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Sigmutt's Wife

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Apr 17, 2021 10:09:47 GMT

Post by kaiju on Apr 17, 2021 10:09:47 GMT

Here lies our plethora of dabbles.

Sigmutt's Wife

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Apr 17, 2021 10:12:17 GMT

Post by kaiju on Apr 17, 2021 10:12:17 GMT

1. dev tracks down zyphinex

"This is your task. Do you understand me?"

DeVian Law rolled her eyes for the hundredth time during this little debrief. Her arms were crossed impatiently over her chest, foot tapping against the endlessly black floor of the Void. Novevu was sitting forward in his throne, his dark brows drawn close together in a concern that flew over his claimant's head. She wasn't experienced enough to be afraid and that was the cause of his worry.

"DeVian. I cannot stress enough the importance of you prioritizing your safety."

"I get it. You only say it, like, a million times, papi chulo."

He sighed. Words would never prepare her for this. He wondered if it was a good idea, especially considering their last meeting. "Fine. Recite your mission."

She did a long, exaggerated exhale before rattling off his expectations. "Be safe, be smart, track the puta down and wait for Noxvon to help me capture her. Simple."

"Yes... Simple."

Dev was growing bored. She'd been staring at the abandoned warehouse building for an hour now, the sound of the waves nearby hitting the docks the only real companion during her stakeout. It didn't smell like a beach. It smelled like salt and fish guts and she hated it. All she wanted was for the damned bitch to show her face so she could move on already.

While this wasn't the birthday celebration Dev had in mind, she could kind of understand why Novevu was keeping her busy. Her other alternative would probably have been sitting at home getting drunk. The only excitement with that activity was that for the first time, she would be doing it legally. The Ancient had promised he had a reward for her upon this mission's completion, so she figured why not, right?

Finding her impatience too much to handle, the dark-skinned woman decided to sneak toward the warehouse. Her stomach was wrought with nervousness, twisting and turning as she repeatedly looked over her shoulder. She eased the old door open and slipped in before closing it as quietly as she could again.

There was nothing notable about the space. It was expansive and smelled musty, like an old vacuum cleaner. Her mouth turned down in instinctive disgust, careful not to touch anything. Her footsteps echoed softly before she could think to walk more carefully. She crept around cautiously, trying to wrap her head around what the hell Zyphinex could want out of an empty shithole like this. She wrapped her arms around herself as a draft blew past her. It just felt... like a coffin.

The tech heiress shook her head to steel her nerves again, venturing deeper into the building. She tiptoed around a corner and was just beginning to sigh in annoyance when she felt the breath get crushed out of her from behind, getting pushed into the wall in front of her. She gasped in both pain and surprise as her face smashed into the hard metal surface. There was a pain in her back that felt very much like she'd been kicked in it, but she couldn't even focus on it. Before she could gather herself, her attacker quickly gained on her and began choking her from behind. Dev's legs scrambled uselessly on the concrete floor as she clawed at the arms around her throat, blood streaming from her nose.

The grunts of the two women filled the space, echoing unhindered into the night. DeVian Law struggled to get breath into her lungs, barely getting to her feet as Zyphinex tried her best to choke the life out of her.

"Seems Novevu sent me something to cut my teeth on," Zyph growled into Dev's ear, dragging the Spanish woman off of her feet and slamming her into the ground. She could've followed up immediately and done more damage but she decided to laugh at Dev's predicament instead.

Dev finally got a moment to look at her enemy, hazel eyes brimming with rage. Zyphinex looked more vicious than Dev had initially imagined. It was those eyes. Those black eyes... They were like a cat's when paired with the woman's yellow irises. It made the younger death claimant feel like prey.

Zyph grinned as if she could sense DeVian's reservations. "Fear looks good on you, little girl."

The woman scoffed, spitting blood that dribbled down from her nose onto the ground and climbing back to her feet. She swiped at her nose again, taking inventory of her injuries. She was definitely going to be banged up after this, but at least she was going to live. So far.

"Fuck you," Dev snarled, beginning to circle her foe.

"Ah? What a mouth on you." A cruel smile twisted her lips. "I can fix that."

She lunged forward again but Dev was ready for her this time. The darker skinned woman caught her opponent's advance, the two engaging in a barrage of attacks and counterattacks. Dev was actually holding her ground better than Zyphinex anticipated, the yellow-eyed woman gritting her teeth in disappointment at not being able to immediately crush the other claimant.

DeVian managed to land a sweeping kick on Zyph's legs, taking the other woman down to the ground. Zyph's reactions were faster than Dev could've anticipated, though; she quickly reached out and dragged her assailant down to her level. They wrestled on the ground for a long time, both fighting as viciously as they could; at one point Dev landed a punch and Zyphinex actually started cackling. Each time a blow was landed only made her start cackling louder. Finally, with a bloody face below her, DeVian couldn't take it anymore and eventually stopped, her hands instead struggling to straddle the woman's arms under her knees.

Zyphinex didn't struggle as much as she probably could've, allowing Dev to pin her arms to her sides relatively easily as she continued to giggle. "You're fucking weird," the claimant muttered, patting down the pockets on her pants as she looked for her phone. But it wasn't there. A look to the left revealed it was several yards across the floor. It probably fell when Zyphinex surprised her.

Zyphinex noticed DeVian's predicament moments after her and just broke out into more aggressive laughter, her back rising off of the ground with her efforts.

Now she had no way to call Noxvon. Novevu only had a vague idea of where she was supposed to be. She was alone with this demon.

"Fuck," she breathed to herself.

"Come on, princess, no back up plan?" Zyphinex's taunts had a new edge to them now. "I'm gonna fuck you up. I'm gonna fuck you up so good." She calmed as she said it, as if reveling in the manifestation of her claim. It was like she was purring. "Make your move, sweetheart. It will be your last."

As much as she hated it--and she would die before saying it out loud--Zyphinex had a point. Without being able to call for help, she was out of her league. Zyphinex had an edge on her and hadn't even pulled out a weapon yet.

"What do you say you let me get on top?" the black-eyed woman continued to purr. "You're no good at it anyway."

DeVian couldn't think fast enough. Her mind was racing, scenarios playing out in her head, but she couldn't imagine one where she could make it to the phone, call in Noxvon, and not die. Apparently Zyphinex didn't either.

"Tick, tock, little girl."

"Fuck you, you little fuckin--" She cut the sentence off herself as she began swinging again, but it didn't have too much payoff.

It seemed Zyphinex was waiting for just that, using her superior strength to force Dev off of her, rolling over on top and pressing her knee into DeVian's throat. "Ah, I love when you make that sound," she moaned, pressing even harder as her eyes rolled back in ecstasy. "Mm, Novevu will have to piece you back together."

Dev struggled against the knee choking her, her eyes watering as her lungs strained to draw a breath. "Ah--FUCK!" Every time she got close to shifting Zyphinex's weight, she received a slap from the woman, violently whipping her head to the side. It only made the black-eyed woman laugh in amusement. It got to the point that Dev's face was so bruised and sore that she was starting to wish she could just pass out already.

"S...stop..." She ended up pleading after a while, barely realizing she wasn't even struggling anymore. Zyphinex was just slapping the shit out of her indiscriminately.

"If you're going to fight me--" Slap. "At least!" Slap. "KEEP UP!" Slap. Followed by another. And another.

When Dev stopped moving, Zyph looked almost disappointed. She poked the woman's unconscious body multiple times before finally sliding off of her, a pout poking her bottom lip out. "Aw. You were more fun last time," she whined, before sighing and going over to DeVian's fallen phone. "Hm."

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May 9, 2021 17:14:27 GMT

Post by Spira on May 9, 2021 17:14:27 GMT

A Forbidden Date Night Part One

“Just one night. Even just an hour.”

“Well. We’d have to be careful. More careful than most. No one would understand.”

She still sounded like glass, as though even the slightest breeze would shatter her. Though he knew that was not the case, Florita had always puzzled Novevu. She was something he could not fathom, he did not understand the need for plant life, she was not life; she was not his twin or the selfish bitch who he did not want to think of lest his mood be ruined. She bit her lip, anxious and slightly embarrassed that Novevu had found her in paint stained clothes, unruly hair and surrounded by millions of cups that either contained coffee, tea or something that looked like murky paint water… she wasn’t sure.

He had arrived just after dusk, the banquet hall that was usually filled to the brim with creatures of all sizes, times and places was silent. Being cleaned and returned to a much nicer, cleaner state for tomorrow’s guests. The only creatures who were still there, were the ones who had fallen so deep into a food coma, beds had to be provided so they could sleep it off. He had tried not to dress too fancily — in case someone who wasn’t an animal saw him and reported it to the gossip queen of the Ancients, again he was trying not to think about his niece.

She stood up from where she had been sitting, and stepped behind a curtain, she cleared her throat.

“I’ll be out in a moment. Just… make yourself at home.”

He could hear her clambering about, she even swore at one point — something about a missing earring? He wasn’t too sure. He looked around her studio, it was lofty and smelt like Lily of the Valley, Frankincense and something he couldn’t quite place. Choosing to sit on one of the multiple cushions thrown about the place, he almost had to double check to make sure there was nothing sleeping on it before he sat down. There was a soft crashing and he nearly opened his mouth to call out but when a field mouse did actually run out of her loft — much to Florita’s annoyance he stifled a laugh.

“Sorry about that.”

She found herself blushing all over again, patting her cheeks in hopes of cooling them down before she turned beet red, Novevu stood up and offered her his hand, for many of the other Ancients, Florita’s scent was overwhelming. Her claimants smelt like Roses but she smelt like every plant to ever exist and plants yet to be.

He wondered what she thought he smelt like, she looked drop dead gorgeous, now. Novevu had been around plenty of appealing, to die for individuals and course she knew of his soulmate problem but they hadn’t come back for such a long time that he was practically on the market. Something about the flowers in her hair, her bare face and the fact she was so dainty yet strong enough to kill an army with just a snap of her fingers. She was everything that he could have been if he had been given life rather than the force he had been dealt.

They found themselves on a beach, Florita he had noticed was bare foot - he was partially glad now that he had chosen a beach. She let go of his hand just long enough to run on the sand, her skirts flowing behind and around her as she spun and giggled. He had to remind himself that she was younger but also the vibrancy inside her was not as a result of life but her own special kind of magic.

“Hey, old man. Coming?”

“Tes illit. Yota Iu ia Xlov.”

{My love, time it is slow.}

Florita would have melted if she could, she would have been a literal puddle if anything, they moved towards the candle lit table where a small group of puppies awaited them, Florita crooned and gasped as they came running. He snapped his fingers, afraid they would ruin her outfit.

“Oh my! They are are cute as they come.”

Once he reached them, he pulled her chair out and snapped his fingers again, causing the group of miscellaneous canines to sit at Florita’s feet, she sat thanking him with another one of her heartbreaking smiles as a human approached holding an ice bucket with a bottle of Champagne.

“First course sir?”

edited May 9, 2021 18:22:52 GMT by Spira

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May 9, 2021 18:22:27 GMT

Post by Spira on May 9, 2021 18:22:27 GMT

A Forbidden Date Night Part Two

“Olyveti is doing alright.”

She was barely able to concentrate on the food, her entire being was focused on Novevu, his scent, his words… she had to stop herself from drooling over him! She looked down at her bowl, she had been so busy gushing over Novevu and his thoughts she had barely paid attention to the meal… then again neither was he really paying attention to his own plate.

“I hope everything is to taste?” He asked nervously

“Of course.”

They went back to staring at the other, she picked at the Ratatouille, as another glass of wine was poured for her by the over eager human staff member who was hovering over them — it was driving her slightly mad but she refused to make a fuss over something so in significant. She shut her eyes just for a moment and allowed her senses to focus in on Novevu’s scent.

Woodsmoke, Citrus, Vetiver, Old Books, Cloves. All things to describe Novevu’s scent, her eyes opened just as he reached over the table to place his own hand in her own which had been resting lazily. He squeezed her hand, it felt like utter electricity and she had to refrain from squeezing back, lest a vine grow from her hand to wrap around his own. Florita was afraid her powers would try to revive Novevu, even though there wasn’t anything wrong with him.

“Florita. Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Why would you think that? Scared that Destodai has caused me to think of you as the devil?”

He laughed, part of him was glad that his niece had no influence on how she saw him. He had always worried that, he was nothing but a monster even to Florita who did not seem to judge, who did not seem to intrude… she felt like peace and safety and everything he wished and wanted, but how long would this last? How long till she saw the demons that everyone saw and fled? His heart began to hammer in his chest.

“Tes Utoi. Gevi dos.”

{My Dear, Calm please}

It jolted him back to reality and they moved onto the next course, neither of them was actually hungry for food — and their canine companions could tell as they looked back and forth at their master adoringly and protectively at this new person who they had not met properly but already loved so. They had moved onto dessert and Florita found herself bursting into outright laughter. He gave her a look of confusion.

“Of course. I never thought the rumours were true. But you must be the one who keeps stealing my Pomegranate trees.”

Realising one of his deepest darkest secrets had been revealed, he blushed furiously opening his mouth to apologise.

“Aik, Aik, Tes Illum fiak…”

{Ok, Ok. My love for…}

“Hos, Iü Aik, Te kilm vaen.”

{No, It’s Ok. I am glad}

Ilnonta's Husband

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May 9, 2021 20:19:46 GMT

Post by Dobu on May 9, 2021 20:19:46 GMT

Gahbreal's Apology

Xainayne poured forth in a plume of shadows and darkness with great speed, rushing towards his claimant without hesitation. The boy stood silent and still with breath barely escaping his lips. His hands were shaking as if there were some great fear looming overhead and yet it was as if his very soul was screaming out.

“Gahbreal? What’s wrong? Answer me dammit, I was busy when you called for me.” The impatient ancient stood at his side looking him in the face yet he wouldn’t return his gaze. “Hello? What are you… looking at…”

The situation was clear as day once he found what his claimant’s eyes were focused on, a slender figure which he had once seen before. Lifeless, motionless albeit for the gentle swaying back and forth caused by the wind, a person that was no claimant and yet someone he had met on multiple occasions when visiting Gahbreal’s home to give him work or simply to confront him on other matters. It was almost impossible to find him without her attached to his side.

“Gahbreal listen to me, you have to calm down.” It was at this point that the ancient realized what was taking place. His claimant was subconsciously calling out to him, as watchful as ever and always making the best choices. “I’m going to talk to you very peacefully. Gahbreal you’re going to force yourself into madness at this rate if you don’t calm down.” He placed a hand on the claimant’s shoulder and was immediately filled with a sense of dread. A deep fear the likes of which was unknown, a brutalizing ovation of madness and insanity that would tear a mortal’s soul asunder if it ever had the means. It was intoxicating, Gahbreal’s madness.

“Xainayne… you think her soul is with Novevu now? Or is it roamin aimlessly with nowhere to go?”

“You know he never slacks on his job", the ancient spoke in a jokingly.

“Would it be possible for him to let me see her again?”

“No. Not Likely.”

“I see.” Gahbreal walked over to his bike and grabbed his axe which anyone could tell had seen many souls to the void. With a swift motion he threw the weapon up towards the tree and cut the rope, her body falling down into his arms. He looked upon her face, hopelessly, angrily, exhausted. His emotions mixed and stirred together live a vortex of shadows and darkness.

“Will you not shed a single tear for her? I know you’ve seen countless people die, at your own hands in fact, but I know this one was special to you.” Xainayne approached the boy and looked at his face in hopes of catching a glimpse of his eyes. He wasn’t disappointed to see the deep red that always managed to fill the normally cautious brown eyes when his madness was at an all time high. He almost couldn’t contain the urge to ask him the next question and yet he couldn’t even shape the word before Gahbreal spoke his own mind.

“I’m gonna need you to do me a favor, it won’t be pretty and it ain’t gonna be a time to be proud.” He laid her body down on the cool ground and removed his jacket to rest over her figure before moving to retrieve his axe. Xainayne looked over his person for a moment, his tall and slender yet chiseled and muscular shape was only accentuated by his affinity for darkness which seemed to dance around his form in anticipation. His skin was a dark caramel and his hair was cut short aside from the beard which covered the lower half of his face. The ancient rarely ever saw him without his jacket on and it was a sight to see as always, covered in scars everywhere but on his face. Boots, jeans and a sleeveless black shirt were all he bothered to wear and his normal fingerless leather gloves were nowhere to be seen.

“Tell me my claimant. What could you possibly ask for now that you think I’d refuse?”

He lifted the axe from the ground with a slight tremble. He feared that uttering his next words would be speaking them into existence, but that was exactly why it had to be done. “Apologize to Novevu for me. I don’t like to make his work any harder than it is and yet I can’t bring myself to change my mind this time around.”

The ancient could feel a shiver creep up his spine, but the situation left a sour taste in his mouth. With abilities like his it was somewhat of a goal to drive the boy mad and see how he would unleash that madness on the world around him. This however wasn’t the way he’d have liked to see it happen. Seeing the way Daenu reacted after Phita disappeared on her it only seemed like a cursed fate to have someone you love perish in such a disgusting way. Even so he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see this through. For his sake as well as his claimant’s.

“And what exactly would you have me say to him? If I’m doing this for you then it will be your own words that I deliver, so don’t hesitate. What would you like to say to Novevu?”

