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 Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 3:40 am
"Where are you?"
Breathless words were further muffled by the fabric of his high collar as Nikolai set his feet apart. One hand on the boulder he was hiding behind, the man adjusted his grip on his long sword. The weapon was his best friend-- better cared for than the man himself. Sharp enough to cut through the toughest hide and shone like a thousand mirrors. Now it was dull, scratched and only serviceable for its purpose if the mercenary applied strength he no longer had. He was tired and worn out-- four days of non stop fighting and no rest was enough to drive even a man of his caliber insane. He was fatigued, but thankfully the adrenaline rush was keeping him on his feet, even if he was seeing everything through a white mask by this point. Wiping the blood and dirt off his sword, Nikolai drew in an unsteady breath and held it.
There.
Eyes flickering to the east, the redhead dropped his blade and ran with the stealth and speed of practice. In seconds, he had scaled one of the lower trees and forced his body to a complete standstill. There, he waited and watched as the pair of unsettlingly blue flames danced closer.
"It's not very manly to run from a fight."
Helias twirled his blade lightly in one hand. His was much shorter than his guardian's, but it was also much sharper; made of a metal even the weapon maniac Nikolai couldn't identify. Tendrils of black rose up from the large quantity of shadow that was accumulating under his feet, spreading out and then retreating like ocean waves. Nikolai watched with baited breath as the hraapea stopped right under the tree he was hiding in. If the hybrid looked up, he was screwed.
Thankfully, Helias merely glanced from right to left before his attention was caught. Curiously, he made his way to the blade Nikolai had dropped before. Letting his guard down for the moment, the boy knelt down and reached for the sword on the grass.
As quickly as his tired, trembling hands could manage, Nikolai whipped out the wooden pipe he carried around for this sort of purpose, inserting two laced darts into the cylinder. Once he had a steady aim of the hraapea's unprotected neck Nikolai released his breath and sent them flying.
One missed, bouncing off Helias' high collar. The second one hit dead on and Nikolai allowed himself a sigh of relief before leaping off the branch he had been hanging on. It didn't take more than half a second for Helias to dispose of the darts, giving chase for the umpteenth time that day.
The two darts had been Nikolai's last line of defense-- unfortunately, he had no time to make more. The boy had gotten it in his head that Hell was a little empty without his guardian, so here they were playing a prolonged game of cat and mouse with no clear idea who was what. The mercenary only knew that somewhere within the past month, after having been to Amerald's place last, the boy he had known had changed completely. Within the first few weeks, Helias had detached himself and spent more and more time away from him, something that Nikolai had initially taken as a sign of relief. Now, the redhead wished more than ever that he would have been a little more concerned.
"Don't you want to rest?"
Nikolai winced as the blade cut into his arm, rolling out of the way and aiming a kick at his ward's stomach. Not quick enough, the man gritted his teeth as the shadows seized his leg instead and sent him flying into the river.
God damn this river. The last time, and this time too.
It wasn't long before Nikolai felt the hraapea's weight on him again, this time the mesmerizing blue of his eyes so clear and close that the redhead felt he could read everything. There was certainly no mercy in there that he could appeal to-- but the mercenary wasn't the type of man to beg anyway. At length, he managed to pry his gaze away long enough to see the glint of Helias's silver blade in the moonlight, raised high and ready to strike.
It was funny what sort of thoughts went through one's mind when one was about to die. Nikolai would be sure to write all about it later, whether he was in the next life or where ever one went to when one died. Closing his eyes in resignation, the redhead dropped back into the shallow water with a splash.
Blood was pooling into the clear water, turning it a murky black that almost matched the shadows that wreathed around the boy. There were two still forms in that river, one on top of the other so that it was impossible to tell who was bleeding exactly. Eventually, Nikolai opened his eyes and moved a little. There was a searing pain running down his right arm to add to the collection of old wounds he'd accumulated these past few days. They were still open and dangerously ripe for infection, sure, but they weren't new and life threatening. The man sat up and held his ward's body away at arm's length-- and then laughed.
"s**t... "
The dart he had used earlier was infused with a tranquilizer. The boy must have been as tired as he was, to have fallen right to sleep the moment the drug took full affect.
