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 Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 10:14 pm
It wasn't supposed to be like this. To happen this way.
Arias had told himself he was prepared for the worst…but he hadn't been.
Seeing Sherwood like that—corrupted, not knowing who he was? It was…scary.
Seeing the Negaverse's power over people, the way they could just erase them…
It had left him shaken.
He needed to talk to someone—to see someone. He needed a friend. His sister might have been able to help, but…he didn't want to drop this on her. He loved her, but she would always be his little sister. He was always going to want to protect her, to keep her from the darker side of things.
Still, he needed someone he could trust.
And so, he found himself, powered down, on Winterlynn's doorstep. He was out of it, and knew he had knocked on the woman's door, but sound was distorted. He hadn't even heard himself knock.
Arias had been through many things in his life. For a time, though he'd hidden it, he'd been very down after losing his arm. Despite having been a good year ago, it was the most recent, truly devastating thing he had experienced. Even then, he'd hidden how greatly upset he'd been by the whole affair.
But it was personal, then. It was all about him back then.
This was different. This was about Sherwood. And it didn't matter how good he was at pretending like everything was okay; right now he couldn’t hide anything.
He didn't just look tired; he looked forlorn, and lost, and hopeless, and miserable.
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 11:49 am
Winterlynn had seen the changes, had feared for what would come and rightfully so, so she had not just revealed herself to her family but she had sent them out of the city. They hadn't wanted to go but they had, for their safety and hers, and it left her alone save but a few friends she had amongst those of order. She had learned to trust them over the years and even open up to them - she had no choice. This was a war, a cold one, but it was being waged and she was part of it and needed to have allies, trusted people, and friends in this mess. She couldn't fight alone anymore and hadn't been able to for some time now. Arias was one of those friends she had made a while back, years ago actually, as he was also Newgrange and they got on rather well. She couldn't imagine not being friends with him really, she needed the friendship he offered and the time they spent talking.
She had been planning to stop by the bakery tomorrow, pick up some sweets for herself as a pick me up, and spend some time chatting with him about things not related to the war. How amusing that when she opened her door it was to find him standing there looking out of it. "Arias?" Stepping aside to let him in she took a glance over him and shook her head; something was wrong.
As she took a few more moments to inspect the other, glad that what she was doing in the kitchen didn't need her attention at the moment, she reached out and drew the other into a hug and held onto him. One hand rose to rub his back gently. "Arias...what's happened?" He whispered gently, not wanting to be loud even as she reached out awkwardly with one foot to kick her front door shut as she had pulled the other inside with her.
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 10:14 pm
Arias was slow to respond; he had walked into the house but seemed dazed even once inside. The hug reminded him that he should be taking full, deep breaths, but he wasn't able to speak until the door closed. He returned the hug even before he really processed what was going on. All of this was rushing at him quickly and he felt lightheaded; when he spoke, it was softer than he'd meant. "Sherwood," he said, realizing how out of breath he was.
He fell quiet for a second and closed his eyes, trying to focus. "…I ran into her. I had heard rumors that…"
He couldn't say it, at first, and had to force the words out. "That the Negaverse had gotten to her. I didn't want to believe it, but…I ran into her tonight. She didn't…"
Another few seconds and he swallowed; his head was pounding and he hated letting his emotions have such an overwhelming effect on him. "She didn't remember me. At all. I don't…she's not even herself anymore."
They had made her a blank slate. Taken what made her special, stripped it out of her, and replaced her with something else entirely.
He didn't know if there was any way to get her back, but looking at it, with the way things were now?
…It felt like she was dead.
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:13 am
That name...Sherwood. She knew of the knight but had never met them, she'd heard Arias mention the knight a few times. They were close, that Winterlynn knew. What could have happened to her to upset her friend so much? She didn't ask as she knew he'd say something when he could, and she didn't have long to wait.
The Negaverse got to her? At first she thought Arias would be telling her that Sherwood was dead - but not. it was worse. The knight had been corrupted to the other side. Another lost and this wasn't good, not just because it upset her friend so, but it took another person from there side. She knew they'd eventually mount a fight and they needed everyone they could get. This was no good.
Rubbing his back the dark haired woman led the other to a living room couch and sat them both down. leaning in close to hold him to herself. "I've heard it happens - memories forgotten. It's a sad thing. She's lost to her family also, they'll think her dead." She didn't know if the knight even had family alive or if her family was hiding and they weren't in contact. Either way the fact remained that she was on the other side now by force, or at least forced onto that side. "I'm sorry Arias..." Whispering close to his ear. Drawing back gently, slowly, she smiled at him. "Would you like a drink? Something to eat?" The kitchen smelled of pickling, she was working on pickling foods to go out in jars to the camps. it was one way she helped with the resistance - foods.
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 9:19 pm
"I'm not very hungry," he replied, trying not to sound ungrateful. His stomach was in knots; he couldn’t imagine trying to ingest anything.
