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 Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 12:57 pm
Hel flopped to the ground, her back hitting the bark of a large, fallen over tree trunk. She arched her back to follow the curve, and her head rested on top, allowing her a clear view of the hazy orange sky. A loud sigh emitted from the ghoul as she stretched out her legs before her, and let her hands fall to her sides amongst the grass.
She still wasn’t settled.
Why wasn’t she settled?
Why did she still feel so at odds with herself?
She thought she had turned a new leaf when her curse completely took over her appearance, and she thought she had finally made a peace with herself at long last, but she hadn’t. That was obviously apparent now. Why? Why wasn’t she settled?
No matter how much she asked herself this question, no answer came. If she couldn’t find the answer in herself maybe she needed to start looking at the events and creeple around her. After all, as much as Hel did things for herself, she was heavily influenced by those she held close too.
First, it was easier to focus on creeple.
Mac…Hel immediately grimaced. Candle Jack. He was a series of hurdles all on his own…she’d come back to that.
Mot…Hel perked up a bit. She felt she could honestly say, since she had met him, that they were the best off with each other right now then they ever had been. Yeah, it sucked what they had to go through to get to this point, but it was just proof that creeple changed, and for the better! Mot was a great friend, and he was being really supportive of her, even if she was sure she didn’t deserve that half of the time. Actually, it was pretty ironic too, the more she thought about it…the roles were reversed, around this time last year. Mac was consoling her about Mot…now it was Mot consoling her about Mac…ugh.
Damn, she was jacked up.
Shun…she was good with Shun, too! They trained, and sparred, and they parkoured! Yes, they had that grievance a while back, but they worked through it. Shun was always steadfast and reliable, a constant.
Freya. Freya she was on decent ground with as well…or, as decent as one could be when you were related. Yes, there would always be squabbling and bickering, but it was because they were sisters…but on the whole, they were good. Yeah, Hel was still insanely jealous that the b***h was getting married but that wasn’t going to go away anytime soon, nor was anything but time going to make it better.
Salbei…
UGH.
He was cross with her, she just knew it. He didn’t even have to say anything else, it was just a vibe Hel got, and she didn’t like it, at all. She didn’t like that he was even the least bit upset with her, and as such, she hadn’t been visiting him at all. All because of that stupid little shy Horsewoman. Here was a problem that was more than likely upsetting her…but how to solve it?
Was this where apologizing needed to happen? Hel’s brows furrowed as she thought about it. Saying sorry, and really meaning it, was a big deal to her, and it wasn’t something she took lightly or did often. But here was another problem…she wasn’t sorry about interrupting Ying…she was sorry that she had upset Salbei…by upsetting and interrupting Ying. Hrm. That seemed…muddled. She could just hear the Famine Sage now…she’d apologize and he might say something along the lines of ‘that’s well and nice, but you should be giving one to Ying too’.
Hel let out a frustrated sound, and kicked her feet into the air before she let them fall back on the ground.
Apologizing to Ying, and meaning it. She couldn’t just throw something half hearted or ill willed out. Salbei would know. It needed to be genuine…but how was she supposed to be genuine about her apology to Ying?
Hel’s brows furrowed more, and her head was starting to hurt from thinking this hard.
Yanno…in times like this, maybe she just needed to be honest. Yeah…really, in the end, it was all Hel had in her cards. Being honest about how she felt, even if it wasn’t nice or pretty. Maybe she could apologize to Ying and mean it by being honest about why she’s even bothering to apologize to her? Hrm. It was better than nothing, and Hel actually felt compelled to go running to the Lost Clans now to go through with it.
Hel leapt up to her feet, and started to take off before she skidded to a stop, eyes a bit wide. Wait, wait. Her brows furrowed. Running in was what got her in trouble last time. Her eyes narrowed.
…Inquire first, then barge in!
Grinning a bit, the ghoul took off towards the Lost Clans, thankful for something to occupy her time and hopefully something that would work towards making her feel better in the long run.
One thing at a time. Even she knew she couldn’t tackle everything all at once, no matter how much she wanted to.
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Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 7:47 pm
It felt enlightening to apologize. Before hand, Hel had thought those words were weak. An admission of being wrong…well, it was an admission of being wrong, or, more that the actions and words were wrong, and acknowledging they were. Some would say it was stronger to admit to being wrong…but couldn’t one avoid the shame if they were always right in the first place?
Hel snorted at the thought, shifting the large bag she was carrying as she trekked up the side of a hill. As much as she hoped she’d always be right, deep down, she knew she wasn’t, and that was frustrating. Even though she apologized to Ying, and felt better, it didn’t mean she hadn’t felt embarrassed either. Saying sorry was still tough, and she had found herself saying it more and more as of late, and that was disconcerting.
She had surprised herself too though…for after she had lain to rest her business with Ying, she had felt the overwhelming desire to go lay matters with Lizzy to rest as well. Though she felt like she wasn’t the immediate cause of everything that happened to the spider demoness over the past year…she was definitely a key part of it. She had just wanted the ghoul to know that none of it was done with the purposeful intention to harm her. No. Hel never wanted to intentionally harm the ghoul…but her continuous selfish actions and words had harmed her, and that was what she apologized for.
The reaper paused, and rubbed her face.
Yup…saying sorry way too much. Of course, she could just envision Gramps right now, saying something along the lines of ‘well if you don’t want to say sorry, then don’t do or say anything to make that happen in the first place’. Ugh. When she first started Amity, Hel thought she would just love being immersed and surrounded by so many others, but now as time wore on, she found that she just wanted to be away from them. After all, she wouldn’t say or do anything to upset someone if she wasn’t around them. It was pretty sound logic.
Hel stopped rubbing her face, letting out an agitated breath, and then pulled out Na’ima’s list from her apron pocket. She was making good progress collecting the items listed. She was a few days into now, and more than half way through. Hel did have some trouble locating a few things, but a quick stop to Na’ima, or even looking them up with her new eyePhone did help. This little task also involved quite a bit of traveling, and Hel was actually thankful and appreciative for that. She really did like being outdoors, and this did keep her away from others…
The next thing she was seeking on this list should be at the top of this hill…The ghoul looked up, staring at the foggy mist that rolled overhead. She wasn’t sure when she’d reach the top because she couldn’t, but at the same time, she didn’t care. She’d get there eventually. It was only a matter of time, and those ingredients wouldn’t collect themselves.
Hel folded the list back up, and slid it into her apron pocket. She adjusted the bag on her shoulders once more, and continued her climb up the hill.
Later, as she made her journey back down the hill after collecting what was on top, it wasn’t the thought of apologies that was eating away at her now.
She was very close to completing this list for Na’ima, and once that was done, that’d mean she’d have what she wanted. A truth serum. A liquid that could easily be applied to a harmless drink to make the target spill their proverbial guts. The thought that she’d actually know what was really on her intended target’s mind was exciting. The thought that she’d actually know things instead of having to make assumptions or guess or wade through a stream of harsh words was oh so terribly exciting but…
But…
Immediately following up that happy thought, was a very not-so-happy thought. The target was spilling his guts…whether he intended to or not. It was robbing someone of their free will, and just as quickly as that thought appeared, Hel felt her stomach plummet, and she came to a stop as some stones crunched under her feet.
It didn’t matter how, or even if it was painless…it was forcing someone to do something they didn’t want to do.
She’d be furious if someone did that to her.
Furious.
Not to mention anything she had locked away inside would be forced out as well…
The feeling of losing her stomach, coupled with this realization, then gave way to a mix of dread and regret.
What if this one purely selfish desire destroyed everything she wanted?
That was a sobering thought.
