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 Posted: Fri May 09, 2025 4:01 pm
Things had been a bit chaotic after they arrived back to Earth, exacerbated by the fact that neither Alastor nor Sessrumnir wanted to worry the boys. Alastor could have looked a bit better, though he claimed to be fine and acted the part well enough, but it was up to Sessrumnir to make contact with the boys.
Now, especially with all of the Negaverse Agents around, they were discrete with their communications. They exchanged a few messages–hastily sent from their Signet Rings.
The boys were going to do whatever they needed to with their friends before heading home. Michael had a generator so even if the rest of the city was dark, they’d be comfortable there. Naturally, there was an open invitation that their friends were welcome there, and Caia was inevitably going to show up as well.
Amarynthos’ parents and Caia’s brother were up on Alastor, so it was an easy excuse to buy them a bit of time.
Alastor knew he needed to get cleaned up; he’d just scare Oliver if he showed up in such a messy state. He still had a few shards sticking out of him, and it was difficult not to pick at them. Maybe he would have, if he could see.
He was still relying on Sessrumnir’s sight but he didn’t know how much longer they could rely on the earrings.
Lucien joined them, so when the three arrived on Sessrumnir, Alastor let out a soft sigh of relief. He knew here well enough that he could have moved around comfortably even if the earrings died on the spot.
While it was tempting to just throw himself in the springs for a few minutes, it wasn’t like he’d have had a lot of time to soak; he just wanted to get cleaned up, get everyone from Alastor, and head home. He had assurances that Elliot and Ephesus were okay but he still wanted to check in with them. He didn’t want them home alone with uncertain worries.
He wasn’t able to look at Sessrumnir to see the expression he wore but he could feel him radiating concern, so much so that he almost laughed. Their arms were linked so he bumped his elbow into Sessrumnir’s side when they arrived.
“Love of my Lives,” he said slowly, giving each word a second to linger, “You are radiating concern. Are you hurt badly? What am I missing?”
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Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 7:03 pm
Since Alastor’s request after waking up, Sessrumnir had done his best to make sure Alastor could see as much as he could manage through their connection with the earrings. He showed Alastor what he looked like, the red threads of light, the way everyone started being drawn back to Earth.
He did his best to keep his thoughts to himself, though. More difficult than he would have liked with the earrings connecting them as they were. It was difficult to ignore how unsteady the necklace felt after Alastor woke up. It was clear that Alastor’s emotions were uneasy, despite his calm.
“Should we start with you not being able to see?” he asked, turning to Alastor so he could get a good view of his husband’s face, letting him see the strange stars swirling in his eyes. “Oberon was knocked out, too,” he added after a moment. “Got a message from Caia.” A message filled with countless apologies, but Sessrumnir did his best to reassure him in as few words as possible. He was trying to coordinate with the boys at the same time.
“Valhalla gave his stone to Laurelite. Idiot… We’re lucky she didn’t decide to have us all murdered the moment we got back. We’re still not entirely sure who sent Solaris and the others those messages in the first place. If it was Almadel, he should have ******** given us more information from the start. I don’t know who else it could be. He had access to all these little trinkets. And a garden, since he gave us all those berries. You’re hurt. Lucien is taller than you now. We’ve got a world devourer chilling out in our cosmic backyard. I hurt my hands a little, but I’m fine. You protected us from getting speared by those scales. I can’t say you were as lucky.” “If we want to split hairs, I’ve always been taller. Just haven’t had the chance to shift out of my other form until recently,” Lucien frowned as he followed them on two legs through the hall to Sessrumnir’s set of suites. They were far from the Springs, but they hadn’t exactly gone with the intention of staying long. And Lucien was grateful because it meant his tail wouldn’t get out of control.
“Almadel seems to be a man of many secrets. Perhaps, if he was the one who provided the information, what was offered to him was not worth enough to expose himself. Someone who can pass along cryptic messages while being neutral could be quite a lucrative position to have.”
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Posted: Mon May 12, 2025 4:17 pm
Alastor tilted his head just slightly, and it seemed like he wanted to ask Lucien how he knew he’d always been taller, but he held his tongue. His thoughts had drifted to it, maybe Sessrumnir heard it, but there were other things to talk about now. He wanted to ask Lucien a lot of questions. Like how long had he had that form? And was there anything else he remembered? And–
He tugged the thoughts out of Sessrumnir’s mind and buried them within his own.
“Is your brother okay?” he asked. He didn’t try to hold Sessrumnir’s hands like he’d considered earlier, but now that he knew they’d been hurt, he kept their arms hooked and placed a gentle hand atop his arm.
