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 Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 2:22 pm
Kyndall stared up to the roof of the old library. It was in the middling staged of being converted into an "information center" and still looked abandoned. The books were...somewhere. She wasn't quite sure where. The progression of the transition was happening so slowly she didn't think that was what this really was, only a reason to feed to the civilians. They took it because her husband, Camelot, was one of their strongest foes and they needed something to deal a blow. Taking the library had definitely done that. Never had she felt so unsafe, so unsettled. Their routine was gone and, though she hadn't realized it until it was gone, the library was somewhere she had relied on. As she told Tony when he came to rescue her on the roof, bleeding out from nearly being gutted, this was their place. If she was going to die she wanted it to be there surrounded by good memories.
Things definitely felt like they were at their worst. She was only hanging on by a thread after losing her daughter and she usually coupled that with losing her step son to the enemy. It was a big difference, though, as one was dead. The other still had a chance to be redeemed. Her husband was angrier with her than he'd ever been before, and with good reason. She nearly let herself get gutted by Painite in her quest for revenge. Shalott awakened to being a Royal Knight in that battle but in her eyes it was much too little much too late. Perhaps if she'd powered up the first time she fought Painite her Harmony might still be alive.
Maybe she sort of wished the Negaverse would finish her off, too.
She was hiding the injury to her side, a dead give away for who she was powered up or not. Not that her identity seemed all that safe with Painite picking off her family like flies. Sarah stayed safe in the settlement they created away from the city, taken away from everything she knew. This nightmare began a short year after she was born, just in time for her to remember things. Her last daughter didn't know normal or cheerful. She didn't have a white picket fence or coming home from school or playing in the garden like Harmony had.
"God damn it!" She cursed suddenly, loudly, striking her hand against the brick of the building. She was not much of one for cursing but it certainly felt like the time to.
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 2:43 pm
Lydia had been moving about as if in a daze, sparing only enough attention to navigate her surroundings. Her mind was elsewhere, a whirlwind of thoughts and feels and a mounting hopelessness she fought tooth and nail against. Hope was all she had left, it was what let her wake every morning and go about her day. It was what gave her strength to power up in the evenings. Without hope there was nothing left, and she was not ready yet to admit defeat. But she was tired, a bone deep exhaustion that was a constant weight on already full shoulders. Encountering Chaonis had been both a relief, as well as heartbreaking. He didn't remember her, but he wanted to. There were tiny bits and pieces in his battered mind, and they wanted to come out, but she didn't yet have the key to unlocking them. For not she was little more than an ideal to him, but he wanted to remember her, them, their life together, and that been enough to renew the young woman's hope that maybe, just maybe, there was still something worth fighting for. She wanted to tell Tony. She'd promised him, anyways, that if she saw his son she'd tell him, but Chaonis' unwillingness to hurt her, that was more than she'd expected. The old man hadn't been at his house, and she hadn't been able to reach him on the phone. With nothing else to do with herself for the day she'd taken to the streets and headed out to check at the knight's usual haunts, and when she hadn't found him there, she'd started broadening her search to the places her seldom ventured to anymore. It was at her last stop, the library, that she happened upon Tony's wife, Nate's step mother. The sudden and loud curse was startling, and Lydia stared wide eyed at the other woman before heading over to greet her. "Kyndall?" She didn't bother to ask if everything was alright, she knew better.
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 11:59 pm
"Lydia?"
That was the last voice she'd expected to hear here tonight. She didn't like to see the girl out by herself at night, especially not powered up. There was a curfew in effect and she was ignoring it to her own detriment but not to see someone else she cared for fall into the wrong hands. Kyndall knew without asking that nothing was right in either of their worlds. She only wondered how much she knew about how wrong it had gone.
"You shouldn't be out on your own like this, Lydia. It isn't safe, for God's sake! We've lost enough for now, haven't we?"
Not that the newly born Royal Knight had any intention of following her own advice. If she had she would not have been there in the first place. Kyndall leaned against the stone wall of the former library and looked at the girl approaching her. She knew they were both missing the same person.
Kyn hadn't been too thrilled when Nathan announced that he was moving in with Lydia. She liked the idea of him being on his own well enough but she wasn't sure he was ready to live with anyone in a romantic sense. Things changed after he found out his father's identity, her identity. They were a family, each of them together trying to help make the world a better place. All of them looking out for the two people in their family she didn't think had a place in this war: her daughters.
