Shine In The Dark - A Private Lantern Corps RPG

[Lantern Thaal Sinestro]

Soranik frowned. "That's not true! Just because you don't have a ring doesn't mean you have nothing going for you anymore. You just need to stop thinking about everything being connected to your ring. There's things you can do without it. Things you could always do, and new things waiting for you just around the corner." She looked at her hands. It didn't do them a lot of good now, though.

She looked up when she brought up her plan. "I'm not a physical fighter," she said softly, "I'm a doctor. I don't have the battle experience other lanterns have. But I'd be willing to do what I can- it's better than sitting here just waiting for the worst." She looked out the small window in the otherwise solid door, frowning when she saw the man moving off before she could get his attention. Turning her head, she looked back over her shoulder, she let out a small groan.

"It looks like we're too late- Sinestro's already here." She pointed at the screen in the upper corner of the room, where the man was standing in front of their would-be hero. The bounty hunter was smiling, and Sinestro had his ring pointed right as his face. They couldn't hear what was being said, the television had no sound, but it was clear they were having quite a heated conversation. The man looked casual, shrugging his shoulders with a rather smug expression on his face, while the other men stood around him with their weapons ready. But it seemed like he was saying something that caught Sinestro's attention, as the man lowered his ring.

He was telling him not to be hasty, and that he couldn't be sure if his friends were safe. That attacking him might bring them harm as a result, and if he wanted them safe he would need to hand over his ring. Sinestro was watching him carefully, but it seemed he didn't want to argue too much about it. With a scowl on his face, he took off his ring and handed it over to one of the guards, his white lantern uniform fading. He then allowed one of the guards to cuff him, just as they had done with Soranik and Ceraphel.

"You idiot," sighed Soranik, "don't you know what they're planning on doing?!" But sinestro couldn't hear them anymore than they could hear him. He frowned as the man instructed his men, and soon he was being moved as well. The whole thing happened quickly, and was almost no resistance from Sinestro. Soranik had expected him to be hampered by them being there, but she hadn't thought he would give up completely! She moved back to the small hole in the solid door when Sinestro was brought down, though he was put in the cell across from them, not the one they were in. Once the guards were gone again, off to celebrate, Soranik sighed. "why didn't you attack when you had the chance?!"

"I couldn't risk them doing something to you," Sinestro replied, "are you both alright? They said they were ready to kill you if I launched an attack."

"They were bluffing- we're fine," Soranik replied grimly, "well, for now anyway. We'll all be screwed soon enough."

"Is Ceraphel there with you?" He asked, "And don't give up on me yet- I didn't attack them, that doesn't mean I don't have a plan. We'll be out of here soon enough." He stood at the window on his door, looking to see if he could catch sight of Ceraphel. He just wanted to make sure she was alright before he did anything.

✘ ✘ ✘

In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!
✘ ✘ ✘

[Minaarchangel]

"I was a botanist before I got my ring," Ceraphel said, shaking her head. "It was the ring that made me a warrior. Saying that I was more than just a boring part-time educator before I got my ring, that I have anything to offer in this situation...it's just not true."

Her voice was soft, "...It's so easy to tell me there's better things coming when you still have your ring. When you haven't been thrown away by the people who you devoted your life to. When you can still make some kind of difference and not need people to come help you every single time something bad happens."

After a moment, she looked up, her expression truly apologetic, "I'm sorry. I try not to let myself feel so bad so much, but sometimes it's hard not to. Situations like this really bring to light the fact that I was only a fighter when I had a ring."

Ceraphel looked up at the monitors, and she was glad to see him, but of course he had come for her. But then she saw him giving up his ring, and she knew that things were about to get worse.

"No..." she murmured softly, moving closer to the screen to try and will him to feel her protest at him surrendering.

They brought him into the prison cells, and she moved to the wall, wrapping her arms around herself. It was all her fault. For leaving the planet, for not fighting back in the library, for not doing something to help Sinestro before he arrived. Ceraphel was doing her best not to cry, but it was building on top of the previous events that had led to this. She listened to Soranik ask Sinestro why he did not fight them, why he just surrendered, and her hands clutched at her arms even tighter. He had cared too much about them to risk what might have happened if he had killed them all.

When he asked about her, she reluctantly came to the door, unable to meet his eyes currently, "I'm here. They want to sell us, once they get someone to pay for you too."

