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 Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 7:55 pm
It had been a few days since her encounter with Camelot, and Karone had kept to herself pretty well. She had been watching Gently and wondered if Camelot’s words really…really carried any weight. She hoped not. She didn’t want them to. But…
The seeds that had been planted by Merlinite had been watered so gently by Camelot, and now there was doubt in her mind. Not that…not that she thought that Painite would ever hurt her…but just the fact that there was no saving the other woman. That couldn’t be possible. She was still…wonderful. Perfect.
Karone moved across the living room and plopped down on the couch next to her girlfriend, reaching out and taking her hand, kissing the back of it.
“Hey you. How are you doing?” She wasn’t sure what she was going to ask…or if she was going to ask anything…but…
“I love you, Gent. You know that, right?” She moved a little closer and hoped that it wasn’t too obvious that there might be a problem. Because there wasn’t. There was no problem at all…there…
There was just a mild concern. A mild concern that could be brushed away easily.
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:06 pm
Gently did not spend a lot of time powered down, really. She did not go out much, unless she was Painite. She felt like nothing without her power, with no purpose and no worth.The only reason she powered down at all was to protect Karone's identity and her home.
She looked up from her video game as Karone sat down on the sofa with her and took her hand. She smiled, arching an eyebrow at her in wonder. It was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one.
"Of course I know that," Gently said, looking a little perplexed. Her forehead furrowed in vague irritation. She was a very observant and, of course, paranoid woman. The change in Karone's behavior was all too obvious to her, and she felt immediately ill at ease because of it.
"Why do you ask?" Her voice was edged with her caution. "What's wrong?"
She had no idea that she had run into Camelot, or that she had doubts about Merlinite or anything else, for that matter. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing to have doubt over. Horror and evil were her game, and they were doing it pretty well. Even if Merlinite had managed to survive, they would get him in due time.
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:13 pm
Karone flopped against Gently’s shoulder, nuzzling close and giving a little smile. “I just don’t tell you enough, that’s all. Nothing’s wrong.” So, she spooked easily…but that was to be expected when people continued to betray her over and over and over…Karone herself would have been as jumpy if she were in Gently’s position.
She was quiet for a few moments, and finally sighed. “Why do you think people purify, Gently? I don’t understand it.” There was a sudden bitter edge to her voice and she moved her head, pressing her face into the crook of the other woman’s neck, blowing softly on her skin.
“…My mentor who helped me while you were gone…I found out that she turned traitor. She purified and I can’t…I don’t understand it, Gently. It’s been bothering me more than I want to admit…she…I never expected her to defect. Never in a million years. But…she did.”
Karone’s voice fell to a whisper and there was a twinge of sadness in it.
“…You’ve never thought of purifying…of leaving the Negaverse…have you?” The sadness turned to trepidation and pulling away just slightly, Karone looked into Gently’s face. “I hope not…”
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:19 pm
"Only weak minded fools think the White Moon has anything better to offer than the Negaverse," Gently snapped quickly, pulling away from Karone and tossing her handheld game aside. She did not feel like playing it any more, though it might have been a good distraction from a conversation she did not want to have.
She was lying, of course.
There was a time when Painite thought about it. When Merlinite was turning his back on her, after saving her life. When Camelot was telling her there was more for her than darkness. When she wanted to believe him. Back when she was a foolish idiot who did not know her role in the world, and thought she could find 'more'. But there was nothing more, and anyone who strove for something beyond their reach would only meet disappointment and pain.
Her heart had been broken too many times.
"Don't waste your time thinking about traitors," she said, switching gears and taking Karone's face in her hand gently. "Hey. We'll just go and find her. We'll kill her for hurting you, okay? We'll make her pay for being such a fool. That's the best she deserves now, anyway. Whatever she might have been for you before, she threw it away when she decided she was too weak for the Negaverse."
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:29 pm
Karone gave a soft laugh and though her smile faded when Gently pulled away, it returned quickly when her face was touched. “I thought about it once.” She knew it might be a stupid idea…sharing such a thing with Gently…but…they were in a relationship. Honesty was required.
“It was after you disappeared…I…I was on my own, you know? I ran into this knight. A cosmos knight…I hate those. I hate them all with such a damn passion…” Karone broke off, shrugging and placing her own hand on top of Gently’s, squeezing it lightly. “But…this one was almost nice…she gave me her bow…the one that’s on my outfit now.”
A bow that still seemed to be made of pure starlight…that glistened no matter the lighting…
The bow she had defiled the night after she had received the gift.
