[ BOSS ORP ] From The Ashes (THE FINALE P.76)

[Manda]

Aksaja finally noticed the phoenix when it started bleeding white - bleeding fog. As a wisp of that fog twisted and turned in front of him, the dragon stepped backward, eyes suddenly wide. White fog . . . no. No, not this again, not the other island. No no no . . .

But this fog wasn't like that other fog, not exactly. It was different, it was . . . worse. He couldn't see anything. Nothing around him, no one around him either. There was nothing. No ground, no sky, no companions, no enemies.

Then. Light. Or at least, black and white. Movement, figures walking back and forth. Snatches of voices, some familiar and some not, but he could tell that most of them were of the Horsemen clans and he had a moment to think. To wonder 'Why are we here? What's happening?'. Then someone spoke clearly, and he looked.

"Excuse me."

It took him a moment to find the figure, standing a little bit to the left, a figure that was completely white. It spoke again, in a voice not quite male but not really female either. "Excuse me. Are you crossing as well?"

Was he?

-------------------------

He'd just woken up from a dream . . . more of a nightmare, really. Just after a "field trip" that really hadn't been very much fun at all. Aksaja had discovered a few things on that field trip though. Mostly that . . . for the first time in his life, he had real friends. People who weren't just rivals, or conquests or bed partners. Actual friends, that he cared about. And he'd watched them die, one by one, right in front of him.

He had thought that his world was ending.

Then it turned out that they weren't really dead . . . they were alive. They were all right. It was the happiest he could ever remember being. True happiness.

In the nightmare, they'd been really dead. Gone, forever. Shaking, the lightning dragon reached over, picking up his eyePhone and sending a quick text. Within a few moments, he got a reply. Confirmation . . . that at least one of them was actually still alive. Still here. And if one was . . . they all were. The dream was the lie. Everything was okay . . . .

-------------------------

"Yes," he replied softly. "I'm coming." They were going home, right? He wanted to go . . . to a place where it felt like that all the time.  

[revenant aria]

The battle shifted. There was no battle. Not anymore.

“Uh—Wait, am I crossing?” Vaith froze, feeling the white figure’s hand slip into his to drag him forward. Why was he going forward? Where was he going—All these questions subsided as his fingers and palms curled into the figure’s, his black nails in stark contrast to hers. Small useless thoughts crossed his mind, nothing related to the bigger scenery of greys and crossroads. It felt like he was breathing in the scent of nostalgia. They did say that smell triggered the memories first, before everything else and at the moment, it seemed like a universal truth. He couldn’t place the smell, turning his head frantically to find the scent, to remember, to recall.

He turned and there he was.

He was lying on his bed, back to back with a boil. There was a ghoul next to them, she had long pink hair, with an off-the-sleeve white cardigan. Next to her was the boil, Vaith’s older brother, back to back with Vaith. His older brother was arguing with him, all of them were arguing actually. Vaith knew the argument before it happened, his mouth moving to voice the words of each character, like it was a script he had made himself. it was like he was on one side of the recording studio, with the paper in hand, while he watched himself on the other side.

Pins were scattered around all three of them, his precious collection of pins in his room now. At the moment, they were carelessly piled in individual cases. Vaith's trademark black and yellow case. His older brother's dark blue and purple case. Her pink and green case.

“No way, it’s Pegaso.”

“It’s gotta be Dragon Couture.” Vaith objected, laughter punctuating his syllables.

“We’ll learn to disagree because it’s Lapin Angelique. You boils just don’t know it yet.”

They both stared at her.

So much for diplomacy.

All three of them were silent for one heated moment.

Then they started to laugh, heartily, rolling around on the bed together. Nothing broke their world, nothing shattered it. Only the occasional arguments, when Vaith got mad at his brother. Then she would come and fix it, his fiancé, the ghoul who knew Vaith’s brother best paved the way for Vaith. Vaith had never minded their romantic relationship, although if she had a little sister, Vaith probably wouldn’t had hesitated to date her. What did that say, when you liked a ghoul without a trace romantic interest but you would have liked her to have a sister your age? Probably envy, of their relationship.

It wasn't like there wasn't ghouls and friends in Vaith's life now. Lacie and Night were friends. So was Vieve, Amrita, Ren, Sparrow and many others.

As for ghouls? He may not have been completely exclusively romantically invested but there was an inclusive side. There was Aurian, with her gorgeous red eyes and midnight-colored hair. There was also Mai, who always slept over in his bed. Actually, there was a lot of Mai.

Vaith grinned, shaking his head. The line up of girls in his life.

Pink hair first. Then the wispy twin-tailed silver hair of his childhood friend, Lacie. Then Aurian's midnight blue hair, curling around her shoulders. Last, Mai's ghostly blue hair, cascading down her shoulders as it did in the mornings when she awoke.

Vaith couldn't help but chuckle, bringing up his hand to stifle it from some unknown audience. He had always thought he was more similiar to his brother .. but instead, he was coming across more differences than similarities. He shook his head, disagreeing with a familiar unheard line, echoing through the greyscale area. "You always told me I'd get a girl one day. I guess this is different from what you thought, don't you?"

His brother's answer to that was where home was.

Vaith - 646 words

 

[Nio Love]

Robert was fed up, as usual. This was probably one of the lamest fights they'd been in so far. Even when the fog began to roll in, and fancy ghost people started to try and convince him to follow them, he still thought it was pretty lame. Sure, the giant phoenix was pretty cool, but nobody was hitting it anymore. They were just walking around, staring off into the distance, or following the misty people as they started walking away.

Super lame.

He heard a voice, a real familiar one too. Robert knew Petra'd been around, fighting her own battles this whole time, but just hearing her voice made him feel better. There was something weird about it, but it was undeniably Petra, and he turned around with a big smile, arms open to greet her.

When he saw her, though, his smile turned into a surprised choke of laughter. Little Sunshine was wrapped in a yellow dress, uneven pigtails in her hair, and that ridiculous bow sitting right on her bum that always made her sit funny. She fidgeted with the dress as she waited for Robert to notice her, a silly smile lighting up her expression as soon as their eyes met. It was endearing, even when her missing tooth showed through her smile, and he walked to her instantly, crouching down to sit in front of her, at her level.

"You look real pretty sunshine." Robert murmured affectionately, but she didn't seem to hear him. She just waited for something; a line of dialogue from a script long since past. When she finally heard what she was waiting for, her eyes dimmed, and she twirled her skirt back and forth nervously, nibbling at her teeth with her lip. Robert tried, so hard, to remember what he was doing the day that - that party.. their birthday. He'd come because it was Roberta's - no, it was the twins birthday. But he'd only brought one gift.