She looked up at him, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

[Lantern Thaal Sinestro]

"They want to sell me? Ha! Well, that's the first I've ever heard of that. How strange. But they won't be selling any of us, I promise you that." When he saw Ceraphel, he smiled, glad to see that she hadn't been hurt. At least they hadn't been lying when they had said that they hadn't hurt her. She asked if he had been injured himself, and he shook his head. "No, I'm not hurt. Not yet, anyway."

"What do you mean not yet?" Soranik asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, they might fight back once we start pounding the hell out of them when we get out of here," Sinestro replied easily enough. Soranik's eyebrow was not lowered.

"And how are we going to be getting out of here?"

"I have a plan, I told you that." He was still at the window, and he offered them both a little bit of a smile.

"What are you planning?"

"I can't tell you that- don't want anyone to hear."

"You almost sound like you're having fun," Sighed Soranik, "just don't do anything stupid, alright? I'm not dragging you back to Odym or giving you a third heart. The last one was hard enough to find!"

"Don't worry, don't worry," Sinestro assured her again, "I swear we'll be out of here soon enough. I'm just musing over my options, but I think I have it planned out." He sounded confident, but Soranik wasn't so sure why. She couldn't see a way out, and she was in the exact same kind of cell. She frowned and sat down on the bed again, waiting to see what Sinestro was going to do, if anything. If he was going to pretend to be sick to get the guard to open the door, she wasn't so sure he had things as planned as he thought he did.

He moved inside the cell again, vanishing from sight and moving over to his mattress. Soranik could hear him ripping it, pulling out one of the long coils from inside. But it was too thick to pick the cuff locks- what good was that going to do? "He's an idiot," she muttered.

After a moment, Sinestro reappeared at the window, moving his hand up so the wire, which he had straightened out, filtered out from the small opening. "Keep an eye out for anyone coming in," he chuckled as he moved the wire to control panel on the door. He pressed a few four-combo sequences into the unit and, after testing it a couple of times, the door easily slide open, letting the cuffed man step out without trouble. He moved quickly to their door, but this time he pulled out some of the wires beneath it, working them until he managed to hotwire the door and it, too, slid open. Soranik moved to the door, peaking out.

"How did you do that? How did you know the command to open your door?" She demanded.

"I listened to them putting it in when they closed it the first time," Sinestro commented, "I could tell which button was being pressed from the sound it made. All I had to do was match up the sounds." He looked down at the cuffs on his wrists, frowning thoughtfully.

"We'll have to jump that guard when he gets back- they're probably discussing where they're going next. Once he's back, we can get the keys and get our rings back. Ceraphel... I think it might be best if you found a safe place to hide until we can get our rings." He didn't mean to be condescending, he just wanted to keep her safe. Still, he saw Soranik wince at his comment.

✘ ✘ ✘

In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!
✘ ✘ ✘

[Minaarchangel]

"I guess the right to kill you is popular," she said softly, looking him over to make certain he really was okay. Ceraphel nodded, agreeing that he should get himself out first, since he had a plan, and moved back to lean against the wall.

"He knows what he's doing. He would never risk your life on something he wasn't certain was going to work," she said softly.

Admittedly, he did sound like he was enjoying it, and Ceraphel wished that he would at least be a little more angry that someone had kidnapped her. Not enough to go on a killing spree or anything, but at least he could have pretended to be relieved to see her alive and well. Then again, she was now nothing more than baggage, the superfluous damsel in distress for his adventure. Part of her slowly crushed her heart by murmuring in her head that she should get used to the feeling, since she was not part of that world any longer.

He came to their door after getting his own open, and their door slid open as well. The almost painfully tight cuffs around her wrists made it hard for her to hug him, and since he seemed to have no inclination to do so, Ceraphel refrained. She slipped out behind Soranik, and at least beating herself up for what had happened made it easier for her to just nod in agreement. Run and hide. All she was good for any more. There was no argument from her as the plan took shape, knowing she would be nothing but something for him to worry about if she tried to fight back.

The guard returned, not too long after they had gotten out of the cells, and she knew that it was probably best if she slipped away then. Sinestro and Soranik could find her easily later. That her hands were still bound was not much consequence, considering she would not even attempt to fight. So she moved down the opposite side of the hallway from where the fight was happening, though knowing Sinestro, it was probably going to end quickly. She was surprised when the alarm sounded. The guard must have gotten to it before Sinestro stopped him.

