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 Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:33 pm
 (RP took place December 1st, 2009)
{RP took place in a Word Processor}
 Dio lay up in the makeshift sanctuary he created himself on the widow’s walk. It was just beginning to be dark, that wonderful time at dusk when the first stars start to dance through the haze. It had to be one of Dio’s favorite times of day, usually this was the time that he could actually hear the song, even if he didn’t understand it. Today it didn’t excite him like it usually did, oh no. He had an intruder in his home. A tall, redheaded, intruder, and she was bringing more!
He had to do something about this. He wasn’t going to get help, that much he already guessed. Dio had gone to Vance to try and recruit him to his cause and the Medusa had simply smirked at him, “And thus history repeats itself.” Had been the only answer he had gotten, but he had no idea what that meant. Further questioning had been pointless, because Vance had been curled up in front of the laptop on some internet poker site.
Dio hadn't really expected Vance to help, but he thought that the medusa would be as worried as he was about Merci. She was so tired all the time, and with the exhaustion, he didn't think she could take the stress of all these new things popping up. He was worried about her trying to mediate disputes, and working herself to death trying to organize things. The attic, the basement, and the storage unit, all of them were getting a makeover.
Things were already getting strained on the home front, even without his meddling. Peeps was aggravating Seraph, though the outwardly calm creature hadn't said anything about it. Dio could tell because there seemed to be an outlandishly huge number of baked goods appearing in the kitchen. Seraph liked to keep things in a certain place, all surfaces shined to perfection. Peeps liked to make off with anything that caught his fancy, and this was fraying Seraph's nerves right to the very last one.
He heard a noise come from the entrance to his nest and he bolted upright to see who it was. Maili slithered into view, the green of her skin looking a little off in the dying light of the day. Her blindfolded face turned toward him, and her lips curled up into a smile, "I am glad your still up here. I was worried with everything going on you would change your habits." Under her arm was a thick, worn out old book.
He beamed at her and made room for her to come coil up with him in comfort under his awning. 'No, I am not going back down there till that woman leaves. I am perfectly happy up here. I have shade for the daytime and the stars at night.' He craned his neck trying to get a look at the title of the book she brought up with her. He loved it when Maili would come up here and read to him. She always brought the most fascinating books with her. Fairy tales and adventures, fun things that fed his imagination. 'What did you bring this time? Are you going to read to me? You're not going to stop cause Merci is kicking you out are you?' He was really truly upset that Maili was going to be moved into an entirely different house then he was. All because of some stupid kid and that interloper!
Dio still fumed at Merci’s tired explanations. It was ‘Blah blah, something about love. Blah blah, not that far away. Blah blah, it isn’t like you won’t see them anymore.’ He hadn’t wanted to hear any of it.
Maili settled down, coiling her long body in the indented part of the big beanbags he had to snuggle in. “Come Little Star, I have a story to tell you.” Dio moved into her open arms and settled himself in her lap. His tail hung down and the metal ring that adorned it made a small tinkling sound against the wooden floor as it tapped the ground. When he was settled he let her smooth strong voice pull him into her story.”Once upon a time, in a world vast and beautiful, there lived a sad Queen. She was sad, because she was alone. Many years before the King traveled far away to protect the land from a great calamity foretold by the powerful oracle. The longer the King, her love was away, the more the Queen’s heart ached.
One day, when she was walking in the garden, the leaves of her favorite fern started rustling. She was afraid, for wild animals were still very much a danger in this world. She backed away from the danger, but just as she was about to run away, something stopped her. She heard the whimpering sounds of a small child. The lovely Queen moved the leaves aside and found a beautiful child, though one far to young to be on it’s own.”Dio cracked his eye and rolled it up to look at Maili, ’How did a baby end up under a plant? Why would someone leave it there?’ He was going to ask more, but Maili lifted a finger and put it over his face where his lips would be if he had them. Her face was soft as she gave him a smile.
“Are you going to let me finish the story?”
Dio quieted and leaned his head back again. With what seemed like a sigh he settled back and gave a quick nod.”The child was a beautiful and very talented young man, who grew very quickly into his own. The Queen’s sorrow was abated at having him near her. She named him her child, and doted upon him. The joy they found however was short lived, for the advisers of the kingdom were quite jealous. Upon the arrival of this perfect child, the Queen stopped seeking their opinions.
These advisers decided that it was time for action.”Dio could no longer keep his silence, he was burning with questions. His burgundy eye rolled so he could get a look at his friend. Sure he knew she hated being interrupted during story time but he needed to know things! 'Did the king die? Where did the baby come from anyway? Babies don't come out of gardens, fruit comes out of a garden.' His voice died in his throat at the look on her face."Dio, honey do you want me to tell you this story or not?" She waited for his sullen nod before she continued to speak. "Fairy tales don't always tell you everything remember? You wanted to know how Sleeping Beauty stopped from getting massive bed head, you wanted to know how Cinderella didn't shrink with the pumpkin carriage, you asked how the Swan Princess knew how to fly when she'd never been a bird before. Sometimes Dio, things aren't logical or explainable. Magic exists in the world, making things wonderful and fantastic. Just enjoy the story and don't try to think to hard about it. Now no more interruptions or I'm going to leave." Maili almost laughed at how fast he shut his eyes, and when he didn't say anything for a few seconds she started telling her story again. "The advisers were not evil men by nature, but the intrusion of this child into their domain was not to be tolerated. So, they agreed that they would kill the child, and rid the Queen of whatever spell he had cast on her.
Two days after their plotting, they found their opportunity. The Queen was needed for some negotiations with a neighboring country, and they agreed it best she take care of things personally. So she bid her beloved son goodbye and got in the carriage, leaving him in the care of her best friends, her two closest advisers.
That night, when the castle was sleeping, they crept into the child's bedchamber. The two men fell upon him, tying and gagging him so they could carry him more easily. They made their way with him to the garden where he was found, and under the fern that sheltered him as a baby, they buried him alive.
The next morning when the boy was found missing the castle flew into a panicked search, but no one thought to dig in the ground to find him. The Queen was called back, and she came, as fast as if she had wings to carry her. When the days passed and hope of finding him started to flee, she fell into a deep despair. Her beloved, and now her adopted child were both gone from her, leaving her utterly alone.
The two men responsible comforted her, telling her the tale they concocted together days before. They told her of a willful child who was told not to go outside the castle to play, and did so anyway. They told her that they tried to stop him, but he must have either run away, or been eaten by wild animals. She listened, and she sat in her window, staring at the garden where she found him, not knowing that she was looking right at him all along.
Finally after a week of mourning she called her people to her, and announced that she would be turning her precious garden into a memorial for her lost child. The Queen begged her people to take her lesson to their hearts and never let their loved ones go.
Men from the city volunteered to help, as the Queen had always been a kind and gentle ruler. They came from all corners to help dig up and relocate the plants. And on the second day of construction, they found the boy, dirty and pale, but alive under the fern."Dio interrupted Maili with a hand, 'Your telling me that he's alive, after days and days buried underground? That's not even possible! He would have starved, or died of thirst or exposure!' He made a whimpering sound when he felt his seat shift.Maili started uncoiling herself from her seat "Alright that's it, no more stories Dio. I can't tell you a story if you won't listen to it." Her voice was calm, but there was a slight hiss to her voice that betrayed her frustration with the child. The Fiend grabbed at her arms and shook his head quickly, panic in his voice. 'I'm sorry Maili! Please don't go! I wanna hear the end of the story!' Dio was a ball of frustration and unhappiness. His life was in a shambles. His Merci was being taken away, his Maili was getting taken away, his stories were getting taken away. All he had left were his scrolls, his telescope and the stars. Maili stopped and she looked at him, she could feel the distress rolling off of him. She finally sighed and stopped trying to get up. "The truth is i don't know the end to this story Dio. Because you haven't written it yet." His upset seemed to give way to total confusion in the span of a heartbeat. 'I don't understand...'Maili smiled and she spoke softly, "Sometimes it's hard to remember that your a child. Your always so smart. Don't you see that this is your story? Merci loved Cinderfae, and they were happy together, until Cinder had to leave. She was left alone, with Vance and Seraph, her two closest friends and advisors. One day she found you, in a jewelry store, and she brought you into their lives. They resented you, and one of them buried you in the ground, far away from Merci." As she spoke Dio's eye widened. He did remember, it wasn't really all very clear because he had felt so weak. As she spoke though he knew that she was telling the truth.Maili wrapped her arms around Dio and gave him a huge hug, continuing her narrative. "But you were brought back to her, and she was happy again. Don't you see that's whats happening now, with Cinder? Her love was taken away from her, and now is coming back, but someone's jealous, and someone is going to try and ruin the joy that she has now. That someone I think knows what it feels like to be in the position that Cinder is in right now, because he was in it once himself." Dio sat silently for a few minutes, letting this all sink into his mind. It was true, all of it was true. He hated how Vance and Seraph made him feel sometimes. How they made him feel like he was an intruder when he loved Merci so much. Is this how Cinderfae was feeling? Did it upset her that Dio was trying to make her feel unwelcome?Maili nodded slowly when he didn't answer her, "I have to go finish packing my bag, so I can get my room set up in the guest house. You will be able to see my room from right here." She lifted her arm and pointed across the green expanse between the main house and the smaller guest home. The windows were dark at the moment, but when the Medusa moved in they wouldn't be anymore. "I'm glad we got to have this talk Dio." She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek before she finished getting off the cushion. Dio whimpered when he felt her slither away from him and he darted after her, returning the kiss on the cheek she gave him. 'I'm sorry Maili, I'll try harder.'The dying light was gone from the sky now, no longer making Maili's skin look sickly. She gave him a smile and nodded. "Your a good boy Dio, I know you'll do the right thing." And with that she slithered back into the house, leaving the little shadow to think about what he would do now. 
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:34 pm
 (RP took place November 25th, 2009)
{RP took place in the Guild}
Cinderfae Cinder headed outside, grabbing the screen door as it swung shut to keep it from making too much of a racket and holding it open for a few moments longer for Merci. "I'm glad we got this place at such a good price - big enough area for landings." Night had fallen and a bit of a chill was creeping up as it set in. Heading off outward from the house she rested a hand on the small of Merci's back as they made their way to a large opening at the edge of the property. Once in the area the pilot flipped open a device on her wrist and started scrolling through a few things before nodding and snapping it shut.
"They are almost here, Clotho is right on schedule." Glancing over to Merci she gave a bit of a smile and squeezed the kitsune's hand. She felt plenty stressed and was pretty sure the other woman was probably feeling it more then a bit herself. Merci` Merci squeezed Cinder's hand and her brows creased together as she watched her. "Don't you think I should wait back by the house? He's going to be disoriented with being here. Maybe he should see you first before he's confronted by all the new things here." She was fidgeting, she kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Honestly Merci hadn't felt like this since her first job, and somehow she had the feeling she was even more ill prepared for this then she was then. Something big was going on, he had heard them talking all morning about a landing. It had to be that person they had mentioned before in the bathroom. Rhys or whatever his name was. It was one more person to take Merci's attention away from him and he didn't like it one bit. Dio skulked through the darkness, using their distraction to his advantage. He was not the easiest creature to see at night, despite the color of his hair, his body was black and lent to his camouflage. Why were they standing out here in the field? Was this ship they were talking about like the one Cinder had arrived in? Metal boxy thing that flew through the sky?
Curiosity almost overwhelmed his feelings of hostility and bitterness.Cinderfae Glancing over Cinder gave Merci a reassuring smile, "I'm only slightly less of a stranger to him then you are. Just want to give him a chance at a life away from the war..." rolling her shoulders the pilot glanced to the sky, her galaxy had been at war for quite a while - when she was young the war had still been in it's start but it continued on. "Ah there," leaning close Cinder pointed up pinpointing three spots of light within the sky, the three spots of light might have been confused with stars at first - but if you kept your eye on them you could see they moved. And after a few moments they started getting larger as they headed toward the group. "Hm, I think that's why Clotho wanted to come with him...bit of freedom from other peoples battles." Cinder suspected it was a bit more then that, something that happened to those that fought too long and too hard. Things became foggy and unclear who was the enemy and what the actual mission once was. More then anything else the old pilot believed Clotho was looking for escape.
"She's flying the Defiant, it's a smaller class ship then the Warhammer. Bit faster...more cramped. You wouldn't want to be flying her for real deep space journeys." A whirling sound was what could be heard first from the ship's engines, and then rather suddenly the Defiant dropped her shields fully and a the dark shape of the ship was seen against the sky. Now rather close to the ground the ship was at least the size of two large cars. The design was sleek obviously meant for speed...as the landing clamps came down for a moment she hung in the air looking very much like a large bird of prey.
"Hm, lovely. Draconian built." It was more a murmur to herself but the admiration for the ship design was in the pilot's voice. Bringing her hand up she protected her eyes as the ship landed and settled into the ground. Glancing over Cinder gave Merci` another encouraging squeeze of the hand - their guests had arrived. Merci` Dio glanced up when he saw Cinder point, and his visible eye widened. Lights were moving across the sky, and then before he knew what was going on, there was a weird looking metal thing hanging above the ground.
Dio darted right over to Merci, forgetting his plan at being stealthy and spying on them. The wind from the engines blew the grass flat and Dio wrapped himself around his guardian's legs.Merci smiled back at Cinder and was returning the hand squeeze when her little shadow nearly threw her off balance. He wrapped himself around her legs like a cat would, except his body was longer and he somehow managed to curl around both ankles, hobble style. Her green eyes moved down to see both of his arms wrapped around the thigh of her left leg. "Dio?" He glanced up at Merci and then snuggled closer. He really didn't like the whirring sounds the ship made. Cinderfae It didn't take long from the time the ship settled for a door on the side of it to open. The doors were surprisingly quiet, even though the powered seals did make some noise as they were opened. Dull running lights lit up along a hall within the ship outlining a tall figure, the figure was female but was very obviously not human. Large wings sprout from her back and were now resting curled around her shoulders, her face was also reptilian in appearance and her entire body was covered in white scales. With one last gentle squeeze to Merci, Cinder stepped forward and opened her hands in a hug to the creature, "Clotho! Looking well, quite a long flight in a ship this size." Clotho's lips turned in amusement at the statement and reached over giving Cinder a hug, "not that long, just don't require as many comforts. Though I think your son might disagree with that." Letting go of Cinder the draconian moved to the side revealing a teenage boy with large midnight blue wings standing back quietly observing the interaction. When attention was shifted in his direction he took a few steps forward. "Greetings..." biting his lip slightly he shifted from one foot to the other looking uncertain. Cinder stood a long moment as well the pilot caught between the thought that she should move forward and offer him a hug as she had Clotho or if she should let him be. Only sitting in the awkward pause a moment Cinder moved forward and reached out to embrace the boy. The hug was a little akward in and of itself, but Rhys did give a bit of a smile as Cinder pulled back.
"Alright Rhys, Clotho I'd like you to meet Merci..." glancing down Cinder quirked a brow spotting Dio but continued with introductions, "and Dio."
Clotho stepped forward offering her hand in a warrior's clasp to Merci, Cinder usually stood several inches above the other girl but Clotho towered. Rhys hung back quietly flitting his gaze over the others. Merci` Merci would have stepped forward to meet Clotho, but Dio had her legs sort of pinned in place. She did however accept the Dragonic womans greeting, gripping tightly enough not to be thought weak, despite her diminutive size. Her tail lashed a bit as she glanced up at Rhys, her ears pricked forward, betraying her curiosity about the boy. "Nice to meet you Rhys." Dio uncurled from her legs and settled on hiding behind her, his right hand gripping her bicep as he peered at the newcomers over her shoulder. He couldn't contain himself and his excitement. 'Did you come from the stars? Can you fly up and see them? Touch them? Do they talk to you too?'Merci blinked and almost turned all the way around to look Dio square on. Instead she settled for staring at him over her shoulder. "Dio! They are guests, can we let them settle in before we bombard them with all of this?" She turned back and looked apologetic. Cinderfae Clotho shifted her attention to Dio as he asked his questions, crooking a ridge over one eye she shifted her gaze down to the shadow. Watching Dio a moment she gave him a curious once over before speaking, "you can fly up with the stars, but I wouldn't suggest touching one - good way to get burned up." At Merci's apology Clotho gave a bit of a smile and shrugged, "nothing to apologize for, I don't mind talking a bit." Shifting her gaze back Clotho studied him a moment longer, "so...what sort of life form are you exactly?" Stepping off of the ramp Clotho moved off to the side, "as for stars talking...that depends on the person really. But the best captains can hear them sing." Chuckling softly Cinder motioned Rhys along and moved off the ramp as well, "The house we share isn't too far from here," shifting her gaze over she looked to Rhys, the boy was still very pale a life almost completely indoors hadn't agreed with his complexion. Rhys moved off of the ramp shuffling a bit and looking somewhat out of place. Sucking a breath in Cinder reached over and rested a hand on his shoulder, "it's good to have you here..."At the gesture Rhys glanced up and the look of relief was visible in his eyes, shifting his gaze some he looked to Merci and Dio giving them each a slight smile and nod. Merci` Merci smiled and glanced from Dio to Clotho, "Dio is a, well I think I head them called Shadows or Fiends? Souls torn from their exsistances and placed in little stones." Merci gestured toward her boy's chest as she spoke, indicating the Black Star Diopside that rested there. "That's why we call him Dio, he didn't come with a name. So I took part of the rocks name." Dio zoomed right past Merci and floated in the air right in front of Clotho, his enthusiasm overriding his normal shyness. 'You can hear the stars sing too? I hear them all the time, but it's a jumble of noises. Sometimes I can hear one or two if I really try hard to listen, but I don't understand a word of it. You can fly up in the sky with the stars? I wanna go! Can you take me?'
He wasn't at all phased by how she looked, and he stared at her with his bright burgundy eye. Dio's tail swished back and forth with his excitement.Merci opened her mouth to apologize for Dio, and then decided it wasn't worth the trouble. He would likely keep accosting Clotho till he was content he had all of his answers. Instead she turned her attention over to Cinder and Rhys. She shifted a little closer toward them and her own tail swished behind her as she regarded Rhys, "I don't know how much Cinder and you have talked, or what you heard about me. But anything bad she said is a lie I tell you." She grinned, slightly elongated k-9's noticable in her mouth. "I think we figured out what room your going to have, but we haven't had time to clean it all out yet. We can go shopping though and get you some furniture and the like if you would like to later." Merci was trying, she always felt out of her depth with kids and teenagers, especially ones she wanted to like her. Cinderfae Clotho watched Dio a long moment the Draconian nodded in a patient manner, she decided that the shadow thing was some sort of child so was somewhat more prepared for his mentality. "Hm, well if your lookin' ta take a ride," pausing Clotho gestured to Cinder, "you'll have to take it up with the captain." A small smile came to her face as she looked over to Cinder her lip twitching slightly to hold back a laugh. At least the energetic creature would keep Cinder occupied from the larger worry on her mind a moment. Rhys smiled slightly picking up on the jest, nodding slightly and pausing a moment, "really we didn't have much time to speak...and your infamy never came up." Picking up on the conversation of shopping Cinder nodded in agreement, "and clothing..." her eyes shifted to his wings. She knew he didn't really have clothing of his own and Draconian clothing wouldn't fit him considering the difference in his bone structure. "We'll look around and get what you like, but if you want...we could find a tailor and get you some smart silk shirts in ... well whatever style you want." She knew she was giving him a lot of leeway but considering what that place had looked like, Cinder decided he needed a bit of pampering. Merci` Dio's head turned toward Cinder and he seemed to lose some of his excitement. 'I have to ask her?' He didn't seem to keen on the idea. Okay sure he had come out here with the thought of doing something horrible to mess this stuff up for the redheaded pilot, but what Vance and Maili had said was starting to sink in.
He was trying to do to her, what was done to him when he had come into the home. Dio didn't like to think of himself as mean, and so he took a deep breath and zoomed away from Clotho, attaching himself to Merci. He pressed his form up against her back, peeking over her shoulder, his right hand on her shoulder and his left dangling uselessly as usual.
Dio thought about asking, but he couldn't make himself do it. He might be willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but he wasn't quite ready to be nice quite yet.Merci snapped her fingers, "I bet Maili could do it, she's really good with that sort of thing. We could go pick up some material and whip up some really nice stuff." It didn't seem to phase her that Dio had latched onto her in the slightest. "I really should have thought of this kind of thing before." She had spent the better part of her time trying to organize her junk in the storage units that were scattered around the property so they could fit more in. The fiend stared at Rhys and then detached himself from Merci to float in front of the boy. 'Hi, I'm Dio. I know you heard my name before but I wanted to tell you. You can come share my room until your's gets cleaned out. I don't hardly stay in there anyway. I could show you my telescope if you wanted.'Merci almost stopped walking. Her boy was hardly ever this outgoing unless he had an ulterior motive, like with Clotho he wanted a ride. She shot a worried look at Cinder but decided not to say anything. Who knows, maybe they could be friends? Cinderfae Cinder quirked a brow glancing back only catching part of what Clotho was saying, but when Dio didn't come over to her she let it settle. She was having enough trouble relating to Rhys let alone Dio. A work in progress she decided... Rhys nodded slightly at Merci's suggestion, curling his wings a bit more tightly around himself. He knew he'd need special clothing but it was a reminder he wasn't really happy with thinking about, "yeah...that would be nice." He murmured slightly glancing over at those gathered and feeling very alone, most of his life had been alone the main difference in this case was that he was alone in the middle of a crowd. "Alright lets get heading in then..." Cinder motioned back toward the house, she could tell Rhys wasn't feeling very talkative and truthfully she didn't know what to say to him anyways. When Dio came around to talk to him Rhys paused to regard him, "well nice to meet you um, Dio. I'm Rhys as you heard..." he glanced over toward where the house was said to be at the mention of the room. "That'd be nice," his brow quirked a bit, "what sort of telescope is it? What power?" Merci` Dio perked immediately, and he started gushing about his prized possession. 'It's an optical telescope, it magnifies up to 15 mm, I can see pretty far. It's really good for pinpoint visuals of different stars.' His visible eye sparkled as he babbled for a moment or two, 'My room isn't very big, but I don't spend a lot of time there. You'll have to come up to the Walk and see my hideout. Maili sometimes comes up and reads stories to me. Do you like stories? You could come up and listen when she reads too you know.'Merci moved over and took Cinder's hand in hers. This was a good sign, Dio was rarely so outgoing, and he was making an effort to be Rhys friend. She moved her green eyes up to Cinder and gave her a wink. "You doing alright?" Alright so she was a little thankful for Dio's insatiable curiosity and skill at bombarding someone in questions right now. It took away some of the stress at trying to figure out what to ask and how to act around the new comers. Cinderfae Rhys nodded slightly listening, "I'll show you something I think you'll like. It's like a map to the stars," Rhys grinned slightly at the fiend's enthusiasm. "Maybe we can find things on it and then look at them through your telescope...I haven't gotten to map the local constellations though. Think you could help with that?" He had a feeling that the shadow creature likely wouldn't be use to the hologram his mapping device would create, it was a little strange getting use to it but Dio's enthusiasm gave him something to focus on other then all the strange changes. Smiling Cinder gave Merci's hand a gentle squeeze, "I think I am, lets get everyone inside and figure out what we are doing from there." Cinder glanced over to Clotho, "if your planning on staying we should figure out what to do with your ship...don't want to many laying around in the same backyard." Leaning down Cinder took a moment to whisper in Merci's ear, "once we get everyone settled we can go tuck each other in." It was likely an unneeded gestures but at the moment she was looking forward to being able to lock herself away for a time with something more comfortable and less hectic. Merci` The fiend gasped and he moved forward suddenly, wrapping himself around Rhys in a quick hug, 'I wanna see! Can you show me now? Is it like the roll out maps they have on posters? Merci would have gotten me one of those but the one I want is to big.' He paused long enough for the pout in his voice to be heard. 'I would be happy to help you map the constellations, though there are things on... line.. online! Thats what Maili calls it, on the computer that shows all the constellations around here.'
It didn't dawn on Dio that he was talking to quickly, asking to many questions, or talking about people that Rhys hadn't met. He was just happy that he had someone that seemed genuinely interested in the same things he was. Merci walked beside Cinder and she sighed quietly. All the sleepless nights and the stress seemed to melt off of her for the moment. She was simply content with her life and her new family. Dio's reaction was such a pleasant surprise. She thought she would have to deal with him lashing out, and instead he was embracing the change. It was beyond her wildest dreams, and she was happy. Her voice was a low rumble when she spoke back to Cinder, very quietly, "I would like that. I haven't been able to sleep lately, though I think I could if you were there." Cinderfae Chuckling Rhys let the fiend continue on until he seemed to find a lull in his questions. "Well I do have some equipment you might find interesting, I'm not very familiar with the information sharing you are use to here but...I suspect it's like what we used back home - which is what the online is." Rhys tapped his fingers over the side of the bag he was carrying, "I would like to think it's much better then a roll out map. I can bring the stars up so images of them float in the room with you." From the way the fiend talked Rhys was pretty sure it was still young and he had no idea what sort of technology they used on the planet so he hoped his explanations were sufficient. Watching Cinder a moment he grinned and lowered his voice in a conspiratorial manner to the fiend, "as for mapping we might have to borrow a ship." Now he was pretty sure Cinder would take them up, but it was more amusing to plot. As they approached the house Cinder glanced back toward Rhys and Dio, "alright, I don't think anyone minds if Dio doesn't if you share his room tonight. I'll show you the room you can have tomorrow Rhys...needs cleaning out though." Waiting for Merci to take the steps ahead of her Cinder pat the Kitsune on the bottom before following up the steps behind her. "I'll make sure you get some sleep tonight," Cinder murmured again as she opened the door for the group. Merci` Dio's visible eye went wide and he floated close enough to Rhys to take his arm. 'Floating pictures?! Like I'm floating? Up in the AIR? I wanna see I wanna! Can we do it now? Please?' The fiend was so awfully curious! How did he manage to find a picture that floated in the air? It simply had to be some form of magic, and he would figure it out. After all he could feel magic when someone was using it.
And just like that Dio accepted Rhys. It wasn't something he conciously thought about, it simply was. 'Come on hurry hurry! I'll show you my room and you can show me your floating pictures!' With his hand still on Rhy's arm he tried to hurry the boy through the door and up the stairs. It would be so much easier if Rhys could fly and go through walls like he could.
