It was late, very late, but Sin couldn't conceive of going to sleep until she had seen Julian and had him explain what had happened while she was gone. There were a lot of new students on campus and she was curious how the last field trip had gone. She was also eager to talk to Julian about the pretty ghoul she had just left, Lumi. She walked up two flights of stairs and then moved up the sloped hallway to Julian's room and lifted her hand giving a soft rap on the door. What if he was already asleep? It was jack damned late...but she just couldn't wait. She gave two more knocks a tad louder incase the first had been missed.
Julian Thanatos:
Julian was in the middle of brushing Alpha's coat when her ears perked up. Maggie had been lying in his nest taking a nap while he gave the new scareon his attention, and his very Death-like Elnin Hel was lying in a patch of light cast from a lamp on the wall, basking in the soft warmth. When Alpha's attention turned to the door, Maggie looked interested as well; Hel just looked bored.
Julian frowned at their behavior until someone knocked on his door. And then knocked again for good measure.
He was wearing very loose gray pants and a simple black t-shirt when he opened the door and blinked owlishly at Sin.
"Sin? Everything okay?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to the clock on his desk. It was a little late for a social call. Alpha and Hel, both new, stayed where they were, wary of this new person. Maggie was ever the protector, though, and came up to investigate the ghoul.
Julian patted her head to keep her from growling at Sin.
Sin Err:
"Of course it is, but really is that anyway to welcome me back Julian? I've missed you and I couldn't wait til morning to come tell you I'm back! Of course...I was also hoping you would help me a bit, I've been away for some time and I thought you would want to fill me in on what I've missed?" She leaned in on his doorframe, it was obvious Sin didn't intend to go anywhere or let Julian rest until she had caught up on what had been going on at school.
Julian Thanatos:
Julian's eyes widened and he couldn't help but smile nervously.
"I'm sorry, Sin, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. I guess I just assumed, late night, must be something bothering you. Um..." He glanced back into his room, feeling dread well up in him. He didn't like people coming into his room, even at home. It was his sanctuary and the way Michel went on sometimes... He didn't want to be criticized for his eccentric tastes.
But Sin was a friend, his best friend probably, and she needed to be somewhere comfortable when they talked about what happened while she was gone. Hell, he needed to be somewhere comfortable. There was no getting around it he supposed.
With a bit of a sigh, he opened his door more than just a crack, showing her his dorm.
"Won't you come in?"
The lighting was low in the room, but not so much that one couldn't see everything within. It just lent a soft glow to everything. The walls were a dark, but deep ,vibrant red and the floor was completely covered with layers of plush, woven rugs. A doorway on one side led to a small kitchen area, next to it a closed door behind which was the bathroom. Rather than high tables and chairs, all of the furniture was no taller than a coffee table and there were pillows everywhere. A large pile of them made up his nest in the farthest corner, several blankets neatly folded between it and the table that served as his desk. A trunk was pushed to one side as were a couple of tall woven baskets, the sleeve of a dirty shirt hanging out from under the lid of one.
He gestured to the round table pretty much in the center of the spacious room. A squat lamp sat in the middle of it, glowing away like its comrades.
"Have a seat? You can call Rosc if you want. He hasn't been here much either, this could save you the trouble of retelling him. Tea?" It was his mother's fallback on bad news, tea. And apparently it had rubbed off on more than just Michel. Julian didn't much like tea, it reminded him of bad news, but he had to admit, it was a comfort for that bad news.
Sin Err:
Sin was bothered by something, but she didn't want to tell Julian how disconnected she felt from everything after being away so long. Once she knew what had been going on and went back to her classes everything would feel good again...she hoped. Her exam no longer filled her with a sense of impending doom the way it had before she had left, now she was eager to take it, eager to progress. She walked into Julians room and smiled at how...cozy it all seemed.
She walked over to the center table and moved to lounge and settle herself among the plush pile of pillows. She flashed Julian a quick grin, "You ought to bring Lumi up here, it's very cuddly." Sin hadn't meant to slip out right away with the news that she had bumped into the ghoul Julian seemed to like so much, but she couldn't help it.
"Rosc? Oh yeah...hmm I hope he hasn't gone to sleep already." She pulled out her eyephone and quickly typed him a message.
Text
I'm up at Julian's wanna come up and hear what we've missed?
Her eyed moved up from her phone and she nodded to Julian. "Tea would be nice thanks."
Rosciel:
Rosc's text came back almost instantly.
