(LONG overdue log XD)

Ripley:
Rosc had been so reclusive and, frankly, depressed the past few days that it wasn't surprising that even his pets were starting to feel restless and at least a little sick of his moping. Most of them understood though, and either left him alone or stayed cuddled up to his side to keep the incubus company. Loyal as she was, Ripley was one of the former. MC and Ban had the cuddling down when Rosc was in his room, so she slipped out of the window when they got back and climbed across ledges until she found a room with someone familiar inside.

The foxsquirrel made a soft cooing sound as she slipped through the bars, looking for attention, nose twitching curiously with the scent of Unmentionables.

Sin:
Pantaloons looked up from Sin's dresser curiously and watched with narrowed eyes. He snuggled closer to Ladyluv and decided to just watch the furry intruder for now though. Sin was laying on her stomach a book in hand as she tried to take notes. She sighed and wound a strand of her hair around a finger before pushing it back. She blinked and looked over slightly startled by the cooing and then sitting up a bit with a smile.

"Ripley? Is that you sweetie?" She held out her hand and slowly closed her book. She had really liked Rosc's foxsquirrel from the start, though she was a painful reminder of her master she was glad to see her.

Ripley:
Ripley's ears perked up at her name before she flicked them back again as she nuzzled the outstretched hand. She moved slowly up Sin's arm to her shoulder, picking carefully around the spikes on her shoulders, nuzzling her neck when she got there. That done, the foxsquirrel hopped down into Sin's lap to sit and stare up at her with big green eyes. Bushy tail waved back and forth a bit.

Sin:
Sin smiled and relaxed as the foxsquirrel nuzzled her and then when she moved into her lap Sin lightly stroked the large ears. "Hey Ripley, what are you doing here huh?" She wondered if Rosc wasn't worried and then she frowned, why should she care if he was? Though...if Pantaloons or Ladyluv were missing she'd be frantic...but she couldn't. She couldn't go and tell Rosc that Ripley was with her because she couldn't face him yet. Her eyes misted over slightly and she sucked in a deep breath trying not to cry.

"Oh Ripley...males are such trouble..." She lightly stroked her fingers down the foxsquirrels spine.

Ripley:
Ripley leaned into the pettings, listening intently to what Sin had to say. She was Rosc's... Well Rosc really liked her, Ripley could tell. Her master moved like Sin was his mate when they were together, sometimes. Sometimes he moved like Sin was the superior, too, like he was wary of her power.
Her ears flicked back when Sin looked so sad. She cooed again and nuzzled her fingers. And then the comment on males. Ripley huffed and nodded her head a bit. Then she wiggled at the spine-pettings.

Sin:
Sin smiled as she lightly scritched the Foxsquirrel behind her ears almost laughing at the huff. "I just don't get it Ripley...it was all so..." She sighed and shook her head slightly. "It wasn't perfect, but it didn't have to be. I was just so happy to have someone who really liked me...for me and despite all the things I don't even like about myself. I guess...he didn't really ever trust me the way I imagined." She closed her eyes a moment and then bit her lip chewing it a moment then stroking Ripley again holding her softly.

"I guess that was smart of him though considering how I acted once I found out. Now neither of us has to be the trusting fool...and...and besides that's good right?" She looked at Ripley as if all the answers were in those wide green eyes. She sighed and lightly picked her up walking to the window and setting her on the sill. "You better get back to Rosc before he worries..."

Ripley:
Ripley's ears flicked back and down again, noting the sadness in Sin's tone. Why didn't this work, between Sin and her master?
She nipped at Sin's fingers when she was set back on the windowsill. She gave the succubus another quick nuzzle and slipped back out, looking back once before heading back towards Rosc's room.

The Next Night
Ripley:
Ripley poked her nose back into Sin's room. Rosc was still boring, MC and Ban were still comforting, and nothing was being done to fix this situation. Maybe if she spent time with Sin, she would come visit Rosc, or he might come here looking for her. Either way worked well enough for Ripley, whatever got them face to face and talking again.