The impatience was killing him!Merci walked into the foyer after Cinder and she put a hand on her arm. "Let Dio show him around. I need to lay down." She'd been getting more sleep with Cinder around, but she didn't feel rested at all. The word getting things ready for the new arrivals was enough to make Merci feel stretched thin. "You can check on them after you tuck me in." The tone was playful, but the edge of exhaustion was starting to show. Cinderfae Rhys spared a glance back toward Cinder and Merci before letting Dio lead him along, "alright alright, we need to set up the mat first...." gripping his bag he made sure that his case didn't get bashed into the walls on the way up. The mat was actually several panels that were linked together upon the floor, he'd then hook his laptop up to the side of the mat and input the information. Above the mat the holographic picture would appear. Cinder watched the two rush up the stairs before looking over to Merci, it seemed that Clotho had found her way off somewhere as well, "hm, rest is something I could go for..." reaching over Cinder leaned and picked Merci up in her arms. She was already taller then the kitsune and her cybernetics although not visibly apparent made it so she barely noticed the weight of the other women as she started up the stairs. "I think you need some pampering...you do seem to worry something awful, so it's only fair." And without further ado Cinder carried Merci off to their room with the thought in mind that she'd make sure the Kitsune was relaxed and rested. Merci` Dio was fascinated by the hologram, and he kept poor Rhys busy for the following hour asking him questions about how it worked and what else it could do. It took Seraph slithering by and giving the Fiend a stern look before he realized that Rhys might be tired from the trip.
The little Fiend showed him up to his bedroom. It wasn't very big, and it was obvious from looking at it that the shadow was obsessed with the stars. Dio left him there, retreating to the Widows Walk.
Sitting on his beanbags and staring up at the sky, he was proud of himself. He'd been nice, and he saw how happy it made his Merci.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:53 pm
Since the incident which lead to both Athan and Reyna turning to stone, Dio has remained largely unsettled. The fact that his guardian has also been battling with nightmares has not helped matters, either. Little Dio has taken it upon himself to fix things, but in the process he discovers something new about himself -- something he remembers, but doesn't know from when or how.
Key points:
• How does Dio fix the situation with Merci?
• What does Dio learn about himself?
• Quest should involve 3 solos and 2 RPs minimum.
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Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:02 pm
 (RP took place July 14th, 200 cool
{RP took place in the Guild}
Merci` Merci turned the key over in the ignition and pulled it out after parking across the street from Twilight Designs. She really hadn't been back since the statue incident and she was a bit nervous that Dio would smother poor Reyna in snuggles. She glanced over at her other half and smirked a bit, "This is the place. Just a quick warning, the girl that usually runs the register is a demon, and Dio adores her. The owner is snarky, and there is another older shadow named Mystic in there. You might meet others, they are in and out of there all the time." Merci popped the door and slid out of the big black SUV. Dio rolled his visible eye, 'Auntie Reyna, the Athan man and Mystic are all very nice. In fact Mystic is my best friend, next to Red.' He didn't bother explaining who any of the names belonged to, and swooped through the door of the car. It was easier for him to remain non corporeal and so he did, floating in air.Merci waited for Cinder and crossed the street, opening the door to the shop to let her in first. "After you my dear."
Dio didn't wait, he flew right through the storefront giddily. He was always thrilled to go to the store. It seemed to him that it was never boring here like it could be at home.Cinderfae Cinder eyed the car as they drove, there was something about being in a vehicle she wasn't driving that put the pilot a bit on edge. It didn't mean she didn't trust Merci`, she wouldn't have let the kitsune drive at all if she hadn't trusted her. Pulling up across from the shop Cinder leaned slighlty to get a look at the place. Nodding slightly to Merci she crawled out of the car after the strange child like shadow thing swooped away. "Demon huh, as long as she doesn't bite without permission I don't think I'll have a problem."Peeps who had been attempting to hide along the floorboard during the entire ride decided to use that moment to pop out of the car and add a bit of wisdom as only a Piman could, "bitings are bad. Unless during mating." Peeps small feline shaped head bobbed slightly before dashing off after Dio. Cinder was pretty sure the strange creature was fond of Dio at least to some degree. Cinder chuckled and glanced to Merci` holding her arm out to hook the other girl's she headed into the shop. With a grin she murmered, "remember no biting except for mating."Reyna Crelos "Heyhey... easy with that. If it breaks I'll be damned if it comes out of my paycheck, mister." The demoness stood with her hands on her hips as she peered up at Mystic who was gingerly installing a crystal chandelier to replace the old light fixture. 'I fully trust in your ability to make Athan pay for things even when you should,' he answered teasingly as he finished hanging the last part of the crystals. He still appeared mostly transparent, tired, and more than a little cranky. The fact that he had even bothered coming to the shop said something in itself. He had long since taken to staying at home to avoid Athan, but the strain of being without Reyna pained him. He sighed and drifted back down to hide in her shadow, emerging only partially when Dio skittered inside to wave in greeting. "Well look what the cat drug in. How are you, sugar?" Reyna all but purred when she caught sight of the child. Her visible eye widened slightly, clearly bemused when a cat-like creature did in fact follow him in. Go figure. Merci` Dio lunged at Reyna and gave her a nice solid snuggle, 'You look like your doing so well. I am happy. Oh,' He cocked his head back to look over his shoulder at Peeps and the two women as they entered. 'Thats Peeps, he came with the tall woman.' It was a small rebellion, but it was what it was. He didn't really use Cinder's name if he could help it, mostly because it annoyed Merci to no end.
Merci grinned at Reyna, "You look amazing as usual Reyna. When you want me to pry the little beast loose you let me know. I just came by to introduce my other half, Cinderfae. She just got back from...." He paused and her brow furrowed, "Well, whatever it is she does." Honestly Merci had no idea what it was Cinder had been up to, but it didn't matter. All that really mattered is she was back now. Dio rolled his eye and looked back at Reyna, 'They sleep in the same room together. Vance says it means that their bumping uglies, but I don't even know what that means. What's an ugly?'Merci coughed and turned a shade closer to her hair color. Cinderfae Cinder let a throaty chuckle loose listening to the Dio's description, well at least the other inhabitants of Merci`s house were giving him an education. Cinder flickered her eyes over at the demoness, she really hadn't had much experiance with demons. Aliens, parasites, cyborgs sure but not demons; usually seemed too religious based for her tastes anyways. Cinder decided to leave the bit about what she was up to for so out until she had time to settle and speak with Merci` truthfully between the entourage that seemed to fill up the house that Merci` owned there hadn't been much time. Cinder stepped forward and inclined her head slightly to Reyna, "Hello there, heard a bit about you. And seems your probably going ot hear about me." Smirking slightly Cinder glances to Dio, "mostly about glueing my hair together I'm guessing. As Merci said, I'm Cinder. Not really much more to go to that. Hope you don't mind the visit, interesting little shop you have here." Cinder wasn't sure what sorts of pleasentries one was suppose to give but she tried her best, her hand flexing slightly as she wished she could have one of her cheroots. While Cinder, Merci, and the interesting shadow thing were pre-occupied Peeps slinked around the shop. Even though he was actually rather sizable he was doing a fairly passable job at slinking along the bottom of display cases and attempting to peer into and on top of them. Eyeing a particularly shiney bauble Peeps moved up along a case and started standing slowly along the shelf it was on, his eyes occasionally darting around as he does. Reyna Crelos Reyna snickered outright which was accompanied by Mystic's somewhat musical laughter. He slinked out of her shadow just enough to wrap his arms about her shoulders, chin resting atop her shoulder as he peered over at the group with his bright eyes. "Means their lovers, kiddo. I'm sure you'll have that figured out when you're older," the demon replied in a matter-of-fact manner, seemingly unphased save for her obvious amusement. "Nice to meet you, Cinder," Reyna replied with a polite nod before idly pointing to the shadow that was clinging to her back. "The pretty behind me is Mystic." She smirked and ruffled Dio's hair. If it weren't for the fact that they were mostly insubstantial, having him cling to the front of her and Mystic draped across her back would be rather stifling. Merci` Dio's eye scrunched up as he analyzed that. What the heck did that mean! Did it mean they loved each other? Well then that mean he had a lot of lovers. That would mean Mystic and him were lovers, and Red, and Reyna, Merci, in an odd way the Athan man. 'Ooooo, where is the Athan man! I wanna look at his big star thingy!' Merci heaved a rather relieved sigh. Sometimes the fact he popped from one subject to another was a bit annoying. For the first time ever, she was relieved at his insatiable curiosity. Some rather inappropriate questions could have come up, "Yeah I haven't really explained Dio very well yet." her voice was a bit embarrassed, "There were other things we were, uh, preoccupied with." Dio grumbled, 'I don't need explaining. Your my bonded!'Merci glanced at Dio and sighed a bit, nothing she had said lately seemed to come out right. Her boy was sulky and nitpicked almost anything she said. At least the overt attacks seemed to be over, Cinder wasn't going anywhere and the kitsune was relieved that Dio seemed to at least start understanding that. "Alright, I will let you and Cinder talk about that then. You are rather unique my Little Star."
Dio perked a little bit at the use of his pet name, though he didn't reply or launch into any type of explanation. He just clung to Reyna. Cinderfae Cinder glanced over to Mystic and smiled slightly, "nice to meet you as well." She'd gotten pretty use to the strange creatures that seemed to show up over time the shadow ones were just new to get use to; and if one had bonded to her Merci` she'd learn to live with it. Cinder's eyes scanned the shop slightly, hearing Dio she inquired, "Athan? Friend of yours as well, Dio?" Cinder paused her gaze locking on the ginger haired Peeps. Peeps while the others had been conversing had snuck up on the display and a bracelet upon it. Reaching up carefully he started to pull the bracelet from it's stand. Cinder stepped across the room in a few quick strides and reached out plucking the bauble from the Priman's hands. Peeps let out a pitiful whining sound as she did. With a rather well trained movement she laid the bracelet back in the case. "No stealing, go apologize. See if Dio will introduce you to the guy with the big star thingy."Cinder rolled her shoulders and glanced over, "sorry about that, he's harmless enough he just likes to walk off with the silver and shiney things. Luckily he isn't too good at it."Peeps sulked slightly moving up to rest along the bottom of the front counter. Reyna Crelos Mystic's brow lifted in mild confusion. 'Star... thingy?' he queried, 'Do you mean the ceiling in the back room?'Reyna offered Cinder a fanged grin. "Athan owns the place and uh... is largely responsible for these guys," she motioned to Dio and Mystic both with a wave of her hand. She snickered faintly at the cat-creature's antics. "Careful there, honey. I don't exactly take well to people skittering off with my work without paying first. If ya asked nicely I could maybe strike you a deal, though." Deals with demons, while typically a dangerous thing, was at least (somewhat) safer a thing to do within Twilight Designs. Just so long as it was Reyna doing the deal-making and no bargaining of souls were involved. Merci` Dio finally detached himself from Reyna and floating backwards giving her some space. It was mostly so he could look at Mystic comfortably. 'Yes the ceiling! I am most interested in seeing it, everyone has talked about how wonderful it is. You said that it was accurate? How accurate? Does it account for interstellar movement, supernovas and things like that? I know that the general layout is always the same, but things change, even in the heavens.'The woman turned her face to Cinder and then back to Reyna, "Cinder has been out of the Galaxy for a little while. She came back and found Dio, it was a little bit of a shock for the both of them I guess. I tried to explain a little bit about what Dio is, but I think I might have failed miserably." Cinderfae Peeps ears layed back for a moment looking over to Reyna, "sorry for touching your things..." the priman stood a moment pouting but only for a moment before turning his attention toward Dio. "Star thingy!" Moving around to the side he looked over at Hawk curiously listening some as he does. Shaking her head slightly Cinder's gaze went to where the Priman had moved, she felt a bit bad for this Athan character. "And well that's right, suppose we decided to just stop by the core of the whole thing."-=TBC=-
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Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:05 pm
 (RP took place April 19th, 2010)
{RP took place in a Word Processor}
This was it, Dio's special night. The little Fiend had been a whirlwind ball of condensed excitement, and it had Merci pretty well exhausted. She'd been having a hard time getting any sleep, every time she closed her eyes she could see some darkness envelop Dio, and she could hear his horrified and pained screams. So she did whatever any normal person would do, she ignored her nightmares and stayed awake as much as possible using stimulants. Her favorites were caffeine and alone time with her newly returned snuggle bunny. Tonight however she was going to have to deal with a promise she made awhile ago. Mostly because her little black charge would be completely impossible to live with if she backed out. Red and Zero were coming over to let the kids hang out and have a sleep over. Due to the nature of the creatures, that meant that Zero couldn't just drop off Red. She had to stay over as well. That left Merci in the role of welcoming hostess. Merci was in a foul mood. Oh she was happy, of course, to see the woman she considered a friend. That wasn't the problem at all. It was the attitudes of her housemates that had her on edge. Merci leaned against the granite counter-top in her kitchen with her arms folded. Her green eyes were locked on the form of Seraph, who was busily putting lids on food containers and stacking them neatly in the refrigerator. "Seraph I can cook you know." Her voice carried a touch of annoyance, "You don't have to treat me like I'm a kid your letting stay home alone." She was supposed to be the woman of the house, the master of the manor. Instead she felt like a helpless child being left with a babysitter. See, it had been pretty much decided that everyone was going to scatter tonight and hide out. They all claimed it was so the kids could have fun without worrying about disturbing anyone. Merci suspected it had more to do with the fact that Dio was a bit of a handful by himself, no one wanted to see what it was like with two of them in the house. Seraph simply turned and looked back at Merci, there was no inflection in his voice and he spoke calmly "It isn't that we don't believe you can take care of yourself. You are tired." The last was definitely a statement, "And we want to make sure you aren't overly stressed with menial chores." He picked up the last of his neatly organized containers and deposited them inside the fridge. "I believe that should be the last of the preparations." Merci huffed and stood away from the counter, her tail lashing unhappily. Cinder and Rhys were already gone, they were seeing to some calibrations on The Warhammer. Her lover had departed earlier in the day, probably because she sensed that Merci's patience was getting pressed to the breaking point with Seraph's fussing. If there was something Cinder was good at, it was knowing where Merci's boiling point was. The large reptilian creature did not seem worried that he might have angered her at all. "I left some teas out in case you feel like drinking any before you go to bed." It was about as subtle as Seraph got, but Merci heard what he really meant. 'It will help you sleep, and you need to.' "Alright I get it okay? You can go back to the Guest house, we'll be fine. If I need help it isn't like your very far away." Even though there was a slight growl to her voice, Seraph still seemed oblivious to her displeasure. He inclined his body toward her in the semblance of a bow as he slithered toward the side door in the kitchen. "You know the phone number if you need any assistance." With those final words the Asian Medusa finally opened the door and let himself out into the rapidly cooling outdoors. The angry kitsune stalked after him and slammed the door shut in his wake. Night wasn't far away, which probably meant that Zero and Red would be there fairly shortly. Merci wandered from the kitchen to the living room to organize the DVD collection of Nova and other educational documentaries on the universe that Dio insisted they own. She could try and fool herself, but the truth was she was exhausted. She had a feeling that if her body stopped moving long enough she might succumb to sleep. The mere thought of it made a cold coil of dread settle in her tummy. Merci was jerked from her thoughts when she noticed a black streak pass the door to the sitting room she was standing in. Dio must have been done with whatever project he was working on because when she peeked at him, he was waiting with all the calm of a cat sailing in a paper boat. Seeing Dio's excitement really lifted her mood, and she soon found herself smiling in spite of herself.
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 3:14 pm
 (RP took place July 21th, 200 cool
{RP took place in the Guild}
Merci` Dio was a frantic mess. He hadn't seen Red since the day Reyna and Athan got back to normal. Even though he knew that Mystic was getting better, just thinking about that day gave him a feeling in the vicinity of his tummy that was not pleasant. He wanted to talk to his friend so badly, and he was waiting next to the door wringing his hands. Merci poked her head out of the sitting room and grinned. It was so amusing to her that he could get so amazingly worked up over the simplest little things. "Dio, calm down alright? Zero told me that they would be over tonight. Hovering next to the door is not going to make them get here any faster." She couldn't help the teasing note in her voice as the fiend turned and locked a glare at her.
'I am perfectly calm, I just don't want them to have to wait.' He finished lamely. With a sigh he turned away from his goofily grinning guardian and cracked the door to see if they were there yet. Nope, not yet. He shut the door and went back to fussing with his sleeve, ignoring the light giggle he heard from the direction of the sitting room. Zero Dream There was the faint sound of a motorcycle approaching nearby, which then proceeded to suddenly die off. It's rider disembarked it with surprising agility, and she took off her helmet as she started to walk toward the door. There was next to nothing left from her previous outer-worldy fight, and it was so amazing how mobile and pliable she could be when some parts of her body where not all but screeching in pain. Red emerged from his guardian's shadow as her feet hit the ground, looking strangely annoyed as he drifted behind her. What the fruitcake had said... he couldn't stop thinking about it, he couldn't figure it out, and it was pissing him off. Pissing him off a whole damn lot."Stop sulking... This is supposed to be fun, remember ?" All she earnt herself was a mental grumble, and the cyborg rolled her eyes as she went to knock on the door. Hopefully they where not late... or too early. Merci` 'They're here! They're here!' Dio flung the door open to see Zero and Red. He dove through the space between him and the other Fiend and grabbed him by the arm. Dio spun him around once in his excitement before he started to drag him inside. 'I have so much to talk to you about, I am so happy your here. I get to show you my room, and you can see my telescope! It's upstairs on the roof. Everything is going to be great!' The smaller boy drug Red into the house. It was a pretty old Victorian, with decorative crown molding and highly polished old wooden floors. 'Merci they're here come out of there!'Merci poked her head out of the sitting room again before it was followed by her body. "Hey Zero, nice to see you again. Red, you look good. Don't let him rip your arm off in his excitement alright?" She couldn't help teasing as she gave Dio another huge grin. "We have dinner for you guys, the snakes ate earlier so it should just be the four of us." She gestured at the door she just came out of, "If you'd like to take a seat Zero there are some chairs in there. Can I get you something to drink?" Merci wasn't always the best hostess, but for Dio's sake she was really going to try. Zero Dream "Nah, ill be fine." She had to resist the urge to smirk when she saw Red being carted around by someone so much smaller than he was. She took a seat and kept on watching the two, very visibly amused. So, hey, wait, wait. Dio had a room, and he didn't ? Ohhhh, this would require a few correctives after tonight. He followed along like a good little boy, which was probably the only way Dio could cart him around as is. He honestly doubted he would be able to unwilling drag him, after all. "That sounds fun." He was genuinely happy to be here, and curious about things, even if he looked still a bit grumpy.Merci` The smaller shadow didn't seem able to contain himself. He hooked his arm through Red's and beamed up at him. Dio was hardly able to contain himself, the urge to stay in physical contact with Red was nearly overwhelming, but he forced himself to settle for the arm contact. 'Merci can get dinner and then we can go on the roof, it'll be dark enough then to show you my telescope. You can see stars far away with it! I wanna get a bigger one, I saw a show on TV about huge ones that have their own buildings! I wanna have one like that.' The babble stopped when Dio saw the look on Merci's face.She was utterly entertained. She couldn't stop herself from putting her hand up over her mouth to cover the snicker that had threatened to burst forth at his excitement. "You go on." She managed to choke out, but the mirth wasn't hidden in her tone, "You don't eat anyway. Zero and I can have dinner while you show off your room and whatnot. You two wouldn't wanna hang around with the geezers after all." Her eyes were dancing when she dropped her hand and made a shooing gesture. "Go on and have fun." Zero Dream Red did not seem to terribly mind, once again, even if Dio was basically clinging to him as if they where glued together. Anyone else, probably, would have quite painfully and suddenly found their way off. "Ill find you one of those, then." He probably would have grinned if he could have. "The biggest one, of course. Nothing less."It was hard for Zero not to laugh herself, even when Red shot her a glare that could have frozen hell. Merci` Dio glared at Merci and moved away from Red, his arm still firmy attached to the other shadow. 'Come on, we have to go up, we'll hang out in the room till it gets dark enough. I wanna show you my scrolls too. The Athan man gave them to me and you can only read them in moonlight. Isn't that weird? I thought so....'Merci couldn't hear the end of that statement as Dio successfully pulled Red out of sight up the stairs. Her tail curled up around her waist as she dropped down to sit in a chair opposite Zero. "I swear Dio has been like that all day. He waited for an hour next to the door for you two to get here." The amusement was firmly infused in her voice. "Red just as bad?" His room was small, and he phased straight through the wall without bothering to open the door. 'Come on in, Dio waved him closer to the middle of the room. the walls were a robins egg blue, with nice white molding around the floor and ceiling. Mobiles of stars and starcharts covered the ceilings and walls. 'Do you like it?' The question was timid. There wasn't really a bed, but there was a pile of pillows and a couple beanbag like chairs for curling up on. everything seemed to be in different shades of blue and purple. In the ceiling was a small sky light, and through it they could see the fading oranges and reds of the sun colored the clouds in the sky. Zero Dream "Worse." Zero grinned, moving to tuck one leg over the other. "My house is a warzone. Couldn't get him to stay still... But he will probably deny it if you ask him." Red phazed his way in as well, stopping a moment to take on the room. "I really like it..." He floated upward slightly, reaching for one of the mobile, carefully running a finger on one of the star charms. The fiend very rarely took such care of keeping his strength in check - if it broke, well.... it broke, but in this case it was completely different. "Expecially with the sky light... I really need to bug Zero to get a room, too."Merci` The smaller fiend looked over his shoulder and his eyes closed halfway in something resembling a smile. 'Merci said this used to be a babies room, but I don't need much room. I spend most of my time on the roof.' He looked back down and fussed around with some books that were piled up haphazardly against the wall, until he pulled a satchel free with his unsleeved hand. He dragged it overto the pillows and dropped it to flip it open. Dio's sleeved hand hung limply at his side, almost like it was crippled. His voice when he spoke next was more quiet. 'Red? Do you remember what that weird shadow called you? The one that helped save the Athan man and Auntie Reyna?' His sleeved hand finally moved and he used it to cradle the parchments he pulled free from the bag. He didn't speak, but his burgundy eyes moved over to Red, and he seemed to be very serious.Merci grinned a bit and leaned forward, her green eyes were creased from laughter. "I am really glad they seem to be such good friends. Honestly Dio gets more excited about seeing Red then even going to the shop to see Mystic. I'm glad the feeling seems to be mutual. How are you holding up? I heard about your arm." She gestured vaguely toward Zero's arms as she sat back and got more comfortable in the overstuffed armchairs. Zero Dream "There isn't really any room in Zero's house for me to have a room quite yet, but.... I think one of the brats might be moving out soon. I don't horribly mind, but... it would be nice to have some place that was private."
He frowned a bit when Dio mentioned... that time. He really hated to think about it. Hated to think that Mystic almost died, hated to think that he couldn't have been able to do a damn thing about it. But, hey, hadn't he meant to ask Dio, anyway ? Right.
Still, he rather disliked to think about that way. The red shadow let himself flop on the cushion furthest away from the scrolls, careful not to lay on, or damage any of them.
"Yeah, I remember. Alisari. Got no idea what the heck that meant. Do you know... ?" He tilted his head to peer at Dio, annoyance mostly faded from his expression now."Ah, that.... Yeah, ill be fine." The cyborg offered with a smile. "No need to worry, I've seen worse. And yeah, it is... definitively a good thing. Dio seems to calm him down. He can be quite... destructive on his own, and I don't think he knows how to completely keep himself in check just yet..." She sighed. Merci` Dio shook his head slowly and floated down closer to the ground, coming to rest next to Red so he could show him the blank pieces of parchment. 'This is a magical artifact or something. The Athan man gave them to me, and Mystic was very jealous of me because I had them. They are called 'The Midnight Scrolls of the Alisari'. The writing on them only appears when the moon is out, and is weak when the moon is small in the sky. It shows up best when it is full and round. I thought that maybe there is a clue in them to what that strange fiend said.' Dio's voice trailed off and he rolled them carefully back up. 'I thought maybe you could look at them on the roof, I can't read them exactly, but the Athan man has a translation for me in a notebook somewhere.'Merci nodded a bit and stood up. "Come on lets scrounge dinner. Sorry if I am a poor hostess, honestly I'm really tired. I can't seem to sleep lately, I keep having really horrible nightmares." she was dressed down in a pair of worn out jeans and an old band tee, around her waist was a really neat looking leather belt. It was unique in the off centered large blue gem that seemed to rest over her hip. It winked in the light as she sauntered out into the hallway lead Zero to the kitchen. Zero Dream "That's all nice and good and fun, but... What the hell does that have to do with me ?" Red blinked. "Really. I think the fruitcake's just out of his brain. Guess I can try, but I doubt ill be able to read them, really.""It's all well and good... I know how bad that can be." There was a worried look in the cyborg's glowing eyes when Merci mentioned nightmares. "Hopefully they'll be gone soon.... and hopefully they don't mean anything." Merci` Dio looked from the paper back up at Red, 'Well the scrolls are supposed to be connected to the Alisari, and that weird shadow called you an Alisari. I dunno I just thought maybe there would be a clue if you could read them or something.' He ran a hand through his bangs and shrugged a shoulder, 'I guess it doesn't make sense now that you mention it.' Dio carefully stowed the scrolls away in the waning light, and pushed through the books till he found the notebook that was given to him with the scrolls. 'You can take this and read it if you want, maybe that will be easier. I'll talk to the strange shadow about it. He seemed to know a whole lot about what was going on. Maybe he knows about you too.'Merci walked into the kitchen and around the wooden table that sat in a small attached dining area. She pulled out sealed containers and walked back over to the table to set them out. "I have the same dreams. Something is trying to eat Dio, and no matter what I try to do I can't stop it. He's screaming in pain and agony and the thing is like mist. I can't grab it, can't stop it, can't kill it. When it's done with Dio it turns on me. I wake up usually just before it's killed me." She blinks slowly and grimaces "Sorry, I shouldn't be complaining about my dreams. Have a seat and chow down. Seraph makes good food." Merci rounded everything out with tableware before she flopped down and popped the lid on a salad. Zero Dream "Yeah, well... I can try, at least." He glanced down at the notebook as it was put in front of him, tail lashing back and forth and threatening to send a few cushions flying in his inattention. "....That doesn't seem to be ringing any bells. Sorry, Dio."
Really, the concept that he had once been something else - which was knowledge he knew very well thanks to having to follow Athan for quite a long time before Zero came along in the equation - was pretty alien to him. He didn't feel like he'd once been something else, and he did not remember a thing about said something else. He was what he was right now, really.Zero winced a bit. "Man, that is... really, really bad. I have a friend that's versed in magic that might know a way to block them out, if it never goes away... But his magic is kind of.... hit or miss... So that should probably be a last resort kind of thing." She sat down as asked and took a peek into one of the containers. "Hopefully it doesn't mean anything..." Merci` Dio shrugged a shoulder and settled on the pillows next to Red. He reached out with his unsleeved hand and patted his tail trying to quiet him. 'It's alright, it was a silly idea anyway. We can go talk to the shadow together, or maybe talk to Mystic or Athan when they are feeling better. They know everything.' Dio nodded and his eyes were ernest. He really did want to find out what the Alasari were. That his best friend was called by that name had only peeked his curiousity. 'It's getting dark enough that if we wanted to go up on the roof now it wouldn't be to uncomfortable. I wanted to show off my telescope. Ooo we can rest up there too if we bring the pillows up. It's nice and comfy. Merci and Vance built me an awning I can put up to block the sun for morning times.' Dio tilted his head to the side and the hair fell away from his face, uncharacteristically showing off both of his eyes. 'Would you like that?'Merci gestured with her fork while she finished chewing and swallowing the bite of salad she had in her mouth. "There are ribs I think, some corn on the cob over there." Her fork swivelled to indicate a container, "And I think there might be another container with salad and stuff. If you want something else Seraph would be happy to oblige I'm sure. He loves cooking..." Her ears flicked as she put down the bowl and rubbed her eyes. "I'm sure they are just dreams, but somehow they seem really vivid. I appriciate the information, and trust me, if i don't get a full nights sleep soon I might just be calling you to ask about your friend. It's getting ridiculous." Zero Dream Red did his best to stay still and, most importantly, to listen. Dio talked so much that he was kind of hard to follow, sometimes, but... he wouldn't be Dio if he didn't do that. Really, that was kind of endearing.