The serum would, possibly, grant her what she wanted right now, but it wouldn’t secure what she wanted for the long run.
Hel hands reached up to grasp her face, and she rubbed her palms heavily against her cheeks in ******** conscience.
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Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 2:23 pm
Hel stood on the end of the docks. Her posture was straight, though her arms hung limply at her sides, and she stared straight ahead. Seeing the water and the trees and the pumpkin sun and the orange sky, but not seeing those beautiful things that made up Halloween to her either. The reaper was deep in thought.
It was a different day, both literally and figuratively.
How was it figuratively a different day? Well, in the dark room that had been Hel’s life for a year more or less, a light switch had been finally flipped, and the dark room was now illuminated. She could see. Funny, how sometimes she heard that when changes like this happened, beings saw the world in a new light, but no, the world was not new to her. The world was still the same. She was the one she saw in a new light, and that’s what mattered. After that unexpected, but eye-opening talk with Mac, the realization that she could do the right thing and not resort to using a truth serum, and having one last QQ on the couch with someone who wasn’t Gramps (but still get his comfort in the form of a hug before she took off), Hel felt this weight on her chest, that she wasn’t aware of until recently, dissipate.
To think, to sum it up in one word, this past year, she had been frustrated. It had just built up inside her as time went on and things happened, and she started to vent it out in the form of nagging, whining, worrying, and bullying to those around her. To also think, she hadn’t been the being she used to be. That seemed like a loaded statement, after all, no one stayed the same forever, right? But she knew what that meant. Of course she’d change, but there were qualities in her first year that made her, well, her, and she had lost sight of those.
The past year had everything to do with that. She had experienced things she never felt before. A relationship, having her wings taken away, being stifled in the relationship, cheating, breaking up, changes in friendships, her appearance, the source of much personal ache, changing due to the ‘curse’…getting into a relationship again, but this time she was accepted for who she was, coming to the realization that she never fit in with her family or felt like apart of her family, and letting them go, taking on a new name from a being she considered a father-figure more than her real father…Now she was at the end of all this, a year’s worth of events, and she realized that at the end of it, she was a jumbled mess. Well…not anymore, but she had been. She was now aware she was a mess, and she was going to sort herself out.
After all, she made a promise. To someone special, and to herself. To be an even better reaper than she once was.
The thought of proving herself to everyone was exciting. It lit a fire under her, and brought back some of that hopeless and stubborn optimism she knew she had her first year. Hel did love challenges, and well…this was a challenge that wouldn’t be overcome easily, or quickly, and that was okay.
What were her other qualities that made her her in the first year? Junko claimed she was nice, but Hel didn’t find that to be completely true. Her first year…she was…curious, eager to get out into this new place and see what it had to offer, very cheerful to everyone she met, outgoing, stubborn, confident, opinionated, carefree, worry-free, and didn’t hold grudges unless someone really crossed her, she didn’t need anyone’s approval…well, some of these qualities didn’t change or get lost, but for the most part, oh yeah, they got lost.
Okay.
She knew what she needed to do.
Now, it was also all fine and dandy to know, and to remember what she was like, and to say that she was turning over a new leaf…but of course letting go, balling up, and throwing away all those negative emotions she was steeped in before wasn’t as easy as it sounded. It was another challenge she’d have to over come. The nagging she could be mindful of, but it was the worrying that would prove to be difficult. Hrm…she was definitely still wanting some things too…was that a weakness? To want some things…? No…no it couldn’t be. Wanting was natural, it was how the want was perceived by herself and others that would deem it was acceptable or not.
Like romantic gestures from someone. That was an acceptable want, right? Hel thought it sounded reasonable…after all, she did thoughtful things for him all the time, and said nice things too, and it was only natural to want those to be reciprocated, right? Okay…she didn’t feel horrible after admitting that…so she needed to approach things with an open mind…the best she could…and on a case by case basis. She needed to think about things, but not over think them. The over thinking thing was something she realized now as well, that had also put her through the wringer this past year. That over thinking as well also fed right into her worry, which in turn fed into other things. Ahh, to see how things connected and reacted to one another.
So…how to over come her worry…well…remember the good things, keep herself busy, don’t over think things, and well…just live. Stop thinking so much. Gramps may have done well to get her to think more and be considerate, but he had also opened up a damn that had flooded her negatively also. Moderation in terms of thinking…Hrm. Yeah, okay, that sounded reasonable.
But she would remember the key points. Worry-free, carefree, more laughing, eager for new horizons, excitement and well…the attitude she came to Amity with in her first year, but better. Better and more mature, the same, but different. Wiser…maybe? Hopefully.
Hope.
Yes, hope. Hope kept her going. The hope for a tomorrow that would be just as enlightening and good as today, and hope that she’d continue to work towards a happiness to call her own.
Hel’s fingers twitched, and she blinked. The world came back into focus, and the reaper took a deep breath. She held it in before she released it, and a grin pulled at her lips. One step at a time, or she’d trip over her eager feet and stumble.
The ghoul took a few steps back, and then turned, walking down the dock until she reached the other hand. She then ran down the dock as fast as she could, her boots making thumping sounds until she reached the end. Hel launched herself off of the dock’s end, and did a flip through the air, wind milling her arms like crazy as well.
As soon as she hit the water, she shot right back up again, releasing a sharp gasp and taking in a deep breath.
Okay, the lake was chilly.
Not as cold as being snuggled up to Helmut for so long she could cut glass afterwards, but it was chilly.
She had heard once that humans had this custom where they’d dunk themselves into a body of water to be ‘reborn’…and while Hel felt that it sounded silly…the idea was a…nice concept, she supposed. She may be chilly now, but in a way, she did feel even better taking a dunk in the lake as well. As if she had somehow washed away the old her. The reaper swam back to the dock, and pulled herself up. She stood there, holding her arms out to the sides as the water started to pool and drip, and the ghoul let out a curse. Oh s**t. She immediately reached down the front of her tunic and grabbed her eyePhone. She pressed the button and swiped the slider and was relieved to see that the phone was fine after that dunk.
Whew. Okay. Hel laughed, and slid the phone back down the front of her tunic. Deathproof case indeed…and water proof as it claimed! Thank Jack!
Shaking her head in amusement, sending some droplets scattering about, the ghoul turned down the dock once more, this time to return to reaper dorms to dry off.
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 6:52 pm
It was common knowledge that Hel was, for the most part, computer illiterate. Having been raised in a rural setting with hardly any technology, it made trying to handle some things here at Amity, difficult. Which is why, more often than not, she pestered either Mot or Mac (sometimes both for the same thing at different times) to carry out her business on their respective computers, because both boils were…ahem, very computer literate.
Although, this time around, Hel was not going to go ask them for what she wanted now. She had put this on the back burner long enough, and it was her business, not anyone else’s, to see this through. That was why, with a set look of determination, Hel sat in a tucked away corner of the library at one of the computer stations. After making sure that Avery wasn’t around, especially after that whole porn-mag-collecting fiasco, Hel set to work. First step, was booting up Gruegle. Why was she on Gruegle? Well…it was time to actually find and contact a construction company to start work on her cottage!
Though she was determined enough to try and building it all on her own from scratch, Salbei did have some valid points. Beings who were actually trained in things like leveling, foundation, framing, plumbing, and electric should be handling it. Hel would grudgingly give the Horseman that point. She was not trained, least of all, qualified, to go about doing those things, and Hel wanted the best cottage ever. It needed to be around for centuries after she was gone. Centuries…plus Hel didn’t want it crooked.
That would be most unfortunate if it was crooked.