Lights flashed, and the alarm whined, and Ceraphel ducked into a small alcove to keep the rushing slavers from seeing her out and about. But if they so easily missed her, pink dress and all, it meant that she could help Sinestro and Soranik in some small way. So she began slipping through the ragtag ship, getting lost and ending up at dead ends on occasion, but she was quick to hide when she had to, though it seemed most of the men on the ship were either still working at their jobs, or running off to stop what was going on elsewhere.

She was concentrating hard at each doorway, hand against the cool metal surfaces, to try and figure out what was going on inside. It was when she found an empty room that she went in. Those with men inside were left alone, if only because she knew that they would just turn around and use her as a hostage and a meat shield and it would be for nothing. So she slipped into the room, and was surprised to see two boxes, one glowing green, the other white. Boxes with the lantern rings in them. It only took her a moment to move over to them before she realized they were sealed somehow.

Frowning, Ceraphel looked them over until she realized that the level of sophistication of these men was far below what they were using. Their technology was stolen, their ship made of parts, and but their boxes were good enough to contain the rings. She looked them over slowly, knowing Sinestro would have had them open already. But she was not ready to give up. Picking up one of the boxes, she examined the lock, one that would open only with the key when it was pressed into the semi-permeable metal that made up the lock. It was probably tamper proof. But that was for fancy tools.

Going to one of the near-by tables, Ceraphel did what anyone with more of an inclination toward the life sciences would do. She banged on that flexible metal until it came completely off the side of the box, and it nearly popped open in her hands to reveal the green glow. While it had worked, it made a lot of noise, and she moved to the door, checking to see if anyone was coming. When it seemed as if she was still alone, Ceraphel repeated the primitive but effective action, until the second lock was just about to fall off.

The box with Sinestro's ring had just come open when she heard a voice behind her, "Hey! What do you think you're doing, girly?!"

She had not heard the door open, but they were open, that was all that mattered. Sinestro and Soranik could call on their rings now. Ceraphel turned to face the slaver who had come in to check on the rings, slightly smarter than the others, and felt the malice radiating off of him just before he reached up with the truncheon style weapon he was carrying and let it crack right across her face, sending her to the ground.

"Bloody useless...think you're so damn great? What's so great about you lot now? Huh? None of those fancy rings anymore."

Ceraphel had crumpled with the first blow, certainly not used to being struck without the energy of her ring protecting her. Or with such force. When Sinestro had hit her, at least it had not been with a weapon. This time, she was almost certain her nose was broken. Blood was trailing from both nostrils and dripping onto the floor as she tried to get up. But the truncheon came down on her back again, and then her arm, probably snapping it from the white hot pain that lanced through the right side of her body, making her cry out and leaving her on the floor. Satisfied that she was not going to get up again, he turned to figure out a way to seal up the ring boxes again.

[Lantern Thaal Sinestro]

Sinestro and Soranik was too busy with the guard to notice where Ceraphel had gone. They moved into position when the guard came in, Soranik standing in view while Sinestro hid himself off in the open cell. When the man saw Soranik, he came in, ready to attack her to get her back into the cell. but before he could manage getting to her, Sinestro sprang out to attack. He latched onto the man's back, putting his hands on either side of the guy's head. Soranik's eyes widened as she watched, her body tensing.

"Sinestro, don't-" but it was too late, the man had already snapped the guy's neck, sending him to the ground in a lifeless heap. "Sinestro! Why did you kill him?!"

"I'm going to kill all of them," Sinestro replied simply, plucking the keys off the guard. He unlocked his cuffs and let them fall to the ground, moving over and doing the same for Soranik. She watched him, a little stunned. He looked fine, calm, and like he was enjoying himself. But she realized in that moment that he was beyond angry. He intended to slaughter everyone there.

Just like the Sinestro she had once known.

She wanted to talk him out of it, but he was already moving. "We need to get our rings," he told her, "come on." Soranik sighed and followed, wondering what she was going to do about him. He just shrugged off her attempts to speak to him. He was on a mission, hunting down where their rings would have been kept. With the alarms suddenly going off, they certainly needed to move quickly. Still, she didn't like the idea of just letting him kill everyone.

She wasn't like him- she didn't believe in killing people, especially not for revenge.