Breathing a sigh of relief and sending thanks to a god he didn't believe in, Nikolai slipped out from under the hraapea and forced himself to stand. He was glad to be alive, but Helias wasn't going to be asleep forever.
Mustering whatever remaining strength he had, perhaps borrowing on lingering adrenaline or just happy as hell to be alive, Nikolai picked up his ward and dragged the boy to town.
It was hard to find his way through the darkness, but eventually the mercenary found the familiar door he was looking for. Dragging his feet and dropping Helias more than twenty times on his way up the steps, the man managed to knock twice on Amerald's door before sitting down heavily. He was on the verge of passing out cold like his companion.
They probably made for a rather sorry sight, the pair of them. Nikolai's clothes were all but shredded, various cuts and open wounds still bleeding freely and soaking his clothes several shades of black and crimson. Dirt and grim clung to both of them as if they had been dumped out with the garbage and Nikolai looked several years older with a five o'clock shadow. The dark circles under his his blood shot eyes probably weren't winning him any favours with the ladies that night.
As for Helias, one probably couldn't be able to recognize him at all; he had changed so much. The boy had grown surprisingly fast, with five extra inches added to his old 5'6". His skin had gone from tan to porcelain, almost ghostly pale and his exotic clothes had been traded for more serviceable ones. Long hair cut short, it was now dyed a midnight black and worn boyishly short-- the type of male's appearance that Nikolai had been wishing for from the beginning.
Too bad the personality changed as drastically as the looks.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:06 am
Amerald had been awake most of the night wondering and contemplating future actions with his creations. The night was slowly passing by, minute by minute, hour by hour. Amerald could not think of a way to keep his creations a secret much longer. Maybe he had gotten too carried away with them, created too many lately? Maybe he just needed to take a break? It was definitely going to happen at some point that he would be found out. Another thing that was concerning him was his own daughter, Annabelle. Ever since Helias left, and Amerald had begun creating more and more of these creatures, she has become more and more distant. Whenever he spoke of crystals in the least, she would instantly flee the room. Maybe he had scarred her in the past with her own infusion. He had these thoughts swirling about his mind for hours, wondering what to do if the guards found him, his daughters, his other creations.
He was in his basement room lying on his bed trying to sleep. He could not keep his eyes shut. His mind was too involved in it's own activities to allow his body the rest it needed. He had been worried lately...definitely worried.
He sat up in the bed, rubbing his eyes, his night clothes were nothing more than a pair of plaid, flannel pajamas: top and bottom. He brushed the silvery locks out of his blue eyes and grabbed his glasses that lay upon the nightstand night after night. He placed them upon his nose, getting out of bed and going upstairs to make a nice cup of tea. That always seemed to help him sleep.
As he neared the door to the shop after walking upstairs, he heard a banging. "What is that?" he whispered to himself as he looked through the peephole into the shop. He noticed nothing, but heard the banging again. He quickly opened the door to the shop, realizing that someone was at the front, and ran towards the window. Looking through the large open window, Amerald could see nothing but the night sky and a dark figure standing at his front door. He quickly ran to the front and slowly unlocked it.
He opened it a crack and realized it was Nikolai who stood on the other side with a large man over his shoulder. "Nikolai!?" he exclaimed, opening the door at once. "Oh my...wh-what happened to you!? Who-what? Is that...is that H-Helias!?" he said, completely confused.
"Please, please come in. Put him on the couch." he said, scurrying to the back door and opening it so that Nikolai and Helias could get through.
Amerald found his way into the living room. "What the hell happened to you two? Were you attacked? Why does Helias look like that? H-He's grown too. What the hell is going on!?" Amerald began to raise his voice a bit above the usual. When he noticed the very large gashes and wounds on the two, he instantly wailed a bit. "Nikolai! Y-you're bleeding! Stay here. I'll be right back." Amerald said running back into the main shop for a moment.
Suddenly, pattering footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. "Dad...what is going on? OH!" the pale-faced white haired girl said as she laid eyes upon Nikolai. "Nik-Nikolai?" she said, rather confused. When she noticed Helias, she had to do a double take. "Is that...Helias?" she said, slowly waking up moment by moment. She was just as surprised as any other, not totally able to understand what was going on. She fluttered around, making her way to Helias' side. Noticing the gashes on both of the boys, she gasped. "What happened to you two!?" becoming just as concerned as Amerald was. She then instantly felt the need to tell her sister the news. Helias was back...a bit different, but back nevertheless. She stood and scurried up the stairs before almost any words could be said.