Thus started Hel’s adventures on the computer. The fact that she could just type in ‘construction company’ and the name of the town her land was near was rather….well…easy. It almost felt…too easy. Regardless, the reaper typed it in (complete with slow index finger pecking with lots of spelling errors and back spacing), and finally hit the search button. Hel leaned, and stared at the items that popped up. Okay…she was…she was…Hel’s brows furrowed. She was gathering Intel for her upcoming battle. Yes. If Hel slotted everything to a battle mind set, that made it better! Feeling better, the reaper went about clicking links and actually reading the information posted. Hel also learned about these things called ‘reviews’, which were input from other creeple who had used the company prior.
Hel gasped in delight.
Amazing.
So armed with the information listed on websites, and the reviews by other creeple, and judging which would suit her needs based on what she had in mind, Hel finally settled on a construction company. The wingless valkyrie jotted down the number, and after she was done with the computer, she high tailed it out of the library, ducking under the librarian’s desk on the way out just incase there was a certain Behemoth around.
Hel jogged away from the library, and walked with a brisk pace away from the school grounds. She wanted to go somewhere a bit quieter while she did this, and made a beeline for the Wishing Well. Usual to how she thought it, there was no one around. Hel settled on the edge of the well, and held her eyePhone in one hand and the piece of paper with the number written to Declinant Construction in the other.
She took a deep breath.
She dialed the number.
She talked on the phone for quite a long time.
It went really well.
She had an appointment arranged. She was going to go in to his office, show him her plans, and then they’d travel out to her actual property itself, and then they’d lay out the plans, details, costs, and what not. Hel tucked her phone back down the front of her tunic, along with the piece of paper, and then clasped her hands together on her lap. She stared straight ahead for a long moment before she suddenly leapt off of the wall, throwing both of her fists into the air as she let out a loud cheerful victory cry.
She sent a whole bunch of birds flying out of the trees nearby.
Hel landed on her feet with ease, and couldn’t help but pump her fists into the air once more. She had acquired the land, now she was one step in the right direction towards putting a cottage on that land. She couldn’t wait for her appointment, to meet with this Monsieur Declinant, and to finalize her plans. All in a few days time! Maybe, if things went well, she’d actually have a half-finished house to move into after graduation! Not that she minded the whole tent thing while it was being built, but she was being optimistic…and really, at this rate, who knew when the graduation exams would actually get underway.
The odds of her moving into a half-finished cottage after graduation were pretty high.
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Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 2:46 pm
As much as Hel enjoyed battling and adventuring and the big things, she really did enjoy the little things too. One ‘little thing’ she greatly enjoyed was snuggling with a scareon mama on a bed that wasn’t hers, sometimes with fluffy pups, sometimes not, watching movies on a skreevee that was also, not hers. Not just any kind of movies either, but…
Chick flicks.
Yes. Hel (would not outright admit that she) watched chick flicks, because deep down under that massive ego, pride, and tomboy antics, was a gushy and romantic and bleeding heart. Ugh. Definitely a weakness, but luckily, Nina never judged. Her owner on the other hand might, which was why Hel always made sure to only watch chick flicks when he was out. Damn straight. Hel did not want to watch those cheesy things with Mac. Did. Not. Want. She’d happily keep those feelings from stupid romance movies to herself…and Nina. Nina understood, with that content face and all that purring. Sometime the pups even understood, and would howl their ‘no’s in tune with Hel’s when something went awry during a movie.
This had been happening for a while now. Hel knew it was a thing when she came in through Mac’s window one day, got the Skreevee set up, and Nina was already on the bed waiting to be picked up and snuggled by her. It was awesome. So far, Nina, Hel, and sometimes the pups, had watched some movie about people being prideful and in love and fancy ball rooms and rich snobs…and then another, and another, and another. Hel didn’t care so much for titles as she did content. Today’s movie on the skreevee was called ‘The Ugly…Honesty?’ Hrm. That didn’t sound right, but it didn’t matter. Content.
Hel was flopped on her stomach on Mac’s bed, her arms enveloping the purring Nina as her eyes were glued on the screen. This movie didn’t interest the pups so much, because Hel wasn’t wailing at it, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t good. Hel was amused. So very amused, and was often chuckling into Nina’s fur as she nuzzled her as the movie went on. It was funny, and the characters were rather sassy and had attitude, and Hel could appreciate that. On the movie went, until it got to one scene in particular. The tension between the two main characters was rather obvious, and it just so happened they both were in an elevator…
Then they were making out.
Hel gasped loudly, and straightened up, only for it to be followed by a wince as Nina’s kneading claws dug into her chest. “Fffffffclaws.” Hel reached down to poke Nina’s padded paw, and resumed petting the scareon as the movie shifted over into a commercial break. Hel took this time to reflect on what she just saw, petting Nina almost reminiscent of a villain-like way. So the tension was broken by an elevator, huh? How interesting! Did this happen outside of movies? Was there something mystical about elevators? Hel had never been in an elevator before. When she had wings there was no need, and even without, she’d take the stairs…Hrm.
“Have you been in an elevator before, Nina?” She was answered by happily closed eyes and louder purring, and another attempt at her chest getting kneaded. Hrm. The closest place she could think of that had elevators was the Maul. Hrm. Hel rubbed underneath Nina’s chin in thought. Did someone need to have tension mixed with denial of obvious attraction with another to make the elevator magic happen, then? Guess she couldn’t see for herself. She didn’t have any denial tension with Mac, and she’d bet twenty seeds he’d be suspicious of her if she suddenly announced that they needed to use the elevator the next time they were at the Maul.
Did she know anyone who had obvious attraction for another but was in denial of—
Hel gasped loudly again as she came to a realization.
She did know someone who had a serious case of obvious denial attraction.
Hel had an epiphany right then and there, with Nina held snuggly in her arms, purring away.
She needed to get Amrita into an elevator with Aymet and then see what happened.
That ghoul was so obviously in denial it was sad. While Hel also just loved to tease others, with how vehemently Amrita continued to try and deny it made it all too obvious to the reaper. That coupled with gut instinct. Gut instinct said there was something going on between the two undead, based on their interactions on Critter, that one streaking night, Prom, and stuff. Oh, sweet Sally, Hel was apparently going to make it a point to bust in on someone’s non-excitement denial of a love (un)life, all for the sake of satisfying her gut instinct and her curiosity of elevator magic. Excited, Hel snuggled Nina even closer to her, and then proceeded to roll back and back on Mac’s bed with the scareon until she stopped, cackling loudly and lightly head butting the purring mama.
Now she just needed to figure out how to get both of them at the Maul, and then to shove both of them into an elevator—
Oh wait, her movie was back on.
Plotting took a back seat for the time being, but in that moment, something became obviously apparently. Well, possibly two things.
One, Hel had way too much time on her hands, and two, Mac should have never gotten her into movies.
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Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 7:06 pm
The door to Mac’s room swung open, and Hel stepped out, quietly closing the door behind her and sporting a pouting face, for multiple reasons. One, it was the next day after she had a hand go through her chest, and for some reason, injuries always ached more the next day, and two, well…despite her foolish hope she wouldn’t be busted by Mac, she had been.
She blamed Mot and all his yelling. Damn Mot. Though really, truthfully, honestly, maybe deep down, she knew she couldn’t have hidden it.
Mac had ESPN.
But luckily, after the initial disappointment, which was why she had tried to skate by without saying anything in the first place, she had been cuddled. That never got old. Never.
But yes, most of those reasons (not the cuddling) was why Hel pouted as one hand reached up to tentatively rub the skin around the bandaged area, but the reaper paused as there was something left in front of her door. She squinted, and moved across the hall and knelt. She snatched up the card and stared.
That writing…
Her fingers trembled.