He'd barely noticed her. The boy was a head and a half taller than her, and she felt like he looked right past her, always looking for her sister. It was easy to forget there was someone else there, when she was always so quiet. But Roberta was nowhere to be found, and for once, he was sick of looking for her. Sick of always following behind like a little puppy, waiting for the next time she would pet him and make him feel like a good boy.

And there was Petra, as patient as ever, just waiting - hoping he would notice her. She didn't care how uncomfortable her dress was, she knew he loved the color yellow. He'd told Roberta before. And she was eyeing the gift in his hand with a sad, almost heartbreaking look.

He could see it now. And he saw it then, too.

"Here you go." He remembered now, the moment he decided Petra deserved it more, anyway. And her eyes lit up when she realized the gift was for her.

"Oh, thank you Robert!" She leapt up, her arms wrapping around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek. His face turned red with embarrassment, and he rubbed the spot sorely.

It was the day he first saw Petra as more than Roberta's twin sister. And she took his hand, and promised she'd make it up to him. She pulled him away, leading him down to the crossroads. She knew he'd come for Roberta. She loved him so much, anyway.

Robert's heart sank a little, but he stood up, clinging to the little girl's hand, and let her lead him away.

"Whatever makes you happy, sunshine."  

[chirigami]

There was a small squeak in surprise when the flame demon wrapped his arms around her in yet another embrace. So many hugs in one day, Olivia wasn't sure if this was normal for all of them or given the circumstances, a sort of.. special occasion. True, they were still in the middle of an ordeal and emotions were running thin and often spiraling downward from one moment to the next. They were warm at least, comforting and just cemented her statement to the others how they were helping.

Olivia tore her eyes for a moment as the bird's flight dipped lower, the voices calling out in horrible wails and trembling voices for home. Home. The others were talking of home, making the ghoul miss hers as well. Her longings and desires for her return were different than theirs, not needing the sleep as they did but the idea of rest seemed so a wonderful notion, just a different sort of bed and a different assortment of animals and pets. The thought brought a soft smile to her features, not enough to falter even when the feathers from the giant phoenix dissolved around them and the fog began to embrace them all.

To her, the fog felt rather nice. Calm and tranquil, it was different than the type that rolled in every evening at her home but it was at least familiar. Olivia felt a hand take hers, putting a guess that it was most likely Faustus from the feel of it - she had taken it so many times herself - and didn't object when he pulled her forward further into the fog.

Figures were walking all around them, their color palette limited in monochromes and muted tones. Somehow, perhaps as the fog thickened around them, Olivia came loose from her friends. She wasn't sure when it happened and was not aware of its happening. There was only the her, the thickening fog and stark white figure standing out from all the rest.

Are you crossing as well?

Hadn't she already done that? She had to wonder, when she died and came to her new home. But she didn't verbally ask, finding herself too lost in the nostalgia that whisped around her. Pulling her in a blissful memory. Slowly it seemed as if the fog began to softly shift to the light snowfall.

Home.

The cabin in the woods. Her new home. Her new family. They had been so gentle and patient with her when she brought her from the human world into Halloween, so happy to finally have a daughter in their patch work family. She had been so confused and so scared and didn't object as they cleaned her up, answered the silliest of questions, clothed her and let her sit for days by the window just staring out in wonder. So lost. Unsure.

It was cold in the cabin in the woods, snow fell gracefully and often and Olivia had come to embrace it and slowly came to embrace her new life. Finding her place had been a challenge, everyone had a place but her. Cooking, chores, gathering, schooling, runs to town and social visits. Then one day, her hands and feet worked on their own. Grabbing and touching and arranging, cleaning up the dust that had collected on the few nicknacks the family had around the house. Under the beds and behind the curtains. They paid no mind to her as she worked, moving out of her way and only so often watched as she toiled away with cleaning her new home and putting some sort of order to it.

There were talks of praise when she realized she was done, small talk and small embraces for her work - something that none of them seemed to have the knack for. Her new mother had the warmest smile, captivating and contagious. Olivia's lips pulled upward, her first true smile in her new home. She had found her place with her new family and would find her place in her new world. Everything was going to be okay from then on.

She had found home.

And she would always find home when there were people to embrace her. Olivia could move forward, just knowing that much.

word count: 712
+3 points
 

[Syusaki]

She couldn’t see through the fog and panic seized her immediately. “Fallow? Xiu? Ur ye thaur?” Dev called out through the blanket of white, but no one answered. Complete silence. Her tail curled between her legs when she realized she couldn’t even see the ground anymore. She clawed against the ground. The ground was still there, right? Dev blinked. Each time the whiteness seemed grow darker and darker until it was dark greys and blacks. She shook her head confusedly when she felt something brush past her, then another, and another, and more and more until Dev realized it was figures clad in Clan clothing walking by. They walked in all directions, heading to a place she didn’t know about. It was like a crossroad. Then something dragged her forward, its whispering voice reassuring her of everything. It would be okay. They would find home.

Home.

She closed her eyes and when she opened them she was surrounded by familiar greenery. When Dev looked down she was a small pup again. Her tiny claws tapped against the grass as she relished the feel of the numerous green blades brushing against her paws. She collapsed to the ground, rolling in the grass as she laughed. The cu sith stretched out her muscles until she felt satisfied. She flopped onto her stomach and lazily flicked her ears. Playfully, she lunged out at a nearby flower and thoughtfully nibbled on the plant. Dev hummed as she took in its taste, highly unusual compared to the usual meals she dined on with her pack.

Her pack. The thought brought the pup back to reality. She was supposed to be with her family, but where were they? Dev whined softly when she failed to see familiar flashes of green fur. She stood back up. Mother had been with her only moments before, but where was she now? She barked, high-pitched and squeaky, a bark that didn’t even carry across the highlands. Only silence met her quiet plea. Her ears flattened against her head and she whined again. She directed her gaze to the sky, the darkness overtaking the splashes of purple and pink with slow certainty. Night was ready to fall, but her pack was nowhere to be seen. A cold wind rustled her fear as she sat down, her tail curling around herself as she waited. Dev didn’t know what she was waiting for. A rescue? Help? She held her head high as she stared at the hills, the sun peeking behind them until it blinked out of sight at last. The darkness made the dim glow of her eyes all the more obvious.