A few moments later, Amerald returned, arms full of alchemical supplies, salves, bandages, everything needed to care for wounds. "Nikolai, you have a lot of explaining to do." he said, placing the supplies on the coffee table between the two couches. "Use this." he said, throwing up a bottle of salve to the man. "It will definitely sting, but it will clean those wounds right up." he said, going to Helias side to find any of the wounds that could be on him.
Another set of footsteps made their way down to the first floor. "Fath-" the word cut short as the gunmetal eyes locked on what used to be, the one she loved. She was so taken aback by what she perceived. Was it really Helias? It must have been, she glanced up to see Nikolai and her father working on wounds. She instantly ran to the boy, falling to her knees. "What happened!? What did you do to him!?" she said, looking up to Nikolai with a look that could kill. She looked as though she was definitely upset, very angry at the turn of events. She ran her hands through the sleeping boys now black hair, still passing angry glares up to Nikolai for an answer.
"Anna...please..." the elderly man stated, going to grab her shoulder. She instantly flicked his hand away, fire bursting from her fingertips. Her anger was quite fumed at the moment. "What...happened to you Helias? You look so...so different." she whispered to the sleeping boy, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. Why did she love him so? It was rather strange to think about. She had no idea. It was just a feeling she had that she needed to care for him.
Amerald backed away instantly. "Please care for him. Nikolai..." he said, turning his attention to the other man. "Please follow me. We should talk in private for now." he concluded, beginning to walk towards the basement door, hearing soft sobs from Annabelle the entire time. She really did love him, it was uncanny. But of course, her love for Helias and current hatred for everyone else cause Amerald some grief. What had gotten into her? Was it just this undying love for Helias that caused her to act out? It was not like her to do these things. Her actions must have been caused by the love she felt, but Amerald was still so confused...and rather concerned for her mental health after that point.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 12:08 pm
Nikolai started at Amerald's exclamation, staring at the alchemist blankly as though he was the strangest sight in the world. Barely able to drag himself up, let alone his ward, the man had to try several times using the door handle as a crutch to stand. One way or the other-- the redhead wasn't exactly sure how-- he managed to get them both into the room, flinging Helias onto the couch and himself onto the floor shortly after. The man was barely conscious, unaware of Amerald handing him the salve. In turn, it dropped on his face and rolled onto the floor beside his ear.
When the girls joined them, the redhead was all but ready to kill someone himself. His body was almost locked up completely from pain and fatigue-- he had no time to be dealing with adolescent girls or panicking men. Sometimes, Nikolai wished he was back on the battle field where everyone was efficient. Not even Annabelle's flames scared him at that point-- he had been fighting off shadows for far too long.
Eventually, the man gave in altogether and sunk into darkness, brilliant green eyes clouding over as they closed and his body relaxed for the first time in days.
He was out for only fifteen minutes, the renewed sense of urgency only allowing his body enough time to catch his breath. When he awoke, Nikolai was suddenly thrust back into a world of stinging pain and probably a twisted limb or two. Uttering a cry of pain, the redhead rolled over with a collective groan, curling up and blacking out again for a minute. At length he managed to ignore the pain long enough to sit up, casting a glance to Helias at the other end of the room. Good, the boy was still out cold.
Getting up with another inward groan, Nikolai dragged his tired body over to the boy, fishing out a couple of ropes he tended to carry around-- again, for this purpose. His under job was clearly working out nicely for keeping him alive.
Before anyone could protest, the redhead expertly tied up his ward, the knots so intricate and difficult to comprehend that it must have taken a life time of studying. Shooting Annabelle in particular an equally cold and murderous look, Helias was promptly dumped back onto the couch.
"Don't release him if you know what's good for you. He's not who he was before. If he wakes up, drug him-- I'm not doing this to be mean, he will kill everyone if he sobers up; and he's not your knight in shining armor so forget about it."
