plain shoes on his feet that seemed as if they wouldn’t leave a single trace behind. He looked comfortable, too comfortable, as if he belonged there.

“What do you want Nier? Shouldn’t you be attending to Nammay’s needs? Or better yet following behind Chaemai like a lost dog? How did you even get here anyway?”

“Don’t worry about it”, he spoke with a chuckle. “I just wanted to speak with you about a rather important matter. This will be entirely off the record mind you as it would be best that no one knows of this conversation.”

How did someone so stupid always manage to speak so clearly and sly? At times he was a complete joke and then at others it was as if he were a completely different person. What could this child of Nammay be hiding? What secrets could he be holding onto? Thinking about it he always spent long periods of time on his own and managed to be on of the few people who kept his distance from Stasia yet would call her a friend. Surely he was hiding something.

“That’s too bad because I’m rather busy right now. Whatever you wish to speak about can wait until a later time.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way but I have to insist that we speak about this very important topic. I hope you don’t mind me being a bit forceful on the matter.” He approached the nearest seat he could find and leaned against the arm of it. It was so difficult to tell what he was doing, far too open to put up any sort of fight and yet confident in a way that was unsettling beyond compare.

“Excuse me? Do you not know who you’re talking to?”

“Of course I do. I’m talking to an ancient who’s managed to be so hard of hearing that it’s unfathomable so I’ll make this very clear for you. We’re going to have a talk and how you feel about that doesn’t matter. If it did then I would have asked if you wanted to talk.”

The nerve of him! Who does he believe he is? “Nier, maybe you’ve forgotten your position or your place in all of this but you do not tell me what to do. In fact no one tells me what to do and you’d do well to understand that.”

“Oh my, well then I guess you’re just going to have to get used to this because I won’t be indulging your personal needs today. What I have to talk about is bigger than the both of us and you’ll soon come to understand that.” He stood up strait and approached the ancient with a rather plain demeanor. “I simply want to talk to you about this wedding.”

The wedding? Was he really disturbing him with something so trivial? No doubt it is a rather serious matter for two ancients to become a pair, but it wasn’t as if it really mattered to him in a substantial way. It would be nice to prevent it, to find a sort of way to ruin this for Florita, to ruin anything for Florita really. She didn’t deserve to be happy in any way as far as Flori was concerned.

“I don’t care for the wedding and, as I said previously, I have more important things to attend to. So if you would be so kind as to leave and go home then I would be grateful to be rid of this annoyance.”

“Dear lord, you’re such a child. No, even some children are more capable of handling themselves in a better manner.”

“What? I will not tolerate some flirtatious imbecile insulting me in such a manner! How far you can manage to step out of line while being one of the biggest idiots of all the claimants is beyond me but I wont stand for this!”

“Is that supposed to be some kind of threat? You sure do love to talk but it’s always the important questions that are missing in this types of situations. I ask many questions, like who is who, what is what, how are things the way they are as well as why it all matters. It’s how I know just how much of an insufferable dick you are and why I decided that this visit was necessary to begin with.”

The atmosphere was tense, both the Nier and Flori becoming more agitated by the minute. Nier wasn’t nearly as intimidated as the ancient felt he should be and yet Flori himself wasn’t as cautious as the situation called for. Only two people knew what it was like to deal with a serious Nier and both knew just how serious it could be. The way his mother ordained to describe him was with compliments, saying ‘he’s such a sweet boy and always cares for others, but he can get a bit out of hand if he feels he must’. Meanwhile Nammay would take to saying things more clearly with a simple ‘he knows how to handle himself and sometimes a bit too well. It’s best not to get on his bad side, if that’s even possible’. Nier on the other hand was a completely different case.

“Just because you managed to weasel your way into the heart of an ancient does not mean you can simply go about saying and doing whatever you want, Nier. Chaemai was more than foolish enough to let herself be swept away by some run of the mill claimant, but that just goes to show how little her judgment can be trusted.”

What a nuisance.

“You see, this is exactly why I came here”, Nier spoke as he moved closer, the tip of his nose nearly brushing against the ancient’s. “For some Void forsaken reason you can’t seem to figure out when to keep your mouth shut. I’d think that a person with so much power would be well beyond these childish outbursts and yet here you are, displaying just how weak you are in front of a claimant of all things. Then again I suppose its only natural for the weaker to protest and whine to the strong.”

“Are you suggesting that I’m weaker than you are?”

“I’m saying that if you weren’t you wouldn’t be standing her like some horny teenager voicing his opinions on how he thinks things are instead doing something about it with your own fucking hands!”

His words were like flame setting upon tinder, insult after insult, phrase after phrase like bullets aimed strait for Flori as if enticing him to react. People like the ancient were never good with handling insults and in this case that was what he had been counting on. He could physically see the anger making an impression on the ancient’s face and the moment he raised his fist to strike the boy was the moment Nier could see this all going in his favor. He came here for this exact reason and he wasn’t going to let it slip by.

Just as swiftly as he found himself in the same room with the earth ancient he carefully dodged the attack. It was easily managed and without so much of a look of worry or tension on his face. Flori was caught, right in the palm of his hands and the look in his eyes revealed that he knew as much. This boy wasn’t to be played with and as his right hand slammed against the ancient’s neck with speed that couldn’t be countered he could feel his grip tighten ever so suddenly.

“This is what I meant when I said weaker you know. You act as if you’re so high and mighty yet when you have a problem you slink around in the background like some sort of midday rat looking for their next scrap of food. Meanwhile here I am with a problem of my own, right in your face without a worry in the world.” His left hand pressed against the ancient’s back and within only a few seconds time he could feel his feet lifted from the ground before his entire body was brought down to the earth headfirst, Nier’s hand still firmly clasped around his neck. “I don’t mind how you feel, some people are simply just less than and it’s pretty obvious. That’s why we have ranks and names after all. Even so I still wish to talk but now it’s just going to be slightly different.”

How was this claimant so strong? If he wasn’t strong then he simply knew what he was doing and this position wasn’t something he could easily get up from. There was a slight struggle at first but it was clear that he wouldn’t be letting him go until he was done and the tightening grip on his neck was reason enough to cease resistance. Would he really kill him in this scenario? The boy was known for always carrying weapons on him, but it seemed he didn’t have any on his person for now and yet he still had him in a position like this?

“What do you want from me?”

“Would you look at that. How quickly someone can become cooperative when their life is on the line.” His words were like needles piercing through his skin. He’s far too dangerous. “I only came here because I enjoy the happiness that Novevu and Florita bring to one another. I may be seen as a womanizer or some flirtatious asshole, but you’d be surprised at how set my heart really is on these types of things. Love is sacred and should be treated with the utmost respect so I’m only going to say this once… leave those two be. I don’t much care for what you personally feel but I do care about seeing the fruits of this pairing. Call it a desire to see what comes of it, if you will.”

Flori struggled for a moment as if trying to get more air, an action that caused Nier to loosen his grip ever so slightly. “What if I were to refuse your little request? Would that displease you?”

Nier sighed. He lifted his left hand and upon doing so a simple metallic fork floated across the room into the palm of his hand and melted into a small ball before reshaping itself into a long, thin needle. He examined it for a short moment before smiling with his work and holding the needle plainly between his fingers.

“I wouldn’t have a need to be upset really because it wouldn’t be my problem anymore. In fact I believe that while Flau would be rather upset with me at first he’d quickly grow accustomed to being an ancient.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Yet I’m right here with you in my grasp because the consequences escape me. The weapon in question would be one of my making, the needle just a display to show you that I could literally make whatever I want. I could make it look as if anyone did it with any weapon I desire and the only thing that would be left to know the difference is dear sweet Stasia using her abilities to search your corpse for the memories… well… if I do decide to leave a corpse. Not that I’m trying to hide anything from the ancients because that would be far too much of a drag anyhow. I’d just like us all to live in peace. Is that too much to ask?”

Too much to ask while holding a life in your hands is what Flori wanted to say and yet the look in this claimant’s eyes at this point was far too foreign. It felt as if the teal eyes were like that of a snake’s preparing to strike him down at any moment. Up until this point he had only seen him as an average claimant with Nammay’s favor but it was clear now that was anything but the case.

