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 Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:11 pm
The thing about being left behind in school, was that she became increasing aware of the going-ons around her; everyday it was the same routine, the same people. In the morning, cook for Mac and hope she doesn't require him to put out any fire. In the afternoon, wait at where the students returned from during Week 1, hoping to spot someone familiar coming home. In the evening, go for a walk around campus and then retire at Mac's place.
This evening, however, she couldn't help but wonder what happened to the rest of the students left behind... She hadn't seen Mot or Jericho in a while, although she knew that the former was still there since his room was just next to Mac's... Which was why she decided to navigate her way through the confusing Monster dorms, arriving at the door of the red dragon's room.
"Jerichoooo?" She knocked on the door, pausing for a bit before yelling again, "You in?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:16 pm
It had actually taken Jericho a little while before reaching the door, even after Lizzy shouted for him. There had been no verbal reply either, which may have made it seem like he wasn't home. However, slowly, the door opened to reveal the dragon was indeed there.
In his hand, was his phone, clutched tightly in his grip. He was breathing heavily and he was shaking pretty badly too.
Looking down, he stared at Lizzy for a few moments. The was a notable look of fear in his eyes. Though it also looked like he was trying to figure out what to say.
"We..." he cracked out but quickly shook his head and started to close the door.
"Not now... Can't talk.." he murmured instead before glancing down at his phone, as if trying to will some sort of message to return.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:21 pm
Lizzy was about to turn and leave when they was no answer; perhaps her was out, after all...? The school was big, and she could have missed him-
"Jeri-" She paused, the way the dragon looked immediately causing her to worry; she had been worrying about a lot lately, and the way he looked was not helping her nerves, "Is something wrong? You look terrible!" Her gaze went to the phone in his hand when he glanced that way, and her frown deepened, "Jericho, don't you close the door on me!"
She stuck her leg through the door in a fit of stupidity and worry.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:25 pm
Jericho's gaze shot back to Lizzy as she stuck her foot in the doorway. Thankfully he hadn't been trying to close the door hard. In fact, his movements were pretty weak over all. When she asked if something was wrong, his face contorted for the moment.
"We... we can't.. feel Riley.. S-s-she..."
He was having trouble getting it out. He wanted to believe he was wrong. But there were a few different things that told him something was terribly terribly wrong. Slowly, he reached for his shirt and unbuttoned it partially, just enough to expose a part of his chest. Where there had been Riley's mark... was just a red burn where it had seared his skin. The mark itself was not there any longer.
"It.. it burned... contract.. watch eachothers back.. be there for each other.. it... it burned... it's gone now.. broken..." he started to shake even more and then his knees gave out and he fell to the floor.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:54 pm
"Can't feel Riley?" Her heart started to race as she slowly retracted her foot, squeezing herself through the doorway into his room; the mindflayer was a long, long distance away... So maybe that's why? But the way he looked and the way he sounded and the way he behaved... It scared her. Even on the island, when he was feeling hopeless, he had never looked this... This lost and broken.
When he started to unbutton his shirt, she was still so scared and worried about the state that Jericho was in to even react to the SUDDENLY MAN CHEST. She just felt her heart beating so hard in her chest that it felt like it was going to explode. In the end, she just stared and stared, wondering what it was that Jericho was trying to tell her.
The word 'contract', however, explained everything.
She knew about demon contracts. She knew that those two had a contract, since she had seen the mark on his chest from Octobers ago.
"Wait... W-wait, what are you saying? That something happened... To..." Her throat felt dry, and her voice probably came out soft, raspy and almost like she was in pain; if it was someone else telling her something about Riley, she would not be able to believe it. However, this was Jericho. Those two were best friends and shared a bond that once, she was jealous of. As he fell, her eyes widened, and she stood there, frozen to the spot for a second before-
"Jericho! H-hey!" She threw herself down on the ground beside him, putting an arm around him. Too many thoughts were swimming around her mind for her to say anything else but hold her friend.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:02 pm
Even as Lizzy threw an arm around him, he continued to shake. Tears had begun to well up in his eyes and it seemed like at any moment they would be spilling on out. After staring towards the ground for awhile, his gaze suddenly flicked up towards her.
"Tell us we're wrong... that.. it.. has to be a mistake.. Riley.. She can't.."
Despite saying it. Despite his hopes that this wasn't really happening.. he knew in his heart that she was gone. He didn't know how. Or why. But she was no longer there. Shaking a little more violently, he couldn't take it anymore. Tears began to flow down from his eyes. His fists were also clenched tightly, enough that he had unintentionally crushed his phone within his hand.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:19 pm
She was usually all for the 'It's going to be fine' routine. She liked being optimistic. She was optimistic by nature. However, she couldn't help but feel that she might be lying - to a dear friend and to herself - if she said that now... After all, there must be a reason why he looked like he was about to fall apart. She had never seen him cry before... Ever...