Text
Call me next time, babe. I'd much rather hear your voice than this damned phone's. Brt
Julian Thanatos:
In the kitchenette, Julian started going into a coughing and sputtering fit. He just had enough time to put the kettle on his little stove before Sin said that and he almost knocked it off on his way back into the doorway. His wings were puffed up a bit.
"You met Lumi?? She's here? When did she get here? What did you say to her?" His words came out in such a rush and his soft accent roughened into almost unintelligible rambling as his generally timid, controlled nature was taken over by a sudden fear that Sin might have given Lumi a fright over the school, or worse, intimidated her. Lumi was so concerned over his ghoul friends and her own appearance, what had she thought of Sin, a demoness so secure in her own looks?
His head was all but spinning as he waited for her to answer his questions, eyes wide. Maggie obviously too exception to her master's distress, for she growled a little and moved to his side, the purple--colored Hazmutt rubbing against his leg until he gave her an absent pat.
Sin Err:
Sin felt her lips curve into one of her genuine smiled as she read Rosc's text. Well she hadn't wanted the phone ringing to wake him, but then again she doubted he would be able to just sleep through the buzzing or sound of a text message incoming either.
"Rosc is coming up right n-What? Oh yes...hey calm down would you?" Sin laughed, she just couldn't help it Julian was all puffed up and he looked so worried.
"Julian chill, I didn't hunt her down, I just happened to bump into her downstairs. Apparently she just got here today and she was a little lost so I helped her up to her room and explained a little about the school. She's really sweet, anyway I mentioned I was on my way up here and she apparently realized who I was so I figured she was your Lumi. I highly approve of her, we're going to go shopping for prom...you are asking her to prom aren't you? Because I told her you would and I would hate to see her disappointed."
Julian Thanatos:
"No, I- She's not my Lumi, I mean- She's just Lumi," Julian replied, turning back towards the kitchen before rounding on her again, wings even more fluffed up than before.
"You told her I'd what?!" He wanted to die of mortification right then and there. He was going to surprise her! When she finally arrived at school, he'd take her on a tour and show her around and maybe even fly her up to the roof if he could manage and maybe then he'd ask her if she wanted to go to prom with him. Would it still be as special now that Sin had told her he would?
Rosciel:
"Yell at her again, owl, and you'll regret it." The threat came as a growl from the door Rosc had quietly opened. He didn't step in yet, he wouldn't do so without an invitation, but he hadn't wanted to interrupt them by knocking if they had been talking about something. But yelling at his ghoulfriend was not something he would tolerate, no matter how much she liked the bird. He couldn't see it, but Julian's face turned a few shades paler as the boils looked at one another and it was all the harbinger could do to lean on the door frame and gesture Rosc in.
Without a word, Rosc walked inside and sat down next to Sin, giving her a small kiss.
Sin Err:
"Hmm, well she may be JUST Lumi for now...but..." She jerked back a bit surprised by Julians outburst before she sighed at the sounds of Rosc's subtle threat.
"Don't scare him to death Rosc..." She leaned up to brush her lips along the side of his face pausing at the blindfold and stroking her fingers through his hair.
"Now...where was I...Oh yes, Julian I only told her to reassure her, she was so nervous. I didn't want her to feel she would have to go all alone or that you didn't like her. Besides she doesn't really even think you'll ask her, so she'll be surprised if you do...which you will do right?" Sin looked at Julian expectantly.
Julian Thanatos:
Julian sighed and dipped his head, shaking it once as the kettle started to whistle a bit. He turned away and took it off the stove, getting three cups ready. Three cups, three little metal tea balls that looked a little like bird's-eggs, and cups of lavender and angelica, two healing and soothing herbs that his mother often sent him, all on a tray in one hand, the kettle in the other. He put both on the table and sat down, giving the couple space.
"Sorry... I just want her to be comfortable here, she's really nervous about everything," he said with a sigh and filled a ball of lavender and angelica for Sin.
"Tea?" he asked, his attention on Rosc. The cups were china, yes, but somehow suited Julian. They weren't heavy mugs, but not delicate and thin, either. And a night sky was painted on them, birds and dragons made of stars winding around them.
Rosciel:
"No," was all Rosc said in reply, though he did take the offered cup and handed it to Sin. Any other demon and he wouldn't have trusted the boil, giving something like that to his ghoulfriend. But Rosc saw him making a ball for himself and placing it in his own cup, so they had to be safe enough. Sin was probably Julian's closest friend, at least from what he had observed, and she trusted him. Rosc probably wouldn't trust him at his back, but he could begrudgingly trust the owl-like boil not to intentionally hurt his ghoulfriend.