“Fine, I hear what you’re getting at. Now will you get off of me?” If he played his cards right it would be rather easy to get back at Nier for this one. Simply taking the fork he had used and getting Stasia to review it in order to have the others see his insubordination.

“Alright alright. No need to get your panties in a twist, dear Flori.” As he released him and backed away the needle formed itself back into a tiny orb which began to compact until it became far too small to even be seen or traced. That plan was out the window. “You just do your best to tolerate things and I will do the same. Nice and easy.”

The boy turned to leave, an action that would have normally warranted an attack but if he was so bold as to turn his back on an ancient he just threatened then there was no doubt something wrong here. Did he not care or did he simply believe himself to be that much stronger than him? What nerve or maybe it was just the level of confidence he carried. Either was it would be a foolish decision to try attacking him in this situation. The ancient could feel that he was in danger just being in the same room as this child.

“Oh yeah, by the way.” He spoke as he did a small motion with his hand as if beckoning a loyal dog to his side. “Never speak ill of my precious Chaemai again. I don’t think I’ll be capable of controlling myself next time if you do. I came here on behalf of two ancients who I respect and hold in high regard because of the way they respect others and how I want them to go without facing hardships, but even though I’m not an ancient I’m more than willing to fight one to the death for the sake of even the reputation of the one I’m in love with.” With another motion of his hand Nier’s two khanjar came flying from the ancient’s own shirt and back towards their owner where they neatly tucked themselves within his jacket. When they managed to get there a secret of its own and yet onw that made the ancient shiver to think that his weapons were always nearby and so close yet unnoticed. “Let’s hope I don’t have to visit again when it’s time for my own wedding.”

With the conversation done and his purpose here complete he quickly and quietly exited the room and snuck his way out of the nearest window, his feet hitting the ground with a thud which caught the attention of the patiently waiting Gahbreal.

“It’s bafflin’ how you never seem to be capable of goin’ anywhere without sneakin’ your way in like some sort of thief.” He questioned the Arab male who laughed in response. “Let’s go before we get attacked by someone else like the last time.”

With those words the two both stepped into the Void where they found themselves standing in a rather empty area surrounded by what seemed like a stark nothing. Nier raised an eyebrow and looked to his friend who seemed to have a far more serious look than he was expecting.

“What’s going on here? You didn’t mess it up did you?” He questioned Gahbreal with a playful demeanor.

“Nier… just how old are you?” the question caught his friend off guard.

“Twenty-nine, why do you ask?”

“Nier I know that’s a lie, I ain’t stupid. Just how long have you been around? I know what your job is, I’ve seen you work and I know that you’ve been workin’ for longer than I know. Tell me just how long you’ve been around?”

The boy looked at Gahbreal, his eyes honing in and shimmering in a way that was off putting. It was as if his gaze was injecting venom directly into his veins and yet Gahbreal gave a look of the same intensity, like a starving wolf prepared to rip his prey apart. This was the first time they had ever spoken about Nier’s work, in fact it was the first time anyone other than Nammay and his mother spoke about his work. It was clear that the topic wasn’t something he was comfortable talking about. Why did it have to be now?

“That’s classified information. My work is quite private and the people who give me jobs wouldn’t be happy to know that I’ve been sharing information that I’m not supposed to be sharing.”

“Oh that’s a load of bullshit! You’re even in a relationship with Chaemai, the ancient who’s closest with Stasia and you avoid her touch as if it would kill you!” His words made his friend ever so slightly more hostile, but it could only be seen in his eyes which were now more coldblooded than ever before. “I’ve shared secrets, told you things that no one should know, hell me taking you around like this breaks rules constantly and yet I do it all anyway because you’re my friend. You can at least tell me one thing about yourself that’s actually serious.”

“Then give me a simpler question.” Nier’s words caused Gahbreal to pause. His gaze had softened and gone back to a far simpler and normal look, the one he was more accustomed to seeing and yet it made him wonder what the other even was. “You’re wording your questions wrong. I won’t answer direct questions like that because it’s classified and I can’t break certain rules… ask me something different. I'll only do this for you this one time so you have three questions.”

Gahbreal paused for a moment. He could learn quite a bit from this alone and yet he had to word things correctly if he planned to gain any knowledge from this. Nier was always an enigma and tended to hold more secrets than anyone gave him credit for. He rarely ever spoke of the past and yet when he did it was always about the same things. He spoke of his childhood but never specified when or where, he spoke of his father but never gave many details about the man. Even when he met him the first time by Nammay’s request he always looked the same and yet it seemed like it happened so long ago. What would be the right type of question for him?

“Do you know about the Chalice incident that happened a while back?”

“Of course I do, everyone knows about that catastrophe.”

He needed a better question.

“Do you remember the Shadow House as well?”

“What? You think I wouldn’t have looked up something like that? If I’m going to hold anything over your head it’s going to be that.”

Another poor question. He needed to think of something that could only be answered in a straightforward way. Nier would clearly dodge all of his questions if he could so this would have to be worded in a way that could only be given an answer he could work with. He was hesitant to even ask the next question, a look of worry replacing his previously more hostile and serious one. For a moment Nier could see traces of fear and dread lingering in the back of his eyes and yet it filled him with a solemn sense of relief to know that his friend was in fact doing all of this out of his own curiosity. Revealing things about himself was always a rather touchy subject and if he could always go about it without repercussions then that would be nice, but the world isn't always so clear cut.

“Gahbreal? What is it?”

“Did you hear about it when Abigail died?” The name tore a hole in his chest and Nier could see the pain it caused him to even use it. He normally used codenames or false names to keep from remembering it too clearly but he wasn’t going to do that this time. Nier knowing the name alone would be proof enough.

“Gahbreal, I don’t think that-“

“Nier, did you hear about it or not?”

Nier paused for a moment. He was hesitant and yet it was clear that it wasn’t because he didn’t want to answer the question, but rather because it was a question he’d hoped not to hear. The implications of this question. The power the question itself held as well as what it meant that he was willing to even ask him made it seem as if he were unwilling to give a half assed answer yet didn’t want to hear a question like this at all. What he did instead was give the simplest response he could. His eyes turned away, regret as well as sorrow shaded in teal resting on him as he finally opened his lips.

“Yes."

Gahbreal smiled, a reaction that caught his friend off guard and yet it put them both at ease.

"That's good to know. I mean it." Nier couldn't keep from returning his smile yet remained silent. "Let's get you back to Chaemai, I'm sure she's missing you already."

A quick few steps and the two men found themselves in a place that was far too fancy for Gahbreal's liking and yet Nier smiled to his friend and patted him on the shoulder. The gesture alone was enough to lighten their moods even more and just before the dark-skinned male could step back through the Void his voice made him pause a moment.

"Give Cyva my regards and tell her thank you for letting me borrow you tonight. I appreciate you always doing these favors for me. I mean it."

An honest smile and he was gone, leaving the metal claimant to stand for a moment with his thoughts. It seemed as if he were prepared to lose his temper and yet at the same time as if he were ready to burst into tears. This friendship in which they shared was far too deep, as if over time they had become more like brothers than he had hoped and it was a rather dangerous development. The two of them were two sides of the same card in certain aspects and yet that just meant they shouldn't get any closer. What worried him most however was if he could even manage stopping that development? Even his mother treated Gahbreal like a long lost brother. At times he felt like the closest person to him and at other times he felt as if they were too close.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was like a soothing melody in his ears.

"My sweet love, I don't believe I could ever manage to be in a foul mood when your voice is within earshot. Like the melody song by a chorus of archangels I can feel myself entranced already."

"So you say, and yet", she spoke as she brushed her hand across his cheek to catch a few teardrops. "These tell me a different story."

His eyes now wide as he realized his situation. He might not have even realized it if she didn't show him. How troubling to think that he would find himself baring these emotions right in front of her, showing signs of weakness like this. "Well that's unsettling. I promise however it is nothing to worry about. Just lost in thought for a moment there."

"You know you can tell me anything, right Nier? What was it that you told me again? When you took my ring and worked on it again?" She lifted her hand to his face to show him the ring he had given her, still the first but even more polished and almost carrying an unearthly glow.