Their trip eventually brought them where they needed to go- the room where their rings were being stored. They saw Ceraphel on the ground, and they reacted entirely differently. Soranik let out a yelp and moved to help the woman, while Sinestro's body shot forward and he attacked the large brute, tackling him to the floor. Soranik let her ring come to her so she could put a construct sling around ceraphel's arm and to tend to her wounds. Neither Sinestro nor Soranik had been injured, so at least she could focus on her. She only looked up once to see what was happening, and saw that Sinestro had punched the man so many times in the face, he was no longer recognizable as a living being. Which was good, because he didn't seem to be living anymore, either.

Sinestro took his ring and moved over to Ceraphel, but Soranik could see his body language was entirely different from earlier. The disoriented calm was gone, and Sinestro was all business now. He looked down at them impassively. Soranik couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Take her out of here. Now." He said so darkly that it sent a shiver down Soranik's spine.

"Sinestro, no. Don't do this..."

Sinestro decided not to listen to her, though. She found a white bubble around herself and Ceraphel, and soon enough she was moving against her will through the ship, the bubble breaking through everything in its path as it left the vessel and came to a stop outside. But the bubble didn't leave- it was clear Sinestro didn't want her going back in. She frowned and looked down at Ceraphel.

It wasn't long after that that the entire ship exploded.

✘ ✘ ✘

In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!
✘ ✘ ✘

[Minaarchangel]

A familiar face was floating over her, and she recognized Soranik after a moment. It had been stupid, trying to help them. She should have just hidden, like Sinestro told her to. But no, she had to pretend like she was still useful, and it had gotten her a broken arm for her efforts. A broken nose too. Ceraphel shook her head a bit, glad to see the ring back on Soranik's finger. The sling helped, made her arm less dead weight against the hairline fracture of her forearm bones.

"I'll be okay."

But that seemed to fall on deaf ears where her lover was concerned. He had already killed the man who had attacked her, and was now more of the Sinestro she remembered from the primitive planet than the one she was in love with. It scared her, to be honest, and she reached out for him with her good arm, hoping that he might help her up and she could gently remind him that white light meant light, not death. But she never got the chance.

She and Soranik were wrapped in a bubble of light and before they were out of sight of him, she tried, "Thaal, please..."

Her words were ignored as well, and they were sent far outside the ship. Ceraphel looked up at Soranik, reaching up to wipe the blood off of her face with her good hand, shaking her head though it caused a headache to throb across her face and forehead.

"I should have just left things alone. But I found the room with the boxes and I wanted to help. He was right, I should have just hidden and stayed out of trouble."

When the ship blew up, her heart clenched. All those people had died because she had not done as he told her. At least that was how she felt. Ceraphel had no idea whether Sinestro would have killed them all whether she had gotten hurt or not. This time if he wanted to shout, it would not be a shouting match. She knew she would deserve every accusation of carelessness that he could have stored inside. While her reckless nature had worked in harmony with her powers before, now it was just something stupid and foolish that had gotten her hurt.

"I'll go to the doctor when I get home," she murmured lamely.

[Lantern Thaal Sinestro]

Sinestro floated over to join them in space once the ship was well and truly gone. For the time being, he wasn't reflecting on his actions- he had done what was needed and, as far as he was concerned, that was the end of it. He finally allowed the bubble to fade from around Soranik, who was using her green light to protect Ceraphel. She didn't know what to say to her father, which seemed alright since he turned his head from her almost immediately and flew them back to Els, getting them home. Once they were there, having landed through the hole he had previously put in the building, Soranik moved Ceraphel to her bed, setting her down on it gently.

"Just try and relax," Soranik said, "I can treat you better than any doctor here, so you're going to be just fine." She smiled, though found it was only half-hearted. She was a little awkward with Sinestro there- somehow, she had really frightened him.

She couldn't quite get over it.

Sinestro, meanwhile, moved over to the bed, raising his ring again. While it had just killed a bunch of people, it still seemed to be connected to him, the white power radiating brightly from behind his daughter. She turned her head over her shoulder, a little surprised, but tried not to look too scared of him. He had done what he thought was right. She should be angry, not frightened. She had no reason to fear Sinestro.