Sin:
Sin had finally slept through the night, who knew why, but it leant her day energy she had been sorely lacking. She smiled that night brushing her hair and lightly stroking a fingertip beneath her eyes. Good no dark smudges, her mother wouldn't descend on her in a rage. She counted the strokes until one hundred then slowly moved to her eee!mails. She glanced at them for a moment, no new ones...of course not...she had only really frequently received eee!mails from one person. She set the screen to sleep and headed into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of juice.

Pantaloons lifted his head one of Sin's bras tied over his horns and under his chubby chin. He eyed the window and narrowed his eyes as if he could sense incoming intrusion.

Ripley:
Ripley slipped inside and tensed when all she saw was the male Unmentionable. No Sin just yet. But it was late, so she should be in, right? Tall thingies didn't go out at night, the old tall thingies would get mad.
Green eyes stayed on the male as she listened to the sounds coming from another part of the room. Maybe Sin was there.

Sin:
Pantaloons huffed as the intruder appeared and grumbled under his breath before ducking back into the drawer full of underthings. Ladyluv poked her head out and let her displeasure of another female be known with a little hiss. Still the two troublemakers stayed put, unwilling to leave the nest they had made of Sin's dresser drawer...yet.

Sin walked back into her bedroom with her glass and blinked at the sight of familiar green eyes. "Ripley?" Hmm this was getting to be a nice little habit. Well..maybe it wasn't good after all Ripley did belong to Rosc. Still she felt comforted by the Foxsquirrels presence, she moved and sat on the bed lightly patting her lap. "Hey sweetie come for another visit?"

Ripley:
Ripley made an unhappy hiss back at Ladyluv, fur fluffed slightly and ears back, but then Sin came back and she was all friendly again. As soon as the succubus sat down, Ripley was launched into her lap and flopped down. She blinked up at Sin. Sin looked better than her master did. It was a little sad.
She wagged her tail a bit.

Sin:
Sin lightly stroked Ripley's ears and then took a sip of her juice before licking her lips. "I'm glad you came Ripley...your so sweet..." She swirled her glass again and gazed down at it sighing. "I never thought I'd have such a hard time of things..." She closed her eyes used to the familiar sting now and used to keeping the tears from falling. She set the glass aside and lightly pet Rosc's foxsquirrel with a smile she didn't really feel anymore. She had gotten used to her muscles moving, lips curving, laughter coming forced, she had to keep going she didn't dare let anyone see the torn way she felt inside. Morton had...he'd almost seen her break, but she couldn't be weak. She had cried enough, too much, if her parents had known they would be so ashamed of her. "It hurts Ripley...and I can't let anyone know...but I can tell you...because you won't tell anyone." She sighed and stroked the soft fur remembering her Raven...Rosc's love of textiles.

Ripley:
Ripley's ears drooped as Sin spoke, feeling the sadness again. She didn't like Sin to be sad, she gave such nice pettings. The foxsquirrel sat up, pawing lightly at the hand and cooing in her best comforting manner. Her master could fix this, if he tried. He was just being dumb and not figuring out how to fix this.

She had to wonder if Sin had any pets like her or MC or Ban. Those two in the draw didn't seem to want to cuddle with her or let her pet them so that she could forget about being sad. Her eyes narrowed again as she passed a quick glance at the drawer before she softened and looked back up at Sin.

Sin:
Sin felt a tear slowly slide down, she tried to quickly wipe it away but a drop landed on Ripley. She frowned and quickly rubbed her eyes before forcing a smile again. "Oh...I'm being silly...it's not like Rosc punched me, he's the one who's...hurt. I'll be just fine...just fine...not a scratch on me." She rubbed her chest wondering why the emotional blow felt so much more painful then any strike she had ever been subjected to.

She picked Ripley up and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry Ripley..." She wiped the small damp spot away with her fingers and lightly pet the foxsquirrel again. "You should probably go back to Rosc...wouldn't want him to...come looking for you."

Ladyluv glared at the Foxsquirrel in Sin's lap, she didn't like her one bit. Sin was theirs, she and Pantaloons had chased off every pet in Sin's vast array all of them relegated to the closet...except for her and her mate. They were special, the rooms were their domain, the treats were theirs, and Sin's affections had always been only for them...the intruder was not welcome.