"Well, we can still try, I don't mind. Who knows. I definitively want to see your telescope, at least. And we can sleep wherever you want, really. Im not picky, as long as we don't get toasted in the morning."
The sun was, indeed, still an evil thing that needed to die in a fire."Ribs are just fine." Zero reached out for that container, a grin on her face, even if it didn't totally hide her worry. "Yeah, I guess... how long has this been going on ?" Merci` Dio beamed and floated up off the beanbag like cushion he was on. Doing a quick scan around the room he picked up his satchel with the scrolls and added the translation to it carefully. The small shadow slug it over his back, his sleeved arm still dangling at his side motionless. Then with one hand he attempted to pick up the sack he had been resting on a moment before. With one arm it seemed Dio was having less then a stellar amount of luck with it.
He however seemed fairly determined not to be beaten by a beanbag chair. 'If you grab the one you had we can go up now. The first stars should be peeking out about now.'Merci's brow furrowed as she thought about it. "Awhile now actually. I don't remember when they started, I know that Dio is starting to fuss about it though. It was sometime after he got those scrolls.. I think it was before the thing with the stoned shopkeepers." She couldn't help a sarcastic grin. Obviously she meant that to sound exactly as it did. "I'll let you know if it gets any worse though. Honestly I think that it's just stress. I've always had nightmares when I get stressed out." She pushed the empty salad bowl onto the table and picked up a rib. She carefully peeled the meat off the bone with her teeth before she began gnawing on the bone. Her slightly sharper teeth made little grooves on it's surface. Zero Dream Red did so - rather easily, in fact - and watched Dio struggle with his own for a moment before he took it and lifted it, rather comically with Dio still attached to it.
"Did you hurt your arm ?" He asked, gesturing toward his limp sleeved arm with his tail. He had tried to have it look like a casual question, but there was worry in his mental "voice"."I just find it odd that it is always the same dream." The cyborg said in between bites. "When I have nightmares, they rarely are the same thing... Having the same nightmare night after night, but..." She paused. No, really, it didn't sounds like the dreams she had before Sei bonded to her. Merci` Dio was brought up and let out a very unmasculine squeek before he let go of the bag. Obviously embarrassed he ducked his head and shook it, his bangs falling to hide most of his face. 'Um... no. I mean, I don't think I did. It just feels wrong to use it, kinda, umm.. awkward?' He peeked through the veil of hair at Red and said with a slight bit of awe, 'How did you get so strong? You're so much stronger then me.' The last was a little wistful.The kitsune dropped the bone with a yawn and nodded a bit. "Yeah, don't get me wrong. I wish I knew who doled out dreams so I could throttle him or her a good one..." She trailed off and tilted her head, "You don't suppose it's something magical do you? I mean I don't think I've pissed anyone off lately. I honestly don't know if I have any enemies that know where I am." Worry now colored her tone. She had attributed it to stress over Dio and Cinder's recent homecoming. If it was something else, then she had no idea if or when it would stop. Zero Dream Red really couldn't help it - he laughed, just a tiny bit, at the sound the smaller shadow had made. "Hmmm... That really made no sense to him, but... Dio must have his own reasons.
"That's... what I do, I guess. Like you say the stars talk to you ? Well, im just strong, I guess. I broke a display of Athan's that was spelled not to break once." There was fairly unhidden pride at that last statement."It... honestly might be." She sighed, letting the bowl down. "About that... Well, you remember the stoned shopkeeper thing..." With the tone the cyborg was using, it wasn't really humorous. "What happened there is... someone left a note, stuck on my front door with some goey crap. It was really creepy, with allusions to serpents and medusas so.... We kind of knew it was about Red, so I went down to the shop. I was upset, really... I have a family and I don't want them caught up in things like this. But when Athan read it... It turned them to stone." She shook her head. "...Almost turned me to stone, too, but my implants slowed it down enough so Mystic could jump in. That's what happened to my arm... He stopped it right at the shoulder." The spell had been undone, of course, but she still hadn't recovered complete mobility of it. She was starting to doubt she ever would. "Just... don't mention it in front of Red. He'll break a few things if you do." Clearly, the shadow was rather... unhappy still with the events that had transpired. "But before he did read the note to me, he asked me if I had been plagued by any beasts, sickness, or anything like that. I thought it was silly then, but now... Especially since it's always Dio..." She frowned. "Maybe you should go see Athan about this." Merci` Dio was quiet for a moment in awe. He had never been physically powerful, never really been all that powerful otherwise. A part of him was very jealous, he would love to be able to knock Vance's block off. Then he had an idea, one that made him really excited. He moved to the door and opened it, ushering Red through it. The trapdoor in the ceiling wasn't a problem for the small shadow since he could float easily up and pull the short cord that made the stairs drop. 'Come on, I wanna ask you something.'
Dio rounded the stairs and came out in the small attic room that lead to the widows walk. He would much rather have this room, and Merci at one point promised him she would get it cleaned out and move him up here. 'I bet you could do anything you wanted to huh? I mean your so strong.' He opened the door to go out and allowed Red to go first onto the wide walkway. There was an awning pulled out casting a black shadow in the waning day. The sky had already given over to the purple hues of dying light.Merci nodded slowly and sat up straighter. Her ears were pricked forward as she listened intently to the story that Zero relayed. She was worried now, honestly horribly worried. She never imagined that these little creatures would have enemies. Merci had been there when Red had attached himself to Zero, he hadn't been around long enough to really piss someone off to that point had he? "Your right, I'll take Dio tomorrow to go see Athan. I know they are still a little down and out, but I couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to him." Through her worry and upset, she suddenly felt very fatigued. Her eyes drooped and she yawned hugely. "Sorry, I'm just so tired all the time. You wouldn't be mad at me if I turned in soon would you? I can help you take anything you brought with you up to the guest room. It's small, but the bed is comfortable." Her words were slightly slurred with her sudden exhaustion. On the belt, the dark lines in the stone grew thicker. Zero Dream Red did not seem to notice a thing as he fluttered off to follow Dio. "If it involves punching someone's face in, yeaaahhhh, probably !" He gave off the impression of a mental grin as he made his way to the walkway."Hm-n, it's all fine. I didn't bring much, really, so all you really need to do is tell me where it is. Ill make sure the little terrors don't wreck the place." She tried a carefree grin, but it didn't really work - expecially with the worry evident in her eyes. Something told her she also should keep a close eye on Merci herself. Merci` Merci stood up and arched her back in a very satisfying stretch. "It's upstairs, you don't have to worry about the snakes either. They decided that it would be best of they made themselves scarce this evening. Thats sorta why we had to eat out of tupperware." She gave a rueful smile as she started gathering up the food and putting the empty containers in the sink and the ones that still had something in them in the fridge. Almost like magic in the morning all the dishes would be done and the table polished to a fine sheen. Seraph was a little a**l about being able to see himself on the flat surfaces in the house. "Feel free to raid anything in the kitchen if you get hungry. Seraph will be down in the morning to cook up something amazing for breakfast I'm sure." Merci rambled as she kept herself moving, "Alright, come on I will point out where the kids will be staying too on the way up." Dio grabbed Red's arm and flew around him in a happy circle, spinning him once before zipping in a straight line over to his telescope. It was pointed upward and obviously well taken care of. The little shadow caressed the surface of it and motioned Red over the rest of the way. 'You can put that stuff down right there under the awning. I sleep there so the sun doesn't get me in the morning. It hurts way to much. Tonight I am going to show you my world.' His eye was shining brightly as he talked to Red. 'I won't show anyone else, not even Mystic. I'll tell you what they say, how they sing. Maybe you will be able to hear it! I bet you will, because I'll help you.' Dio was practically sparkling with barely contained excitement and energy. Merci got to the top of the stairs and stopped to breathe for a moment, she put a hand up to her face and pinched the bridge of her nose. The headache was just getting worse, but she would be laying down soon in the dark, so she could handle it a little while longer. "Thats Dio's room, they probably won't be in there much because he's been going on about showing Red his telescope. They will probably be up on the widow's walk," She gestured rather vaguely at the trapdoor stairs that were still open. "Dio sleeps up there most times. Bathroom is right there," Another gesture at a closed door, " and the guest room that Maili made up for you is right here." Merci walked down the hallway and opened a door. The room was decorated in a distinctly Victorian style. The four post bed dominated the room, though it was still easy to walk through, matching wardrobe and dressing table completed the bedroom set. The room gave off a slightly hotel like feeling. "Seraph decorated it, he is kind of a stickler for matching period furniture in this house. Like I said make yourself at home." Her voice wasn't shaking but she was leaning on the wall as she talked to Zero. unconsciously her hand had moved to put her palm on the rather large blue and black gem embedded in her belt. "I am only one room down so if you feel like you need to wake me for anything I'll be happy to get it for you." She paused and finished up with a rather sheepish tone, "Thanks for being such a sport about this. Normally I wouldn't abandon you this early in the night but I'm finally feeling tired." Merci pushed away from the wall and patted Zero's shoulder as she passed her, stopping for a moment to give her a smiling nod before she disappeared into her bedroom. Zero Dream Zero nodded in acknowledgment as the layout of the house was pointed out to her, doing her best to map it out correctly in her head. Given the link she had with Red that they where starting to figure out how to use, finding the two boys would not be a problem, but yet she could not shake off the feeling that something was off.The smile on her face faded into a worried frown once the woman was out of her sight. This was not right, indeed... Clearly, the cyborg did not intend to sleep much tonight. Red quite comically allowed himself to be dragged, though, given the charge he was carrying, he found himself having to help the smaller shadow along a tad. When pointed out where to lay everything down, he slid off and did just that, making sure to lay everything down where the sun would not reach before darting back and glancing at the telescope, his tail wagging back and forth much like a curious cat's. "What's that ?" He pointed at it, keeping himself out of arm's reach of the object, clearly afraid that he might break it if he touched it. Then he cocked his head to the side. "Ill... try." Honestly, this whole star-talking business sounded too complicated for him.Merci` Dio glanced up from the contraption and he laughed, 'It's a tube that lets you look really really far away. You can see stuff you don't normally see! They come looots bigger then this one but the ones that really let you see far away are so big they need their houses! Can you believe it! A whole house just for one of these?' His voice trailed off in wonder and he waved Red over to take a look. 'You put your eye here see... and then you turn this so things aren't blurry. Right now I have it pointed at Ursa Minor, thats a star pattern that looks like a bear kinda.' Dio beamed as Red looked through the lens at budding stars that were beginning to dot the darkened sky. He narrated and turned it for him so he could see all of Dio's favorites.*** The little shadow had managed to get his bean bag pretty close to where Red was, and he'd fallen into a happily comatose state. His dreams had been littered with sparkling diamonds around his feet as he ran and played in the darkness. Little glowing orbs floating around him like giant fireflies, darting in and out of each other to get his attention. Something however had woken him up.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes, a feeling of cold had settled deep in his belly and it made him shiver. It was still dark outside, though it would soon be dawn now. Half they night he had played with Red, looking through a telescope. When they were done doing that he showed him the games Maili and he played with old cardboard tubes from wrapping paper. It was fun to pretend you were a pirate on top of a huge pirate ship, sword fighting and warding off imaginary enemies from the depths of the sea. Red was better then he was at the sword fighting parts.
He felt really disoriented and then it hit him.
Dio reached out and grabbed Red by the vest. 'Red, Red wake up somethings wrong. Somethings wrong!' Terror was slowly working it's way through his system. He'd never put much store in it but that place that his guardian normally was, the happy and safe place, suddenly wasn't anymore.
He quickly moved from his beanbag over to Red's and pulled on his arm trying to get him upright. 'Somethings wrong with my Merci! I'm scared...' Zero Dream Unlike his counterpart, Red did not dream - at least, not dreams that he did remember, much like his own guardian in that aspect. He has wound up spawled over the lenght of two beanbags, his tail running along to Dio's side and rather comically seemed like it would have wound up curled around his waist had it been long enough to do so, and he looked perfectly content and almost completely at peace, even.
However, this situation took a very sharp turn once a very paniced Dio entered the picture. Red woke up quite suddenly and let out a sharp hiss of discontentment before he seemed to realize where he was, and who exactly woke him up. His glowing blue eyes blinked once, twice, apparently still half-asleep and not quite understanding what the smaller shadow was trying to tell him before a few more seconds passed.
"What do you mean ?" He did not wait for an answer, however - no sooner was the question asked that he had darted downward though the roof. He reached rather akwardly though his own link with Zero and found no answer. Merci` Dio followed Red quickly, his mind voice high with worry 'It feels wrong, somethings wrong with her. I think she's hurt.' The confusion was shoved away, the little shadow was more concerned with his guardian's well being then wondering what the hell could have done this in a place he has always been safe. 'She is in her room, just down the stairs. Someone has to help her.' He was wringing his hand over the long sleeve twisting it with his obvious aggravation.
He darted around Red and hovered near her bedroom door, torn between shoving it open and charging in, and just hiding in a corner. The sounds of scratching and heavy breathing came from behind the door and it made Dio jump. He turned frantic burgundy eyes to Red. 'Can your Guardian help her?'
Even behind his fear, he didn't want Red somewhere he could get hurt. Zero Dream "I don't know where she is." The snake-like shadow frowned. "She's not answering me."
Really, he was rather irked. He had been sleeping just fine, thank you very much ! Thus, there was only one thing that could come out of this. Whatever thing it was behind that door, it would have to be another victim of Red's favorite equation.
Fist + face = splat.
There was a sudden, loud BANG from inside the room, a flare of pain at his side, and he knew exactly what was going on now, eyes narrowing to a completely unsafe ******** the fist in the face, that thing was beating on his guardian, and thus now it needed to die. And thus now was time to create a well thought out plan...
"...HEY, YOU b*****d, DON'T YOU ******** DARE TOUCH EITHER OF THEM !!!!!"
....Or maybe not. Battlecry aside, Red had already phased straight though the door. Merci` Dio tried to grab at Red and immediately followed him into the darkened bedroom. He naturally felt comfortable in the dark so it didn't bother him, the first fingers of dawn had started to to color the sky and he could barely make it out from where he was.
The reason he couldn't see out the window clearly, was because there was a large... well... THING for lack of a better term, between him and it. It seemed to engulf the bed where Dio was sure his Merci still was. It's dark form didn't seem very fixed in place as it's surface roiled and writhed. It's eyes glowed a malevolent blue, dim and fixed on the other beings in the room. Tentacle like appendages jutted out at the sides where arms normally would be, and though they looked thick and meaty, it was slightly transparent. The small shadow couldn't make out legs, it seemed to be shaped like one of Seraph's funny jell-o molds and ended where the ground was in a large flat base.
There wasn't anything funny about this thing though.
Dio froze where he was and his burgundy eye got huge. He shrunk back against the wall and seemed not able to look away from the glowing eyes that zeroed in on him. He started shaking his head when he heard a moan from Merci. The sound let him know she was still there, but he couldn't feel her, and it terrified him. Zero Dream And also, in the room, there was Zero - who was apparently trying her damnedness to actually get to Merci - without much success, as various cuts and scratches where letting on. Being weaponless and having so little space to move in the bedroom where not working at her advantage. Hopefully the fox woman would not be too upset at her playing leap-wall, which was... pretty much what she was doing. It was her only way to really gain altitude, which was how she fought. Try as she might, the cyborg was not seeming to provide even the slightest distraction to the thing. "Red ! Take Dio, get the hell out of here, and go get help !" The woman remained completely unanswered. Red remained completely, dangerously still and tense, much like a cobra ready to strike. There where only two points that really registered in his mind.
The first one being that this... thing, whatever the hell it was he did not care, was pretty much throwing HIS guardian around like a ping pong ball.
The second was the way it looked at Dio. He knew what this look meant, and he was having none of it. The glare of the creature was answered by his own, all the while letting out a hiss that sounded like it belonged more to a feral animal than a sentient creature.
Coherent thought seemed to get more and more distant every second.Merci` Dio let out a desperate squeal when he saw one of the creatures tentacles shoot toward him. He phased through the wall into the hallway and darted toward the roof. He didn't make it very far, and the shock went through him like a cold wind. The little shadow felt pressure around his waist and he was suddenly and violently jerked backwards. His head snapped forward as he was pulled from the quiet hallway into the din of Merci's bedroom.
The thing had a smoky appendage wrapped firmly around Dio's waist and was waving him around like a rag doll. Very few things made any sense to him in the blur around him. He oculd make out Merci, still in a heap on the floor. The blue lady was yelling at Red, though what exactly he wasn't sure.
What really stood out was Red, it was like a snapshot in his mind. His friend didn't look happy, he looked angry, very very angry. About then everything seemed to slow down.It was dark, and she was tired. Something however was making alot of noise. She would have rolled over and gone back to sleep but the memory of Seraph stealing Dio surfaced in her mind. She managed to crank one eye open and roll it around, but what she say didn't make a lick of sense to her at all. Zero Dream And that was it.
One second, Red had been yet perfectly still, but in a blink, he was in motion, all but snarling up a storm, hands pulling at the shadows of the room to form huge claws that clung on just as if they had been part of him all along.
He went straight for the creature without another thought - the only thing that really held any sway onto his mind was that that thing needed to die.
As brutally as possible.
He darted, shoving one claw as deep as he could in the beast's exposed stomach, clearly intending to open it whole and gut it out.This... wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. He was doing it again, and she had no idea how to stop him. This... could get very ugly indeed, but for now, she had to admit he was, at the very least, providing a very good diversion. The cyborg went back on her feet, and charged, the flash of light that was her saber rose to attempt to slice the tentacle that was holding Dio. Merci` His world turned upside down as he was suddenly flung tail over teakettle. The pressure from around his waist seemed to dissapate in a cloud of an ashlike substance. Dio phased halfway through the floor before he finally got control of his fall and pulled himself back up to see what was happening.
The remaining tentacles all shot forward at once, moving with an inhuman speed toward the crazed Fiend. Red's claws were hurting it, and the eyes that once glowed blue turned a bloody shade. All of it's attentions had turned from Dio to the largest threat against it's being, everything seemed focused on Red. The massive form seemed to be losing a little of it's shape. Blackness that couldn't be described as anything other then gore was spilling outward from the deep wounds the Angry crimson shadow was dealing out.
Dio cast about, looking for the part of it that had been around him. It didn't seem to be anywhere, in the air little flakes of ash and soot fell, like the aftermath of a volcano errupting.Merci's eyes stayed open and she managed to push herself up on one elbow. This all had to be a dream, it just didn't make any sense. It wasn't going like most of her dreams, by now she would be screaming and Dio would be halfway engulfed by the ugly b*****d. She had never dreamed Red and Zero before. It was hearing the shrill earpeircing sounds coming from the black thing taking up a majority of her room that finally snapped her from her half awake coma. Shock however was not so easy to cope with. How the hell was it real?! Zero Dream Red did not stop. Oh no he did not stop. Not when he was achieving the very purpose of his assault.
b***h had hurt his Dio and now it was damn well going to die for it. In his rage he saw, and knew, nothing else.
Red hissed something unrecognizable (and it was probably very much better that way) and he pounded the nightmare thing against the wall, clawing his way though and bearing the retaliations head on. The gore only seemed to motivate him further, made him lash out more.
And from the sound of it, there would likely be very real claw mark on the wall by the time he was done with the thing. Which... hopefully would be soon, because it was obvious to everyone else that the snake-like shadow was weakening... quickly.With Dio finally free, Zero dashed for Merci. "Are you okay ?!" Merci` He was dizzy, but he could see what was going on well enough. Dio floated up finally and almost moved forward, except the sounds of this things screaming made him freeze. Nothing on earth made such a horrible shrieking sound, something between a scream and the shattering sounds of glass breaking.
The tentacles had wrapped themselves around Red, trying to squeeze him into submission. It had however, not worked. One by one they dropped, the putrid liquid fading away into an ashen like substance.
Dio's body jumped as a loud cracking sound came from where his guardian was. He whipped around tried to figure out what was going on.Merci had sat up and took Zero's hands, "I think so, what is going on? Is that thing rea-" mid-sentence the loud crack echoed through the room, The belt that had been practically been around her waist she since got it, slipped down and rested against the mattress underneath her. The blue-black gem that had formed it's buckle had shattered, leaving the piece of leather loose to fall from her form. With the cracking of the gem, the blood red eye of the creature went dark, and all fight went from it. The ash-like substance started dissipating, falling upward like snow going the wrong way. Each piece faded from sight as it rose, leaving behind the room, untouched by the blood or gore of the fallen thing. Instead it was simply a room that looked like it had seen the wrong end of a fight. Worse for wear but salvageable. Dio spotted Red where he was and started toward him. Worry filling the small shadow at the welfare of his friend, confusion took a back seat to his concern for Red. Zero Dream This could have all ended pretty badly, with Dio approaching a berseker like this - but as it was, Dio only came close enough to be able to somewhat catch Red as he passed out, after one last, almost half-hearted swing where the beast had been, almost as if he had never noticed it had been there at all."What th- s**t" Zero hissed as if she had been a snake herself. Well... it was probably better that way, to be honest. Merci` Dio swooped in and wrapped his arms around Red, lowering him to the ground. The little shadow wrapped himself around his best friend, allowing the terror and disbelief to sink in slowly. His form was trembling as he smoothed the braids back out of Red's face, there was no blood or anything on him, as it all disappeared, but a smudge of the ash adorned his cheek. Dio lifted his head and looked over toward Zero and Merci, his burgundy eye half closed, 'He's alright...' It seemed important he comfort them with that before he allowed himself to fall apart inside.Merci sat for a short moment, absorbing the weirdness that just happened. Oh her room was a mess, holes in the wall and ash everywhere. She swung her legs over the side of the bed to try and get up, but was stopped by a sudden pain in her thigh. With a hiss she bent her leg to look at the spot that was bleeding, and recognized what was causing the pain. The shards of broken gemstone were scattered on the bed, sharp like glass. "Okay, I know this is redundant, but... What the ******** was that...?" She crab walked out of the bed and stood up. "Are you alright Zero?" Merci heard what Dio said but it didn't take away from the cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. "How did that thing get from my dreams, into my bedroom?" Zero Dream "Ill'd really like to know." Zero muttered to herself, still trembling from the adrenaline rush. "Im fine..." Cut up, bleeding, and covered in ash, but she was in one piece. "I heard something and I dashed in, then that thing was there. And then the boys showed up..." It was her turn to go toward Red, then, croutching down. "He'll be fine, he needs to rest." There were cuts on his face, but he wasn't... well, he wasn't leaking shadows like when part of his tail had gotten blown off. Merci` Dio leaned over and rested his cheek against Red's forehead. He was still scared, but the panic was receding now that he wasn't in direct danger. Actually he didn't want to admit this but he felt extremely tired.Merci sighed and nodded a bit, "I... don't know what to say other then I'm sorry." She looked a bit sheepish and looked around at the chaos. This was going to take work to clean up, and she didn't want to think about it right now. "This was not, really, how I imagined this going." The fox woman scuffed a foot through the ash and grimaced, "I'm not very good at this, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. We can put Red to bed here, but maybe it would be better if he got into his own bed. Do you want to wash up first?" She didn't want to kick them out but she was worried. Whatever that was, whatever was going on right now, she had no idea. Dio stroked his hand over Red's braids and sighed. He didn't want them to go but maybe Merci was right, Red seemed like he would need a lot of rest. He just didn't want to let him go right now. The small fiend thought about protesting, but he figured that it wouldn't do any good at this point. Zero Dream "That is probably the best idea..." It this was like last time, Red would be drifting in and out for a few days, at least. "It's okay... don't worry about it. Killed worse in my day." That was an attempt at a joke, but it fell flat and she sighed. "I should probably take care of those wounds first..." None of them were too bad, definitively nothing broken, but the open cuts did sting a bit. Merci` Merci nodded and helped clean up the little cuts and scraps. The first aid kit from the bathroom was pretty much totaled by the time they were through. She couldn't let them leave without at least that much, the gnawing guilt wouldn't let her. Dio pretty much hovered over Red the entire time. Though his eye was only about half open he wouldn't let Merci shoo him off to bed until he knew they were both okay.Merci helped Zero get into her vehicle before she let herself sag against the porch. Despite the excitement, that was actually the best sleep she'd gotten in a really long time.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 10:23 am
 (RP took place Sept 30th, 2010)
{RP took place in a Word Processor}
Merci rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead and heaved a sigh, which caused some of the large pile of ash she was trying to brush together to puff back out on the floor. She mentally cursed herself and sat back glaring at the room. It was a total mess, absolutely horrible. Whatever had been killed in here last night left it's mark, all over the walls, ceiling, in every nook and cranny, and now she felt like it was coating her lungs. She hadn't been able to sleep in her own room the night before, but for the first time in a long time, she had slept fitfully. She let her head fall back on her shoulders and she stared up at the ceiling. Her room was done in a myriad of blues, from robin shell to royal. Though at the moment it looked like the inside of a Russian sub, all stark grays. Merci flopped her arm across her eyes and made a whimpering sound. "Come on can't I just hire a cleaning crew to come in here? It's going to take all freaking DAY to do this ourselves. All the linens have to be washed, the curtains have to get steam cleaned if not completely replaced. How about this, how about, we just pull everything out of here and replace it all." Truthfully she was being optimistic about it only taking all day, this was probably going to take a couple days to clean out. Then they would most likely still come across stuff they missed as time went on. Dio was floating up by the ceiling with a wash bucket harnessed to him so he could use his good arm to scrub. His left arm hung limply at his side, as he furiously wiped at the ceiling. 'I guess you could but that would be silly. It isn't that hard to get off if you just wipe at it.' He seemed cheerful, despite the insane amount of work they still had to do. The fiend was thrilled that his guardian had finally gotten a good night's sleep.