The white lantern wasn't attacking, of course. He instead used his power of life to heal Ceraphel. A white light was better at healing than the blue ring. It wouldn't be long before she was back to normal. He was glad for that, too. While he wasn't currently capable of showing it, he had been very worried about her.

The whole reason he had snapped was because he was so worried about her.

Soranik watched, amazed by the power of the white light. It was really impressive. At the same time, it was obviously very dangerous. A lot of people had just died because of it, and he hadn't really looked like he was even trying. What could he do if he completely lost control? it was not something she wanted to think about. After he had finished healing her, Sinestro left the room. It seemed he had a lot to think about. His stupor was wearing off, and she had seen the color drain from his face.

She knew then that he probably hadn't intended on killing them like that. That his emotions had gotten the better of him. Sighing, she looked back at Ceraphel. "Rest a bit," she said, though she doubted Ceraphel needed to. She just... needed to say SOMETHING.

"... I'm sorry about all of this. I should have protected you from the beginning... this is my fault..."

✘ ✘ ✘

In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!
✘ ✘ ✘

[Minaarchangel]

Ceraphel wanted Sinestro to say something to her, anything. Even yelling over how stupid she had been was better than the stoic, cold silence. No wonder he hated when she gave him the silent treatment so much. It was not pleasant to go through, and his came with death and destruction. The Elsian woman did not take her eyes from him though, not that it seemed to matter. He was internalized, and there was nothing she could do about it right now.

They got back to Els, and she immediately noticed the massive hole in the roof of her house. Not that she mentioned it. It seemed a poor choice to do so currently. Ceraphel let Soranik put her down on the bed, and she took a slow breath, wanting to protest that healing her would not teach her a lesson about doing stupid things. But she also knew she had to do what she was told for now. If not, she was going to end up locked in a closet or something else, and then it would just be her being angry on top of being useless and locked in a closet.

Sinestro healed her, and she looked up to thank him when he got up and left. If she had any heart left to break, it did then, and only Soranik in the room kept her from sobbing again, her heart shattered. When Soranik told her to rest, she just nodded, her head turning to the side so she could stare at the wall. Ceraphel took a long breath and shook her head.

"It's my fault for going off-world without him. And for not doing as he told me. I should have just hidden like he said, but I found the rings and made more of a mess of things..."

Sitting up, Ceraphel frowned, "I should go talk to him."

More so, apologize. But she turned to Soranik and hugged her gently for a moment, "It's okay, you should get back to Oa. I've got to learn how to help him at times like this or things are just going to get worse. I'll be fine, and he's going to be okay too."

[Lantern Thaal Sinestro]

Soranik didn't want to leave. Not because she thought Ceraphel would be yelled at or because she thought she could be of any use, but because she was worried. Worried that leaving Ceraphel with Sinestro would end up being dangerous. She didn't know how Sinestro was going to deal with what just happened. It seemed like it was the first time he had ever done something and regretted it immediately. She had seen how cold and silent he had been, even to Ceraphel. What if he exploded again? What if... what if she was in danger around him?

"I... if you think it's best," she sighed softly. As much as she didn't trust her father, she knew Ceraphel felt the opposite. That he wouldn't harm her, because of their love for one another. Maybe that was true. Maybe she was worrying too much. There was really no way for her to be sure what side of the fence he was going to end up on.

"If anything happens, contact me." She used her ring to make a construct phone of sorts, so she could call her when needed. it wouldn't last more than a couple of days before the construct dispersed, but she just wanted some kind of plan B. Once she had left it on the bed, she got up and left, though not before giving Ceraphel a hug good bye and reiterating that she could be called if something bad happened.

No harm in making it clear.

Sinestro, meanwhile, he moved outside the house, stalking around in the front yard. He didn't seem entirely pleased. Soranik could see him as she flew up into the sky. He didn't seem to have noticed her, though. Frowning, she sighed to herself and left, though it was against her every better judgment.

The white lantern paced the lawn, though he couldn't focus on any one thought. Everything was moving too fast- it felt like a jumbled mess. He was angry and frightened and brimming with guilt- he couldn't handle the emotions swelling inside of him. When had it become so hard to kill someone? Because he had gained the white ring? And he had killed so many people! All because of his own anger. This was why he hadn't wanted the white ring in the first place! He wanted to see Ceraphel. He was concerned about her and wanted to know how she was doing. He wanted to react and hug her and tell her how glad he was that nothing had happened, but it seemed like his whole body was fighting him. He couldn't do any of the things he wanted to do. On the flip side, he also wanted to scream at her. Ask her what she had been thinking. But he couldn't do that anymore than he could offer her comfort.