“…That knight had been in our ranks. But she was a traitor. And naturally that upset me, so I swore that I would go and fix the bow up with a starseed…and of course my luck was I ran into this sweet Cosmos knight the night after…and I took my first…meaningful starseed.”
Her eyes closed and she shuddered slightly. “But I felt horrible after, Gently. I had never felt such guilt in my life, and I almost shoved it right back in her chest but…I didn’t.”
Opening her periwinkle eyes again, Karone gazed at Gently and finally smiled. “I couldn’t justify my guilt against how upset you would be when you came back to me. It wasn’t worth it. But…Gent…”
Drawing in a deep breath, Karone sighed. “If you…ever want to turn traitor…I will follow you. I will follow you no matter where the path leads. You are everything to me…and…I want you to know that.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:50 pm
Gently watched Karone, listening to the offer quietly. What had come over the other woman? Why would she bring something like this up now, after everything that had happened? Something must have happened, or was one traitor really enough to shake her so badly?
It was terrifying, the idea of losing someone else to the White Moon. What was worse was how tempting the promise to leave the Negaverse together could really be.
"You were new, inexperienced. You're stronger now, and there is nothing to fear now that I'm here with you," she said, letting her anger rise. It was easiest to hide behind her scary nature, her threatening attitude, than to be honest with herself or anyone else. Emotions only got her hurt, after all, and there was no point leaving herself open to that.
It was just easier to be a simple creature. A creature or pain and horror, blood and death. Simple.
She powered up without warning, reaching her hand into Karone's chest and wrapping her fingers around the other woman's starseed. She was tempted to push Chaos into it, as she had done to Merlinite, but she knew what would happen all too well. Instead, she pulled it out.
"This," she said lowly, leaning close to put her forehead against Karone's. "Belongs to the Negaverse. It belongs to me. It's not going anywhere. Do you understand me? Neither of us are going anywhere."
She put the starseed back after a long moment, longer than was really necessary, her hand shaking. She powered down and wrapped her arms around Karone's shoulders, body shuddering.
"Please, don't ever leave me."
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:04 pm
“Of course there’s nothing to fear now,” Karone began, not hearing the shift in tones, not realizing what was happening until there was a hand around her starseed. She cried out in pain and nearly lost consciousness when the small crystal was removed from her chest, and for a moment, she thought she was going to die.
The starseed was pretty though…beautiful, even.
Her eyes were just slipping closed when she felt the soul reenter her body. Karone took a gasping breath and stiffened when Gently’s arms wrapped around her. This…this was what Camelot must have been talking about. What Merlinite warned against.
She should run. She should leave and get away from this…this monster before she ended up dead.
Quietly though, Karone reached trembling arms up to wrap around the other woman, squeezing her with as much strength as she could muster. “I know. That was the whole point of my story…I don’t ever want to leave you, Gently. I love you. I would love you if you were of the White Moon…or if you killed me. My loyalty is with you, first and forever…I won’t…I can’t leave you. You’re the other half of me…” Her words didn’t have the strength behind them to sound fully convincing…but that wasn’t because they weren’t. It was hard to muster that kind of passion when it felt as though your whole body was made of lead.
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2018 6:09 pm
Gently held on to Karone tightly, terrified of letting her go. All this talk of purify, of leaving, made her feel like there was nothing. All she had in the world was in her arms right now, and without her, there was nothing. How could her entire life have somehow boiled down to so fine a point?
She had earned nothing. She made nothing. She was nothing.
That was what being in the Negaverse had done for her.
"I know. I'm sorry. I just... we'll just kill that traitor of yours, and make sure Merlinite is dead, and we'll be fine. We don't need anyone else, we can make things work just the way we want them. The two of us." She brushed her hand across Karone's face, finally drawing back enough to do so. She was tense, but the anger that had taken her seemed to have gone.
As if it had never been there at all, or she just didn't realize it happened.
It was probably better that she did not know Cavansite had run into Camelot and not tried to kill him. He was a trigger to a bad place for Painite, even more furious than talk of traitors.
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2018 6:18 pm
Reaching up, Karone ran still slightly trembling fingers through Gently’s hair and nodded. “Hush now, my love. There’s nothing to fear…I am yours and yours alone. Don’t worry about the traitors right now. Just focus on me.”
Gently’s hand felt cool against her skin and Karone’s other hand reached out, drawing Gently’s to her lips, kissing each of her fingers. “I knew we were soulmates the first time I laid eyes on you, you know. You caused my heart to pound more than anyone else ever had.”
She didn’t like how tense Gently still seemed. How…brittle. It almost frightened her, not that she would let that show. This was her mission now. To find the good in her girlfriend…or to be drowned in the chaos as it consumed them both.
Either way…they’d be together.
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