Gahbreal paused for a moment before choosing the words that almost seemed tp boil strait from his heart. “I know who did this and I refuse to allow em any peace… two hundred… Tell him that I’ll be sendin roughly two hundred souls his way in the next hour. Not just any souls, no, but souls steeped in a madness so sickenin that they’ll be distorted beyond repair! Not a single one will escape this night without drownin in a darkness so agonizing that even if they manage reincarnation it will follow em into their next life like a curse on their families! Tell him that I am sorry because I’ll be sending souls of madness into the void the likes of which no being in the past, present or future will ever witness again! That is my promise!”

The air around them was so thick it was as if the shadows and darkness of the night were trying to suffocate the lives out of every living thing around them. The excitement swelling up in Xainayne’s chest was profound and he couldn't keep himself from letting a devilish smile creep onto his face.

“Oh my claimant, you’ve lost something so precious today but gained something alluring and attractive that not many people are capable of seeing. Your madness is special and all of your own, but even you can succumb to it if you’re not careful. However now I see that things change when you allow it to be a part of you. Are you sure about this? Once I go to deliver your message, which I do look forward to doing, you can’t bail on this commitment.”

The claimant looked his master in the eyes with a sigh as he began his long walk down the road. “When was the last time you’ve ever known me to go back on my word?”

Xainayne watched as the boy slowly disappeared into the night, shaped and molded into something new that made his heart ache yet filled him with a sense of joy and excitement for his future.

"Not even once, my precious Gahbreal."

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May 10, 2021 6:12:56 GMT

Post by Spira on May 10, 2021 6:12:56 GMT

A Forbidden Date Part Three

They ran their fingers along each other, both of them absentminded but glowing nonetheless. They had lost themselves in time, and were none the wiser as the sun started to slowly creep up from underneath the shadows of night. She was the first to rise up, as she did a rain of petals fell out of her hair and she blushed. He ran his fingers over her lips.

She had always personally thought of death as a power, as something of a sterile unmarked force that did what it had to do indiscriminately and so it came as a surprise that Novevu was covered in scars, though many of them were faint, some were still raised and jagged. Who would do such a thing? She knew he was a fearsome warrior and that he got his hands dirty but she hadn’t expected so much.

On the same thread, Novevu hadn’t expected for Florita to begin to cry tears of nectar, he had expected normal tears, like the ones that humans shed, her skin rippled like the wind, the vines that kept her together seemed to flex and relax, when he was being a little too rough, cuts would appear and flowers would emerge, all kinds. Until she looked she was partially a whole garden.

“Why are you crying.” Wiping away her tears with his fingers.

“Because one so old should not be so marred with scars of a lifetime. Is Death not peaceful? Is it not painless?”

“If it were, I would not exist. If not for the scars I would not feel so alive. Come, let me hold you.”

She fell back into his arms, her tears still falling, he didn’t mind; running his hands through her feather soft hair. They remained tangled in each other long after the dawn of the new day was upon them.

Novevu dreaded having to see her return to her realm, the puppies were worse they yelped and winced, nudged at her feet and practically pleaded in their own way for her to stay. He had made sure to send her off with a bundle of gifts, and a promise to visit soon.

Once she was departed from his realm, he fell back into his bed which still smelt like her, which pillows and some of the sheets were dampened with her sweet-nectar like tears. He began to pick up the petals and the reminders of the evening they had shared together, placing them in a crystal vase of a sorts. Once he was sure all parts of Florita were contained. He sealed it, preserving the contents, it would give him comfort knowing that some small part of her was still within his realm.

“Why does it smell like a florist in here, the good kind. Not the artificial kind.”

Xainayne’s voice, was unwelcome, if not a little bitter. He turned to meet one of his closest friends, confidants, former lovers… business partners. Now. Novevu, gestured towards the bar, which Xainayne took up as an offer to get day-drunk.

“Florita was helping one of my pups get over an upset stomach.”

“What did you feed it?”

“More like what I did not feed it, but it found.”

Xainayne sprawled himself out on the couch, whereas Novevu remained standing. Drink in hand hoping that his lie would stick and no further questions about his whereabouts would be asked.

Florita, in the meantime had returned to her loft, placing her usual sign of ‘not to be disturbed on the door’ she cleaned up her studio, somewhat meticulously, now that she was utterly alone and his scent encompassed her like a hug that kept on giving. She wondered what this new relation with Novevu would become. Willing a cup of tea into existence from the palm of her hand she sat down to drink it whilst observing the new blank canvas that awaited her. She was inspired to paint and she decided she would paint his soul. It would be the only way she would be able to preserve any part of him whilst she was away from his arms.

Sigmutt's Wife

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May 10, 2021 7:30:06 GMT

Post by kaiju on May 10, 2021 7:30:06 GMT

2. the quesadilla debacle

The slam of glasses on a wooden tabletop echoed around the room, followed up by raucous laughter. The scene was staged by the halfhearted sounds of dilapidated carnival rides. The usually lively location was largely nightmarish now, boasting dangerous rides, constantly wailing tortured souls, and plenty of other unfortunate things. The laughter billowed out of a big top tent that was likely the only thing that looked like it had any maintenance. Bright lights flowing from under the fabric would make it appear welcoming and intriguing. This was the part of the Vortex that the Ancient of darkness spent his personal time.

Xainayne and Novevu sat opposite each other within the tent, inside a back room where Xainayne's servants wouldn't bother him. They were comfortably settled in a racing car seat and office chair respectively--Xainayne had always said he liked how random it was. Why he wanted such different styles was beyond Novevu, but of all things to question about his friend, he figured his choice of seats in his realm was of little importance.

"You barely got that one down," Xainayne laughed at his companion, filling both of their glasses again. "I saw you hesitating, old man."

Novevu scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Agh, fuck off. You're pourin' mine bigger."

That brought an incredulous look to the ancient of madness's sharp features before he huffed out another laugh. "Whatever you have to tell yourself." He burped, then pounded his chest to finish it off as he slid the glass to his old friend. They both picked up the drinks and swirled them around for a moment before raising them to each other as if in a toast, and then throwing them back again.

"Nasty," Novevu grunted. His first expression was a grimace, then followed by a grin as he got an idea. "You hungry?"

Xainayne considered for a moment as if searching his body to see if it was, in fact, hungry. He finally relented with a nonchalant shrug. "What are you thinking?"

"The best food ever. It's gonna be so good. Come." He gestured for the man to join him, effectively intriguing Xainayne to join him with no fuss as he grabbed what was left of their bottle. Novevu bent the space around them with the Void, moving them through it and space itself until they found themselves in an entirely new place. It was late at night where they were now, floor-to-ceiling windows showing off a beautiful city skyline. This was somewhere Xainayne had never been and so he found himself tense even in his drunken state. He quizzically walked around a few feet, a brow raising as he took in this unfamiliar environment.

Novevu plopped himself down comfortable at a marble counter, sighing to himself as he waited. As if on queue, the light patter of bare feet on the floor sounded from around the corner. Then DeVian finally rounded it and poked her head out, doing a double take at the men in her living room as she rubbed her eyes.

"¿Que demonios?" she murmured, turning on the light and illuminating them all. Novevu gave her a goofy, loopy grin when he saw her face. "What are you doing here?"
{What the hell?}

"Were ya sleepin?" The Ancient of death asked, still smiling at her like he was unbelivably happy. The brunt of the liquor was really starting to hit him now. Xainayne might've been as effected if being thrust into this death claimant's apartment sobered him up a bit. He eyed her openly, curiously, as if studying her nooks and crannies. She did the same to him.

DeVian finally broke away to open her fridge and grab a bottle of water. "I fell asleep working."

"Again?"

"Si. Again. It's a project proposal that's just so..." She trailed off, rubbing her temple in frustration at the thought. "Anyway, what brings you, then?"

"Food."

"You show up at my house in the middle of the night for me to make you some food?" She laughed, leaning on the counter as she tried to figure out what would possess him to come here of all places. "What are you drinking this time?"

He shrugged lazily, just then remembering about Xainayne and beckoning him to sit down. "You want some?"

"Tonight's a wine night."

"Mmk. Can you make my favorite? The ques... uh..." He hiccuped lightly and excused himself.

"You want a quesadilla?" His inability to remember what it was called brought a grin to her lips. It was always interesting to see what he wanted when he was drunk. He was a different kind of man when the whole world wasn't weighing on his shoulders. "Fine. I guess I'll indulge you."

Xainayne scoffed in distaste at her words, sweeping his suit jacket back as he finally took a seat beside his fellow Ancient.

One of Dev's brows rose at that but she didn't bother to address it. She pulled some ingredients out of her cabinets and fridge. "I was going to make quesadillas tomorrow, so you're lucky I have everything."

"'Lucky?'" Xainayne's deep voice was bewildered in tone. "You let your Claimants address you this way?"

To this, the woman of the hour looked at his towering figure seated in her chair absolutely uninvited. And it made her laugh. "You warp into my house in the middle of night asking me to make you food, but I am the one with the audacity when addressing you?" Her laugh became more pronounced. "I don't even know who you are."

His chest puffed out. "That's your own shortcoming. I a--"

"Did I ask?"

"Wh--excuse me?!"

The dark-skinned woman turned to her stovetop and powered it on, taking out an array of pots and pans she'd be using to make the meal. She yawned as she did so, still shaking off the last remnants of sleep. She was more tired than she knew what to do with. The late nights were a combination of doing master's work for the degree she was pursuing and trying to work her way up Law Tech's hierarchy. Of course, it would be hers in time, but there was a fundamental understanding of the company that she was still working on.

"Thank you," Novevu mumbled, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to sober a bit.

"Hurry up," Xainayne declared.

"Mind your manners, would you?"

The tall man snorted incredulously. "I would never hold my tongue for the likes of a mortal. Come on, Novevu."

Dev continued to cook dutifully, at some point after putting the chicken on deciding to pour those glasses of wine she'd mentioned earlier. She pulled out two and a chilled bottle from the fridge door, quickly filling them and putting the bottle back. She slid one in front of her Ancient and kept the other for herself, sipping on it idly as she tended to the food.

Xainayne shrugged at being left out and took a swig directly from his bottle. Whatever. She could go fuck herself.

"How's the work?" Novevu asked after a moment, his fingers sliding up the stem of the wine glass as he studied it.

"Busy," she sighed in response, yawning again as if prompted. "I've been up all night trying to get a proposal done."

Xainayne huffed in annoyance, which both others ignored. Novevu continued on to suggest, "Why don't you take a break?"

"I'm taking one right now, aren't I?" She raised her glass to him and he clinked his against it, both taking a long drink from it before replacing it on the counter.

"Well?" the man made of darkness itself piped up in exasperation. "Aren't you going to ask me what I want?"

DeVian didn't answer, instead padding back to her room, where she stayed for several minutes. She eventually emerged with her laptop, a notepad open to a page with lengthy scribbles, and a pen, which she sat down on the counter and arranged for use. "Let me use you as a rubber ducky, would you?" she asked her master, to which he nodded in agreement. "Así que he estado trabajando en esta propuesta, ¿verdad? It's for a program that would be able to track IP addresses through the dark web--well, potentially. It's just bothering me that I can't get a few pieces of code to work."
{So I've been working on this proposal, right?}

"Hm," the dark-haired man mused. "Are you working on this alone?"

"Are you fucking ignoring me?" Xainayne exclaimed loudly, his black eyebrows pulling low in frustration.

Dev turned back to stir the chicken, throwing in more seasoning and pulling out a couple more ingredients. "No, but my team is also stumped. It's annoying." She didn't notice as Xainayne had risen from his seat and angrily come up behind her, snatching her face up at the jaw just as she was turning back to the counter. He let all of his contempt show in his eyes and through his frown.

"Are you broken?" he growled, squeezing tighter as she was forced to her toes to continue to stand even if she was already sorely looking up at him.

"Hey now," Novevu called, but he didn't bother to get up.

"Speak when spoken to, Claimant," the father of darkness continued to seethe. "Are. You. Broken?"

She gripped his hand at her throat as he held her just almost in the air, struggling against his grip even though she hated it. "What?"

"You answer me when I talk to you or I will see to it you never say another coherent word again."

"Play nice," Novevu scolded once again.

"No me asustas," the woman choked out.
{You don't scare me.}

"Then you are much dumber than you look." Xainayne tightened his hold to accentuate his point.

"Knock it off!" Novevu was getting tired of this show, scraping his chair back pointedly. He didn't want to have to get in the middle of something like that and ruin his mood, but things looked a little more heated than he thought they'd get.

The other Ancient heeded the warning he was given and let his friend's claimant go, adjusting his cuff links afterwards as he took his seat.

Dev and Novevu were in good spirits by the time the food was done, chuckling with each other about her early days in the Void. Xainayne had hardly spoken though at least his soured expression did seem to lessen over time.

Finally, with two quesadillas hot and ready, DeVian plated them and wiped her hands off proudly. One, she slid across the counter to Novevu, who thanked her and graciously dug in. Xainayne hungrily reached for the other, but watched as the child of death easily pulled it out of his reach. She looked at him for a moment before smirking and picking the plate up, closing her laptop and retreating towards her bedroom. "Good night. Turn the light off before you go, please."

Xainayne's mouth hung open in disbelief. Novevu nodded and waved her off to bed, effectively waving off the second plate of food, too. The man of madness couldn't believe his friend would let him be disrespected in such a way--and so blatantly, too! Where the hell was all this gall coming from?!

"Give me some of yours," he finally asked, nudging Novevu impatiently. "Come on, man."

"Nah."

"Why not?"

"I'm hungry too, dammit. Maybe you should've been a bit nicer. Then you'd have your own."

"What the hell are you talking about, 'nice'? I told her to make me one."

"And that's why you're sitting there smelling mine and watching me eat."

Xainayne huffed and crossed his arms. "What are you suggesting?"

"She's not one of your claimants. She's mine. So... she's different."

"So? They're all different or what have you."

"Apologize."

"Has that liquor finally reached your head?"

Novevu shrugged. "Guess you'll be hungry, then."

Xainayne pouted for a long minute. Then he grumbled to himself as he padded through the large apartment to what he could only assume was her bedroom, since the door was still cracked open. His form turned into a shadow for a brief moment as he entered the room along the edges of darkness, reforming in a chair beside the woman's bed. His legs were crossed impatiently, fingers tapping along the arms of the chair.

"What?" she demanded.

"I'll make you a deal."

"I suppose even if I don't listen you'll just talk anyway, so go on, I guess."

"If you give me the food I won't harm you."

She scoffed. "Is that generous in your head?"

"You must not know--"

"I know who you are, Xainayne. I just don't really care."

He paused before continuing. Since he couldn't hurt her on account of Novevu, this was a harder negotiation than he would've liked. "Please," he mumbled.

"Did you say something?"

"Please," he asserted again, louder this time. He couldn't see, but it made her grin.

"Manners," she said in a sing-song voice, then pointed to her bedside table. There the quesadilla she'd made sat untouched. "How lucky you are that I already ate."

He took the plate grudgingly, standing from the chair and giving her a look of distaste. "Hm. Lucky." He returned to the kitchen where Novevu sat sporting a triumphant grin.

"Humility looks good on you."

Xainayne punched his arm as he walked by. "Fuck you. I've said it a million times and I'll say it a million more: fuck you."

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May 10, 2021 9:50:03 GMT

Post by Dobu on May 10, 2021 9:50:03 GMT

Ideen's Favorite Tea

The old rickety home seemed to bend and shake at the slightest gust of wind. The walls were in disrepair that only accented the ragged rugs that were strewn across the wooden floor. It smelled of lavender and chestnuts with a hint of honey, a signature scent that let him know that his mother was awake and preparing for another day. He groggily stood up from the mattress that lay on the floor and shook of his clothes. A shirt that seemed two sizes larger than he frame hung lazily on his small body and a pair of ragged shorts were covering his knees.

“I see you’re up sunshine. Come over here and sit with your mum for a moment.”

Her voice was like a song that made his heart skip a beat. He couldn’t help but smile whenever he heard it. He rushed over to her quickly and snuggled up beside her. Her white hair was the same as his, although her pale locks reached down her back. She wore a simple brown dress and an apron which didn’t match her thick hide boots in the slightest.

“Would ya like a cup of tea sweetheart? It’s our favorite”, she said with a warm smile as she handed him a mug filled almost to the brim with the tea he and his mother would drink every morning. “So tell me, have ya accomplished a lot in yer classes?”

“Aye! The teachers are tellin me that I’ve got the highest grades in the class.”

Haden spoke with a voice as lighthearted as you’d expect from any child. His mother couldn’t resist smiling and combing through his hair with her fingers. “You’ve got the same hair as me, the same accent, and the same beautiful yellow eyes.” She chuckled like a child at the thought of it. “It’s like the only thing ya got from yer father were these cute chubby cheeks! No doubt they’ll slender up when you get older and you’ll be havin all the ladies swarm around ya?”

Haden gagged at the thought of it which his mother burst into laughter at the sight of. Looking at her face, her smile and the voice that let out a laugh he couldn’t possibly live without his cheeks lit up red and he began to laugh along with her. “I’m not gonna get some crazy lady to be me wife. Besides, I’m fine right here with you and father.”

His mother smiled before standing up and patting off her clothes. “Alright my sunshine, it’s time for me to head off.” She grabbed his now empty mug and placed it in the sink along with her own. “Make sure ya be a good boy and make yer mum proud.”

He sat quietly for a moment and watched as she approached the beaten and battered door. As she slowly opened it his eyes grew wider as a look of panic showered over his face, the sight of the snow pummeling down outside the door caused him to look up at his mother who turned to give him a warm smile before she walked out into the storm. “Mum wait! Mom!” He jumped up and rushed towards the door as it slowly closed in front of him. His hand pressed against the doorknob and he swung the heavy wooden door open, rushing out into the blizzard with no shred of hesitation.