He'd been terrified and worried all night, wondering if Red was okay, how Zero was, and if Merci was going to wake up tired again. Dio had been giddy when she woke up and seemed to be more her old self. He made her call Zero right away to be sure Red was okay, once he'd known that his mood was pretty much set to cheery for the rest of the day. Without having to be asked he'd even come up and opened all the windows to air out the room before Merci trudged up the stairs.Merci stood up and looked around the room. The best way to tackle this was probably going to be the most work intensive. She'd have to take every single object out, wipe it down, and pile it in another room. Then when the place was empty, mop the walls and the ceiling, take a steam cleaner to the curtains and rugs, throw every other piece of fabric through the wash. Then slowly bring things back in, giving them a second wipe before the were finally placed back in their designated spots. The fox woman was getting a headache just thinking about it. "For the next several days we'll probably be staying in the Warhammer you know Dio. Or somewhere else that doesn't make you feel like your breathing in some horrid miasma." She gave up on the floors for the moment and looked up at her cleaning buddy. He was happily restoring the ceiling to it's former color, and his tail was whipping back and forth in his glee. "Hey give that a rest will ya? I'm going to have you shuttle things around for me. I'm going to wipe things off and you're going to take them out and stack them neatly in Fiona's room." Merci turned away when she heard an affirmative from her charge. She decided to start on the bedside table and work her way around the room. The fox woman picked up a bucket of slightly soapy water, a feather duster and a rag before she carted them over next to the bed. Dio put his rag in the bucket that he had tied to him and he slowly lowered himself to the ground to take it off. 'Okay, I can do that.' He actually didn't care how long it took to clean the room. If this was the price to pay for a healthier happier guardian then he was happy to help. He grabbed the bucket's handle with his right hand and lifted it, flying it over to the doors to the balcony attached to the room. He pushed the doors open and took his load outside to dump the nasty water out over the side. He actually tried to squeeze along the side of the house to stay in it's shadow. The evil daystar was out.Merci perched on the edge of of the mattress, which she was still considering replacing after this. After all after a couple years you should replace them anyway. Bed's got all full of dust, and this was not going to help. She put her hand down against the bed to support herself as she leaned toward the bedside table. She picked up the picture of her and Cinder in a rather ornate frame and then grabbed the rag to start removing the layers of dusty ash. It took her a moment to realize she was bleeding. Merci stopped and stared at the smear of blood across the glass she'd been wiping and lifted the rag to look at it. It was now saturated with blood from her hand. She hadn't even realized she'd cut herself, when had she done that? It took her brain a few moments to catch up, in her confusion. When she put her hand against the bed to lean over, she'd cut herself on one of the insanely sharp shards of the shattered stone. Her green eyes moved slowly from the picture, over to the remnants of the belt. Damn, she'd really liked that thing too. She looked back at her hand and inspected the cut, It didn't look like it'd need stitches or anything like that. "Dio can you get me the first aid kit from the bathroom?" The fiend cruised back into the room with a puzzled look in his eyes. 'First aid kit? Why do you need that?' He moved around in front of her and saw the cut on her hand. His eye go rather large and he didn't really wait for her to answer before he was zipping through the walls to get the kit for her. He returned in record time with it.Merci accepted the kit and used the alcohol swabs and gauze wrap to be sure it was clean and bandaged well. "It's fine Dio don't worry about it. I just cut myself on the pieces of my belt. It must have gotten broken during the tussle last night. That pisses me off too cause I loved that thing. It went so well with so many of my clothes." She spoke while she taped up her hand. She didn't want any of the ash getting into her cut, that would suck. Dio moved around her and started collecting the shards of the gem off the bed. Some of the pieces were actually pretty big, but there were several smaller bits that had some incredibly sharp edges. 'I'm sorry it broke. Maybe we could keep it? Ooo maybe we could take it somewhere and made into something else? Wouldn't that be nice? Some of these are pretty big I bet they could me a necklace and earrings or something from it.' He wasn't going to let his guardian get cut anymore. The shadow made sure he had every last tiny bit before he deposited them into one of the empty bowls they were going to use to carry ash out of the room in. The kitsune cocked her head to the side and thought about it for a moment. It wasn't actually a bad idea. Maybe not earrings and a necklace, cause she wasn't really that kind of girl. There were other things she would like though. Maybe they could make another belt out of it, with smaller pieces of it used as accents. Like blue stone studs all the way around it, that would be neat. She really liked that idea. "I'll think about it. I don't wanna bother the people at Twilight Designs about it though. I bet there are other jewelers in town though. I'll check online." She stood up and stretched a bit, her hand was a bit sore now and she couldn't think of a better time to take a break. "Lets go downstairs. I wanna eat something and I'm going to look up jewelers. I wanna let my hand rest for a few before i try and come back up here and clean again." Merci waved Dio after her and she left her room or, as she had started to think of it, ground zero. Dio didn't have to get asked twice. He might not be adverse to cleaning, but that didn't mean it was high on his list of things he wanted to do. He darted over and shut the doors to the balcony, shrouding the room in blessed dimness before he followed her.The room was vacated, leaving it quiet and empty. Some of the ash on the floor moved, slowly, drawn to the bowl with the shards in it a bit like metal is drawn to a magnet. It piled up around the dish and then went completely still. The pieces of stone glimmered in the darkness.
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 3:49 pm
 (RP took place October 8th, 200 cool
{RP took place a Word Processor}
The small fiend settled the last of his pillows in the corner of the widows walk, next to the shiny telescope that adorned it’s seemingly ancient planked floor. Often times he would move up here and settle down for the night under an awning, just in case he fell asleep. Once he hadn’t bothered with the awning, and he’d been rudely jerked awake by the morning sun. Sunlight probably wouldn’t kill him, but sometimes it sure felt like it, so he preferred to stay in the darkness, and the awning provided him ample amounts of shade if he should need it. The shadow flopped back on the cushions he had hauled up and turned his eyes skyward. It was a beautiful night; the clouds that had marred the sky during the day had blown out with the pleasant afternoon breezes. The sheet of stars that winked overhead was completely unfettered in its glory, and Dio basked in the soft light that was cast by those pinprick lights and the waning slip of moon still visible in the sky. Softly he started to hum. It wasn’t something that he had heard, at least not something he remembered hearing. It was something that sounded right, just a tuneless little fancy. Dio’s voice was not unpleasant, and his tail tapped to the merry little melody as he extended an arm out and traced the outline of his favorite constellations with one arm. Taurus… Canis Major…. Orion…. Gemini… Cygnus… With the last he dropped his arm back into his lap and stopped tapping his tail. The melody trailed off as his eyes stared at the swan. There was a spot that used to glow up there, and now it was dead. A star that had met its doom… The thought made him turn onto his side. Dio’s burgundy eyes closed and he pulled the thin blanket he preferred to use up over his thin shoulders. He felt himself soothed by the cool night air, and the vague feeling of unease drifted away, allowing him to fall into a light sleep. ***** Astronomer The song hung in the air, and he felt a smile curve his lips. It was shaping up to be an absolutely perfect night. He hummed as he picked up a cup of tea and filled an arm with various notes, star charts and other odds and ends. Unrolled papers drug behind him as he climbed the stairs that separated most of the large observatory room with the telescope itself. The stars were singing to him, and he echoed their music as he discarded his burden on the nearest flat surface and situated himself behind the massive lens that would let him look deeper into the sky. Doran A sound akin to that of an explosion erupted in the background which was soon accompanied by the sounds of scuffling feet. A brave few thought to stop him, particularly rather fascinating, horribly tempered naga-like creatures.
The violent noises were tempered by maniacal, cold laughter as a grating voice shouted down the long corridors. "_____!" came an equally terrible shout, the astronomer's name echoing down the hallways. "Don't play coy, child. I know you're here. I know they've got you locked up, but I'm here to free you! Yes, yes... I will free you." Astronomer The voice slid over his skin like congealed oil. Slowly he stood up and turned around, the singing had stopped, and his head was filled with fearful whispers. He stood still, next to the chair he normally spent the entire night in. He knew that he had been protected for a time, and that there was no one, or nothing here that would save him. He knew because he heard the whispers. Dread coiled in him, but he plastered his face with a smirk, and he strode over to the stairs he had walked up just moments before. The scientist descended about half of them before he posed himself against the banister to wait for the inevitable. Doran The doors that separated him from the secrets that the stars themselves held grated open slowly with a sickening screech of protest. He truly had been locked in. But the man, who was really no longer a man, made his way in anyway. He had become a monster ruled by darkness and chaos -- and he embraced it.
He treaded inside, not making a sound even as he walked, before pausing there before the broken doors. There was a bloody smear against his ashen cheek and on his hands, but he paid it no mind. He was here. What made them all think that he could be stopped? That they could be stopped? Or perhaps that their silly alliance with the dying Allisari could have made it all better.
Their world was already barren, and not by his doing. No, not his alone.
"I've come," he announced voice low and grating like gravel being ground against concrete, "To speak with the stars." Astronomer The sight of the blood made him pale slightly, but luckily he was leaning against the banister. It steadied him when he felt like his knees were going weak, and he understood the whispers in his mind. "Welcome to my observatory. I hope your welcome wasn't to, uninviting. I am, however, sorry to say that it seems the stars aren't very talkative tonight." His voice, though he tried to make it sound careless, had an edge of tension he couldn't hide. This thing in front of him was walking death. In all his life he had never before seen evil, not when compared to this. "I could perhaps call you when they are feeling a bit more.... chatty?" Doran Doran laughed. His voice echoed and carried just as it had in the hallways. All of the shadows in the room seemed to swell and gather to him. "That's not an option, I'm afraid," he murmured softly, sweetly even. "I've come a long.. long away across this universe just to see you."
He took a step forward and with it the darkness that had gathered about him lurched forward. "You would dare to deny me? You think this is wise?" he retorted. "I know you hold secrets, _____. You will give them to me, or you will die alongside your brethren and precious," he paused a moment, chuckling as he continued to stride forward, "... snake-friends."
He continued until he was at the base of the spiraled stairs where the other waited. "Though I have to say," he went on, "It is rather endearing that the Crux decided to make an alliance with the Alllisari, but really... friend. A dying race scattered to the winds by time itself cannot save you."
His head tilted to the side and his blood red eyes took on an eerie glow. "Give me the scrolls and the secrets you hold," he demanded, "Or you will die." Astronomer The astronomer cast a glance up through the glass ceiling, and the whispers quieted in his mind. He stood away from the banister and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his pants as he descended the last of the stairs. Total calm seemed to grip him as he smiled, "Nope." That seemed to be all that he needed to say. It might not have been eloquent; it might not have been particularly memorable. In that time, and place it was the word that seemed to encompass how he felt. He drew himself up to his full height, which wasn't all that imposing, but he felt the need to stand up tall and proud for what he believed in, and he faced Doran, smirk firmly in place. Doran His face went from a neutral calm to twisted in utter rage. "Then so be it!" Doran all but shrieked as his form twisted and undulated into a form far more sinister and gruesome than moments before. He thrust forward in one hand a single stone as his laughter once again danced along the walls as his entire form was consumed by shadow and magic. ***** Dio's eyes flew open and he couldn't seem to stop his vision from spinning. The thin blanket that wrapped around him seemed to tie him down and only make him feel trapped. He phased quickly and entirely, his form passing through the cloistering fabric, and the awning that protects him from the light of day. Bright.. Sudden brightness and pain shot through him and he shot toward the house and through everything that stood between him and the dark wonderful safety of his guardian's room. He felt safe as soon as he passed through her ceiling and forced himself into her arms. Almost nothing could wake her up these days and as he lay there in the relative darkness he let himself sort out the jumble in his mind. It had only been a dream. Just a dream. But after the things his Merci had been through he didn't believe that dreams where just that anymore. They had power, and they could hurt you if you weren't careful. This one had been real, the terror, the smells of burning ash and blood has been real. He had never been afraid of the darkness before, never afraid of the shadows, but after he saw those eyes in his dream he has a momentary irrational fear of the black pressing around him. A brush of air across his forehead brought him back out of his thoughts as the red headed woman who he loved so much exhaled and wrapped her arms more firmly around him. Some dreams were just dreams, but this one he knew wasn't, this one was more then that. Somehow, that scared him.
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 9:34 pm
 (RP took place January 19th, 2009)
{RP took place the Guild}
Merci` Merci grimaced as she pulled up in front of the shop, her hair was pulled up in a bun on the top of her head and she was wearing sunglasses to keep the world from seeing the amazing bags under her eyes. Ever since the freak show had crawled out of her dreams and into reality, she had been pounding coffee and sleeping only when she couldn't stay awake anymore. "Alright Dio, I know you were excited about coming here but do you really think it's okay for you to go in there by yourself? I really don't like the idea of waiting in the car." That was another thing she had been since it had happened. Entirely to overprotective. Knowing you have a problem and doing something about it though are entirely different things. Dio rolled his eye and gave her a reassuring pat on the arm, 'Don't worry Red will be there. He'll protect me.' He sounded much more cheerful then he felt, but he was sure Red would show up. He was sure because the little shadow had left out the reason why he wanted Red to come.
The fiend had questions about the scrolls and their connection to his best friend. There was a reason Mister Athan the magic man had given him these scrolls and he wanted to find out.
His curiosity demanded an answer!
He pushed the car door open and closed it before his guardian could get another word in edgewise. This was important! He had the bag with the scrolls swung over his shoulder as he moved quickly across the street. He was shielded from the glaring sun by an old fleece blanket he had stolen from the house, and he quickly discarded it when he made it into Twilight Designs. His eye darted around to see if Red had beat him here.Zero Dream The other duo had not quite made it there yet, but where not too far - with Red mostly hiding in Zero's shadow to shield himself from the sun, only darting out to the shop when the blue-haired woman recognized the car and tapped lightly on the window to make it come down. "Hey... Are you okay ?" There was definitively worry in the cyborg's voice - she remembered that night all too well, and the fox woman looked like she was about to crawl in a corner and die there. "Have you... talked to Athan yet ?" Clearly, she was good at fending off nightmare beasts, perhaps, but for some reason she felt utterly awkward right now. Indeed, Red's will to come along was directly linked to his complete unawareness of the situation. He was not quite curious enough to know about that to have to sit though drilling the fruitcake for answers, thank you very much ! A visit to the shop, on the other hand, was not a bad thing per-se.
There was also Mystic, which he had not seen since that day and he had to admit that he wanted to make sure his "big brother" was well. With that in mind, he slid in straight though the door, instantaneously looking for either Dio or Mystic.Reyna Crelos Mystic's presence was no where to be found. Both his guardian and Athan himself seemed to be missing. It was hardly an unusual situation given that they had perfectly capable part time employees, but Kova’s usual delightful singing was absent. As nothing was broken or decayed, it was also rather apparent that Demare and Chrys were not working either. Instead, it was Hawks Eye that sat brooding behind the desk that was usually occupied by the shop’s resident artist. He sat perfectly still save for his foxtail that lashed behind him every once in a while. He had not yet discarded the hole-ridden cloak he had arrived with since returning to the shop. It was Wren’s and a strangely sentimental part of him was unwilling to give it up. He was for the most part lost entirely to his thoughts and the occasional vision. His Sight seemed to be returning to him quite rapidly now that he was close to someone he could consider a ‘bond.’ The strain from being so far from Wren was terrible, but Athan had offered him solace. For that he was eternally thankful. He blinked once before his eyes seemed to glass over as a vision struck him: Shadows. A nightmare. A snake and a star. The Alisari. Questions. He huffed a bit irritably. He didn’t especially feel up to reading futures for the two little brats that were about to dash through the door. He blinked again and stretched, back arching in a languid sort of movement. At least the red one would likely prove to be entertaining. Merci` Merci slid her glasses down her nose and gave Zero a reassuring smile, "I'm alright. I don't remember if I got a chance to thank you and your boy for... well... you know.." She trailed off and sighed a bit. She was still a little uncomfortable with the fact that her vanity had put both herself and Dio at risk. Who had sent her that gift? Now that she knew it wasn't something from some secret admirer she was bothered. Something had wanted to kill her boy. "I haven't talked to him yet no. I didn't want to bother them so soon after their own incident. It seemed to do a number on them. But I promise in the next couple of days I am going to call him. I'm worried that someone or something may have it out for my boy. Oh, if you don't wanna stand and wait for those two your more then welcome to hop in and have a seat." Dio beamed as his scanning eyes caught sight of Hawk behind the counter, the little shadow wouldn't know where to look for him if he wasn't here. He didn't have time to say anything before Red entered the scene. Dio's attention quickly turned to his best friend. 'Red!'
The nightmare came back to him all at once and for a moment he didn't move. An insane insecurity rushed through him and he barreled into Red attaching himself around the bigger shadow's waist. 'Red, I'm so glad you came.' Dio's only revealed eye traveled over to rest on Hawk and he pulled Red gently a bit closer to the much older and hopefully wiser shadow.
It was time his curiosity about these scrolls and the name Alisari was finally quenched.Zero Dream "I know..." The cyborg frowned. "It's... an awful lot of s**t all of sudden, isn't it ? First the note with the spell... and now that belt... someone is tracking us." She frowned, looking oddly reminiscent of her own shadow at the moment. Or perhaps it was the other way around - a trait that he had absorbed from her. "Someone is targeting us. Following us. I don't like this one wit." Her face softened, however, and she moved to sit down. "Im just... glad everything ended up okay. I... am glad Red was there, to be honest. without my weapons, there wasn't much I could do to that thing... I knew something was off, but I didn't want to leave you alone. Sometimes I just hate it when im right..." He had barely even starting to take in his surroundings that the snake-like shadow had a Dio rather firmly attached to his form. Really, he seemed to fragile and insecure since that ******** nightmare thing. If he could somehow kill it again, he damn well would. "What did you want to come here for, anyway ?" Neither Mystic or his guardian seemed to be here. Not even Athan. Only the fruitcake. Great.
Too bad he could not open portals. Or convince Zero to step though one without potentially being skinned and used as an handbag. Maybe he'll find directions somewhere and hightail it out whenever Dio got what he wanted, as even him could figure out it was directly linked to the seer. He held in his hiss at the thought, remembering full well what had happened the last time he saw him, and not exactly planning on giving the other the satisfaction.Reyna Crelos The rather touching seen that played out before him was enough to make him want to vomit. Best friends. How precious. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, or to say something about their little 'friendship' and what it could be. Or once had been. He had to choke back the urge to laugh outright. Oh now wouldn't that be fun to taunt them with. He didn't, however, as he wasn't one to simply relinquish information on a whim. Not only was it simply not his style, but the results could be disastrous. His Sight was finicky in that manner, as it was with most Seers. 'Just get to the point and ask your questions, Black Star,' Hawk voiced in a reserved, quiet voice. He had little patience for this really, but he had not Seen a way to escape it. 'Athan isn't here, and won't be for another half hour at least. Likely to be in a foul mood, to boot.'Merci` Merci took off her sunglasses and rubbed at her eyes. "I know, I can't stop thinking that I put him in danger. I should have been more attentive this wouldn't have happened." Her eyes burned from lack of sleep but she gave Zero a reassuring smile. "I don't think your going to have to worry about your boy. He seems capable of taking care of anything that might come his way." Dio turned his head to look at Hawk and moved toward him a bit, arms still locked around Red and dragging him as close to Hawk as Red would allow. He shifted enough to move the scrolls off his shoulder and drop them to the ground in the tote. 'Sorry if I am bothering you Mister. I was wondering when the Athan man would be in but you already answered that. Guess since your already answering questions I have a few more.'
Dio had a death grip on Red, and he wasn't about to let him go, he didn't feel brave enough to be here by himself. The older shadows made him feel small and insignificant. He wouldn't be able to get a word out let alone a thought if Red chose to leave. So he decided it would be best to talk fast, before his anchor left whether or not he was still attached. 'What are the Alasari? What do they have to do with me? How did they know all the things that are in those scrolls? What happened to them? I need to know what it all means...' He trailed off when the picture of Doran seemed to flash through his mind.
Stupid dream, the feeling of abandonment washed through him and he moved as close as he could to Red. Zero Dream "And things that aren't in his way. And things that are completely clueless in the matter." The cyborg let out a small laugh. "He gives me entirely too many problems..." Red allowed himself to be dragged onward to a point, but eventually forced a stop - this was close enough, thank you ! - and, amazingly enough, remained mostly silent. He did not personally care much himself, but if Dio wanted to know, the very least he could do was shut up and not blow up his chances. The black shadow was perhaps the only being in existence on behalf of which he was able to show such restrain, and he focused on observing the jewelry cases nearby, careful not to touch them. He was smart enough to know that pissed off Athan + broken displays = more-than-potential doom.
He did, in fact, like to observe the jewelry when he came here. He couldn't see himself wear much of it, but there was an attention to detail and craftmanship that loosely reminded him of something... not that he could remember exactly what.Reyna Crelos Hawk's face drew into an annoyed frown at the barrage of questions he was asked all at once. Silly child. He supposed it was better that he had asked all at once. There was no way he had the patient to deal with stammering out one question at a time. 'I cannot promise that I have all the answers to those questions. My Sight is,' he paused for a moment in thought, 'Finicky.' Much like his mood. Why his Sight was on the fritz, however, was none of their business. His fox tail flicked back and forth in a blatant reflection of his mood. 'I can attempt to answer those questions,' he went on in a smooth, low voice, 'But I require a favor from both of you in return.' He fairly radiated a sort of smug satisfaction. They would both be useful to him, and how could they possibly tell him no? There was an obvious desperation to the way Dio pleaded for answers. He wasn't about to give out information without something in return. Merci` Her eyes moved over to where Dio was, she had no idea why the little thing had been so adamant about coming here today. Merci was curious what had him so strung out. She couldn't think of a better term, Dio was strung out, something was bothering him and he was not telling her what it was. "Thanks for putting up with my weird calls dragging you out of your home all the time too. I think Dio really needs your Red right now." Dio stared at Hawk and at first he didn't understand. What could he give someone anyway? All he had was his telescope and the scrolls. His visible eye got huge and he drew himself up to his full height, which was not all that intimidating. 'As long as you don't try to take the scrolls away from me. They were a present and I can't give them away.' In his mind they were the only thing of any value he had.
His face turned to Red and he tightened his hold so his best friend wouldn't abandon him. 'I am the one with the questions, why do you need anything from him? Can't I just give you something?' Red wouldn't agree to owe Hawk anything, and all those things that were so important to him would just slip away like water through fingers. He could feel closure eluding him, and he was truly scared.
azuredreams 'My dear star-gazer,' Hawk said slowly, his voice still smug and certain. 'It is not treasure, nor trinkets I require from either of you, but a favor. A call to arms, should the need arise.'
The fact that Dio was thinking he wanted the scrolls or his telescope was amusing. Neither did him any good. The stars did not speak to him, nor did he want to know any more secrets than he all ready did.
However, their help would be needed at some point down the line - he knew it. It would be easier to just call on them and make use of a boon owned instead of having to coerce or talk into it.
'Besides,' his attention settled on Red for a moment, looking at the Alisari intently, 'he does have questions, just like you do. I'm sure of it.'
Merci` Dio relaxed visibly when he realized both his telescope and the scrolls were not the object of Hawk's desire. He slowly uncoiled himself from Red and allowed the other shadow to turn his full attention to the jewelry cases. His un-sleeved arm moved up and brushed part of his hair back behind his ear, revealing the shape of his hidden eye. 'If I agree to give you a favor, you will answer my questions? About the Alasari and what they have to do with me? Your not going to make me do something gross right? One time Vance won a poker game and I had to do what he told me for a week, he made me clean out the toilets in the house, all the way down the u-bend.'
It didn't matter to him that Hawk might not know who Vance was, or that he might not be interested in his story. He blinked that large burgundy eye at the older shadow, and the multicolored hair fell back in front of his face again. 'Since I am the only one who will ask you questions you can't have a favor from Red...' The last was said with something of a sullen edge, like he was trying to protect the larger shadow from whatever devious plans Hawk had in store. azuredreams '... something stirs, star-gazer, and at some point I may call upon your help to deal with it. Assistance, regardless of what it is, is what I am asking for.' Hawk rolled his eyes, tail twitching briefly with annoyance. 'Nothing so base as ... cleaning toilets, but a real duty.
'But if you agree, then I will answer what you ask of me.' He might have given him a devilish grin if he could have. 'Not all things I will answer, since just as you said, you are the one asking and if it has to deal with Red - then he will need to ask himself.' As in he would have offer a favor to Hawk as well, though it would be the same stipulations.
'Just be wary, Black Star, not all things you really need to know.' Hawk slipped away to sit on Reyna's desk, his tail swishing slowly behind him. It was all most cute how he was trying to protect Red from him, though he was not the one they should be afraid of.
Once situated, he tilted his head to the side and waved over the young fiend. 'Sit next to me and let me see your hand. The one you hide so much,' he paused briefly, before adding, 'and ask your questions slowly.'
Merci` He knew there was something amiss, and the fact it was stated so plainly almost made him shiver. Dio lowered his gaze as he closed the distanced between them. The petite shadow perched on the desk next to Hawk and turned his face back up to stare at him. The sleeved arm that normally hung uselessly at his side, was lifted up slowly and offered to the seer, as he was asked to do. 'Do...' He trailed off as if trying to find the right words, 'I had all these questions, about the Alasari, what they are, what happened to them. I know though don't I? It... Was my dream real?'
Really that was the burning question. The evil that he saw had felt so close and so naked that he had shivered with it for hours after waking. Dio had seen things come leaping from the nightmares of his guardian and he was terrified to speechlessness that the man in his dreams would do the same.
Even if Hawk didn't let him ask any other questions, he had to know for certain if Doran was able to simply crawl from his mind and wreak havoc. The thought chilled him in ways he couldn't even explain. azuredreams Hawk looked Dio over for a moment once he sat down, as if he was trying to peer into his soul, before he gently wrapped his fingers around the younger fiend's wrist.
'Your dream?' he questioned back, though he was not wanting a reply. Instead he brought his other hand up to trace the barely there star maps on Dio's arm. He blinked his eyes once, then twice more, before it suddenly seemed like he was no longer paying attention to those in the room.
Neither Dio, or even Red, had his attention now. He was Seeing the dream that Dio spoke of and his jaw tightened briefly as a flash of Doran crossed his mind.
'Yes,' he hissed out, tail twitching in anger. Not at Dio; no, his hand was still gently holding the young fiend's. 'It was no dream, Star-gazer, but your memory of the past ... Scattered to the winds, some of the Alisari were protecting someone of importance ...'
Merci` Dio's eye moved over toward where Red was, and the crazy feeling of being alone slowly ebbed away. The fear he felt when he thought of that wild eyed man seemed to be better when he could see his best friend. 'He killed them didn't he? That man killed the Alasari, but why did he kill them? In my dream he said he came for me. Will, knowing any of this make me feel any better?'
He just wanted to feel safe again, he missed being ignorant. He stifled his questions so he didn't annoy Hawk. Dio shifted a little bit at the effort at restrain himself, it wasn't easy. He wanted to get it all out, to know what he wanted to know now. This patience thing didn't come easy to the little star. He tried to keep his arm still, so whatever it was the seer was looking for wouldn't be disturbed. azuredreams 'They were scattered to the winds long before him, Star-gazer, but he did kill the ones that were there just because they were trying to stop him.' Absently, Hawk's hand smoothed along his arm soothingly. He understood the fear, but there was no fearing what had all ready happened. What was done, was done.
