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 Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:26 pm
They'd come from the hospital earlier today after finishing the last of the tests. Sterling had a clean bill of health, and though it seemed rather unexplainable by scientific means, Priam knew.
Sterling had been robbed of his starseed, and though Priam had only seen Soleiyu briefly when they'd first arrived back at the house, it had been determined that the only way he could have woken up again was with it.
They didn't know how.
Soleiyu had not been able to stay for long; he had made sure they got home all right, checked on Sterling, nuzzled him and prodded for information, and then informed them that he needed to go back to his workshop, that he was going to be making his own security system for them. It didn't have to be permanent. It just had to be enough to keep them safe, for now.
Priam had tucked Sterling in over an hour ago and the dogs were both laying with him. He still needed his rest; the time in the snow had been unkind to his body, and Priam wanted to go over to Ilya's house to check and see if he was resting. He couldn't remember seeing a car in Ilya's driveway when he'd brought Sterling back to the house, and with how hard it was snowing now, he really didn't want to go out again.
...Or leave Sterling alone.
Instead, he was fussing around the house, straightening little things up as best he could. He checked his phone, kept more lights on than he needed to, and occasionally peered out the window, hoping to see Yu coming up the steps.
He left the front porch light on, just in case. The door was locked, but he never strayed far enough that he couldn't hear a knock. The television was on but the volume low; he couldn't bear the silence.
He missed their voices. He missed their laughter.
He missed them.
Sterling, at least, would be up soon. It was half of home.
It wasn't the same without Yu. It wouldn't ever be.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:34 pm
Cavansite had thought about when she was going to talk to Priam, and she had thought about how she was going to talk to Priam. He didn't really know her after all, so she wasn’t sure if he would trust her...or dismiss everything as her being crazy.
If he was a part of the Negaverse...he would be a lot more willing to tell her if she arrived at the house already powered up, but in that same vein...well. He would lose his mind if he wasn’t and she arrived at the house powered up. But...Maybe Yu had already explained everything. Maybe he would be there and everything would be wonderful, she could kill two birds with one stone that way.
There was still a soft smile on her face as she replayed the events of tonight. Of being hugged by someone she had given up for dead. Of finding out that he was still dating her sister, and that his brother was still alive.
Of Evan’s friendship.
It was all going to her head like a strong alcohol.
At least, her path was decided, and with a small sigh, she closed her eyes and teleported into the living room of Sterling’s house, blinking and looking at Priam with a small smile. “Hey Priam. How’s Sterling doing? You...aren’t in the Negaverse, right?”
She was anything but subtle.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:43 pm
Though Priam thought the voice sounded familiar, he knew that it shouldn't be in his house. The doors were locked. No one should be here but him, Sterling, and the dogs--and Oreo, but she couldn't talk.
He spun away from the window and didn't recognize who was standing in front of him. Rapidly, he tried to detect who she was, what she was doing here.
Dark colors. No symbols. She didn't look like a senshi, and she didn't look like a Knight.
And she was talking about the Negaverse.
She had just appeared in his living room--teleported? Soleiyu's voice giving them a lecture on all things echoed in his mind.
"Who....are you?" he asked, voice unsteady. He was gripping the curtain behind him, like there was some secret lifeline to give him strength. "How do you know Sterling, and what do you want with him? --How did you get in here?"
A Negaverse agent shouldn't have known about him. Shouldn't have known he was hurt--unless she was here to threaten him. To hurt him.
But then, she shouldn't have been able to get in here unless she had before, according to Soleiyu.
There was fear in his eyes, despite how much he tried to hide it.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:48 pm
He was afraid, that much was clear...but did that mean that he wasn’t a part of the Negaverse? Did that mean he had nothing to do with the war or…
Cavansite drew in a breath. “Or are you a knight too? I know that Sterling is. He got into a tussle with my Captain and his starseed was taken, but it was put back...is he okay?” There was genuine concern in her voice and Cavansite crossed her arms over her chest, hoping that Priam would see that she wasn’t going to hurt him. “Did Yu come to talk to you both? He said he was going to call to check on Sterling. Or, to call Ilya. I’m...not sure who Ilya is, but...I hope that you two do.”