He could see her in the distance, his mother who didn’t seem to get any closer or further away, but all that meant was that he could catch up to her. His steps were light yet quick, he didn’t care for the cold and even if he did it wouldn’t halt his forward motion. The closer he became the more he could see the ice and snow covering her person. She stood in what seemed like a frozen state which only made him push his legs even further as he rushed with speeds he wasn’t accustomed to. The strain tired him and by the time he mad it to her side he stumbled to his knees in the snow.

“Mother, please, come back.” He uttered the words as he reached out for her yet the moment the tips of his fingers grazed the hem of her dress she shattered to shard of ice in her entirety. He sat motionless for a moment, the storm picking up around him as the snow rose higher and higher. Tears streamed down his cheeks yet froze before they could fall and just as it felt as if he could cry out…

He jumped awake with a scream and heavy breaths, his hands shaking as they clutched the sheets to his bed. He looked around the small cabin he found himself resting in, home. It was secure and comfortable yet missing something he knew all to well would most likely never be there. He shook his head and looked around for a bottle of whiskey or gin or anything at all. That’s right, he didn’t bring anything like that here. He’d been here for almost a month and hadn’t managed a single drink the entire time.

He stood up and fixed his sheet on the bed. The small cabin consisted of few thing including a single bed, a table and a kitchen which all occupied the same room. Three seats for no reason at all and a fireplace as if he needed the fucking thing. It was always cold.

He walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a small ornate kettle with a phrase engraved on the side. “Do mo ghrá… Ideen.” With precision he quickly opened cabinet after cabinet to grab small amounts of lavender, chestnuts and honey to place within the kettle. He filled it with a substantial amount of water and placed it over the flame which managed to live on throughout the night. He took light steps across the room and sat in one of the chairs that rested next to the table. His head was surprisingly clear for once and it allowed him to relax a bit easier, albeit he couldn’t stop thinking about the things he’d like to forget.

The whistle of the kettle shocked him from his groggy state and he rose up to grab the kettle, but just as he moved to pour himself a cup of the tea he could feel the air itself chill around him. He knew this feeling and it wasn’t long before he could hear the steps making their way towards the door to his home which deftly burst open.

“Haden I swear to god you better be here! You fucking ingrate you just disappear and… oh. Oh my.” The ancient looked upon his claimant clad in loose fitting clothes, a button up wool shirt with the sleeves rolled up and pants of the same material. A full beard on his face and hi hair stretching down his back. “I spoke to Misnia and she said you disappeared after a few days. Said it was odd because you had stopped drinking? And shortly after stopped really talking? Then you just disappeared. Damnit Haden you have a duty to fulfill and I won’t accept you pulling stunts like this!”

“I understand. I apologize for my poor conduct.” He responded instantaneously. “Would ya like some tea? It’s me mum’s recipe.”

“No I don’t want any fucking tea Haden and you have tasks that require tending to. Grab your things and lets go.”

Daenu was clearly lacking patience, but it was understandable seeing as to how Haden had wandered off for months and led him on a wild goose chase to even find him! It was impressive how he managed it all so quickly and even more so how he managed such an accurate control of his abilities, but that only agitated the ancient more as he watched the boy pour two mugs full of the tea he had just told him he didn’t want.

“Haden you’ve got to fucking kidding me right now? Was I not clear? Am I going to have to freeze you solid and drag you back myself or are you just going to hurry up! I find you dressed like some

“Daenu… I hear ya. Just sit with me and have a cup a tea will ya? I don’t ask for much as is, but I’d appreciate if you just went along with me this once. Please.”

The ancient looked at him for a long moment, weighing the downsides of what he’d do after being taken back by force and slowly sitting in one of the chairs around the table. It was well made but with no inspiration put towards design. The smell of the tea however filled the insides of the walls with a sense of comfort that was oddly pleasant. Haden walked over with a pleased smile on his face and one that the ancient hadn’t seen on his face since he was a small boy and took the opportunity to examine on his now grown face.

“Ya know, I hate that city so much it hurts sometimes to wake up in it.” He sat down with the two cups of tea and sat one in front of his ancient before taking his own into his hands. “This world, its people, I hate the very sight of them. They build up their feckin castles and towers and buildings and play kingmaker inside of them without a single solitary damn for anyone else outside of them. They only care for themselves and would willingly watch everyone else die out without even a chance of survival.”

He took a sip from his cup and blinked a few time, lifting a hand to wipe his eyes. He took another sip and sat the mug down. “It feels like I’m betrayin me self everytime I find somethin worth protectin. You, Phita, even that arse Shinzo all keep me tethered to this world and yet I hope for nothin more than stranglin the life out of it with me bare hands..” He walked over to a shelf where his clothes were resting and switched into a pair of dark slack and a white shirt with a vest and tie. “I feel as if… I dunno. Maybe I’m losin ma luster”, he said with a laugh as he threw his coat over his shoulders and swept his hair out of his face.

“I’ve known you for a long time Haden and I think this may be the very first time you’ve spoken freely about your feelings to anyone in that time. Sounds like you might be getting soft on me or are you just in over your head? All you should worry about is doing your job and everything will become clear to you in time.” He stood from the chair and joined Haden who was now standing near the door waiting for his ancient. “You should focus on your here and now without second guessing yourself and handle matters as they present themselves.”

Haden opened the door for Daenu who hesitated for a fraction of a second before leaving the cabin. The smell, the odd warmth, it felt somewhat sad to leave the place and yet Haden walked as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Let’s hurry up and get back. You’ll have to do a lot of work to make up for what you’ve missed.”

“Aye I’m sure I will. I’ll have to get a drink first, get into the killin mood and prepare me self for a hard days work.” He laughed as if the previous conversation had never even happened which was alarming to say the least, but Daenu had never known him to be any other way. “Well would you look at that! The flask was in me feckin coat pocket the whole time! Are you sure there’s no ancient of luck? Because I’m sure they’re smiling down on me right now laddie!”

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May 15, 2021 8:27:23 GMT

Post by Dobu on May 15, 2021 8:27:23 GMT

Gahbreal's Requiem of Madness Part 1

Novevu sipped from the small glass that sat before him, clear distaste prevalent on his face with what he had just ingested. He looked to Xainayne who had not been capable of managing a better look upon his own person. A cough escaped the ancient’s lips as he leaned forward, the burning in his chest causing a sense of alarm.

“What is this stuff and why are we drinking it?”

“It’s just moonshine. The taste may not be the best, but its effects however. That’s where it’s purpose excels.”

Novevu took a good look at the clear liquid that rested in the mason jar Xainayne poured it from. He reached for the jar and brought it to his face only to be bombarded by the unpleasant aroma that seemed to cover the entire container. Who makes this stuff? Who drinks this stuff? The smell alone was enough to make you feel intoxicated.

“Ugh… why does it smell like this? What mortal could possibly drink this and survive?” Novevu quickly sat the jar back down.

“”It’s not that bad. Gahbreal drinks this stuff all the time and I have to admit it is rather astonishing to see. You’d think he doesn’t even feel the effects”, Xainayne spoke as he drank the rest from his own glass.

Novevu lifted his own glass with hesitation before gulping down the rest of the contents within, a pained look in his eyes as he struggled for breath. It was as if the smell from before had coated the inside of his mouth. Every breath filled his lungs with the strong aroma which made it feel as if her were suffocating. This would surely not be something he’d willingly try again without a bit more preparation.

“You should sip it for now, take it slow. We’ve had moonshine in our day but it’s almost as if this stuff was made to cause you pain. Drink to much of it and you’ll taste it in the back of your throat for the next hour.”

“Noted.” Novevu leaned back comfortably in his seat. “I don’t understand how that boy can function if he drinks this stuff for fun.”

He looked around Gahbreal’s home which they both waited patiently inside of. He had a rather large place which was far from what he was living in the last time Novevu had visited him. The place was rather secluded in the middle of nowhere, like a farmhouse yet with no farm in sight located distinctly in the middle of a large open field. His home smelled of rosemary which may have been the only thing that hadn’t changed from the last place, but his walls held no photos or decorations. The kitchen was large and so was the living area, yet he had no television or radio in sight. Multiple empty rooms with nothing but the hardwood floor echoing with each footstep to fill the home’s ever empty space. The two of them were currently occupying the only furniture in sight which were two loveseats and a couch that sat in the middle of the living area with a small coffee table between them holding their drinks.

“Tell me, how has the boy been doing?”

“Gahbreal? He’s fine, same as always. Don’t tell me you care for the boy’s wellbeing?”

“Do you not? He is your claimant after all, which you have given an important duty and an ample amount of attention.”

Xainayne lifted the jar and refilled each drinking glass to the brim. An act which Novevu almost protested against, but decided against it as they didn’t have anything else nearby to drink.

“The boy is a claimant just like any other, he simply has a certain ability that peaks my interest. You’ve seen the effects, what he can do, what he has done? You can’t say it hasn’t interested you in the slightest. He’s a suitable tool for my own personal use and nothing more.”

“I’ve seen his work, but it hasn’t always been the way it is now.”

“How so? He’s always done his jobs without fail correct?”

They both paused for a moment to take a sip from their respective glass which was surprisingly less of an ordeal than before, it went down far easier and the aroma had weakened quite a bit from before.

“I’d say it was around eight years ago his work suddenly changed. It would interest me as before that time he would take care of his tasks in a respectful and dutiful manner, in a way that made it seem as if he cared for the claimants he was sent to deal with. He laid them to rest and yet he personally made sure it was quick and painless or would sit by and wait with them until they departed. It was hard to find souls in the condition he sent them off in, more peaceful in death than they were in life you could almost say.”

Xainayne gave him a look as if he couldn’t understand the situation he described. He leaned forward as if lost in thought before taking another sip and giving his thoughts.

“Are you certain of this? He hasn’t ever told me anything about this.”

“Most likely because he believes you wouldn’t care as you’ve most certainly made clear, although I suppose it’s not the same anymore. His dedication has shifted drastically. After you delivered his message to me that night his sense of mercy and passion just faded away. Fear, madness, hysteria, his trademarks these days are less than ideal although I suppose these are criminals. I’ve also noticed it on his person, the deterioration.”

“The boy is fine. So long as he accomplishes his duty then it's of no real concern. It doesn’t matter how he does it so long as he gets it done.”

Novevu almost picked up his glass yet the words of his company made him stop short and lean back in his seat. Well at least he could see where the mercilessness originated from. Did Xainayne really not care for this claimant?

“How long do you think that boy is going to last in the state he is in? Every time I see him it’s as if his soul is falling apart, wasting away. You must do something or he may end up pushing himself too far and burning himself out. You say his work is important yet you would allow him to treat himself this way?”

“As I said the boy is fine. He’s stronger than he looks and I have been speaking with him, there are no problems as far as I can tell.”

“No problems? He’s talking with Zyphinex as we speak and he requested to do so himself. Do you understand why? What the child is after? It’s as if he’s moving on autopilot and you haven’t even realized. He used to be so peaceful and respectful to everyone and now he barely even speaks, he used to look as if he were prepared to do anything for the sake of his companions regardless of house or standing yet he looks at everyone now as if they’re an enemy. All he does is wait for your orders to kill, has he done anything else other than his work since that night? Does he do anything that involves something other than our existence?”

Xainayne sat quietly for a moment before grabbing his glass which Novevu did in kind. This conversation was unwelcome, he didn’t enjoy the idea of others sticking their noses into the affairs of his house yet it wasn’t as if they really understood Gahbreal’s position. The boy was strong, personally trained and educated by himself and in that regard he was perfect. He knew how and when to act with a high affinity for madness and darkness. He was missing nothing, he needed nothing else other than to serve. Right?

“The boy is more than capable of taking care of himself. He has everything he could possibly need or want and as you can see he doesn’t require much to sustain himself. He doesn’t want after many material things and tends to do what he pleases. That night has not and will not make him ineffective in his work and that is all that matters. He does his duties to the letter and that is all.”

Another sip followed by silence… another sip and their empty glasses hit the table yet again. Xainayne looked to Novevu with a slight sense of agitation. What brought this conversation on? Maybe they shouldn’t have decided to wait in his home until Gahbreal finished up with Zyphinex, the topic of the boy was bringing up conversations that would have been preferably avoided.

“It simply worries me. He plays an important role for all of us as a mediator, someone who handles what some of us either don’t have the time to do or simply cannot do in the field or slaying rogue claimants and we rarely ever see him or speak to him. Does he ever visit his family at all?”

“I don’t think they choose to talk to him.”

“Does he spend time with friends at all? Other claimants?”

“I rarely have known him to leave his home these days unless he’s doing work.”

“Does he even visit the grave of his wife and child?”

“His girlfriend actually and no, he actually avoids her grave. I thought it was odd, but I think he’s just dealing with it in his own way. He’s never really been one to display his emotions freely with anyone other than that girl so I haven’t even heard him say anything about her.”

Novevu paused for a moment as his fellow ancient began to fill their glasses again. Something about what he said wasn’t right. Her grave. Say anything about her. It wasn’t spoken in the proper way that he had expected.

“Don’t you mean their? Them?”

“Pardon?”

“Their grave? Say anything about them?”

They both sat in silence for a moment, a look of disbelief taking root on Novevu’s face as he stood and walked across the room. It wasn’t completely unnatural, but he wouldn’t have expected Xainayne to do such a thing.

“You didn’t tell him about the child did you?”

“Of course I didn’t, are you mad?”

“Damnit Xainayne, have you lost yourself? This is an entirely new low. You didn’t believe the boy deserved to know the fate of his own child?”

“And what did you want me to do?” The ancient stood up quickly in a fit of anger. “Just look at the boy now! I’ve been trying to keep him stable yet it hasn’t done much at all. He talks to me often yet it doesn’t ever feel as if he’s saying anything. Everything you’ve seen is him after only knowing he’s lost one person, if he knew it wasn’t only one but two?! His mental state wouldn’t be capable of holding up. I wanted the boy to face a situation in which he would have to decide between his morality and his purpose, but then this happened before he could even face it. I don’t know what you want me to say! The boy doesn’t have much of anything!”

Novevu sighed as he walked back to his seat and slumped down into the soft cushions. “That still doesn’t make it right. You should have told him before things managed to get this far.”

“He murdered an entire town for just one person he hadn’t even gotten the chance to marry yet. What do you think he would have done if he knew his child suffered the same fate along with his partner? Unborn, unable to even be seen. The last thing I’d want to do is have to kill the boy to stop him from doing something beyond his purpose that would go against us all. Claimants from other houses were in the surrounding towns, if he had managed to stray too far that night we might have started making enemies that can’t be ignored.”

Novevu took a sip from his cup which now just tasted of a light alloy and something sweet which he couldn’t put his finger on. Blueberry maybe? Raspberry?

“And you say you don’t care for the boy. I suppose things are different when you raise someone from the ground up.”

“I already said it doesn’t matter to me. His ability to spread madness at a highly affective rate is something to be held in high regard. He’s not as strong as his ancestors, but I’ve trained him well enough for him to hold his own against a treasure. His physical abilities are subpar, but he can take enough hits and absorb enough damage to adapt and get his hits in and that’s if he even gets touched. He prefers to avoid taking damage and instead has become almost impossible to hit unless fighting skilled combatants, I have a hard time landing blows on him sometimes.”

“You spar with your claimants?”

“Just Gahbreal mainly, he needs to be durable if I’m going to ever see the effects of his abilities. It takes time and since it also affects him he can’t be too forward with it… Although he has been getting rather constant with his abilities these days.”

“No wonder the boy is covered in scars and bruises all the time, at least you don’t hit him too hard in the face. Also again, you say you don’t care for the boy.”

“Shut up.”

His footsteps were heavy, black boots slowly making their way forward. His thumbs were in the pockets of his black slacks which left the rest of his hands exposed. He wore a black turtleneck which was tucked comfortable into his pants behind a basic black leather belt. Over his shoulders and down his back was a trench coat which was so black it held an odd aura which looked as if it were glowing with a deep indigo haze. His pupils were a steady glowing red which seemed as if they might gnaw at the mind of anyone who dared to look into them.

“Who are you supposed to be? The edge lord of the hour coming to be an annoyance? Or maybe just another sorry excuse for a claimant who believes they can say something insulting enough to piss me off.”

Zyphinex spoke without holding anything back, Gahbreal could tell she hated him right off the bat. He stopped next to her confinement in the Prism Realm and looked directly in her eyes. The red faded away into an almost black brown as his coat disappeared into thin air.

“I actually came for your advice, Zyphinex. As much shit as people say about you you’re still my ancient’s treasure and my superior, me being Xainayne’s claimant and all. I just came here to talk to you as a junior to a senior. I ain’t gonna be hostile.”

She looked the boy up and down like a predator examining their prey. He didn’t seem or look strong, but he carried this odd feeling around him that put her on guard. He didn’t seem as if he lied to her and he didn’t look as if he was dishonest. This kid was odd, but she didn’t have anything else to do so she would at least here him out.

“Make it quick, you’re disturbing me. Don’t waste to much of my fucking time.”

“I appreciate it.” He sat down calmly on the ground and pulled a bottle from his pocket. “This is a gift, for your time. I would have got you a bigger bottle but Xainayne told me not to bring you anything and it was hard enough to sneak this by em.”

She looked at the bottle of what was named Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Brut Rose. Expensive by the look of it alone. Why would he bring her something like this? What was he after? This had to be some sort of trick he was trying to pull or some scheme that Xainayne or Novevu had come up with.