"I said that we are one, everything you carry I will carry alongside you. Even if everything else were to be erased all I'll need is you and you alone. Till the very end of time. Well I'd been chasing after you for so long it makes sense that I could survive with nothing but you, sweet love." He gave the ring a kiss before moving her hand away and leaning in to give her a kiss on the lips. It always felt as if time could freeze when they were connected like this, the tingling sensation on his lips as if he could feel her emotions in volts just as he pulled away. "We'll speak on it later tonight. For now lets go out and have a fun time."

Chaemai nodded and licked her lips, a look in her eyes that he knew all to well by now and could only respond with a nervous chuckle. They were planning to explore the streets of France for that evening, but if she was going to be like this they wouldn't make it very far. He leaned in once again to give her a far more intimate kiss. This time intent on satiating his lover's desires before they continued with their date.

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Jul 20, 2021 19:28:15 GMT

Post by Dobu on Jul 20, 2021 19:28:15 GMT

This Is What It Feels Like?

How this had managed to happen again neither of them could say. How two people, two claimants who had found themselves to be at each other’s throats consistently could spend so much time together was beyond him. All it ever took was a few drinks and things would find themselves going in any sort of direction regardless of whatever quarrel they were swept into prior. Phita and Daenu certainly didn’t help, making them work together on a regular basis despite how much they disagreed with one another, but perhaps they simply had some ulterior motive? No doubt Daenu just wanted Haden to get along with Phita’s claimants at all.

These types of things were dreadful to say the least for Haden, lacking a certain spark he found himself seeking at most times. Anyone who knew the male would say he was missing ‘conflict’ while Daenu would tell him to find a little peace. Neither of the two were really things he wanted after yet they were certainly integral parts of his desires. The moans of his two partners, a rather beautiful woman and a well beyond drunken Shinzo weren’t making his focus any better. His own drunken state was a thing of its own.

Drinks ever only did so much for him, the people back home would simply say he gained his father’s charisma and charm, but all that meant was he could down a hundred pints and not feel the need to stop. His blood was like a toxin in its own right and his body the funnel that buried it all away. The only upside was that alcohol didn’t freeze so he could keep himself cold and intoxicated all at once, but now it had managed to be unbearably hot! Of course it was a poor choice to let Shinzo choose their companion for the night, another fire claimant as he always decided upon. Then again they were some of the only people who could handle the consistent changes in temperature that involved being with the two men.

Haden was displeased, although he wouldn’t voice it this time. Something had him feeling too comfortable and in a sense more tired than normal. Maybe it was the energy expended to keep himself cooled off? Maybe not. It was quite the opposite really and the constant heat made it easy to manage just how cold he became and allowed for a greater energy output without tiring out! It didn’t make sense, but when the female claimant proclaimed a need for the restroom he would take the time to relax and get some rest.

He wanted to sleep and yet he could still hear Shinzo’s heavy breathing on the other side of the bed, not that his own deep breaths were silent either. He could still smell the alcohol on the fire claimant’s breath from there and turned on his side, sheets over his head as he always did, a pocket of cool air under the thick blankets.

The shuffling behind him was unsettling to say the least. The lights were off, far too dark to see anything and he had no idea what was even happening around him. It all seemed so distorted but that was what happened when you drank about twenty pints of liquor and gin, but no amount of distortion was going to make the fingers in his hair go unnoticed.

What in the love of god is he doin? Or at least that was what he wanted to say and yet it felt as if his throat couldn’t form the word, maybe it didn’t want to. He could feel his warm breath on the back of his neck which sent the slightest shiver up his spine. Did he know what he was doing? Maybe Haden was confused himself and had him confused with their company for the night? No, the smell of alcohol was strong and clearly the type of stuff that. He could feel his face so close to him, the tip of his nose brushing against his hair. What could he be thinking right now?

“You smell like lavender. Chestnuts with honey.”

Now hold on a damn moment. Is this fecker smellin’ me damn hair? Oh no no no, I don’t think so! He almost mustered up the clarity of mind to push himself up and protest to what was happening but a heavy hand on the back of his neck was more than enough to keep him in place. Why was Shinzo so strong? Why couldn’t he get him off? He had never realized the disparity in their strength before but then again he always kept his distance when they managed to fight one another, that and regardless of how many times he had challenged him to intoxicated arm wrestling matches he had never managed to actually win. This was different, there was no opportunity to fight back.

Do I want to fight back?

What was that? What the hell was he just thinking about? That was clearly not his own thoughts, surely he was far too drunk to make sense of what he was doing anymore…

This isn’t so bad. Not if it’s him.

He could feel the warmed in his cheeks, the shaking of his eyes as these thoughts grew clearer and clearer. He wasn’t drunk at all anymore and that was becoming increasingly clear. They hadn’t drunk anything for almost and hour and this situation alone was enough to sober him up, but then what did these thoughts mean? Why now of all times? Why was he feeling this way?

This is okay. I don’t mind it.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU—

This was odd, but not unwelcome. Up until this point their company had been rather stoic in her role, but now she had managed to become rather docile and submissive. The woman would never be held down this easily so maybe she had finally exhausted herself or maybe was just ready to let him take the lead. Either way he would not pass up on the opportunity.

Their clothes were already removed so this would involve far less work, she seemed nervous and yet this was certainly not a first for her. The swordsman could have sworn she had longer hair and was taller than this but there was no point in questioning it now. With this new development he opted to question how far he could take this, what boundaries he could cross and how far she was willing to allow him to go? Previously she was rather specific in her tastes and yet now was the perfect opportunity to take charge.

Haden nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the warm hand press against his waist, a nervous shake growing from within his bones yet kept to a minimum. By now he was well aware of his situation and yet unwilling to attempt to stop it. This is fine. This is okay. This is what he wanted. Something within his soul was steadily yearning for this connection and he was more than willing to see it through, for now at least. The even warmer, borderline burning breath that hit the back of his neck instinctively caused him to cool the location off, another shiver sliding down his spine as he did which only seemed to make his yakuza rival even more aggressive. Up until now he had believed him to be running on fumes, thinking he were the lass and yet the moment he felt that warmed on his lower back he was certain that Shinzo knew it was him.

The cold feeling on her person felt as if it were dragging him in, her last attempt to stave him off by fighting away his heat and yet he would not be swayed. Ordained to not hold back any longer he felt his way towards his goal, the dark an obstacle of itself and yet it was a natural feeling to say the least. It was confusing, confounding. Almost as if with every inch, every centimeter he found himself feeling more and more comfortable. It was a feeling of familiarity yet unfamiliarity, fulfillment yet misunderstanding of what had made him fulfilled. What about this had managed to be so rewarding and make him feel so complete? The whimper that escaped his new conquest was alluring and satisfactory but worrying and comforting.

It was painful and yet something he did not want to stop, refused to allow to stop. There was a sense of being strong and yet a desire to melt into his care and aggression. He wanted this, needed this, and whenever he couldn’t keep his voice in and it managed to escape with traces of pain or discomfort the gentle caress of Shinzo’s fingers carefully stroking through his hair lulled him back into peace. What about him was so calming right now? This person who was normally a consistent danger or source of dread was right here giving him something he didn’t know he needed until this very moment and the sound of Shinzo’s pleasure behind him, near his ear, the feeling of it within his body was alluring as well as pleasing. The only thing managing to make this moment even more pleasurable being the moment he felt the male’s lips press against the back of his neck.

She was so cold! How she managed to be so clod was beyond his comprehension for a fire claimant and yet he had to increase his own heat to keep them both from icing over… wait a minute. This didn’t make sense at all. It took him a moment to stop thrusting his hips, the moaning of his current partner ceasing as the realization began to strike him. Their voice, his voice was so familiar now although foreign from how he would normally see it. This couldn’t be real.

A flame alighting in the Japanese claimant’s left hand served the purpose of revealing a more than embarrassed Haden who waited contently to yet surprised by the sudden flame. This had managed to be far more awkward than he had imagined and seeing the surprise on Shinzo’s face was more than enough proof to see he wasn’t expecting to find him lying beneath him.

