Thursday, June 27, 2013

Ian Heartbreak/ Clara Mercy Delcourte: Calling His Bluff

"Do I look like some street rat?" She asked, with just the barest hint of sarcasm in her voice. And she didn't- her soft gray dress didn't have so much as a speck of dirt, and her hair was not a single strand out of place. A sigh escaped her lips, and for a moment her eyes seemed so much older than the rest of her. "I know him because I spent 500 years or so crammed into the same brain as him. This magnificent girl's name is Clara- she allowed me to do this so I could escape from my entrapment in a second 127 years in the past- but my name is Niccolo. We've met, though only briefly. Before I continue, after hearing that, do you trust me?"

Ian laughed quietly. "Ah, my savior. How are you? You're looking well." He grinned. "I do not imagine being in a girl's body would be much fun, nor, wearing a dress." He looked around and then gave up. "Okay, despite being a girl that claims to be Niccolo, I trust you. Now," he said, looking around again. "What are we to do? That Alistiar is a creep and I owe him a few more punches in the face." He nodded and imagined hearing Alistair's nose snap. Ah, that was a good thought.

"Well, yes, I'll admit that this is far from comfortable, but she brought me here and I owe her endlessly for that alone. As far as Alistair..." She paused for a moment, wondering where to begin, and continued. "Since I made it back here before Aretha figured out my little puzzle, she must have been compromised almost immediately after I got stuck- one or two hours later, at the latest. How long ago was that?"

Ian's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I have no idea..." He thought for a while. "You collapsed then Death and I walked away, then she died then I had to find Silver. She and I brought Death back and she ran away to somewhere then I came here and punched Alistar in the face for calling my apparent fiance gorgeous and for freaking me out." He glanced at his watch. "So, at least an hour." He grabbed the phone out of his pocket and checked the time. "Yeah, an hour sounds about right. Hey, do you mind if I punch him? A lot? He was making Aretha scream and she's in a Dalek looking thing and just by touching it she was screaming so I'm going to punch him." He was rambling as he tried to sort out his thoughts.

"First thing you need to know- she's not inside a Dalek, and he's not building an army of monsters. He'd be perfectly capable of it, if he wanted to, but that's not his style. Alistair would never create monsters, because he believes that human beings are the monsters. He'll go far out of his way to push a person to their limit- to find the point where they snap- and then he simply relishes watching them mindlessly destroy. He sees it as true human nature." Her voice grew bitter as she spoke, and when she finished she was barely audible. She shivered a little even though it wasn't cold, and continued. 

"Aretha is not inside a Dalek. The reality is far worse- she's inside his mind. The Dalek was merely an illusion. He wants her to believe she will become a Dalek because he knows she's capable of shutting out her fear, but this way she feels she needs that emotion. She'll make herself suffer- he doesn't even have to do anything. And in his mind he can control her perception of time, so there's no telling how many hours worth of pain he's put her through." Now she was the one rambling. She ran her fingers through her hair- a nervous habit that Niccolo himself never had- and took a breath before she continued. "So we need to get her out. And we need to find out what his plan is. It's not monsters, but he told you that to distract you- keep you on your toes- so he's planning something big. And punching won't do any good- he needs to die. I would greatly appreciate your help." 

For a moment she just stood silently- then her knees gave out from under her, and she caught herself just before she collapsed. She straightened herself up, ran her fingers through her hair- as if it needed fixing- and smiled sweetly. "Sorry about that- we have to switch which consciousness is prevalent every now and then, or our minds will start to deteriorate. My name is Clara Mercy Delcourte- but you can just call me Clara. Pleased to meet you!"

Ian smiled and nodded at Clara. "Hi Clara. I'm pretty sure that you know who I am so I'm not going to introduce myself." He flashed a small grin at her. "Okay, so, do you know what Niccolo knows? And I am going to punch him, I don't care." He walked over to a small stone fence that he preceded to sat on. He put his head in his hands and groaned quietly. "See, this is why I'm a psychic. I don't like field work but when it comes to my friends," he looked up at Clara and determination flashed in his eyes. "I'll do anything." He looked at his hands. One was still old-looking and he screwed his face up. He grabbed a pair of gloves from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and slipped them on. "So, what to do? Where to go?" He lay back on the small wall and sighed.

She smiled softly. "That's good- that you'll do anything, I mean. And yes, I know everything Niccolo knows. You could basically say that he is my subconscious. And when he's in control, I'm his. But we can still communicate telepathically. Actually, you should be able to talk to both of us at once, if you put effort into it. But that's not necessary." Clara tossed her curls to her back, then combed them forward with her fingers so they fell into the same meticulous pattern, exactly the same as before. 

"Still," she sighed, straightening the hem of her dress, "Neither of us know where he is, or exactly what he's planning. It should be easy, except that Niccolo doesn't have any magic- he can only steal it from others, and he doesn't do that, and Alistair has every other discipline- and I couldn't be of any use in this situation anyway. The only thing we do know," she carefully inspected her fingernails, even though the silver paint didn't have so much as a single chip, "Is that he's going to keep taking it out on Aretha until we stop him. And if she learns she's not being turned into a Dalek, and escapes from whatever imaginary prison he's locked her in... Well, let's just say things will become a great deal worse." She ran her fingers through her hair, and immediately fixed it again.