Dev didn’t know how long she had waited for, but now she was tired of waiting. Frustration boiled in a throaty grumble when she stood up and charged forward toward nowhere in particular. She released a howl, loud and echoing that managed to race across the land. At first it appeared as though it had done nothing, but then it came, the reassuring sound of multiple howls melting together as her pack answered her call. Dev managed to let out another loud bark while she chased after the call. They were here. Her pack was here.

They came bounding over the hills, a group of large green dogs running together as one. Their eyes burned brightly against the night and their howls pierced the silence like a whizzing spear. Dev’s chest swelled with pride at the sight. This was her family. This was her pack and her home.

But she had another pack. Her own little pack that was her home away from home. Her own little pack that was her true home. The pup ran after the pack of dogs sprinting toward her, but she also looked left and right in a curious search for a certain rabbit and horse. They were nowhere to be found, but Dev knew they were out there somewhere. She would find them eventually because they were hers. And she was theirs.

word count: 668  

[Eight]

Candace kept walking, ignoring everything and everyone around her until she felt a pair of arms around her waist. In the middle of a battlefield was perhaps the worst place Gale could have decided to sneak up on her for a hug; the first instinct Candace had was to turn and smack them off, but her arm stopped the moment she saw that head of blonde hair and realized whose face was against her. Her heart stopped. Gale came to her completely of his own volition for a second time, again for comfort because he needed it. Gale was wrong in thinking Candace would think him childish or pathetic, because neither of those thoughts crossed her mind as she tightly held him. She buried her face against her hair and just held him, wincing and biting down on her lip as he let go and cried. It hurt to hear and see him like this, it pained her that he was so upset and so stressed that he needed someone to cry to. To cry at all. Not her Chipmunk. "It's okay, Gale. I'm here. I'll always be here. I'm here. It's okay. Shhh, Gale. It's okay." Candace whispered to him, a hand rubbing his back as she held him almost crushingly tight against her. It's okay, Gale. Cry it out. Big sister is here. Big sister would always be here for you.

Always.

Suddenly Gale was gone. Everyone was gone.

Candace looked up and around. "Gale?!" Her eyes widened. "Jerry! Harrison!" No one. "Aria! H! Lance!" No one. She was alone. She was completely and utterly alone.

"Excuse me." A voice said, making Candace turn toward the white figure. What was going on? "Excuse me. Are you crossing as well?"

"Cross? No, of course not. No. I'm not crossing anywhere I'm--" She was forced to walk, tugging and struggling for all of five steps until she heard them. The voices. It would be alright. She could go home..

Where was home? Home was...

Candace suddenly tripped, stumbling and looking down at what she had nearly fallen on. A pair of golden eyes stared up at her, framed by blonde hair and a very flushed face. The boy quickly looked away, refusing to look Candace's way. He was covered with tea. Candace blinked. "Chipmunk? What're you doing out here?"

"I was just...er, feeling a bit too stuffy in my room, I suppose," said Gale, trying very hard not to look in Candace's direction. "And I haven't got the patience to walk all the way down to the common room, so I just...sat out here." Candace gave a soft chuckle, grinning.

"Lazy little boy death. You really should be sleeping, Gale." She helped the boy up and walked with him, an arm around his shoulders. He was still blushing, refusing to look at her and simply winning a chuckle out of Candace. She continued to walk with him, looking ahead of them into the nothingness.

"You...you're...nice to me." Gale spoke up after a bit of time. Candace blinked.

"Is it bad if I'm nice to you? Usually people are happy when I'm nice to them." How confusing!

"You didn't use to be," said Gale. "is what I mean. I mean, you weren't - you weren't mean. Just..indifferent. Like I wasn't...quite on your radar, I mean." Candace smiled even more. She remembered this conversation all too well. She was so happy right now. Gale was one of the few people who made her consistently happy, who didn't ever do anything to hurt her; he'd never yelled at her, he'd never snapped, never broken her heart, never been the cause of her pain. Gale was a constant. A healthy constant.

Candace didn't have much in her life that was healthy.

"...You're a good person, you know." Came Gale's shy mumble minutes later. Candace held him tighter. "You're...well, I like you." Oh Gale. She loved you so much. Her smile grew fond. Home. She could go home, to Deus Ex. Home.

"I won't change if you won't." That cocky grin was back, a single happy tear rolling down Candace's cheek.

"You can't change perfection, Gale." She rubbed his shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "You can't change perfection."

She would never stop fighting. She would never change. She would be herself. Nothing could change Candace.

"...You're a good person, you know."  

[Pixie Nyxie]

Amphi had held Xiu's hand, she burrowed her face in Thana's chest. She felt the small comforting touch of Biskoto on her cheek as the bird changed, engulfed them into a fog of gray.

She saw War, and her clan. She touched them for a brief moment in memory. She felt Famine's sandy brief touches. Gray fog warped her away from her friends, from the one that she felt she needed to protect. She saw glimpses of the dead until it all halted in a silence so deafening, her ears rang from the effect.

And then there was a figure. A white cloak among all the gray, A definition among the grayed thin line of real, reality, fake, dream and death. Amphi took a small step towards her, a gentle push kept her going. It was hard when she felt the attachment, the thread of something tying her to the people she loved.

"Are you crossing?" The figure asked took her hand gently, leading her away from the anchor of her life.

The hand changed though as did her setting. Her mind blanked and then filled. She was surrounded by bubbles, water and the Sea. She felt the cold current of her home and the hand that held her own...it was Undine.

"Hello Little sister." Undine's voice was a soft lilt, like a bell among the gentle rock of waves. Amphi sighed happily as she swam next to her sister.

"Hello big sister." Amphi flushed, happy to be with her older sister. Their bond was one that made Amphi so happy. She didn't get along with all the other mermaids of their clan. So shy and sweet while they delved into something she wasn't ready for it.

"Where are we going today?" Amphi's eyes were bright with curiousity. Only with Undine did she feel at ease with herself. Only with Undine did she open that side of her. Her sister just smiled at her, tugging her gently along with her.

"It's a secret little sister. Secrets are meant to be surprises, but I am sure you will like it!" Undine basked in the glow of love. For her sister and for her lover. With the love in her life, she thought only of beautiful things.

"But aren't we venturing far from the clan?" Amphi looked worried over her shoulder, as the small habitat they built disappeared behind her. Undine again chuckled and gave her youngest sister a sly smile.