Wait…
Her eyes snapped to the flowers, and to add to the ache, her heart churned painfully in her chest. Those flowers…those were the ones Amrita wore woven into her braided hair…
The reaper crumbled the note in her fist with a snarl.
That b***h.
Hel snatched up the flowers and all but kicked the door to her room open. She stormed her way over to the window, threw it open with more force than necessary, and chucked the bouquet out the window. She then ripped that crumpled note to shreds, and made it rain paper on any unsuspecting students below. “b***h!” She snarled once more, and it was a good thing she didn’t have anything on top of her dresser, or else she would have thrown it to the floor right about then. Instead, Hel raised both of her hands, and ran them through her hair in frustration as she took to pacing her room, agitated.
She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it at all…and there was nothing she could do about it.
No, it wasn’t that little b***h act that pissed her off…it was the b***h that did it. That wasn’t the Amrita she knew, and it just hurt that the person she had grown to know over the past few years was now something else, with practically no rhyme or reason available to her. It was some kind of whiplash that Hel wasn’t taking to well at all.
Her hands fell from her head as her shoulders slumped, and she finally reached out and closed her door. Her forehead then met the door as she leaned against it, and released a loud breath. It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle change; because she could, she was living proof…but this wasn’t change…this was just…just…
Not fair.
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Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:19 pm
But even if things were unfair, life went on, didn’t it?
Yes, it did, and regardless of what was going on things were too busy as of late.
Oh yes, that’s right. This was Hel that thought that. But don’t get her wrong, she loved it when things were hectic just not when the hectic things involved her. Wait, this is still Hel, who had a ridiculous ego and thought highly of herself…yes. Yes, it was, and yes, she loved it when things involved her, but not things were hectic that involved her personal matters. Yes. She didn’t like it when her personal matters were hectic, and that’s all they seemed to have been lately.
An attitude adjustment, fighting for her life during the time of the Tear, giving up some memories, her weapon breaking, Amrita’s bi-polarness, a hand through her chest and on top of that, she had an appointment with the head of the construction company that she wanted to build her cottage.
That went really well, actually. Probably the thing that went the best during this hectic time. Hel really liked the head of the company. He was quirky, but he really enjoyed and appreciated all the material she brought him. Her doodles of exteriors and floor plans, and all the clip outs she pulled from different cottage magazines. From those he was going to draw up floor and exterior plans, and then the next step would be to go out and survey her property for the best area to build on. Hel scheduled that appointment, for next weekend, and then it was back to the matters at hand until then. One less thing out of the way for now.
The reaper heaved a sigh as she carefully flopped on her bed, mindful of her wound still and was dressed and ready to turn in for the night. She jostled the knapsack on her bed, which held the pieces of her broken weapon. Hel rolled onto her stomach, pulling the knapsack to her, and untied it. She peered down at the pieces of her weapon quietly.
Even after this time, she was still no closer to finding out why this happened. She was also no closer to figuring out how to fix it, one thing out of a few in her life at the moment. Hel reached down, and lightly shifted through the pieces, running her finger tips along the runes that made up the word ‘Famine’. As she reflected on this time though, she realized…er, well, no…it reaffirmed she had great friends. It also reaffirmed the idea that surprises came from the most unexpected of places…like Lizzy, for example. Hel had been rather flustered at the time, since her weapon had just broke, but when she looked back on it now, receiving help from Lizzy was rather surprising, and it made Hel grateful. Now that she had evened out more in terms of how she felt, it was easy to get along with the demoness.
Hel snorted as she thought about the forum board messages they stumbled across, and Lizzy’s worries about heaving reaper scarelings with broken weapons.
Then there was Mot. Mot had surprised her, too. He even slapped her, for Jack’s sake! Just recalling that memory again made Hel crack up. Such delightful surprises…all for her sake. Mot, the boil who would run and give up so easily, was starting to play on her level of stubbornness and determination to do all that he could, even when she dismissed what he offered. Jack, even the way he handled her when she was being ridiculously stubborn about that wound she had just acquired. He was learning how to push her buttons, but that wasn’t what was important…it was that she could count on him no matter what.
Amrita though…Hel sighed deeply and her eyes lidded. That still hit her hard. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around why she was well…a complete b***h right now. How could she be so…different? Surely the good ghoul act wasn’t…well…an act? Two years? Could someone pretend that long? It bothered the reaper, it really did. The idea that this idea and view she had of a person was…well…completely wrong. That she was led to believe she was one way, and then she turned out to be another.
It was like someone body snatched the body snatcher…
Was that possible?
Hel sighed again. As much as she wanted an answer…this wasn’t a subject she was going to come to a conclusion to on her own…and well…it was a very likely possibility that she might never. The thought of talking to that b***h was there, to demand answers…but really, after being mislead once already, she wasn’t sure she’d take anything this one said to heart.
Just another puzzling and mysterious, yet sore subject, on top of her weapon, but even with the bad and the frustrating, Hel reminded herself of the good and the relieving as well. She was surrounded by good creeple. Her chest swelled at the happy feeling thinking of her creeple brought, the ones who helped her out, the one who held her when she needed and wanted it and the reaper reached up to rub a hand over her heart. “Oooh, that is so ******** corny.” She muttered, but a smile finally tugged at her lips regardless.
Hel also realized that she probably wasn’t as strung up about her weapon as she might have been…say…if this happened to her in the past. That thought in itself was both amazing and reassuring. She had changed. For the best this time. As she stared at her weapon, she hoped, that one day, it would heal and fix itself…but if it didn’t, well…she’d be okay. Though she had fought with this weapon for eighteen years of her existence, she didn’t need it to keep going, because a weapon was only a tool, and she fought and battled with her heart…and just because it was broken, didn’t mean she was, either. So her FEAR attacks where locked down…maybe she’d never use them again…oh well. She’d get by without them. She got through a blow to the chest without her weapon…
It’d been some time, and she didn’t seem to be dying or breaking or cracking anytime soon because of this, and that’s also what mattered.
Hel felt content right now, as she skimmed her fingers over the pieces. She’d be fine. She’d get by. She reminded herself that while some matters needed to be taken seriously…for the most part, being too worried and over thinking was what got her stuck in the rut in the first place. Life didn’t need to be complicated, and she needed to stop making it so.
What mattered now…was getting her affairs in order. Seeing her cottage plans through, working on gathering information and a code for Nox so that she could get off her trial run, making sure she was still on track to graduate…and of course, just spending time with those she cared about. Good and fun times. Time to make more memories.
One day, this broken weapon would just be a memory too, and when she’d look back on it, she’d recall how it defined her, and be even more proud then she was now.
Hel sighed softly. “Well…I can not keep dragging this around with me like a scareling with a blanket.” She murmured. She ran her fingers over the runes once more, and folded the knapsack back up. She then rolled off the bed and took it over to the closet, where her few belongings she wanted to take were packed up for when it was time to leave. She riffled around the closet until she found an empty shoe box, courtesy of Freya, and put the knapsack into it. For safe keeping. She stared down at the knapsack for a moment longer before she closed the lid on the shoe box, and then slid it on top of the closet shelf.
The ghoul closed the door with a soft click.
She released another soft sigh. Turning on her heel, She crossed the room and flopped back onto her bed. Hel turned off her lamp, and settled in, where she stared at the ceiling wondering what the next day would bring before she dozed off.
She wouldn’t notice the blue-violet glow that illuminated the gap underneath the closet door later that night.
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 5:38 pm
What roused Hel out of slumber that next morning, was a series of thumps.
The ascension from slumber to awake was slow, and as the thumps happened more, the more awake Hel became.
Thump.
Hel blinked, and stared at the ceiling.
Thump.