What is with her and her hair? Ian asked himself while he nodded at Clara. "Okay then. Step 1. Find Alistair and Ari. Step 2. Stop them. Step 3. Kick some-" he was just about to say a swear but thought better of it. "Butt and stop Alistair." He smiled and watched a small cloud chug along the wide blue sky. It reminded him of a puff of smoke from those old steam trains that seemed high-tech. Funny now that we have iPods and laptops... "So, where are we off to Niccolo-slash-Clara? If torturing Aretha is high on his to-do list, we better show him that maybe his grave would be a higher..." He lost his train of thought. Ha. Very funny. Train. "Let's just go. Lead the way!" He sat back up and smiled, his eyes turning into two cold gem stones.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Mevolent: Dealing With Justaria

( this is kinda like...before my chapter with Deathy so yeah )

Mevolent was in the throne room when someone came in. They were followed by someone else. Familiar. 
"Have you brought the American Grand Mage?" He asked the Redhood. They shook their head,
"Hello master." Justaria said grinning. She took out her knife showing who she was. Mevolent had a small smile.
"So you escaped from your mind? About time." Justaria just bowed her head
"Zafira has learned to control me. I couldn't come out until she was relaxed. Least she has Javier. But I'm out until she gains control." She smiled. Mevolent studied her closely. He had an idea what to do with her while he had her. She was so strong. 
"Go into Dublin. There's an American agent from Kerias's Sanctuary. Kill him but wear the cloak you wore. I don't want Zafira in trouble or you won't ever be out. Go." He demanded and Justaria bowes and left. Knowing her she'd be back in an hour or so. True names were funny like that.

The evening came, it rained. Justaria came back and lowered her hood. She looked like she was soaked
"It is done." She said. Mevolent nodded dismissing her and he turned to go to bed. Suddenly the shadows formed in front of him. Justaria smiled and lunged. Mevolent used te air and pushed her into the wall.
"Attacking your master?" He snarled. Justaria stood smiling,
"I have no masters. I am a Grand Mage." Zafira had regained control and sent shadows right into Mevolent. He staggered and grabbed her. He kept her against the wall with the air and took out the god-killer and put it to her neck
"Now surrender and I let you live." He said. He moved the sword enough it wouldn't cut her when she spoke
"Fine." And Zafira was let free and shadows cut across Mevolent's sword hand. He dropped the god-killer and then the damned Necromancer shadow-walked. Typical of her. 
"Cowardly Necromancer." He sighed and went again to go to bed. He'd deal with the cuts in the morning, if he was alive.

Ian Heartbreak/ Alistair Cruciatus: Bioengineering

"Simple," Ian said coldly. "Release her." He gestured to the Dalek and glared. "You know, I used to think you were a great person but now you have taken over this body, I have no harm doing this." He threw his fist into Alistair's nose. He looked back to the Dalek and knew that a fight was about to break. Why not get in some broken bones while I'm at it? He asked himself and began to speak to Aretha. "Don't worry. We'll get you out and Death will, hopefully, be here soon." He turned his back to the Dalek in a defensive pose. "Don't mess with me, I'm too epic for you any day."

Alistair shrugged as his nose snapped back into place. "If you really think you could get her out, why not do it now? That shell is made of an entirely new element, and even besides that her mind is as impenetrable as that armor. It's just a matter of time before the fear becomes too much and she shuts her feelings down- then it's over. So what do you think? Am I clever, or am I cruel- or am I both? Either way, you have to appreciate what I've done here. I engineered an entirely new species- just to make her suffer! As for you, I gave you your life back," He vanished and reappeared behind Ian to finish, "And I can take it away just as easily." He tapped Ian's shoulder lightly- as though he meant for nothing more than to gain his attention, and immediately Ian's right hand began to shrivel and decay until it looked just as old as the body Niccolo had restored.

Ian swore loudly. "I'll admit your a freakin' idiot, annoyance and you should have left me in the ground." In Ian's mind, a picture of Silver flashed and he rethought his previous statement. "It would have been smarter to keep me in the ground. And Aretha, Hell, even if I've only known her for a short time, she won't give up. Death has always hung around strong people and if Ari is one of hey best friends, she must be pretty strong." He hid his hand from his view. It was quite disgusting seeing something decayed like that on his body. "You know what? Have you ever gone into Death's mind when she's angry? When she comes after you, she's not going to think. She's not going to feel. All she will be is rage." Yeah, Alistair was definitely all talk and shrivel-ness... "She ran off a while ago to kill Kerias and her head was blank." He smiled slight and turned to freaky sorcerer behind him.


"So you're telling me pure rage is going to track me down and tear me apart? Oh dear me." Alistair said mockingly. He paused for a bit, thinking, and was being completely serious when he continued, "All she will be is rage... She must be gorgeous when she's like that... Well, I can genuinely say I can't wait to properly meet her. Though I do have to ask- haven't you just met her for the first time? How could you know her so well? I mean, to go so far as to identify the people she spends time with? Either your souls are tied somehow, or you've been doing some serious prying into her mind. That's rather impolite, you know. The good guys aren't supposed to do those kinds of things. And in regards to Kerias- I really ought to pay her a visit. If there's anything left of her, that is. And while we're on the subject, it would be technically incorrect to say 'she's not going to feel' if she's angry, because rage is an emotion. And quite a lovely one, at that."

"Will you shut up now," the Dalek droned, just behind Alistair, "We understand that you are insane. There is no need to ramble on about it."

"You are not even supposed to have emotions- plus, you're a lot more fun when you're screaming. But you're not going along with either of those things right now, so sleep," Alistair commanded, rounding on the Dalek. He brushed a finger over the hard shell and it screamed abruptly before suddenly falling silent. "Now," he continued, turning back to face Ian, "What to do with you? The possibilities are endless, so pick your poison. I can do just about anything."