“What do you really want? You think you can trick me with this? You can fuck off with all the two-faced garbage.”

“I hate liars, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t compare me to one. I thought that maybe you might be able to understand my position because I don’t know anyone else who could. These claimants are so soft and have no real ambition or serious devotion to their ancients and the few who do ain’t the sort who’d do duty that involves taking lives or slaying others day after day, or at least not as far as I know.”

He paused for a moment and refocused himself, a few blinks which flickered between his eyes glowing red and going back to normal.

“So what? You think I’m just some crazy murderer bitch or something? That’s why you came here?”

“No, I think that you’re the only person I know who has killed a possibly larger number of people than I have and ain’t one of the ancients. I can’t just question an ancient about it and I’m not permitted to approach the other treasures without an escort, yet I can talk to you freely and I trust your opinion.”

She could see where he was coming from and he was far too sincere to be a liar. If he were trying to trick her then would he be capable of being this serious? Of carrying this thick aura, this stench of blood and death? It’s almost as if it were a part of his being.

“Well you wasted your time, I’m not in the mood to tell some random prick about myself or tell them about their own self and I’m pretty sure I never will. So if you could kindly fuck off I would appreciate that.”

Gahbreal looked at her for a moment before letting out a low sigh. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slender box which he carefully slid into her space before turning to make his exit. Zyphinex looked at the box in confusion but upon closer examination realized it was just a cellphone case. Did they tell him he could give this to her or was he just acting on his own?

“Hey you!” He stopped at the sound of her voice. “Why? What do you get out of this? Or are you just stupid?”

“I just had this feelin that there was someone out there, someone you loved yet couldn’t reach. Rumors and the like also were a hand in it. However, I ain’t the type to just leave my seniors be no matter what position they’re in. I don’t know if the thing’ll work in this place and I doubt it would, but if it does then you can at least talk to someone important, right?”

He turned back towards her and placed his hand on his own chest with a soft smile which caught her off guard. Nothing about him gave off the feeling that he could even muster a face like that and yet there he was smiling like some stupid child in her presence.

“I just couldn’t help my damn self”, he spoke with a sigh. “It just reminded me of a situation I hate and I thought I’d at least try something to make this shitty situation of yours just a bit more bearable. Take care miss Zyphinex.”

Before she could even get a word out he turned away and disappeared into a plume of shadows and darkness. He was definitely one of Xainayne’s claimants, but that didn’t mean he could just wander in and talk to her like she was his fucking mother. It did however make her wonder how many people actually treated her well or how many people treated her like a respected superior…

“What a weird ass kid.”

“Well it looks like he’s finished up. It’s about time.” Xainayne turned to see Gahbreal emerge from a pool of shadows which formed itself on the front door of his home.

“Yo, I see you’ve helped yourselves to my favorite drink. If you’re hungry I was going to make a few ribeye steaks for dinner. Mashed potatoes. Gravy.”

Novevu and Xainayne stood up and adjusted their clothing before responding. “Not this time Gahbreal, me and Novevu have things to take care of. You don’t have any work tonight or tomorrow so you can relax for now. If anything comes up I’ll let you know.”

“Alright. Y’all keep me updated and I’ll be ready to move at a moments notice. There’s never a good time to rest while these lost are committin wrongs.”

The ancients left just as quickly as he arrived and with that he was left alone in his home. He opened up one of the cabinets and grabbed a jar of the same moonshine the ancients had been drinking, taking a few gulps as soon as he opened it. They had both managed to drink the entirety of his other jar which he thought wouldn’t be to Novevu’s taste, but apparently he was wrong. Meanwhile Xainayne approached Zyphinex’s confinement which she deftly responded to with a middle finger. He didn’t bother with getting angry about it and instead got strait to the point.

“The boy, Gahbreal. What did he want to talk to you about?” He asked her in a serious manner to which she responded with a laugh.

“And why exactly am I inclined to tell you about it? Why don’t you bullshit up an answer yourself and get the fuck away from me you shit.”

“I’m not playing games with you girl, answer my question! Now!”

They both sat silently for a moment with eyes locked onto one another. The air trembled with their hostility and it seemed as if it would never cease. Zyphinex wasn’t going to back down and neither would he in this scenario.

“Battle tactics.”

A lie.

“Battle tactics… you talked about battle tactics?”

“Did I fucking stutter? He said he felt like he was getting rusty, or something stupid like that, and wanted to ask me about battle tactics. I told him to screw himself.”

Xainayne sighed and turned to walk away. Battle tactics? Why would he need anything like that? He taught the boy himself how to fight, plan, do basically everything the moment he was capable of understanding it, but now all of a sudden he wants to learn more battle tactics? Thinks he’s getting rusty? What was that boy thinking? Or maybe she was just lying to him.

“That’ll be all.” He exclaimed as he began to fade to black.

“Wait…”

Xainayne halted his departure for a moment, although briefly. What could she possibly want? A request for something else no doubt.

“Keep your eye on that kid. Even a piece of shit like you can see what’s happening to him, I’d hope.”

He disappeared after giving her the chance to speak and in moments found himself back in Gahbreal’s home, the boy busily cooking away. He hadn’t even noticed the ancient show up which was normal. His eyes were their usual shade of dark brown and he could see the boy was focused. At closer examination his dinner was rather large, enough for two people in fact yet neither of the ancients had agreed to stay and no one else was in his home other then him. What Zyphinex said to him was out of the ordinary for her, yet it did worry him that she would even show the slightest shred of care for a random claimant she didn't know.

“Gahbreal, I believe I’ll stay for dinner after all. Be quick and let’s speak, I’ll have my steak medium rare.”

edited May 15, 2021 10:48:10 GMT by Dobu

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May 15, 2021 10:47:27 GMT

Post by Dobu on May 15, 2021 10:47:27 GMT

Gahbreal's Requiem of Madness Part 2

His spear was thrust and swung with great precision, now a sword slicing through the air as if part of a fluid dance, rapier piercing through the sky as a bird would soar, a bow firing off full steel arrows which swirled through the room before making their way back towards the bow and melding into the metal frame before it all melted into a pure metal sphere. He stumbled for a moment, blinking a few times before regaining his footing.

“I see you’re as dedicated as ever Nier.” The voice pulled him out of his focus. “I thought I told you not to push yourself too hard? Taking care of yourself is top priority as always.”

“Ah, I apologize lord Nammay. However if I can’t handle this much then how will I ever be capable of acting when you need me to? I can’t be a sloth forever.”

“A sloth you say? And how long have you been training? I know you don’t like to take breaks so go ahead, tell me.”

The boy paused for a moment and looked away. “Twelve hours,” he spoke under his breath.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you clearly. Could you say that for me again?”

“Twelve hours, but that still isn’t enough my lord! I have to be capable of pushing myself further or I’ll never be at my peak condition!”

The ancient sighed and sat on a rather comfortable chair that always managed to find its way into Nier’s training room, although he never used it himself. “Nier if a battle were to last for twelve hours then there’s already a problem and you train like this all the time. So long as you get enough rest you’ll be fine, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

He lowered his head with shame that the ancient wasn’t proud to see. The boy always tended to take the things he said as a form of berating at times, but it was all for his own good. He requires rest to function with his abilities and he trained enough to be an above average claimant capable of pushing himself further through willpower alone. He simply needed to put a focus into his own wellbeing more than he currently was.

“Come with me, I have a little job for you.”

In a matter of moments and after Nier changed into a proper set of clothes they had appeared in The Gulf where he would normally come to see Nammay. It was as peaceful as it always seemed, yet something wasn’t the same as always. A person of unknown origin and well, unknown in general.

“Nier, this is who you’ll be spending the night with.” Nammay proclaimed to the rather confused claimant.

“Wait a minute, I don’t even know who this guy is? What am I supposed to be doing with him?”

“Likewise, I assumed I’d be here for work and not a playdate. Are y’all tryin to imsult me or somethin?”

The boy’s tone was rather strange in their position. Was he not a claimant himself? If so then why would he talk so comfortably with an ancient? Was he a treasure? He certainly gave off a sensation of odd superiority, yet if that were the case then why would he be going around taking orders from ancients that weren’t his own? He had to be a claimant and a rather bold one at that.

“Can you both calm down for a moment? I just believed that the both of you needed a break. Nier this is Gahbreal, Gahbreal this is Nier. My orders are for the both of you to go out and just relax because from my understanding you both take things a little too seriously. As I said, its an order. Do you understand Gahbreal?”

The boy looked at him unafraid to show his displeasure with the situation he was thrust into. He’s supposed to be hunting down lost claimants, not playing around with others. Was this some kind of joke?

“Of course, I understand. Xainayne wouldn’t let me get away with refusing either way.”

“You too Nier, do you understand?”

Nier looked at him with a rather lighthearted look. He could care less who he was or what he was supposed to be there for, but if Nammay wanted him to spend time with another claimant he wasn’t opposed. It’d be a fun experience no doubt.

“Got it, I haven’t managed any proposals this week anyway so this will be a good opportunity to make sure I haven’t passed up on my soulmate.”

“Proposals?” Gahbreal questioned Nier to which Nammay responded with a sigh.

“You’ll see Gahbreal, just relax and take some real time off.”

“Alright then lets get this night started! Lets go to your house and we’ll start from there, find something to do around your home”, Nier decided in excitement to which Gahbreal was not opposed. He was going to ask Nammay to send them off, however before he could Gahbreal placed his hand on his shoulder and they disappeared in a plume of shadows and darkness.

“Well if I can count on Nier for anything it would definitely be this. Now then, where’s Novevu? I’m sure he’ll want to hear about this one.”

They appeared in Gahbreal’s home and Nier stood in a state of disbelief. That was the first time he had ever known a claimant to be capable of traveling in that manner or at least the first time he’s met one. It was only ever done by ancients from his knowledge.

“Hold on, you can come and go as you please between the differing realms? How is that even possible?”

“I’ve got important work that involves all ancients so long as they desire my certain skillset. Xainayne made sure I’d be capable of it so he wouldn’t have to follow me around all the time when I was sent out for work. I’d never get any rest is what he said, as if I get any.”

Nier walked around his living area, observing the rather empty home devoid of any real decorations in sight. “And what exactly do you do for everyone? It must be something badass at least. You’ve got your fancy trench coat and can teleport between the realms like that so you must be some super fancy guy.”

Gahbreal jumped at the realization that his ability was still active, the coat fading away into the air and his eyes returning to their normal color.

“Holy shit, was that an ability? Dude I thought you were just one of the coolest dressing guys I’ve ever seen but you’ve got some pretty intense control over your abilities. I like your style, but your home is sorta… empty?”

“My work can’t be discussed with anyone but ancients and my home don’t need nothin it. So are we gonna do something or what?”

Nier walked towards the front door and quickly opened it to see they were in the middle of nowhere. It would take them longer to find something than he had expected. “Give me some time, we’ll find something my friend. Just let me work my magic and this will be a night to remember.”

It didn’t even take ten minutes for Nier to find them a ride to a more crowded place and not more than thirty minutes for them to get there. It was a rather large mall that called the Galleria. How he found a driver who was willing to go so fast was the most troubling thing for Gahbreal. “So why are we here? I mean, I don’t know if you need to buy somethin but we could have gone anywhere other than the Galleria.”

“Calm down, I’ll show you what we’re here for.” He said as he approached the nearest woman he could find. She was rather pale yet had a smile that caught his eye, and her short hair made her stand out amongst the crowd of people she was in. He didn’t need anymore convincing, she could very well be the one! Then again wouldn’t everyone and anyone who he saw be the one if he decided to talk to them?

“My oh my I thought I had to be dreaming! Stars belong in the sky and yet here you are, right before me like a beacon guiding me through the shadows of the night. A conquest no, only barbarians go after conquests. A crusade however, something honorable, something chivalrous! That is what I would call the journey to your heart!”

“What in the hell are you doin?” Gahbreal questioned him and yet he was too far gone to even hear his words.

“My heart has skipped one, no two, maybe a never ending amount of beats just at the very sight of your beauty! What foes must I defeat? Rivals must I best? I’d do it all for the sake of your love. Please, I beg of you with all that I am… marry me!”

The group of friends fell silent as well as anyone else in the surrounding area. Gahbreal watched in disbelief as it seemed to have… it fucking worked? The woman in question was rather flattered, flustered even and the look in her eyes was that of one unwilling to refuse the guy’s request as her cheeks lit up a bright pink! What kind of madness was this?

Would something like this have worked with Amber if he ever tried?

“Hey buddy! Did you just ask my girlfriend to marry you?!”

They both turned simultaneously to see a rather chiseled male approaching at alarming speeds with two drinks in his hands which he dropped without hesitation. Nier was not phased by the guy’s approach yet Gahbreal looked as if he walked into a situation that was beyond comprehension, like it was out of some fucking movie. “It’s alright Gahbreal, let me handle this one”, Nier spoke in a less than convincing tone as if he could speak any other way. “I apologize my friend, if I had known she were with someone I would have never attempted to sweep her away like this. It is entirely my-“

The boy swung a heavy fist which Gahbreal stopped with a swift and almost instant grab on the wrist. His grip was something that no one without proper power could escape and yet it was soft and comfortable. He looked the boy in the eyes as his coat comfortably fell to a resting position and Nier as well as the crowd looked in awe.

“I wouldn’t suggest doin somethin so stupid while I’m standin right here. Did he not apologize? Then be on your fuckin way.”

Nier stepped in, removing his hand from the boy’s wrist and defusing the situation quickly. “Now now it’s alright, we’re all friends here. You made my companion put his coat on and he hates the thing. It’s like a magic trick right? Just be glad he grabbed your arm”, he paused to lean in to his ear. “Because I would have broken it.” He stepped back and began to walk further into the mall. “C’mon Gahbreal! All this talk has me starving, lets grab a bite to eat.”

With that situation avoided they made their way to a nearby restaurant within the mall and sat down for a meal. They ordered just as quickly as they arrived and spent the time waiting for their meals to speak to one another.

“Tell me Gahbreal. That coat ability, what is it? I don’t know what it is about it but I feel uncomfortable every time I see it.”

Gahbreal sighed. He didn’t feel like sharing any information, but it couldn’t hurt could it? “It’s my armament, or at least that’s the name of it. It ain’t got to be a trench coat, but I believe the coat suits me. You’re not uncomfortable from seein it, you’re uncomfortable because you’re near it. So long as it’s there it’ll start to take effect, but I don’t want to talk about all of that.”

Nier nodded with a smile at what his companion shared. “That’s fine, I’m just glad you told me that much. You’d be surprised at how secretive claimants all are these days. We're all in this business together right? Why not talk to one another more often about these things?”

If only you knew.

“There’s only so much we can all do with the power we have, so why not help each other make this world a better place?”

If only I could talk about it.

“So then, ask me anything and I’ll answer it with full honesty.”

“Pardon?”

“You heard me Gahbreal. You shared with me so I’ll share with you. I wont take no for an answer so think of something and I’ll answer it.”

Gahbreal looked at Nammay’s claimant for a brief moment. He seemed far too open and acted in a way that wasn’t like many of the claimants he’s met. He didn’t have a single care for sides or factions, houses or groups, it was all too normal. It felt like he was at home. “Alright then… The proposal back there. What was that all about? Have you even been here before? Did you know that girl?”

Nier laughed and paused as the waiter brought them their food. The moment they stepped away he gave a quick “thank you” before returning to their conversation. “When my father left my mother I was left to take care of my mom alone. She always would say that I take things too seriously and needed to learn how to relax, but deep down I knew she felt like it was her fault.” He took a sip from the drink that was brought to him as Gahbreal began to slice the steak he had ordered for himself.

“What makes you say that? Why would she feel that way?”

“It was because of how it all began. She had requested that lord Nammay give me time to relax and grow before he started to be more active with me. She wanted to raise me herself unlike her parents did with her, without all the training and seriousness.” He took a bite from his sandwich and took a moment to chew the food before continuing. “My father left because he believed I was too lazy and wouldn’t live up to Nammay’s expectations. Apparently my mother never told him about her request and he thought that lord Nammay was ignoring me because I was too weak.”

“Sounds selfish. Like he would have left at any moment if he managed to become displeased along the way if he even would have stayed.”

“Exactly, but my mother doesn’t see it that way. After he left I began to train on my own because I wanted to prove to him that I wasn’t as lazy as he thought, but when I realized he wasn’t coming back that’s when I started getting a bit more… serious."

Gahbreal took a bite from his steak and washed it down with a glass of water. “Serious? How so?”

“I’m going to kill that man for causing my mother as well as myself to suffer as much as he has.” He stopped to take another sip from his cup. “My mother believes that if she never made that request then he’d still be here, that I wouldn’t push myself so far or so hard to be stronger because I get tired easily and using my powers only wears me down faster. I can’t fight for long, but I keep training to increase the time I can fight… I refuse to be weak. I refuse to settle for the bare minimum, but it just makes people worry. That’s why I’m out here now. Nammay believes I’m pushing myself too hard as well, but I don’t know. Maybe they’re right.”

They both sat silently for a moment eating their food, the air of the room was so thin it could flay the skin. It was as if neither of them knew what to say next and yet they refused to give up on each others company. They simply continued to eat their food and enjoy the ability to spend time with one another.

With their plates empty Nier stood up and stretched his arms out. “Well, lets get out of here. I’m sure Nammay is wondering where we are by now.”

“I hate this.”

Nier paused at Gahbreal’s words as he watched the claimant sit motionless. Something about his voice when he spoke was more calming and endearing.