Shinzo didn’t seem mad, more so confused and Haden seemed embarrassed and yet how could he be expected to be any other way? The fire claimant was still fully erect and hadn’t yet decided to pull away whilst the pale Irishman continued laying on his stomach with Shinzo’s hand firmly holding him down. Why is he looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong? Why is he starin’ at me that way? Christ this is so feckin’ embarrassing. They both seemed completely enveloped in their own thoughts and yet the thoughts were far too different. While Shinzo was in a panic, Haden was feeling rather horribly. What he had deemed realistic and to be a certain way had managed to be the exact opposite. What else could this be seen as aside from a disaster? The swordsman beginning to see it the same way as the tears began to form in his rival’s eyes, a sight that seemed like a myth at best and causing him to back away quickly as if trying to keep from touching him.

“Shit, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—” His words stopping short as the ice claimant grabbed hold of him before he could move out of range. Now they were face to face although back in the dark again, yet the hazy glow of permafrost and a white cold resonating off of the now more furious Haden was more than enough to out him on guard. Great. Now this night will manage to end in a fight of all things. At least with another fire claimant nearby it’ll be a two on one. Or at least that was what he thought until he could feel Haden’s lips press against his own.

He pulled away, the shorter male’s grip stronger than he had expected it to be. “What are you doing?” With the distance closed he could see the burning red face of this bitter cold person who refused to let him go. He wasn’t getting away from him if he could help it now. “Shut up and stop fightin’ me. You started this and now you’re gonna finish it all the same.”

Shinzo couldn’t understand it but he wasn’t going to refuse, Haden was much the same and yet acting on pure instinct, both desperately confused over what was happening or what they were even feeling yet running with it regardless. Haden was quick to fall back and his partner was quick to pounce on top of him. He was visibly still upset and yet once Shinzo fed his desires and reluctantly returned his previous kiss it was as if the cold melted out of the air itself and for Haden it felt as if the deep freezing within himself was also burning away. A feeling that was difficult to explain, as if his flame was filling every part of his being and comforting his very soul. Intoxicating. A desire among desires. A one of a kind experience. Maybe it was the unusual heat but it made him feel lightheaded just holding on like this.

Shinzo could feel the cold attempting to creep into his body like blood through his veins, as if desiring to coil into the fires and grab hold of its source. A hunger, a craving for more that was so demanding yet careful and precise as if afraid to make a single mistake. The way the frost within the coldblooded Haden moved about, this was the first time experiencing it this way. It was normally easy to melt the ice away when around him and yet like this it was far too caring and loving. What had changed about him in this moment? What was causing Haden to act this way? Surely he hated him did he not? They hated each other, tried to kill each other almost every time they came across one another, but why was he acting this way all of a sudden? Looking at his face, running his fingers through his hair, seeing the look in his eyes completely absorbed in pleasure. What was it that he was feeling?

He couldn’t voice it, couldn’t get any words out that didn’t just devolve into moans and groans of ecstasy. He could see that Shinzo was clearly confounded by the scenario but surely he was feeling the same way he was. This odd feeling of fulfillment. A sense of ever-growing desire and want. Surely he had to be feeling the growing need for this as time continued to pass by. For Shinzo it was confusing, still rather drunk and having started this all believing he were someone else. He didn’t turn away in disgust however or lose his temper, rather he was concerned and regretful of how he had done this without knowing. Haden on the other hand knew but didn’t think the swordsman was unaware, pleased and yet having it quickly shattered and left to wonder what it all meant. For Shinzo it was something to question. For Haden the answer was rather clear.

“Wow. Looks like I’m interrupting something.” The female claimant spoke as she emerged from the restroom. “I was barely gone for ten minutes and you two pounce on each other that fast? I can leave you two alone if you’d like.”

The two males looked in shock for a moment, Shinzo had let it slip his mind that she was still around and yet Haden had purposefully tossed the thought aside. It wasn’t nearly important enough to hold onto. Shinzo however was the first to back away from their extended kiss, an action that without question left Daenu’s child upset beyond repair. His breaths were quick and heavy, the warmth circulating through his lungs with each inhale and exhale like a lingering pleasure that he felt a deep disparity to even let escape or end, but with Shinzo no longer giving him what he desired the warmth was soon replaced with blistering cold yet again and the steam that had began to slip through his lips now a white frost that steadily went back to his normal unseen breaths.

“Hmph. Are ya gonna just stand around lass or will ya join us? Neither of us have all feckin’ day and the more of me time ya go about wastin’ the less patience I have to spare!”

“There’s no need to be rude. You don’t have to go anywhere. I suppose we were both just a bit too impatient to wait.”

“Too impatient?” He whispered under his breath.

“Did you say something Haden?”

“No! I didn’t say anything! Now are we gonna do somethin’ or not?”

Dear lord please tell me this isn't what love feels like?

edited Jul 20, 2021 19:30:57 GMT by Dobu

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Sept 18, 2021 3:15:57 GMT

Post by Dobu on Sept 18, 2021 3:15:57 GMT

"Drinks Are On Me"

“Remind me again why we’re here with Tarzan?”

“Because Evyette requested that I accompany her for a drink and you decided that you’d tag along. She had urgent business to handle and we’re just waiting. You can go back home if you’d like.”

“I’m not goin’ anywhere without you, samurai. If I do who know how long it will take ya to get this over with?”

“You could always both just leave my bar. If you’re going to whine like a child then I ain’t gonna serve you anything. Just because you look like a little girl doesn’t mean you got to act like one.”

Haden frowned, his eyes gliding over to Hellfire who stood behind the counter cleaning out glasses. His eyes were as red as always as if he could never relax with a look which proved to show his displeasure for their company. Shinzo could see the Irishman preparing to spout any insult or threat that could come to mind yet before he could divert his attention it was far too late.

“Oh? So what’s this now? The recluse thinks it right to get hard on me? Maybe I’d take yer words seriously if ya weren’t just a failure version of Gahbreal but I suppose you’ve spent too much time in here hidin’ away to remember yer place.”

No one had to look, sight served no purpose as you could feel the rage dripping from his person. There wasn’t even a gap in time that anyone could react to before Hellfire’s hand was wrapped firmly around Haden’s neck, his body being lifted into the air with ease. The first person to react was the ice claimant himself, reaching to attempt at freeing himself and the second was Shinzo who grabbed a hold of his fellow claimant’s arm at an attempt to have him release his partner. Of course it didn’t sway him.

“Let him go Hellfire.” Shinzo demanded without even slightly gaining his fellow claimant’s attention.

“Now I don’t know who in the hell made you think you could set foot in my bar, my business, and insult me as if you have the right to do so. My place is far beyond yours and I’m not going to sit by and let you speak to me as if you’re in a place above my own, yopparai.”

Shinzo’s grip tightened on his arm, as if he’d just allow him to insult his partner like that. “Sono yopparai wa watashi no koibitodesu… Satsujin-sha.”

“Sorenara tabun anata wa watashi ga anata no tame ni sore o shinakereba naranai mae ni anata no petto o kanri-ka ni oite okubekidesu.” Of course he wasn’t willing to back down and now all of the other claimant patrons had begun moving into safer positions. Fights were common in Hellfire’s bar and although no one often cared too much for them it would be foolish to overlook a fight between these two individuals.

“I’m not going to say it a third time. Let him go Jerimyha.”

“Oh? Speaking my name so casually? You know that’s a rule you don’t have the authority to break.” The heat which grew around them was intense, unbearable even. A showdown the likes of which many people would have wanted to see, Hellfire’s black flames against Shinzo’s fires tested by Phita. One of the few details they had forgotten about the moment was the person being held in question. Haden who, while having fun watching Shinzo be protective at first, was growing hastily impatient with the situation and the loss of air coming with Hellfire’s tightening grip. Of course he’d lose his temper and be the first to attack.

“This is startin’ to become a feckin’ annoyance. If ya want to be so serious, then how about you just die!”

Haden took a deep breath, something that Hellfire didn’t much care for and yet Shinzo knew what was coming, the drop in temperature around them regardless of the two fire claimants sizing one another up. Of course the small Irishman would show him no mercy, no doubt preparing to blast them both with a wave of point blank ice with murderous intent. Why couldn’t he just let him settle these matters? He always managed to cause so much property damage with everything he did but just as the attack was anticipated… it stopped. A quick glance revealing a hand covering his mouth as well as another gripping Hellfire’s arm. His skin was dark, the markings on his hands leading up to his body a visual reminder of who they had been with this entire time. The person Evyette had brought with her. Le’eroy.