"I..." She choked up, looking away for a second before wrapping her arms around the boil in a hug, knowing that there was nothing she could possibly do or say to cheer him out. He needed to grief, he needed to accept that if something had happened to Riley to cause their bond and their contract to break... That...
"I'm... Sorry... Jericho, I'm sorry..." She muttered, tearing up as she wondered what had happened; she didn't want to accept it, not until she had gotten proof... But is it silly or foolish to hang onto hope? What had hope given them before? A blind eye? Broken wings?
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:26 pm
Jericho's wings had sagged down to the ground around him as he was losing strength to really do much of anything right now. His body was fine, but it felt incredibly heavy at the same time. His lip waivered. He didn't want to cry like this in front of her. But he couldn't help it. Closing his eyes tightly, he raised his head.
"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIII!!" he screamed upwards before melting into Lizzy's embrace, sobbing uncontrollably into her shoulder. What was normally a cry of rage, or even determination, was nothing more than one of pain now.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:45 pm
Lizzy knew a lot about crying; it was one of the things she liked to do in order to calm herself down, so... Who was she to judge him about crying? Her ears were ringing, being so close to him as he yelled, but even through the ringing, she could feel the pain he felt in that scream; if something really had happened to the Mindflayer, then he would have lost his best friend.
"Let it out," She murmured, patting him on his back, "You have to... Just let it out..." She too, had started to sob, teeth sinking into her lower lip; while she wasn't as close to Riley as Jericho was, they were friends. They had gone through things together. They had relied on Riley a lot, to see them through tough times, to lead them.
And... There was a high possibility - no, perhaps it was already confirmed - that she was gone.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:56 pm
And thus Jericho continued to sob into Lizzy's shoulder. He didn't have anything else to say right now, and just kept on crying. Though, every now and then, an agonized wail escaped him.
After what seemed like an eternity, he began to calm down. But his mind was still racing. The dragon needed to know what had happened. He needed to know what was going on right now. The last he had heard, something weird was happening on the horsemen isles. What could have happened in this past day? There were too many questions he wanted answers to.
"Maybe this will all pass... we'll wake up and it'll all just be a bad dream.." he murmured, sounding distant.
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:22 am
"I used to be a dreamer, Jericho," She muttered, her voice soft; one side of her dress was soaked with tears and things she did not want to think about, but she kept patting the boil on his back, "But Mac is a realist and... I guess I've realized that some dreams, you can't wake up of. If this was a year ago, I would agree with you, but the me now... Jericho, if you feel that Riley... Is... If Riley is... That... Not..."
She inhaled sharply, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, "I've been... Waiting. Every day, at the edge of the weeping forest. Do you want to come wait with me from tomorrow onwards?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:29 am
Jericho had stopped shaking so much too. Sobbing like he did had completely drained him. It was like his energy had leaked out with all the tears he had just shed moments ago. She was right. Hoping it was all a dream was pretty pointless right now. The dragon knew what he felt. The signs were all there.He needed solid answers.
"Y...yes... w-we would like that.. Phone crushed.. can't find out any other way.." he murmured weakly while glancing at the heap of plastic and circuits that was still in his hand.
"S..Still too many unknowns.. We need to know what happened..."
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:56 am
"I have Amrita's number in my phone. She's been updating me a bit too, but she stopped..." She felt sick to the stomach all of a sudden; what if Riley was not the only one? What if Shun, Mitsu, Xiu and Amrita were in danger of... Of being gone too? Death was death, but they always came back... Always till Red. Till Riley.
There was something else bothering her though.
"Jericho... Why are you using 'we'?" She had always thought that it was because of Riley, of their bond; was he so used to it that he couldn't stop?
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:09 am
Thankfully, Jericho hadn't even begun to worry if anyone else. He probably wouldn't be able to handle it if he realized he might have lost others as well. He was barely able to handle this much as it was. Though, he was soon distracted as Lizzy asked him something. In fact, he froze for the moment.
"We use we.. because that is how we are..." he uttered. He couldn't explain it. But he had trouble seeing himself as a singular being right now. The dragon knew he was distressed. The insanity was showing more as a result.
Speaking of that..
Riley could never come home now if all the signs were true. Home...
"Someone.. someone needs to bring her home... she has to come home..."
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:15 am
"How... We are...?" She echoed, slowly letting go of Jericho to lean back, tilting her head as she eyed the dragon; that didn't make any sense! The way he said home, the tone he was using - it was familiar, for some odd reason. It made her shudder, reminding her of the trials, of Christmas.
"Jericho, you-" She froze, her eyes zooming in on something grey and silver on his wing; she would have thought that it was a trick of the light had she not leaned his way to take a closer look and realized that whatever it was, it was coating the tip of his wings, the same way those Joy creatures were... After they fell and woke up the first time... And the way he was saying home...
"What is that?!" She pointed at the tip of his wings, shaking a little.
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