It was worse when she found out that Lydia was part of the DMC considering this Nate's equivalent of bringing home the biker bad boy with leather and piercings. She'd have cringed if Harmony dated someone like that and had not liked this particular revelation. It had been hard to accept for a long time. She thought maybe it was just for the shock value of it, to get a rise out of his do-gooder parents. As time passed she knew that wasn't the case. When they got engaged only a few scant months ago she was one of the first to congratulate them both.
"I haven't seen you for a while. How are you holding up?"
For safety obviously the girl could not know where the settlement is. Kyndall was considerably less calm than she sounded. Her brave front was all she had for now.
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:30 pm
Time had gotten away from Lydia. She'd started her search in the early hours of the afternoon, and the late set of the summer sun had her internal clock a little on the fritz. With a puzzled blink the girl pulled her phone out of her purse and hit the little button to light up the screen, and big block numbers flashing up at her confirmed that it was indeed a lot later than she thought it was. "s**t.." She knew better, really she did, but running into Chaonis had her walking around in a haze. With a sigh she stowed her phone away again, then combed thin fingers through the hair that had fallen in her face, forcing it back with a little more force than was strictly required. "You're right, I'm sorry." Lydia's relationship with Nate's father and stepmother had been been hard won over time. She didn't blame either knight for having renovations about their son being involved with a soldier from the Dark Mirror Court. Tony had accepted her into their life first, as expected, but Kyndall had not truly warmed up to the young woman until it became very clear that she and Nate were very serious, and that Lydia wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. "Well enough, all considered." Frowning, Lydia looked up at the library before back to Kyndall. Then, voice considerably lower, she added. "I ran into Chaonis a couple of days ago." They needed to be away from the here, somewhere indoors and safe. "We should go. We can go back to the apartment." It was close.
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:21 pm
"I'm sorry." She hadn't meant it as sharp as it came out. "I'm just..."
Kyndall felt very unstable. She knew she wasn't Lydia's mother but could not squash her maternal instinct, especially now in these hard times. Especially after everything that had happened. Even now she was terrified that someone would see them together, like Painite, and would target the poor girl too for being in her orbit. She'd never been so scared in her own skin in her entire life and the whole thing just made her want to start swearing in futility all over again.
At the mention of her step son she frowned. She'd had a recent run in with him as well.
"The apartment, yes. It's not safe out here. I think you and I have a lot to talk about my dear."
She knew exactly where she was heading but was slow to make her way there, the injury in her side paining her. She had a suspicion of why Lydia found her where she did knowing she'd seen Chaonis recently. Kyn was happy to pass a message on to her husband if there was something worth sharing, progress made. He was still upset with her for her suicide mission but would listen for news about his only son.
"I suspect you were looking for Tony and found me instead. You musn't go to the library anymore. It's not the same. It's dangerous."
Case in point she'd nearly died there just a few days ago. By design, the location and not the death, but it was still there and was supposed to be a Negaverse controlled building from now on.
"There's something I need to tell you once we're inside. It involves Harmony."
Harmony for one had welcomed Lydia into the family with open arms knowing nothing about the war and with her characteristic enthusiasm. She was especially fond of her brother, trying to reach out to him even in the beginning when he was nothing but resentful. She often invited them to her art shows and apartment knowing Nate was a hopeless cook.
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:45 pm
Lydia shook her head at the apology, she understood. She was out too late, and they were all under a great deal of stress. Hazel eyes glancing up and down the streets, Lydia headed off towards the apartment, leading the way, though she kept her pace slow so Kyndall didn't have any trouble keeping up. Something had happened, some mishap, some injury she wasn't talking about, and it had the young woman reaching out to loop her arm around Kyn's so she could help her move just a little quicker. Getting caught out this late, powered down, would be awful. "I was looking for Tony," she confirmed, expression tight lipped. "I didn't really expect him to be here, it's just where my feet headed." Mention of Harmony's name had a small kernel of foreboding uncurling at the pit of her stomach, and she could only nod. Whatever news Kyndall had, it wasn't good, and if something had happened to her future sister in-law... Lydia drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as moved along the sidewalk. It didn't take long to reach her building and the elevator came quickly when she hit the call button, carrying the girls up to the right floor. When they reached her door Lydia pulled out a key and pushed the door open, gesturing Kyndall inside. "Make yourself at home."