Drawing in another breath, she began pacing slightly, just a few steps, back and forth. “It’s a serious question, Priam...I need to know if you’re in the Negaverse, because if you are, I’m going to need to know. Because you need to leave it.” <********. If he was in the Negaverse, she had just outed Sterling to him. That...wasn’t a great thing to have done, clearly.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:15 pm
Priam paled, mostly because the line of questioning was incredibly intrusive, incredibly personal, incredibly dangerous.
But she knew Sterling was a Knight. She knew Sterling had his starseed taken, because she knew who took it. Who put it back.
...She knew Yu.
It wasn't difficult for the pieces to connect, to fall into place, but it was with an icy dread that his mind worked an understanding out for everything that was being said. He was being given pieces to a puzzle he didn't want to solve.
"I'm not in the Negaverse," he rasped, and leaned back against the wall when he realized his legs were trying to give out.
Sterling's starseed was taken. She knew who took it. It was put back. Yu.
Sterling's starseed was taken. She knew who took it. Yu.
Sterling's starseed was taken. Yu.
Ilya had mentioned that he had a lead on Yu's whereabouts, that he thought he could find him, but they'd been having difficulties between the two--why would Yu call Ilya? Why would he say he was going to? --Was Ilya in the Negaverse, too?
He was pale, and a bit green now, trying to fight off the sickening sensation that all of this suddenly felt wrong.
"H-how...do you know Yu?" he asked, trying to stabilize his voice. His mind was drifting, trying to shut down. It wanted to escape the harsh reality that something was going on here, and if he kept thinking, he was going to have to draw conclusions that scared him.
"--Do you know where he is? Is he okay?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:33 pm
Cavansite let out a relieved breath and powered down, ducking her head for a moment. “Please...please don’t be afraid, Priam. This will all be made right, you’ll see...Why don’t you sit down and we can talk?” Karone hesitated and blew out another breath. “Can I make you some tea? Hot chocolate? I...I’m sorry to spring this on you...It’s been...it’s been an evening and...a friend of mine wanted me to make sure that you weren’t part of the Negaverse…” She rubbed her face and looked up at Priam for just a moment.
“Please don’t be afraid…” Karone said again, the words a plea. “We...We’re going to leave. I’ve already been making plans...We just needed to know that you weren’t part of it. So that you wouldn’t turn us in. Drag us back. I...Honestly I couldn’t ever imagine you being a part of it so...that’s...kind of besides the point but…”
Managing a smile and gestured to the couch. “I won’t hurt you. I adore you and Sterling...you’re so good for Yu...You make him happy. Really happy and...I like that. I’m really worried about him. He...He’s not really doing that great, and I’m...going to assume that he hasn’t talked to you...but...maybe I’m wrong! And he’s here?”
The bright note in her voice was obviously forced, but still. It was worth a try.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 9:46 pm
Oh, it was Karone. He knew Karone.
His heart was pounding in his chest, anyway.
He knew her. They were friendly. She liked them. He thought.
He couldn't breathe and found himself with burning lungs but completely frozen, helpless to the panic that swept him. He didn't know what he was supposed to do here.
She was saying kind things. She was being nice. He was still struggling to process and nodded when she gestured to the couch. He shuffled over, legs nearly giving out, and all but collapsed upon it.
She was in the Negaverse. Yu was in the Negaverse.
Sterling had been found out.
She had just outed herself, and Yu. Either she was serious, or trying to catch him in a trap. But why? Why tell him, why not just pull out his starseed, why not just try to corrupt him? She knew about his fall, she should have known she could have taken him if she wanted to.
...But she didn't.
Logically, he hoped, that meant that she was telling the truth.
His hands balled into fists at his knees as he looked at her.
"We haven't seen Yu in days. He ran away before Christmas. He hasn't spoken to either of us. You two are...going to leave the Negaverse? Is that possible?" there was a hint of hope--because if Yu was going to leave, wouldn't that make everything okay? Sterling could forgive him. Priam could forgive him.
Desperately, he asked, "When was the last time you saw him? Can you please tell him to come home? I don't care--I don't care what happened, we can talk about it. We can work it out. Please tell him to come home. We need him."