“Haden, there is no need for that. It’s cold enough already in here”, Le’eroy spoke as he removed his hand from over the ice claimant’s mouth. His grip however only tightened on Hellfire’s arm as if preparing to shatter the bone within. “Release him Underworld. You know Evyette will not be happy about this if it goes any further and I’m not prepared to allow you to cause her any unnecessary stress.”

Hellfire frowned, of course he was right but he wasn’t happy about it. His hand releasing Haden who fell down on the ground as he pulled his arm free from the other two. He wasn’t happy and after that he certainly wasn’t going to be happy for a while. He returned to his previous work but didn’t let them go without any last words. “This time, and this time only, you all get to slide by with the thinnest thread of space. Next time I ain’t gonna be so kind and if you ever put your hands on me again I’ll burn you all alive, regardless of if you’re a fire claimant or not.”

Le’eroy laughed as he sat back in his seat, Haden and Shinzo doing the same although the shorter male wouldn’t go without continuing to pout. “Well you’re welcome to try! Phita already did it once but it wasn’t so bad. If your body is strong enough then some burns can be healed with a few good licks and some sleep, although mother wasn’t too happy.”

Haden looked on in absolute disbelief. Was this guy serious? He looked to Shinzo who… looked as if he understood?! What the hell was going on here? Hellfire sighed as if he couldn’t be bothered to even talk to the guy, but was no one confused as to what he just said? Was Le’eroy not a moon claimant? One of Lunia’s children, hailed as her own son for reasons he had yet to discover and he fought Phita at some point? It was madness to even think about!

“Did I… did I hear ya right lad? If ya willingly fought Phita then I don’t know what to say! The only person as nonsensical as you would have to be Lunia for havin’ the screws loose to allow it to happen.”

“Take it back.” Le’eroy spoke without hesitation. His silver eyes didn’t turn away from him or blink once as he awaited his response. When he didn’t receive one he spoke again. “Insult me all you like, it doesn’t phase me, but you will not insult my mother in any way. Take those words back, ice born.”

By now he had gotten back up on his feet, eyes gazing down at Haden who looked to care less. Shinzo on the other hand was hesitant to step into another bullshit situation caused by this troublemaker he shared a home with. In the end he found himself moving once again to diffuse another situation that could easily be avoided if the drunk could swallow his pride and simply apologize, but of course he wasn’t going to do that.

“Le’eroy just calm down. Haden is an idiot, but I’m sure he didn’t mean to—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, as he placed his hand on the lunar claimant’s shoulder in an attempt to be friendly, he felt Le’eroy’s hand coil around his arm before the feeling of his feet leaving the ground caused alarm. The speed at which he was thrown across the room was incredible but then again this wasn’t just any random guy they were dealing with. Le’eroy, the most zealous of claimants who at the same time was known for his past filled with his borderline zealot acts. A warrior and hunter above all else who fought in a conflict that not many living claimants could brag about, he was most known for his acts of violence and overwhelming force. If this was a fight that couldn’t be avoided it would have to be approached with extreme care.

“Stay out of my way, child of fire. I will not allow Lunia’s name to be tarnished by the mouth of such filth. No ancient in fact! Blasphemous in all its ways, you’ll be made to suffer for this.”

“So ya must be quite far from the right state of mind. I’ve been sittin’ here quietly lettin’ everyone do and say whatever the hell they want but I’ll be damned if you think I’m gonna let you do whatever you wish with what’s mine!”

It was impossible to react to, the motion of his hand as well as the ice which formed around it. A wave of blistering cold formed into sharp spikes advancing forward in a manner Haden was sued to using. Difficult to counter at close range without fire, impossible to avoid or react to with little to no room for proper defense. The ice claimant was out for blood, incapable of forgiveness and always prepared to turn to violence. If he hit Le’eroy with the full force of this attack and he died then that would simply be his own fault… or at least that was what he had thought.

The sound of the ice shattering before his was far past unexpected, it was mindboggling. His eyes met with the figure of Le’eroy who with his bare fist alone broke the ice into pieces. What kind of man was this? He had clearly taken damage, his upper body having taken the brunt of the attack and his clothes more than torn and tattered yet his flesh seemed to just brush it off, only having scrapes and small scratches. It seemed as if he took the attack head on, opting to break through instead of retreat or defend and it was that which made this entire situation so dangerous. Someone who had just easily tossed Shinzo aside was right in his face and he couldn’t begin to imagine a situation in which he beat him in close range after his previous attack failed the way it did.

Haden moved to react quickly, ice forming on the ground beneath his feet as he slid back across the floor but Le’eroy was quickly on his trail. They moved through the bar, sliding and weaving between tables and chairs. Haden attempted to move as fluidly as possible in order to leave as much in his pursuer’s way as possible yet it was maddening to see him move right along with him, almost animalistic in nature as he chased behind him with increasing speed. He had to do something to separate them indefinitely and he had just the plan for it.

“Ya must think you’re hot shite, eh? Well lets see if you can handle somethin’ like this you damned idiot!” He spun on his heel, ice spreading across the floor around them in a wide area as he twirled around in a way that seemed far past his capabilities. Without thinking about any type of repercussions or damage to the property he began tossing multiple arrows crafted from ice in Le’eroy’s direction, watching on in awe as of course this guy avoided, dodged and even managed to catch this flurry of items. “You’ve got to be feckin’ kidding me!”

“What did you think, fool? That Lunia’s own child would suffer a death by arrows? You’re beside yourself with foolishness but I will help you understand.” He rushed forward with malicious intent, the ice on the floor making no difference to how well he moved. Haden was clearly in a panic as he shuffled to reach for his gun, for a moment regretting to have cut his hair as his holster made things take marginally longer, but it wasn’t expected that Le’eroy would be so well equipped to move on all terrains the way he did. He took aim, too slow, the lunar claimant’s hand wrapped around his wrist.

“Shite! How are y—”

“Enough talk!”

A twist of his wrist caused the gun to fall to the ground, a twist of his own body with all his strength and Haden was sent flying through the window. He rolled out onto the street, taking a moment to let the pain die down that now sent shocks through his body. In his mind this was all bullshit and yet of course his opponent thought it simply to be just. The main thing on the ice claimant’s mind as he lifted himself from the ground was of course how much it would sting to clean his new wounds, cuts and scrapes from the glass littering his skin. And he was hoping to have a decent night with Shinzo when this was all over.

“This is really startin’ to piss me off. If you’re really lookin’ to fight then I ain’t gonna hold a damn thing back.” Mere seconds after the words escaped the ice claimant’s lips did Shinzo intervein, stepping outside and moving in front of Haden to make an attempt at calming the flame which had been ignited within Le’eroy.

“Listen to me Le’eroy. This is not what we are here for. Just stand down and we can talk this through, Haden is always an idiot and fighting like this won’t change that.”

His words caused Haden to calm ever so slightly, more upset with the insult thrown his way and yet the shape of their opponent stepping out into the open air and taking a deep breath was worrying. Something about being in the open air seemed to revitalize him, not even a moment passing before he kicked off his shoes and pressed his bare feet against the concrete and glass shards. He turned his head to the side and looked as if he were going to speak yet no words came out, however the action was followed by a large wolf approaching him with his weapon in tow. Why he was permitted to have the wolves follow him around was a mystery, but at least it kept his weapon away from his person unless directly brought to him by these companions.

“Step aside Shinzo. Regardless of your plea, and if what you say is true, that doesn’t omit his clear disrespect. If no one else is willing to punish him then I will.”

“And do you believe Daenu would be so pleased to have you do something like this?”

“It would simply be her own doing for allowing a claimant to disrespect the other ancients so casually. Am I not correct?”

“Then you’re saying that you are the one who gets to decide such things? That you can be the judge in this situation without consulting the ancients in question?”

“I am no judge, but judgement adheres to no title. If judgement must be passed on someone’s actions then it matters not who enacts that judgement. If you aim to stand in my way then you can simply share in his punishment. The death of a pathetic wretch.”