What was making that sound? Freya wasn’t in the room near her room anymore, so that wasn’t it…thank Jack.
More thumping, this time accompanied by the sound of something rustling…
The thumping was pretty erratic though…so it’s not like anyone was getting freaky near by…thank Jack. Hel was allowed to do that to others, but no one could do that to her! Double standard. But that wasn’t the point. Hel threw back her quilts and swung her legs over the side of her bed, sitting up. She winced as she reached up and idly rubbed the skin around her new wound to ease the burning ache, but paused as there was another thump.
Okay…it was really close…and it sounded to be in her room.
Hel’s eyes narrowed as she singled in on her closet. Was there something in there? How? She was pretty sure she had closed it after she tucked her weapon in there before bed last night…hrm. Maybe Mac decided to be funny and let some pups in while she was sleeping? Maybe one or some got trapped in the closet somehow? They’d done crazier things…Hel knew it wasn’t any minis she owned…she didn’t have any minis of her own anymore. They both uh…ran away…and that was probably for the best, really.
So…the pups, maybe…?
A louder thump was heard, along with the sound of scratching.
“Okay, okay!” Hel cried out. Impatient pups were impatient! Well, okay, she probably would be too if she had been stuck in the closet for Jack knows how long. She slid off of her bed and made her way to the closest. Every step she took there was a thump. A louder and more frantic thump, scratching, and the sounds of something rustling. Every step she took, the door seemed to rattle from the force on the other side, and her brows furrowed.
Were the pups that antsy?
Her hand reached out to grasp the door knob—
WHAM!
The door flew forward off of its hinges, and Hel let out a startled scream as it flew right into her and knocked her to the ground underneath ******** SON OF A b***h!” She screeched, because one, getting hit by a door hurt, and two, having a ******** broken but mending sternum while getting hit by a door and being knocked down to the floor hurt. Though maybe there was a three. Pups couldn’t have done that, so what was—
Before she could push the door off of her, Hel’s head turned to the side, and from the gap between the floor and the door, a dark claw with serious looking talons appeared, clicking against the floor, followed by another.
“What the—” Hel’s voice grew hushed and her eyes grew wide as she stared.
What the ******** was then, that Hel finally threw the door off of her and staggered to her feet as quickly as possible, hissing with pain once more as she jarred her wound. She backed up until she hit her dresser, and had both of her fists raised and ready to pop a cap in that thing’s a** until—
Upon hearing Hel’s hiss, the creature to which the dark and wicked looking talons belonged stilled and tilted its shoe box covered head.
Once Hel finally registered what she was staring at, her jaw dropped.
That wasn’t a mini-pet she’d ever seen.
It was like a huge a** raven, even with the shoebox on its head!
A HUGE a** RAVEN WITH SOME KILLER LOOKING LEGS AND A LONG FEATHERD TAIL!
It was taller and wider than her!
Hel whapped herself over the chest, and cursed in her native tongue at the resounding pain.
Okay, she wasn’t dreaming. She needed to check.
How in Jack’s name did that thing get in her closest!? Where did it come from!? What…just…what!?
Hel’s eyes roamed the creature, which was now shaking its head trying to get the shoe box off, but having no luck. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at something on its leg. Woah…wait…wait…that was the knapsack she had put her weapon in…and…that shoebox on its head…that was the shoebox she had put the knapsack in. Slowly her hands lowered, and she just continued to stare at the creature. She glanced back at the closet, and well, yeah, the shoebox she had placed her weapon in was gone, and there appeared to be no pieces scattered about anywhere…
Something glinting caught her eye, and Hel’s eyes immediately snapped back to the creature. It had a collar…a collar with some pretty damn familiar writing on it.
Hel made no move for a moment longer, and then finally she took a step towards the closet crasher. Another step, and then another. Maybe she could be worried that it would turn and attack her but…she was just getting this feeling that it wouldn’t. She couldn’t explain it, nor did she ponder it for too long, because the collar was knawing at her. Her hands snapped out to grab the collar, brushing the creature’s soft and gleaming black feathers. She turned it until the name plate was visible, and she gasped.
‘Famine’ it read, in the same colored steel and in the same font as the runes that once decorated her weapon.
Once again, Hel’s eyes widened as she tried to process this.
Her weapon…was gone. Now, from the closet she had placed her weapon in the night prior, in a particular shoe box and in a particular knapsack came this…raven thing. Her mind frantically went back to the information her friends tried to help her gather. Weapons mending, weapons changing, a change within the reaper…once upon a time, the Brynhildr family had familiars.
Was…this for real…?
Hel let go of the collar, and by this time, the creature had stilled once more. Her hands slowly moved up to the shoebox, where she grabbed it, and with a quick yank, she pulled it off the creature’s head. It fell from her hands with a soft clatter into the floor, and she stiffened as her vision was suddenly filled with an eye. A dark red eye the same color as hers that was staring intently at her.
The creature had cocked its head to the side to get a good look at her, and all Hel could see was her startled reflection in its inquisitive and curious red gaze. It then turned its head and pressed its forehead flat against hers, and Hel hissed as it bumped her nose with its beak. Then it seemed to…release a breath…?
The reaper was rendered temporary immobile. She just…this was…she didn’t know.
Her weapon had been broken…and now there was a giant a** raven in her room and interacting with her—
The creature snapped a leg out and swept out one of Hel’s out from underneath her. The reaper fell to the floor rather ungracefully on her a**, and let out a loud curse. Sadly, there was not much more she could do after that, as the creature was carefully tucking its taloned claws underneath her and then—
Promptly sat on top of her…like it was nesting an egg.
A bad egg.
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Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 7:19 pm
Hel, at this moment, was glad she didn’t run into anyone she knew on her way back from the hardware store. She didn’t want to explain to anyone why she had a saw, three axes, iron stakes, what looked like a giant crowbar, rope, and few other items. It looked mighty suspicious she supposed…and some more than others would definitely be suspicious.
Instead of heading towards the reaper dorms though, the ghoul, once she drew closer to the grounds, instead veered off into the woods. Not the Forbidden Woods, thankfully, but the woods nearby she had taken to roaming these past few Octobers. Her familiar was in tow as well, and she glanced back at the giant raven as she walked along a path, and into the wood line. It was a pretty well behaved familiar for the most part…when it wasn’t being an a** and nesting on her…which was often it seemed, but right now, things were good, and well, honestly, things were still good even when it was sitting on her.
Actually…everything was good now. Hel pondered this thought, her gaze drifting from the bird up to the sky briefly. Things were good. She was settled, finally. She realized she had been feeling settled for a while now, but just finally acknowledging today that she felt good was a nice reminder. She released a breath, and chuckled softly before shaking her head idly. She didn’t feel uneasy about anything…and the only things that could even be considered remotely ‘concerning’ were small things. Like when Amity was finally going to have that Graduation Exam or when the cafeteria would be serving that jello she actually liked again. As for anything else well…it either wasn’t worth the worry or it wasn’t the time.
“Ah…” Hel hummed a bit before she smiled. One step at a time…yeah. She kept reminding herself of everything she needed to stay on track, and she felt that it was paying off. That promise she had made well…she felt like she was doing a damn good job of living up to it, even in just a few Octobers.
Speaking of time passing…
The reason she was coming out to the woods after the hardware store in the first place!
Christmastival was in a few months, and Hel decided she needed to out-do herself when it came to Mac’s gift. More boots was out of the question…after all, he had plenty even without the pair she made him…and then an idea struck her. She was all about making gifts, so what could she make him that he didn’t have yet, or would hopefully be surprised by? Yes. A boat. Well, er, okay…Mac had a handful of his own boats already, but he didn’t have the kind she was going to craft for him. A boat built in the Viking style…
Yeah.