He could feel how tense Sessrumnir was, and it wasn't like him to swear so much.
Certain that he’d have heard if Oberon needed much medical aid–or that he’d have been here with them if it was bad–he kept the question open but it wasn’t the only subject on his mind.
“I’m fine, Michael. I feel plenty lucky. Better me than you, I don’t have to go to school and face a room full of teenagers, I can stay home and rest.” Not that he was good at the rest part, but he wasn’t going to be pestered by three dozen boys. “Don’t worry so much about my eyes, I probably looked into the lightning for too long. They just need a break. I’m not worried about it.”
Well, maybe a little worried, but he was adaptable. Maybe he just needed to sleep it off.
“I look worse than I feel. I’m less worried about me and more worried about your hands. So I know you’re going to fuss over what I’ve done to myself, but make sure you take care of yourself, too. We can speculate about Almadel all we want, as long as it’s not needless stress.”
Michael was already carrying so much.
“I’d think, if he were the one providing information, he’d have made us all aware of it. He’d have more favors to cash in if that were the case, wouldn’t he? But I suppose I don’t know who else it could be. I don’t know who else has such a vested interest in Earth. Plenty of us have been drawn to this world from our own. Someone might have greater connections than they’re letting on.”
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Posted: Mon May 12, 2025 6:36 pm
Once they reached the door, Sessrumnir pushed it open and led the way inside. The office was set up in the same way it had always been, although Michael had taken the time to try and clean up some of the piles of books that had been left around. A task Percy took care of once a year or so, but clearly didn’t get one last chance. Small bits of memories helped him place everything where it belonged, so he hoped Devyn didn’t feel too out of place in a room that was more organized than he was probably used to.
Perhaps it would only be organized for as long as it took Michael to start delving deeper into the countless books he could get his hands on.
It was strange. Maybe he was just getting used to how everything looked, but he felt as though his memories let him understand the titles easier. Sometimes he felt as though he actually understood what the text said.
That was something to worry about another day, though. For now, he brought Devyn over to the couch -- a couch, he realized, had been the location of many of Devyn’s mended wounds.
“He’s fine, as far as I can tell. A little tired, but Caia has healing magic. I think he’s also affected by what I’m hoping is only temporary blindness. You know you’re not supposed to stare at the sun, right? I would imagine this Dark Star having the same concept,” he huffed, appreciating Devyn’s gesture of comfort, but having to untangle their arms so he could retrieve the first aid kit he kept close by. “Dark Star?” Lucien repeated with a frown. He lifted a hand to rub thoughtfully at his chin, his other arm crossed over his torso. “As in… what the Calamitous Hollow was heralding? It wasn’t just allegorical?”
There was a certain dread that came with that bit of knowledge, even without Devyn or Michael having to confirm. He knew with their earrings they could share images and thoughts, so if Michael was commenting about Devyn staring at a Dark Star, then it surely existed.
“Could you describe what you saw? What you experienced? I do not believe you were the only one to witness it. Perhaps everyone who fell during the fight saw it as well. Which means the Negaverse is aware.”
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Posted: Sun May 25, 2025 7:32 pm
“Oh, I looked right at it,” Alastor said shamelessly, making himself comfortable as he settled in on the couch. “But I didn’t fall, Lucien. I was conscious the whole time. And I told you, I could have kept fighting. I’ll show you what I saw later, when the earrings have a chance to recharge.”
He couldn’t see Sessrumnir getting things together but he could hear him, and he got flashes through the earrings from Sessrumnir’s eyes.
“I didn’t see anything else alive out there, but it was like I was floating in space. It was pretty bright for a ‘Dark Star’, so perhaps someone was feeling a bit poetic. It was pitch black itself, I could only make out its shape because of the energy around it. Like whips of purple and white, lashing out around it. A lot more of that purple lightning kept flashing around it. But I saw cracks in it, I think? The surface of the star. I don’t know, I can’t be sure. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything so large. It had some gravitational field, there were mountainous crystals floating around it. I wish I’d gotten closer but I didn’t have enough time. They were too large to bring back, but maybe I could have broken something off.”
He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
“I think it was beautiful,” he mused, “But it was impossible to appreciate. Everything was so miserable there. Like it was trying to drain my heart of all hope. I don’t think the emotions were my own. It was like it wanted me to feel trapped. Like I was supposed to accept infinite solitude. It wanted me to feel like I’d failed. I didn’t,” he said, and tapped the earring.
“I had you with me the whole time, so I knew I was fine. I’m no stranger to despair, anyway. I’d have found another way home even if Almadel hadn’t packed those crystals.”