'He's dead, you realise.' For a moment, Hawk's looked toward Dio. His attention was back in the present. 'Doran. We locked him away, just as he locked us away. Athan, Mystic, Reyna, Wren, and myself ... To stop him from doing anymore harm.' Perhaps he would tell Dio about it at a later time, instead he let himself go back to tracing the invisible star maps that lined the fiend's arm.
'Knowledge does not all ways help, but it might in this case.' Concentrating once again, he seemed focused on the past once more. 'He came for the one who could talk to the stars. A proud Star-gazer, so much unlike you who have much to learn ...'
Merci` Dio finally seemed to fully relax, he let his mind move back over the dream. 'The scrolls, the Alasari wrote them? How is it they knew so much? And, there was a word he said I didn't understand, what is a Crux? What did that man want from the stars? H-' He cut himself off, with the feeling of comfort, he forgot that he wasn't supposed to ask too many questions all at once.
The little shadow forgot that he had been nervous about coming here. Hawk wasn't as scary or as mean as everyone had made him sound. He'd offered comforting words when he hadn't had to, and it made Dio warm up to him inexplicably. He turned his usually immobile arm over, a little awkwardly, and he lightly gripped Hawk. A small gesture of affection. azuredreams There was no mistake, Hawk was a snarky, sarcastic, often irritable, fiend. In moments like these, however, he was utterly professional about his ability. Besides, it did no good if fear tainted the person he was trying to read the future for.
He let out an exasperated huff, his mind assaulted with too many images. Each one in response to the question Dio had ask. 'Slow down, Star-gazer; one at a time, otherwise you will find out just how finicky my Sight can be.' The mess of images that he saw all at once was proof that his Sight was still not truly complete. He shifted through them, pausing briefly when he felt Dio grip his arm in return.
In truth, it might actually help.
'The Alisari,' he started again slowly, 'loved the stars. Were guided by them. What they learned in all those years, they wrote down on scrolls to be passed down ... Athan knows this and gave them to you, young Star-gazer.'
He blinked his eyes rapidly, as if something was caught in them. The images that he had in his mind were jumbled and he was trying to sort through them.
'The Crux were astronomers ...'
Merci` Dio ducked his head and muttered 'Sorry, I couldn't help it.' He managed to shut his mouth and listen. This was all parts of the puzzle, and Hawk was putting them together for him. It was what he wanted, but the more he found out the more it scared him. This man had been willing to destroy an entire people. Blood, the blood and the darkness that roiled around him. It had come at his call, it had moved with his will.
What could he have wanted so badly?
Ooo Astronomers! He knew what those were he had seen it on the television that Merci had. They were people that studied the stars, their movements and all that. 'You there is a small constellation called the Crux?' He didn't know why but it seemed something relevant to say at the moment. Hesitantly he spoke up again, 'You said I was remembering my past. If you don't answer me now, will I remember on my own?' azuredreams Eyes sliding shut, Hawk started to truly concentrate as he traced the visions in his mind's eye. 'Perhaps they named themselves after it then, not that I say that is fact.' He honestly did not know why they called themselves that. He did, however, think that Crux was not the full name of their brotherhood. For now, he kept that to himself - unsure of what to call them besides that.
Distracted by Dio's question, he opened his eyes to look towards him. 'Our memories of who we were is inside, Black Star, buried deep. Even I do not recall everything about who I was, but I know it will come to me eventually ...
'I cannot say the same for you, but some of your past will come to you. In your dreams, in your actions, in the way you act - some part of the man you once were is all ways there.' His tail flicked from side to side impishly. 'I just happen to speed matters up, sometimes. Now,' he said with just a hint of amusement in his voice, 'shush for a moment and let me tell you what I See, before it slips away.'
Merci` Dio shut up and his tail started swishing back and forth, like that of a cat stalking pray. It was simply all the pent up energy and excitement trying to leak it's way out of him, without annoying Hawk to awful much. Something inside of him was sure that without all this confusion, he would be able to listen to the songs more closely when he heard them.
Unconsciously he started very very quietly humming the tune he remembered from the dream, his burgundy eye locked on Hawks face in rapt attention. He was not going to interrupt him again, though the effort of not making to much noise was epic. azuredreams 'I don't know what he wanted from you ...' Hawk slipped back into the daze-like trance he had been as he slipped from image to image in his mind. 'With Doran, there is no telling. His ways were dark, what knowledge he would have gained from understanding stars ...' It went unsaid that it was better off he did not have such knowledge, though Hawk knew for a fact that since Dio was here, Doran had gained whatever he was after in some fashion.
The moment that Dio started humming, Hawk's Eye went very still. Where as he had looked like he was just distracted, it now looked like he was no longer with them there at all.
'We all ways know,' it seemed as if Hawk's mental voice took on another quality all together, one that was not just his own, 'young gazer, your fears, your hopes, who you once were ... You hear the whispers of what we see and hum the songs of our loneliness, yet you are young still and our trust is not easily given again.
'We ask, blackest star, who is the betrayer and who is the betrayed? Why did you leave us, when we loved you so?' Hawk slumped forward a little, grip loosening on Dio's arm, but not letting go. His head spinning as he blinked to clear his eyes, coming back to himself.
'I cannot,' he whispered, 'offer you more right now. The stars keep their secrets well.' The elder fiend looked a bit paler than usual and his head ached from the sudden onslaught of a vision he had not prepared himself for.
Merci` His eye widened visibly and his grip on Hawk's arm got tighter. That wasn't hawk talking, the tone changed, his cadence changed, it didn't sound anything like him. They were talking to him, and though the language was familiar, he still didn't understand what they were saying.
Without thought he moved right over and got as close as he could to the seer. His sleeved arm hug limply again at his side, but the other one curled around the older Shadow's neck and he gave him a hug, burying his face in the crook of Hawk's neck. It was a start, he knew more then he did. He didn't have to be afraid of his dream, he had an idea of what the Alasari did, how the scrolls came to be, and now he had a message. It was something he didn't understand, but it was a message all the same.
Excitement bubbled through him, 'Thank you, I owe you a boon then to call on when you need me.' azuredreams Hawk stilled immediately at the hug and inwardly sighed. The brief flicker of annoyance, the thought of 'he's hugging me' lead to Athan briefly crossing his thoughts.
'Why, yes, that's how I feel sometimes,' the man responded, his tone somewhat gruff and apparently still grumpy. Hawk would have to do something about that, though the irony was not lost on him.
Relaxing his hold on Dio's arm, he somewhat hugged the young fiend back. His tail swished back and forth awkwardly, as if he was unsure how to proceed. After all, sometimes he didn't foresee EVERYTHING - which did include hugs from precocious young child shadows.
Letting go, he rubbed his hand across his forehead, willing the headache that was starting to go away. 'I will, someday, do not worry,' he replied quietly. 'If I See anything else, something of importance, perhaps I will let you know.'
Hawk shook his head, hair falling into his face for a moment, before it was brushed out of the way. 'If at some point you wish to know more about our past, about Doran and what happened to him, just ask.' He paused, before letting smug amusement color his voice. 'That information you may have for free.'
Merci` Dio slipped his arm from around Hawk and his head jerked back and forth before he had taken stock of the two things he was curious about. The scrolls were where he had left them, in his carrying bag, on the floor. Red took him slightly longer to spy, because he had to look through the front window of the store. Merci seemed to be on the tail end of a conversation with Zero, and Red had probably gotten tired of looking and jewelry and annoyed with Hawk's prattling.
The smaller shadow darted suddenly for the bag and scooped it up off the ground. He slipped the strap over his shoulder, so it crossed his chest diagonally, securing them to his person. 'I would like to know what happened, desperately. I have to say that nothing, not even the nightmare monster that tried to eat me, scared me as much as the look on that man's face. You don't look so good though, so you should go rest, you are getting those wrinkles between your eyes that Merci gets when I ask to many questions, or that the Athan man gets all the time.'
Dio turned around and looked directly at Hawk, for a moment he didn't move, he just watched him. Then he darted forward and give him another happy hug. 'Thank you again Mister Hawk. I think I feel better now.' And with that he peeled away and went straight through the front door of the shop without a backwards glance.
If Hawk watched, he would see Dio phase right into Merci's car, and after a few moments the Guardian would move her SUV down the street. In the window, Dio would be waving frantically at the shop. Zero Dream Red hadn't moved from looking over the jewelry, mostly unwilling to get too far from Dio less the black star suddenly feel weird again and need his presence as comfort. He didn't quite know what the hell about him actually brought Dio comfort but... hey.
He looked over the jewelry, yes, but he was listening. Hawk would know it, of course, and perhaps this was what irritated him the most. How the hell could one hide anything from a seer ?
It was only when Dio zoomed out that Red finally looked from the case he had carefully settled onto. '...Call me as well, when you need us. I will come.' Oh, there was a dent in his pride indeed... But the explanations had fit his purpose. And honor was not a concept Red was foreign to.
He did not wait for the seer to answer him - was out though the door as soon as he had been done speaking. azuredreams It was only with a faint sense of annoyance, amusement, and a definite headache that Hawk watched them leave. He honestly wondered if Red would even recall the fact that he was given a boon for nothing at all.
Not that he would not take advantage of it, if the time should arise. As far as he was concerned, he would need both of their help at some point.
'Black Star, Red Star ...' he mused, slipping back into the chair he had situated himself in earlier - distancing himself from the trouble the children had brought into his view. After all, if they truly needed his help with anything, he would be there.
But then again, Hawk was of the learn the hard way mind frame.
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 9:58 pm
 (RP took place October 23rd, 2010)
{RP took place in a Word Processor}
Merci walked out on the balcony with a hot cup of tea. It was going to be a great night. The breeze that was blowing was just enough to bring the smell of the wild flowers that grew nearby. She lowered herself into the overly padded patio chair that she had up there. Cleaning the room had been an epic undertaking but it was probably good that she'd had to do it anyway. Her fox-like tail hung through the arm of the chair and dangled pretty close to the ground. It was obvious she was in a content mood, as the tip of it ticked back and forth slowly. Her green eyes moved back toward the house and she smirked a little bit, "Dio honey, it's not that bright out here. The sun is starting to set anyway, why don't you grab a blanket off the bed and come out here with me. It smells amazing right now." The fiend she had been talking to was lurking just inside the doorway in the dark room. He, like all of his kind, hated the sun. Actually he just hated any form of light whatsoever. Merci's suggestion however was not a bad one and he moved over to her bed and grabbed a small throw blanket that was kept there. He huddled under it and tightened it about his head and shoulders before he bravely ventured outside. 'I don't know why you have to sit out here now. It would be better in a couple hours anyway.' His voice was sullen, but he knew that his guardian wasn't a creature of darkness like he was.Merci watched the horizon, and she sipped her tea quietly. "I've talked to Zero, and we think that the belt was what caused what happened with my dreams." She noticed her charges subtle knee jerk reaction. He jumped, and she understood why. That night was not a good memory for either of them. "The belt has been destroyed though, so we shouldn't have any more problems. I was thinking though that I should probably be on the safe side and have the stone checked. So I called around and found some guy that supposedly can sense malevolent forces and whatnot. He seemed to have pretty happy clients so I'm going to talk to him before I have anything done at a jeweler." After all it was so better to be safe then sorry, especially since that damned thing had left her with a pile of ash that even the most active volcano would have envied. "He says it's all clear then we'll take a trip into town and maybe stop at a few book stores." Dio perked up under his blanket and nodded quickly, 'I would like that! There are a couple I saw commercials for when I was watching the documentary on massive explosions in space. I wrote them down somewhere.' He was glad that Merci was being careful. He loved her, and it was more then just the fact his soul needed her's to survive. It was that she was genuinely a nice person. She cared for her medusa, she treated Rhys like he was her son, she may have bitched but she always did what she thought was best for him. The last thing Dio wanted was to see his guardian get hurt. 'Why don't we just talk to the Athan man though? Wouldn't he be able to tell if there was something wrong with it?'Merci's ears totally flattened against her head, and it took everything she had to suppress the full body shiver. Athan. Athan made her slightly uncomfortable and the thought of approaching him about this was not something she cherished. No it was much much better to find someone else to bother with it. After all he must be an extremely busy man. It wasn't that she was AFRAID of him, so much as she deeply respected him and didn't want to bother him with trivial matters. That was it. Completely. "It's better not to bother him with something so small. Athan is a very busy man, and I'm sure he has better things to do then answer to my whims. After all it's just precautionary, if there isn't something really wrong I don't want to bother them with it." She was using her logical voice. Her argument sounded totally reasonable and not at all fueled by her borderline phobia of authority like figures. She cocked her ears back up and got a mischievous smile on her face. It was definitely time to change the subject. "You said you would talk to me about the stuff that's been bothering you. The stuff you made me take you to Twilight Designs to ask about? Do you think it's fair that I'm kept in the dark? What affects you affects me Dio." Guilt. Oh she'd wanted to try this for years. Guilt trips were supposed to be a mother's secret weapon. The fiend could feel Merci's discomfort when he talked about the Athan man. Though he couldn't figure out quite why. He was a magic man and was really really wonderful! He'd given him the scrolls after all and even wrote a really nice little note to go with them. He took care of Hawk, and he helped all the shadows.
She changed subjects on him pretty quick and it took the child a moment to keep up. Dio knew that he wasn't going to get out of talking to Merci about the things that were bothering him. His visible burgundy eye moved over to watch the dying light, it was turning the incredible fiery orange of sunset. He glanced back toward her, 'I don't know that I can put everything in words. I feel,' he paused while searching for what to say. 'I feel like half a creature. Like things that should be here, things I should care about, things I should know are missing. It's really awful! I want to know who I was. I think Hawk might know, but he won't tell me. He says I have to figure it out for myself.'
Now that Dio was talking about his frustrations out loud his voice got stronger. 'I had a dream. I had a horrible dream about my death. I was looking through a telescope, and oh, I could hear the stars. I could hear them and they made sense, they were so lonely. All they want is someone to share their knowledge with, someone to gossip to. Then, there was blood, and death.' He curled up in the chair and hugged the blanket around him tighter. 'My life had something to do with the Alisari. You know, the ones that wrote the scrolls. I just don't know what. I just, I just don't want you to be there listening when I'm trying to find out. Just in case I found out something bad. I don't want you to stop loving me.'
That was it pretty much. He was worried that one day he would find out who or what he was before now. Dio was terrified that he would find out that he was something he couldn't live with now. Though he knew that whatever it was, he had to know. Even if it was sad or frightening. Merci sat still while he talked. The tea cup she held in her hands was actually about half empty now, as she sipped on it while Dio spoke. "Honey I'm not going to stop loving you because you did something bad. I don't tell you about my past, I guess I shouldn't expect you to tell me about yours." It amused her slightly to think that if he found out everything about her, he probably wouldn't be as worried about her opinion. She scooted over in the chair and made a little space between her and the arm of it. Merci gestured Dio over "Come over here for a minute." He'd never said any of his worries out loud before, and it felt good. It also felt good that his guardian seemed to understand his trepidations. He moved from where he was perched and settled himself into the nook she created for him, nuzzling under her arm. 'I remember things he said, the man that killed me. It had to be death, because it felt like it.' He shook his head and practically whined, 'I don't want to talk about it, or think about it right now. Can we forget it for now?'Merci frowned, not because of his request, but because Dio was literally trembling. Whatever it was that had happened to him, whatever he remembered scared him, and the overprotective mothering instinct in her was brought to bear. She was not going to let anything harm him, not again. He'd been to close to death to many times for her to be comfortable with already. "It's alright Dio. I have an idea though, you should try keeping a journal. You know a diary? Write down all the things that make you sad, or that you remember. I used to do it when I was younger, it's almost as good as talking about it." She squeezed him a bit and finished sipping her tea, she put the empty cup down and stifled a yawn. The little fiend blinked and he couldn't help but cheer up. That was a good idea and he'd have to try doing that. Maybe if he wrote things down on paper it would be more clear. After all books were just that right? Written ideas and words put into a story or informational format? He moved and put his arm around Merci squeezing her, the other hung at his side like it always did. 'Thank you.' Whether he was thanking her for the idea, for listening, or for not making him talk about his fears anymore was anyone's guess. 'I'm going to go start doing that okay?' The child didn't even wait for her to say anything. He leaned up and mimed giving her a kiss on the cheek, just a brush of his face against her's. After all he didn't have lips.
With that simple gesture he was out of her arms and zipping back into the house, full of his usual enthusiasm.Merci stood up and picked up her tea cup. If she left it out here Seraph would lose his mind. So with a final look at the blazing sky, she turned around and wandered back in the house.
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 10:01 pm
 (RP took place November 27th, 2009)
{RP took place in the Guild}
Merci` "You do realize that this whole having me drive you over here for me to just sit in the car is getting a little old." Merci was cross, and it showed in her tone. He did it before when Red and he came to talk to Hawk before. She had been asked to stay out of the shop then too. It didn't sit well with her that her charge was starting to keep secrets from her. Dio leaned over and mimed giving her a kiss on the cheek. 'I know you aren't happy about it. I just wanna talk to Hawk for a second, he said I could come back and ask him about something.'Her brows furrowed, "I don't like that your keeping secrets from me Dio." He slipped from the car, moving through the door rather then opening it. His colorful head bobbed just outside of Merci's window, 'Not secrets Merci, just things I have to do by myself. I will tell you when I'm ready. Please lemmie talk to him alone?'
Dio waited for the sigh and eventual nod he got from his guardian before he turned and sailed across the street and directly into Twilight Designs. His burgundy eye moved back and forth across the shop, searching for the Seer. It was odd for him to actually hope he didn't run into any of the usual denizens that lurked here. Mystic and Reyna, as much as he loved them, wouldn't be able to answer his questions.
And as usual the little creature had come for answers.azuredreams Hawk was, indeed, watching the store front. Reyna was in the process of convincing Mystic that him helping Hawk with 'Nesh's problem would be to his benefit. Never mind what would happen if he did not. After all, the demoness was partial to horribly cute children.
Head tilted just slightly, just his hair was visible from behind the heavy tome he was reading. His fingers were pressed against the pages lightly as he read the book using his Sight.
For a moment, his reading was interrupted by the vision of Dio walking in and he let out a small sigh.
Really, he was wondering what it was about Dio coming to see him that seemed to totally destroy any other path out of the store or something else to do.
Then again, he thought it had something to do with the stars and the fact they deliberately aligned against him so he had to talk to the Star-gazer. The last time they had talk to Dio, through him, there had been a message to him as well.
Guide him. It serves your end as well.
Hawk had a headache from just thinking about it.
Merci` Dio didn't see Hawk at first, and oddly he brought both hands up in front of himself to fidget. Even Dio didn't seem to realize he was beginning to use the normally limp limb. His Burgundy eye settled on the book and then the white hair above it. Oh good he was there! Dio didn't think they would have left the storefront empty. The little shadow zipped over to where he was and peeked over the top of the book at the grumpy Seer. Dio suddenly didn't feel so sure of himself, if he had been a cat his ears would have flattened out. He was not about to back down however, he was still having that same nightmare.
'You said I could come talk to you about that man...' He trailed off and stayed where he was, staring with one wide, expectant eye. Hawk would help him, he promised he would. azuredreams Hawk's Eye might as well have BEEN a cat. His fox tail swished back and forth behind him lazily, as if he was contemplating the best way to pounce what was in front of him. Instead, he let out a small sigh and moved the book down with Dio poked his head over it.
'I did, didn't I?' he murmured, marking his page as he found a place on the counter to set the tome down. 'What would you like to know?' In a way, it was all most all ways best to skip the how-do-you-do's with Hawk. After all, he knew the answers long before one spoke most of the time.
He gestured for Dio to head towards the back of the shop. It was darker than the spot he was sitting in and had better sitting arrangements. Pushing a hand through his hair, he adjust the hawk mask on his face, before standing up himself from his seat.
Merci` He hesitated momentarily and then floated after Hawk. Dio felt so incredibly out of his depth around the Seer. However caution was not the little shadow's strong point. 'How come you wear that mask? Is there something wrong with your face?'
Somehow he still hadn't learned the difference between questions that should be asked and shouldn't. Then he realized that hadn't been what Hawk was asking. He settled in the chair near Hawk and leaned forward, his sleeved arm again hanging limply by his side. 'Who was he? Why did he do those things? Why did he want me? Did he kill off all the Alisari? You called Red an Alisari...' He let the thought trail off and then he started again sheepishly, 'I'm asking to many questions again arn't I?' azuredreams Finding a spot next to Dio, Hawk sat down once again, curling his feet underneath him until they shifted to nothing but shadows and only his tail swished behind him lazily.
Resolve colored his features briefly, as Hawk knew there was no way out of this - never mind he had told Dio he would talk to him about Doran. It was one subject he preferred that others were aware of.
'A little too fast, but you're all ways greedy for knowledge, Star-gazer.' He laughed quietly, the irony of Dio's hunger for knowledge not lost on him. After all, his encounter with Pyrite was similar in that they both wanted knowledge. The difference was that Dio knew where to stop.
'I'll start with what you first asked; which is to say that I wear the mask to keep a faerie gift under control.' He paused briefly, thinking about the fact Mystic would say there WAS something wrong with his face. 'An allure. It makes some unable to ... look away.' To put it lightly.
Merci` His eye widened at the mention of the allure. What was THAT! He practically vibrated with the excitement of learning about something completely new. 'What is an allure? You said you wear the mask for it, is it like a face blemish or something? Can I see it? Oooh is it something anyone can do?'
Dio scooted right to the edge of his chair and his gaze was locked on Hawk, studying him. His un-sleeved hand went to the arm of the chair and he starting tapping it with his fingers. His shadowy tail seemed to swish back and forth with the energy he was trying to keep in check. azuredreams It never seemed to do Hawk any good to actually answer the questions in order as Dio asked them. Instead it was better if he answered at his own pace - and he had opened this line of questioning up himself.
'You know of the fae folk? Faeries and the like?' he asked, before going on. 'Regardless, they are known to have charms that can lure mortal men and women off into the forests so they can do as they please with them.' The way Hawk's tail swished from side to side impishly made it all most clear that there was at least one person he wanted to do that with.
Preferably someone tall, dark, frequently brooding, and preferred coffee every morning for breakfast before he would even think about speaking.
'The mask just helps me keep it in control ... Not to hide some blemish,' he sighed, wondering just how many people actually did think he was hiding some blemish underneath the mask. 'There's nothing different about my face.'
Merci` Dio listened in rapt attention to Hawk as he spoke, but he couldn't stay in his chair any longer. He moved off the chair and circled around the older shadow, 'That sounds awesome, so you can do that? Does that mean there isn't anything wrong with your face?' Fae folk, it seemed that this world held all sorts of wonders. Demons he had met, aliens, cyborgs, but he didn't think he had seen a Fae anything yet.
It was more then he could stand, and both hands moved up to pull the mask from the Seer's face. The whole action filter that stopped one from doing something socially unacceptable shorted out in the fact of his overwhelming curiosity. azuredreams 'Nothing wrong with my face,' he assured Dio, head tilting just slightly as he listened to the young Star-gazer circle around him over and over again. If he had been able to truly see, he imagined he might have gotten dizzy from watching him move around so much.
'Yes, I ca - ' The words were cut short as he made a small noise of shock, tail rapidly twitching as he felt Dio's fingers slip under the mask and settle it on top of his head.
His Sight being on the fritz was becoming increasingly annoying - and this was one of the moments were it truly annoyed him.
'I can,' he finished, quietly, staring at Dio with blind luminescent eyes. His face did look the same, though it seemed to glow all it's own. There was an unearthly quality to him that had not been there the last time Dio had seen him. If he was the sort that could smell magic in the air, it was heavier in the air than it had been before. What the mask kept in check was no longer held back as well.
Hawk's control over the allure was not as good as the mask that totally negated it when on. Besides, if Dio wanted to see then he could; the Seer was still a fan of others learning the hard way.
Merci` Dio stopped moving, and he stilled in front of Hawk. He looked the same, and yet he didn't. The visible eye drank Hawk in and slowly. Dio's hands moved back up, the sleeve rolled up his arm, as the little Star placed his fingers very very gently against the Seer's face.
The little one canted his head to the side, fingers slowly traveling over Hawk's cheeks, his eyes, his brow. Dio didn't understand how he could look so much the same and so different, something had to have changed. 'You are very pretty.' His voice choked up and he brushed his thumbs over where Hawk's mouth would be. 'What, what is this feeling?' He didn't sound confused now, just surprised.
Dio felt the beginning of tears pricking at him. How could he never have seen this before now? He didn't ask any more questions, he simply pressed himself into Hawk's lap and curled up there. His multicolored head resting against the Seer's chest. azuredreams Hawk had been stalked down the streets, made men speechless, and even had people unable to look away, but Dio's response was unique still. Everything about the Star-gazer seemed to be that.
'Infatuation,' he breathed out quietly, once the young fiend stilled and had curled up against his chest. He let out a sigh and put one arm around Dio, while he used the other to tug the mask back into place firmly. 'It's not entirely under my control and this mask's magics keep it subdued so that ... people are not affected.'
The Seer was not evil; he had no desire for people to be utterly infatuated with him or follow him purely because of a faerie gift ( though curse was also appropriate ).
He rested his chin on top of Dio's head gently. For once, the elder fiend felt a little remorse that the child had gotten in over his head. 'What were you other questions, Star-gazer?'
Merci` Dio didn't say anything for a few minutes, he rested where he was against Hawk. His eyes closed, and he didn't know why but he felt safe here. It was the kind of safe he felt with Mystic and Red, that nothing could hurt him while he was here in this exact spot. The Seer didn't know it but he had officially joined the ranks of those that Dio considered family.
Without moving from his perch Dio lifted his voice once more, 'You said the dream was a memory, that I was remembering something that really happened to me. If thats true, does that mean that I died? Why did that man want me so much? Why didn't he want someone more like you or Mystic, I'm not that impressive.'
The question on the edge of his mind whispered only to him. Why did he have to hurt me? azuredreams There was a subtle shift in the feel of the room and Hawk let out a small sigh; one that was mostly to himself. The child probably considered him family now, when all he was really trying to do is make sure he did not bite off more than he could chew.
Not that it did not amuse him, but at certain points it was more annoying than anything else.
'You did not die, Star-gazer.' Hawk moved his hand to tap Dio's forehead lightly. 'Dying would imply our souls passed onto judgment and then eventual reincarnation. Neither of which have happened for any of us shadows.' His tail swished back and forth lazily, before he spoke again.
'You were a Star-gazer, Dio,' his tone was serious, 'which means the stars spoke to you. Do you understand the knowledge at your fingertips?'
Merci` Dio opened his eyes when he got tapped, and he pulled back so he could look up again at Hawk's face. The mask was back on, but the memory of the overwhelming feelings were very fresh and raw. Slowly the Dio released Hawk and he moved away, giving the older shadow his space. Something about him made Dio think he didn't like being touched overly much, and he wanted to try and respect that.
Dio knew that he had a connection to the stars, he had tried to talk to them before. He didn't however understand that it meant much of anything, to him they spoke over each other, a confusing mass of, for lack of a better word, noise. Dio doubted he would ever really understand them, because when he could isolate one sound from the crowd, it was gibberish.. 'No, I don't think I do. Why would he want me for that? The sounds don't make any sense...'