"You worry too much of that, Don't you think I'll protect you?" Undine watched as Amphi's eyes widened and she stuttered out a reply. Her little sister, she was always so cute, so fun to tease.

Only a few more pushes in the water, a few more glides on the watery currents before Undine took Amphi aside and covered her eyes.

"You have to swear not to look until I say!" Undine sternly took Amphi's hands and covered her eyes. "Promise?" Amphi's head shook with a yes, no peeking as Undine gently pushed her forward.

"Wait...Wait for it...." She breathed in the cooler water before grinning. "Okay Amphi! You can look now!"

What the mermaid saw when she opened her eyes stopped her in her swim. Her eyes were caught by the sheer beauty of the underwater landscape in front of her. Coral like spirals of all sort of colors shaped from the sandy bed into the high sea's. Around them was so many colorful shells, anenomes and sea urchins that Amphi wondered if they happened upon the treasures of the sea. She followed Undine as they swam through the spiraling towers of the coral reef. Crevices dropped into more colorful displays of homes to all sorts of tropical fish, seaweed and electric eels. They sparked as the shadows of the two mermaids hit them before ducking in their homes.

And that wasn't even the best part. Undine urged the anxious Amphi along until they reached the middle of the Coral reef. Her breath caught again at the sight of something unfamiler, foreign and gorgeous. Columns of a white stone, delicatley carved with curves and ingrooves held up a small arched roof. Sea kelp and Ivy encircled the building, as the sun light it up.

"What is it?" Amphi asked as she circled around one of the large columns holding it up.

"A temple to our god father and his goddess wife." Undine touched the cold marble stone looking at the fixture with a knowning look.

"It belongs to our father and mother?" Amphi asked.

"No It belongs to me....and to you." She smiled at the little mermaid who looked confused. "It belongs to the ones who will lead our clan to the future. It belongs to us when we are in time of need, and when we are not." Undine swam further into the building. "I come here often to think, you are free to do the same Little sister." Undine paused before beckoning Amphi in.

"This is something I give to you. From one Clan heir to another." Undine hugged her sister tightly, "Because you may not believe it Amphi, but you will become strong, stronger then me and will return here." She paused before pulling back. "I'm proud of the mermaid your becoming Amphi. Of the Mermaid you will become. Don't lose faith in yourself, don't be weakened by your own self-doubt." Undine tapped her nose, "And don't be too self-aware little sister. It will just come back to bite you in the tail fin."

Amphi glowed with warmth from pride and love. Her heart yearned for her sister to keep repeating to her what she always said. And like her wish, the memory started over, showing her the breath taking scenary of her home, the insightful speech from her sister and the pride in sister for choosing her.

"Don't lose faith in yourself, Don't be weakened by your self-doubt."

"Your Strong Amphi. So much stronger then I am. And so much Kinder, So Kind my little sister."

It was alright. She was strong. She could see her sister again with pride in herself. With the strength she found. With the kindness she upheld.

What Pride....Xiu and Strength....Thana, Kindness...Lizzy?

Word Count: 1109  

[Enoh Love]

Mort's attempts to reach her were fruitless. Hearing her own name didn't ignite recognition in her nor did his touch illicit a response. There was nothing for her to react to; in her world, there was nothing. Everything was slipping away from her, leaving her alone and empty. A blank canvas, an empty shell. Whatever was left of her seemed willing to just stand there until the end of time.

The fog came, the mist twisting into busy forms bustling to get here or there; yet she stood still, staring off into space and content this way. If her mind was shut off, there'd be nothing left to hurt. No painful memories to haunt every dream and plague every waking moment. No stress, no hardship. No more loss. Just an expanse of nothing, calm, alone, and fruitless. Nothing she ever did made any impact, so why should she bother trying? Every step she took seemed to force her two steps back, putting her on a constant cycle of trial and failure.

Excuse me. A brief glimmer of recognition ignited in her eye, that empty, open orb only shifting enough to focus on the white figure somewhat to her left. Excuse me. Are you crossing as well? Crossing? No, she wasn't going to cross anywhere. She was going to stay here, in this spot, until the end of days. It was easier than continuing that fruitless cycle that had become her life. The voices began to blossom around her, whispering their reassurances that seemed to get louder and more insistent the longer she remained in her perfect silence. She began to pick out words among the encouraging tones; okay, together, home.

A ghostly grey hand curled around hers, giving her a tug forceful enough to encourage her to move, to take slow dragging steps from her little spot of sanctuary.

"Are you home?" She heard her own voice ask, her voice dripping with hope. I am. A voice breathed back, slipping into her mind with a familiar ease. What's wrong? You sound distressed. How can I help you? Relief flooded through her, bringing with it a wave of reassurance. Of course Riley was home; the Mindflayer was a busy woman and yet somehow, miraculously, she always had time for her. She was always there if she needed her, always willing to help should she ask for it, and certainly willing to lay down a little tough love to spark a little self-esteem back into her.

Amrita took it for granted, how Riley was always there. That day had been no different. The rest of the scene played out as it had happened only a few weeks prior; the way she rushed to the Demon Dorms with her precious parcel, the way they had discussed the events that had transpired, everything. Everything happened as it was supposed too, perhaps a little faster than it had actually happened but to Amrita it was exactly the same.

The memory slowed to it's proper crawl as a clawed hand, the hand she had seen tear into flesh with vicious ease countless times, came to rest on her cheek in a touch as gentle as a feather.

I'm so proud of you. Riley had whispered fondly. You took on a hunter, and I bet, I just bet, he has nightmares of you now. Perhaps they will make you even stronger. It was a nice thought, a great little image; the big bad hunter afraid of the broken little patchwork. She huffed in amusement, but any laughter or attempt to modestly brush off the compliment was silenced. Riley never did let her doubt herself out of acknowledging an achievement.

I always knew you had it in you, Amrita. You will be one of the greatest of our kind. And I will stand as one of the many who can look upon you and say, there. I believed in her. I knew she could do it. And she did.

All she could do was stare, the words echoing in her mind. I knew she could do it. And she did. Again and again, that simple phrase, those last three words, haunted her. People had told her that they were proud of her before. Riley had been proud of her before. She had so many dear and valued friends that were honestly proud of her and not afraid to tell her but not no one, not a single one of them, had given her what Riley had given her that moment.

A future.