"Don't you dare call my apparent fiancĂ© gorgeous." Ian growled. "And I have known her since I was a child; she saved my life from Serpine. I have seen her go through freaky stages of rage and the freakier one of being ecstatic for a decade or so, I know her and I don't think that she's changed. People like her, like Serpine, like Baron, they don't change. And I peeked into her mind as she ran to the castle." He gritted his teeth as Aretha started screaming then fell silent. "You might just think you're all high and mighty but really, you're just a sadistic man using his resources." He looked towards the door. Where are you? He thought angrily, picturing Death running through the door and then doing some epic punching. Someone was going to see this soon so Ian walked to the door and closed it quietly. "How about you decide to let her go? You can do that right? Of course you can. Free Aretha."

"Well, of course I could, but why on Earth would I want to? In fact, maybe that's what I'll do- Doctor Who has some interesting monsters, and thanks to Aretha, I know all of them. This one Dalek alone- once it's made a full conversion, of course- could probably wipe out the human race. No one has weapons advanced enough to kill it. It'd be sort of hilarious, too, watching all the people who practically live for the show have their 'everything is real!' moment, and then the change in their faces when they realize they're about to die. The excitement fades from their eyes, and you can see such strong fear. It's not worth killing someone who wants to die, because they just don't have the same eyes. That fear, that hopeless desperation, comes from a strong instinctual will to live. I do not claim to be some higher power. I freely admit that I am no more than a sadistic human with resources. 

"That's what really makes me who I am, you know. The fact that I'm just human. See, there's this part of all of us- some of us fight it much more than others, but it's always there- that just wants to see suffering. To stand and watch as the light fades from human eyes, and to know you were the one with the power to do it. You know it's there, even if you don't acknowledge it. The only thing that makes me different is the fact that I don't fight those instincts. I let them thrive. I follow every impulse I have. After doing that for a year or so, anyone will notice that they just keep getting darker and darker. I've lived for several hundred years now, pitiful existence though most of it was, and in addition to my own- which were quite extensive to begin with- I have the resources of many others at my disposal. Your friend's, too. Thank him for me, will you?"

Alistair let out a long sigh. "Well, that's it- lecture over. Shall I kill you, or turn you into something new, or just let you go?" His eyes darted towards the tiny window for a moment, then back at Ian. "Here's a little something for you. You can do whatever you want with the thing," he said, gesturing towards the Dalek behind him, "And I'll just take this for now." In the midst of his sentence he teleported across the room again to Aretha's limp body, laid a hand on her shoulder, and then both of them disappeared. Outside the little hotel pristine black cars gathered like moths drawn to a light. Naturally, it would suit Alistair greatly to have the press find out about the little Dalek, start a national hype or whatever it is they do, and maybe even hold Ian accountable. Meanwhile, Aretha's mind would be impenetrable, and he would be free to engineer more monsters.

Ian yelled a swear and ran down through the lobby and out the door. He looked at the cars that glinted in the sunlight and dipped into the drivers' minds. You are at the wrong address. You have to leave. You are leaving and forgetting this place. He did that to all the drivers and felt a familiar headache start to riot in his skull. He spun, ignoring the pain, and looked for Alistair. If I was a stupid, sadistic, evil thing with a Dalek, where would I be? Mind me, I would want to destroy the world... He growled as he couldn't come up with any place. "Come on!" He yelled in frustration, throwing his interlocked hands around the back of his neck and spinning around. "Where the Hell are you?!"

"They'll come back, you know," Said a girl with long, wavy dirty-blonde hair as she stepped out of the shadows of the alley nearest Ian. "The cars, I mean. They were sent by the world's most skilled detective. No one's ever seen him before, but even if you could somehow wipe his memory, he'd just figure everything out again. Next time he'll send more than just black cars.Then again, that won't become a problem for at least another 24 hours..." She trailed off, gray eyes staring into nothing for a long moment, before seeming to remember that Ian was still there. "Anyway, back to my purpose in coming here- I need to warn you. About Alistair. I guess you could say I'm calling his bluff, in a way."

Ian's head cocked to the side and he turned to the girl. He blinked his sapphire eyes at him and raised an eyebrow. "And why should I trust you? Last time I heard, alley rats were bad and untrustworthy." He took a step towards her and nodded at her. "Whatever. Why are you telling me this? What's your name anyway? How do you know about him and what on Earth is this bluff?" He looked behind him, suspicious of what the girl meant. Okay... What have you gotten yourself into? He asked himself and bit his lip.

Ian Heartbreak/ Alistair Cruciatus: The Dalek

Ian looked at Death as she sprinted away. Ouch. He looked back at Silver, a warlock with magical powers. She was a teleporter. “Think you can take me back to America? Where we met?” He was going to go tell Aretha and Niccolo, maybe they knew what she was up to.

Silver took Ian’s hand and they teleported. They smiled at each other and Silver stepped away. “I’ll, uh, catch you later?” It was a question rather than a statement.

Ian nodded. “Yes, I’m sure we will meet again.” She teleported away and he turned his back and saw two plain clothed Cleavers, moving the dead bodies of the old couple into a small van. He smiled grimly at them and walked back to the hotel.

He passed mortals, blissfully unaware of the danger they were in with Mevolent around. He wished that he could tell them all, warn them to hide and protect themselves. He wished that he could help them in any way he could. But he couldn’t. He was a sorcerer. There was limits to what he thought was power.