Of course reasoning with him wouldn’t work when he was like this. The two hadn’t managed to spend much time with the archer and, in fact, he was kept under rather close watch at most times as Lunia felt it necessary. It wasn’t until after the incident with the chalice that he was even allowed to explore the entirety of the world on his own and yet even still he found himself spending most of his time with Evyette. This situation highlighted the reason as to why things had remained the way they were for so long as he was clearly quick to combat and his tenacity was difficult to keep up with. It was almost like he had an endless source of energy.

Le’eroy rushed forward to attack, sword in hand as Shinzo stepped forward himself to intercept. The first thing that crossed Shinzo’s mind was to test the strength of Le’eroy’s arm as he only wielded his weapon with a single hand but the moment he felt the impact of their weapons clash he stepped aside, deflecting the weapon to the ground. How could he wield so much strength in a single arm? Maybe this was the difference between himself and older claimants or maybe it was just claimants who had faced the same war-torn life as he had. Either way he couldn’t let him hurt Haden or have his way in this fight. Besides, this would be a good opportunity to stretch his muscles in a real fight.

Le’eroy smiled, almost as if he were enjoying the conflict and yet that did not seem like anything he’d do at all. They both rushed into the fray yet again, Shinzo making sure to avoid his zweihander entirely and instead taking to quick and decisive strikes. Although his weapon was faster and his technique more viable Le’eroy still managed to be just as fluid with his motions, dodging and moving as need be and yet the longer the fight persisted the more difficult it became to fend him off. His attacks were speeding up, his movements gaining greater momentum and precision, as if he were simply getting used to combat and eventually, with only a short amount of time, his attacks has begun clashing with his own. He was forcing him into a position he couldn’t easily handle.

What were once dodges and counters were now becoming deflects and barely missed attacks. Haden could only watch on as this close combat encounter went underway and yet he couldn’t let it continue on like this. He had to help. At this rate it was clear that Shinzo would end up being overpowered by sheer force and tenacity unless he took things seriously yet was he willing to do so against someone Evyette had brought along for this night out? That was most likely the reason he was holding back in general. It was annoying.

“Oi! Sweetheart! Move outta me damn way!”

Shinzo heard the words clearly, odd as they were in their nature and yet that was reason enough to take it seriously. He caught Le’eroy’s weapon with his own and directed the attack to the side before dashing away, clearing the space between his yellow eyed partner and the dark skinned male who’s body glowed with moonlit markings. Haden took a deep breath, the temperature around him dropping rapidly, the air freezing and becoming engulfed in the tundra of cold which would normally be held within his body. He couldn’t be bothered in the slightest to care for Daenu being upset with him, this wasn’t the time for worries of that sort and it was for that reason alone he swept his hand forward and with it came a wave of freezing cold air followed by an unavoidable flash freeze.

It was fast, powerful, coated the target area in ice and within that ice could be seen Le’eroy who was rendered motionless by the attack. With his assault finished Haden’s skin grew pale as each breath he took became a blistering cold. Shinzo quickly moved to his side and within moments of being within close proximity of the fire samurai the ice seemed to melt from his very soul.

“Look at ya. Finally good for something today.”

“Well I can’t keep making up for all of your mistakes. If you’re going to keep antagonizing people then you’ll have to face the consequences of those actions.”

“Well aren’t you a dick and a half… at least you’re a dick that I like. Suppose I could call ya mine, just like ye called me earlier.”

The droplets of rain which began to fall from the sky were nothing more than ominous. It was as if the moment they touched the ground it would only manage to be a sign of terrible things to come and the sight of glowing yellow eyes from the roof of the building was more than enough to seal the feeling.

“Are those what I think they are?”

“Yes. Those are his wolves but how they got up there is a mystery of its own. Ancients forbid they’re just as agile as he is.”

“And what if they are? Would it be so crazy that my family is capable of moving with me?” Le’eroy’s silver eyes emerging among the other yellow ones within the dark of the night accentuated by the glowing symbols on his skin was indeed ridiculous. Haden had to check the ground below in order to make certain that he was still trapped within the ice and yet that only proved the sight of double. Two Le’eroys right there to be seen. This was no doubt one of his abilities but would that mean they were just fighting some fake this entire time?

“Jesus, Joseph and Mary you just don’t feckin quit. Get down here and die already!”

“Haden calm down, we might be able to talk—”

“As you wish, ice born. From this point forward lets all fight to our hearts content with our lives on the line!”

The rain surged, now black in color and obscuring vision. Ever so slightly Little Moon could be seen leaping directly into the ice with all his force behind him, the impact shattering the attack and sending chunks of frost scattering in all directions. The moment the doppelganger within was shattered to pieces it also exploded into a plume of black smoke which made the already difficult to see lunar tribesman impossible to see, that is, until he emerged rushing strait towards Haden with sword raised.

Claimants who fought in wars, battles of large scale and with purposes requiring nothing but raw combat experience. It was as if Le’eroy was built and raised for nothing but combat and the smile on his face with his fangs laid bare was a clear sign of his passion. There wasn’t a single moment to react, a single chance to move, his attacks were precise and held a great deal of strength and the ice claimant was still recovering from his previous attack. Shinzo leapt into action, flames coating his very being as he moved to cease this foolish endeavor and yet.

“I couldn’t believe this shit, the audacity in fact.” Le’eroy’s weapon slammed against the flat of a serrated executioner’s sword, a slight push before stopping altogether. “So which one of you fucking disgraces is going to pay for the damages to my god damned bar? Please, tell me!” They all stood quietly, everyone having completely forgotten that in the process of all this that they had caused extensive damage to Hellfire’s place of business. The more time passed the more it seemed his rage only grew even more so than before until he pushed Little Moon’s weapon away with his own, the very action itself sending forth a wave of black flames which engulfed the entire area. His lack of care for anything was unmatched, a small action possibly sacrificing the lives of any and everyone nearby and at range. There were black flames coated in crimson silhouettes as far as the eye could see and the more time passed the more his eyes grew in intensity and the flames burned hotter and more violent. “I will turn this entire place into an uninhabitable wasteland the likes of which no being will be capable of existing! You must all think I’m some sort of fucking joke but, if you all want to die so badly, I’ll be glad to oblige!”

“You mind telling me what’s going on here?” Her voice caused every single on of them to freeze. “I stepped away for a few minutes and you’re prepared to sacrifice everything in sight? I thought I could trust you to control yourself a bit more than that Hellfire.”

“Wha… do you not see this? Look at them all! Red handed in the act of fucking up my shit!”

“All I see are three quite damaged claimants standing here surrounded by your flames with you at the helm, weapon in hand, proclaiming that you are going to kill them. Come on Hellfire, seriously?”

The disbelief was plain as day on his face. Her timing was impeccably poor and he hated it, but he wasn’t prepared to argue with her. He was never prepared to argue with her. He simply snapped his fingers and as he did so the flames subsided and left the area as it previously was, although slightly singed.

“How about I serve you all a drink and have one myself, to make up for this situation.”

“No, we’re fine. I think it’s best that we leave”, Haden spoke as if trying to escape some terrible fate.

“Oh no, I insist. Drinks are on me for all the TROUBLE I’ve caused you tonight.”

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Oct 4, 2021 22:53:20 GMT

Post by Dobu on Oct 4, 2021 22:53:20 GMT

King of Pacts

“This is nonsense! What do they have us doing out here watching this guy? He’s not that dangerous, is he? How could he have been caught so easily if he were dangerous?”

“Dude, I don’t know. Just keep your eyes open. We’re supposed to be paying attention to what’s going on out here and you’re not going to accomplish much of anything if all you do is complain all night. Now shut up and keep watch. Remember your callouts and watch yourself. You were briefed and informed, you know this guy is dangerous. Apparently they’re a claimant who leads over a nation that we have yet to find and if his people mobilize we could be attacked by any number of attackers. Just keep watch and keep quiet.”

“Fuck, alright. If you’re going to be such an asshole about it then I guess I can take this ser-”, his words were cut off along with the sound of metal clicking and a snap in the air. The second mercenary turned around quickly to find his ally falling to the ground with a thud, reaching for his radio before the same sound rang out through the air and left a shattered the device in his hands. He raised his rifle, cautious, couldn’t see anything and preparing to call out for aid when a voice was spoken before his own, his heart racing at every passing moment.

“Be quiet. Be still. Lower your weapon and stand in attention.”