Allowing himself a little relief that 1: He wasn't dead after passing out, and 2: His ward was now safely locked up provided his weird shadow things didn't do anything, and 3: He had finally lured Helias all the way to Amerald's place, Nikolai tripped a bit as he stumbled over to the other man. Catching himself on the door handle, he pushed it open and headed down the stairs. It didn't even matter that he didn't like cramped, dark places anymore; he just wanted this over with.
"Let's go-- I want some explanations too."
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 12:12 am
Annabelle huffed a bit and almost began to fight when the man began to tie up the one she had such strong feelings for. She hated to see him tied up. "I would never drug him. I do not believe he is a danger to any of us. He is a kind soul at heart, it may just take a bit to search and find it." she said as he walked down the hallway. She was quite tempted to burn the ropes that confined him and allow his freedom, especially if he wasn't dangerous. She knew he would see the light...or so she thought.
Amerald had made his way down the stairs and waited for Nikolai to do the same. He was hurt. "Would you like me to help you with those wounds?" he asked, caring for Nikolai's safety as well. He went around to his desk and opened the drawer, taking out some bandage wrap that he had tucked away and some different salve which would keep the gashes from becoming infected. He set them upon the desk and awaited an answer.
"What exactly happened out there, if you will be honest and tell me, I can try my best to help explain it to you. Did you guys get into trouble with the hounds?" he asked, still curious as to how both of them had become so beat and torn up. "Also...why do you believe Helias would kill us all if he sobered up? He wasn't that way at all when you left about a month or so ago. He has changed so much...why exactly? Do you have any idea?" he asked, leaning upon his desk.
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 12:55 pm
Not bothering to respond to Annabelle as he descended into the darkness, Nikolai didn't make it very far into the work room before he leaned back against the wall and slid down. He didn't say much in response to the other's offer, but it was clear that the mercenary needed help. Even if he wanted to clean himself up, his shaking hands would have found the task too much to bear.
"I'm surprised we didn't get into trouble with the hounds." Nikolai muttered, his voice low and a little strained. The pain had numbed by this point, but it was hard to get used to searing discomfort.
"I had a hard a** time luring him from Aerr, alright? It's not as though he got on the tram without complaint. He's been trying to kill me for four days. Ask me to believe that someone like that isn't a complete psychopath who'll kill everyone else and I'll tell you to take my place for a day or two."
Sitting up a little straighter, Nikolai eyed the tools on Amerald's desk. He wondered if there was an anesthetic there-- or at least some alcohol would be nice.
At the mention of his ward's change, the redhead rolled his eyes and stared at Amerald.
"That was my question to you. What the hell happened to him? The only thing I can think of is because of the onyx--... It was like the colour was being drained from him these past few weeks. Those shadows have been growing more...... ********, how do I put it? Fierce?, as well. You told me he would change, but not this drastically."
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:01 pm
Amerald grabbed the supplies and slowly walked to Nikolai's side, bending down to his knees to help the man. "This may hurt a bit, but please, it will help heal the wounds. I promise." he said, dabbing his fingers into the salve and rubbing them on what visible cuts and scrapes Nikolai had. He genuinely cared for each hraapea and their guardians, whether they had differences or not. Amerald was definitely a kind person at heart.
Listening to what Nikolai had to say, he was rather shocked at this new development. "What? That doesn't sound right at all. Sure, the Ruby crystal had changed Annabelle from a playful little girl into a much more dark and sensitive woman, but...this? This wasn't supposed to happen. I can't even tell you how sorry I am for all of this. I don't know what I can do to change him back...I don't think it's possible. Poor...poor Helias...you both...you've been through too much these past few days. Maybe you should just take a long rest. We can talk through more in the morning as soon as you awaken. I'll take care of Helias, making sure he stays drugged throughout the night as to not harm himself or anyone else. How does that sound? Or...would you rather be stubborn enough to stay awake even though you obviously cannot? Please, let me help you to my bed. You can sleep there, I'll stay with Helias the rest of the night and keep watch." he said, all in one go. He honestly had no idea what was going on. He had almost finished patching up Nikolai's wounds when he had suggested it. What would he want to do?
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:03 pm
Gritting his teeth, Nikolai sucked in a sharp breath as the first of the balm was applied, feeling the new stinging sensation bad enough to feel tears p***k his eyes. Brows furrowing down sharply, he forced himself to watch Amerald clean up the wounds, determined not to let any other sound escape. It was true he'd had worse, but it was altogether a different feeling when someone you'd been living with tries to kill you.