Ian smiled at the Hotel loomed up at him, stone bricks painting the sunny side of the building in a strange red light. He looked at the doors and walked in, hearing his footsteps clack on the stone floor and heard it change to a tap tap tap as Ian found himself in the bright lobby.

He smiled at the blonde receptionist who blushed and shuffled the papers on her desk nervously. He ducked into her head for a moment and heard something very familiar to him. Oh my, did he…? Did he just smile at me?! Mental faint! Oh, he is… Work… Remember work. Imagine if he wanted room service! SQUEE!

Ian smirked and winked at her. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Hey cutie.” He said and it looked like the receptionist was about to faint. He laughed quietly and began to walk back to the room where he had been teleported into.

He looked at the door and knocked twice. There was no answer or movement from inside. “Hello? It’s Ian, Ian Heartbreak.” He waited for a minute before twisting the brass door knob. It was locked – were they gone? – and he raised an eyebrow. Had they left to go to the hospital? Sorcerers didn’t tend to go to hospitals­­ unless they had to. They usually went to the Sanctuary to be fixed...

Alistair recognized Ian the moment he appeared in New York again. He could feel the energy signals of virtually anyone, and after performing such a trying and complicated resurrection, he didn't think he could filter Ian out of his system if he wanted to. And if Ian died, that would be even worse, because he knew he would feel the soul floundering about in some other plane for a week, at least, and that kind of irritation just wasn't worth it. So when Ian showed up outside the door, he decided to make the best of the situation, and spice things up a bit. 

In about half a second Alistair had rendered himself invisible to the human eye, and although he knew Ian could still find him easily with just a bit of concentration, he cloaked his mind enough to keep from alerting Ian immediately, and he was certain he wouldn't need much more than that to make the impression he wanted to make. And in another mere half a second, he woke Aretha.

I woke in the dark again, and my immediate emotion was simple exhaustion- I just wanted it to be over. But I held on to it and amplified it until it hurt. Keep feeling, always keep feeling, that's the way to survive. I waited for the growling that had become a normality for me, but for some reason, it didn't come. I waited, and then waited some more, and was about ready to get up and resume my search for a means of escape when I heard a sound much worse than growling. Alastair must have a real taste for sci-fi, I thought to myself as my absolute worst fear approached me- the Vashta Nerada, a monster from the tv show Doctor Who. It was basically a personification of darkness, which had always terrified me. The only fate I could think of worse than death by Vashta Nerada was the first death of Oswin Oswald. I realized that I was only telling myself Doctor Who things that I already knew as a distraction, and then I realized that the Vashta Nerada was only about three feet away from me and I was surrounded by complete darkness, and then I screamed more desperately than I ever had before.

Suddenly Ian found he could hear something coming from the other side of the door- if he didn't know any better, he would say it sounded like a Dalek screaming. It had exactly the right metallic quality, and it certainly sounded like a cry for help, no matter what it was. Of course it couldn't be an actual Dalek because those weren't real- they were just villainous creatures from the tv show Doctor Who, but it sounded so similar that one had to wonder. And Alistair grinned broadly, because Ian would wonder, and  he knew the old saying- curiosity killed the cat. And it does, every time.

Ian launched himself into the door and rolled back up as he burst through. "Okay, Niccolo? Areth-" he began to call out and then stopped and took a step back. Is that a Dalek...? In this room...? In here...? Next thing he noticed was Aretha lying on the floor. "Shot!" He cried and raced over to her. He looked around quickly for Niccolo and cursed as he couldn't see him. "Okay, don't slap me for this," he begged quietly and dipped into her mind. 

There was nothing. Not even her subconscious was functioning. He ratted around for a second and found himself all alone. Hello? Hello?! Aretha Tesla. Are you here?

He jumped out of her head and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as if someone was watching him. "Who's there?" He turned around and found the room empty. He nodded to himself and took his grey blazer off, folded it and slid it under her head.Pulse. He put two fingers against her neck  and nodded. Okay. Ian put her into the recovery position. Then stood up and walked to the small bathroom to wash his face.

I could hardly make myself believe it, but I was certain I heard a noise outside the box. Like someone kicking a door in, but so, so far away. The moment I recognized the existence of an outside sound, all the nightmares vanished like smoke. Then another sound came- just as distant, but familiar. Ian's voice. "Hello?" I called out quietly, not daring to believe my ears just yet, "Ian, is that you?"

The Dalek stopped its screaming abruptly, and after a moment, actually began to speak. "Hello?" It said, very slowly, "Ian, is that you?" 

Ian walked out of the bathroom with a towel in his hand and looked at the now not-screaming Dalek. "Yes strange Doctor Who thing. Is that Clara? Or Aretha?" He smiled slightly at his joke. "Aretha, you should have told us you were in a Doctor Who episode! Death with be thrilled." He was only making jokes because he had no clue what was going on. "Okay, so, yes. It is Ian. What are you doing in there? Having fun? Oh Ari, you should know better than that. You don't suddenly jump into Daleks because one appears in your room.... Tsk, tsk." He spun quickly. He was certain there was something behind him. "Gimme a sec, actually..."

Ian searched the room, telepathically of course and found something. It was something hidden. Something that didn't want to be found. "Uh, who be there?" He said in his best pirate voice but it was too quaky to sound like Capt'n Jack Sparrow.