Not just any future, an accomplished future. The assurance that she wasn't going to live a fruitless life, the guarantee that all of her hardships, both past and future, will mean something one day. She didn't have to be one of the greats; she didn't even have to be important. All she wanted was to know that one day, everything she strived for, everything she worked so hard to achieve, would mean something.

Nobody had ever given her the hope of such a future before. Not even herself.

Riley's words began to sink in, the full extent of their meaning digging deep into her core. One of the greatest scarelings she'd ever known was proud of her...and was promising her something she never allowed herself to even hope for, not even once. Not only that, but she would always be there, every step of the way. She was there when her shaky journey started after all, it only made sense that she would also be there at the end.

"Thank you." Amrita breathed out, her voice choking with emotion, her eyes brimming with happy, touched tears. Her arms slid around Riley, giving her a tight hug; she couldn't think of anything else to do or say. No words could come forward and the ones that did just didn't give any justice to the full depth of what she wanted to express.

Home, the voices whispered, dragging her from that precious, cherished memory that repeated over and over again. It didn't give her time to fully realize the crushing truth; that Riley was no longer there and would never be again; she'd never see those eyes arching into crescents anymore, to get those affectionate touches or to even see the Mindflayer in action, so self-assured and strong. Those bone favours in her pocket would forever go unused. Riley may be gone physically, but her last words left a lasting impression; those crescent shaped eyes were forever in her memory, and would no doubt always appear at the forefront of her mind whenever she felt proud of herself. They would plague every accomplishment she would ever have from now until her end of days; it made her promise to herself that she would work hard, to ensure that Riley's faith in her was well founded so that she could never regret those words.

Home, the voices said again, insistent.

"Hm?" Yes. That's right. Home. She had to go home again. "Oh. Yes. I'm coming." Amrita confirmed, the smile she had once lost blossoming back onto what remained of her lips. Her hand closed around the ghostly grey appendage that had been dragging her along the path, lengthening her strides to match, eager to finally go home.

She had a future to work towards, after all; and a dear friend to make proud.

Thank you, Riley.  

[NeoSeussi]

Alex had stood by his bonded's side, as he had for almost every possible moment from the time they were reunited that morning. He stood beside him as they decided what to do next, he stood beside him as a mind numbing, blood curdling shriek had filled the air. He had stood beside him as he came to the realization, the sick horror of what he was witnessing welling up inside him, of what the phoenix truly was. A civilization, destroyed. It's people, transformed, warped, broken, dying over and over again in this new form that hovered above them. It was heart wrenching. These had been people once, they had homes, they had families and friends, they had probably loved and been loved by somebody. Gone. Gone and destroyed. Was that the fate that awaited them as well? Was that where this all would end?

"W-We'll find them. I'll find them...Come on, lets go..." He had turned, had started to move, had let his gaze roam the area, looking for the familiar faces of their friends.

He had left Yin's side, and it had been a mistake.

It had happened so quickly, the fog that encompassed them all, blinding Alex, disorientating him completely. The first thing he thought of was Yin, and he tried to turn towards him, reached out to where he thought the boil had been last. His arm may have brushed against something, it was hard to tell. He wanted to call out for the boil, but even as he opened his mouth to do so, things were already changing around him. The fog seemed to thicken, then darken, shades of grey, black, and white now. Figures moving through the fog, clansmen and women alike. Were these all that had died? That was a stupid question to be asking himself. Who else could it be.

Alex began to slowly turn in circles, pale grey eyes sweeping over the walking figures, an overwhelming feeling of sadness beginning to well up inside of him. He felt so alone, this felt so wrong.

Something caught his eye, just as a voice rang out through the air.

"Excuse me."

Alex's head swiveled towards it, towards a figure that was clad in white instead of grey. Whoever they were, they were small, and they were moving ever closer towards the zomboil. He wanted to flinch away, to get away, to find Yin. This was all just so wrong.

"Excuse me. Are you crossing as well?"

Alex didn't know what to say. His throat felt constricted, his chest too tight to speak. The figure was reaching towards him now and he found that he couldn't actually move. His hand was suddenly being clasped, he was being pulled along. He didn't want to go, he was too frightened, too apprehensive. He tried to dig his feet into the ground but he was still just drug steadily along. Where had Yin gone? He had told the other boil they would stay together. He needed to find him! He pulled against the hands holding on to his but found that he couldn't get away.

And then everything just seemed to melt away. All of his fear, his worries, his trepidation. All of this was gone, and replaced with a cool calm, with a feeling of rightness. This was what was right. There was nothing to be afraid of.

He had stomped his way downstairs, shoulders hunched, book tucked under one arm. He had been in a strange mood for several days now, not his usual cheerful and easygoing self. As he reached the bottom of the staircase, he turned to the right, and made his way, shuffling slowly along towards the door that led to outside.

"Alexander?" A soft, female voice rang out from the living room area, and his head lifted, turning so that his pale gaze fell upon the woman sitting on one of the white couches. "Would you come here for minute? I need to talk to you."

His eyes shifted as he gazed longingly at that door, his exit from this house to the world beyond, or at least as far as he was ever going to get. He loved his family, he loved his horde but...why wouldn't they just let him get away? He had taken too long to answer, and she was saying his name again, this time with a little more authority.

"Yes, Mom." He mumbled, head dropping again, shaggy white hair falling into his eyes so that he was forced to push it back as he made his way towards her, collapsing into the chair nearby. When he raised his eyes, the look he was giving her might have been best described as sullen.

Last week had been his sixteenth birthday, and when asked what he had wanted, his reply had been immediate. He wanted to go to school. He even knew which Academy he wished to attend, having spent time researching on the web. He wanted to go, to leave the horde behind, to be free. He wanted to be able to learn, to expand his knowledge, to have new resources at his fingertips. His sudden ambition had been met with flat stares, or laughter. Nobody left the horde, because the horde worked together, as a group, that provided for one another. The horde gave comfort, security, were like a colony of sorts. This is what they had told him, and he had felt his dreams dashed, his aspirations turned to ashes. This was the memory that had been dogging him for the last week. This was why the woman, sitting across the room from him, his own mother, was suddenly not somebody he wished to be talking to.

His mom sighed, placing her hands on her lap as she stared down at them, one normal, one skeletal, her long white hair hanging in loose curls around her face and petite frame. Eventually she looked up, and she smiled, though her eyes looked solemn. "You can go. Me and your father...we talked about it, about what's best for you. You're smart, Alexander, and we should not be holding you back. I called the school, I got you an application. As long as you are accepted, you will soon be on your way to Amityville Academy." She finished, an expectant look on her face as she waited for her son, her oldest child, to react.