"…Sorry for dropping by so late," he sighed, always apologizing for something. He didn't want to be a burden, but he wasn't delusional enough to think that he didn't need help sometimes, too.
And yet, even knowing that Caydence was lost—that he would likely never get her back…
It didn't sit well with him. He was exhausted, physically drained, and yet sitting felt wrong. He wanted to be up, trying to find ways to rescue her. To bring some piece of her back.
He was going to do whatever it took, and that thought was slowly taking over the rest of his rational thinking.
He couldn’t let the Negaverse have her.
He couldn't let them win. Not this time.
"…But there has to be something, right? Something to bring her back—to at least get her out of their ranks ,right?" his mood shifted; he was clinging to the idea. "—I can still save her, right?"
It wasn't the end. It couldn’t be.
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 1:00 am
Shaking her head she gave the other a gentle smile. "Any time. I'm always willing to open my door for someone." At least someone who wasn't out to kill her or something similar. But this was a friend and someone on the same side as her, her door was always open. "I'd never turn you, or anyone, away."
"I-I don't know...they have to be willing to come to our side. If she isn't...if that's been wiped away. The only thing to do is leave her be on that side, till she decides to come back to our side, or to...remove her entirely." She didn't like the last idea, she knew Arias would really dislike it, but the options were so few and only under certain conditions. It wasn't fair - not in the slightest bit. The other side could force people onto there side, people who had once hated them and never would have joined, and suddenly the person was loyal as could be. It simply wasn't fair.
"I don't know what the case is with Sherwood...I hope she decides to come back." She hoped for so much these days she wondered if anyone would have their hopes answered. People, so many, were hoping for so many things.
"Do you want to help me in the kitchen? I'm pickling some vegetables."
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 10:11 pm
'Remove her entirely.'
Arias had come to terms with the fact that Caydence was most likely entirely gone, but the thought of removing her…
It was repulsive enough of an idea to kill someone without it being one of his closest friends.
"…I hope she comes back too," he sighed. His head hurt; it wasn't easy for him to talk about being upset; he would rather pretend like everything was fine. When Winterlynn offered him a way out of this conversation, he took it.
"Yeah, I can help in the kitchen," he said after a second, reaching to massage at the bridge of his nose. It felt as though someone had punched him in the face, so maybe he just needed time to let this sink in, relax…and he could deal with it when it wasn't making him sick.
"Though, I should warn you that pickling things is not my specialty. You might have to teach me how you do it so well. I'm…very rusty. All I do these days is bake." He tried to smile, but it was only halfhearted.
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 12:30 am
She knew the idea of killing one of there own, a friend, would bother Arias but she knew that it might come to that. it all depended on the former knight and what had become of her, what she would do and what they could offer her. Now wasn't the time to think about that though. Now was the time to help her dear friend.
"It would be nice, you two were close. I don't like seeing you like this." She spoke gently as she raised a hand to touch his cheek gently. "You are rarely like this and it is upsetting to see you like this. Though I fear you feel like this far more than you show - this war has been harsh on us all." But how many had lost an arm? Mind you, she knew a lot of people had lost limbs and eyes and such. it seemed a common thing amongst there fighters. She hoped when the war ended something could be done, fakes and such, but until then...Again, not the time to think on such topics. it wasn't a good topic for the moment.
"That's fine. I can show you and we can go slow and make some picked vegetables to go to those out in the woods and caves. They need to keep to eating healthy - as we all do really." Standing slowly she held a hand out to the other as she smiled down at him. So much had changed and for the better...and unfortunately for the worst as well.
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:36 pm
Arias was not to be trusted when his emotions were called into the mix. He had a hard time admitting when he might have needed help, or when he was really upset. Now, he was very upset, and Winterlynn was seeing right through him.
And instead of being really honest with her, he just smiled more to try and cover up the fact that maybe, just maybe, she was on to something.
"You worry too much about me, Winter. I'm fine," he tried to reassure. "But that food you're pickling probably needs more attention than me. But, thank you. You are such a sweetheart and I am so grateful to have a friend like you. I'll...think about Sherwood. I still have hope, but..."
He was quiet for a moment, and was relatively unreadable until he shrugged and planted another smile on his face. "We'll see."
He took her hand and pulled himself up with a slight grunt before thanking her quietly and brushing himself off.
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 2:08 pm
"I don't think I worry to much. I'd say I worry just enough." She stated while she smiled at the other, a gentle sort of smile. He did need to learn when to come to people and admit what he needed, and more importantly admit how he felt.
Pulling him along with her she brought them both into the kitchen she had, where a large pot sat on the stove with a mixture of pickling liquid and herbs inside of it. Inside a large jar, seated on the counter next to the stove, filled with garden vegetables that she'd picked up from the market earlier. "Try to limit how much you think of her, at least for now. I don't like to see you hurting Arias." And he would hurt and allow himself to hurt for a long while. She understood it, understood losing people you cared for, but you had to move on and continue in order to change things. To change things back to what they should have been, and needed to be, you had to move on.