I couldn't believe it- I wouldn't let myself believe it. The possibility that someone had actually found me was just too good to be real! But on the other hand, emotions were keeping me alive, so if I did believe it... "Ian!" I exclaimed, "It's me! Aretha! I've been stuck in this box for so long- it's so, so dark, and cold, and I can't figure out how to escape- just let me out. Please, just get me out of here." I wasn't feeling so estatic by the end of my plea. In fact, I felt rather like crying. Really, there were just too many emotions for me to identify each one- I just wanted to curl up somewhere and cry. Preferably somewhere with light and fresh air. I had never really been claustraphobic, but after this, I had a feeling that might change. But my comfort was that no matter what had happened in the past, I was getting out now.
 
"Ian it's me," the Dalek responded slowly, its mechanical voice completely void of emotion, "Aretha. I have been stuck in this box for so long... It is so, so dark, and cold, and I can't figure out how to escape- just let me out. Please, just let me out." Ian had recognized Alistair's presence by then, but the moment was just too good- he would show himself for the aftermath. In the meantime, Aretha could figure out what he had done to her slowly and painfully, with the help of Ian, of course. And then she'll realize one of the meanings of Alistair's promise to her- you are never, ever getting out of this box.

"Aretha," Ian began and nodded slowly. "Have you watched  Doctor Who before?" He looked at the Dalek, unsure how this was working, and lifted it up. It was solid on the bottom. "I'm not trying to sound rude, but how on Earth did you fit in there?" He started to circle the mechanical alien/robot. He stopped and looked up. "Who's there? Show yourself you coward. Do you think that I can take you? Are you scared that I can kick your butt from here to next Tuesday?" He laughed. "Come on. I'm not talking to you Ari, not yet." He started to tap his foot against the metallic shell. Tink, tink, tink.

"Of course- Doctor Who is one of the only shows I watch," I said, "But why would you..." I trailed off when he started talking again, but quite obviously to someone who wasn't me- and then it hit me. Alistair. There's no way he would just leave me alone in here- especially when he was so insistent that I never leave. And then suddenly I felt as though in the midst of a small earthquake- the entire box vibrated violently, and despite my good balance and the fact that I was leaning against the wall, I ended up on the ground. I let out a light involuntary shriek as I fell, but quickly picked myself up again. I was certain I knew who had done that."Alistair! His name is Alistair Cruciatus- he's the one who took over Niccolo's body! Ian, I'm so sorry, I think this is a trap. You should run- I can find my own way out of the box. Just go. Now. You can't beat him." I warned, a foreboding tone in my voice. I could almost feel myself sinking back into the darkness; back into fear and despair. But I'd be ok. What mattered was Ian and Death- Ian had to stay alive and free, for her sake.

"Of course. Doctor Who is one of the only shows I watch," the Dalek droned on, "But why would you." The mechanical voice of the Dalek broke off suddenly, like it had simply forgotten or refused to complete the sentence. "Alistair. His name is Alistair Cruciatus. He is the one who took over Niccolo's body. Ian, I am so sorry, I think this is a trap. You should run. I can find my own way out of this box. Just go. Now. You cannot beat him."

Alistair took what he saw as the perfect opportunity to make his entrance. His laugh started softly, so quiet it was barely audible, and built up, directly behind Ian's left ear. When Ian turned around, Niccolo Croatoan stared right back at him with cold, gleeful eyes. "At your service, my liege," he said, and bowed mockingly, "I've already brought you back to life, so what can I do for you today?"

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Zafira Kerias: The Years Before Part 2

STILL IN PAST
Zafira shadow walked behind Saracen. He took hold of her so she didnt fall.
"Vile. Veeery up close I kinda freaked." She panted. Saracen nodded and Vex was behind them
"Enough talking. Vile is attacking." Vex snapped. Saracen smirked and ran off with Zafira following. She readied the shadows and joined Saracen and a few others attacking Vile. They all hoped someone got a lucky shot. She felt Saracen move to stand next to her,
"Zafira if we survive this will you come with me tonight?" He asked. Slightly confused Zafira sent daggers of shadows at Vile and replied, "Sure." With that being said there was a volley of shadows. Zafira used her own shadows to deflect as many as she could from as many of her side as possible. Finally seeing it was pointless they retreated and Saracen took Zafira's hand and they left. They went to where Saracen had found a cabin.

The following morning Zafira was told she had to give Bisahalani a report. 
"Right. This'll be fun." She wrote it up and sent a teleporter with the letter. She walked around trying to stay calm. Just then she felt a knife slice her arm. 
"Baron." She groaned and sent shadows after him. She yelped as he picked her up easily and held her against a tree. Zafira couldn't move and she didn't like it. 
"Okay really put me down!" She screeched. She tried and broke her leg free and rammed him. The Baron let go and she shadow-walked to Saracen. He looked shocked to see her materialize out of shadows.
"Baron. Out there. I kicked him and he looked in pain but eh we got to get out." She told him and shadow-walked with Saracen. On the whole he looked petrified. Zafira smirked. She found everyone else and told them. 
"Well." Vex said " Maybe you and Saracen going to that cabin was a good thing. Means we know where the Baron is lurking. Maybe not all Necromancers are useless." And Zafira glared at him. 
"The next mage Mevolent or Resistance that disses Necromancers is going to pay dearly." She growled and Saracen took the chance to take her elsewhere. 
"Look Zaf before you kill anyone don't forget you are a Necromancer. In America it's obvious most mages treat you with a bit more respect and don't judge you. Others here....not many like Necromancers. Grand Mage Bisahalani must really like you because most mages despise Necromancers. You just are nothing like them." Saracen explained. Zafira sighed and kicked a pebble,
"What did I ever do? I just come to help!" She looked upset. Saracen hugged her
"They'll get used to it, Zaf. I promise." He led her back to the group and they waited for what lay ahead.