Sin Err:
Sin scooted a bit closer to Rosc and stroked his arm lightly, she didn't want him to make Julian nervous. She was here to learn what had been going on and Julian wouldn't talk freely if he was stammering with nerves. She took the cup and sipped a bit before holding it and simply letting the heat warm her fingers.
"I know, don't worry I'll try and help her relax and gain some confidence. Now...I came hoping you could tell me what's been going on. After Red died my parents decided Amityville wasn't safe for the students. They pulled me out and I've heard them whispering together about things, but I'm still pretty in the dark about what's been going on. My mother seemed pretty upset about letting me come back though...it hasn't gotten...I mean...those humans...hunters? They haven't been back?"
Julian Thanatos:
Julian looked down into his cup, dipping the metal ball into it so that the water could soak into the herbs and let the essence in them seep out. He'd need all the comfort and courage he could muster for this.
"There were some incidents, but I was away on Christmas holiday, myself. Mum insisted. When I came back, they had this amazing exchange program set up." He paused, looking up with a small smile.
"I got to go to the Islands of the Four Clans, Sin. I learned under Death's jewelcrafters and War's warriors," he replied, looking down and fiddled with his cup.
"I made a necklace that gave me strength, and tamed a wild wolf." Alpha came over and dropped herself into Julian's lap. He smiled and started petting the scareon. She looked so much like a smaller version of his wolf.
"And I almost got over my fear of water, and I met Lumi. It was a wondrous place, I wish the two of you could have been there to see it."
Rosciel:
Rosc sat back, resting his weight on one hand and stretching his legs out in front of him under the table, rather than sitting cross-legged like the other boil. He could taste the desire in Julian, the want to return to the place he had visited. It must have been something of a dream for him, to interact with the clans. But the taste held a bitter flavor. He wasn't sure why, but he had an idea that Julian would tell them.
Sin Err:
Sin smiled and leaned in excitedly, oh she had missed out on what sounded like the only good field trip experience she could have had! She wondered if the exchange program was still up, was that why there were new students? clans students?
"Oh Julian...it sounds incredible...I wish I could have gone..."
She thought of death and famine the two TA's she had glimpsed here and there, heiresses.
She was a bit surprised to hear Julian had almost managed to get over his fear of water. It felt like she had missed so much and she gave a tiny sigh and sipped the hot tea.
Julian Thanatos:
"Our weeks were up and it was time to go home, but the portal was closed. There was going to be a clan meeting or something, so we were to stay another day or two. I found Lumi again and took her to War. I thought she might like the trees." His gaze unfocused for a minute as he dipped the tea-ball in and out for a moment before placing it on his saucer and picking up his cup. Did his hands tremble a bit? He wasn't sure.
"We came through the portal. I heard another student as they rushed past me or I heard the commotion, I can't remember now. I just knew... I told Lumi to wait for me, and I kissed her because I didn't know what would happen." Julian looked up and his gaze was haunted.
"Hunters, Sin. There were all of these hunters, I didn't know what they were doing at the time. Lumi didn't listen to me, she followed and we fought them. When it was over, the room began to collapse, we fled through another portal and... and..." He couldn't stop shaking. The memories were welling up fresh in his mind and he had to close his eyes to block out the echoes of whispers floating though his mind.
"You don't want to know anymore, Sin. Please, believe me you don't."
Sin Err:
What had started out like the fun adventure of a field trip was quickly turning dark as Sin listened to Julian's tale. She frowned slightly and then shuddered at the mention of hunters. Damn those humans always seeking them out, always turning their learning to violence, always ripping apart...she tensed. It was alright, Julian was back and there were horsemen here at Amityville. She was still trying to convince herself that this field trip did not end in death and destruction. She was waiting for Julian to tell her they had all gotten out alright...but then he paused.
"Tell me!" She was surprised by the ferocity of her own voice, the urgent need, she had to know it was okay. She knew that she didn't want to hear what came next, but a part of her needed to hear it anyway. She had to know now, from Julian, while she was here and safe, where it wouldn't matter if the two boils who knew her best saw her cry.
Julian Thanatos:
Julian's head was bent, now, his face obscured by his hair. He was shaking like a leaf in a gale-force wind, but he knew he had to tell her. She needed to know, she would find out either way and it was better now. She was here, with just them, she could cry if she needed to.
"It was horrible. She was tall and gray and her voice was in my head and it was screaming, Jack, so many voices. The hunters tried to attack her, some of us tried to stop them, what could we do?" His cup clattered as he set it down on the table. He didn't use saucers.