It felt like he was rooted to the ground.

Groaning, he placed his hands on the top of the fence, his head dangling between them as his back arched and he threw up onto the ground. He needed to calm down- he knew he needed to. If he was ever going to be able to face Ceraphel again, he needed to get himself under control. Damnit, what was wrong with him? He cursed inwardly as he pushed himself away from the fence, spinning around and punching the wall next to the doorway.

Something else he was going to have to fix.

✘ ✘ ✘

In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!
✘ ✘ ✘

[Minaarchangel]

"I promise, if I need anything..." her voice trailed off with how loaded that sentence really was.

Someone to talk to. Someone to confide in. Protection. All of it went without saying.

"...if I need anything, I'll call."

Reaching over, she picked up the phone construct and slipped it into the drawer in her night stand. The last thing she needed was Sinestro thinking she was keeping tabs on him, or that she was afraid of him. Ceraphel was not afraid of him, not really. She was afraid of a thousand other things, but not her lover. So she put it into the drawer and closed it so the green glow was not noticeable.

She nodded and got up, watching Soranik go before she headed down the steps. When Ceraphel got to the bottom, she realized that there was dried blood all over her dress, and she should have probably changed before she went to go talk to Sinestro. But it was more important that she go to see him. He was struggling, so much more than she was, it seemed. Ceraphel got to the door just as he got sick near the fence, and then stalked toward the door.

Quietly, she went to the sink and got a cloth wet, and came back to the door after he had punched a hole in the wall. Wracked with guilt, she simply came up to him and washed his face gently with the cool cloth, before she managed to speak. The words refused to come at first, if only because there were so many things going on in her head currently.

"I'm sorry, Thaal," she said softly.

The cloth trembled slightly because her hand was shaking a little, and she had to look away, "I thought I was safe going with Soranik. You know she would never let anything happen to me if she could have made that choice. And I'm sorry I didn't do what you told me to do on the ship. I was going to, but then I found the rings. So I tried to help. And as usual, I was unable to do much more than get into even more trouble."

Ceraphel looked up at him, "Are you going to be okay?"

[Lantern Thaal Sinestro]

Sinestro looked at Ceraphel when she joined him outside, letting her clean off his face while he watched. He didn't say anything for the time being, though he wasn't really listening to her, either. It felt like he was underwater, and the rushing liquid filling his ears kept him from really hearing anything else. He moved closer to her, his breathing starting to even out again. He had been almost panting after everything he had done to try and calm himself. Standing in front of her, he leaned his head down, resting his forehead on her shoulder while his arms hung limply at his sides. All he could do was stay there for a moment, just glad he was able to touch her. Glad, and more than a little tired.

The mission against that large monster was nothing compared to how he was feeling after that short stay on the ship. His whole body ached. Worrying about someone else was much more of a pain in the a** than just dealing with a problem.

He would fight a thousand giants monsters if it meant Ceraphel not being in danger.

Silently, he took hold of her hand, moving back inside the house while gently taking her inside with him. He moved them to the living room, where he sat down and lightly tugged her arm for her to join him. It was there that his voice finally seemed to return to him, the lantern moving his arms around Ceraphel to hold her close.

"Don't do anything like that again," he said lowly, his voice very faint, "I know you want to help, but I couldn't stand it if something happened to you, especially because of my problems. The only reason you got attacked was because they were trying to get to me." He didn't have it in him to yell at her, though. To tell her she had been wrong or that she had been dumb. In all honesty, it wasn't like he was going to do anything different. He hadn't had his ring, either, and he was doing all the things he didn't want Ceraphel to do.

Still, he didn't like it. It made him a hypocrite, he knew that, but he just didn't care. He wanted her to be safe. He wanted to know she would be there when he got home.

He leaned against her again, resting his head against her shoulder.

✘ ✘ ✘

In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!
✘ ✘ ✘

[Minaarchangel]

Sinestro seemed like he was not listening to anything she was saying. Ceraphel felt a little afraid that he was going to start yelling and for once, she would not get to yell back because he would be totally right. But instead, he just leaned his head against her forehead, and they stood there silently for a moment, just touching, just feeling each other. Before she could stay anything else, he took her hand, and led her inside to the sofa and sat them both down, his arms wrapping around her. The desire to sob was there again as he pulled her close.