"That's what it is."
Cutting into Amerald's rambling to give himself some time to digest it all, the redhead exhaled and focused on his breathing as the alchemist finished up. The question now was did he trust Amerald enough to sleep soundly? It was better if he went into hiding and return only when he was prepared. He wasn't looking forward to the walk to the inn-- Wait, no, he couldn't stay there. He'd probably have to sleep outside tonight, maybe in one of the higher trees. The mercenary didn't realize how lucky he was to have a hraapea who couldn't fly. Unfortunately, Helias had insane speed.
"Keep him drugged, but not enough to dose him straight to sleep. He'll need some food-- we haven't eaten in a while. But try not to nurse him back to full health if you really do give a damn about my existence. Try to talk to him and find out what you can, we'll work from there."
Feeling a little strength return despite still being fatigued from lack of nutrition, the man staggered to his feet, too disoriented to thank the other for patching him up.
"I'll see you in the morning."
As he had done the last time he visited, Nikolai headed back up the stairs and into the living room, heading out the door.
----
By the time the two men returned from the basement, Helias had already partially regained consciousness. He was still a bit disoriented, as the boy was staring blankly at the ceiling. He could feel his hands and feet were bound, sharp fangs digging into the piece of rope that had been shoved into his mouth-- most likely out of pay back than actual necessity. Full lips were drawn back, the milky white canines making his platonic expression seem a lot fiercer than it actually was.
When Nikolai walked passed him on the couch, the boy issued a soft growl that started at the back of his throat and died before the sound fully evolved. It was a weak imitation at best, but still enough to send a cold chill down the redhead's spine. At this point, he wouldn't be able to last another fight.
Thankfully, it seemed that the ropes were keeping the lurking shadows in place as well, as the black tendrils merely skimmed around the boy's body. Without inspecting much more, Nikolai disappeared through the shop door.
Helias closed his eyes and exhaled gently.
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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:14 am
Amerald was surprised that the man decided to leave the comfort of a home to sleep outside. He didn't know what to say. He had cleaned up the man's wounds...which he felt better at least for doing that much. Hopefully he could control Helias enough throughout the night that the next morning they could all talk together and work whatever issues the two had out with one another.
Amerald made his way up the stairs after Nikolai, making sure that he wouldn't fall was an important step to recovery. Having more wounds on top of the ones he currently possessed was not a good plan at all. As he left, Amerald said, "Good night, Nikolai. I hope you sleep well."
He went over to the kitchen, trying to overhear what Annabelle had been saying. But he couldn't make out anything specific.
Meanwhile, Annabelle whispered in a quiet tone to him. "Helias...you must tell me something...allow me to know what is wrong, please. Here." she said, taking the knotted rope in the boys mouth and pulling it out. "Please Helias, allow me to help you." she said, turning around to grab the salve for the wounds. He didn't seem to have as many as Nikolai, but he wasn't clear of them either.
"Helias, are you hungry?" Amerald asked from the kitchen. He was definitely interested in trying to befriend the beast inside to allow himself to feel vulnerable and talk to either Amerald or Annabelle...even Amelia for that matter. Anyone that could get the information he was seeking from Helias, the better he knew he could understand what was going on and try to fix it.
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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:37 am
The door closed before Amerald's parting had been fully delivered. In the new found silence, Helias lay almost as if he were dead, not even reacting to the pain of his wounds being disinfected. At length, he opened his eyes again, now an eerie glowing blue like smoldering fire. It looked as though he was focusing on nothing again, looking at the ceiling and not really seeing. He could be blind for all he cared-- the sense of sight was overloading his senses and it pained him as much as his physical wounds.
"Azriel."
Trying to sit up, the boy struggled for a second before simply flopping back down, ironically mimicking the Helias that first arrived. He flexed his muscles a bit, no longer the scrawny lyrebird he had been before. The ropes didn't budge and the hraapea frowned sharply. He hadn't said anything else in response to the girl's fussing, finding her neither bothersome nor helpful. She was simply there and not releasing him, so he was on his own. Or maybe she just didn't understand? Though Helias couldn't imagine how dumb the girl would have to be to not understand that he needed to be free. The ropes were kind of just a little bit obvious.