The little shadow curled himself up on the seat he vacated not long ago, resting his right hand on the arm of the chair. His left hung, again, uselessly from his side. azuredreams Did he use his arm more when he was more sure of himself? Hawk wondered briefly before he shook his head at Dio.
'Just because they do not make sense now does not mean they did not make sense then. It takes time to understand things and the stars will eventually make sense to you again.' After all, as far as Hawk was concerned when it came to Dio they DID align against him.
He reached forward with his hand, finger resting underneath Dio's chin and tilting it so he looked up at him. 'You are not the man you were then. Who you were was who Doran wanted. That man could listen and speak with the stars - Doran wanted that power, wanted some answer that only the stars could give. It's why he went after you and it's why you're like me now.'
Merci` Dio didn't pull away from Hawk when he tilted his face up, and he met the older shadow's gaze. 'Why did he do all those things to people? How could someone hurt so many like that? I really don't understand at all. There was blood, and ashes, and he was smiling. You shouldn't smile when someone gets hurt.' He remembered the anger on Doran's face and it made him shiver a little bit, 'Did I do the right thing? Maybe if I hadn't said no, he wouldn't have hurt anyone else.'
Dio tilted his head so he wasn't looking Hawk in the eyes, averting his gaze. For some reason he didn't want the Seer to see how afraid he was. It was silly to be afraid of a dream, but he had witnessed that dreams could be real, and an evil like that, did it ever really die? Every time he closed his eyes he could see the wreaked doors to that observatory, and Doran standing in them, that smug look, and the smells of blood and death.
It wasn't as bad as when he first had the dream, but the images hadn't gone away. azuredreams 'You did do the right thing, Star-gazer. Denying him is right.' Hawk let out another breath, his tail lashing behind him in annoyance and agitation. The man was essentially no more and here he was still tormenting someone. Doran was nothing more than a memory to some, but it was one that haunted Dio.
'Doran was consumed by darkness, was nothing more THAN darkness.' He leaned back in his seat, but not before patting Dio's hair soothingly. 'I think ...' Hawk shifted and moved, pushing himself out of his chair and standing on two feet instead of floating in the air for a change. Moving, he knelt in front of the younger fiend and looked up at him.
Blind eyes were searching, despite the fact that they could not see. Slowly, his hands came up to cup Dio's cheeks.
'You need See, Black Star. See what happened to me. Know that your answer would not have mattered.'
And with that, Hawk's Eye opened up his mind, letting a bit of his own magic wash over Dio as he let the vision of his own past slip to the child.
Blind eyes stared accusingly at the man ( no, this one was no longer a man, too consumed by the darkness and the power ) and a smirk was held firmly in place, even as the hand around his throat tightened and he felt his power slowly slipping away from him.
"You'll get yours, Doran, and I'll be there to see it." The words came out in a strained rough whisper and Doran's eyes glinted as the shadows around him seemed to suddenly overtake them both until there was no light left, except for the luminescent glint from a pair of pale unseeing eyes.
"... and you'll see nothing, Seer. Never again." Doran's smile was still visible to him, even in the shadows, even with his sight gone. It was a twisted rendition of a smile, something so sinister one didn't need to see it, but could simply feel it's presence on another's face.
And as he slipped away, power siphoned without him being able to stop it, he still smirked. His eyes were still staring at what would've been Doran's face, saying without words that his time would come. He couldn't do this forever.
You've succumbed to darkness, Doran, and it will be your downfall, he thought and then slipped away.
All his power drained away and contained within a simple stone of Hawk's Eye that fell to the ground without care as Doran dropped it without a second thought.
His hands were shaken for a moment against Dio's cheeks before they steadied, still watching him.
Before today was out, he would make sure the shadow did not fear Doran anymore.
Merci` His hand moved up and gripped Hawk's wrist as the memory moved through his mind. A sound, a lot like a gasp came from Dio. It was the same person, was that all he did? Spread pain and misery wherever he went? Slowly the fear he felt was turning into anger, some at himself. If what Hawk was saying was true, that meant that he had to have hurt all of them at one point, Mystic, Red, Hawk, himself, Citrine and all the others. What right did this Doran have? He never wished he were bigger or stronger before, but he suddenly wished in his dream he had marched up to Doran and socked him right in the eye.
'Why? Why did he do all this? Hurt you, want me, did he have some master plan? What happened to him? He died right? Please tell me someone put that b*****d in the ground.' An edge of anger was in his tone when he spoke. Dio realized that Merci would not like him using that language, but he heard it from her first. Anyway it seemed fitting at the moment. azuredreams 'Power,' Hawk quietly, simply. 'He lusted for it, craved it, and the darkness that came with it ... There was no plan beyond becoming so powerful that everything was within his grasp.'
For a moment, the elder fiend looked away and let out a small sigh. 'Athan, Reyna, Mystic, my soul-bonded guardian, and myself ...' Hawk looked at his hand compared to Dio's. He all ways seemed so pale compared to the other fiends.
'We battled him and won; locked him away as he did to us ...'
Merci` Dio reached up and patted Hawk's hand gently, 'I don't know why he wanted to hurt you, but I'm sorry he did.' He didn't know what else to say, the memory was almost as violent as his own. They had all been cheated out of life, and death it seemed. It was a little thing, but he could feel bad that it seemed all of them had been targets. He probably wasn't being a comfort, and the statement was probably silly, but he felt like he should say something.
Then it dawned on him and his voice took on an angry edge 'What do you mean he was trapped like us? In a stone? He gets a chance to start over?!' He was mad, even when Cinder showed up he hadn't been this upset. 'I hope his rock was smashed!'
Okay so he was being a bit immature about all of this, but he was still a child. azuredreams If Hawk could have smiled, he might have. Though it would have been more sardonically than anything else. The thought of Dio comforting him was amusing - Hawk never questioned the fact that Doran wanted him trapt in a stone and otherwise dead.
That it had happened meant there was no other option for him to get out of it.
Shaking his head, he might have snickered briefly. 'She,' he corrected, 'and Athan did not let me ... shock it into pieces.'
Merci` He furrowed his brows for a moment, and tried to figure this out. No, the dream person was definitely a man. 'She? But it was a He right? Does that mean I was a... a girl?' He had no idea why that thought freaked him out so much. Well, he did actually. He watched Merci spend hours in front of mirrors, primping and preening. Though if he told a soul about it he was sure she would lock him up somewhere to rot. No no, he couldn't have been a girl. 'What is wrong with the Athan man! Why wouldn't he let you break it. He... er... She... Hurt us! Killed my friends, and stole everything. Doesn't that matter?'
Oh the injustice of it all.
Then his brain actually kicked in, 'Wait a minute, if you know.. That means that He, er... she.. Must have awakened and is around here somewhere huh..." azuredreams 'No, you were a man, but Doran was all ways a, uh, b***h, I believe. So it is fitting.' Unconsciously, Hawk started to fidget with the quartz pendant that was tied around his hand. Years later, sometimes he did still have too much energy built up and it still transferred from him to the stone.
'She is a child, actually,' Resting his hand on an upturned palm, the Seer's eyes took on a distant look in them. As if he was searching for something with his Sight. 'Unaware of who she was, not knowing why she is potentially hated and not trusted. I do not believe she will ever remember, but I harbor too much ill will ...'
It took a lot for Hawk to even think about trusting Smokey - if he ever would.
'Doran was, a long time ago, a good man. He fell into darkness and evil,' the words were slowly spoken, as if Hawk was telling himself this as well, 'and Athan thought the last thing he could do for a man who was once his friend was give him a second chance at life, at being a good person.
'Or we end it if I even See a flicker of evil in her.' Which was to say that Hawk was all ways watching her and waiting for the slightest step out of line.
Merci` Dio glowered, and he had to admit that a part of him was violently furious that Doran hadn't been utterly and completely destroyed. 'A child, like me right?' He hesitated before he spoke again and searched Hawk's face for the truthfulness of his answer, 'He... uhm.. She can't hurt any of us anymore? Your sure?'
His fear had ebbed and had been replaced by a warm anger. He trusted the Athan Man, Reyna, and Mystic. If they let that thing live then he had to believe that Doran was harmless as he was.
Dio reached up with his hand and pushed some of Hawk's hair back out of his face. Before he really knew what he was about he was braiding a small tuft of his hair. Both hands moving slowly, his mind was not at all on his own actions right now. azuredreams 'Like you are, like I once was,' he responded, chuckling slightly. Dio's anger mirrored his own when he realized what had befallen the quartz that Doran was locked in.
'Remember, Star-gazer, I am a Seer.' Tilting his head slightly towards the child, amused that he was braiding his hair. It was a familiar sensation, though he was certain it was the wrong person playing with his hair. Oddly, it was comforting somehow. 'She cannot hurt us anymore. The last thing Doran was responsible for before he died was taking my sight and even then - I do not believe I'm suppose to be able to truly see.'
Merci` Dio blinked slowly, and his hands slowed in his braiding. His burgundy eye fixed on hand he never used and for a moment he seemed a bit shocked. He flexed his fingers a couple times, before he went back to the braiding. 'Thank you Hawk. I don't think I'm afraid anymore, at least not the same way. I do have one more question, you said that Red was Alisari, and I know they were there when Doran came. Did I know Red before? Is that why I feel so comfortable about him?'
After he had met Red he had promised himself that he wasn't going to question how he felt for the other fiend. It bothered him to think that Red might be trapped in this existence because of him however. azuredreams Hawk went still for a moment, his eyes focusing on something that Dio would never be able to see himself.
Black Star, Red Star ... The irony of it still amused him and it was with a sickeningly sweet feeling in the pit of his stomach that he kept the look on his face absolutely straight.
'The Alisari and the Crux were allies, so it stands to reason that you two knew each other, Star-gazer.' His head tilted slightly, pulling a little on the braid that Dio was making. 'If you were friends or enemies,' ... or more ... 'I cannot answer.'
Merci` Dio pulled his hands away from Hawks hair and he moved, phasing back through it. He circled behind Hawk and nudged him into the seat so he could get to his hair more easily. This was much more fun then he had originally thought it would be, he saw the attraction Merci had for playing with Maili's hair now.. Dio separated out another section of hair and started braiding it, the strands were silky, light, and smelled oddly... well... wonderful.
Dio very slyly he muttered 'Cannot say, but you know don't you? One day I'll know things too won't I? I won't always feel so confused.' Whether the last was directed at Hawk, or more to himself was not very clear. 'Will I have any more dreams like that? Did you have dreams like that, memory dreams?' azuredreams Hawk raised an eyebrow, tail flicking out behind him briefly before slowing to a lazy swish. He shifted forward some, leaning forward just enough to allow Dio more room to work with.
The Seer was very much a feline, who did enjoy the occasional petting and pampering. When Athan understood this himself, life with Hawk's Eye became incredibly easier.
'You'll figure it out yourself,' he agreed, 'and you will not be so confused. Somethings, Star-gazer, you are not meant to know until the time is right.' Once again, his fingers started to toy with the quartz pendant wrapped around his wrist.
'Ah, I do not ... dream,' there was another small chuckle, 'I have visions and See things, but dreams seem to elude me. I do have memories though, just not the same way they seem to come to you.'
Merci` Dio sounded honestly surprised, 'You don't dream? I would think that you would have very vivid dreams, because of your gifts. Have you ever had a dream? I heard once that if you don't dream you aren't getting very good sleep. Does that mean your tired all the time? I also heard that if you don't dream for a really long time it can drive you crazy. I don't think your crazy though, a little grumpy but not crazy.'
Dio finished the braid and took the end of it pulling it around to the other side of Hawk's head. He picked up another section and tucked the end of the other braid into the new one. It created an odd draped loop around the back of his head, and it was obvious the boy was not finished with whatever plans he had for the Seer's locks. azuredreams Hawk was rather patient about having his hair braided - if anything, it amused him more than Dio would know. After all, it seemed only natural that his hair be in intricate designs.
'... it does not seem to effect me, at all, actually.' He was careful to not move his head to much, so as to not disturb Dio in his work. 'More like a state of constant meditation while I'm asleep. Very peaceful.' His thoughts turned inward, wondering just how he came to have a dream state such as he did. 'I am certain, young Star-gazer, that if I did dream I would be crazy. After all, my dreams are nothing more than the visions that my Sight gives me. Not my dreams, but those of what could be for others.'
He left out that some thought only the soul-less did not dream, but that was his own fear.
'Ornery,' he corrected, 'not grumpy. Though I suppose both apply. Besides, you have seen Mystic - he is a Dream Walker and constantly stuck in a state between being awake and asleep. It's annoying.'
Merci` Dio head cocked to the side as he took the bottom of the new braid back over, looping it like the old and tucking it into the original braid. Sliding his fingers under, he brushed his fingertips against Hawk's scalp and started a more complex fish bone braid. 'Dreams aren't like that. They are like, your mind painting a picture that you can move though. Course I guess your mind can't always paint pretty pictures. Sometimes you have to deal with the darkness.' He'd watched Merci braid Maili's hair, and he was recruited to hold pieces for her sometimes. 'And there isn't anything wrong with Mystic. I haven't noticed anything anyway, what do you mean he's stuck between? azuredreams 'The waking world and the sleeping world,' he replied, tail swishing back and forth languidly. 'He's coming into his powers as a Dreamwalker - but they are constantly sleepy individuals.'
His fingers twisted around the pendant on his wrist for a moment. 'Too much darkness, Star-gazer, drives you mad.' Once again there was a distant look in his eyes. For a moment there was a flash of a vision. Collapsing on a doorstep, the scent of tea, a warm bed, and the heavy weight of magic ...
Hawk's Eye rubbed his face, clearing the vision from his head.
Merci` Dio stayed quiet for a moment and continued the complicated braid. Both of his hands gently running fingers through the silken strands, to stop them from tangling. His voice was quiet when he continued to talk 'So Mystic is a dream walker, and your a seer, and I watch the stars. They are all things we could do before we became what we are now right? Do you know how many of us there are? I mean we weren't your average people right? Merci can't do anything like what we do. He sought us out, hunted us down didn't he?'
The little fiends fingers held the end of the braid and looked at his handiwork. The undercut of Hawk's hair still hung loose and free. The hair above it was now gathered in a fish bone braid, that had the two braids at the side of his head looping down over it. It was pretty, not horribly complex but still pretty. azuredreams 'Not all ways, but in the our cases, yes,' Hawk kept his eyes shut, watching the play of shadow and light on his eyelids. Sometimes it helped distract his mind from the visions that danced across his mind.
'Doran did what he felt like, when he felt like it. So no, not all of us were special, but some of us were hunted down.' His tail flicked, as if in thought. 'And even then, we are also gain more power in this life as opposed to our last. After all, because we are soul-bonded to our guardians, we can pick up traits from them.'
And because Athan was most certainly NOT a faerie, it meant that his allure had come from Wren. Not that the demon would have admitted that he had faerie blood if he could help it.
'... two dozen,' he offered, as an afterthought, 'two baker's dozen - that's how many.' It did not include the little memories, the sprites, that were around either.
Merci` He dropped Hawk's hair and moved around him to look him in the face. Dio moved his right hand up and put it on the Seer's cheek. 'Well I hope I didn't pick up to much of Merci. She's grumpy in the mornings and addicted to gambling and caffeine. Are you alright? If you need someone to talk to I'm a really good listener. I know it seems like I talk a lot I just get nervous, or excited.'
Truth was he still felt uncomfortable around large groups. Even one on one sometimes he just wanted to hide, instead he talked to hide his discomfort. azuredreams Hawk tilted his head just slightly, eyes opening as if to look at Dio. 'Ah, you never know, Star-gazer. You just might pick those things up.' After all, Hawk knew for a fact that he picked up some of his anger traits from being bonded to a demon.
There had not all ways been a violent streak in him when it came to seeking retribution, but for the person who had harmed Athan on multiple occasions? It was the only answer.
'My mind is elsewhere, Star-gazer. The past, perhaps, or the future. Darkness and something else nipping at its heels.' He covered Dio's hand with his own, which was oddly warm considering he was a shadow and it should not have been, and patted it softly.
Merci` He nodded slowly and couldn't keep the smile out of his eyes, 'Alright, but your hair looks wonderful now. Very pretty.' He admired his handiwork for a moment and then his cheerful eye moved back down to look at Hawk's unseeing face. Dio turned his hand over in Hawks and laced his fingers with the other fiend's, 'which one is he? I want to know so I can stay away from them. We all have the right to know, don't we?' His tone was very sweet, despite the fact he was talking about segregating someone. He wasn't willing to give the benefit of the doubt. As far as Dio was concerned, if they could pick up traits from their guardians, could rebuild the powers they had from the past, and could remember, he wanted to be as far away from whatever housed the soul of that awful awful man. azuredreams He lowered the hand from his cheek, letting Dio keep a hold of his hand. 'And I thank you.' For the braiding. Mind you, he had a sneaking suspicion, Athan would actually think it looked good on him.
'Smokey Quartz,' he offered, 'though it was just a regular quartz, tainted by the darkness of trapping Doran.'
His head tilted again, eyes closing to bare slits. 'Though her guardian has shifted ... Someone new, someone who may just push her away from the darkness.' Hawk's Eye shrugged. 'Every time I focus on her, something shifts my attention away.'
His Sight really WAS finicky, but it was something else that was stopping him from looking. He was certain of it.
Merci` He nodded a bit and glanced in the direction of the store front, 'She is getting restless, my Merci that is.' He kept looking out in that direction as he spoke, sort of like he was thinking out loud, 'You can never wash away the past completely. Like ripples it echos outward and changes not only you, but everything around you as well. Hope all you want, but the past molds us. That kind of taint isn't so easily shed.'
He turned his burgundy eye back down to Hawk and he bobbed his head, 'Thank you for everything, I do feel much better. You sure your alright?' azuredreams 'But we all get second chances, regardless of being innocent bystanders or something more malicious, Dio.' A rarity, that he called the child fiend by his name.
He waved the child off, sitting up and stretching out like a cat, his tail flicking behind him.
'Quite fine, just distracted.' Sometimes he knew he was just as flighty as Mystic was. 'Do not keep your soul-bonded waiting, not on my account. After all,' there was a hint of mischief in his voice, maybe tinted with a little longing, 'you do not her to keep you waiting someday.'
Merci` Dio slipped over and gave Hawk a big hug, 'I suppose your right, even if I don't agree, it isn't my choice. What is, however, is whether or not to subject myself to the monster's company.' He squeezed slightly and then let go, moving himself over to the doorway separating them from the shop proper. 'I'll come back and see you again soon okay? I like talking to you, and playing with your hair is a lot of fun!'
And with that Dio zipped right out of the back room, returning to the car and a frustrated Merci."I don't leave you in the car to go have fun you know." She grumped at him. "I hope you found out everything you needed to?" Dio just gave her a happy look and settled in the seat next to her. 'Lets go home okay?'Merci rolled her eyes and started the car. She pressed her foot to the gas pedal and slowly accelerated away from the curb. Yeah, he was definitely keeping secrets from her. azuredreams He let out a sigh at the hug that was snuck in before the child left.
'Take care of yourself, Star-gazer.' With a brief roll of his eyes, he made his way to the front of the shop as well. Just as he had Seen, no customers had come in while they were in the back.
After all, that would have been an excuse to not talk to the Black Star and the stars? They would not have any of that.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 1:29 am
 (RP took place November 3rd, 2010)
{RP took place in a Word Processor}
Merci turned the key in the ignition, killing the engine of the the big black SUV. She'd no idea that this guy lived out in the boonies or she would have rethought her stance on asking Athan about the shards of stone she had wrapped in a piece of cloth in her glove compartment. There was a niggling thought at the back of her mind, wondering why she was going to so much trouble? Why didn't she just buy a new one? It might be just as expensive as having it turned into whatever it was she was going to do with the remnants of this one. The truth of the matter was that she was a little sentimental. She liked getting gifts and she didn't really get all that many, so she wanted to salvage what she could of this one. She turned to look at Dio, who had his nose buried so far into the book he was reading she wondered if he would be able to ever get it back out. "You can stay in the car honey, this shouldn't take super long. After this we'll go hit up that jewelry shop we talked about." Merci waited for any kind of response, but it seemed none were forthcoming. With a sigh she reached out and popped her door open, sliding to the ground next to her vehicle. A flick of her wrist and the car slammed shut behind her. The fox woman turned and started down the street toward the tiny office of Eugene Fitzpatrick. She was slightly annoyed she'd had to park halfway up the block to get a spot big enough for her car, but honestly she had no one to blame but herself. She just had to drive the biggest SUV she could find. It was her way of telling the environmental movement to kiss her fox-tailed a**. Plus this place was in a pretty crowded business district, all small offices and coffee shops clustered together. It was an older more distinguished part of town. Merci sashayed her way up the street and found the doorway she was looking for. It was pretty much what she'd expected from the advertisements. A large eye was painted in the
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 1:33 am
LACK OF BOOTY
(RP started June 04, 2010)
{RP took place in the Guild}
Cinderfae The sun shown brightly through the breakfast nook, wincing Cinder glanced to the window even with the blinds down it was much too bright in the confined space for her. The one redeeming point of the morning was the smell of coffee drifting through the air. "Better then replicated space junk," Cinder murmured while pouring herself a cup. Coffee in hand the now semi retired space pirate made her way to the door to collect the morning paper and mail. Dropping down at the kitchen table Cinder leaned back in the chair, upstairs she could hear Merci getting ready to head downstairs. After taking a few sips of her coffee she idly turned her attention to the mail. Wrinkling her brow Cinder's attention went to a thick envelope from Brenson & Sons, their bank. Taking another drink of her coffee she opened the letter with a slice from a kitchen knife. Dumping the contents out her curiosity turned to a frown as she read the bank statement and message. Merci` Merci trailed down the stairs with a half yawn. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and the lack of another body in bed drew her from her sleep. Her long red hair was freshly brushed and she was pulling it up into a loose pony tail as she entered the kitchen. Sometimes it was a strange sight to not see Seraph in there puttering around, but this morning it was a bit of a relief. He tended to enjoy baking sweet things, and Merci was on a bit of a crusade against the muffin top she was starting to develop. She wandered over to the cupboard and pulled down a mug, turning it right side up and filling it with the hot dark liquid that helped lure her from her slumber. "Morning love." Merci tossed a glance at her partner before her brow furrowed. Cinder had a distinctly unhappy look on her face. "Everything alright?" Merci flicked her tail nervously as she cradled the coffee cup in her hands and wandered over to look over the pirate's shoulder. Hells bells. The kitsune's ears flattened out and she cursed herself for staying up late last night. If she'd gotten up earlier she could have gotten the statement and tried to do something about this situation before Cinder had to get involved. Cinderfae Shifting her gaze over Cinder relaxed slightly upon seeing the kitsune pausing to admire the other woman before going back to the matter at hand. "Looks like there's a problem with the money, we're out of it." Never one good with small talk Cinder flipped the page up so Merci could get a look at the paper, "never was good with this honest civilian lifestyle." Sighing Cinder stretched her legs out, taking a long drink of her coffee. "So, we need more money. I think I have some Rombarian Crystals we can liquidate - there called diamonds here. But that is only a short term solution." Dropping the letter on the table Cinder considered what she knew of the planet, "looks like we'll need to figure a job out - not that familiar with the local area though and what would bring in the best profits." Lack of money never really bothered Cinder, because she didn't have a problem with going and taking some when she needed it. Merci` Merci heaved a sigh and forced herself next to Cinder, rubbing her thigh against the other woman's as she sat down. "It's my fault," she muttered with a sigh, "Dio has this insane obsession with old and rare books. At first I didn't see a problem because they are sort of an investment. They tend to go up in value as time goes on, but I didn't pay close enough attention to the accounts till I got a call from Oliver." Oliver was the man from Brenson & Sons that handled their portfolio of accounts, IRA's and CD's. He'd originally thought that their accounts were compromised, he'd never seen that many large transactions come out in such a short period before. She'd had to assure him that everything was fine, that Merci was in fact the one accessing them. That was when he told her the balances. "I got a job though. I'm working for Twilight Designs part time when they need someone. I've had some hours over the holidays." She finished lamely. Merci watched Cinder carefully. Most of their money came from illegal activities, but now there were children involved. If one of them got caught, or something happened... "I'll figure it out Cinder, it's my fault things are like this in the first place." Cinderfae Reaching over Cinder pulled Merci into her lap, mindful of the mug of coffee she held. "I wouldn't say it's all your fault...this latest seems to be mostly things I just recently purchased."Quirking her brow Cinder pet the small of Merci's back distracting herself from the current discussion for a moment, "how many hours - I don't think I have to tell you that we are accustomed to a very expensive type of living."The front door opened and Clotho wandered into the kitchen the draconian's wings were wrapped around her shoulders. Nodding to the two she made her way to the coffee pot, "expensive because you never learned moderation."