At first he had just been stunned. Was this a joke? No, his mother wouldn't do that. Nothing was ever a joke with her. This was for real, this was...

This was amazing!

Joy flooded through the zomboil, a grin spread across his face, his eyes lighting up. They were letting him go! She had already gotten him an application. He was..he was..

It was too much, this happiness that he felt. He had gotten up from his chair, pushing himself to his feet before he could even think about what he was doing and shambling his way towards his mother, book left, forgotten, on the seat of the chair. He dropped down onto the couch next to her and threw himself into her, wrapping his long arms around her. "Thank you..Thank you so much." He said, voice muffled with his face buried in her hair, practically laughing. She was hugging him back, a sad smile on her own face. This was his home, but now he was going to have a new one as well. She would miss him, her child, her oldest son. He would be the only one of them to ever leave like this, and it was hard. His family had accepted that he was different, though, and that this was what he needed.

They understood that, no matter how far away he was, this was and forever would be his home.

The memory ended, only to start over again, but Alex didn't mind. It was comforting, the thought that he was going to get to go home, to the place where he was accepted, to the place that was full of so much love, where they loved him so much they were even willing to let him go, just so he could be happy. The memory was all that their was, and it was all that he needed.  

[Miliardo Kason]

”When am I not injured?” She glanced back towards the hunters eyes flickering silently before turning back to Israfel, “I’m not happy with them. I was angry, why wouldn’t I attack them, they killed the Horsemens home, all of it, I might have had issues with them but that…. That’s too much. Even for me, and Riley…” Her voice trailed off as the feather brushed her gently. “I’m not sure what I stand for Israfel, I’m not sure what I’m fighting for any more. I’m just… I’m angry. I am so, so angry…”

Home

The words weighed heavily on the air, she turned to move towards the statue of Riley, to be closer to her friends but instead she found herself alone with a stranger in the fog, no statue or students around her but a lone stranger. “Are you crossing?” She cocked her head to the side turning to realize it was a road, a cross road to be exact. “Are you going home too?” That caused Sammy to pause, what was home, Amityville right?

Suddenly she was sitting on a hammock, a mind flayer right at her side. Fresh bandages strewn about the area, they had been talking about going to the beach, though Riley at the time had declined for very obvious reasons. A phone was produced from the pocket of a worn and torn pair of pants clicking locking that moment in time. It was gone as quickly as it had arrived. She was moved back a step farther, standing by the stadium of War, Shehk and Riley bouncing in joy at her and Siddie.

“You have to try it!” “It feels great!”

The two ghouls couldn’t stop gushing, even though the horsemen had tossed them down and beat them silly both her friends where grinning from ear to ear and dancing around like scarlings on giftmas morning. Beside her Siddie looked up her own white line of a smile cracking over a pitch black face just before she ran ahead to try her own luck. The warm smiles of her friends in that moment slipping away as time seemed to roll back lazily through the fog.

Time moved faster now, she was in her dorm room flopped on her bed, not with Siddie, but Shehk. In the middle of the floor lay a new mini, a Canis Major with a ribbon tied around it’s neck sniffing at all the scareons poking and pawing at it. “Someone’s in puppy love,” she whispered to Shehk, “No, Jack it isn’t like that!” What came next was Shehk babbling and whining just like a puppy would as she squirmed to get away from Sammy. Neither of them produced any heat as Sammy chased Shehk about hugging her, teasing her, chasing again, hugging, and ultimately talking. Two pins gently exchanged between their hands a sign of friendship long overdue between the two. Even without the warmth, it was one of the warmest moments Sammy could imagine.

She was on a stage; in the crowd she could spot others, friends and acquaintances all watching. She couldn’t focus too long, she turned again to face Hel; her weapon raised a wooden sword snapping out against her fake claymore sword. They danced a fake fight the two ghouls trying to suppress the desire to grin from ear to ear in excitement as they repeated the lines, winking and shifting to tell the other where to swing next. Suddenly the tides where turning and Sammy would strike the final blow! Her heart would almost be able to beat she was so excited. The spear appeared and Sammy happily took the blow listening to the crowd gasp as she fell back off Hel’s true weapon into a trap door. She still remembered the shocked looks back stage as she walked out chewing a pumpkin pill.

"And that Boils and Ghouls, is how you put on a Jack-Damn-Show." She bowed down in front of the others back stage before standing up with a grin.

The fog parted again, and a heavy hood weighed over her face, she said nothing as the group of red cloaks moved through the woods. They gathered before a box, one stepped forward, the soft voice of Junko whispering just loud enough for all to hear, they knew the truth, that life wasn’t so simple, that the lies where being spread even as they gathered in the woods. They gathered to pay respects to the one who hadn’t made it home from the trip. In that moment it felt like the world had come to a crashing halt as every truth she had known seemed broken and shattered. Yet in that moment as she placed the vile of ash into the box she knew that she wasn’t alone. As each person cloaked in red, no matter what they were underneath was together in this till the very end. She stood on the edge of the woods watching, remembering what it felt like to cry.

The fog was a train, rolling towards a station in the distance. The silence between her and Shehk weighed like a mountain. She was leaving to go back home, to what passed for a home at one point, she had to sort something out and Sammy had sworn to see her off and she did just that as they sat alone in the stations with a group of Mini’s milling about them. She had confesed it then and there, she liked Shehk, a lot. More than she had any right too with Siddie in her life. It was a talk long in the waiting and still they had it, briefly. “I’d rather you be honest then ever have lied to me Shehk.” The words came easily it seemed, as the truth was laid out, that the two of them would be something somewhere between. That no matter what she would be there for Shehk, regardless of their relationship, she would be there, always waiting, even as the train rolled in blasting fog in every direction.

Suddenly the fog was steam, floating lazily from a hotspring. All around students jumped in while an oversized Jericho made a mess just by sticking his arms in. Everyone was laughing, celebrating the victory of Giftmas, another prank , or attack, or something no one understood had gone down, but everyone was over joyed to relax at the wintery hotspring. A strange fellow with a fancy hat, Maladore was his name lounged with the mindflayer Riley. Amirita was near by watching Sammy with star struck eyes, though at the time she had no clue. Thaki chirped lazily under her, a new friend as well, a loyal flying mount in the battle against Santa’s bots. Even when the dragon attacked and she burned away, she awoke for the first time in what would become a familiar hospital ward with a green ghostly figure tsking at her from above. Somehow in that moment waking up in that bed wasn’t as terrifying as she thought it was, no, she felt safe in that bed when she finally woke up proper, she went to pull the curtain back on the bed when she found nothing but fog on the other side.