"Release me."
The request-- more of a command-- could have been directed to father or daughter, he didn't really care which as long as someone did it. It was only when Amerald questioned him that the boy turned away from the ceiling to look past Annabelle and into the kitchen doorway.
"Yes."
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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:09 am
"Azriel? Who exactly is that?" the man asked. He was surprised. Did he really change his own name and give himself a new one? One more...strong and potent than the one before? Amerald smirked at the new name and was wondering what Nikolai would have done. Did he approve of this self-recognition, name changing bit? Who really knew?
Amerald prepared some fish as quickly as he could for the boy and Annabelle to eat. Annabelle was quite flustered. "Anna, don't release him...he is dangerous. We must figure out what is wrong before we do anything drastic. Nikolai had a good reason for tying him up." the man said.
Annabelle looked at her father and then down at the face of the hurting man before her. "Do not fret. I will try to release you as soon as my father is not looking. I do not believe you to be a dangerous man. You are kind, caring, heheh, and a bit...naive. But I like it that way." the girl whispered to the man, too quietly for Amerald couldn't hear. A smile began to appear on her face. She was quite interested in this new Helias...er...Azriel, for she hadn't known the true him, not yet.
"Here's the food. Feed him Anna, he needs sustenance. I'll be right back. Azriel? We must talk." he said, setting the finished fish plate down for the two to eat up and walking down to the hallway towards the basement.
Annabelle, feeling the love she did for the man, still, even after his changed appearance and different personality, decided that she would wait a few moments before releasing him. "Heli-Azriel...If I release you...can you do something for me? Please do not kill my father or sister as well as your own for the time being. My father is threatened by you as is your father. I do not believe that you are a dangerous force. But I must ask, so that you can eat on your own, without my help. Will you do this for me? Please? Also...can we...talk?" the words came softly. She looked at the boys hair and newer features. She ran her fingers through his hair, looking deep into his glaring blue eyes.
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:07 pm
Azriel didn't respond to either question, eventually mustering enough strength to sit up properly-- or well, as properly as one could with his hands and feet tied and legs splayed. Leaning over one knee, the boy drew in a sharp breath and exhaled it, as if chasing tension out of his body. With his bangs covering his eyes and the eerie glow returning, the hraapea didn't act as if he was listening at all.
Wings twitching ever so slightly at the labels, Azriel merely shrugged at Annabelle's assumptions. Naive and caring? Was that what it was before?
Well, if the girl was already thinking in such a manner, it probably wouldn't hurt to play along. She had never said anything on his sense of integrity, after all. Oh-- Azriel didn't think he was really a bad sort of man. No, no, no; not at all. He would keep his word, but there were always ways to swing about it. It wasn't lying so much as a slight distoration of the truth and he was perfectly fine with that.
Lips curling back into an unreadable smile, the boy leaned back and lifted his head, resting it on the sofa. Exhaling again in his laboured breathing, Azriel closed his eyes and resettled his wings. Even without words, it was clear he was simply going to wait for Annabelle to come to her own conclusions. He could be fed at that point or he could be released-- of course the boy would prefer the latter, but he had learned to be patient despite his earlier demand.
Even for all that Helias had changed, it seem that he was still quiet at the core, albeit for entirely different reasons.
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 7:29 pm
Annabelle stood up instantly after Azriel decided to be quiet. It was as if he didn't hear a word she said. She was disappointed by that. She wanted his word, not a shrug. She went to the other couch and sat upon it. "You will not get food nor release until we talk. What happened to you? Now you just seem not to care at all. Is that really who you want to be? An uncaring man who, despite the love that one may feel in life, still has his own agenda, no matter who it hurts. Is that who you want to be?" she asked, sitting back upon the couch, watching his face. She was determined to get him to talk, even if that meant not feeding him for the time being.
She looked away for a moment and blinked the tears out of her eyes before returning her gaze to the man. A hardened face was all she exposed to him. She was definitely not happy that he had gotten himself into such a mess, but was it really his fault, or was Nikolai being the untrusted one? It didn't make sense to her at all.