"Well it seems others have ideas about it," in response to Clotho, Cinder snatched up a coaster from the table and tossed it toward the draconian. Wincing slightly under the assault Clotho mostly ignored it and stepped over to the two. "What's being talked about then?" Sipping at her coffee Clotho watched the two curiously. "Nothing too exciting...money concerns. Going to need your help to liquidate the Rombarian Crystals." Frowning slightly Cinder pet Merci's tail lightly, even with the diamonds being sold and Merci's job she wasn't sure it would turn out to be enough. "Shouldn't be too hard..." continuing to nurse her coffee Clotho kept her gaze on the two, "have an idea for what your going to do after you run through the money from the sale?"Before answering Clotho Cinder tilted her head to look to Merci to see her response to it all. Merci` Merci shut her eyes and leaned against the taller woman. She was still in a state of euphoria over having her lover home with her. Her voice was a bit quiet and distracted when she answered Cinder's question, "I'm not working a whole lot down there. Just basically poking in and taking care of things when Athan, Reyna and the Fiends need to be elsewhere. The pay is good though, one thing I'll say is they aren't stingy with the employees." The kitsune sighed quietly and let her eyes slide open as she lifted the mug to her lips to take a drink. "I don't think it's going to be the answer to our problems at all." Cinder didn't have to tell her about the standard of living she'd become accustomed too. The rather opulent old Victorian was just the tip of the ice burg. Merci liked to wear nice clothes, leather mostly, and it wasn't cheap. Not to mention she supported Vance's online poker addiction, Seraphs baking fetishes, and Dio's recent buyout of every rare bookstore she could find. Not to mention upkeep on the old place, a landscaping company came out and dealt with the property. The furniture was all antique and period. There was a massive amount of wood, and it had to be stripped, polished, waxed, buffed and shined every now and then. Merci certainly wasn't going to do it so she hired outside help to do what Seraph didn't get done on his own. All in all unless they planned on major downsizing and belt tightening, they were going to have to find another reliable source of income. And Merci didn't fancy Cinder leaving again so soon after she got home. If she couldn't think of something, the ex pirate would just disappear and do something that could get her hurt or killed to solve the problem. The ears on the top of the kitsune's head pricked up at the sound of Clotho coming into the kitchen, and they cocked toward the noise. She listened quietly to the exchange and sighed quietly, "Do we have to get rid of the diamonds? I really like them." Her green eyes moved over to the Draconian and she heaved a small sigh, "As far as ideas for what to do, not as of yet. We'll figure something out, we always do." Cinderfae "But it'll only be a margin of what we'd need to keep this place up and running...as well as keep up with everyone's hobbys." Frowning Cinder glanced over to Clotho suspecting the Draconian would have an idea, having known her as long as she had it wasn't like her to randomly bring up such things without reason. "Could always knock over a local bank or something ... less travel that way." Clotho smirked slightly taking another drink from her mug, "but you want to continue living here so it wouldn't be such a good idea.""Such a voice of reason," throwing Clotho a sour look Cinder rested back in her chair and tweaked Merci's side lightly, "and I'm not going to let you try and bully me into retirement.""How about a new line of work...something that is less likely to get you maimed or arrested..." Grinning slightly Clotho raised an eye ridge as she asked the question. Sighing Cinder leaned into Merci resting her face against the other woman's neck a moment before whispering conspiratorially, "and this is how they get you..." a hint of amusement was in her voice. Speaking up Cinder straightened some in her chair, "what are you plotting?""Business venture actually," glancing over to Merci, Clotho smiled. "I've made some contacts and I'm thinking of opening a bar...probably wouldn't even have to sell all the diamonds to become partners - I'll need partners as it is if I want it to work."Merci` Merci huffed quietly, "I am not going to bully you into retirement, and anyway whats so wrong with settling down. I had to quit doing dangerous things when I got the snakes. Anyway Cinder you have a child to think about now, you can't be flying off on a whim anymore." There was a voice in the back of her head, the one she recognized as her shoulder demon, giggling at the fact she'd gone there. It was a low blow, and she knew it, but Merci would do just about anything to not have to live without Cinder again. "Anyway, I don't think I could juggle everything without another set of hands. Two fiends, Rhys, all the snakes and then Fiona calling to borrow money all the time I can't be everywhere at once." The half demon cocked her head to the side when she thought about Clotho's suggestion. Running a business wouldn't be that hard. Oliver handled all the investments, but a life of crime meant that you knew how to market yourself and how to handle large amounts of money. To be really successful you had to get a good grasp of economics on a large scale. Merci glanced toward Cinder and shrugged a shoulder, "I would have to be available to take the shifts at the shop when it came up. Other then that though, I don't know why we wouldn't be able to devote our time to something like that. It would be interesting to have a legitimate business." Cinderfae Cinder sighed slightly, the kitsune was right to some degree and though she wouldn't admit it she was getting older which made her usual flights of fancy harder to accomplish. Plus somehow she was wanted in the People's Republic and Draconian Empire - usually she dodged being wanted in both at the same time ... being on so many radars made her usual hunting grounds dangerous. Plus she did have a child to look after...not that she knew anything about that but it was still her responsibility and despite being an outlaw in more ports then she wasn't, she did have a sense of responsibility for somethings. "...do you know anything about running a business," shifting Merci on her lap the old pirate turned her gaze to Clotho with a touch of challenge. She knew the Draconian had lead almost as entertaining of a life as herself. Clotho met Cinder's gaze and smiled slightly flashing her teeth as she does; to someone that wasn't familiar with draconians they may not have recognized it as a rude gesture - Cinder however didn't waiver her gaze as she waited for her answer. "Yes I do, if you remember correctly my father had his own business and for the years before I left home I helped him." Cinder shifted uneasily at that, meantion of Clotho's father, Hephaestus always set her on unease; she'd never gotten along with the inventor ... "Fine," Cinder's gaze went to Merci and studied the woman's reaction tot he whole thing before continuing, "how much to become part of this thing..."Merci` Merci's smile was quick and honest. This would give Cinder a real tie to this place. She knew that the pirate loved her, but wanderlust could be a funny thing sometimes. Having an investment, a real honest to the gods monetary reason would make things off world seem less pressing. She leaned her torso into Cinder and wrapped her arms around her neck. Selling off the last of the diamonds, or anything else they had to sacrifice for this would be worth it. Even if it turned into a sinkhole for funds, it would give Cinder something to do to feel busy. Which meant she would stay longer. "I know a bit about how to get licenses, it shouldn't be that hard. Liquor and business, if we're going to sell food then there are a couple other classes that have to get taken." Honestly this couldn't have happened at a better time either. Now that Dio was older he wouldn't have to be glued to her all the time, which meant if she had to work the bar, he wouldn't be floating around behind her all the time. People were used to humanoid strangeness like her, but Dio was all whole other ball of wax. He looked odd enough it put some people off. Not great for a budding business. Cinderfae "Well when it comes to funds I have some," Clotho grins slightly and glances to Merci winking quickly before continuing, "shouldn't have to sell all the gems. But sell off a few and I'll see about getting papers around for you." Clotho looks pointedly toward Cinder, "has to look legitimate to get a license. Rhys should have some too anyways.""Just make sure your contacts are good - I'd hate to have to come out of retirement to shoot someone." Cinder grumbled slightly but relaxed the extra cuddling from the woman in her lap calming her. "I'll get the gems around once I get done with my coffee...though there are plenty of other questions..." taking a drink from her mug she glanced to Clotho and then Merci. "Do you have a location in mind...or a name?"
"Found a fairly decent property in town...rent seems good. Haven't thought on things like the name though," Clotho shrugs slightly before glancing to the other two, "either of you two have an idea?" Merci` Merci looked thoughtful and she shrugged a shoulder "What type of crowd are you looking to draw in? Drunken college kids? Ravers? Goths? Are you planning on making it Techno with loud music and lights or something a little bit lower key? I mean all of that matters right? I think a name is the last thing we should be worried about. I'll pull up the stuff I have on laying out a business plan. You know we don't have to front all the money ourselves right off the bat, we could try and get some sort of a loan from the bank or even some sort of a grant. We are single women looking to start a business, they have a lot of help for things like that." Merci leaned away from Cinder and picked up her coffee again. She inhaled the scent, no cheap instant coffee here. This was the good stuff, and she took another long sip before she leaned back against her lover again. "Maybe we should all come up with some ideas and come back to this when we have an idea about renovations, who we go to for our whole sale and whatnot. Then we can come up with a decent business plan to take to get the license." Cinderfae Clotho leaned against the counter considering the questions, "lower key..." smirking slightly she glanced to Cinder, "we get too rowdy of a crowd they might not make it out alive..."Cinder snorted slightly, "If they're paying me to be there I promise to extend some restraint...what's the place you were looking at like?""Looking for a quieter sort of setting I think, has a bar already wood and still good just needs a bit of polish. There are wooden details that are the same as well." Clotho considered a moment before glancing to Merci, "I'll get what funds I have together and you start looking at loans and the rest - might be better to use other resources even if we can pull all the money together...don't want to draw too much attention if we can help it."Cinder sighed slightly when it came to cutting out drawing attention, "get it going and I'll do whatever...I've got funds and I do know a thing or two about bars."Merci` Merci glanced back and Cinder and poked her in the side gently. "I promise it won't be as boring as you think it will be love. Anyway you'll get to come home and deal with Fiends, Medusa and kids. Which I promise you is entertaining." She leaned over and brushed her lips across the other woman's cheek. She finished off her coffee and put the empty mug on the table. "I'll talk to Oliver and see what kind of financing we can get. I would think that it shouldn't be to difficult. We've kept enough money in that bank that they will probably give us a sizable loan if we need it. It's nice to have something like that to draw off of anyway, in case we need to hire help." Merci got up and stretched, her back arching. "I'll probably have something worked out for you to look at tomorrow." Merci looked down and Cinder and she clasped her hands in front of herself. "Can we keep most of the diamonds? It comes in handy when I have to do something not entirely legal." Cinderfae Cinder grumbled good naturedly and pulled the fox demon closer to her, using Merci's closeness to protect her side. "I know it won't be...might even be interesting." Sighing she finished her coffee, "and now time to get moving...you start on what you need and I'll take care of liquidating a bit of funds - don't worry I'll keep some diamonds just for you."Clotho nodded slightly, "alright, I'll get what I have around about the place...let me know once you've talked to your bank."Merci` Merci leaned over and kissed Cinder on the top of the head before pulling away from her. "I'll go call Oliver and check some things online. Thanks Clotho, this is really nice of you to bring us in." She gave the Draconic woman a smile before she picked up her empty coffee mug and walked to the sink. "And think lovely, it's easier to launder money through a legitimate business venture if we ever do have to go shoot some people." She was mostly kidding, mostly. Merci rinsed her mug out and placed it on the drying rack. "Anyway I'll catch you girls later. I have to go bug the bank." With a swish of her tail she walked out of the room, already thrilled with the fact that she would have a good excuse to get out of doing whatever chores Seraph could come up with.
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 4:40 pm
 (RP took place December 5th, 2009)
{RP took place in the Guild}
Merci` Merci threw the SUV into park and turned in her seat to stare at her charge. "I am not staying in the car this time, don't even bother asking." She reached down and unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door. Dio laughed and cruised out of the car, phasing through the door of the car. 'I wasn't going to make you stay here silly, your ordering something aren't you?' He crossed the street in a blink and shifted right through the door. He was excited today, he'd slept and had good dreams for once. He stopped right inside the door and his head swiveled around, taking stock of the interior. He was hoping Hawk would be here, he had a surprise.Merci rolled her eyes and followed him. She paused to let a car pass before she crossed the street and pushed into the store. Her tail lashed behind her as she sidestepped around the little fiend. "Don't stop in the doorway Dio." She reached into the pocket of her leather jacket and approached the counter. azuredreams The hawk mask that the Seer wore was not on his face at the time being. Instead, it was pushed up on the top of his head, holding back the hair that so frequently fell into his face.
Customers had been plentiful today enough that Reyna, Athan, Mystic, and himself had found themselves constantly busy with holiday shoppers. At the moment, however, it was only Hawk who lingered in the shop, picking up and putting away everything that had been gotten out during the course of the business day.
After all, he knew exactly where everyone preferred things. It was especially helpful for Reyna, since when the demoness could not find her tools, havoc broke loose.
Tail swishing back and forth, he lifted his head up before Dio entered in expectancy. 'Greetings,' he offered, and looked passed Dio to Merci with a small nod.
And even though his mask was not on his face, Hawk kept the allure in careful check. Yes, there was an unearthly beauty to him, but it was not something that was enrapturing.
Merci` The little shadow wiggled happily at seeing Hawk at the counter. He floated right over and settled himself on the display case, his tail twitching in happiness. 'Hello Hawk! Guess what?! We got you a present...' He sounded mischievous as he folded his hands in his lap.Merci shook her head and walked up to the counter. "Wow, your..." She cleared her throat and squashed the urge to tell him how pretty he was. He probably heard it all the time anyway. "I haven't seen you since Athan and Reyna were stone. Dunno if you remember me, but I'm Merci, in charge of this little terror." She glanced over at Dio, who was still beaming. "I'm sure he's bothered you quite enough for you to know who he is. I was hoping to catch Reyna. Is she in?" Merci's ears cocked forward as she spoke, denoting her interest. azuredreams Hawk might have been inclined to snicker at Merci's reaction, but the fact that she was enthralled meant that he was being successful at keeping the allure in check.
'Oh, I know,' he responded to Dio, smug amusement in his voice. It was rather hard to get one passed a Seer, especially presents. At least Hawk had the decency to NOT see what the gift was. He had at least that much courtesy.
'Ah, she is not in right now - though she may be dropping back in within the hour. What is it that you need?' He shuffled the tools in his hands for a moment before laying them out in some order that did not make sense to him but Reyna and looked between Merci and Dio. Anyone that really watched him would not notice he was blind until they looked at his smudged eyes and then - then you knew.
Merci` Merci sighed a little bit and cleared her throat. He was exceptionally pretty. It was very very distracting, especially considering he didn't have lips, or a nose. "Well, I don't suppose you could take an order?" She pulled out the stones from her pockets. She placed the rutiliated quartz on the counter, and held the two deep blue and black beads in her hand. "Dio wants to be able to carry this thing around with him, I was hoping to find a way to make it into a necklace.. or something he can't drop and break?" The little fiend reached out and grabbed the beads from her hands and swung over the counter. 'Look what I had made for you! Aren't they pretty?' He pushes the mask back off Hawk's head so he can get at his hair. Dio's fingers start separating out a piece of his hair near his face, thrilled with his present. azuredreams There was a lesson here for Hawk's Eye - something about personal space and how it DID apply to Athan and he should learn to honor it - but it went right on by, ignored by him.
After all, personal space did not apply to Athan. He WAS the man's shadow for the most part. Dio, on the other hand, really did need to learn about it.
'I can, at least. You can leave the details with me and I can have Reyna get in contact with you. I'm sure she can put it into some sort of setting for him.' Hawk was at least professional when it came to business, though a scowl graced his features when the mask was removed. For one brief moment, the allure was out of his control, before he clamped down on it again.
'Star-gazer, do be careful,' he sighed, looking at the beads for the brief moment before Dio went to work. There was something off about them, he was not sure what, however. 'And they are.'
Merci` For a moment Merci's mouth went dry and her jaw fell open. He was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. It was as if a piece of heaven shone through his skin and bathed her in warmth. Then it was just gone, and she shivered forcing herself to look away and get control of herself. What the hell had just happened? She felt like she had a knot in her throat when she tried to speak again. "T.. Thank you. I.. I believe she has my phone number on record." She turned her eyes back to him, and when she wasn't overwhelmed by him, she turned her entire face back. She was a little embarrassed by her reaction, but she fell back on the business transaction to try and cover for it. Dio's hands paused on Hawk's hair when the allure hit him, and he felt the tears start to build up in his eyes. The feelings that came over him were so confused and jumbled up, he couldn't make sense of them. He brought the piece of Hawk's hair he had been braiding up to brush against his cheek. Despite the fact it was only a moment, the jumbled up feelings were slow to fade. His hands were shaking just slightly as he finished braiding the beads into Hawk's hair. The little fiend was being abnormally quiet.azuredreams Hawk was vaguely annoyed; though not necessarily with Dio, so much as the fact that he was still having trouble exerting control immediately whenever the mask was off. Nodding his head curtly, he leaned forward comfortably against the counter, his tail swishing behind him slowly.
'I'll make sure to get the information to her. She may call you, however, for details - or even want you to come back in.' He kept his allure in careful check, somewhat distracted by the odd feeling in the back of his mind. There was a vision, but it was hazy at best.
Merci` Merci leaned against the counter and her green eyes watched Dio as he finished off the braid. The black and blue stone was polished to a high shine and complimented Hawk's natural coloring. "Alright. I'm not even really sure what I'm looking for exactly. It's a little big to be a necklace or jewelry, but he says he needs it." Her voice was getting a little stronger now that the allure was under control. Maybe Dio had been right to leave her in the car when he dealt with the Seer if she reacted like that when she saw his face. Dio's voice piped up, 'I do need it, it helps me focus when I'm trying to listen to the stars. I can almost hear one at a time when I have it. Instead of a huge jumbled up mumbling mess.' The little fiend's sleeved arm dropped back to his side, limp and lifeless again. His burgundy eye fixed on Hawk as he reached his right arm out and brushed his fingers over his head, petting him like one would a beloved pet. 'Do you like them? The beads?' His voice was tentative as he asked the last question.azuredreams It was through Merci's eyes that Hawk saw the bead's in his hair and he nodded towards Dio, tail swishing behind him lazily, but happily. 'Yes, they look perfect, Dio.' He tilted his head back a little bit, as if looking at Dio with amusement.
The Seer was an overgrown feline at times; this time it was fairly obvious.
'She may be able to make a piece of jewelry out of it, yet. A charm, perhaps, to carry with him.' He rested his chin on an upturned palm, eyes slipping shut as he focused on the niggling sensation in the back of his mind. What was his Sight trying to say?
'That is one of the properties of quartz, I believe. In this case, especially because it's rutilated.' His fingers twisted around the quartz pendant wrapped around his wrist. 'You're able to focus better, channel through it.' Hawk's Eye was never without his piece of quartz - so he understood why Dio would want his with him all ways.
Merci` The kitsune reached up and pushed her hair back, out of her face. The small black horns and her ears sometimes made it hard for her to do anything with the mass of red hair. "I don't suppose it would be possible for me to put in an order for a smaller piece for him to keep with him? I'm willing to wait and pay for it whenever you guys get one in stock. This one is just a little to large to carry around all the time. Then maybe this one can get put in a bracket or setting. I'm always worried that he's going to drop it and break it. Or lose it. Oh!" She snapped her fingers and leaned in a little closer as she spoke "You don't think it could get attached to his Telescope at all do you? Anyway, sorry I'm rambling. I think I picked it up from.." She gave a rather pointed look to Dio. Dio grinned a bit and moved around behind Hawk, pulling the rest of his hair back to play with. His hand move to start a braid around the crown of the Seer's head. He didn't ask this time for permission, still supremely pleased with himself at the gift. 'I would grow my hair out but I look like a girl enough as it is. That's what Vance said anyway. That's why I was worried that I might have been a girl before, because I'm so tiny. I mean I'm smaller then everyone else I met, maybe when I get older I won't be so small anymore.' Dio just rambled on as he kept braiding.Merci put a hand up to her forehead and she sighed quietly. "I really need to get out more. I am seriously starting to act like him." azuredreams 'That would be possible. Put the stone into a setting that can be attached and detached from the telescope. Make it like a charm, of sorts ...' He tilted his head towards Dio as he started to braid again, his mind wandering the assorted paths of visions that he saw.
There was the usual darkness to his visions, but something else kept distracting him. The visions were taking a darker path, but he had no interest in following them. Fingers tight around the quartz on his wrist, he focused and followed the pathways he wanted to travel. 'It wouldn't do to make it more than one trinket if it can be kept whole ...'
And then, with amusement dancing in his eyes, he laughed. 'Star-gazer - you were not a girl. What happened to you as a stone is why you're so tiny now.' He paused, before letting out a sigh. 'After all, I am not so big myself.'
His mind shifted back to Merci and payment. Perhaps a different sort of payment could be arranged ...
Merci` Dio's fingers paused on Hawk's hair and his eye creased in a smile. 'You're plenty big enough. Your Hawk sized and that's the right size to be if your... you?' He rolled his eye up toward the ceiling, thinking about what he just said, trying to figure out if it made sense when he said it out loud. 'I like being little! Don't you like being like you are? I wouldn't like to be all tall and stretched out.' Dio started humming under his breath as his fingers began the work on Hawk's hair again. He seemed supremely happy, and it was a bit infectious.Merci smiled a bit at Dio, "I like you the size you are, your a travel sized fiend." She reached her hand into her leather jacket and pulled a small wallet out of the inside pocket. "Do I need to pay some kind of deposit? Or is that something I should work out with Reyna?" The little fiends brow creased as he tried to think about himself in the way Merci said. He imagined himself all contorted into a tiny bag that she had slung over her shoulder and his eye got wide. 'I don't know that I want to be travel sized. Little is okay but don't put me into a carry case!'The kitsune moved her eyes from Hawk up to Dio, and she couldn't help it. She burst into laughter. Merci covered her mouth to try and stifle it, but it was pretty hopeless. azuredreams 'Oh, I like being this size just fine.' Though his reasons were likely vastly different than Dio's. Most of his involved being able to wrap himself just right against Athan - or otherwise be firmly attached to the magic-user.
Snickering at the two of them, especially at the talk of being carried around in a travel case. 'Do not know how any of the other shadows dealt with being in things as a wisp ...' Hawk, actually, thought it was rude at times to lock people into things. Even as wisps, they were still people. Unless, of course, they were Smokey - in which case it was all right.
'Ah, about that, m'lady,' Hawk was beginning to pick up Athan's charm when it came to women, if only because it made some transactions so much easier, 'I was thinking a different sort of payment arrangement if the value is so much ...'
Merci` Merci had a huge smile on her face, her slightly elongated fangs easily seen in her mouth. Her green eyes settled back on Hawk and she nodded a bit. "Well I wouldn't say no to saving a bit of money. Though I hope whatever your asking is legal. I've been trying to stay on the straight and narrow." The tone of her voice definitely reflected the merry mood she was feeling at the moment. The thought of stuffing Dio in a duffel bag was enough to keep the smile on her face. His fingers moved through Hawk's silky hair, twining it into a very lovely braid. Dio didn't have anything to tie it off with so instead he looped the hair and tied a loose knot at the end. 'Now it won't unravel. You look so pretty now! Don't you think you look pretty?' The child moved back to the counter and perched on it, giving Hawk a very pleased lookazuredreams 'There is loose ribbon, or ties of some sort, in the drawer over there,' he offered to Dio, quietly. He was not sure that the ties in his hair would honestly stay with as much as he shifted about. Right now he was still, but eventually he would start moving and the mask would be put back on.
Absently, he brought a hand up to toy with one of the beads, something - again - distracting his line of thought. It was a vision on the edge of his Sight, not clear and very easy to forget.
Which he did, as he started to talk to Merci. 'Oh, it is as legal as working and helping out a demon and a magic-user can be.' His eyes glinted with mischief. 'I think, as I See it being an issue in the next few weeks, we could use some extra help around here ...'
Which meant that if Merci could help out here, they would do what they could to negate the costs of what she wanted.
Merci` Merci paused and she canted her head to the side. Well this was not really what she expected, but it definately couldn't hurt. She'd been eyeing her bank balance the last little while and watching it slowly dwindle. With the holidays and whatnot coming up, well she was likely to spend enough to support some third world countries. Even if there was no actual paycheck involved, at least it would reduce the price of the custom work she needed done for Dio. "Between you and me I don't mind riding the line a bit. Being part demon, I suppose I wouldn't be to out of place here." Dio had a moment of glee! Merci would be here so much more! Which meant he would be here more! He might even get a chance to see the Athan man and spend time with Auntie Reyna! and Mystic! He'd get to see Hawk and maybe meet some of the other fiends! He'd seen quite a few when everyone had gathered to help fix the Athan man and Auntie Reyna when they were stoned. 'Yes yes yes! She'll help she will! Oooh this is so exciting, I like it here. That means I can read, and study the ceiling and all kinds of fun things!Merci reached out and put a finger over where Dio's mouth would be, stopping the creature from expounding any more on the excitment that was quite evident in him. "We are going to have to try some sort of meditation or something with you Dio. I would be happy to help out Hawk, as you can see I don't think this little monster would let me say no and stay sane." Dio's tail was swishing back and forth as he watched them talk. Fun times! Fun things were going to happen! The books he would be able to read here! He wouldn't have his telescope while she was working, but that would be alright. After all Merci wouldn't be able to work all the time!azuredreams 'And probably ask Athan all sorts of questions about the Alisari and other things, if you really want, Dio.' There was a quiet laughter that came from Hawk's Eye for a moment, before he nodded briefly at Merci.
'M'lady, you would not enjoy the outcome if you had said no. I See it.' Fiddling with the bead that was in his hair, he absently added, 'Besides, you'd be surprised how many demons are drawn here and bonded to shadows. My true soul-bond, Wren - he is a demon as well.
'In any case,' he continued on, as if ignoring his own commentary, 'we can discuss the details with Reyna, as well as Athan. I don't imagine they'll mind. After all, the more help we have - the better.'
Merci` Merci didn't even think to question Hawk's statement. She'd been around here enough to know that when the Seer said something like that it was generally spot on and accurate. She did however turn an eye to her charge "I'm capable of answering for myself Dio." Her tone was stern but she was obviously not really upset with him. Merci turned her attention back to Hawk, "I'll call and find out when a good time is to come back down to find out what my responsibilities will be." Dio moved over to the drawer Hawk mentioned and found a small length of ribbon. He brought it over and fussed with the end of the braid he put in Hawk's hair. When he had a problem getting the knot undone with one hand, he actually moved his normally limp limb over to help.
The small shadow fastened the end of the braid with the ribbon securely and beamed at his handiwork. 'Now it won't come out. This is going to be great!' he swooped in close to the older fiend and gave him a huge hug. Dio lingered there for a moment before he moved to float slightly behind Merci, in her shadow. The red head gave Hawk a rueful smile, "You wanna rethink this thing? I mean, it means there will be more of him around here." She jerked her thumb toward Dio. He pulled himself up to his full height and made an indignant sound 'I don't know what you mean. Why wouldn't they want me around more? Did I do something wrong? I haven't broken anything or hurt anyone's feelings. I even got Hawk pretty presents.'Merci chuckled and she shook her head, "Well I'll call later and see if I can get a time to come in and talk to Athan or Reyna. I should get this rascal out of here. If he doesn't get a nap in he won't be able to stay up all night with 'The Stars'." The last two words she held up her hands and made quotation mark gestures with her fingers. azuredreams 'And we wouldn't want that, would we?' Hawk said with a small chuckle. He knew, very much, that Dio would be all sorts of unhappy if he did not make it to his nightly conversations with the stars. Brushing his fingers through his hair, as much as he could, his fidgeted with the ribbon for a moment before he slipped back to the beads.
Once again there was something in the back of his mind: as if he was forgetting something; missing the point.
'They are very lovely presents,' he offered to Dio, returning the hug that he was given lightly. It would not do for him to be all about hugging, after all. The only person he was truly comfortable around in that manner was not here. 'But you should not keep Merci, as I'm sure she other things she wants to do today. Besides,' he phased out of the hug and brushed an errant stand of Dio's hair back into place covering his eye, 'you will be back later on. We'll have some other business to discuss. About Merci working here and what she'll start off helping with ...' Merci` Merci shooed her charge toward the door and reassured him "No you didn't do anything wrong. It was a joke darling, and a bad one." Her tail swished happily behind her as she managed to get Dio to the shop door. "Thanks for all the information on the jewelry pieces too." Dio huffed a bit at being shooed so quickly toward the door. He didn't get to see The Athan Man or Auntie Reyna.. not to mention he hadn't seen Mystic in a long time either. He wanted so much to ask about them but the stern look he got from Merci made him scowl. 'Alright alright. Bye Hawk! I'm glad you like your presents!"' And with that he phased right through the front door, leaving Merci to open it herself.
It was a little rebellion, true, but it worked to make him feel better about being herded around.Merci shook her head and opened the door, "I guess I'll be back soon-ish. Take care huh?" She gave a one handed wave as she walked out into the cool air outside. Merci was actually feeling quite pleased. She had gone in thinking so spend a lot, and instead might have happened on one of the best opportunities of her life.