"I watched, there was nothing I could do. Something had happened to them, Mal wasn't moving. Riley became herself again and walked over to it, picked it up and held it close while she turned to stone, just like Red. I couldn't move. I just watched as the world moved around me. They destroyed the clans, all of them. Horsemen, women, children, the islands themselves. All that was left was this great bird of ash and the voices." He put his hands on his ears and laid his head on the table.
"They were wailing and crying. I couldn't do a damn thing. The next thing I knew, I was back here. I found Lumi, the bogeymen put us to sleep. After that... what was left of the clans brought us together and told us that we needed to work together, to be united and strong..." Julian was crying, silent tears hitting the tabletop, his forehead still pressed to the wood.
Sin Err:
Sin trembled her fingers going tight on the cup, tighter as Julian said the hunters had attacked her. Her...her...Mal, Riley, just like Red...just like Red, her fingers tightened too much, the cup snapped in her hand and she hissed low as the hot liquid slid over her skin. It was nothing though, nothing compared to the slicing pain she felt inside.
Riley! The voice in her mind cried out, called, begged, but she knew there would be no response.
"STOP!" Sin jerked up stumbling on the pillows. She didn't want to hear anymore, she couldn't hear anymore. Her hands moved over her eyes and she tried not to imagine Riley's body hard and cold and...lifeless. The islands destroyed? The horsemen, the clans...were here because they no longer had a home. The hunters had come again and this time they had taken more then Sin could have ever anticipated.
So this was what her parents had feared, this was why they had pulled her out of school and locked her away. The fear wasn't irrational, if Riley was gone...then could anyone really be safe? She'd had it all, love, friends, allies, she was so smart...what in Jack's name had happened then?! She realized suddenly she was making a sound, a sound unfamiliar to her a low whining sound that came from her chest. Abruptly she stopped the noise realizing she was being...emotional...too emotional.
Her face slid back into a mask, her lips moving into a solid line. Her fingers reached up and quickly rubbed away the tears that had escaped as she took a shuddering breath.
"I'm sorry...I...I think I'm more tired then I thought." She realized her fingers were still clenched around fragments of broken china and picked the shards out of her skin. "I'll replace that..." She said hollowly and moved towards the door. "I'd best go...and get some sleep."
Rosciel:
Rosc leapt to his feet when Sin did, but couldn't take her into his arms. It wasn't until she started to walk to the door that he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Don't bottle it in, Sin. It'll destroy you," he whispered, holding her closed, trying to help her feel safe, protected. He knew what she must have felt. That agony of loss so deep that nothing could soothe it, and worse. Riley had been a student, not a teacher, not a bogeyman. There was no safety in their world, not anymore. He had watched her try to close herself off, but now was not the time nor the place for it.
"Please." He rarely ever said the word, and only ever either to Sin, or in reference to her. He pulled back just enough to raise a hand to her cheek, trying to comfort her with his touch, as rough as it must be.
Julian Thanatos:
Julian looked up when Sin made a noise he'd never heard before. But it was gone a moment later, replaced by a mask that might have been stone itself. He barely heard her words, only that she was leaving.
Rosc grabbed her into a hug and held her still.
"I'm sorry, Sin. I'm so very, very sorry. There was nothing I could do..." He didn't even care about the cup. He wasn't sure if it could be replaced, but he didn't care. He wrapped his arms around Alpha's neck and just hugged her.
"There was nothing any of us could do..."
Sin Err:
Sin shuddered as Rosc wrapped his arms around her and went still, she couldn't...she just couldn't understand. It was too much, too hard to grasp that Riley was really gone...gone...forever, not just until they could get her fear particles back together. A shallow gasp escaped her, and then a few more as she tried to catch her breath and keep from screaming at the same time.
She felt her chest tighten as if her insides were being pressed in a vice. Another strangled gasp escaped her lips and for a moment her eyes darkened and she feared she was going to just pass out. She swayed slightly against Rosc and then her fingers tightened on his clothing to steady herself. She couldn't fall to pieces like this...what would Riley have said to see her lose her composure so easily? Ha...nothing...nothing...Riley would never say anything to her ever again...she would never get to share a smirk at something privately ushered into her head. She would never see Riley and Malodore locked in a dance, or a hug...a symbol that Demons could get along with any race.
A foolish part of her had hoped that she would return and find Red was back...that everything was okay. She had wanted it all to be okay, she hadn't wanted to listen to her parents warnings. The danger had seemed like a dream once it was past, a nightmare they could always escape from. Hope had always been there, she had always hoped...but now...that tiny flame was gone and she found everything was different.