He followed the orders he was given perfectly, wondering why exactly he chose to do so. He couldn’t fight it, couldn’t contend against it and in that moment all he could feel was fear. It was then at that moment that he saw the two figures emerge from the darkness of the night. One dressed in fitted military gear. Combat pants with kneepads, boots, combat gloves, a tactical long sleeved shirt, full face balaclava and a light tactical chest rig all colored in black multicam camouflage. The second one wore a lighter yet more off-putting outfit. Fitted cargo pants with a skintight short sleeved tactical shirt, leather straps crossed over their chest which seemed to conceal two weapons which were hidden beneath an almost silk like long coat, fingerless gloves and boots with a hood over their head and a mask over their mouth. All black. One looked like a military specialist, the other almost like they didn’t truly exist.

“Well well, your work is as clean as ever. They didn’t even get to make a sound.” One of them spoke with a rather playful and lighthearted male voice. “Looks like you haven’t slacked on your training at all.”

“Of course I haven’t uncle. While I’d like to enjoy my time Jayhe can’t manage to fuck off for the slightest moment so I need to be ready to fight. Luckily for me I’m not afraid to shoot someone in the goddamned face.” The female voice replied in a harsh and sassy tone. Agitated to her very core no doubt. “Now shut up and let me focus. The faster we get this done the better.”

She approached the merc and as much as he wanted to raise his gun and fire the will to do so simply could not manifest itself in his body. The sense of helplessness, fear, it was overwhelming to say the least and yet all he could do was look on as this person approached with whatever intent they could possibly have with his life. It caught him by surprise, the moment she removed the balaclava from her head and a plume of short brunette hair barely scrapped her shoulders. They looked almost like some internet model, someone you’d see taking photos with books and baggy house clothes yet the look on her face screamed anger and angst. Of course it was impossible for Eva to just force a smile at all times and especially so when doing something she didn’t care for.

“Shut up and look at me. Fucking idiot. Now tell me, what the hell are you all doing out here?” She ordered to which the merc could only answer her question.

“We were all looking for work, got contacted by this group of specialists. They didn’t tell us much about the mission. Just that we would need to know in order to properly defend and said if we did get attacked it would be by high class attackers. We were going to refuse the job, but we couldn’t pass up on the pay. Said they would pay a million per person sent… we did overhear a conversation though. Our boss wanted to know why they were hiring mercenaries when they had access to specialist forces. Their main defenders before we showed up looked like a group we’ve never seen before and they kept talking about something they called ‘claimant defenses’, so we believe they have us defending a claimant they’ve gotten hidden away in this facility.”

“Do you have a map?”

“No. None of us have been allowed inside of the complex aside from those specialists. However from what we’ve seen its rather small and mainly a prison/interrogation location. I believe they all carry maps on them but they also travel in groups of four so it would be difficult to get one off of them.”

Eva looked to her partner who nodded and left the area. She smiled and patted the man on the shoulder, raising her handgun and shooting him directly between the eyes. A soft plume of smoke rose from the barrel for the slightest moment before fading into the air, followed by the snap her teeth made against her tongue. “Thanks for nothing, useless bitch. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t know that much", she hissed as she spat on his still warm corpse. “So, uncle, how are we going to deal with this? A sweep and clear would be nice and easy but that depends on how the target reacts to us. Evyette said he was dangerous but then how did this dumbass get captured to begin with?”

“Well you didn’t receive the full briefing like I did, but I’m the only one who was given the papers for this task so let me explain.” He removed the hood from his head, silver hair accompanying Nier’s teal eyes as a sigh escaped his lips. “This guy goes by the name of Inma, brother to someone who can easily prove to be troublesome if he ever decided to betray the ancients and as such you can expect him to be the same as he is the older of the two. One of the few who uses black flames but in a sense he might be the worst of them all… Come on. I’ll explain more as we move.”

They continued to move forward quietly, quickly, sticking to the shadows and concealing their presence as much as possible. There were patrols everywhere and with each one they came across Eva would raise her handgun and with an accurate eye take them down before anyone could notice. Nier stuck close behind her, mainly watching her back but also giving her useful information based on what he saw. A perfect duo for stealth.

“These mercs are useless. Des morceaux de merde. They serve no purpose being here.”

(Pieces of shit)

“They probably just want as many people as possible. Inma is a difficult person to deal with and we were chosen to come here because of that very reason.” He spoke as Eva proceeded to clear another patrol. She was way too skilled at this but she was also used to the work. “He has a very special ability that is far too much of a concern. While his brother, Oda, is a well known overall friendly individual… the same can’t be said for Inma although most people who actually know him would say otherwise. He’s an enigma and sports one of the most dangerous abilities known for claimants to possess. A form of charm like what Nuvat is capable of but I wouldn’t say they’re the same in the slightest.”

“Dear lord, please tell me we don’t have some other asshole walking around charming everyone in sight. I understand why no one likes this guy if that’s the case.” She spoke as she made a motion with her hand towards the entrance to the small compound where a group of four men stood clad in special gear. They looked well defended and prepared for combat, but that didn’t matter once Eva sprung into action. A quick dash forward, two shots from her handgun downing two of the men with bullets to their skulls. One turned to respond to her assault but she quickly closed the gap and moved their rifle to the side, a firm grip on his arm and a twist spun him around, placing him between her and the last attacker who she then filled with multiple rounds while they contemplated firing on their own ally to attack her. A foolish choice. She finished off her current hostage with a shot to the back of their head before taking his battle rifle for herself and holstering her handgun on her hip. “Please tell me this won’t be some dick who tries to seduce us the moment we enter the room.”

“That’s the problem, he doesn’t do that at all. That’s not how his ability works.” Nier spoke as he searched one of the bodies, pulling a map from one of the many pockets on their tactical vests and body armor. “Follow me”, he ordered as they entered the building. “He’s one of Evyette’s claimants and is known for feats just like his brother. Both capable of enhancing their physical capabilities with flames and having the ability to encompass large areas with flame. Inma is just as physically powerful and fast as Oda and both aren’t to be played around with in combat, but its because if this that they are both prohibited from using combat abilities unless directly given the order from Phita or now Evyette.”

“That doesn’t explain anything, uncle. What makes him so dangerous with his ‘charm’.” Eva questioned as she followed closely behind Nier who flawlessly avoided all patrols within the building. There were many rooms and all of which were far too clean for a supposed prison building, but they still had to go down a few floors to where their target was apparently being kept. The very bottom.

“Well that’s what makes the last part I said so specifically crucial. Oda has an assault ability only used in times of war, capable of tearing through defensive walls, buildings, wiping out massive numbers of people. He’s a warrior made for siege and yet combat is his entire life while he’s also one of the oddly kindest people you’ll meet so long as you’re a friend. Inma on the other hand doesn’t have a final attack ability. He has a form of charm called the black pact. Essentially he doesn’t need to charm, seduce, or drawn in anyone. If someone is willing to accept him as their leader then they will be given the opportunity to accept his pact. It will mark the new pact member and so long as that mark persists they will gain a fraction of his physical power along with pitch black hair to match his own. They can be human, claimant, it doesn’t matter. What this means is that he’s capable of doing something along the lines of what ancients are capable of in making claimants although his pact bound wont be capable of using any abilities unless they're already a claimant. There is a problem though.”

They stopped speaking as they came to a large flight of stairs, massive in size and cylindrical. From what the map had shown the stairwell itself was a holding cell and at the very bottom would be where Inma was held, a large cylindrical prison where they would find him contained. Eva sighed and walked over to Nier who smiled as he lifted her in his arms and stepped right over the edge, the two of them slowly descending into the depths of the prison. “I hate this”, she pouted with her arms crossing over her chest. “So what is this problem?”

“Well if you hate it so much then you should find a way to fly on your own.” He jested for a moment before his smile steadily faded away. “We have to be careful here. We weren’t ordered to kill him, we were ordered to free him. Inma currently leads a small nation of pact bound and although they aren’t claimants and they have no abilities they do have a fraction of his physical capabilities and are all personally trained by him once they hit a certain age… This means that if his people decide to attack then the damage caused could be troublesome. Inma is skilled enough to make me wonder if I could beat him in a fight on my own and powerful enough to make me question how I would fight him. Fighting him alongside his people I believe I would outright lose if I can’t manipulate the battlefield or decide on a place of my choosing to fight. Gahbreal would probably face the exact same situation and its because of this that he’s quite dangerous. Oda hates Inma because he killed off everyone from their entire village, calling them traitors although no one knows why. Inma loves Oda and always has, hoping to keep their brotherly bond intact but it’s never going to happen.”