“I hate bein a claimant. It’s as if from the day I was born I was cursed to live this life of servitude with nothin in return and no time or peace for myself. My family of five refuse to talk to me anymore because Xainayne chose to personally train me over any of them, the one person I ever loved died because I wasn’t there to protect her and what was my reward for so much sufferin? Work. More work day after day.”

Nier sat back down in his seat and looked Gahbreal in the eyes. Eyes which were now calmer. Eyes which were now lonelier and softened.”Gahbreal, what do you do for work?”

The claimant hesitated for a moment before sighing and sitting up strait. “I’m what Xainayne calls his arbiter, but I ain’t nothin more than some over glorified executioner who hunts down claimants who do things they ain’t suppose to do. You kill someone you shouldn't, take somethin or disobey an order and try to run off then there’s a good chance you’ll run into me and I’ll take your life without fail. It’s what I was raised for, trained for, born for and taught to do. That’s what my family would say when I still saw them and what Xainayne would say when I was a child. I ain’t never failed in my job and I ain't never gonna fail. The lost must be put down and I was chosen to do it.”

They sat silently for a short moment as if they couldn’t find the words before Nier chuckled to himself which caught Gahbreal’s attention. “We are both a couple sorry sacks of shit aren’t we?” He laughed even harder after speaking the words which were no doubt in his head. “You know, I never actually said it but the reason I make those proposals is because my mother asked me on my twenty-first birthday to find a bride. I also would put off my duties as a claimant because I resented my duties in the same way, felt like it destroyed my family. Then I realized that all I really have at the end of the day is Nammay and my mother for family regardless of the circumstances. Much like how all you have now is Xainayne regardless of yours.”

Gahbreal’s eyes widened at Nier’s words, jaw slightly dropping as he came to the realization along with him. Nier simply continued to laugh even more seeing his face.

“See what I mean? Sorry sacks of shit.”

Gahbreal placed a hand over his face as his cheeks lit up a bright red. He couldn’t hold back the laughter that boiled up in his chest and soon the two of them were laughing together as if they’d known each other for years. “You got that right man, definitely a sorry sack a shit.”

“Hold on, give me a second.”

“What could you possibly be up to now Nier? You better not be tryin to do that proposal shit. You may have gotten a laugh outta me but I don’t fly that way.”

Nier pulled out his phone with a laugh and moved to position himself next to Gahbreal. “Oh nothing so spectacular. I just wanted to take a picture for the sake of remembering this. You’re a busy guy and who knows how long it’ll be before we get to hang out again? So, you gonna smile for me partner?”

“Awe hell, so long as you never say that shit again I just might brother... and thank you.”

Xainayne sat impatiently in his seat which was located in the midst of The Vortex, concealed by a large tent as if some grand performance were to be held within it. Nammay appeared rather confidently as he approached his fellow ancient.

“It’s about time. How did things go?”

“No need to be so eager, I told you that I had just the person for him to talk to. Nier can be quite a handful at times but I’m sure they’ve both come out of this experience having learned something new about themselves.” Nammay pulled Nier’s phone out of his pocket and waved it in the air like some sacred artefact to be proud of.

“Okay? I wouldn’t have expected you to be the type who carries a phone around all the time… and is that anime on the case?”

“What? No! This is Nier’s phone! Just take the thing and look at the pictures and I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the outcome. He tends to take pictures with people he calls friends when he spends time with them so long as he’s not busy.”

Xainayne carefully took the phone from Nammay’s hand and tapped the screen a few times in frustration.

“What’s the password?”

Well… that would be… marry me my dear”.

Xainayne had to keep himself from bursting out into laughter. “What?”

“Just type it in.”

After tapping on the screen for a ferocious few seconds Xainayne swiped a few times across the device and paused for a moment. A content and relaxed smile replaced his previously annoyed look as his eyes took in the scene revealed to him on the phone.

“Oh and by the way, I spoke to Novevu before I came here and he told me to say and you say you don’t care if I’m remembering correctly.”

“Oh both of you can just shut up.”

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May 15, 2021 21:22:14 GMT

Post by Dobu on May 15, 2021 21:22:14 GMT

Gahbreal's Requiem of Madness Part 3

“Gahbreal, as quick as always when I call.”

“Yeah yeah, what do you need? Wasn’t today supposed to be a day off?”

Xainayne approached the claimant with a clear distaste for his casualness with him, but as always it wouldn’t change anything to berate him about it. Gahbreal was as informal as it could possibly get and even more so with those he considered close acquaintances. This was as good as it got.

“I have something, an important job that you’ll need to deal with from Quinnox.”

“He asked for me himself? Well that’s new… what happened? There must be somethin rather serious goin on if he asked for me”, he questioned the ancient with a noticeable rise in interest.

Gahbreal had the opportunity to meet with all of the ancients, excluding Echowix and Ilnonta of course, but Quinnox hadn’t ever requested his personal aid. He seemed like his head was far in the clouds whenever he saw him and yet there was this sense of devotion and a hunger for wanting to be seen as someone who could deal with his own problems.

“Well that’s just it, he wouldn’t tell me”, Xainayne stated as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “Take this seriously and don’t make any mistakes. He wanted to tell you the details himself so I’m sure there’s a reason for it. Be quick as he’s currently waiting for you.”

“Of course. I’ll return when the job is done.”

He was quickly engulfed by the usual plume of shadows and darkness before appearing before Quinnox in the same fashion, an action that caused the ancient to jump as he suddenly found the claimant standing before him.

“Jeez! I didn’t know you could do that, you’re a pretty cool guy!” He spoke as he floated around the room. It looked like it was a comfortable place and yet something bothered Gahbreal as he spoke.

“Pardon my asking but… aren’t you normally grounded? I mean, you’re not rollin on the ceilin, but I’ve never actually seen you floatin around like this.”

“Ah, yes, that’s actually why I called you here. You see while I was taking care of something a group of my claimants made off with most of my drinks, drugs you name it. Now it’s not like it can’t be replaced easily, but I don’t like the idea of letting them believe they can get away with stealing from me. You understand?”

“I see, so you want the lost souls sent to Novevu then?”

Quinnox waved his hands back and forth in front in Gahbreal’s direction, an action that seemed to lack all seriousness as he glided through the air. “No no no, that’s not it. I actually just want them brought back to me. As I’m sure you know my claimants will sorta float away if they don’t meet proper… standards of living is what we’ll call it.”

“Yeah I get the idea.”

“Good. Well the ones who stole my things, if I’m remembering correctly, are a few claimants who were struggling to get their hands on their own substances. Something about not having the money and yet they refused to ask anyone for help. I wouldn’t have minded helping them out if they would have asked and that’s what I want them to understand. They’re my claimants after all so I’d just like to clear the air.”

Gahbreal nodded at his words, unusually caring compared to Xainayne. He was no doubt less serious in practice yet his methods were what really mattered. Forgiveness isn’t something that can be learned overnight and surely this ancient was one to be respected for his demeanor. He couldn’t keep himself from letting out a little chuckle.

“Alright. So you want me to retrieve a few little lambs and return them home. It’s not my normal job, but I’d be glad to do it.” He stopped at the sound of footsteps approaching them which would normally not phase him, yet he had a bad feeling about these.

“Is that who I think it is?” The voice called out from behind him and one he wasn’t quite pleased to hear.

“And would you look at that? It’s time for me to get movin.”

“Oh don’t be that way Gahbreal, I barely ever get to see you”, Quina retorted to his attempt at retreat. “Are you here for work? Or maybe you have some free time on your hands and decided to visit?”

By this point she had gotten uncomfortably close to him which caused him to take a few steps back towards Quinnox who was steadily floating on his opposite side. Quina always managed to find her way into his personal space when they were around each other and he was less than pleased to know she wasn’t away, although it wasn’t like he ever knew her to not be around The Breeze and it was why he preferred to never come her. She always seemed to know when he was there. “Woah, hold on now, you know the rules. I’m not allowed near treasures without an escort or entourage.” He quickly spoke in his defense, a last resort for warding her off.

“It’s fine, I’m right here.” Quinnox instantaneously blew away all his hopes of being freed from her company. “I called her here anyway, she’s going with you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Really? I get to go on one of Gahbreal’s famous hunts with him? What brought this on?”

“I’m pretty darn confused myself about what brought this on.”

Quinnox pulled out a perfectly wrapped blunt and lit the thing as the two watched him in anticipation for his answer. “Alright, now I thought about this before I called you for the job. Gahbreal are you capable of bringing them all here when you find them?”

“Well I can so long as it's only one person… I think I see where this is goin.”

“Quina, when Gahbreal takes care of business could you make sure to bring them back?”

Never before has an area been filled with so much excitement and yet so much dread simultaneously. Quina relished the opportunity to be around Gahbreal who avidly tried to avoid her since he was a child, meanwhile Gahbreal was less that joyous about bringing along his first partner for a job. When he was younger Xainayne would supervise him to make sure he didn’t get in over his head, but this would be a first having someone tag along with him and someone who wasn’t privy to giving him space.

“Well… I suppose I ain’t got no choice now do I?”

“It’s decided then! Let’s get going Gahbreal, I can’t wait to see you in action.”

He looked at Quinnox as if hoping he would give him any other type of options to which the ancient only responded, “have fun and don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you were alone with a treasure. Xainayne would throw a fit.”

Gahbreal emerged from the shadows on top of a building he couldn't recognize with Quina holding onto his arm. Of all the places these claimants could have decided to go of course they would be in London, a place where he truly hated being. Every time he came here he ended up having to chase down his targets and run away from law enforcement and it never failed.

"So you don't open paths between the differing realms or places, you just kind walk through your own little space. It was like if I weren't holding on then you would have left me behind."

"Yeah that's exactly how it works and why I can't bring along more than one person. It's a small space I can move between, so can you please let go of me now?" She almost seemed to stregthen her grip on his arm when he asked. "Just ell me where these claimants are please?"

“They should be on top of that building over there. The group in question has always hung out with one another so I’m assuming it may be three or four of them depending.”

Gahbreal turned to Quina with a look of confusion. “Depending? Dependin on what?”

“Well however many of them were bold enough to do something so stupid of course. They may have been desperate and all but I'm certain they knew this was a pretty bad move.”

Gahbreal nodded at her statement as he observed the building she had referred to. It was rather large and had a good bit of space on the roof yet getting to the top would be the problem. He could always just warp his way up there, but it took more then enough energy to move around like that and he couldn't rely on anyone other than the ancients to take him to his house seeing as to how his home was a place that very few people were allowed to know the location of.

“Lets get going before they decide they want to go somewhere else!”

Before he could even manage to protest she whisked him off his feet, Quina holding on tightly to his hand as he looked in panic at the ground beneath them was far beyond ideal. No doubt this was normal for her and yet Gahbreal felt as if the world were ending with his eminent demise being collision wiht the ground below. “So I assume that walkin is out of the damn question? I don’t know if you knew this, but I ain’t the type to fly around!”

“Oh don’t be a big baby. Besides, we’re almost there.” She pointed ahead with her free hand at the roof of the building which was quickly coming into range. "So how do you want to handle this? Do you think they'll try to run?"

Gahbreal focused on the roof to see a group of three people sitting around smoking and drinking together with what looked like large bags of what he’d assumed to be Quinnox’s missing belongings. “Alright, I see em! Just drop me dwon there and we'll figure it out from there!”

“What?! You do know that this is pretty high right?”

“It's not that high, just do it! I’ll be fine, I’ve been trained for stuff like this, Xainayne wouldn't be able to put me to full use if I can't survive a fall like this!”

“Okay, if you say so. Also you don’t have to yell. The sky doesn't make me deaf, I can hear you just fine.”

“Oh… sorry about that.“

Before he could even fully prepare himself she dropped him and he took a deep breath. The fall wasn’t too far, but would break an untrained person’s legs if they weren’t prepared to land properly. As he mentioned Xainayne had put an ample amount of time into training him to be capable of more than the average claimant and surviving high falls was a must. If you don't want to keep breaking your legs then you'll figure it out. For now he just needed to get into the zone and continue to focus.

His eyes began to burn a bright red as he plummeted to the roof, his body engulfed in the darkness that he instinctively activated when approaching targets prepared for combat. Quina had dropped him with perfect accuracy and his landing was flawless, the air claimants quickly reacting to his presence as their faces filled with fear. The shadows that covered his body had taken shape, a full set of armor that seemed as if it were alive, flowing over his body like a haze that couldn’t be seen through. Everything pitch dark excluding his eyes which still shined red and the indigo silhouette which revealed the shape of the shadows.

“Holy shit! Is that Gahbreal?!”

“I knew we’d get in trouble for this, but I didn’t think Quinoxx would have us killed!”

“I knew I shouldn’t have listened to you two! We should have just tried something else!”

“Woah now, hold on a darn second. I’m not here to murder any of y’all. Now if you were one of Xainayne’s claimants I would be, but I just came here to have you brought back. Your ancient just wants to talk and that’s all.” Quina carefully landed next to Gahbreal and chuckled at his failure of an explanation.

“You know, they probably would take you more seriously if you didn't look like that." She pointed at his person to which he responded by looking down at his body before lifting his hands as if surrendering himself over to them. The shadows retreated frommhis body to reveal his red cheeks, a sign of his embarrassment as he struggled to make the words he'd need to defend himself.

"Sorry bout that. Really though, I'm just here to make sure you go back to Quinnox with Quina."

"It’s true.” Quina scooted next to Gahbreal. "You said it yourself just now didn’t you? You didn’t really believe Quinnox would just have you killed do you?”

The three claimants looked at each other with absolute shame in their demeanor, clearly they had learned their lesson if they hadn’t already known it from the start. This job was short and didn’t require any bloodshed, a welcome change from the normal work he’d be given. He was a hunter, but hunting someone down didn’t always mean he had to kill them at the end of it all. The change of place with someone else to work with was also rather... enjoyable. Quina was rather forward any time he was around her and he suspected it was probably because he tried to avoid her, but she always reminded him of the past. It was pleasant.

“Well my job here is done. Let Quinnox know that I’ll inform Xainayne of the success and nothing else. No need to tell anyone more than they needed to know.”

Quina nodded as she motioned for the claimants to gather up all the things they’d taken and prepare to head back to The Breeze however she refused to release him from her grasp. They took their time getting everything together, making sure that not a single thing was left behind.

“I always thought that Gahbreal would look a lot more intimidating than that but he’s actuallu pretty friendly”, one of them spoke. "He hasn't even said a single mean or arrogant thing."

“Right? I’ve heard of his work before, but I didn’t think he actually hunted people down like this. I’m just glad he wasn’t here to kill us. He looked just like everyone said he did with that shadowy armor.”

Quina leaned in closer to him which he responded with a sigh. “You’re a pretty popular guy aren’t you?”

“Not for the reasons I'd like, but I guess so. It would be great however if they’d hurry it up so I can go home. And I can hear y’all by the way!” He caught their attention which caused them to pick up the pace. “I swear, it’s not the type of reputation I like so I’d prefer if people didn’t remember me for that alone.”

“Well you could always take me to that super secretive home of yours, you could give me something else to remember you for”, Quina implied with a wink and nudge on his arm. “I hear that only the ancients know where you live and a few choice claimants. You’d think you have bodies hidden under the floorboards or something like that.”

“Ha ha. Well if the stars were to strike the night sky in the way that you’ve struck my heart then I would be so inclined to take you up on that offer. I’d be hard set to break every rule and regulation placed on me to grab hold of your hand and take you to a place the universe itself wouldn’t even be capable of findin us so I might keep you all to myself. So... are you willin to be my bride?”

“Eh?” She looked at him with cheeks lit up red, her jaw metaphorically hitting the floor as she stepped back slightly. Was he serious? This couldn’t be real. As if his rather deep voice and southern accent weren't bad enough, the way he spoke in such an endearing way was almost as if he were trying to steal her heart yet it was oddly unlike him. The three claimants watched in awe as all of their motions came to a halt.

Gahbreal looked at everyone before bursting out into laughter. “Now I see why Nier does this so much!” He stopped to laugh again as he leaned over and held his stomach. “Well I’ll admit, I enjoyed your company Quina, it was a nice change. If you can manage to get Xainayne to give me the freedom I'd need to have visitors then you'll be the first person I invite over, but I ain't gonna hold my breath on that one. Y’all take care, I’m headin out.”

Just like that he disappeared and was soon standing before Xainayne who was relaxing on his couch. The ancient turned to his claimant with a smile as he emerged from the shadows, the sound of his laughter filling the living area of the house. “Well would you look at that? What has you in such high spirits?”

“Nothin really, just saw something funny before I came back. The job was taken care of and without much of a struggle.” He responded to Xainayne as he entered the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge. “Or I say that, but he just called me to help him look for a lost item. Said that if I was good at hunting down people then some weed wouldn’t be much more difficult.”

Xainayne shook his head as Gahbreal approached with a glass and the newly opened bottle. “Well that certainly sounds like something he’d do. So did you run into Quina? I know that girl can’t seem to leave you alone, it’s almost as if she can sense when you’re nearby which is a frightening thought to say the least. It sends a shiver up my spine to think that she can just detect you.”

“Yeah I ran into her, but Quinnox was with me around.” He deftly avoided lying by leaving out the parts that would upset Xainayne. He didn't enjoy it, but anything was better than having to deal with him confronting Quinnox over something he saw as very simple.

“Good. Your powers are strange yet effective. We can’t risk you causing a treasure to go mad so as always I’d like you to continue keeping someone nearby if you ever need to be in contact with a a treasure, preferably one of us ancients.”