PRESENT

Zafira smiled at the memory. Saracen Rue had been nice to her and she remembered dating him briefly. She almost wanted to move to Ireland but her duty called her home to the States. She never regretted it. Javier wrapped his arms around her as Alexis played. He wanted Alexis to have a sibling but with everyone wanting to kill Alexis she would not agree. Alexis crawled over to her parents and Javier picked her up. She fell asleep holding a teddy bear. Javier took her and put her in the crib letting the sigils activate themselves. At least if Alexis got out they won't hurt her. Javier came down and sat by Zafira.
"Oh come on you don't think Alexis would like a sibling?" He asked. Zafira shook her head
"Javier if every general and Mevolent didn't want her dead maybe." She told him. Javier ran his hands through her hair. 
"Please?" He asked. 
"Alright Javier." She finally agreed and he kissed her. 

Friday, June 21, 2013

B-J Maleficent: Garnet's Deathbed

((There is a picture of Wilbur at the bottom of this chapter to make details mentioned make sense.))

Mortis stood in the corner, sulking. Jayden was beside him, looking apologetic.
"What did you put on my knife, Jay?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"Garnet's dying! Doesn't that mean anything to you? Didn't it mean anything to you when he had cancer? Or maybe that's why they're failing to fix him...I don't even know any more...but Garnet's my best friend...my only friend."
"What about me?"
"You're my boyfriend. That's different."
"Ricky?"
"I never liked Ricky. And he's probably going to wake up with amnesia, the way you knocked him down!" The Necromancer turned his back on the Child of the Spider, who looked in turn like he was going to cry and just stared at his feet. They were in the Sanctuary medical bay. The lovely beds lined up with Erskine Ravel, who was definitely going to live and likely going to be able to walk again given time, Memphis Heatwave, wide awake and quite shocked upon hearing the latest developments, Garnet Dorado, awake but dying, Indishan Anonymous, condition unknown, Richard Sloth, recovering from a haematoma and Mist with the babies, still under observation. Jayden walked past Mort and went to his ginger friend's bedside. Garnet didn't meet his eyes. He had Wilbur in his hands still. Mortis was letting him hold on to it. His voice was a weak, creaking mewl when he spoke.
"If you're here to apologise, just get it over with..."
"I'm not here to apologise."
Garnet twiddled the knife with a very light sigh. He had the deepest voice of all the men in the murderer's quartet, but when he did that he sounded like a baby. "Jayden, go away. I don't want you wasting my air."
"Don't talk to me like that!" He looked over his shoulder, well aware Mortis was watching him. He didn't know what to say. He didn't like killing, and no matter how angry he pretended to be with his friend, he was still feeling guilty. He'd essentially killed Garnet. "You would have lost it over the exact same sort of thing. If I'd given a curse to, say, B-J, you'd have gone nuts."
He had no argument to that. Apart from maybe the fact he had known B-J longer than Jayden had known Mortis. He sniffled miserably and ran his fingers over the ridges on Wilbur's handle. He didn't speak and he still refused to meet Jay's eyes. When he thought about it, Jay didn't believe Garnet really was dying. He had lost a lot of blood and was audibly struggling to breathe, but if he wasn't killed on the spot, magic doctors could do a lot for you. Just look at Mortis and his unmatching liver. So as he stepped away, he was convinced Garnet would be fine in a week or less. Mortis glared at him coolly as he walked past him to sit with Garnet himself.
"How you faring?"
"You never notice how sharp something really is until it's plunged into your squishy underbelly..."
"You don't have a squishy underbelly. You're bony."
"Then it's a miracle it didn't go all the way through. That damn thing has a long blade."
"And if it had broken off in your stomach instead of being pulled out, you might not have lost so much blood."
"Bloody Jayden."
"He is in a lot of trouble."
"He only did it because he was freaking out over the idea of losing you. You know that, right?"
Mortis sighed and nodded. "But I've been spending so much time telling him the same thing over and over. Do not act impulsively under any circumstances!" He pinched the bridge of his nose and hung his head. "It was my own fault anyway. I made a schoolboy error. I touched something I knew to be cursed and..." He paused and looked up, his eyes meeting Garnet's. "If I hadn't, the same sucker would have gone into you. He took my free will completely, but you were the one who killed him. If he'd taken you over, you'd have been dead in seconds..."
"I'm stronger than you give me credit for. You said you tried fighting them off..."
"They were dead, I'm a Necromancer. That's why. Zebulon...how exactly did he die?"
"I locked him in the basement and tortured him to death. Remember the nasty smell in the kitchen every summer? He's probably still down there."
Mortis stared, face impassive. "Nice. So he would have done his best to make your death similar to his. he would leave you right before something hurt you...Probably piss off a few sailors down the docks, step out in front of cars, smoke, cut you, shock you, walk into things, all that jazz."
"Sounds like Zebulon."
"Did you even know him before you killed him?"
"I had a month and a half of torturing to get to know him."
"Riiight..." He grinned. "This is why we're friends!"
"I know, you utter nutball." He held his hand flat by his head, palm up, and Mortis slapped it in way of a high five.
"You should have been there when Valiant set fire to Ricky. It was hilarious."
"God, from what I've heard I wish I was there. He's my friend, but still."
Mortis laughed. "Did you see Jay push him against the car?"
"Your fat head was in the way."
"Well that's what you get for being short."
"Fathead."
"Gimme that knife, I have to make you die faster."
They both started laughing and Garnet put on a pleading face and hugged the knife to his chest carefully. "Wilbur makes a good teddy bear."
"He's been my teddy bear for years. He also tells good bedtime stories."
"He says he loves me more. Leave us now so we may elope and sleep." They laughed again and Mortis got up to leave, turning at the last minute with an evil look.
"Elope with my knife and you die." He blew Wilbur a kiss and walked away, letting Dorado sleep.