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 9:57 pm
“I saw him earlier tonight. He came to me after he put Sterling’s starseed back. He was really upset, and I can’t blame him.Is Sterling okay? Seriously, you’re killing me here, I’m worried about him. And I did tell Yu to come and see you. To talk to you guys. Obviously he saw Sterling at some point, wish he would have stayed but…”
She hesitated and worried her lip between her teeth for a moment, before taking a seat in the armchair. “He has...someone stalking him. He’s scared to death that you two are going to get killed because of it, and he’s pretty sure that whoever it is is also in the Negaverse. He’s gotten a lot of threats to stay away from you, and whoever it is is draining him in his hotel rooms and just...being nasty. And taking his name as credit for things.”
Karone glanced at Priam and sighed. “Like throwing you off of a roof. Yu is Parisite, not whoever threw you, because I am damn sure he didn’t. He was worried sick after that happened. The fire too, he’s pretty sure this stalker did it. I’m going to work to find out who the hell it is and stop them, let me tell you. I won’t let you guys get hurt anymore. Yu loves you. And I love him, so that means I love you two by default. Yeah, we’re going to leave. Soon. As soon as we figure out who’s on Yu’s tail so that the two of you don’t keep getting hurt because someone has a beef with him. Now,”
She watched him carefully and managed a little smile. “...Please don’t hate Yu. Please. I know he’s going to be worried...and I’m pretty sure he will be far too afraid to tell you all of this...so that’s...why I’m doing it for him. Plus...I just. Had to know...ah. You know?”
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 4:16 am
Priam was wracking his mind, trying to think about when he could have missed Yu, when it hit him that he was gone, very briefly, but just before Sterling awakened. Had that been enough time for someone to get in?
...To teleport in?
He swallowed, hard, and felt like he might choke on the lump that moved slowly down his throat.
"I don't hate Yu, I could never. Sterling is--he's shaken up--but he's fine. He might have a cold after all of this. He was in the snow for a while. But his starseed is back and there doesn't seem to be any damage. " He felt shaky; he had delivered reports to family members before, but this was different. This wasn't...normal.
Someone was stalking Yu. Someone in the Negaverse. Someone who was willing to push him off a roof, to try and take away everything he owned and burn his house down, someone who...
He had a headache but couldn't seem to move his hand to even rub at his eyes.
He sat in silence for a moment, trying to absorb the information. He didn't have time to let things drag on, to sit and mull things over in his head. Not if Yu was in danger.
"...When all of this started, I thought I was being punished," he said quietly. "...I thought, by some chance, someone I used to know was upset that I had moved on and found happiness. I hadn't considered someone would have been trying to get back at Yu. I knew he was acting strange recently. He was jumpy and anxious a lot."
He wondered how long Yu had known more than him. He wondered how long he'd kept it all buried.
"Karone," he said, managing to meet her gaze through the haze of pain assaulting his eyes. "What can I do to help? I don't want him out there alone. I don't want him thinking that he has to deal with this by himself, and I don't want him thinking this is his fault."
Obviously they needed to have a talk about honesty, about being more open, but how could Priam criticize Yu when he'd kept concerns of his ex to himself, when he'd been powering up in secret, too?
If they'd talked about this sooner, maybe things wouldn't have gotten so bad.
Or, maybe they would have been worse.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:42 am
“Thank goodness he’s okay. Thank you for letting me know...and, I’m glad that you don’t hate Yu...that would just about break him...and that’s the last thing that any of you would need. Look, he has my phone right now. I can give you the number, He lost his, I guess, somewhere on the run, so he hasn’t been in any position to be in contact either.”
“You should text him, ask him to come home, Tell him that I’m here if you want to. I can stay the night and keep watch over the place if it would make you feel better, I’d like to, honestly. You look as though you’ve been hit by a truck, and no wonder...go curl up with Sterling, let me keep watch for Yu, okay? Regardless, I’ll be seeing him at noon tomorrow, he promised me.”
Truthfully, she didn’t think he would allow her to stay, but she hoped that he would...She liked Priam. LIked Sterling...and she didn’t want to be hated...he hadn’t thrown her out yet so...that had to count for something, right?
“I won’t let him just run off and abandon you two. He needs you just as much as you need him. We...I won’t let my family splinter apart like that. Seriously. And since he's my little brother...that just marks you my little brother by proxy so…” She shrugged and leaned back in the chair, making herself a bit more comfortable. “Get used to me doting on all of you.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:58 am
For a few seconds, he wasn't completely sure what to say. Should he agree? Was this a trap?