Or was it a skirt she found, held up by a shadowmonster, grinning ear to ear she wiggled the skirt at Sammy, teasing how good it would look on her. She had been a bit shorter then, she had smiled the whole time that day at Sammy’s complaints. Not once relenting on how she should be dressed up for Tripple S and their first round of the Battle Of the Bands. Rack after rack ideas bounced back and forth till finally Sammy stepped out a dressing room.

“You look really good,” Siddie had said, “It suits you.” Looking back Sammy wondered if it was the outfit or the stupid grin on her face that Siddie was talking about.

The next memory was blurrier, one of the earliest of the school. A projector had been running in a field and students where milling about. Some gnome had stolen the screws and the whole projector was a mess. After a series of chases, a swift kick and a hunt for screws and the projector it’s self Shehk finally leaned over offering a hand, “My name’s Shehk by the way, what’s yours?”

Samantha Lee, room 032 Undead dorms. The directions to her room where fairly simple and left little explanation. Five years ago she had started a series of classes to rehabilitate her, adjust her to a normal Undead life. Before that her room had been a small dark closet of stone, her days a series of drills and instructions. Passing exams to prove she was worth keeping around and not just locked in a cage all day. She had finally been permited to attend a proper school with other people her age rather than attending the lessons that explained the simple points of how Halloween functioned outside the small Demon’s abode where she had been risen and raised to serve.

In that moment she looked up at the pointed rooftops of the school, students milling and walking about. She felt out of place her dog tags rattling too loudly as she walked forward tugging her boxes behind her. Was this going to be her home? Fear twisted at her gut, she had made a few friends in the past but this place was different, she was different, but looking back on that day Sammy smiled from somewhere inbetween.

Looking back on every memory of her friends, her loved ones, the people she lately was so willing to go into harms way for. She realized what home was to her. It wasn’t a place, four walls on the second floor of a demons dorm room. It was the love, the love of her friends, and the simple joys they brought her. She knew where her home was again, she knew what she stood for. So as she watched and walked towards the gates of the school she smiled. She could see the insecurity her face once wore, the way her hat was tugged over her open skull, she knew that would change, her eyes would burn purple, and her grin would be lose and lopsided as she spoke with her friends.

She was going to be okay someday, so long as she had her home of friends.

((WC: 1,738 +3 points and a long look at Sammy's life gdi I love this place so much ;w; ))  

[santime]

Somehow Shenny knew hitting the phoenix would be one of the worst memories ever, that it would haunt her one way or another, the beautiful bird, a creature of sorrow and revenge. As the giant bird fell down on them the students were captured in a realm of no reality: they were floating between the perfect grey nothingness and sticky white erasure; she wanted to close her eyes and shut her ears. But the primordial nothingness produced a creepy sort of existence: faces, eyes, elbows and feathers, legs and bones, scrawnies and mighties, even moths, pathetic shadows of what once they were, - it was like entering an archive, and insane library of thousand souls animated, moving further just caught in one vital minute on the crossroads of Creation. They had been blind too long. Shenny could see they entered too deeply, they all, hunters, students, horsemen, into the ancient sequence of spaces and times; was it the end, or just a trip to the backside corners of their minds?

"Excuse me."

Home! The small figure in white, more of a vision, hallucination, a little white dot on the colourless canvas. Home! It was pushing her, it was calling her, - Home! - like she had a choice to stay away from crossing, but she could not, - Home! - and how could she, if they were going home, - Home! - if the cause was lost, and they were heading Home.

Home. Home?...

Where was her home?

A vast distance between the stars; red violets and yellow greens; vivid emptiness, colourful scents and smelling sounds; stardust shining in the depth of solitude.

Where was her home? Somebody, refresh me on my past!

What ever happened to.. what's his name?.. Thousand years went by so quickly. What was her name? Did she ever knew her parents? Did she ever have parents? Or may be she was someone's mother, was she? Will she manage to learn who she was before? Where did she came from? What the...

..and then she fell through time, fell to her knees. When the ghoul opened her eyes, it was a bright night in a short October; the room perfectly white and empty, just a long table cutting it into two halves.

Shenny was hiding under the table with a little knife: she was doing some serious business here carving a map of stars and constellations on the inner side of the tablet; a small, young daeva was playing around grinning. That was sooooo dull, so boring! She could no longer sit inside her old cocoon like a frightened mouse, slowly rotting, spending her life in bed, shaking in fear, never watching the moonset, keeping herself locked away! What kind of life is this? That wasn't what she did expect of the life. No, Shenny wanted to go beyond this life of waist, she wanted more, she wanted everything.

The ghoul took the daeva in her arms, stood up, climbed to the table and opened the window. She leaned towards the broken glass, daeva sitting near and gazing at the sky. Bazillions of stars were there, bazillions of worlds and stories. If every single star, every tree, every boil and ghoul is a story, where is the author to tell them? Who imagined all that? Or is it their duty, their responsibility to imagine the author and speak him out? Little Shenny was detached, lost in stargazing, her eyes widened, her entire being flying inside the dreams following her imagination. A wave of cold wind woke her up. A single flare lighted the sky; it was a moment to wish upon a star.

"I swear," she spoke out loudly cuddling the daeva tightly. "By all the stars in the sky! One day I'll go beyond, I'll go beyond all the borders and frontiers, all the walls and lifeless rooms. I will travel to stars and watch them closely. I'm not afraid. And if the death would fall on me from the sky, I would gladly celebrate it!". She even stamped her foot to emphasize her oath. One day, one day she will do it.

...and then again she was standing at the crossroads with a small white figure leading her. She was just a memory, nothing more than a living memory of something that never happened, the end of herself, a blind memory looming in the distance ready to go forth and forget itself, the only thing that could, if anyone ever asked, remind of those events that never existed. She followed the white figure making one more step and fell again, to the same room. Reprise. Reliving it once again, she made another step, and fell back, over and over again, reprise. Could there be any other way to die well?

((Number of words: 809))  

[Pixie Nyxie]

Dakota hadn't moved fast enough. Hadn't attacked fast enough. Hadn't protected fast enough.

Chama chimed in his head as the Phoenix burst into gray fog, washing over him, into him, around him. He breathed it in, felt it to his bones and shivered. Death.