She felt Rosc's hand, her tears sliding silently down to meet his fingers and she tensed and swallowed another shallow gasp. "Riley..." She didn't even recognize her own voice, was that really her? Maybe this was what she sounded like when she wasn't pretending, or maybe this was just the voice of someone stricken by grief, or maybe this wasn't her voice at all and she had just imagined it.
She heard Julian's voice, nothing they could do...nothing? She wanted to tell him she knew, that she didn't blame anyone, she was supposed to comfort him, but she felt too frozen to do it. Her lips parted but only another gasp escaped her and she quickly pressed them together again her insides twisting. She saw red for a moment, her fingers flexed and her wings quivered...a hunter...she wanted a hunter...she wanted blood, she wanted to hear one scream.
Rosciel:
Rosc held her tight, afraid that if he let go she would fall to pieces and he would lose a part of the ghoul that he'd fallen in love with. When she'd schooled herself, among him and probably her closest friend, fear had gripped him. For a moment, he saw her as she had been that night after the island, the night he almost lost her because she was afraid to love.
"It'll be okay," he whispered as he brushed her tears away. He didn't believe it, of course, nothing in this world would ever be okay. But she needed to hear it, he knew she did. She needed comfort, she needed something to hold on to.
Sin Err:
If only she had been there she could have...could have...what? Do you really think you're so special Sin? What could you have done that no one else could? Nothing, you would have failed Riley just as badly and you could have ended up dead too. You would be gone, and you'll end up just like Riley if you keep rushing into trouble. Couldn't stay at home and be a proper demon though could you? You had to rush back here and be with your friends? What friends? Why? If they all become Hunter fodder then what is the point? If you were smart you would have stayed at the Demon Academy where you could have been ontop. Here you'll always be the hunted, the possible next casualty. Is that why you came back? To be a sheep? A sacrifice? A pawn? She shuddered and cut off her train of thoughts, the voice in her head was the same one that had come from her lips her first day at Amityville. It sounded so snobby, so cold, an elitist who never would have sacrificed herself for anyone. That was the ghoul who had seen a poor little chupacabra stuck in the floor and had stepped over her like she was trash. She didn't want to be that ghoul anymore...but that ghoul had been safe, that ghoul wouldn't be crying for another demoness.
"I...I...should go sleep...this is all..." She couldn't make her voice match the cold one in her head. Her voice now sounded weak, it trembled, pathetic. "Thank You Julian...I'm sorry...I...I just had to know...and I'm glad it was from you." I'm glad I didn't fall to bits in front of strangers.
"Rosc...I'm...very tired..." She bit her lower lip to keep it from wobbling anymore.
Julian Thanatos:
Julian gently moved Alpha from his lap and stood, walking to Sin and Rosc. The other boil moved, just enough so that he was standing more or less at Sin's side, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Julian carefully took Sin's hand and held it tightly, his own shaking. He still remembered his nightmares, watching them die and being able to do nothing to stop it. He tried to push it from his mind.
"I'm so sorry. Get some rest, my friends. Come..." He looked off again, for just a moment as if he was deciding something. The moment passed and his melted gold eyes returned to Sin's. She'd changed since he last saw her. He wondered if he had changed in her eyes, too.
"Come by tomorrow, if you want. I can make more tea, Mum always says tea helps a body when it's aching." And he didn't mean when it was aching physically.
Rosciel:
Rosc moved to Sin's side when the other boil stood and approached, keeping his arm around her in an attempt at comfort. When Julian offered entrance to his room to them again tomorrow, he nodded once before turning to his ghoulfriend. She was so distraught and it made him ache inside and hate himself for not knowing what to do to ease her pain. He hadn't known Riley but from a distance, hadn't really cared. But Sin had, and she was devastated. He felt powerless and angry at the hunters for causing her more pain.
"Let's go, Sin. We should get you to bed..." His voice was soft, soothing, a tone it rarely took when they weren't alone together.
Sin Err:
"Y-yes...of course...I'll...I'll by tomorrow Julian." She responded and tried to keep her voice from quivering. It helped to have Rosc so close and Julians hand felt comforting, she was suddenly ashamed to be the one in need of comfort. Julian had experienced that horror...that...destruction, she ought to have found the strength to console him. She tried to find the words, but in the end all that she managed was a sharp intake of breath.
She clung to Rosc's side a moment before straightening herself and walking out with him. She slowly glanced over her shoulder at Julians door to mouth a silent apology...she was suddenly sorry for a great many things in her life.