Hel felt pretty good about herself when she had this idea. She could recall how to craft a long boat from the times her family would spend in the warmer Octobers on a lakeshore, celebrating, eating, drinking, fighting and competing against other valkyrie and grim clans. This week long celebration of nothing in particular also included all the clans getting together and constructing some long ships to set sail on for further fun…Hel had helped and watched when she was younger, and felt confident she could construct a smaller version on her own now.
She really was excited. This would be a perfect thing to make, but it’d also keep her pleasantly busy from now until Christmastival. Mot did say she should pick up some hobbies to help vent out any worrying, and well, now she finally had a hobby she could pour herself into it. After trekking through the woods for what felt like a while, Hel came to a very tiny pocket of a clearing, though she stayed close to the trees. Here. This was where she was going to construct the boat. It was far enough away from the water that someone couldn’t happen upon it, but close enough that she could drag it to the water when it was time to test it.
Hel dropped all her belongings, and shed her top most layer. She flung it to the ground, and then shot her familiar a grin.
“And so it begins.” She announced cheerfully, to which the familiar just made a ‘kweh’ sound, and then proceeded to poke about the area, though it kept tilting its head in Hel’s direction…just to keep an eye on her…because it was Hel.
Without further ado, Hel got to work. A long process, no mater how daunting, needed only a single step to get started. First it started with hacking down a tree, and really, it was a good thing the familiar was there, grabbing Hel by her sleeve and yanking her out of the tree’s way once it fell. After that, came getting rid of the branches, and then after that, well…came skinning the tree of its bark. Hel was no stranger to hard work, and thrived on it. She loved being absorbed in a task, and she loved how good she felt after a long day of working, but Jack, it was a good thing she wasn’t aiming to build a full sized long ship. Plus, she’d never get it done in a little less than three Octobers if that was the case.
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Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 6:44 pm
It had been a rather productive few weeks…well, in terms of building this boat. Not for anything else. Well…that wasn’t necessarily true, was it? Every day is productive in its own way, right? Because Hel always made sure to make the most of each day, whether it be training, cottage planning, or other things in general. It was just…there wasn’t anything else really going on aside from this personal project of hers. She was still waiting on that damn Graduation Exam, but until then, it felt like everything else wouldn’t happen until that happened. Honestly, Hel felt like she was idling until that time, and that never sat too well with her…so thank jack for this boat project.
The ghoul wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her arm, and her shoulders heaved as she took a deep breath and looked over what she had so far. A skeletal boat frame, which also already head some planks attached on it, and along side it, all the planks of wood she had split from the trees she had fell. She was making good progress on this…well, because she was inspired because she was making it for someone, and two, because it really was the only project she had going on…ah well. It’d definitely be ready in time for Christmastival, easily.
Hrm.
Would her exam happen before Christmastival?
The reaper flopped onto a near by stump (which she had created), and pulled up her nearby leather skin pouch, and took a long swig of water. She wiped the back of her mouth with her hand, and stared at the boat.
That would be rather inconvenient if it did, huh? But at the same time, she did want it to happen soon as it could! She was ready to get out of here, start a new chapter in her life, actually start working as a Trick or Treater, to move into the cottage she had been planning for a long time, to go on all kinds of new adventures and—
Her stomach clenched and she felt winded.
There was another side to this coin. Thoughts and feelings that had been lurking in her head for a while now, faint whispers she could easily shrug off, but as more time passed, and dreams and plans she had coming to life became more solid, so did those whispers. When she finally did graduate, she was going to be alone for the first time in her entire life. On her own. Truly on her own.
Gramps and Na…they weren’t going to be right outside the grounds. What, maybe a ten to fifteen minute walk? Helmut, Riyo, Mitsu, Lizzy, Lattice…the others…(Titus, Lou, and Junko too, she guessed, whatever…Amrita would have been in there too but she was a b***h right now, so no)…they weren’t going to be a five minute walk away…Belladonna wasn’t going to be on the first floor anymore (she guessed she would also notice a distinct lack of Freya and Kettil too…but she was still cross with them right now, so yeah). Shun wasn’t going to be up the stairs, and Mot wasn’t going to be right across the Jackin’ hall anymore…and neither was Mac.
Well, that was her fault, for getting land that was outside of Halloween Town, right? Well, no, it wasn’t that…it was just the transition from being a student to being a citizen of Halloween. It was going to happen, and now that it became easy to see that this chapter of her life was drawing to a close, what was going to change had struck her hard. For the first time in her life, she had felt happy with where she was at even with all the crazy s**t that happened, and as much as she had wished that the exam would happen, on the other hand, she couldn’t help but notice in passing that she wouldn’t mind if these days never ended.
Her friends and new family…they’d all be going their separate ways, and things were going to change, and right now, Hel honestly felt…
Anxious.
Worried.
Scared.
Sad.
But, the most important thing, something she knew without a doubt, was that she’d be okay. She’d make it. She’d thrive, once she got out there, because failure wasn’t an option. It just wasn’t. Once she did get settled into her new home, once she did get herself rooted into the Trick or Treating business, once she settled into this new chapter of life, she knew she’d be good. Of course she was excited…it was a new adventure…!
But she wouldn’t deny what she was feeling when she thought about what else graduation meant.
Hel sighed.
She was going to miss everyone. She knew it wasn’t like she’d never see them again, because that was ridiculous, it was just going to be different, and it was that aspect she wasn’t ready to embrace…and maybe she never would be ready. She’d just have to leap and adjust accordingly.
What hit the hardest right now though, was the thought of losing Mot’s constant soothing presence, Gramps’ constant reassuring presence, and everything having to do with Mac’s presence.
That was scary, and just even thinking about it right now was making her heart ache.
But…! That wasn’t something she needed to worry about right now. It wasn’t the time. She would cross that bridge when she got to it, and she hadn’t gotten to it yet. For now, she just needed to keep on like she had been, because she was doing good, and she just needed to keep appreciating the time she was able to spend with those she cared about…
Though, from now until she graduated, she’d probably be cuddling that jerk a little harder than usual.
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Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 8:19 pm
Hrm.
She was an alumni now…
Hrm.
To be honest…it didn’t feel that much different than being a third year…oh…well, except for a few things. One, she didn’t have to go to class now, and two, she was getting paid for getting the ropes of being a Trick or Treater.
Bitchin.
Hel shook her head, to clear her thoughts for the time being, and brushed aside from errant strands of hair from her face. Jack…her mind wandered a lot when she was alone. Er…well, she wasn’t alone actually, her familiar was here and now wasn’t the time to be pondering things!
It was finished.
Hel stared at the Viking styled-boat she had been working on these past few Octobers. Complete. Finished. Right down to all the planks and to the bow and the stern masts, in which she carved into using the skills she had learned from Mot. Now though…
Now she needed to take it for a test outing.
She really didn’t want it to sink once she handed it over to Mac…
Not that it’d sink or anything…her skills were awesome, okay?
She just wanted to make sure.
Luckily, Hel was already prepared for this, and had already laid down some thinner tree tunks in preparation to move the boat from land to water. She picked up the ropes she had attached to the boat, hooked them over her shoulders, and then pulled.
Her familiar just watched, and then followed after her as the boat slowly started to slide along the logs. “You could help, yanno!” Hel called out to the large raven, which just strutted along quietly until they reached the water. Here, Hel unhooked the rope from her shoulder, wrapped it around her arm, and then paused as the bow of the boat lightly dipped into the water. The reaper moved around to the stern, and placed her hands on it, but paused once more. This was the first step…
It better not sink.