Ripley:
Ripley's nose twitched when the tear fell on her head. But she was up in Sin's hands before she could shake it off, getting a kiss. She cooed again and reach a paw towards Sin's heart.

But she didn't want to go back to Rosc. Sin needed comfort too and maybe she could help make this better and her master would be happy again. He hadn't taken her outside for exercise in... not since that fight with that mean ghoul.

Sin:
Sin held Ripley close for a long moment, treasuring the soft paw against her heart. For a moment she imagined that Ripley could somehow take her apology back to Rosc, her feelings, her longing. Then she sighed and slowly stood moving to set Ripley on the windowsill with a little kiss to her nose. "Go on before you're missed...you can come back tomorrow and I'll give you a brushing and we can play a little okay?" She hoped the foxsquirrel understood, Ripley was smart, but she felt a little silly talking to the minipet. Then again she was always promising Pantaloons and Ladyluv things and they seemed to understand just fine. They were spoiled rotten though so maybe they just always expected the things she cooed to them to lead to treats and affection.

Ripley:
Ripley's ears stood up eagerly when she heard something about "tomorrow," "brushing," and "play." That's all she needed to hear! With a happy squeak, she nuzzled Sin's hand once more and ran out the window, her paws nimble even in the darkness.

The Next Night
Ripley:
Rosc had left a purple rose on his desk, with several notes he had painstakingly handwritten. Some had been crumpled up... well, most of them had been, but there was one that he had set apart, had rested against the stem. Ripley didn't know that it simply said "I'm sorry," she just knew that the tag and rose just had to be for Sin, since she had been the one to take all of Rosc's gifts to Sin some days ago.

He was in the other room cleaning himself, so she took the rose and tag over to Sin's, slipping carefully through the bars with both items in her mouth.
She didn't want to drop them, after all.

Unmentionables:
Pantaloons and Ladyluv had seen Sin getting out a ball, they had seen her take out the brush, and they had waited expectant. Of course they never fetched, but it amused them to trick Sin into throwing and retrieving the ball herself. They did love the brush though so they waited smugly to be cradled in her arms and brushed and pet. Except...they realized it wasn't happening, Sin laid out the ball and brush and then she had gone to shower...and left her window open.

Ladyluv growled low, she knew why the window was open and she knew what the ball and brush was for. The intruder was coming back and Sin would play with IT and brush IT. Well...not if she could help it, she quickly tugged at Pantaloons and the two of them moved into place. Pantaloons waited at the corner of the window and Ladyluv hovered up near the ceiling. Steam from Sin's shower drifted slightly out of the bathroom towards the cool night air.

As soon as Ripley entered Pantaloons shoved the window closed with his little paws and then turned on the intruder. Ladyluv dropped down on Ripley and dug her claws into the foxsquirrel with a hiss.

Ripley:
The sounds Ripley made were more like a cat's yowl than anything else, screeching as she dropped the gifts and tumbled to the floor with Ladyluv. She landed on her paws, crying out again when one of them sent pain up her leg. Still hissing, she tried to roll about, tried to get the female off her back so that she could attack or flee to some sort of safety.
And all the while she was making a Jack-awful racket.

Sin:
Sin had just finished rinsing off and shutting down the water when she heard a horrible yowl. She grabbed her towel and rushed out almost slipping on her black tile floors.

Pantaloons grabbed Ripley by her leg and tugged her up, his wings beat furiously as he tried to lift her, but he finally dropped the wildly thrashing foxsquirrel. He tackled his mate to the side afraid Ripley would get the upper-paw and hurt Ladyluv. Sin grabbed Pantaloons by his scruff and gave him a hard shake. "What are you doing!?" She dropped him and knelt down quickly looking at Ripley worried. Oh jack Rosc was going to kill her! Ripley...poor Ripley, she slowly reached out her hand afraid the foxsquirrel might lash out at her in fear. "Ripley...it's okay now, I'm sorry sweetie...I just...I have to pick you up Ripley..." She tugged on her robe and then grabbed her still damp towel to try and pick up the foxsquirrel.