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Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 1:36 pm
'CAUSE THE SEER SAID SO
(RP took place DATE HERE, 2010)
{RP took place in over Email}
Reyna Crelos Reyna muttered and grumbled to herself irritably. It was supposed to be her day off, but Athan had called her in. She didn't especially mind, really. It was more of an issue of whom she was instructed to bring with her. He had not returned back to the shop with her since both she and Athan had been turned into statues. Admittedly, there had been something a bit "off" about her Shadow since then. She had protested that it was probably best he stayed at home, but Hawk apparently had insisted that it was imperative that both she and Mystic be present in the shop today. She was loathe to admit it, but she was not one to argue with an oracle. So despite her trepidation at dragging Mystic along with her, not to mention the fight it took to lure him out of his room, she found herself trudging inside to the familiar surroundings of Twilight Designs. She eyed Athan who stood there waiting, clearly agitated. The source of his irritation phased into view and wrapped his arms around the man's shoulders in a manner that could only be described as lovingly. 'Time to go,' Hawk quipped with a swish of his tail. Athan sighed heavily and shook his head. His gaze settled briefly upon Reyna as he too trudged his way through the front door of the shop, but in a clearly opposite direction. "The good news is nothing bad is supposed to happen. You just need to be here," he told her with a wave of one hand before leaving with a dark look as he pulled his robes tighter about him. Fall was making itself apparent, and he did not like the cold. The demoness settled herself behind the main desk and withdrew one of her sketchbooks. Might as well work if she was stuck at work. She glanced to her side as Mystic phased into view. His eyes were half lidded, and he just barely looked awake. Perhaps the most startling difference between him now and from before the little incident involving Athan and herself was his appearence. Behavior, yes. He was erractic, which had her on edge, but it was the sudden changes in his looks that made her... hesitant. His last growth spurt was to blame for her currently being stuck in-between forms, but if Hawk had seen nothing bad so far she decided to not worry too terribly much. She couldn't help but find it interesting how the sclera of his left eye had filled in with a deep, inky black. Around his eye were strange markings, and the markings on his hands changed. There was also the part where his hair was growing in an equally dark black. It was like he was turning into an odd negative image of herself. 'Can't help but admire me, eh?' Mystic teased in a voice that was a bit lower than it used to be. He sounded more real. Reyna rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. "You wish, buddy." Mystic made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a low purr or growl and wrapped his arms around her, face buried over against her hair. He said nothing, but Reyna got the point. He did wish that. Merci` Merci shoved the door open on her SUV and slid down to the ground. For once she was feeling smug about dragging Dio along to Twilight Designs, usually it was quite the other way around. "Oh come on Dio, don't be such a stick in the mud. After all you might get a chance to see Reeeeeed!" The last was said in a sing song way that she knew would irritate her partner in crime. Her tail was swishing back and forth merrily as she shut the door and pressed the button that locked all the doors. She started humming the most irritatingly cheerful song she knew, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" as she looked both ways before crossing the street. She idly wondered if she could hang a sign on her parking space that said "Mine!" After all she seemed to get it every time she drove down here. Merci turned around before she walked backward into the shop, using her hip to push the door open while she teased Dio. "You're not usually such a homebody." Dio grumbled and mocked Merci's cheerful tone of voice, 'You had to pick today to leave the house didn't you? I have to trust that stupid machine to tape the special that I've been waiting for! You know I wanted to be home today, they might have found water on other planets. You don't even grasp how amazing that is, and now I have to miss the whole thing. They were going to do a freaking marathon of some of the best documentaries I've ever seen.' His burgundy eye was half lidded in his ire.
If Dio ever got angry this was probably the closest he'd ever been. Evil woman! He'd have to do something especially vindictive to her later. She would pay, oh yes, she would pay.Merci cackled and turned around to see Reyna and she stopped dead right inside the door. "Reyna!" Her green eyes got huge and her face broke into an honestly happy smile. "My goodness I thought you'd been eaten by something. I was actually just about ready to drive out to your place in not to awful long and see if you were still breathing!" She approached the counter and shot Dio a look that was obviously a 'Haha I was right to drag you out of the house' look. She looked away from her own charge to look at Mystic and she gave him the same smile she gave Reyna, "Hey good lookin, haven't seen you in awhile." Dio has phased through the door right behind his guardian and his burgundy eye locked on Reyna. He let Merci finish talking before he started. 'Auntie Reyna! Mystic!' Whatever he was upset about before seemed to go way when he saw his old friends. 'I've been asking around all over about you. I'm glad you both seem to be okay, I missed you sooooo much.' Dio was fidgeting with his hands, trying to contain himself and not immediately accost the two of them with snuggles.Reyna Crelos The demoness laughed outright. "Please, sugar, it takes quite a bit to get rid of me," she replied with a brash, fanged grin. Besides, if there was going to be eating of people or things, it was much more likely that she would be the monster wreaking havoc rather than the hapless victim. She didn't mention that part but she did say, "Yup. Still breathing." Mystic seemed to exude contentment and pleasure at having his looks complimented. 'Mmmhmm,' was his only reply as he drowsily clung to his guardian. "I've been about more often than not, but we do seem to have differing shifts," Reyna spoke up. "Though this guy here," she motioned to Mystic with the wave of one hand, "Is usually parading about in dream land or whatever it is that he does." 'Dream realm,' he corrected, 'And I don't like parades.'Merci` Merci shrugged a shoulder, "It's probably an evil plan of Athan's, keeping us apart. Giving me shifts here that differ so vastly from yours." She was kidding, mostly. Athan was one of the very few things in the world that gave her pause. "Actually I'm probably going to get much less time out and about. My Cinder and I are going to be opening a bar out here pretty soon. So when I'm not slaving away here, I'll be slaving away there." Seeing her friend had obviously put her in an even better mood then she was in before, if it were even possible. Her ears perked up and she gestured at Dio, "Not to change the subject but, look my boy's grown up, a little. Though his mind has a long way to go." She teased her charge. "I'm thinking that he's going to be a midget forever." Poking fun at Dio's size was something that usually got a little bit of a rise, especially since he'd seen how much larger Red had gotten. Dio's brows furrowed in and he shot Merci a crabby look, 'I'm not a midget. I'm just short, there isn't anything wrong with being short. Actually I have even less problems being short then most people cause I can float. So the next time you want something off the top shelf don't look at me.' He couldn't really contain himself long, his self control was better but not by much. He moved around the counter and without asking for permission gave the two of them hugs, at the same time. 'Can I trade her in for a new guardian? She's getting out of hand and I'd like a new model.'Reyna Crelos "Hah. Athan and evil in the same sentence," Reyna laughed, "You crack me up, girl." Athan was so utterly petrified of his own darkness it cracked her up. It also made him a bit violitile where that subject was concerned so she typically left that particular topic well enough alone. "Oooohhh.... new bar, eh? I'll have to swing by. I haven't been out drinking in ages." Really, it was best she didn't drink at all, but the thought was tempting. Mystic oozing encouragement at her to cause mischief and mayhem certainly didn't help matters any. That subtle change to his personality she certainly appreciated, though. "He certainly has," the demoness remarked as she admired the little Shadow as he came and hugged both Mystic and herself. "Love the hair, kiddo." 'Still all rainbows and sunshine, I see,' Mystic replied with a bemused look. Merci` Merci just snorted and reached into her jacket. "Actually I'm here to give you guys some money. I came in awhile ago to ask about it and Hawk said he was pretty sure you could." She pulled out the rutilated quartz that had been a gift to Dio what seemed like eons ago. "He says he needs it with him all the time, it helps him when he's trying to talk to the stars or whatever it is he does. So I was trying to see if there was some way to make it into a pendant or something that could be attached to him. We also thought it would be nifty if it could be fitted to his telescope, but not sure if that's possible either." The woman put it on the counter and looked at Dio, "You need to let them go so they can breathe, or at least so Reyna can breathe." Dio let them go and perched on the edge of the counter. His tail danged down and the piercing made a very soft tinking sound when it knocked against his seat. He reached his left hand up and tugged on his bang, 'I like my hair. There isn't anything wrong with being bright and colorful is there? I got my eyebrow done too' He tilted his head and wagged his eyebrows, showing off his new jewelry. 'Ooo I need to talk to you too Mystic. When you have time anyway, about something that's been nagging at me.' Dio had almost forgotten about his questions, but if he was good at something it was questions.Reyna Crelos "Oh yeah?" the demon replied as she took the piece of quartz, "Ahh... I remember this. Mystic and I gave it to him ages ago. Sure, I can wire wrap it into a pendant. Not sure about fitting it on his telescope, but I bet we can make it work." She paused for a moment as she turned the stone over in one hand as she contemplated the best way to go about turning the small quartz wand into a suitable pendant without covering up too much of the stone itself. She glanced up at Merci and smirked a bit. "And seeing as this was a present originally, I suggest you keep your money to yourself, lady." 'There is nothing wrong with color, Little Star,' Mystic replied as he watched his guardian work as she pulled various sets of pliers and a two coils of wire, one silver and one gold, out of one of her desk drawers. "What do you think, kid? Silver or gold?" Reyna asked Dio directly. It would look good in either color, but she decided she'd rather let the owner of the stone decide. The elder Shadow seemed to lazily smirk. When was there a time that Dio didn't have questions? 'Oh... need to talk to me about things, eh? I don't see why we can't talk right now. What's on your mind?'Merci` Merci had honestly missed Reyna, and she was more then a little relieved to hear her tell her to keep her money. They were running a tight ship with the opening of the bar and every spare cent getting sunk into it. However Merci had squirreled away a small savings to get this done for her boy. After all She had promised and promises were contracts to be kept. "You sure? I bet you weren't planning on him being so demanding with a gift." Her green eyes shifted over to Dio. She just couldn't help poking fun at him when the opportunity arose. The small fiend glowered back at Merci and he held out his arms and wiggled them so his silver bangles clanked together. 'Silver please? Will go with the rest of my jewelry.' He shot his guardian a warning glare when she opened her mouth. 'Don't poke fun. Even boys like to accessorize. There isn't anything wrong with it.' When it looked like she was going to behave he turned back to Mystic.
He sad quietly for another moment and floated away from his seat on the counter. Dio reached out and took a hold of the other fiend's arm, 'Can we talk in the back room for a minute?' He tugged lightly before he released his grip and moved off in that direction.Merci narrowed her eyes, "that just means whatever he wants to say he doesn't want me to hear. Secret's aren't healthy you know." She looked back at Reyna "Should be against the rules. They shouldn't be able to keep secrets." She made no move to follow however, and seemed perfectly content to just watch Reyna work. Reyna Crelos "Pfft. He can be as demanding as he pleases in this shop as far as I am concerned," Reyna replied. After all, she truly wasn't simply an employee of the shop. She was quite invested. Technically, she and Athan were partners, though each were loathe to admit they were some how, some way, equals in even that small way. They very much had a hate-dislike relationship. There was no love there, but somehow they managed to get along in the moments that really counted. She cut off a long piece of silver wire after putting the spool of gold wire away. "In general," she went on, "If ya'll want or need anything, just let me or Athan know. You're kind of doing him a favor by taking care of Dio. He is indebted to you. Keep that in mind, eh?" Mystic lazily floated after Dio and simply allowed himself to be dragged along into the back room. He phased through the wall and drifted over to settle himself upon the couch. He formed more human-like feet and crossed his legs. 'Spill it, kid,' he said in a voice and tone that was strangely reminiscent to how his guardian spoke. Reyna smirked as she gazed over at Merci as she deftly wrapped the stone in swirls of delicate silver. "I dunno 'bout that. Everyone has secrets," she spoke up with a sly look. Merci` Merci leaned on the counter and glanced toward the back room, where the two fiends had disappeared. "You sure I can't pay you for your trouble? He's been complaining awfully loud about not having that thing with him all the time. So I appreciate you taking the time now to fix it up." She paused for a second and got a sly grin on her face. "You know I could just treat you to a girls night out when the bar opens. Would be a lot of fun. Cinder worked pretty hard on the VIP areas of the place. Since we're going to be practically living there part time." They were used to a certain standard of living. One that they weren't willing to give up without a fight. The parts of the bar that the normal clientele wouldn't see were going to be a reflection of the opulence they preferred. She was trying to distract herself from sneaking over and trying to spy on the conversation the two of them were having. Sometimes Merci felt like she was digressing in age as Dio got older. It was very frustrating at times. The shadow moved over and perched on the couch, his tail materializing into legs as he got comfortable. When he wasn't around Merci he liked having legs. For some reason the fact that his feet were multicolored amused her to no end. 'Sorry to bother you when I haven't seen you in so long. I've missed you, and I wanted to ask how you've been doing. Something is bothering me though and your the only one I think would have a good answer for me. Mystic.. um, are your dreams supposed to come out of your mind? Like if you have a nightmare about something, it's supposed to stay inside your head right? Because, Merci had a nightmare, and it tried to kill me.' He was probably overreacting, it had happened about a year ago. But that tentacled monster had grabbed him around the middle. Sometimes he could still feel the greasy feel of that horrible thing when he thought about it hard enough.Reyna Crelos "Nope," Reyna answered swiftly as she finished wrapping the stone with a small curled flourish, "You sure can't." She grinned and delved back into another drawer in her desk and retrieved a delicate silver chain and slid the newly finished pendant onto it. "All done," she announced. By no means was the task of wire-wrapping the stone difficult. She did it all day long with much more intricate and delicate stones. This, in comparison, was a piece of cake. "I will certainly take you up on the girls night out, though. Maybe bring along a lovely lady friend I know." Actually, that sounded like a brilliant idea. She chuckled quietly under her breath and the wave of disapproval she felt from Mystic. She wasn't planning on getting into too much trouble. Mystic's concern over Reyna's plans disappeared as he listened to what Dio told him and was quickly replaced with a deep, dark, worry for the little Shadow that sat next to him. 'The nightmare came out of her head?' he asked, eyes wide. A good dozen questions sprang to mind, but he wasn't so certain the boy before him could answer them properly. He didn't voice them aloud as inside his own head they hardly seemed coherent. 'That's not supposed to happen. It really, really isn't supposed to happen. Nightmares are supposed to stay in the dream realm as they are not meant for the waking world. For one to manifest itself in such a way...'He trailed off in uneasy silence as he contemplated the possibilities. None of them were good. Each scenario in his mind was worse than the last. Finally, he spoke up again, 'For that to occur, someone must have tampered with her dreams or has placed a curse or spell upon her.'The elder Shadow knew that to be true with the utmost certainty. How he knew that, he couldn't quit explain. It was more like a memory that he had forgotten that had just resurfaced. His remembering small, yet significant things seemed to be happening at an increasingly rapid pace, but the things he recalled or simply came to realize no longer disturbed him as they once had. At least this time it seemed to be at least somewhat useful as far as his abilities went. Merci` Merci was honestly thrilled. It seemed like every time she saw Reyna it was business. She couldn't help but be excited to actually have an honest to goodness night out without having to worry about Dio or anything else. "Wonderful maybe you can help us christen the place properly then! Should everything be on schedule it shouldn't be to horribly long till it opens." Her tone lightened and got a sly edge, "And of course you can bring a date." Cinder and Clotho would probably really have a great time too. She'd call her other half when they were on the way home and tell her about the offer. Unfortunately whatever she was going to continue saying at that moment was derailed by a wave of worry that seemed to come up the bond she shared with Dio. She arched a brow at Reyna and glanced toward the back room. "I don't think they are talking about harmless secrets back there anymore. He seems worried." At this rate, she was going to wrinkles. She was far to young to have worry lines around her eyes and between her brows. She looked back at the demoness, "He's getting older, I don't know half the time if I should coddle him and protect him or let him spread his wings a little bit." At the moment she was torn between going back there and trying to figure out what was wrong with him, and letting him figure it out and deal with it on his own. "I forgot what a pain in the a** teenagers are." Dio felt the tinge of panic. Curses were bad, so were all the other things Mystic had said. 'It happened a year ago. Remember when I told you that she wasn't sleeping well, and I was worried. That time I came over to read the scrolls with you? It was related to that. It stopped right after the thing came out of her head. She didn't sleep again for a long while, but then she was okay. I've just been noticing that she's starting to pace like she did before.' He was fidgeting with his bracelets while he talked.
The younger fiend sighed a little bit and put a hand to his forehead. 'So i have a reason to worry about her? That's all I wanted to know. Thank you Mystic.' He couldn't ask him for more then information. This was his and Merci's problem to deal with, after all Mystic probably still had his own issues to deal with.
Dio would just have to find out who was trying to hurt his guardian and stop them. How hard could that be? Right?Reyna Crelos Reyna cleaned up the stray pieces of wire on her desk and tossed the remaining mess that couldn't be re-used or made into something else into the trash. She listened as Merci spoke and packaged up the pendant just for the heck of it in a neat, tidy black box tied with small silver piece of ribbon. "Eh," she spoke up, "Don't let it get to you. Shadows are hardier than they appear. Even a uh.. delicate boy like Dio." She laughed a bit at that last part, and was quite obviously unconcerned about the mounting worry and tension she felt through her bond to Mystic. Mystic on the other hand was trying hard not to succumb to panic. His chest rose and fell as though he had taken a deep, calming breath. With a bit more of his composure regained he eyed Dio with a serious look. 'You will tell me if this happens again,' he stated. It wasn't a question, but a demand. He waved one hand and a glowing rune was called forth. Mystic opened a small portal big enough to fit his hand through and withdrew a silver coin that had a somewhat ethereal appearance to it. He waved his hand again and the portal was gone. 'Take this,' he instructed as he pressed the coin into Dio's hand. 'Should you be attacked by a nightmare again, this will trap it. I'll send you another gift in a few days to ... help with things.'Merci` The fox woman just snorted her laughter quietly. "Delicate is such a nice way to say that. I'm honestly worried that he's um. Well, he's awfully clingy with Red." She didn't exactly say it outright, but she hinted. Who was she supposed to talk to about this stuff anyway? Right? Maybe Reyna would have some sort of advice anyway. She opened her mouth and then shut it when she started thinking about what she would ask. She was a guardian, she was supposed to facilitate his growth right? Merci's brows furrowed and she looked at Reyna, "You think he's gay? I kinda do. I think he is, and he's got the hots for Red. I also don't think he knows what the hots are. Is it bad that I am slightly amused and dismayed by the whole thing and not sure what the hell I should do?" Okay, so she needed more friends, but who would understand the story? She had a soul in a ring that one day turned into a child, who was now a horny teenager in the span of a few years? Right, cause that was plausible to your random acquaintance. Not to mention she herself was interested in her own sex. "Aaaaand sorry to unload like that. You can completely ignore me." Dio took the coin and turned it over in his hands. He furrows his brows and pushes his unibang out of his way, tucking it momentarily behind his ear. He wanted to be able to have an unobstructed view of the piece of metal. 'Thank you Mystic. I should watch her then shouldn't I?' The reaction was a little more severe then he had been hoping for. He'd hoped that his friend would just shrug it all off and tell him that he was overreacting again. 'So, if it jumps out of her head again, how do I even use this?' Dio held it up and looked back at the older fiend curiously.Reyna Crelos Reyna laughed outright. "By delicate I meant he was petite and rather short," she managed in between her giggling, "But uh.. I'd be more shocked if Rainbow Brite back there was straight. I wouldn't worry about that either, missy. It's not like they can do anything about it with the anatomy of a Ken doll." And for that she was thankful. Not so much because she was appalled by the idea of Fiends getting it on, but because Mystic had the hots for her. He was clingy enough as is, and she not so secretly hoped that he remained sexually ambiguous. Mystic blatantly ignored Reyna's commentary, but made a mental note to dredge it up later. 'Just hold it up towards the monster. The coin is spelled and it will absorb the nightmare. Or at least it should,' he told Dio. 'I'll... check in on her dreams, and yours, every now and then just to make sure everything is okay.'Merci` Merci blinked and heaved a relieved sigh. "Oh thank the gods. I was freaking out trying to figure out how to be a responsible adult." She felt much better now that she knew when Dio sneaked out of the house at night and went about his life, he wasn't going to be doing something naughty. Well, sexually naughty anyway, who knew what other horrible things he was going to get himself into. "Now I don't have to try and figure out a way to stop him from phasing through the walls or just cruising off the Widows Walk." She picked up the box and ran her fingers over the silver ribbon tied around it, "Thanks a bunch for this. He claims it helps him focus his powers somehow. I've never had any crazy whacked out powers, so I have no idea how a rock actually helps with it." Merci didn't like to admit it, but for the most part she was a metaphysical dunce. None of this magic and mayhem that went along with it made much sense to her. It was however, easy to just go with the flow. The younger fiend nodded and tucked the coin in his sash. 'You don't have to worry about my dreams. They haven't been particularly bad lately. I keep having the dream about Doran, but I don't think it's going to go away any time soon. Merci is the one that worries me.' Dio trusted Mystic implicitly, but he was a little leery of him seeing his dreams. Some of them were very very private and he didn't fully understand them yet.
Oh that's right! 'I didn't get a chance to talk to you about how you've been before I started laying worries on you. I've missed you a lot. Have you been doing anything much lately?' Changing the subject was probably good, he was a little worried that Mystic would wander in on a dream he would probably rather keep private.Reyna Crelos "Good luck with the phasing thing. And no need to thank me for wrapping the stone," Reyna replied as she pulled her sketch book back out and idly scribbled little designs all over the page in an absent minded manner. "The stone is supposedly meant to filter negative energy and focus positive energy. Or... something like that. I dunno. I'm not big on metaphysical properties of rocks and dirt and... yeah. Demonic magic and cursest, okay sure. Fancy rocks? Eh. Fine, but it's not my cup of tea despite my working here." Mystic sensed the younger Fiend's tension about his dreams and let it slide for the time being. He'd check up on him whether he liked it or not, but would at least be kind enough to check with Hawk first. No need to fill his dreams with his presence unless necessary since the thought seemed to unnerve him. 'Eh.. I've been alright,' he replied as he once again relaxed where he sat, 'Been asleep most of the time. I prefer to dream.'Merci` Merci's ears flattened out and she grumbled "It's practically impossible to punish them when they do something horrible. I had to try and hide all of Dio's books from him after he and Rhys stole the Warhammer. That, by the way, I never thought he would do something like that. I know that people have been warned that some of them can be troublesome and downright wicked but Dio hasn't ever been like that." She had no idea how lucky she'd been with Dio. Not until Tek grew up. That little thing still creeped her out sometimes. "Eh, to be honest I'll be happy when the bar is open. Dio can have all the books he wants and I can get out of the house." Her eyes turned back to the back room and she sighed. She didn't want to break them up, but she hadn't really been planning on staying that long. Really she hadn't expected Reyna to be in the shop, let alone to have fixed it up so quickly. No she'd wait till Dio was done talking and came out on his own. He hadn't seen Mystic in a long time and she knew how fond of him she was. The fiend leaned closer to Mystic and he furrowed his brows. 'You've been sleeping? This whole time? Wow, that's a lot of sleep! I guess though I understand. I'm on the roof as much as I can be. Trying to figure myself out. Is that what it's like for you Mystic?' His head canted to the side as he talked. 'I was asking all over about you guys. You should probably let Red know you're around. I asked him about you and he didn't have any answers for me.'
What he really wanted to do was ask what it was that his friend was going to be sending him. He liked presents and surprises, but he liked them better when he didn't have to wait to find out what it was. Dio figured that if Mystic had wanted him to know what he was talking about, he would have told him outright.Reyna Crelos "Stealing strangely named vehicles sounds like quite the past time. Sounds like little Dio is turning into my kind'a guy." She smirked a bit and couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. "I'll certainly drop by the bar when it's open, eh? Sounds like there's fun to be had by all." 'Oh. I've spoken with Red, alright. He knows where I'm at,' he told Dio with a sly look upon his face, 'He had interesting things to say about you, little brother. Who knew you were a screamer?' he laughed with a sort of musical sound that almost sounded real. He couldn't help but wonder if the boy would catch onto the double-entendre. Probably not, but he was amused nonetheless. 'Figuring myself out.. you could certainly say that,' he answered after his laughter died down, 'I'm beginning to understand a great many things about my abilities, that is for certain.'Merci` Dio gasped, and gave the distinct impression of blushing. Not that it was easy to tell on his black skin. 'He told you about that? He scared the hell out of me. He's huge and he sneaked up on me. Not to mention I almost didn't recognize him at the time, he looked way different then the last time I'd seen him.' The younger fiend folded his arms and pouted. 'Anyway I don't scream like a girl.' He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that as much as he was telling Mystic.Merci straightened up and nodded, "Yeah, and it looks like the place is going to be open by Halloween. Pretty psyched about that, thought about doing something special that night. Chances are I'll be stuck there anyway. I should get the runt home. He was pretty pissed I made him come down here anyway. I'm making him miss some crazy marathon of documentaries about the known universe." It was obvious by the look on her face it tickled her senseless that she could irritate Dio. Her tail flicked behind her as she walked over to the doorway that separated the private sanctum of the shop from the storefront. She peeked her head in to look at the two shadows and cleared her throat. Dio glanced up toward Merci and he arched his brows. 'Are we going now? Aww but I haven't seen Mystic in so long.' He turned his burgundy eye back on his friend and tilted his head slightly to the side. 'I'm going to see you again soon right? you aren't going to keep hiding out?' The fox woman rolled her eyes and straightened back up, glancing at Reyna. "I can't win for losing with this kid. First he doesn't wanna come, now he doesn't wanna leave." Reyna Crelos 'Uh huh. He told me alright. He is much bigger, isn't he? He seems to be the same height as me now, though I've not seen him in person. Only in dreams.' He idly patted the boy atop his head and seemed to exude a sort of bemused smugness. 'Mmmm. Halloween,' Mystic laughed again. That was his favorite time of year. He blatantly ignored the rising irritation from his guardian as she sensed his desire to stir up trouble. How hypocritical! She could cause trouble in a bar, but he couldn't get into any mischief of his own? That was hardly fair at all. "We'll see ya'll again soon," Reyna told Merci with a charming, fanged grin. Mystic phased through the wall back into the front shop and dragged Dio along with him despite his protests. 'We will see you again, soon. At very least, you,' he pointed at Dio specificaly, 'Will be seeing me, whether in this realm or in dreams.' Merci` Merci was just screwing with him today. First she dragged him out, and now that he was happy to be out she was going to drag him home. Dio pinned the woman with a dour look, 'You know, there are times I just really really don't like you.' He tuned his gaze on Mystic and sighed quietly. He wanted to spend more time! He hadn't even gotten to snuggle on his Auntie Reyna yet! He followed his friend without giving him a hard time, and then phased through the counter to give Reyna another hug. Dio didn't get to see either of them enough so he had to get his quota of snugs in now. 'I missed you very much. I'll have to come back and see you when your here again.' Merci rolled her eyes and held up the black jewelry box, all prettily tied with the silver ribbon. "Come on honey, you wanna open it?" She wiggled it at him tauntingly. "I'll let you have it when we're in the car." She took a step back with it, holding the box out like one would hold out a carrot for a horse. Dio's eye fixed on the box and he blinked. Oooo it was pretty! He gave Reyna one more squeeze before he detached himself and moved off after his Guardian. When he reached for it though she drew it away again and he furrowed his brows. She was just dead set and determined to make him grumpy today. 'I want it now....' The guardian grinned and pushed the door to the shop open. Her attention moved from Dio over to the pair of Mystic and Reyna. "Thanks again hon. I'll call you to set up a time and place okay? Should be a lot of fun." And with a final wave she disappeared from the shop. Dio following the jewelry box, obviously completely disgruntled by Merci's behavior.
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