She gave it a hard shove, and into the water it went, and the ghoul was quick to jump in it, holding out her hands to balance herself as the boat bobbed into the water for the first time and the ghoul held her breath as a moment and then another passed.
Okay.
It was still above the water.
Awesome.
The ghoul unwound the rope from her arm and then let it drop onto the bottom of the boat. She then leaned, and picked up an oar she had quickly crafted out of a plank of wood. Once again, the ghoul paused, and thought about the situation she was in right this moment, and what she was doing, and what she was holding in her hand.
Her lips pursed and her cheeks puffed out before they flared red.
Wow, she suddenly felt stupid. Seriously. This was like…she was…mimicking that a**! Right down to the oar, ugh! Yeah, she felt stupid suddenly…and for some reason she could just imagine herself being teased if he saw her right now. Uuuuugh.
Ugh.
Hel dipped her plain oar into the water, and pushed the boat back towards the land, where her familiar was watching with a cocked head.
“Get in.”
The bird startled, and then stared at Hel affronted.
“I did not stutter! Get in the boat!”
It narrowed its eyes, and a moment of silence passed between the two, though nothing appeared to be said…
“It is not going to sink!” Hel scowled, and then reached out with the oar to swat the familiar, who squawked and then puffed out its feathers. “Now.” She hissed. The familiar just glared back at the ghoul for a long moment before it, too, huffed, and then did a flap-hop into the boat.
Hel wobbled as the boat shifted under the new weight, and the familiar stiffened, and honestly looked tense and ready to bail at a moment’s notice. A moment’s notice meaning that this b***h looked ready to go under, which the familiar thought could be anytime.
The reaper huffed a bit, and then pushed the boat away from the land, finally…for its first, but in her mind, unofficial maiden voyage test run. She felt pretty damn proud of herself so far! She made a rather large boat, her familiar, standing in the wide and open middle, was like cargo, but there was still plenty of space for more! Not to mention it hadn’t sunk yet. Oh yes. That was probably was she was most proud of to be honest right now.
Further and further the shoreline became, and the further they got, the more Hel felt at ease. Things seemed to be going well. Even the uptight chicken of hers seemed to relax a bit, and it took to looking around once it got its balance within the rocking object. At one point it just leaned its head over the edge and stared at its reflection in the water as they cruised along.
It was a pretty bird, and it knew it. It didn’t get its fluffy lady friend through just its exceptional pup-sitting (literally) skills after all. It was a quality it shared with Hel. Vain.
As for now, Hel also wasn’t worried about running into Mac out on the lake and ruining the surprise. She purposely chose the time between noon and four…that time Mac claimed to ‘attend class’. Also that time she was apparently allowed to vomit feels…of course it’d be during his class time…
That a** hat.
Hel snorted, and then stood a bit straighter as she pushed the boat through the water. Well, she was showing him! Not only was she resisting the heavy temptation of blowing up his phone with questions, but she was also being…sneaky?
Hrm…
Sure.
She’d go with that.
Actually…that also made her think about the suggestions Amrita had given her at their ‘sleep over’. Jack…it was like taking a recovering alcoholic to a bar. That itch, that urge…that temptation she’d been so good about curbing and resisting was clawing its way back up. The urge and desire to know feelings. The thoughts of ‘what if’ she could somehow make the reaper think it was his idea to talk about feelings was like a siren call. She’d gotten pretty obsessed over the idea, actually, with the thought of finally having the elephant in the room acknowledged just much too tempting to resist. She also got caught up in the idea of just feeling happy that she might finally know if it worked.
But, with her new found conscience and thinking skills, courtesy of Gramps, a thought had cut right through all of those like being doused with ice water.
This would be tricking him. Tricking him into saying something. Did that cheapen it? Hel’s first instinct was to say yes, yes it did cheapen it, but then she thought about what Mac had told her about a year ago, when she had first split with Mot. She recalled how he told her that he had a ‘talk’ with Mot and that he needed to man up. Hel remembered how…well…disappointed she felt to learn that Mot’s desire to try harder wasn’t from his own motivation, but because he was being pushed…
But…that didn’t mean Mot’s intentions and feelings at the time were any less genuine, right? Right. Some creeple just needed a push but…
But she had been pushing, and pushing had gotten her no where. No, if anything, it felt like all her pushing had made Mac’s words regress, actually…
WHAM!
Hel let out a startled cry as the boat shook violently as it collided with a floating tree with knarled roots. Like it threatened before, her familiar took off into the air as soon the boat hit the log. Women and children fir—Yeah right! Pretty birds first. It shot a good distance into the air, and then peered down at the ghoul, who had fallen back onto her a** onto the boat floor.
But, thankfully, the boat was still above water, and it bobbed back from the floating tree it had hit.
“Oh, s**t…” Hel hissed, and pushed herself back onto her feet, with the oar still luckily in hand. Dark red eyes quickly scanned the bottom of the boat, worried that it’d suddenly start taking on water, and she was relieved to see it was still dry. She then shot a glare at the tree she totally had not been paying attention to, and then finally…to her traitorous bird.
She shook a fist at it.
“YOU BAILING b*****d!”
Seeing that its reaper wasn’t clinging to what was left of a wooden panel in the middle of a rather cold lake, it gave her a laters, baby look and then took off back in the direction of the reaper dorms. It’d rather go snuggle in its newspaper nest with Nina then stick around…hey it helped for a bit!
Hel grumbled, but shook her head as she moved towards the front of the boat, and peered down. Welp…it looked okay, actually…
Just a testament to how awesome she was, obviously.
The boat survived a crash with a tree…if that wasn’t a good sign, she didn’t know what was. Deciding that this was a good enough unofficial test voyage for now, Hel worked on, carefully, spinning the boat back around and heading back to where she had cast off.
Once the boat slid up onto land, the reaper placed the oar back on the boat floor and grabbed the rope she had held onto earlier. She hopped onto land, and then proceeded to pull the boat back to its original spot. Well…now that that bit of excitement was done and over with…she needed to be honest with herself now.
On her way back to the shore, she’d been thinking some more, about what she’d been thinking about before she hit the tree…er…before the tree hit her, duh…
Hel just needed to be honest with herself. She couldn’t lie. She just couldn’t. She couldn’t pretend to not be interested in knowing his feelings, and then to make up a friend who ‘just so happened’ to be in the same situation as her. The only thing Hel could think of that was even remotely similar was Mot’s deal with his ghoulfriend…but that wasn’t even about feelings…that was about smut. That made Hel giggle as she pulled the boat along the logs, though the amusement fell away as she went back to her musing.
As much as she wished she could have a silver tongue, she didn’t. There was no way she could try to steer Mac a certain way with words, and the odds of him catching on to her would be great, and if he figured it out, he’d be pissed! Would that be going back on her promise too? It would, wouldn’t it? If that realization didn’t kill any thoughts of trying, she didn’t know what did.
She wouldn’t. She shouldn’t have even entertained the thoughts in the first place…but she had caught herself before she said anything…!
That was good, right? She was good for thinking this, right? The reaper finally reached the area where she had worked on the boat, and settled it back into its spot. She then pulled the tarp back over it, and secured it. She dusted off her hands on her coat, and heaved a loud sigh as she then rested her fists on her hips, staring at the tarp covered boat.
Once again, she couldn’t help but think ‘there is nothing rewarding about being good’, and that thought made her snort in amusement.
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 11:34 am
Even though her project was finished, the feelings she got when she laid eyes upon the boat she had spent the past few months working on did not. In fact, these feelings had manifested as a result of this boat throughout the course of her time working on it. It started off well enough. Hel felt excitement and eagerness as she first started working. She was also incredibly motivated, because she was creating something for someone she cared about. As the boat took more and more shape, her feelings did as well. Excitement coupled with pride, and then tacked on with accomplishment.