B-J squinted in the sunlight as she stepped from the car. Marshmallow drove off instantly and she just stood there, looking stupid. She walked through the streets, wondering where to find Garnet or anyone who might have seen him. She tried a grotty cafe opposite the Sanctuary but nobody there recalled ever having seen the redhead or his murderous friends. There was a bar where one Mage recalled a street brawl the day before. "There was an interesting group then." He stated with a shrug. "Lady with an eyepatch, two redheaded guys, bald black guy and 'nother one with long black hair. And another one in a long red coat. Made a right mess. Hit the Grand Mage with a car. He's alive though. Don't know about the others. I think they're all in the Sanctuary."
B-J thanked the man and hurried into the Sanctuary, not sure what to say when she reached Tipstaff. She just asked to speak to the Grand Mage, leaving her name and saying he would know her. Then she waited and got into a conversation with Anton for a brief moment. Finally she was let in and Mortis came to meet her. She glared death unto him and he just stood there looking miserable and barring her way. "Been a while, miss."
"Get out of the way."
"Are you here to see Garnet?"
She frowned a little more. "I could be here to see the Grand Mage."
"Yeah, you're here to see Garnet..." He crossed his arms and sighed, looking behind him to see if he was awake yet. "Bed five."
With a raised eyebrow, she made her way to where Garnet lay. He was even more childlike now. He had the opal at the end of Wilbur's handle in his mouth for one thing. "You look ridiculous, mate." B-J stated, sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked up at her and stayed silent. "Hello? Earth to Garnet! Surprised to see me? Your friend wasn't." She glanced distastefully at Mortis, who stuck his tongue out at her. She did the same, crossing her eyes. He flipped her off and walked over to Ricky, who appeared to be waking up. With a sigh, she turned back to Garnet, who was laughing silently. He finished with his ever so childlike light sigh and sat up, even though it obviously caused him pain, causing B-J to object. He did his best to hug her.
"I wasn't sure if you were coming back out of there." He admitted softly, although he didn't have much choice in the volume at which he spoke. He was still struggling to breathe.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm in hospital."
"I mean...never mind."
"'Kay."
She looked around the room, pushing him gently off her and back onto the bed. He began using Wilbur as a toy plane and she shook her head. "Will you ever grow up?"
"Too boring. I have other people to act grown up for me."
She looked at Mortis and raised an eyebrow. "Have they ever done a very good job?"
"Some of them." He went back to chewing on the knife handle.
"Don't do that, your friend kills people with that thing!"
"Mortis kills a lot of things with a lot of things. My favourite method is garrotte to the throat, personally."
"Oh my God, don't even talk about that."
"Tried to get Vex that way...the tall bastard..."
"Garnet!" He shut up and stared at her. "Oh my God...what happened to the 13-year-old I taught magic to?"
"He grew up and his sister tried to kill him." He thought for a moment. "Oh yes, and all his family died." He frowned, thinking some more. "I have a very nice family crest...it has dead eagles on it..."
"Gross! I thought you hated dead animals."
"I hate skinned animals and eating animals. Dead eagles I like. Eagles are nasty."
"They are not!"
"I got attacked by eagles once..."
"Sometimes I want to hit you so hard!"
"With a mallet."
"Not a bad idea, actually."
"Sometimes I look at you and think 'she would kill me if I kissed her right now'...would that be accurate? It was usually when you were pissed with me as well, so..."
She frowned. "What?" He decided to sit up to demonstrate. "Lie back down, Garnet!"
He shook his head, held her shoulder with a surprisingly strong grip and tried to kiss her on the lips, but she pushed him down and away so hard he was left gasping for air. "Don't do that!" She exclaimed, flailing a little in disgust. He pulled a miserably disappointed face. "I don't want...you...near my face!"
"I must be a terrible judge of character...I thought you liked me back like that..."
"Well I don't. Not any more."
His eyebrows shot up. "You used to?"
"Up until you killed Vex, I'd say." Up until you ran off when we killed that little girl, actually. You came back and told me to get a life, that you had come back to protect Twist's children, not me. You didn't like me then, you were furious, you illiterate, idiotic brat.
He gave the light sigh again. It was just audible underneath the wheeze. "I almost certainly won't have the time to find a girl I like more than you..." He broke off with a cough and a desperate gasp for air.
"Garnet? Gar?!" He stopped breathing with an exhale similar to his light (and rather wheezy) sighs. There were more pairs of eyes on them than just Mort's now. "Please don't go! Wake up!" She slammed a fist on his chest. "I lied! I still care! Even if I don't like you like that, you're my best friend! You always have been! Please don't die!" She went to resuscitate him.
"He's DNR." Ricky admitted quietly. "He has been since he got diagnosed with the tumour. You can't do that, Miss."
"I can't just let him die! I have to do something!"
Mortis nodded. "Isn't that just for death related to the tumour?"
Ricky shook his head. "You of all people should know this, Mortis. He signed something that said if he arrested under any circumstances he was not to be brought back or-" He choked on his words and shook his head. "You can't. His orders. Crumpled piece of paper in that ugly yellow jacket of his. Made sure the staff here got it. They can prove it to you."
And they did. B-J was forced to step back as Garnet slipped away. Truthfully, she had a bit of a thing for him on and off between her crushes on Grand Mage Ravel and Elder Vrestreni, but she doubted her feelings were ever as full-blown as his for her, which, amazingly, made her feel so much worse. Apart from that little bit of moustache cultivating on his upper lip like a parasite that had never quite managed to grow into anything proper and was doomed to remain slightly fluffy stubble forever, he had been quite attractive.