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2025 5:15 pm
“It’s true,” Sessrumnir confirmed, since Lucien hasn’t had any access to the earrings to know that Alastor had been conscious. He didn’t focus too much on it since it didn’t seem important, and Lucien didn’t seem like he had any intention of arguing semantics.
He pulled out the appropriate tools and set everything out on a tray, before reaching out to press a gentle hand against Alastor’s shoulder.
“Lay back. There’s a shard of a scale in your side. Probably going to need stitches. I’ve got anesthetic, so it shouldn’t hurt,” he promised. Causing Alastor pain was not ideal, especially with how much he’d gone through.
For his own hands, he quickly washed them off with some bottled water into a basin he kept in the office, wrapped them with gauze, and then pulled disposable gloves on over top.
“How do you feel about taking off your shirt?” Being able to see the Dark Star and everything Alastor and Sessrumnir were telling him about would be ideal. It was good that Alastor saw it first hand. He could provide more details and share the imagery easier. If anything, it was a benefit that Alastor had been struck by lightning, although Lucien didn’t dare bring that up.
“A mysterious object in space with fabricated power over despair,” Lucien hummed thoroughly, although clearly unimpressed.
“I will have to check the Mauvian databases for anything that might be similar. Although I’ve looked through everything available when searching for information about the Calamitous Hollow, and do not recall anything even close to that description. There are still plenty of questions I have about the serpent, but… perhaps some rest would help.”
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2025 7:48 pm
Alastor gave Sessrumnir a brief, quizzical look. “I’m not shy. Lucien, can that research wait a few minutes? You have hands now. Will you come help me? I don’t want Michael to do any more than he needs to. Not that I’ve got any issue just tearing this off,” he said, and figured he’d get a head start by gripping the fabric of the front and tearing downwards.
He could feel the pain and agitation up and down his arms and hands of a few stray cuts. He didn’t know if it was from shards still embedded in him, or just scratches from where they’d pelted him. He didn’t want to bother Michael to have to look; he wanted this to be over with as quickly as possible. They had plenty else to do, and Michael’s hands were hurt.
Any discomfort that came with getting these things out of him was worth it; they were starting to itch. He’d still need some help making sure he was getting everything off and out of the way but he was ready to lay back as instructed.
“Did you take something for your hands, Michael? Don’t start with me, start with you. I’ll be fine, I’m not going anywhere. Is there anything I can do to help?”
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Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2025 5:02 pm
“My hands are fine. Just burned,†he insisted, reaching out to help Devyn with getting his shirt removed. But instead of having Devyn tear the whole thing off, Michael pulled out some clothing shears he kept in his first aid kit and after gently but insistently pushing Devyn’s hands out of harm's way, he started cutting off what was left. He didn’t want to risk irritating any of his wounds.
“I’m going to get some cloth to soak up any blood, numb the area, and then pull it out okay?†he told Devyn as he worked, watching as Lucien made his way over to the couch to help Devyn out of the cut pieces of his uniform. Lucien picked up a pair of tweezers and took hold of Alastor’s arm to start pulling out any small pieces of scales that had embedded into his skin as he shielded them from the worst of it.
“Just burned is lucky,†he frowned, to which Sessrumnir shot him a quick warning glare. Lucien either didn’t notice or didn’t care.
“He used that sword of his as a lightning rod to divert some of the current from you, Alastor.†After cleaning the area, Lucien took some smaller bandages to cover the wounds, while Sessrumnir worked on pulling the larger chunk out.
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Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2025 6:30 pm
Alastor briefly made a face as he listened to the two, and he hadn't been particularly alarmed with the lack of vision until he realized how frustrating it was to try and piece together what it was they were keeping from him.
"Michael," he chastised, but with little reprimand. He'd have been hypocritical to nag at him for something like that when he knew what Michael could use against him all the same.
He stayed particularly still while they worked, but there was a mounting frustration he was wrestling with, too. He made little huffs when something hurt, but he didn't think now was an appropriate time to be particularly dramatic.
"Do whatever you have to, I just want these out of me quickly. I know the Reids are worrying, Elliot will feel better to have them around. And I want to check on Atticus when we get home. But don't rush on my count, I know the boys will be fine, they're together. Thank you for taking such good care of me."
Alastor sighed though, and dipped his head back to rest against the couch. He was tapping the fingers of one hand along the back of the couch, obviously trying to burn out his energy in some way since he couldn't otherwise be useful.
"...Smart of you to divert that lightning, though. Thank you for that, too. Lucien, when did you get so good with your hands? How long have you had them? Your touch is very gentle."