The figure was no surprise to the hunter. He had seen one like it, one near it. He didn't think he'd be back to see it so soon. There was no memory blast needed from Chama as he felt the nostalgia waved over him.

---

The first to hit him was a young body of a death trainee. Eva Valentine had made it her god given right to fall from a branch above the pristine white snow and right into the most peculiar spot on Dakota's lap.

And from their they developed a game. She was his angel, and he was her gumdrop...

The next melted to a female Life hunter with long white pigtails and a skirt begging to be flipped. Juice box in his mouth, he flipped her skirt regardless of warnings and common sense and had seen some pretty white pristine panites.

Too bad its all he remembered as Reine kicked his a** to the stone age.

"Christ. Why are all of the boys here so young." Her voice was a break through the memory fog. Yeah He remembered this well.

First meeting with Clerise. It had been a doozy. Only 17 at the time and still the most obnoxious flirt....and she had handled him well. Sucking on a stolen juicebox, somehow Dakota and Clerise had become friends, best friends, Best friends with Benefits.

The first time he touched her was when she straddled him in a borrowed nightie from Clarice. He watched the memory drop, combine with others of hers.

"Clerise..." He kissed her and she responded. She pushed him down, pressed him closer, touched him and he hadn't ever been happier.

He pointed at her, "Little Dipper = Little Spoon. Your fate."

Then pointed to himself, "Big Dipper = Big Spoon. My fate. I will also accept nicknames such as Big Daddy, Big Bear, Papa G, Thug-"

"Yes," Clerise says sardonically, "I caught the reference, brat-- oh my god, never in my life will I call you papa g or thug or anything with daddy in it--"

She smacked him upside the head, lightly.

The memory faded out again. He was sitting in the kitchen with Sweet and Petite, Molly. She sang to him, sang him some kind of hardcore birthday song while peeling potatoes. He wasn't sure if it was the cutest thing in the world or just down right funny but had ended up pulling on her cheeks and messing with her regardless.

---

It's sad because in all those memories Dakota focused on one thing and one thing only.

"Marcus..." He whispered over to Marcus, looking at the older moon hunter. Please Marcus oh god, just STOP BREATHING ON HIS NECK, ITS OKAY, HE CAN HANDLE THE HUG JUST OH GOD THE BREATHING ON HIS NECK.

He was holding Dakota.

He was breathing on Dakota and this was all sorts of wrong and maybe he would request that division transfer. "............." Dakota said his name and all Marcus was trying to do was not flee. He'd break the damn door down if he had to. "...................yes Dakota?" His voice lacked any emotion.

---

MARCUS MEMORY GTFO....

He laughed as the memories restarted, showing each of the ladies. Clerise was always the strongest in his mind though. Whether she knew it or not, Clerise was the most important girl to Dakota, the only girl he'd ever really share himself with. It was funny because even in the end, he knew what they were. What they'd always be. Best friends with benefits and one day, just best friends.

"I'm still a ******** Virgin."  

[MoonKitsune]

They had been here, just here with him. Amrita had been by his side, and his attention was peeled for any interference or wrong move from the Hunters, but the Phoenix by far held his focus the most, and as it circled and flew above them, a sad sight of combined destruction and loss, he could only feel it harder and harder to focus on must else as it flew overhead. He felt lost here. So much had happened without his notice and control, and as each passing hour came and went, more and more death was brought along with it. Those he knew. Those he came to know. Those he wished to meet. Those he loved, envied, and connected with. Gone.

Then, as feather rained down, a fog formed, rising around him and creating the world in silent white. It was almost a relief to no longer see the islands ruined, the Phoenix above, or the Hunters all around responsible for it all. Still, he worried for his friends, and looked about, ears up and giving a whinny to all those that might be lost. "Amrita? Are you here?" He called out, but his voice seemed to be swallowed by the fog.

Quiet, he felt the same sort of quiet trance he felt back in the clans, but the pain in the pit of his chest told him not to think of those broken islands now. Then figures started to move, and he breathed out. "Amrita? You there?" He asked, noticing gray shapes moving towards him - far too small to be the crazed bird. No.

There was a soft jingle as jewelry clattered as those in robes, those he swore he saw before quietly scurrying about the Death clan, walked past just as quiet as before. Their footfalls made no sound. Even more came, a few from War, even those he felt he might have seen in the sparring rings, and a few other shapes in elegant robes he wished he had a chance to meet. "You guys made it. You're alive!" He called, moving over to them. Maybe the Horsemen knew and evacuated but.....

As he drew near, something felt off. All their colors were gone. Vibrant feathers, shimmering jewelry, and the warmth of life was gone - all drained to muted grays.

A small horsemen touched his leg, and he looked down at the small figure. They were all white, making their details almost impossible to read, and Calder lowered his head down to look down at the horsemen. "Crossing?"

Crossing to where? His head went up and watched as all the horsemen seemed to have places to go, quietly going this way and that. They had a destination. A home. One that wasn't the island. A final point - a guiding star that pointed them in the right direction to somewhere they could feel safe, where they belonged, ultimately, somewhere in the fog.

The small figure took a piece of his mane, and for a moment, he felt it was okay to walk with them. Slowly he trotted alongside the figure, and wondered where this home was. A place he felt safe. Accepted.

As odd as it seemed, this place was not nestled in his parents' arms, as much as he loved them, or surrounded by his clan, who, let's be honest, never welcomed him. It was on a couch, in Barth's room. A moment in time that, like any other day, where he sat out of the way while the demon and his Igor worked together. It was a place, that on a day like every other, that he felt himself pull back from the present and observe himself and everything else around him. That he could sit in a demon's dorm, welcomed and not ignored, nor shooed away, and simply allowed to watch. Where even Christof hadn't seen him as a nuisance that day, and the pair were working together. Even though he wasn't joining them in making whatever contraption was on their odd blue papers, he wasn't chased off, kicked out, or tease. It was a moment of acceptance, that he was Calder, a kelpie outside of his clan, judged only for his own actions, and allowed to simply be in the same space, to be allowed to call them friends, and just sit in the same space as them.

It was in that moment that Calder had the first feelings of being taken in, of belonging, and it had been so overwhelming that he had been glad the other boils had been otherwise occupied as he took a cushion and covered his face.

That was home for him.

A moment in time where he was overtaken with the simply novelty of being tolerated.

Smiling, Calder moved to that feeling that had made his chest swell and his eyes sting. .If home was that, he wouldn't mind going.