“I've been meanin to ask, why though?” He poured the wine into Xainayne’s glass and sat the bottle down on the coffee table. “It ain’t like I’ve ever thrown my darkest of darkness at em and it would be pretty hard for me to do that by mistake. Besides I don’t think it would be hard for a treasure to take me down because I'm no where near that level of combat.”

“Well that would be the case if I didn’t train you for fighting against treasures.”

“Excuse me?” He moved and sat on the loveseat opposite from Xainayne. “Why am I just hearin about this? You meant to tell me you trained me for killin treasures? Why would I ever do that?!”

“Calm down Gahbreal and remeber your purpose. I’m not saying that you can fight on equal footing with a treasure, I’m saying that I’ve trained you to fight against them. Even if you were to fight Quina she’d likely still beat you on her own, but the problem is how she’d beat you.” Xainayne took a sip from his glass as Gahbreal was clearly bursting at the seams with anger. Why was this the first time he was told this? What was the point of keeping this a secret from him and did the other ancients know about it as well?

“I… I don’t get it. Why? What’s the point?! At what point would I try to fight a treasure? I like the treasures more than I like most of the ancients and I’m sure you of all people know why!”

“As I said, calm yourself. If you’re trained to fight someone clearly stronger then what claimant is going to stop you when you go after them? Your job is to hunt claimants who step out of line and nothing else outside of that. Your presence is dangerous to the treasures because you can hold your own. You wont win, but neither will they! A fight will not end quickly against someone who has your defensive capabilities because you have the capacity to withstand high amounts of damage and will cause madness to accumulate in the mind of your target so long as they’re near you as well as a large scale ranged attack which also impedes vision. You're more dangerous than you give yourself credit for and I've trained you to put those abilities to the utmost use, so who do you think could stop you?”

“Oh I don’t fuckin know, maybe someone who can blast me with fire or water, air, earth, ice darkness, hell the sun and fuckin moon for Christ’s sake without even being near me!" He stood up and walked across the room to the kitchen and grabbed one of his mason jars off moonshine from the shelf. “I swear it’s like y’all never think about this shit! I lost my family to this shit! Damn near lost my sanity to this shit and even the one person I loved and was there with me through the hardest parts! The ancients keep me at arms length with you bein the one who keeps me the furthest and the treasures, who treat me like I’m a regular ass person, I can’t even go near them! Why would I attack all that I have left?!"

“Gahbreal-“

“You know what? I actually did end up bein alone with Quina because I needed her help with this job and I didn’t bombard her with madness and run the girl ragged like you apparently think I’d do!” He opened the jar and drank an ample amount as if trying to calm himself to no avail. Normally a drink was enough to clear his head, but it just wasn't getting through to him.

“Gahbreal-“

“And you know what else? It was the most fun I’d had in a long ass time… I can smile, I can act nice and I can laugh around people all day long but this was the first day that felt even remotely normal I can remember havin in years aside from when Nammay sent me out with Nier!”

“Gahbreal-“

“I sit in this damn house that I don’t even care for, I got it just to get away from that other place because all I’d think about was her when I was there! I barely sleep, I barely eat, I barely have time to even think to myself! Day in and day out I wake up and kill people who I believed were my only brothers and sisters left. My family doesn’t give a rats ass about if I even exist or not and I haven’t even be able to find em since I was eight! If I looked at everything from a normal person's point of view then I'd have nothin left!”

“Gahbreal!”

“But I have you… I have you and I have the other ancients to watch over me and guide me down what I believe is the right path. I have the treasures who know what my purpose is and treat me as if I’m actually a person and not a commodity yet I can barely ever even speak to or see them. I have the other claimants, my brothers and sisters who I fight to keep safe and all of them just look at me like some coldblooded killer or they don't know about me at all. That’s all I’ve got… I’ve been fightin as hard as I possibly could since day one because I felt like it was what I had to do to keep everything I had safe and yet now I look back at it all and everything I haven’t managed to lose I never even had to begin with.”

“Gahbreal, I-“

Keep your eye on that kid. Even a piece of shit like you can see what’s happening to him, I’d hope.

Gahbreal seemed as if he were at his wits end, by now he was clutching the jar so tightly in his hand the glass was cracking and breaking under the pressure. His eyes were burning so bright the red seemed to be trailing off into the air like a stream of light and the darkness which would normally take on the form of clothes was trailing on his skin as if bubbling up from within his very flesh, the most primal form it could take as it used to do when he was a child and could barely control it properly.

“I refuse to be the only one who has to suffer this way! I’m done with this shit. I’ve had e-fucking-nough! If you want me to fight, if you want me to kill, then I'll do regardless of who or what gets in my wh-"

Without even the slightest chance to react Xainayne had made his way over to the boy and wrapped his arms around him. Gahbreal nearly thought he was planning to finish him off right then and there, but his grip wasn’t that tight. It was… pleasant. The ancient had a strong smell that was quite refined and reminded him of a sense of adulthood. His grip wasn’t something he could escape, although he tried, and at that point it was clear that his struggle was in vain. His thoughts were foggy and rushing by as if there were no way he could focus on any one thing and Xainayne could feel it.

“I’m sorry, Gahbreal.” The boy paused for a moment, motionless at the sound of his ancient’s voice. “I hadn’t realized you were this strained or at least I hadn’t realized it was effecting you this much. It was I who trained you, who taught you and who raised you to be who you are today... Of course it makes sense that you wouldn’t be such a liability to us, why would you be? However we can't take any chances.”

Gahbreal soon stopped his struggle and sat contently in the ancient’s arms as he heard his words. This was new, the tone of voice as well as the way he spoke. He couldn’t recall a moment in his entire life that Xainayne had spoken to him in such a manner. He hadn’t realized how much he needed it up until this very moment.

“You’re strong, yes. I made sure you would be that way because I had a purpose for you that I believed was greater than anything else you could possibly do. I see now that I may have made the wrong decision for you. This isn’t the type of life you wanted and it’s not the type of life you’re capable of handling. I raised you to be steadfast, strong, unwavering and ready to follow orders at a moments notice. However I see now that you were never meant to be those things and you never really were those things. You’re considerate, willful and loyal… albeit a little overprotective and defiant. On top of all that you have a broken heart which may never be mended and I managed to seclude you from everyone else even while you carried that burden. I apologize.”

His eyes simmered down to their normal dark brown selves. As the darkness began to fade away Xainayne smiled again as he felt the boy’s face rest onto his chest. He seemed so small compared to the normal towering symbol of strength and dedication that he normally made himself out to be. For just a moment he felt as if Gahbreal was the small child he watched grow when he was so young he could barely hold his weapon, the child who would run to him for affection and validation when he could barely even read and write. To think he was so close to the very edge of madness that entire time sent a shiver up his spine and the first thing he planned to do when it overtook him was betray everything. What would he have done if this happened without him being there?

Close call was an understatement.

“Don’t worry Gahbreal, starting today I’ll find something new for you to do. It's more of a risk to allow you to go on like this than it would be to just allow you to have time to relax.”

“No… my job is important and no one else is trained like me to do it. If you believed that I was capable and trusted me to do it without fail then I ain’t gonna quit yet when there are still people who need me to help.”

Xainayne looked down at the claimant who seemed as if he would refuse to move away from him. Just how much did he need this? No doubt the boy lived a lonely life and it became even more so when he lost the girl, but he hadn't realized that he was so troubled when he had no one else around. He always seemed to enjoy the time he had to himself, but maybe he was just acting the way he believed he was meant to.

“In that case you’ll continue to be my hunter, but in return I will arrange for you to have more freedom.” He released his claimant and backed away from him a bit so he could see him clearly. This was the first time he had ever seen him so exhausted and weakened. Even as a child his energy seemed almost endless. “I will give you a new rule however. You must take care of yourself, go out, eat, spend time with others. You can’t allow madness to build up within you like you have been, so your workload will be at a slower pace. Do you understand?”

Gahbreal lowered his head in a resolute manner even as he stood worn out and tired. “Of course Xainayne. It will be done.”

"Rest and we'll speak more on this in the morning Gahbreal."

"Yes sir, and... I'm sorry."

Gahbreal hobbled over to the couch and lazily laid on it, not even a few moments passing before he fell sound asleep. He looked so relaxed compared to how he normally was, Xainayne only hesitated for a moment before sitting in the loveseat adjacent to him and waiting to make sure he was truly calmed down and not just holding his madness dormant, but the ancient knew full well that his claimant would be okay.

That night he stayed by Gahbreal's side.

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May 16, 2021 5:45:20 GMT

Post by Spira on May 16, 2021 5:45:20 GMT

Soul Crafting and the plan to kill Death Part One.

“What’s that?”

Florita came to a halt, three steps ahead, turning around to walk towards the plant that seemed to intrigue the younger of the pair. Florita reached her hand out and stroked the silkened leaves. The plant, aware of its mistress crooned and seemed to shift in its terracotta pot awaiting to be praised, watered, shifted to a better place of growth.

“This is how should I say.”

Florita gestured with her free hand as she continued stroking the plant, one vine had now wrapped around itself Florita’s hand. Destodai tried to hide the envy on her face, failing she looked at the floor instead. Life. Souls. Bah. What did it matter, living creatures all ended up in the fucking void? What was the point of her mother trying so hard to craft such fragile things when… Florita, a segment of life but not quite could create objects of near permanence?

“This will kill an Ancient,”

Destodai’s jaw dropped, what— no why on Earth did Florita have such a plant in her arsenal. Florita moved away from the plant in question as Destodai tempted to know exactly what made this plant attempted to touch it, before her fingers could even touch the yet to bud plant. Florita’s vines wrapped around Destodai preventing her.

“Don’t touch it. Never touch it. I am immune because I am the reason it exists.”

Her tone was serious, dripping with venom… Destodai had never seen her preferred maternal figure so mad. Once Florita was sure that Destodai wouldn’t attempt so much as to even think of touching the plant, she let the treasure go.

***

“Did you know Florita had a plant to kill an Ancient. Isn’t that I I dunno illegal? Doesn’t that make her a threat.”

“As much as Zyphinex escaping is. It is unlikely to actually work. She probably just told you so to keep you from touching her plants. You know how she is.”

Her mother’s tone was condescending, and there was something else… fear? Destodai bit down the protest that seemed to want to scream forth towards her mother… a plant that could kill an Ancient, why it was perfect.

“We could get rid of Novevu. Then none of your work would ever go to waste.”

Novea, who had been crafting another soul with her artefact, a small iridescent mannequin, the features of what appeared to be a child was being formed, as well as a dark black skull on the chest, indicating that she was indeed making another death claimant for Novevu. However, unlike most brand new souls, the soul that Novea was currently moulding seemed ancient with nearly a hundred layers upon it. Destodai, curious sat down opposite her mother and watched… she had never been very good at moulding souls let alone giving them particularly interesting… ideals and what not. Heck the mannequin even had a name! No new soul, heck not even relatively medium aged souls had a name. Yet this one did; and it wasn’t just their first name they were given but a new one… a new name, for a new identity but the same soul. She watched as her mother added raven black hair.

“Tell me about this soul. Why is it so old?”

“About three thousand life cycles long.”

Destodai implored her mother to continue speaking. Novea, who was concentrating on crafting the mannequin’s lips looked at her daughter and sighed, how was she supposed to explain… Destodai still had so much to learn. Nevertheless. Novea traced the name plate which Novevu had strictly instructed the person… whoever they were to be given. Novea rinsed her hands in crystal clear water before drying them.

“So, who is this person? Why is Novevu keeping them around.”

“This person, has kept Novevu company. Since the dawn of the mortal realm. They have lived through every age. But they are not his soulmate. I told you about that when you were a child. This person is whom Novevu considered his best friend, his confidant, his how should I say… right hand man? We know Xainayne is his left-hand man.”

“Why entrust a claimant such an important duty.”

“It’s all in the details.”

Destodai traced the letters on the name plate, DeVian. What a strange name. It was one letter off the word ‘Deviant’ she could see glimpses of all of the lives they had lived. Well she had lived. Indeed, this DeVian had been by Novevu’s side this entire time. It made Destodai partially envious that this person had lived so many lives and was allowed to just erase it all for the next life. Novea who was now working on DeVian’s eyes sighed.

“Unlike you and I, Novevu can only destroy anything… anyone he loves. He gets lonely. He may have your aunties and uncles for company but it’s not the same. Having someone whose been there to keep his conscious. Is important for a man whose content with the idea of destroying the balance between the houses.”

“Then we should get rid of him.”

Novea’s glare destroyed any hope of that happening and so Destodai, now bored moved towards the cradle that currently held a sleeping infant, who was sucking on her thumb and dreaming easily. Eviax. Destodai picked the sleeping infant up and rocked her. Before placing her back down, placing a kiss upon her forehead before leaving her mother to her work. She needed to find out more about this particular soul — and not just that how she was going to get rid of Novevu with that plant Florita seemed too guard with her life.

***

“Uncle!”

She rubbed her arms furiously, why the fuck did Novevu have to live in such a frigid place, the only other place she could think of with no sense of temperature was Daenu’s realm. Between trying not to freeze and clapping her hands over her ears, Destodai had no idea why any of the Ancients seemed to think was an appropriate place for anyone to live. Then again, she supposed the people who were sent here, were damned. She waited for the large obsidian doors to open before stepping inside; immediately engulfed by canines of any and all sizes, she toppled over and tried to play dead; it was only after what felt like an infinitesimal amount of time did she sit up. Novevu was standing over her, wearing tracksuit pants, and a black t-shirt. No socks… he was bare footed. She took his offered hand gingerly, she’d have much rather gotten up herself but alas. He was the Ancient, she was the treasure.

“What a surprise to find you here in my realm.”

“Trust me, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have a purpose.” dusting herself off and half cursing the dogs for leaving their fur on her new Chanel coat.

“I need to know something.”

“So, you’re no more pleasant than the last time we saw each other, what is it you want to know Destodai.”

“Who is DeVian. Why is her soul so old and why the hell do you keep her around rather than letting her go to Elysian?”

Novevu was taken aback, he had expected Destodai to make some bratty demand, thus he was left in a position of vulnerability, Destodai seemed to be pleased by this and crossed her arms as he led her towards the living part of the Void’s gigantic main palace. As they walked, Novevu still refused to say anything and at this point Destodai was starting to think her uncle was not just an idiot but deaf to just her words.

He gestured towards the seats that adorned his near vacant living room, she could half imagine how she’d decorate the place if she was the Ancient of Death. Sitting down, she crossed her legs and watched as he busied himself in the kitchen to get together some tea? She didn’t drink tea? She opened her mouth to protest but at the appearance of Noxvon she shut her mouth and decided to pick at her manicured nails. She had never actually spoken to Noxvon, then again did he even speak? Nor had she ever seen his face, he was always hiding under that dark grey cloak of his. Her ears trained on the conversation that Novevu and Noxwon were having. Damn it, ancient tongue… she was rusty and so most of the conversation they seemed to be having washed over like a murky muddled tsunami.

“Cake?”

“What kind of cake?”

“We have Carrot, Devil, Funfetti.”

“Devil. One slice please.”

She had never thought of Novevu as a cake eater, wasn’t that something that her mother was better known for. As he approached her, her eyes widen at the sight of the candles around coming to life with purple flame — wasn’t fire meant to be something only Phita had domain over. She racked her head… of course, Novevu had created Xaina and Xaina created Phita. She added that tidbit of information to her lexicon and nodded in thanks as he poured her a cup of Scottish Breakfast, she shook her head when he gestured to the cream and sugar. She didn’t like either in her tea — how did he know she liked Scottish Breakfast so much?

“You have the same taste for it as your cousin.”

“My cousin?”

 “Yes. Noxvon. Likes it just as much as you do. Though he tends to lace his with a heavy helping of cream and Irish Whiskey.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks becoming pink.

“So, what brings you to the Void, I can see you’re clearly uncomfortable here.”

“I wanted to ask you a question. The same question you haven’t answered yet.”

“What can I say, the soul you are asking me about it one that has been around for a long time and has always opted to be in my house.”

“Don’t you… feel a bit bad? Keeping the soul though. Instead of releasing it to Elysian.” She took a bite out of the cake, it was heavenly. Damn.

“If the soul wanted to go to Elysian. I would let them. But they’ve decided to stick by me. I don’t discourage loyalty.”

He was infuriating, giving her such textbook answers. Why the hell was he being so evasive? Why wasn’t he like his daughter… Xaina could never seem to shut up. Heck she should have gone and asked about the soul with her aunt? Was she her aunt? God… using familial terms was a nightmare when it came to them. She rubbed her neck, and continued taking a bite of her cake. As she savoured the taste of rich chocolate cream, Novevu was picking at his Carrot cake. It smelt familiar… Florita.

“Does Florita come here often?”

“No. She bakes though, and no one will eat it. It seems like a shame to waste it. So I volunteered. She sends me six cakes a week. We usually finish it by the time the week is up. If not then Noxvon will bribe one of the other treasures to eat it,”

Why the hell would Florita be so comfortable around Novevu? Weren’t they supposed to be like enemies. She put this next tidbit into the same portion of her mind that picked at things like this, she took a sip of her tea now that it had cooled just enough to not burn the roof of her mouth. When she thought about it she had no idea how her mother was related to the man who sat in front of her, then again Ancients could change their appearance so in reality there was no way of knowing if the face she currently saw was even his true face or just some unfortunate soul who had pissed him off enough to be forever be etched into his physical form. He then spoke.