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Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2025 6:52 pm
Sessrumnir scowled at Lucien at Alastor’s response, but went back to focusing on getting Alastor patched up. He could tell that he was getting frustrated, even without the necklace and Alastor’s promise to be more open and honest about his feelings.
“Oh, that’s a surprise. You don’t want shiny accessories embedded into your skin? It could be very fashionable,†Sessrumnir half teased, but the sarcasm was weak in his voice. He didn’t want to give Devyn ideas, and he sighed heavily when he was so sweet and thanked them for taking care of him.
“We all know you’d probably just rub some dirt on it and keep going,†he pointed out, sounding maybe as weary as he felt. Not because he was annoyed with Alastor, but because he wished it could be that simple. He didn’t like slowing Devyn down, and it felt like taking care of him did that sometimes.
“This wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I’m going to give it just a couple stitches and then butterfly most of it,†he said, letting Alastor see a glimpse of the wound in his side. And if he forgot that he was still sharing his thoughts as he looked over his husband’s body with a little more interest than just trying to find injuries he might have, well… that wasn’t Michael’s fault.
“I want you to take it easy. Please. At least until you get your sight back.â€
If he got his sight back. No… he would. Devyn was too stubborn to let this slow him down.
“That lightning hit you hard. You remember what Serenity said. We’re lucky it wasn’t worse.†“I’ve always been good with my hands, which I’ve had since I was born,†Lucien sighed, although there was a faint hint of amusement in his otherwise serious expression.
He was quiet for a few moments as he continued to work, but glanced down at the shirt and jacket Alastor had removed so they could get a better look at him.
“I seem to recall those sleeves being much longer on you, once,†he hummed quietly, as though lost in thought, before continuing. “And don’t think I didn’t see your leg bleeding.†Which received an exasperated “What??†from Sessrumnir, who immediately went to find where the other injuries were and grumbled about just having Alastor strip to save them all some time.
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Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2025 6:59 pm
The corner of Alastor's lip twitched when he watched Sessrumnir's gaze stray, but he could hear the worry in his voice, and could practically read it in his thoughts.
He laughed when Lucien saw his leg, so he crossed his legs as if to further hide it. At least for a moment. He hadn't even been trying before!
"I'm very lucky," he agreed, and because he couldn't take Sessrumnir's hand, he reached out until he found his shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze, and then cupped his cheek fondly before he leaned back again. He didn't want to be scolded for moving too much.
"I'll take it easy. No dirt. No running, no fast objects, either. I can already see a bit," he said, but perhaps that was a fib. His vision was dark, but he was certain he could make out a bit of movement in front of him. Like a shadow in a dark room.
He was glad it was only a couple of stitches, less for his sake, and more for Michael's. Now he could tell him that he was doing all this worrying for nothing and hopefully get him to relax a bit.
Still, he rolled his head just slightly, as if he might have been able to see Lucien. "Are you thinking of those portraits of me as a boy?" He'd told plenty of stories. "I used to trip over my sleeves all the time, they were far too long. My uniform was entirely impractical for a boy my size. Are Mauvians really born with hands? I thought you were all born as kittens. I don't know if I ever asked, I assumed you just unlocked this form," he gestured to Lucien with the index and middle finger of one hand in an effort to remain still, "when you reached puberty of something."
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Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2025 7:02 pm
Sessrumnir sighed with exasperation when Alastor moved his leg to hide the injury. A shard of the scales sticking into his calf, of course. Not that he could resist the touch or squeeze of his shoulder, and Alastor obviously knew he was weak to him touching his face.
He sighed again, much more resigned this time, but did his best to efficiently remove any shards and patch Alastor up before he decided to make a run for it. He had to remove the shard without taking off his boots or pants because he didn’t want to risk snagging it. But that was fine. He could make sure it was cleaned up once they were home.
And, because he was very relieved that Alastor was okay, despite being blinded and shish kabobed, Sessrumnir shifted from where he knelt beside the couch so he could catch Alastor’s lips with his own.
He knew Lucien was still working on one of Alastor’s arms, but he wanted at least a moment…
Which he got, and then pulled back from. Alastor wanted expediency, so that was what he’d get. Lucien hummed thoughtfully to himself as he cleaned up another cut on Alastor’s hand. Had he just been thinking of Alastor’s portraits? Perhaps… maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. He should know better than to think he’d be lucky enough to regain any memories.
“I suppose I don’t know,†he conceded, deciding he would not try to discuss something he couldn’t even fully explain. Nor would he tell Alastor about the memory he thought he had when he’d caught him on that lightning field.