[[ Sorry for the short crappy post! *shot* ]]
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:17 pm
((It's not crappy! * A*))
Azriel tilted his head a little, turning his gaze whimsically towards the window. His stomach growled amid the silence but the boy neither blushed nor casted Annabelle another look. If he was listening to the lecture, the hraapea was doing a damn good job of not reacting.
At length, the boy sighed again as if talking was the most tedious task in the world. In his defense, Azriel really didn't want to discuss the finer aspects of his change until he was feeling a little less drugged to hell.
"For a well groomed pawn, you're doing an awfully good job of not listening to your father. Last I recall, you were supposed to feed me, princess?"
In direct contrast to his old way of speech, Azriel's voice was devoid of any hesitation or unsure wording. His tone was low and smooth, no longer rasping for water and filled with a smug self confidence. Despite the new adjuustments, the hraapea's accent was still as strong as ever-- if one couldn't recognize his appearance, they could definitely identify the special way the words were twisted.
"Come on now. Or do you really hate me so much that you want me to starve to death? I suppose I can do that much but you'd have to dispose of the body~"
Tone suspiciously light and still treating Annabelle as though she were an invisible voice, Azriel opened his eyes part way and smiled at the ceiling. His wrists were starting to ache though.
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:54 pm
Annabelle felt a tear well up within her eye. She was not the happiest hraapea at that moment. She stood and joined Azriel on the same couch, but picking up the food. "I never did say I hate you. I would never hate you. But you cannot treat me like a slave. Be more respectful and you may get what you want." she said, grabbing the forkful and then setting it in front of his mouth so he could eat.
She was not too happy with his jokes. Calling her a 'well groomed pawn' was not something she admired about him. He was different than the first time they had met, much different to her dismay. She wanted the old hraapea boy back, not this new smug a*****e of a man who really cared for no one but himself. "You know...if you treated your father better, he would not have tied you up and told us to keep you drugged. I do not understand, nor will I ever, why you would want to kill another being. Is that much true? Did you truly want to kill your own father?" she said, stopping the feeding and setting the plate down on her lap.
She looked over to the window, the same window that he was looking through, it was late, very very late, but she was willing to stay up the rest of the night to see Azriel become a kind upstanding man who had a heart filled with love to give.
Just then, Amelia strolled down the stairs once again. She hadn't gone to sleep, no. She was upstairs working on a project for her sister, hoping that things would calm down a bit here. As she noticed, Azriel was still tied, Annabelle was still trying to feed him. Upon further inspection, Amerald and Nikolai were also gone, leaving the three hraapea alone in the main portion of the house. "Helias...are you feeling better?" she asked, almost confused as to why he was tied up to begin with. She found her way onto the other couch, patting her sister's knee. The two exchanged glances of concern and then both looked at Azriel. What had happened to 'Helias'?
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Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 12:23 am
Azriel quirked a brow, his expression almost a perfect imitation of his guardian-- Somewhere between disgusted, apprhensive, and with a heavy dose of ********. When the fork hovered near, the boy tensed sharply before chomping down. The food was enough to make his mouth water and his stomach rumble for more. Thankfully, he had chosen to eat before speaking, as his hunger just barely put the lid on the barrage of insulting comments he had in response to Annabelle's words.
It was when the hraapea put down the plate with no further intentions to feed him that the boy's expression cracked, eyes narrowing the slightest bit. While he was smug before, now he had cooled to rival the depths of antarctica. Not backing off, Azriel let his gaze slide to one side, lips pursed together and cheeks blown up before he blew out the excess air. In the same tone of voice he had before, Azriel spoke with mocking patience.
"You know, nobody ever asked you to understand anything. Not your sister, not your father, not any friends that you're unlikely to have. So why are you even tryin'? Just go back to the basement where you belong or something, s'not like it matters in the long run how and where you die."
Leaning back and shifting a bit to accomodate his hands and wings, Azriel tilted his head back when Amelia joined them, warming up just the slightest bit in hopes that the new hraapea would settle his hunger.
Probably not, but it didn't hurt to try.
"Feeling as good as I look right now. Wanna grab that knife over there and put me out?--... Or you could just feed me, I'd like that."
Oh man, he really hoped Amelia hadn't overheard his earlier words. He was definitely not going to be fed if she had and then where would he be?
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