Her cheek came to rest gently on his shoulder, and she held onto him tightly, trying her best not to cry. Why was it so hard to keep herself from feeling that way? Why was it like he was the adult and she the child? Despite his age, they were adults. But he was the one who was a lantern. She was just a normal person whose path was unclear and her heart was fragile. For some reason, she felt as brittle and breakable as glass currently.

"...I didn't..."

Ceraphel took a slow breath, "I had to do something to help. I just couldn't stand by and let them hurt you. Sell you. I have faith in you, but I also know that I want to protect you as much as you want to protect me. I just have to find a different way to do that."

Reaching up, her fingers went through his hair and she held him close, knowing how worried he had been about her. It only made her more determined to get a ring back, to not be a hindrance to him any more. Ceraphel held him carefully, shivering on occasion because she had never been kidnapped before, and it had not been a pleasant experience, even without the beating.

"Don't blame Soranik," she said softly after a bit. "She would have fought them, but they had a gun to my head. She did what she had to do to keep me safe, and that meant surrendering her ring. Please, thank her sometime in the future."

Leaning up, she lifted his chin, kissing him gently, "You look exhausted. Let's go to bed. Things will look brighter in the morning."

[Lantern Thaal Sinestro]

He hugged his arms around her, holding her a little more tightly as she seemed to relax against his body. He was angry, yes, but it didn’t out weigh how relieved he felt knowing she was home and safe. Perhaps when they both had some time to calm down from the fright of it all he would have room to be angry with her. Until then, he was just going to hold onto her while she ran her fingers through his hair. Closing his eyes, he let out a small sigh.

“I don’t blame Soranik,” he commented, “after all, I did the same thing she did. I gave up my ring so you two wouldn’t be harmed. So I can hardly blame her for doing the same thing as me.” He chuckled faintly, though it seemed only half-hearted. He didn’t have the energy to show much of any emotion, really. Since he had been on that ship he had only really been feeling a numbing sort of anger. With them dead, the numbing feeling remained, but the rage had been replaced with guilt.

It was all more than he was capable of dealing with.

“I’ll make sure I thank her,” he told Ceraphel gently, “I’m sure she’s not going to want to talk to me for a little while, though. She told me not to kill them. She knew it wasn’t the right way to deal with things. But I… I didn’t listen to her.” Some white lantern he was. Instead of saving lives he was running around ending them. And for his own selfish emotions, too.

Could he really say he had changed? Perhaps the others were right to doubt him. Perhaps he was still a threat.

He didn’t want to think he might hurt her, but what if he wasn’t as changed as he first thought? Maybe he had just been living in a blissful bubble, ignoring those baser instincts.

It bothered him, but he didn’t mention it to Ceraphel. He didn’t want to ruin the moment. She was already giving him a kiss, telling him he looked very tired. “You’re right, of course. We could both use some sleep. You must be tired, too, after everything that happened.”

He followed her to the bedroom and made short work of getting ready for bed. He kissed her as he settled into the bed with her, making sure she was comfortable and being a little clingy. He couldn’t help himself.

Still, even snuggled in with her, he didn’t sleep that night. He couldn’t even start to doze. He was up all night thinking about what he had done and what it would mean for him.

When the morning came, he was up early, getting them breakfast as he often did when he couldn’t sleep.

✘ ✘ ✘

In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!
✘ ✘ ✘

[Minaarchangel]

"I am just so sorry for all of this," she said softly, responding to him admitting Soranik told him not to kill the slavers and he did anyway. It was all her fault, and she knew it, and the fact that he had not said anything about that was just kindness on his part because he loved her. She knew that, and yet it only made her feel more guilty.

When he took her hand, Ceraphel went with him and got changed for bed, putting on her nightgown and getting into bed with him. Part of her was relieved that he wanted to pull her close and hold onto her during the night, and despite everything that had happened, she managed to get to sleep. But her dreams were filled with pain and blood and Sinestro turning into some hybrid of himself and the demon and doing things in order to keep her safe that were unnecessary. She woke up with a start, but found herself alone in the bed, the sun streaming through the windows.