...Again, she didn't know he was powered. She hadn't tried to recruit him, hadn't tried to corrupt him. The more he looked at her, the more he believed here.
...And she was giving him a connection to Yu. "...I can talk to him?" he asked, heart fluttering and stomach flipping. He reached for his phone immediately. He wanted to, desperately. Wanted to tell him it was okay, to tell him to come home.
He wanted to go rest with Sterling, to just hold him. To talk to Yu. To figure out how they could make this all work out.
"...Am I going to stress him out if I do that?" he asked, suddenly, wondering if him pleading to come home was just going to put more on his plate. "...Am I going to put him in danger if I reach out to him? --You can stay. I don't know what's going on, I just. I need Sterling to be safe. If you can help, please. I can't do this on my own. I feel like I'm falling apart without them. I'll take whatever help I can get. And you--" he looked back at her, still dizzied by all of these realizations, but slowly catching up. "Do you need anything? What can I do for you, to make sure you're okay, too? --Are you in trouble right now?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:02 am
“You can talk to him, yeah. Seriously, Priam. Send him a text message, tell him that his sister is here and says he should come home, please make sure to put a lot of stress on home. He won’t believe it if you don’t. Tell him I found answers, and we need to talk as a family. You’re smart, you’ve got this, Priam. But please stress that I’m here, and if you can stress that you know, and still love him--ah…”
The first hint of worry flitted across her face. “...You do still love him, right? You aren’t...I mean, I know that you said you wouldn’t leave him, but…” It was a worry, a concern that...well. They wouldn't be alone regardless. Still. It would just about kill Yu.
“Ah...as for me, I’m not in trouble at all. In fact, I’m happy. I found out that...someone...a..an agent of mine who I thought died...he...didn’t. He purified. I got to see him...got to hug him just now. I was finding someone who could help us, and I found a great group...ah...I can’t believe he’s alive...Priam, I’m excited to leave the Negaverse...I...It’s something I had wanted to do before but...now that I have an honest reason...I’m so glad. I’m glad that Yu found out about Sterling...I hope...we can still be a family. I...know it’s an imposition, but...I hope you’ll accept me.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:22 am
"It would be so much easier to promise that if I could just talk to him. Of course I love him, I just want to work this out," Priam insisted.
...His only fear was that Sterling wouldn't be able to reconcile, but even then...
Freshly starseeded, and Sterling had still been asking about him, still desperate to find him.
They'd told Ilya they didn't care about whatever had happened in the past. Who could blame Yu for lashing out now, at the end of his rope, acting unreasonably?
"He just needs to come home so we can do that. We'll figure something out. You're not an imposition, I promise. Honestly, I--I'm relieved that Yu has someone. I'm glad you're here to help him. I want this to be over with--I want him to leave the Negaverse so we can stop having secrets, and I--"
He let out a little sigh and rubbed at his face. "We'll all figure this out. It'll be okay. I'm not leaving him, I love him. Have you seen the kitchen? Sterling had some renovations made, just for him, for Christmas. We haven't been able to cook since he left, it just doesn't feel right."
He opened his mouth to say something and then just shook his head. "We'll have a late Christmas, when Yu gets back. This doesn't change anything. We want him. We love him. He doesn't have to be afraid, not of us."
He started writing a text message to Yu and said, "When you get a second, please, the number. I'll text him something short, I'll tell him you're here."
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:33 am
Karone nodded and got up from the chair, telling him her phone number and stretching. “You text him, I’ll go check out the renovations and make us both a cup of tea, how’s that sound? Then we can get ready for him to come here, because I truly hope that he does. If you know an Ilya, text him too. Yu said he would be reaching out to him...so it might be good just to ask if he knows anything yet.”
She hesitated for a moment, watching Priam with a thoughtful expression, and then crossed over to him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “We’ve got this. He’ll be home soon. We both will. We’ll find whoever’s hurting him, and we’ll put an end to it, then the three of you can finally have the happily ever after that you deserve.”
Drawing away, Karone smiled and let out a breath. “Tea time! Text your boys! See you in a minute.”
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