“If that’s the case then why didn't his own fighters come to get him? Couldn’t they have taken care of this quite easily?” Eva questioned him as they continued to descend. “It would have certainly made it easier for us if he took care of his own problems.”

“Well Evyette wanted us to deal with this personally. It would cause far too much commotion is a massive amount of people showed up and cut down this entire place so we were sent instead. Also they wouldn’t have known the location and ended up causing far more damage simply trying to figure out where he is. That’s why we’re here. Our mission is almost complete.”

As Nier finished speaking their decent speed increased, almost a normal fall until his feet planted themselves against the ground. That was where they found him. He wore a robe of pure white and brown held in place by a black fur belt. Beneath his robe more black fur could be seen as if meant to keep him warm and yet it only really occupied the lower half of his body. He was thin yet had what looked like enough muscle to make it through the average day which caused Eva to look at his with disgust. This was the person that people were allowing to lead them? His hair was short, messy and pitch black with a messy bang falling over his left eye. His eyes were a mix between purple and red with an odd mark beneath his right eye, resting contently on his pale skin. They moment they even began to approach him was when he chose to speak.

“I was wondering when someone would show up… I’m assuming this means I’m finally receiving the order? Or are you both here to attempt something foolish while I wait for word from my ancient?” He spoke in a deep voice that made it seem as if he were far too relaxed. It was as if he spoke with respect and yet his words said otherwise.

“Excuse me? You waste of skin! Who the hell do you think you are? Maybe if you didn’t get captured in the first place then no one would have to waste their goddamned day coming to recue you from your own failures! Le putain de nerf!”

(The fucking nerve!)

“Of course a literal child would be sent. Am I receiving the order or not?” The speed at which his tone switched to a more serious nature was unsettling, frightening even, but Nier didn’t flinch and Eva simply seemed to be even more agitated than before. “I’m beginning to lose my patience waiting around for my answer.”

Eva looked as if she were prepared to speak again yet Nier raised his hand, a sign for her to halt her actions and she did as he ordered with another childish pout. He approached Inma and reached into his pocket to pull out a small slip of paper with words scribbled on it in familiar handwriting. “These are your exact orders and once complete you are to return to the Forge immediately. Do you understand?”

His eyes scanned over the slip of paper before a smile spread across his face. He was excited, pleased and eager to get out of his restraints. He was sat in a metal chair with his legs strapped to the seat and his hands chained and bonded to the floor. “Does this mean I’m free to use my full strength?”

“You are allowed to use all your power until this mission is complete.” Nier responded.

“What? What does that even mean?” Eva questioned Nier who simply kept his eyes locked onto Inma.

“What it means, little girl, is that I can do what I want for a little bit. You don’t understand anything and I’m confused as to why you were chosen for this mission I’d hesitate to call a rescue.” As he spoke he stood from the chair in a normal fashion as if his bindings weren’t even present, the chains and straps shattering and breaking apart as he did so without even the slightest bit of strain. “I am barred from not only using my abilities but also my full strength because I enter quite a bit of conflict with quite a few people. It’s difficult to run a nation after all so war is always around every corner and I suppose my dear ancient would have found it too easy if I obliterated every opposing nation. That being said I’m not so harsh. Only my enemies would be treated with such hostility.”

“The problem is that you see everyone as an enemy, Inma. You don’t trust anyone unless they’re on your side”, Nier responded to his words in an annoyed tone.

“Well if they’re not an ally then that makes you nothing more than an enemy of me and my people, does it not? I have a nation and families to protect. I don’t have time to deal with anyone who opposes these things.” He stated as he walked past the two and looked up towards the ceiling far above them. “Now if you don’t mind I’m prepared to get out of here. Come with me or not but I’m getting this over with and done so I can return to my people. No doubt they’re confused by my disappearance.”

He took a sharp breath and with it came black flames which covered his hands up to his elbows, draping itself over his clothes ahis hair became engulfed in the cold flames and slithered down his back. With a slight crouch he began to jump his way up, leaping from each section of the stairs he could to skip as much time as possible. Nier followed quickly behind, having Eva stand at his side as he pulled a metal sphere from his pocket and shaped it around her waist into a steel belt. As soon as he began floating upward she soon followed closely behind him until they all reached the entrance they had initially started at.

“I can hear people still alive in here. So you left some of them standing? No matter, I’ll deal with the cleanup.” Inma spoke as he calmly walked his way through the building with Nier and Eva following cautiously nearby. Some of the remaining guards looked in awe as if wondering what had happened, others shouted out orders and alerts while there were a few who raised their guns and began to fire. A useless effort as the bullets halted themselves in the air and fell to the ground. “What are you doing? That was completely unnecessary. It’s the acts of that caliber that make these fools believe they can keep doing things like this. Don’t give them a reason to think we fear them. Let them do what they must and I will do the same.”

Nier sighed and looked to Eva who seemed just as confused as he was. Her current guardian’s eyes said ‘stay by my side’ but the look on his face was worried as to what exactly might happen when escorting this person. Her attention was drawn away from him and back to Inma when more shots were fired yet the bullets slammed against his body and fell to the ground. Surely he felt the impact but did he just not care? He smiled in their direction and raised his hand, a small sphere of black flames floating across the room to their attackers before bursting outward and engulfing them in a shroud of death. The act alone was enough to the remaining attackers reposition or retreat to safe areas, an act that caused Inma to laugh and continue making his way towards the exit.

“You see what I mean? Now they know their place, hiding away like rats. Now lets get this over with and done.” He spoke as they pressed forward.

It was a casual walk, a calm walk for the rest of the way. It was as if the moment he retaliated with force then they found it best to simply let him leave. It didn’t feel right to just walk out of the building and continue forward until they found themselves on the edge of the area, stopping to look back at the compound from afar. Nier looked as if he were prepared to say something but stopped himself as the flames receded from Inma’s body and he removed the sleeve of his robe from over his right arm which was now free and raised to his own face. It looked as if he were examining his palm and then a black flame formed. It was small and normal, then it seemed as if flames were forming around it yet being funneled directly into its very being. Flames being fed into flames and as it did so the pressure in the air itself seemed to swirl around them. It was compact, growing smaller and smaller as if being crushed by the weight of a force that couldn’t be fully seen until finally he clasped his hand around it and tossed it forward. A small black orb with a white silhouette, almost like a dying star, floating towards the place they had just left until it was too far to be easily seen. That was when he spoke.

“Yvercuth shithdanma evde pricatharl vr ketm xiquar woraka fidoor zopalia meder garv golordem… burn to ash, return to the earth, become the seeds of new life, and die.”

The small orb expanded in a flash, encompassing the entirety of the area and flooding the air with a stinging wind. Eva watched on as Nier stood between her and the wave of dust and dirt that was thrown in their direction, eyes locked onto the black circle of fire that swirled over the space which was once filled with people and things built and created for defense until the flames dispersed as quickly as they spread, leaving nothing behind but an empty crater and dust in the air.

“Alright, that’s done. I’m heading to the forge to speak with Evyette.” Inma spoke as he continued walking off seemingly to nowhere.

“Are we… are we just going to let him go? Can we do that?” Eva questioned Nier who shrugged his shoulders and pulled out his phone. “Uncle Nier, seriously, I’m not going to have Jayhe annoying me with her bitch ass because we did this wrong.”

“Hey I don’t know. All Evyette wanted us to do was free him and send him in her direction. As far as I’m concerned our job here is done. Now I can either get Gahbreal to take you home and you can enjoy the rest of your night or we can follow this guy around a little bit longer until you’re satisfied. I have to say though, don’t really want to follow around a mad king with a handheld bomb just ready to be thrown out at a moments notice.” He spoke with a playful laugh. “So what is it gonna be kiddo?”

Eva crossed her arms and frowned, eyes looking as if they were ready to skin the assassin alive. “Just call dad... dick.”

stoopdo	helios
mal	gideon