Ripley:
Ripley's eyes were narrowed as she had backed herself up against the wall. She would have preferred a corner, but the wall would do.
Oh, but Sin was here now, Sin would protect her. Despite the pain in her paw, she ran into the towel, immediately curling up in Sin's hands. She licked her hurt paw and shivered, fur all on end and ears twitching as she kept a close eye on her attackers. The rose she had brought over lay on the floor, the note not far away from it.

Sin:
Sin quickly held Ripley close against her chest and glared at her Unmentionables who were now playing innocent in the corner. "I'll deal with you two later..." She frowned and then looked down at Ripley worried.

She moved the towel trying to see if Ripley's paw was bleeding then stroked her softly. "Poor Ripley...don't worry..." She knew she had to take her back to Rosc. She didn't relish the idea though, she had been carefully avoiding Rosc. She gave him the cold shoulder in classes, she walked past him in the halls as if he weren't there. She had slipped a Lucky 13 invitation under his door...but that was different, business she told herself.

Still, Ripley needed Rosc and she coudn't just let her run back out the window injured. She slipped out of her room and held Ripley closer trying to keep her warm regretting wrapping her in the damp towel, though it was still warm. She stopped infront of Rosc's door and hesitated a moment before moving a hand to stroke Ripley softly. She was half tempted to set her down, knock, and run, but wow did that seem...cowardly. "You'll be okay..." She murmured, though to Ripley or herself who knew? She lifted her hand and knocked hard.

Rosciel:
The door opened just a crack.
"Who the - Sin?" Rosc's voice sounded a little hoarse when he said her name, the door opening fully so that she could see him. He looked like he'd just gotten out of the shower, too, had haphazardly thrown a black t-shirt and blindfold over his scars. His hair was still dripping and hung limply around his face.
The blindfold couldn't cover the ever so slightly darker patches under his eyes.

A pained coo drew his attention down, only to find Ripley huddled in a towel in Sin's hands, her paw bleeding onto the fabric. She looked like she had just gotten into a fight.
"What happened?" There was not a hint of accusation in his tone, simply concern as he reached for his pet.

Sin:
Sin almost stepped back when Rosc reached for Ripley but then she held her out to him worried. She didn't try and step inside though, she just stood in the hallway for a moment her hair dripping and creating a slowly widening dark patch on the carpet. She licked her lips and had to struggle not to cry. "Ripley...came in...while I was in the shower...and I...I think my Unmentionables attacked her..." Now that Ripley was out of her arms she slowly crossed them across her chest hugging herself.

Rosciel:
Rosc took Ripley out of the towel in her hands with a care he'd yet to show in the presence of another, as if he was holding something as dear to him as an offspring, cradling her close and raising her enough to get a good look at the damage.
"I'm sorry they don't get along," he replied, remembering she had asked to maybe have a play-date sometime... But that was also in the past, he doubted she would have wanted that now.

"Sin... Could you- Would you come in?" Ffff, it was hardly the time or the place. They were both quite damp and he had no idea what she was wearing under that robe if anything at all. But he wanted to talk to her, in private, and he didn't know when he would get another chance. He didn't want to cause a scene, didn't want to hurt her reputation, didn't want to risk someone coming along and seeing.

It warmed him a bit to know that she did care enough for his pet that she would brave confronting him, even if that care wasn't for him. He had been neglecting Ripley, he knew that, but there was nothing he could do, nothing made him feel better.

Sin:
Sin frowned and shook her head slightly, she didn't understand why her Unmentionables had attacked Ripley. They had never acted so viciously before, but she knew together they could be trouble. "I don't know what got into them..." Then he asked her in and she hesitated.

"Did you need help with Ripley?" She asked softly and slowly took a step forward. She couldn't just ditch the foxsquirrel, Ripley had been there for her, been such a comfort. She stepped inside and looked around slowly, she could barely remember the room, last time she had been so angry and confused. "Do you have a...a first aid kit?" She tried to take a deep breath, had to focus, relax, no tears...not until she was safely back in her room where no one would see them.