“Why are you here to ask me questions?”

“I barely know anything about you Novevu. I got a bit curious.”

Which wasn’t a total lie but alas, when one of his eyebrows rose in question she waved away anymore conversation. She hadn’t even realised she had been eating so fast because the first slice was gone and had been quickly replaced by her second slice… and three cups of teas already! It was like time did not pass in the Void. Perhaps that was another reason why Novevu never ventured far out of his realm, Death meant an end to time… nice. She got up, wiping her mouth and thanking her Uncle for the company before making her way back to where she had been earlier, Florita’s realm; the fields.

Realising no one was home, she stepped into the greenhouse and directly towards the plant that she had been so fascinated by hours prior… was it hours? Or had being in Novevu’s realm taken more than that? She looked around mindful that most of these plants were probably busily chatting away with Florita even from a distance… which meant, she came to a halt. The plant had been moved… it was gone. She cursed, of course Florita must have realised what she was up to. She was about to leave when one of Florita’s claimants came through holding the plant. She ducked behind one of the many counters and waited, listening to the claimant place the pot back in its place. A sun lamp being applied. She waited until she was sure the Greenhouse was empty before standing up and approaching the plant. Mindful of the fact, that if she did try to touch it and it killed her… well she’d be in a bloody sorry state. Picking up a twig from one of the work benches which seemed to have an assortment of dead tree limbs meant for something? She poked the plant and watched in horror as the twig seemed to disintegrate before her eyes until there was nothing left.

“What are you doing here?” Florita’s voice snarled.

She whirled around. Her favourite of the Ancients did not look like her usual self. Instead of the blonde hair, with plants adorned in her hair and on her skin. She was met with a woman with hollow eyes — her eyes were missing and she smelt disgusting. Like Rotten apples, she was missing teeth as well. Destodai terrified moved away from the plant and toward the exit. However, was prevented from doing so by the plants that closed off the exit. Florita observed the plant that Destodai had been examining moments ago before turning an accusing finger towards Destodai.

“What did I say about this plant.”

“That it could kill an Ancient.” Destodai stammered.

“Exactly. What did you do? You touched it.” Florita’s voice screeched. She sounded like a fucking banshee.

Destodai looked around, hoping to find a weapon of some sort, her heart was hammering and she was genuinely afraid she would meet her end here. She scrambled to her feet just as one of the decayed vines of Florita wrapped around her ankle and pulled her down. Florita came to stand over Destodai and jabbed a finger at the younger girl’s chest. Like no voice, Destodai had ever heard before came out of Florita’s lips.

“You are forbidden from entering my realm. Till the end of time. Till death itself succumbs over you. Even then your soul will never be permitted a place in the Fields.”

Before Destodai could plea, apologise… she was whisked off back to Elysian, never to step another foot within the realm of the Fields again.

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May 18, 2021 14:16:36 GMT

Post by Spira on May 18, 2021 14:16:36 GMT

The Yellow Room: Part One

“Mama?”

He clawed at the walls, his eyes shutting at the sight of the fluorescent lights. Why was everything yellow? His hair, his eyes, even his usually transparent white skin was yellow. He turned left, right, tried to find a way out but found naught but more yellow. Tiles, terracotta perhaps? It smelt like sunflowers, daisies, mustard… urine. He tried to remember to his best ability what had led him here, he sat down on the floor utterly defeated — his mother would let him out if and when she felt like it. Or perhaps, if he was lucky Novevu would come to save him from this place. He clapped one hand over his eyes to save from seeing anymore of the dreadful colour, he wanted to be encompassed by darkness, he wanted to be in the shade, where he was safe but there was no space for that.

—Three Human Days Ago—

“Castle. Decimal. Fungus, Gallows, Hipp— “

He had been taught the word so many times, he looked up at his mother who was making something, it had four legs. He swallowed and tried again. He had gotten better at avoiding his stutter, but nevertheless.

"It starts with H..."

“Hippopotamus.” His mother’s tone echoed in the background.

“Hippopotamus!” He repeated cheerfully.

He reached for his pretty cup and took a sip of the deep dark liquid within and beamed, his feet swinging to and fro as he continued to read aloud for his mother. His mother rinsed her hands and stood up, he shut his book and waited as she seemed to be reaching for another material in her collection of objects used to create souls and creatures and all kinds of other things, when a shaggy grey-white creature seemed to run into the room, barely avoiding the furniture as his mother retrieved the scroll of parchment that hung off of the dog, Xainayne got onto his knees of the wooden chair, hopeful to see what news there was.

“I’ll be back, keep reading. Call for Grandma if you need something alright? Risix will be over soon and you can both go play with your cousin.”

He nodded as his mother seemed to slip out of existence and off to the next realm, the Void. He opened his book again, there were so many words left to go on the page he was stuck on. Works like Hippopotamus, Igloo, Jurisprudence… words he didn’t know or could not remember how to say without his mother’s guidance. He was at Practicality when he realised that the dog hadn’t left… his mother had forgotten to open a portal up for the dog to follow back to the Void.

The canine who was now asleep, sounded like it was snoring. He climbed off the chair and walked towards where his mother’s work sat, waiting for her return. He then looked at the note that was left by his uncle. Maybe, Xainayne decided he could help this pup get home! His mother would be proud of him. He stood up on his tippy-toes and stretched…

It had barely occurred to Xainayne that the items on the desk were so close to the edge, but it was far too late to do anything about it when projects that Novea had been working on toppled and shattered into a hundred, million colourful fragments, the noise had certainly woken the dog up and realising his mistake he bent down to try to clean it up, to put the pieces back together but only managed in turn to cut and shed his own blood.

“What did you do.”

He had never heard his mother so angry, he wiped his bleeding hands on his shirt and turned to look up, her eyes were glowing and he wanted to desperately hide underneath the table. He also noticed, the dog was gone. Gone back to the Void. He swallowed and opened his mouth to explain, he had broken his mother’s work, and had ruined the new shirt he had been given, less than four days since being given it, it was striped and he loved it!

But now all of the parts that were white, were smudged with obsidian black liquid… a sign of his power and what made him different from her. He had seen his mother bleed before, and his uncle. Gold and Silver. It had been explained to him previously that everyone bled a different colour except for his grandmother and his grand aunt who did not bleed because they were time and space. Therefore, not living but also not dead. He knew that his cousin, Xaina bled a kind of iridescent milky, almost pearl like substances that was rumoured to smell like Vanilla candies.

“Mama—” He began

She shook her head, scooping him up in her arms and healing the cuts, by merely bleeding on the wounds until they sealed up before his eyes, wow he hoped to be like her. How could would have be, to be able to heal any kind of injury or illness by merely blowing on it? He hoped she wouldn’t be too mad, but when she started to move, without putting him down his heart began to pound and he began to squirm, turning his head this way and that to determine the route she was taking. When the realisation finally settled in the deepest, darkest pits of his stomach he began to wail, screaming. Hitting at her chest hoping she would not be so cruel as to send him into that dreaded place again.

—Present—

He patted his growling stomach, Ancients did not eat, but that hadn’t meant his body didn’t like imitating behaviours meant for lesser mortal creatures. He bit at his thumb harshly, watching as his blood prickled to the surface, he licked at it, the heavy taste of black liquorice had been the only company he had, had for the past three days. Apart from the destroyed walls and the broken furniture — he had managed to release a burst of his power an hour or so ago and now he had nowhere to sit and nothing to do except bite at his thumb and wait for his mother to collect him from this putrid smelling, hideously decorated… yellow room. Why had his mother done this to him? It was not as if, he had broken her stuff purposely. It had been an accident but she hadn’t left him explain. He hated being a disappointment.

“Pa! I found him!”

Why was his cousin here? He stood up… his legs nearly buckling underneath himself as the door to the Yellow Room opened and the scent of Vanilla and Charcoal filtered through, a stark contrast to the smell that he had gotten accustomed to. His cousin was quick to support him as his uncle gave him a once over. He felt pathetic but refused to cry.

“Come, we will go home now.”

“Where’s Mama?”

“Asleep. When you didn’t come to dinner last night. Xaina and I decided to look for you. Xaina, help your cousin to the Void. I will clean this place up and go and speak to Novea about her parenting ideals.”

“Yes Pa.”

Xainayne was reluctant to leave the room that had become his world for three days. He had been inside for three days and the entire time his mother hadn’t considered any of his needs. As he limped beside Xaina who was chattering on about something trivial he was grateful for once that at least his cousin would be raised by someone, an adult who cared.

edited May 18, 2021 14:18:31 GMT by Spira

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May 25, 2021 9:02:45 GMT

Post by Dobu on May 25, 2021 9:02:45 GMT

Hearts That Desire: Part 1

She couldn’t keep her heart from pounding, the feeling was not ideal yet irresistible. How did she smell? How did she look? Why did any of this matter in the first place? The amount of times she’s been around Nier and it had never been like this before or at least excluding when he first decided he’d propose to her.

“I can see the nervousness on your face, you shouldn’t worry so much.” Nammay approached her in a relaxed manner as if his own relaxation would transfer to her. “If you take too long you’ll be late. You look wonderful by the way.”

Chaemai wore an off white maxi lace dress, for some reason Nier had requested bright colors for the date yet the reason why was unknown.

“What if I were to do something wrong? Are you certain that I wouldn’t manage to displease him in some way?”

“We’re still talking about Nier right? He may be an odd person... a very odd person, but above all else he’s dedicated and is more relaxed and understanding than even some of the ancients. I’d say that overall he loves everyone, but something about you has really made him seek you out above all else.”

Chaemai looked at her hand, the ring Nier gave her resting peacefully on her finger. She seemed to find herself wearing it all the time after some point, expecting him to be present to notice. Would he be happy to see her wear it?

“He’ll notice that you care so much.” Chaemai looked to Nammay as he spoke in a different more steady tone. “The boy loves you, I can see it in the way he moves when he’s around you. Just be yourself when you’re around him and you’ll see that there isn’t anything you could possibly do wrong. If you worry he’ll comfort you so be at ease.”

She smiled at his reassurance, the man who knew Nier better than anyone would also be her encouragement for today. There was no doubt that what he spoke would be true, but she still couldn’t help from feeling nervous.

“Okay... I’m ready. So why are you taking me to him? Could I not just go on my own?”

“He wants me to take you to a special place that he personally chose. He said, and I quote, ‘a beautiful flower deserves to be seen around other beautiful flowers. However not just any nature will do, but nature that has been nurtured and cared for by hands that could be trusted and relied upon’. I swear sometimes he just says anything.”

Chaemai couldn’t help but chuckle at his words, no doubt something that Nier would say and ever so pleasing to hear coming from Nammay’s mouth. Nier would always be the only one capable of getting away with saying things like that.

“I think it’s sweet, he always speaks his mind clearly and in a way that makes others feel cared for and special. I’d like to see this place he’s talking about.”

As Chaemai stepped out into the open she was met by a massive field, a large building on top of a hill that looked to be a greenhouse of some sort. The field itself was covered in beautifully vivid, colorful flowers. Multiple species of birds danced across the vibrant sea of petals, a sight that didn’t seem like it could possibly be the place she was meant to be and yet standing out in the middle of the field was Nier watering the plants.

“Good luck”, Nammay gave his farewell before departing. Did he really have to say that?

He seemed so far away but the vastness of the area would make everything seem as it were miles if it weren’t right next to you. Thinking about it this was the first time she’s approach him instead of the other way around which filled her stomach with butterflies. Nier on the other hand seemed even more relaxed than he normally was, a smile that she had never seen before resting on his face.

He wore a brown sweater over an off white shirt which was buttoned up to his chest. Over his legs were a pair of cream colored slacks but his feet were hidden beneath the plants and his shoes were out of view. Around him circled a few of the birds which he stopped momentarily to feed, seeds that it seemed he was carrying on his person. Even from far away in this space saturated with color his cyan eyes stood out, it was almost as if they had a glow that pulled her in as she began to make her way in his direction. That was when his eyes locked onto her.

She almost wanted to turn around and run into the distance, something about the entire situation made her feel nervous and she couldn’t understand how Nier didn’t feel the same way, but as her eyes met with his even from so far away it gave her a sense of ease.

“The sun, like a beacon of revealing light once again has shed its glowing tears on the world today if not only so that I might see you the way I do now! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful than you in my entire life!”

His words seemed to glide over the field of flowers like a spring wind and she couldn’t help but smile at his usual flattery. It didn’t take him long to make his way towards her. As he maneuvered his way through the greenery.

“Nier, what is all of this? What is this place?”

Before she could even react he had already managed to wrap his arms around her in a tight embrace. It was warmer than she had expected, welcoming and inviting. She hadn’t even voiced the cool wind or show that she felt it yet he had already removed his sweater and placed it around her shoulders.

“I’m glad you came. I haven’t gotten to see you in a long time. Nammay has had me rather busy and work is a task of itself as always. I thought you might have forgotten about me.”

“Nier I don’t think I could ever forget about you even if I tried, not that I would ever want to.”

They both looked at one another for what seemed like an eternity the moment Nier released her. Neither of them could hide their smiles which yet again put Chaemai at relative ease.

It wasn’t until now that she noticed something out of the ordinary. Nier’s red cheeks made her feel as if she weren’t the only one nervous about their meeting, but maybe the mutual feeling was normal. Ever since he gave her the ring he would stop at nothing to see her, even finding the means to get himself into the Purge at times. However this was the first time she’d seen him give such a coy smile.

“Adorable.” She spoke the words aloud quickly covering her mouth.

Nier laughed as he took her hand carefully and held it in his own. “Come, let’s head inside for lunch”, he gestured to Chaemai as he led her up this hill.

Her eyes stayed locked onto his back as the moved up the steep hill, his hand was rugged and strong yet held hers in a soft and careful manner. She didn’t want to let go.

“Ah, your question from earlier! I planted all of these. It took a few years but it looks nice doesn’t it?”

“You planted all of this? Well Florita would certainly be pleased, but do you mind telling me why? I couldn’t think of a reason that would possess you to start a mass flower garden”, she finished with a giggle.

Right before they got to the door he stopped and turned around, an action she mimicked and the view was magnificent. He may not have noticed but her hand was still comfortably entangled in his own, but if Chaemai could manage to keep him distracted so he wouldn’t let go then she definitely would.

“When I was younger, and a bit more rowdy, I used to put almost all of my time and focus into increasing my strength and endurance. I wanted to be stronger for reasons I’m not too proud of anymore, but Nammay convinced me to focus on something else to relax myself instead. Since then when I need to clear my head or just have free days off I come here and tend to my flowers. It cost me almost everything I had at the time to get the land but things like that don’t matter. What matters is when I saw you standing out there surrounded by flowers, beauty surrounding indefinitely everlasting beauty, I knew that all the time I’ve spent here was worth it.”

Chaemai could feel his fingers shift slightly before entwining with her own. He did notice! Did he just plan to not let go? She hadn’t expected him to be so casual about it. Her heart fluttered, was he always this sincere or maybe it was the scenario? It always seemed as if when Nier caught her alone he’d say something so wildly perfect that it wasn’t real and yet something was different this time.

“Let’s go inside, I’m sure you didn’t come here to hear me talk all day. I’ll get you something to eat.”

Oh how she longed to hear him say more, to hear the words she wouldn’t have ever expected anyone else to utter in her direction. He seemed like such an enigma compared to more level headed claimants and yet it was so enticing to hear him speak the way he spoke and act the way he acted. Strait-forward and sincere. Able to tend to a field of flowers while conflict is always present.

As he let go of her hand to open the door she had to stop herself from holding on but was quickly put at ease when he reached out to her again as she approached. It wasn't fear that drove her, but a sense of longing; surely he felt it as well. Something that drew her to him and made her feel as if there was something more she desired. Nier had to feel the same way.

Upon entering the large greenhouse she was met with row after row of fruits and vegetables growing freely on poles and shelves in an order that allowed them to move freely.

"What made you decide to grow all of these?" They stopped at a rather comfortable looking table which rested in a clean and empty corner of the building, save for a large fridge and desk with pens and paper neatly placed upon the top.

"When I come out here I always come alone", he spoke as he pulled out a chair which she quickly situated herself in. “I may not seem like it but I like my sweets. There aren’t any stores or restaurants for miles so I decided that if I’m growing plants then I might as well make some fruits and vegetables that I can eat while I’m here.”

“So you drive out here and just stay here for days eating fruits and veggies because they’re sweet? That is very specific, surprisingly very healthy yet explains how you manage to stay so thin.” She chuckled as he approached the fridge.

“Oh ha ha, I’ll have you know that I’m like this for you. How am I supposed to visit you in the Purge if I’m not agile and flexible enough to sneak into your home without being seen?”

He made his way to the table with two bowls filled with fruits and salads, surprisingly both well made, professionally made in fact.

“While you don’t have to sneak in that brings up another question. How do you keep managing to get in? Nammay told me he hasn’t been bringing you so you shouldn’t be capable of doing it on your own.”

Nier smiled confidently and stood tall with a laugh that meant he was clearly up to some form of mischief. “Well I can’t reveal all my secrets, but let’s just say I have a friend who supports my consistent need to see you.”

A sneeze rang out through the room followed by a few sniffles and an annoyed growl.

“You haven’t gotten sick have you? I don’t want to get sick because of you Gahbreal. Who else is going to do what I say and also be capable if you’re not around?”

“What? Now when was the last time I’ve ever been sick? Do you even get sick? I ain’t never seen an ancient get sick.”