Getting up, she wrapped herself in a robe and wandered downstairs, finding Sinestro just finishing up making breakfast. Ceraphel walked over to him and leaned up to kiss his cheek gently. She had never felt so small around him, but the deep difference between them also helped her feel strangely petite around him. It was probably the ring on his hand, the power she knew he had. The fact that she did not have very many tall shoes in real life. But currently she felt even shorter, in her bare feet. Glancing at the hole in the roof, she smiled slightly.

"Maybe you could fix that up quick? I saw that one of my fruit trees has some ripe fruits. I'll go out and pick them and juice them to have with this wonderful breakfast. Though you really should have let me cook."

Heading out the back door, Ceraphel took a basket with her and went out to the tree, heavy with a few fruits that would make a light, sweet juice to have with their breakfast. She was plucking the heavy pale purple globes from the tree when she felt something wash over her. It was like the violet light she was so used to, but she knew that it was not going to be a ring looking for her. She thought it might have been Carol, since the other Star Sapphires seemed to be shunning her as well. But what landed shook the ground so that she almost fell over.

Turning, she dropped the basket, the fruit rolling in the grass, bruised from their fall. The thing in front of her filled the yard, long tail breaking one of her flower beds apart, its vicious looking head cocked to the side, examining her. Ceraphel just stood there, realizing that she was standing in front of the entity of love, the Predator, and it was looking her over with its keen eyes. While its mouth did not move, she heard it in her head.

Ceraphel Archolmete, you are capable of great love.

"...I am," she replied, breathing the words out.

Yet you wear no ring.

"It was taken from me."

I will give you the power you desire.

Ceraphel, who had been ready to step forward and attempt to touch the thing stopped where she was, jerking her hand back though it had risen up to touch the Predator without her consent. It eyed her and moved forward, cornering her.

You will have it.

"But..."

The Predator gave her no choice as it closed in around her, and gradually lost its draconic shape, oozing into her body through her mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, the violet energy lifting her into the air as the wind picked up, tearing one of the smaller trees out of the ground in the garden with the power of it. The fences rattled, and she hovered there, wrapped in violet energy for a moment, before it all disappeared and she dropped back to the ground, landing on her feet. She opened her eyes, and they were free of the melon colored irises or whites. Instead, they were the violet hue of the Predator.

[Lantern Thaal Sinestro]

Sinestro watched her come over to him, smiling faintly at her kiss. His eyes followed hers to the hole in the ceiling. “Oh… right,” he chuckled faintly, “I’ll get right on that.” He was feeling a little better than he had been the night before, at least with regards to his emotions. He could feel them now, which was a good thing. He had started to feel like he had been forced back into the indigo corps- that all he was going to be allowed to feel was compassion and guilt. Thankfully, as the night dragged on, his senses seemed to return to him a little bit.

He sighed faintly, raising his hand up to let his ring fix the ceiling. It picked up the missing pieces that had been scattered everywhere, molding them back together as though nothing had ever happened to them in the first place. Even the smallest pieces returned to their rightful place, no matter where they had fallen or floated off to.

He would have to fix the hole outside, too, but he found himself suddenly distracted. Blinking, he turned his head over his shoulder, looking towards the garden. Somehow, he felt a terribly strong feeling of love coming from outside. At first, his heart jumped with excitement, thinking Ceraphel might have been giving her ring back. But he soon realized that couldn’t have been the case- they had no reason to change their minds. More than that, he could also feel fear. Her fear.

That got him moving.

The white lantern shot forward, getting himself out into the garden as quickly as his light would carry him. He was just in time to see the Predator enter Ceraphel, binding his power with hers and taking control of her. He knew from seeing Parallax take over Hal that the entities were powerful. He had felt Parallax crawling inside of him when he had been in control of it, always looking to try and over-take his mind. He had been strong enough to keep the control at bay, but it had been a constant struggle. A hard fight.

And his was the strongest will in the universe. No one else had been able to control Parallax. Predator, no doubt, had a similar story.

“Ceraphel!” He yelped, “get out of her you monster! The sapphires already kicked her out of the corps, what more could you possibly want to do to hurt her?!” He raised his ring, but of course he couldn’t attack.

This was Ceraphel’s body, it just had an uninvited guest.

At least, he hoped she hadn’t taken it willingly. Entities were very tricky.

✘ ✘ ✘

In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!
✘ ✘ ✘