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 9:53 am
It was so strange to be in this place! Kyn half expected Nate to come walking in the door to grab a beer and talk to them both about his day. There were mementos of the man he was everywhere and her poor heart ached more to see them. If she closed her eyes it would almost be normal. She could almost believe that none of this was happening.
"I know what you mean," she responded softly. That was still where her feet headed when they didn't take her to their little house with a white picket fence.
Once they got inside Kyndall hugged her future daughter in law tightly, overcome that at least she was alive if not entirely well in spirit. Her stitches pulled when she did but that hardly mattered to her. After that, though, the woman knew she needed to sit and finally gave in, taking a seat on the couple's couch. The news about Harmony could wait for now, it wasn't going to change.
"I saw him recently, too, but I was too busy getting this to be able to speak to him much."
She lifted the hem of her shirt to reveal the bandage that hid the boatload of stitches Xander gave her to keep her from dying.
"I went after Painite. I couldn't let her get away with everything she's done to tear this family apart. Tony and I are...struggling. There is a difference of philosophy between us now. I can't abide any of them to live anymore, not when they do things like this."
Though if anyone could get through to her step son it was probably the woman he chose. Though they all loved him as family those two found each other through everything and chose one another. It was a powerful thing and she ought to know. She chose Tony before she even knew his place in the war, or hers, or what choosing him would mean to her.
"How was he with you. He gave me a brief look, haunted, when I saw him with Painite. Is there a chance that he can come back to us?"
She would purify him in a moment if he wanted her to, dangerous or not. She was a Royal Knight now, connected to her planet. She could give him what he lost.
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 1:32 pm
Lydia jumped as arms curled around her and for a handful of seconds she was utterly rigid, eyes wide, as the other woman hugged her. Then, slowly, the tension in her shoulders began to leave, muscles relaxing an inch at a time. It had been a while since she'd really interacted with the family, or hell, with much of anyone. But while startling, the affection was not unwelcome. Drawing in a deep breath the younger woman brought her hands up to hold Kyndall's wrists as she leaned back into that embrace for as long as it lasted. When Kyn sat, Lydia did too, perching on the edge of the chair that sat kitty-corner from the couch. The injury revealed made her wince. "******** b***h..." It came out low and growling, and trailed in a sigh. "Sorry." Language. She had better manners than that. Lydia agreed with Kyndall, the general b***h needed killing. If there was ever a chance of them being a family again, it would only come with that woman's death. It had been a couple of days since Lydia had seen her fiance. A couple days since she'd broken down and cried every hopeless tear that was left to her. Looking back now, she could smile, and she did. A soft curl of lips that lit up the young woman's face in the first really show of happiness she'd worn in months. "He wants to remember." She didn't tell her future mother-in-law about the plan to flee. It was dangerous information. When they were safely away, settled and happy, they could call for the family, but until then, the fewer people that knew the better. "His memories aren't there, but he when I was with him... It was like he was getting flashes of feelings. I think I could break through, Kyndall. I really do." it wouldn't be easy, and it wouldn't be quick, but given time, she genuinely felt she'd be able to bring back a piece of the man she loved so dearly.
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 2:09 pm
Kyndall nodded, not entirely disagreeing with the sentiment or the way it was phrased.
When Lydia started explaining tears filled Kyndall's eyes. She wanted to weep for hope though she immediately told herself not to get her hopes up too far. If this was not to be or if it was just a trick Painite devised she would be crushed if she allowed herself to hope for it too much. Kyn did not need her heart broken further.
"Do whatever you can, Lydia, promise me."
She was sure her husband would echo that promise.
She would have supported them running away if they could manage it. All she wanted was for her family to be safe even if that meant not being able to see them or have them in her life. She'd have sent Sarah away if there was somewhere she trusted to send her and a less risky way to get her out of the city. She was not sure her six year old was safe, even in the settlement.
"Whatever you do stay safe. I couldn't bear it if you two..."
She broke down and cried, burying her face in her hands and trying to stifle the sounds of pain every time a sob irritated the wound on her side. It took several long minutes to compose herself but when she did she looked at the girl across from her and looked as heartbroken as she felt.
"Harmony's gone. Painite killed her a few nights ago...I..."
But she didn't have the words to finish that sentence.
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