Jayhe held her cup out in Gahbreal’s direction, ignoring his questions and motioning for him to refill it. “Well come on, I’m thirsty.”

“Wha-... You better just be glad I care about you enough to put up with this.”

“And you should be honored I allow you to.”

Chaemai sat silently and looked at Nier who continued to rummage through the fridge as if looking for something he had lost. An assortment of fruits were in a rather fancy bowl placed in the center of the circular table and salads for each of them were resting on even fancier plates.

Nier turned to meet her gaze, his focus hastily switching over to her and her alone. He made his way over to the table and dragged one of the chairs that surrounded it directly to her side. Surely this let her know that he wasn’t the only one who desired to be close by.

“What’s wrong? You seem like you have some questions on your mind.” He sat down next to her and glued his eyes to her person. “If something is bothering you then feel free to tell me.”

“How do you find the time for all of this? How do you find the time for anything? I’m sure you’re kept quite busy and even still you managed to do all of this on your own? How much more time do you have to spare?”

Nier frowned at her words which caused her to turn away, yet she was caught by surprise to feel has hand carefully turn her face back towards him. Every action he took was so delicate as if he didn’t know how to properly cause the slightest bit of pain or rather he was afraid that he might if he weren’t careful. How did he manage to be so gentle all the time with her?

“Chaemai, I make time. When I want time to myself I shape it with my own hands. When I have to work I do it in a way that makes me feel free and gives me the ease of mind knowing that I’ll always be capable of doing what I desire when I desire.”

Nier lowered his hand down to hers with his smile returning. Her hand now held by his own she looked down to see his thumb gliding across the ring he had given her, she almost believed he wouldn’t notice it and yet now it seemed like a foolish thought to have had. She wanted him to notice it and it seemed more and more like he knew exactly what she desired from him.

“When I gave you this ring I hadn’t noticed it but something was different. Up until that day the thought of marriage was just a necessity, something that wasn’t really for me. When I made this ring and you let me put it on your finger that was the last time I ever gave anyone a ring and the last time I thought of a life that didn’t involve you. Every time I snuck away from everything else to see you, embrace you, steal a kiss from you, it only instilled in me a greater desire for nothing else but you. Every second of every day that I have belongs to you if you desire it.”

“And what about work? What about your job here with humans?”

“Do you think that means more to me than you? I’d abandon it all if it meant I could spend even a mere fraction of a second by your side.”

“And what if Nammay asks for you? Do you believe you could just brush him off?”

“I’m sure he would understand my reasoning if I opt to be with you. If not I’d simply have to make a way to force him to understand it. I’d never betray him, but I wouldn’t hold myself back from you for him either.”

“But what if-“

“Chaemai.”

He placed his hand on her cheek which she instinctively placed her hand over. He always managed to look so serious yet relaxed when he spoke to her like this, as if all of his words were written in stone yet chiseled with love.

“I’d give up anything for you. Imagining a life, an eternity without being able to be by your side is no longer something I can do. Whenever you believe there’s the slightest chance something would cause me to leave your side then perish the thought. I will always be right here.”

“Am I truly enough? You don’t see me as less than or flawed?”

“Chaemai, my love if anyone sees you as flawed then they’ve clearly lost their mind and you’re far more than anyone deserves. I see you in the only way I’ve ever been able to see you. Perfect.”

She leaned in closer, the familiar scent of iron and sandalwood that followed Nier around bringing her a sensation of comfort and relief that only he could bring.

“Do you promise?”

Nier smiled and leaned in himself, the tip of his nose pressing against her own as her own rather sweet yet refined scent filled his nostrils. He couldn’t really put his finger on what it was but it reminded him of fruits.

“I promise. It was a promise the moment I gave you that ring and a promise again when you accepted it. Now all you need to do is marry me and it’ll be a promise three times over.”

She smiled and giggled as he spoke, a gesture that made Nier’s heart skip a beat. Her happiness was a gift he always took the time to adore when he experienced it. He’d do anything to preserve that smile and resisting it was an impossibility.

“Well if you say it like that then it makes it seem like I don’t have a choice”, she took a moment to peek at the ring yet again before continuing. “I’ve created many things, but nothing comes close to being as strange as you are. You really do know how to put me at ease... Nier?”

She looked into his eyes which held a deep sense of longing, a longing that felt familiar and reserved. It was the same longing that she felt as she arrived, before she arrived, every time they were apart in fact. It was a sad expression and yet one she understood and upon seeing it she reflected it back. The longing neither of them had allowed the other to see.

“Chaemai. I love you.”

He could barely get the words out before she pressed her lips against his own. Time had never seemed to move as slowly as it did in that moment. It’s not like it was the first time for them, but something about the privacy and the moment made it feel special compared to every other time beforehand. It was beyond peaceful.

As the kiss ended and the two seemed as if they didn’t want to move away their fingers intertwined together again. The desire to remain connected was unparalleled and yet shared between them, a feeling that made their hearts relax.

“I love you, Nier.”

edited May 25, 2021 9:06:51 GMT by Dobu

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May 25, 2021 13:55:58 GMT

Post by Dobu on May 25, 2021 13:55:58 GMT

Hearts That Desire: Part 2

The aromas of multiple spices and vegetables filled the air of the large kitchen. Multiple pots and pans lined the stove with sauces and seasoned vegetables toasting and steaming. His hands moved skillfully across the stovetop stirring and mixing the various ingredients, the only thing that could be heard over the clattering of kitchenware was his peaceful humming that echoed throughout the kitchen.

“I see you’re hard at work as always”, her voice pulled him from his cooking trance. “Nammay was right, you do focus too much. Can I at least get a hug after coming all this way?”

He turned his attention to Chaemai, as beautiful as he always saw her to be. Her choice of attire being a rather fancy dress, his personal favorite and yet he had requested they both dress in more relaxed clothing. They were only planning to lounge around after all and he would prefer they be comfortable, but he wasn’t unsatisfied with it in the slightest. He admired every inch of her from top to bottom and every time she wore a dress he had a hard time keeping his hands off of her and she knew it.

“Well so long as I’m focusing on you then I wouldn’t want my attention on anything else. The sun and moon could move to engulf the earth in destruction and I’d still keep my eyes trained to my perfect love. I wasn’t expecting you here so early, I was just about getting ready to finish up with the food.”

He began tending to the food yet again as Chaemai approached him. Her arrival wasn’t expected until later in the night and the meal wasn’t yet to his liking, but he wasn’t going to let that distract him from her arrival any longer than the few precious seconds that it had. He set the pots and pans to a low simmer and turned his attention back to Chaemai who was now standing unusually close, her hand pressing against the thick beard that covered his face, her eyes skimmed over his rather thin yet toned body. He had told her not to dress for a fancy occasion and yet he wore black slacks and a matching dress shirt, granted the sleeves were rolled up and it was unbuttoned down to his chest.

“Nier, I’ve never seen you with facial hair. What brought this on? Trying to look a bit manlier than normal maybe?”

For a moment the refusal to take his eyes off of this beauty was all Nier could muster. His smile gave away his gaze which she responded to with a smile of her own, however the nervous look on her face made him snap back into the conversation at hand.

“I would have shaved but a beautiful star that I love more than anything caught my eye and I don’t think I’ll be doing much else other than cooking and admiring the beautiful lady before me.”

Sometimes it felt as if Echowix was standing over his shoulder as he looked into Chaemai’s eyes. Things moved so slow or maybe his mind was simply kicked into overdrive. His heart pounded each time as if it were his first seeing her, but he had to do something or he might end up standing there awestruck indefinitely. He wouldn’t mind being frozen in time if it were with her, but that wasn’t a life he could spoil her with.

“So tell me my love, what brings you here so soon? Don’t tell me you came so early just to see me.” He jested to which she replied with another honest smile. He could feel his heart ready to give out at any second at every motion she made, a smile that could quite literally kill him if he so allowed it or she so willed it.

“Would that be unsatisfactory if I wanted to see you longer than we had planned?” Surely she was trying her best to throw him into a trance. “If I love you then it should make sense that I’d want to spend as much time as possible with you. All my time if it were possible.”

He eyed her steadily, taking in everything he could yet he couldn’t keep himself from looking directly into her eyes. Her allure was beyond his capabilities of repelling.

“You must be joking”, he spoke as he placed his hand over her own. “I wouldn’t prefer things to be any other way. Every realm, dimension, even the universe and all it has to offer wouldn’t be capable of making my heart sway in the slightest. Seeing you is like seeing all that life has to offer and there is no distance too vast or power too great that I wouldn’t overcome to see this never ending beauty you offer to me.”

“Words as flattering as always and yet there’s something missing from it all. Are you planning to tell me only with words or show my with your actions that you’re completely satisfied?”

Nier wrapped his free hand around her waist and drew her closer to himself. “Oh? To think I’d miss the opportunity to show you my unending love. Every time I get the opportunity I’ll take it, but I’m sure you already knew that. If you wanted a kiss that badly then why not just steal one from me? You know I’d never be opposed.”

A sly yet endearing peck on the lips caused her to push his face away to which he responded with a pout. A look that had ‘how could you’ in the saddest way possible was written all over his face.

“Well stealing a kiss from you would be easy because you always let me. However it’s always nice to make you chase after me on your own like you always do. It always feels nice to have you come forward after me with all that love of yours.”

Nier responded by pulling her closer and closer, his smile becoming more of a smirk as she turned her head to the side as if avoiding his advance. He retrieved the hand she had pulled back when she pushed him away tangling his fingers around her own. “You know full well how far I’d chase you. Even if it were forbidden or the cost was death you’d find me sneaking love to you against all odds and forces that dared to stand in my way. I might have to kiss you a hundred times everyday at the least, but I suppose you can rest easy knowing that we don’t live in that scenario.”

He moved so close she could feel the heat from his skin brushing against her own. Nier always smelled of iron, yet he also carried a strong scent reminiscent of the rugged earth. Sandalwood was what he called it. He was a fan of incense and whenever she found herself together with him in his home it was almost always burning nearby, that or the scent was all over him. He’d say it helps him focus and yet he never needed it to keep his attention locked onto her.

“How do you always find the right things to say in these situations? Without hesitation you manage to say what makes my heart jump into the palm of your hands. You are an A-grade sweet talker Nier and I will never understand how or why you chose me over everyone else.”

“Well I’d chalk it up to conviction and fate. When you love someone as much as I love you then it’s only natural that I refuse to hesitate when making it known and dismantle any hopes of ever loving anyone else nearly as much. It may annoy some people, however if it makes you smile like you always do then I’ll fill a thousand books with things to say for you alone and make sure that every line reminds you of the reasons I love you and you alone.”

Chaemai chuckled at his suggestion which caused Nier to raise his brow in confusion. She intertwined her fingers in his own and leaned to the side looking past him, the scent of well seasoned sauces and vegetables filling her nose.

“A strong focus on me is good and all, but you should probably focus on other things as well that require your more than capable hands. Maybe things like the food you were making?”

His eyes grew wide as his attention shifted to the stove, all the fires shutting off with a twist of his wrist. The metal stirring spoons and spatulas lifted into the air and simultaneously went on the assault as he motioned them to care for the food. He refused to turn his body away from Chaemai, instead opting to turn his head to the side and eyeball the motions from his peripheral vision. A few more accurate motions and everything lifted from the stove to be steadily placed within their specified containers which he had already set up for them to eat from beforehand. With that disaster hastily avoided he was able to rest easy the moment the used kitchenware all found itself in the sink.

He had grown accustomed to making vegan dishes, yet since they were almost always for Chaemai he wouldn’t accept a single mistake. A sigh escaped his lips as he turned back to the woman in question.

“Disaster averted, and without spilling a single drop. Now as I was sa-“

His words were cut off as she jumped up into his arms, her lips pressing against his own. She was light as always and he caught her with ease. As much as he didn’t want her to see it Chaemai would no doubt notice the red of his cheeks. They stayed that way for a moment before she moved her head away.

“Now you can focus on me. One-hundred percent. Nothing else. So long as that pleases you.”

Nier carried her to an empty spot on the countertop and placed her down softly, his free hands now clasping her own and intertwining their fingers together yet again. The moments like these were the ones that made him feel the most at ease, moments that filled his body with a sense of peace and tranquility that could only be attained by seeing her smiling face. Every kiss and every embrace reminded him of when they had just begun to see each other often. The kisses she’d sneak from him in the gulf when Nammay wasn’t looking, the time they’d spend when he found his way into the Purge, there were rarely any memories he could recall with her where they weren’t longing for each other in some way.

“If it pleases me? I’d say you just read my mind. I wouldn’t want to do anything else in the entire fucking world right now. So I ask, my dear Chaemai, if you’d so allow it would you give your time to me on this beautiful night?”

Nier’s fingers pressed against the band that was comfortably placed around her ring finger. Chaemai smiled as she pulled him closer, her arms wrapping around him.

“I’m all yours Nier, just as you’re all mine for the night. It’s been a few days since we’ve both had some free time so don’t think you’ll get away with falling asleep like you did last time. Honestly, you’d think that if we planned on spending time together you would at least be ready to stay awake.”

“You’re never going to let me live that down are you?” He gave her another kiss which this time she didn’t refuse. “I told you I needed to rest that day but you insisted that I help Nammay take care of that job with Gahbreal.”

Chaemai pouted at her partner for his accusation. “Well of course I did. When you told me that you’d give me all of your time I didn’t think you were being so serious. Nammay had to convince me to have you show up for that job and you looked so sad I almost couldn’t do it. As much as I want you to always be with me you do have other things to take care of… well I guess only Nammay really matters.”

Nier laughed as he made his way to their containers which had properly cooled off as they spoke to one another. He grabbed them and made his way to the living area as he responded to Chaemai who contently waited on the counter he left her on.

“Don’t be upset my love, I know I couldn’t put it off forever. I suppose I’ve been too relaxed these past few years. If I don’t keep up my training exercises then I get exhausted quickly when I use my abilities and since Nammay had me help Gahbreal in a capture mission I was basically a walking prison maker. I was tired before the mission ended. I swear he works everyone like a horse when they do jobs with him.”

Once everything was in place and the television was prepared to play the movie they planned to watch he made his way back to the kitchen where Chaemai was still waiting with a blatantly pouty expression on her face. Nier laughed as he quickly made his way over to her and lifted her up like the bride he wanted her to be. She contently relaxed herself in his arms as he carried her across the home to the couch where he had setup their meals.

“Sorry about that Chaemai my love, I didn’t mean to leave you in there like that.”

“Well I guess I can forgive you, but only if you don’t let me go. I’d like to spend the rest of the night wrapped in my lover’s warm embrace.”

Nier fell back on the couch with Chaemai in tow, keeping her as close as he possibly could as they relaxed on the cushions and pillows. She kicked off her heels before lifting her feet onto the couch and snuggling up against Nier’s chest.

“Are you comfortable Chaemai?”

“Mhmm, as comfortable as I can ever be Nier.”

“Comfortable enough to stay here all night?”

“As I said, so long as you don’t let me go then I’ll be right here with you Nier.”

His grip was loose yet sturdy enough to keep her secure. It was no big secret that she desired to stay and he most certainly knew it as well. They had managed to spend more time together since they became more open with their relationship and every moment was treated with care as if it were worth millions of lives, which to them it was. If at any point they had a chance to extend that time then both Nier and Chaemai would no doubt take it.

“You know you might be here for a few days right? I can control almost everything in this house without touching it and if it means you’d stay here with me then I’d definitely do it.”

“I know. We’ll just have to see how long you want me here with you then won’t we?”

“…I love you so much Chaemai.”

“And I love you Nier.”

She leaned in and kissed him again, their food nor the movie even remotely on either of their minds. She longed to preserve this love that they shared and nurture it throughout all time if at all possible while he longed to protect it and defend their love from any and all forms of adversity or strife that would come their way. They looked at one another with a look which screamed ‘we’ll have to explain where we’ve been later’, but they laughed it off with one another.

“The night sky couldn’t possibly be as vast nor carry enough strength within it to rival the feelings that I carry within my heart right now. A moment of perfection with a perfect partner, a perfect bride! Every tingle, every spark I feel upon my skin is a reminder of my love for you and pushes me forward to love you evermore. Kings and Queens may rise and fall, but we together will remain until time ceases to exist and even onward past that, without time to guide the threads of history. Our love will always remain.”

Chaemai giggled and wiggled in his arms, her heart racing faster and faster with every word he spoke. “If you keep say something like that I might have to shock you myself to see if it really makes you love me more.”

“Give it a shot, so long as I remain intact then I’ll definitely love you more because my love for you grows every days.”

He could see the nervousness building up on her face as if there were something she wanted. It seemed different from the normal affection he could give her to make her smile so instead he chose to wait for Chaemai to speak instead. No doubt in a matter of moments she did speak what was on her mind.

“Nier, when do you believe we’ll get married?”

His cheeks burned a bright red at the very word exiting her lips. Surely he was imagining things, surely this was a dream and one he would never want to wake up from again. His embrace tightened slightly around her yet not so much that it would be a bother. She noticed the shift in his posture and couldn’t help giggle at his expression.

“Well we’d have to plan one out first. Get the clothes, invite the guests, get the place to do it and order refreshments for everyone to-“

“Can we… have a wedding at your flower garden? Maybe only invite a few important people and enjoy ourselves? Does that seem like too much?”

Nier’s heart practically stopped as she spoke, surely Novevu was after his life with her saying things like this, yet he could only muster a single response.

“Of course Chaemai my love. Whenever you’re ready just let me know an I’ll take care of everything.”

stoopdo	helios
maxis	milo