Rosciel:
"I-" he started to say, but she was stepping in and asking about a first aid kit. Rosc couldn't help but smile a bit. It was a partly bitter smile, but it was still genuine.
"Yeah, I have a first-aid kit," he replied with a bit of his smile in his voice, setting Ripley on the desk, brushing the crumpled notes into a trash can and walking to his chest of drawers and pulling open the top one. He didn't just have a first-aid kit, he had an entire arsenal. No surprise, considering he wasn't going to go about wearing day-old bandages. The entire top drawer was full of bandages, tape, pain killers, a pair of scissors, among other things that were stored farther back in the drawer. He removed a roll of bandages, tape, and the scissors and brought them back to the desk.

"Has she been going over to your room the past few nights?" he asked when he got there. He'd closed the door between the dresser and his desk. The remaining two lamps in the room were on, though they didn't do much to light the room. MC was curled up on the windowseat, Ban walked over to sniff Sin's hand curiously, her usual grin missing as she inspected the ghoul who'd hurt her master.

Sin:
Sin watched her eyes widening a bit at the supply of first aid items until she remembered his wing, the eyes...and the scars her Raven had mentioned. She walked over to Ripley and softly stroked her trying to smooth her fur back down. "Yeah she has...it's been alright though, she wasn't fighting with them or anything...and I sent her back after a little while..." Why had she let Ripley in? She should have shut her window after that first night, she knew who the foxsquirrel belonged too.

Rosciel:
Rosc tried his best not to be jealous of his pet, but it was hard. He felt so bad for neglecting her, letting her get into a situation that hurt her like this. But she had gone to see Sin. Had Sin been comforted by the foxsquirrel? He had the feeling that she had and frankly that made him somewhat happy. He wanted Sin to feel better.
"It's okay. I haven't been the most lively... She likes you," he replied, setting about bandaging Ripley's leg while Sin petted her. Ripley in turn did her best to lick both their fingers.

Rosc looked up when he was done, gave his pet's head a stroke before his gaze moved to Sin, though she probably could only tell because he turned his face to her.
What could he say, now that she was here again? Could he really bring up their earlier pain?

"I never wanted to hurt you."

Sin:
Sin relaxed when she saw Ripley's paw bandaged up, it didn't look so bad now. Still she disliked that the sweet foxsquirrel had been hurt in her room, by her Unmentionables. "I like her too...I was gonna play with her but..." She sighed and softly stroked Ripley's ears. "I'm just glad she's okay now..."

Then Rosc was looking at her, talking to her and she almost froze. "No...I guess you didn't..." She swallowed and then pulled her hand away from Ripley and hugged herself tight again. "I....I'd better go I'm dripping all over your floor." She moved to pull her hair over her shoulder.

Rosciel:
"I don't really care about the floor, Sin. Water's not going to hurt it," Rosc replied, setting his hands flat on the desk so that he wouldn't reach towards her. She looked vulnerable and he wanted to hold her close and protect the sensitive part of her from the world who would try to abuse her.
But he hadn't earned that right.

"I remember what you said when I asked you what you thought, if I had blonde hair. That it wasn't me. I didn't mean to snap at you, things come out when I'm frustrated or hurting." That was all he managed to say, as if that was supposed to explain anything. But he didn't know what else he could say. Would she even believe him?

Sin:
"No...but...you know I shouldn't be here..." Not after their fight, not after the way she'd hit him. She felt guilty just standing there, part of her wanted to tell him she hadn't mean to say such cruel things. Except she was too proud to apologize, too hurt to take it back now.

"You had a thousand chances to tell me...the truth...on either end." Her Raven could have told her how he really looked. Rosc could have confessed who he really was. She should have been able to piece them together, but she couldn't have imagined...she felt her spine tense.

"Well...it's over now so it hardly matters." She tried not to let her voice shake, her throat almost ached as the words were forced out. She tried to sound like her mother, always confident, never weak. She couldn't remember ever seeing her mother cry, had tears ever ruined that perfectly applied makeup?

Rosciel:
"I know, I just... couldn't bear risking..." He ran a hand through his wet hair. She was like a skittish animal, no matter how much he wanted to step closer, he knew it would only drive her away. Was there nothing he could really do to fix this?

"It matters to me. Jack dammit Sin, don't you get how much of a stretch this is for me?" Though he swore, there was nothing in his tone that said he was angry. In fact, he sounded worn, like he was finally giving in to something he couldn't bring himself to before.