“I will have to confer with the other Mauvians I know and return to you with a more accurate answer.â€
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Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2025 7:14 pm
Alastor had been expecting the kiss at some point, but it was still a pleasant surprise. It was soft and warm, and in great contrast to the painful removal of shard, it had been quite welcome. He'd even made a brief noise of disappointment when Sessrumnir pulled away, and leaned forward slightly as if he meant to steal another kiss.
There would be time in the future so he did not pursue it further.
Soon, he thought, loudly enough that it passed into Michael's mind, too.
He hated the word but he clung to it.
In his heart, he'd wanted Lucien to say that he remembered. He wanted to know those memories were in there, somewhere. He tried not to let himself be disappointed. It was a nice thought, at least. He'd unlocked this form again--though Alastor wanted to badger him with questions about what had happened there, and why he hadn't updated Alastor immediately.
Maybe he was just being petulant about it. Lucien was entitled to his secrets.
"I don't remember if I ever asked you before," he mused, leaning back against the couch again. . "I must have, when I was a boy. You made Mauvians very interesting to me. But you made a lot of things interesting to me. Did I worry you, Lucien? I'm sorry. I suppose it was a bit reckless of me, earlier. I just didn't want to see either of you get hurt. I'm quite a bit hardier than either of you. And I thought, if I was the one to get hurt, you're both very good at taking care of me. But I'm sorry for giving you work. And--I'm being very honest--I think you've found everything that hurts already. If I've any more injuries, they're hiding from me, too. But I feel..."
He thought about his answer for a second, and then decided, "I think I'm ready to go home, as soon as we grab them from Alastor. I think I'll do a good job taking it easy."
For a little while, at least.
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2025 5:08 pm
Sessrumnir let out a dry laugh and gave Alastor a look that he knew he couldn’t see, but felt as though he would at least know from experience.
“You’re hardier than either of us?†he asked, incredulous. He wasn’t looking to give Alastor a hard time, but sometimes he wondered how much Alastor was just teasing, or if he really thought they weren’t able to hold their own like he could.
He decided to believe that Alastor was just teasing. They were all stressed out and he was feeling rather on edge, so any form of humor was being lost on him. He was glad that Alastor felt like he’d been patched up enough, at least. So with that, Sessrumnir pulled off the gloves he wore and reached his hand out to take Alastor’s and help him to his feet.
“You want to go ahead and think of an excuse for those eyes?†he asked, but couldn’t help himself as he rubbed his hand over Alastor’s back, and brushed at his hair, clearly fussing without actually fussing. There were things Lucien thought he remembered, but when presented with logical alternatives, he decided that it was more likely that he was just thinking of something else than actually remembering anything. Memory was weird like that. And unreliable in many ways.
“Why would I worry about you? As you said, you’re hardier than Sessrumnir or myself,†he said with his nose uplifted in disagreement, his tail swishing with mild irritation. Not at Alastor, but at himself.
He was right, of course. There was a lot that Lucien still needed to learn and figure out. He felt stronger from the fight with the Calamitous Hollow, but he was trying to process what that meant. And to find out what more there was for him to not be a burden on his bonded.
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2025 5:14 pm
Alastor tilted his head slightly at Lucien, because he could hear the tail but couldn’t quite see his expression to settle the threads of possibility. Was Lucien sassing him? Maybe a bit.
“I’m used to you being much smaller,†Alastor reminded. If one of these shards had hit poor, little Lucien? Things could have been much worse.
“If you don’t like the word ‘hardier’, I’ll accept ‘more stubborn’. But you can’t dispute that you’ve both done a better job patching me up than I could have if our roles were swapped.â€
He was gentle when he took Sessrumnir’s hand, but he leaned into the touches to his back and hair. He let Sessrumnir fuss without complaint, and if he were being honest, he did enjoy it. It would have been nicer if circumstances were different.
“Do I need an excuse for the eyes? Maybe they won’t notice. We can just say I stared at the sun for too long. Oh, maybe I’ve got some sunglasses. I can put them on. Will that help?â€
On his feet, he was a bit more aware of how sore he was. The pain was minimal, comparatively. He didn’t have much to complain about. He hurt, but he was alive. These injuries felt minor.
He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again, he saw the faintest silhouette of moving shadows, and while he didn’t have much to show Michael, he let him see what he saw. It might not have been much, but it was an improvement from nothing.
Michael was going to worry about this, so he wanted to give him some reassurance.
Alastor’s eyes had been through plenty, now and before. They probably just needed to rest. So, he closed his eyes again. “Does this look too strange?â€
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