It was a great mixture, really. It filled her with glee, and coming out to work on the boat these past few months had boosted her already large ego, but it helped to soothe it as well. It was around half way to the boat being finished though, that something would change. It started very small. Hel had come to work on the boat, and that same rush of excitement and pride filled her at seeing her work, but something else had latched into the feeling as well. It weighed the feelings down just a smidge, but Hel brushed it off. It was nothing.
Oh, no. It was something.
It was something that also grew each and every time she came to, and she couldn’t pin point what it was exactly. It grew and then it was competing with that excitement and pride she felt, and it was agitating her, and the agitation did nothing but feed this feeling. It was becoming unbearable. Looking at the boat made her heart beat faster, and the feeling grew to claw at her stomach, making it feel heavy, and still, it was really pissing her off. But she was determined and stubborn, and she was still proud of what she was doing, even if these other feelings were trying to undermine her accomplishment.
It wasn’t until she finished the boat, and the feelings of excitement and pride were fighting toe to toe with whatever she was feeling, that she finally realized what she was feeling.
It also served to piss her off further.
She was embarrassed.
Once she came to that conclusion, she scowled so loudly it echoed through the woods, and she ran her hands through her hair and pulled it in utter frustration and disbelief. Hel rarely felt embarrassed, that’s why it took her so long to realize it, and she also didn’t know how to handle being embarrassed. This was ridiculous. This was like a scareling being shy about giving a crude crayon drawing to someone they held in high regard, but worse because she wasn’t a scareling (no matter who else may protest this otherwise).
Hel slapped both of her hands to her face.
She had spent the past few Octobers making a boat from scratch for a boil she l-l-loved. No. No, she hated him. Definitely. Love and hate were pretty much the same thing, right? She definitely didn’t hate anyone else as much as that smugly grinning b*****d. She scowled again, though it was muffled by her hands.
She knew why she was embarrassed.
One, she had spent a really long time on this. Two, she made a boat, which was more or less his life passion, thus, very high standards were attached to it. Three, she was worrying. What if he didn’t like? What if it sank? Four, she realized that since she couldn’t ‘talk’ about her feelings…well, she could, every week day from noon to four. But that b*****d set her up and never really answered anyways when she poked him at that time, plus she was determined to show that a*****e that she wouldn’t word and/or feelings vomit at him until he started it, as promised. Back to point, though. She realized since she couldn’t express herself verbally, she started pouring all those…feelings into doing things for him. This boat was like…like…a physical representation of her intense ******** just made it worse for herself.
Damn it.
Her cheeks had gone red underneath her hands.
Five, this was now that fabled ‘soft squishy and rare center’ that came out and was not to be poked. Six, Mac was an a*****e. Seven, Mac was an a*****e. Eight, Mac was an a*****e. Nine, she didn’t know what she was going to do if she was poked fun of for doing this. She really didn’t.
This wasn’t a ‘typical Christmastival present’ for a boilfriend, but then again, she wasn’t a ‘typical ghoul’ either. For that, she was both proud and a bit mad. Mad because she was suffering from feelings right now that made her uncomfortable. Her cheeks felt so hot, and her dark skin was stained with her blush. She groaned. She almost thought about just not giving it to him. Problem avoided, right? Except what use did she have for a boat? None, really…plus this had been her ‘awesome idea’ for a few months now.
Damn it.
Hel finally pulled her hands away from her face, and stormed over to the boat. She pulled the tarp back, and then climbed into the boat. She settled heavily against the curve of the stern, crossed her arms, puffed out her cheeks, and then just sat there for a good while, pouting. She pouted about having feelings.
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Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2014 2:19 pm
The first day of the new year…that should be exciting, right? Auspicious even, with all that it symbolized. A new year, new things, new beginnings…
Yet she wasn’t excited.
Hel stared at her bare and empty room from the doorway, dressed from head to toe for a journey complete with a large bag on her back. Nearby, in the hall, her familiar idly paced up and down, loaded down with some bags as well. Today was the day. She was leaving Amityville. She was making that transition from student to adult. Well…no, maybe adult was too drastic a word for right now. She was going from a student to a young woman who still had very much learn and would still very much flounder once out of Amity’s familiar walls.
She imagined this day sometimes. She could only imagine herself just so happy and eager to leave this place behind in the dust in lieu of excitement and an eagerness for a new adventure and a new chapter of her life. But right now, all Hel felt it was all bittersweet. The reaper remembered when she had left her home in the country for the first time…she’d never been sad or anxious, in fact, she’d just been so eager to leave it behind because she never felt like she belonged, but here, at Amityville…she had done it. She had set out what she had wanted to do all on her own, for the first time in her existence, she found her footing and was taking a stand. But now, now she didn’t want to leave Amityville. She was happy here. All her friends were here. Why was she leaving them? Granted, they all wouldn’t be here forever, because they’d graduate and move on soon too…but right now, she was the first to go.
In typical Hel fashion, right?
The thought elicited a small upward quirk of her lips before it faded with a sigh. Mot wouldn’t be right across the hall, Shun wouldn’t be up the stairs, Belladonna wouldn’t be down the stairs, and Jack, even Kettil and Freya wouldn’t be just a stone’s throw away anymore…everyone. All her friends just wouldn’t be close anymore. Gramps wouldn’t be a ten minute walk away anymore.
She knew it wasn’t like she wouldn’t ever see them again…but now it was hitting her just how different her life was about to become. How all these creeple she had just become so used to seeing almost everyday just wouldn’t be anymore.
She was going to miss this. She was going to miss them.
She was going to miss Mac something awful, too. She didn’t think this through. Spending almost every day with him was clearly coming to bite her in the a** now. She indulged in spending so much time with him, that the fact she would now have to go…how long without seeing him on a regular basis sucked.
Not seeing many whom she cared about on a regular basis sucked.
She sighed again, and cast a glance over her shoulder at said boil’s door. She’d left the Student Council’s New Years Party and then spent the rest of the time with him, ringing in the New Year well…seeing fireworks and…stuff…
Good memories.
Now it sucked to have to go after that.
She turned her gaze back to her room, and took in the empty sight once more. This room had been home for the past two years, and a lot of stuff happened in this room. Now she was leaving it, and her time here in this room would just become a history in this dorms long line of others. Sooner or later someone else would move into this room, and it’d be their home…
Hel wasn’t sure how long she stood there for, just staring, but at last, she stepped back, closed the door, and locked it for the last time. It sounded so final. She spun the keys in her hand, clutched them tightly, released another sigh, and then looked down the hall.
“Come along.” She spoke to her familiar, adjusting her bag and moving down the hall.
Turning in her keys to the office just further cemented the steps forward she was taking, and after her hands were free, Hel continued forward. She couldn’t stop and linger and dilly dally. She couldn’t. She needed to do this, just like she was ripping off a band aid. She could not stop walking until she reached her cottage. The house she had dreamed of for so long and which had come into reality through her own will and two hands, but right this moment it just seemed so desolate and unappealing.
Nerves.
It was nerves.
She was sad, and that’s why she was going to make the long journey to her cottage on foot. She was going to run that sad and desolate feeling out of her body. The anxiety and the worry, the tension, it would all be exhausted by this trek on foot. She also knew that once she got to her cottage, and once she got settled in, and once she made the space her own, she’d feel better. Once her friends started visiting, and once she started doing more as a Trick or Treater, she’d feel better. She’d look back on this moment, and just laugh at herself for being stupid, because things would be fine. No, things would be even better than before.
She’d be okay. She’d be even better than okay, in time. Right now was a transition.
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