"After this how about I make food for us both? We can spend the evening here, I'll put on some movies, and we can have dinner together." Anything to try and take his mind off of Sherwood and her loss, even if only for a short while, she would do anything to help her dear friend. He had lost enough in this war and she had to help him all that she could.
"You can pick the movies." Since she had a massive collection of movies at this point, all manner of dvd's sat inside her living room filling up dvd case holders. All were organized by name, rather than genre.
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Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 10:55 am
Arias did not take long to think; he accepted the offer with a quick nod. It didn't sound like a bad plan and he knew what she was trying to do. She was worried about him, just wanted to help him...and he could understand that.
And he appreciated it, and he hoped that whatever she had in mind might really help.
He smiled and nodded and tried to look like he wasn't miserable. "Sounds like a good plan, Winterlynn. Thanks."
He just needed a distraction for now. Later, he could wallow, and scheme and plot to make things right. But for now...he needed to latch onto something--to find something to keep him stable.
Being with Winterlynn was the best thing he could have hoped for.
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 7:11 pm
Seeing as he was going to take her up on her offer, to spend the night doing various things together, she smiled and went about pointing to the pot on the stove and explaining what was in it and why. The jar, well that was easy to explain and point out what was in it. "It's easier to pickle things in order to preserve them so they keep for those up in the woods, and the caves. It would be terrible to send food up and have it go bad on them. This way it'll last them longer and get eaten." So they could keep there strength up. They needed it as much as those here in the city, she honestly didn't know who had it worse. It wasn't easy for anyone, even the civilians, though she did suppose the civilians didn't suffer as much physically as the senshi and knights did although some civilians did.
While she helped Arias get the hang of pickling, making up more jars, and labeling them she pondered over the idea of taking him out to a spa or something. It wasn't a girly thing, in her opinion, but it was something she felt they could both use as well as everyone in the city really! After everything they dealt with, on a daily basis, they could all use a spa day in order to relax every so often. Maybe she could surprise her friend? It was a very good idea, in her opinion, and while they worked on pickling she was honestly considering the idea and plotting the surprise for him.
"Any idea what movies you want to watch?" She asked gently, while pouring more herbs into a pot of water and putting it onto the stove top.
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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 12:57 am
Arias listened to her as she explained, and did his best to learn and help where he could. He had spent enough time in the kitchen to pick things up pretty quickly, and having something to distract himself with did wonders for his mood. He glanced up when she spoke, as if her words had shaken him out of deep concentration. "Oh, well…"
…To be honest, he'd forgotten he was supposed to be picking out a movie, and he fumbled for something quickly. "I suppose! On one hand, I want something with a happy ending." But that was a given; Arias wasn't one for horror or tragedies—he was a sucker for anything with a happy ending. But even he had his weaknesses, and he shifted positions and seemed to be debating with himself.
His lips pursed and he was chewing on the inside of his cheek; he had to look up at Winterlynn and ask, in all earnest, "…Does Jurassic Park count as a happy ending? Because I think I'm in the mood for some dinosaurs. I mean—if you are."
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:56 pm
As they worked she waited for the other to respond, letting him take his time, and when he finally did speak she nodded her head in understanding. of course he was a sucker for happy endings; especially now. he needed that happy ending now more than usual as he'd just suffered yet another loss. When would the suffering end? How would it end?
Would they have to leave and go somewhere? But where...where could they all go to escape this darkness? it seemed as if there was nowhere safe for them anymore. When he asked about Jarasic Park she was surprised and found herself laughing.
"no, I don't think I can consider it a happy movie, or to even have a happy ending, but I understand and you want dinosaurs so we can go with that. I know i have it in the collection somewhere." She had begun collecting even more movies since things had gotten bad in the city. She had a wider collection of movies, ones she never even watched, as she would lend them to others or invite people over to watch them. She offered her home as something of a private movie theater of sorts and since she let people crash here she had to offer movies they might like. She had black and whites, silent films, comedy, romance, action films and more. She even had some international ones that weren't in Russian but in other languages. Go check and I'll finish this and join you. Grab any other movies you want also. I'll grab some drinks and other things. We can make a night of it - you need it. The pickling can wait a bit." Since she wouldn't be dropping things off till much later on anyway.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 12:43 pm
Arias wasn't going to argue with her--'a night' sounded good. He smiled and nodded, and while he didn't have the energy to will his facial muscles to keep the form, he still seemed to be feeling better. Moving into the room, he searched for the movie he wanted--and grabbed a few more that just looked good.
He was tired and wanted to sit down, but put in the first Jurassic Park and then made himself comfortable while he waited for Winterlynn.
Things were far from perfect, but the gestures she was making--the things she was doing for him...was a good reminder that things could be okay.
It just took a good friend.
Sleet Tempest Snape We can call this fin if you'd like! +We need a Beni/Rem RP!
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