|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:00 am
Aphismet gasped as he saw his little brother lying in bed like that. He looked so- so frail! Withered! Despite the younger Delaran's handicap, Aphismet had never thought of Isi as either of those things, but to see him like this! That choked call nearly broke Aphi's heart, and his shocked expression snapped into a pained one as the man rushed to the bedside, sitting at Isi's side and wrapping strong, unfairly strong arms around the poor, weakened boy.
Aphismet shook, especially when he realized that the sounds he was hearing were faint sobs, as Isi cried into his shoulder. Aphi's own eyes welled with tears and he patted the graying hair, hugging the boy carefully. "I'm here, now, Isi. I'm here. Don't worry, just rest. I'll make it all better, I promise. Everything will be okay now."
Rivener had been left alone. He knew this would happen. He knew that once he mentioned Isikoro, Aphismet would run off. It didn't matter that Rivener thought he was dying, the Raevan thought with dark despair, Isiroko was always the more important one. And now, finally, Riv understood why.
That human boy wasn't a monster, not like Riv was. Who wouldn't prefer the company of a person like Isi, compared with someone like Rivener?
Riv felt weak. Perhaps because he hadn't eaten for a while, perhaps because he was crying so hard, perhaps because his will to live was crumbling. The sobs that wracked the dark Frei's body didn't even register as Rivener let himself float to the floor, laying down there and curling into a ball, hiding his disgusting, abomination of a face in his sweater.
Eiry's voice startled Rivener into stock-stillness. He didn't raise himself up from the floor, didn't lift his head, only stopped sobbing for a moment. "What do you want, Eiry?" The Raevan asked with as much energy as he felt he could spare, which wasn't much at all. He didn't want to deal with anyone right now, Riv wanted to be left alone to crawl under a rock.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:00 am
What Isi managed to do for a hug could hardly be called an embrace. Finally held up by the strength of the chef, Isi released the effort in his arms and instead tried to hug his brother back, but it only ended up in Isi weakly clinging with twitching fingers to the cloth on the sides of his brother. Which was sad in itself, considering that Isi's arms were usually very strong for using crutches all his life. When there was a jar of pickles to be opened it was usually handed to Isi first, who would open it with a curt nod and a smile.
The simple feeling of clutching Aphismet near brought to incredible and unfathomable feelings to Isi. One was of a complete trust in everything that Aphi was saying, an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and relief that rocked Isi to his very core and he fought for a better grip on Aphi's clothes, afraid that, if he let go, Aphi would disappear. The gentle pat of his head also soothed him. The other incredible feeling was one of pain as Aphismet held him. His shoulders were still sensitive and partly swollen despite Julian's best efforts. Punctuating his breath were sharp squeaks of hurt. However much his shoulders ached, however, Isi still didn't want to be let go.
By this time, Isi wasn't trying to hide the fact that he was weeping, struggling to form words together of thanks and tell him everything that happened. "Aphi-i...W-we got into an-n argum-ment. I should've h-held my t-tongue. H-he m-missed you. I did too."
Upon finally finding where Rivener had sunk to the ground and curled up, Eiry's eyes immediately began to collect moisture. What was he doing? Eiry thought to himself in surprised and pitying wonder, was he tired? He hadn't eaten, Eiry knew that. Perhaps he needed to eat! Floating quickly to his brother with the urgency of a paramedic, Eiry gently placed his arms around Rivener in order to try and pick up his brother's limp body.
"Me? I want my brother back and happy. Come on, Riv," Eiry urged, calling Rivener by his fond nickname, as he struggled with the flap his wing to move him over to the window, "You need to eat. So cold, you are! Aphi's back home. Everything's going to be alright now. Isi will stop hurting. And so will you. But first you need to eat."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:49 pm
Aphismet couldn't believe he was hearing Isi defending Rivener. Not after this! Another part of the chef simply couldn't believe what had happened was real. Surely this was all a nightmare.
Defaulting to old habits, Aphismet decided that for the moment, he would forget anything bad that happened. He simply patted the younger boy's hair and rocked lightly. "Shhh, shhh.... Isi, it's alright, Shhh. There's no need to talk. Just sleep. I'll stay here with you, so just sleep, okay? We'll talk when you're better." And Aphi meant it. He wouldn't move, wouldn't speak of any of this until Isi was better. That was priority.
That, and Rivener's health also. They were both in need of help. Aphi could talk to them about the event later. It occurred to Aphi that maybe Isi was responsible for Rivener's condition just as much as Riv was responsible for Isi's? ...It would be resolved later. First they had to heal.
Aphi would tend to them both, no matter what.
Rivener shrugged off Eiry's help, sighing helplessly. "I don't want to eat, Eiry. I don't want to anything at all. Go away and let me be. Don't make me scream at you please, I don't have the energy. Just... Just go." Riv didn't want to move, and nothing was going to make him. If he had to, he would scream, he would push Eiry out, he would threaten. But he just felt so-... weak...
Soon it would be over, and no one would have to worry about the Monster in the house anymore. Then, everything would be alright, as Eiry said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 5:02 pm
As soon as Aphismet began to softly rock back and forth with Isi cradled in his arms, the crippled boy didn't have the strength to talk any more. He wanted to tell everything to Aphi, not so much to get back at Rivener for he had done, but rather just to let him know. He didn't want any actions to come of it. He just wanted someone else to hear, to listen and carry the burden he was carrying. Perhaps it would lighten, that was his belief. But even if he wanted to, wanted to tell Aphi that all this time Isi had been blind to Rivener's hatred for him, that Riv had wanted him dead for so long, to tell him about how much it hurt, how there was paint on the wooden floorboards of the painting room, to tell him about waiting for Rivener's return, the strange action from Julian, the sole action that saved his life...Even if he wanted to, he couldn't now. A soft frenzy of weeps had stolen the control of his body and he simply held onto the cloth of Aphismet's clothes with weak fingers. Like the chef said, there will come the time when they would talk about what happened. But for now, he would rest and heal through the remnants of the poison that were quickly fading from his bloodstream.
At last...Aphismet was home.
Furrowing his brows deeply over his blood-red eyes, the minty hued raevan floated down low to his brother, his ribbon dragging on the ground. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. It wasn't so much the fact that Rivener thought he was dying (death, to Eiry, was a source of energy, not something that would take anyone away), but it was how he was acting now, unwilling to do anything. All Eiry's efforts and advances were thrown against a cement wall. They did nothing.
So, worried and concerned for his dear brother, the younger frei drifted to the ground and laid down beside Rivener a couple feet away. Ignoring Riv's demands meant nothing to Eiry now that he was determined to help him some how. He curled his hands beside his chest, lying on his side, and watched over Rivener carefully. A glossiness grew over his eyes as he watched the scorpion frei seemingly deteriorate in health before him and Eiry knew that, if anything were to happen, if Riv needed him at all, he would be there.
Eiry would be there to help him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