"I can't even... I came to school, one of the last places in HalloweenTown I want to be in, I made a deal with my mentor so that I could choose, to be near you. I would brave a crowded room just to see your face." He actually swallowed at that prospect. His wings even twitched in response, afraid simply of the scenario he thought up.

Sin:
"You didn't trust me...and I get that, you didn't...you don't have any reason to." She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, but she flinched when he cursed. Morton was right...he was genuine, and she? What was she? She had cared so much...and now she was just...afraid. Too afraid to show him she cared at all, to let him hurt her again.

"I didn't..." Except she had, she had asked him to be there, she had wanted him at her side. She had wanted someone to share everything with. Now he was here and...he had lied to her, but he was still here. "It's not MY fault you got shipped to school Rosc! I wish you hadn't I had no idea how much all of this would pain you. I...I really cared about...this hasn't been easy for me either...you...you stole a whole dream from me..." Then she felt the sting of tear and quickly turned away her wet hair whipping back.

"I'm glad Ripley is okay...you should take her out...she's restless." She headed quickly towards the door.

Rosciel:
Rosc saw her going again and couldn't take it. He couldn't let her leave again, not like this.
He followed her, his hand catching hers and holding.

"I didn't want to take your dream, didn't want to shatter your picture of me. But the more I saw you here, I couldn't protect it," he said, his brow creased over the blindfold, a sad look on his face. That had been part of it. He couldn't measure up to the illusion he'd been given that one night. She had that idea of her Raven and he couldn't take that away from her, just as much as he couldn't risk losing her because of how he looked.

But then he had seen what it was doing to her. The Raven was keeping her from having a real relationship, had forced her to throw herself onto an auction block to find a date. And he wasn't there to protect her from all those leering suitors, if half of them could be called that. So he had to kill the dream of a dark-haired, dark-winged, dark-eyed demon. He knew he couldn't measure up to that, but if he had freed his Swan, then at least he'd given her a chance to have a real relationship. It just hurt to think it wouldn't be with him.

Sin:
She froze as his hand caught hers, she looked down and then frowned at his words. "I just thought...I had someone...who really...understood." Her fingers slowly stroked against his palm, she couldn't help it. Now that his hand was there it was all too familiar and strange. She wanted to dance with him, which just told her how insane she had to be. Her chest tightened again and she sucked in a deep breath even as a tear fell. She jerked her hand out of Roscs to quickly rub her eyes. "I...I think I'm allergic to Ripley I better go."

Rosciel:
"Understood that you are a caring demoness who has to wear a cool mask every day, who can only really open herself up to a guy so afraid of others getting past his shield that he barely leaves the house and yet so enamored with her he doesn't know what he's doing half the time?" Rosc asked, his thumb caressing her hand in return to her fingers stroking his palm. And then in a flash her hand was gone and she was wiping at her eyes. He was making her cry again.

He looked down, letting his hand fall to his side. A moment passed before he looked up again.
"I said it once behind a mask, on the safety of paper. I care about you. More than I ever thought I could. If you believe anything I've ever said, believe that." There, he said it. It had taken every ounce of will he had to say those few words, but he had. It was up to Sin now.

Sin:
"Rosc...I..." She touched the doorknob and felt her shoulders tense. She couldn't do it, she couldn't tell him how much she cared about him. Maybe he did really care about her, but things changed. What if he realized how vain and selfish she really was all along? Would he still care about her when she had to do things even she was ashamed of herself for? Lucky 13 was both her greatest triumph and her deepest secret. A club that would put demons into power, but robbed that power from others...others she claimed were friends...who cared about her. If she could do that, then what was to stop her from doing anything else cruel or worse?

"I'm sorry I hit you...I hope your okay..." She murmured and then quietly slipped out the door. She pulled her wet hair back over her shoulder twisting it up and then letting it fall. She headed back to her room her stomach in knots. She frowned as she stepped inside and almost crushed the rose. She blinked and lifted it looking at the note with a frown. "Yeah...me too...me too." She carefully slipped the rose in a vase and set it on her desk. Then her fingers curled into fists and her jaw clenched as she went to find her Unmentionables.