((And so ends the legacy of Dylan O'Leary, otherwise known as Garnet Dorado. I knew thee well. You childish, murderous git. And below this is Wilbur. I don't care what's actually at the end of the handle, on Wilbur it's an opal.))


Thursday, June 20, 2013

Justis and Morose: Well, This Stinks

The man known as Justis has a stupid grin on his face when the Grand Mage came in to speak with him. He used to be the Sanctuary's best detective, after all. Morose, Darren and Monotone were in separate cells. Darren seemed to be Irish. "I know what your name means, Justis. I must say, you've done a poor job of sticking to it."
He nodded, then checked himself and shrugged, forcing the smile off his face. "Things have changed since I took a name. Have things changed for you since you took yours?"
"I still have the passion that made me say storm, Justis."
The convict sniggered. "Passion, eh?"
"You know that's not what I meant. So what were you and your three little friends doing sneaking into my house at night?"
Another shrug. "There were five of us originally. Consequence is such a coward, running off like that when he's not even in the danger zone, really." He began smiling again.
"You're a strange man."
"At least I'm not small, like you."
"You're going into a gaol cell, Justis."
"Aw, but they smell."
"All the better."
"Morose was the ringleader."
"We just want to know a little something about why exactly you wanted me."
"What makes you think we wanted you?"
"You broke into my house and your friends asked you to kill somebody."
"I'm good at killing." he was grinning again. He looked very proud of himself, actually. "It's not a good talent to have, I admit, but it's there. I've never been caught before, actually. I was fired from working here on sexual harassment charges."
"Well, you've been caught now."
"Actually, can I not go to a gaol cell? Can just Morose go?"
Jasmin narrowed his eyes. "Uh...you just told me you're an accomplished killer. Justis, you are going to a gaol cell and nothing can stop that."

"What if I make a deal?" Morose asked Montaneux. Morose was quite a panicky young lad, looked to be in his teens with glasses and braces. In fact, upon questioning him in his mediocre way, Ashley had indeed found that Morose was not yet 18 and certainly hadn't reached the surge yet. "I can't go to prison. Please don't make me go to prison!"
"Jonathan," Ashley began, sitting back with a sigh, "We can't just make special exceptions. Besides, if you know what you did was wrong and you still spoke as confidently as you did to whosoever was on the other end of that call of yours..."
"Please! I'm like, their scapegoat or something!" He began to cry. "They're all going to say I was the ringleader, but I wasn't. Monotone was. I swear! Please! I was roped in, I'm so sorry! I was told all sorts of stuff about exams and training and, and..."
"Calm down Jonathan." He sighed. "Listen, we want to know exactly what your boss wanted with our boss, okay?"
Morose nodded. "Okay. I'll tell you everything."

Ame grinned at Monotone, who grinned back. "Clever." He commented. "How many Sanctuaries do you even plan to hit?"
"I don't know." She responded. "Morose does."
"I see. God, what would be the body count for that?"
"Six, seven thousand?"
"Wow,"
"You know, for a Sanctuary Elder, you sure do like death."
"Previous career involvement. You're fascinating, Adrienne."
"Am I really, Lionel?"
Lionel nodded, grin widening. You know that little obsessive thing fangirls do where they see someone and think 'marry me' or 'they're mine' or something of the sort? That was what Lionel was thinking right there and then. Adrienne Monotone was just perfect for him. Plus, to him at least, she was beautiful.

Detective Boden was with Darren. He wasn't getting very far. Darren was pretending he couldn't understand a word Boden was saying. He kept making comments about his 'silly accent' and then mocking it. Ouragan Boden sighed and rested his forehead on his desk. "If this carries on, I'm going to stick you in a cell so deep you'll never see the sun again." He said slowly. Darren Lock tilted his head to the side.
"Huh?"

-----

Remember good old Mihai Viscol? Yulianna crept up behind him as he spoke in a hushed voice to Santa Claus. She crept closer and held a knife to his throat and he gave a bored look to Santa.
"Your attempts on my life become sloppier each day. You need fresh ways of taking Romania, Yulianna."
"I have fresh ways." That was when he heard the commotion outside. If he moved, he was dead. Santa, however, could go to the door and see the true extent of the chaos and carnage outside.
"Oh my God..."
"What is it?"
"Oh my God!"
"What are you 'oh my god'-ing about?"
"The vampires, the massive army, trolls or Serpine?"
"...Ah..."
Yulianna grinned. "Does that make your blood run cold, Grand Mage? Or should I say colder than it already is. Your Elders were part of this. I tried to warn you."
"Take your blade from my throat and maybe I will reward you."
"You don't understand, Grand Mage. It's too late. We're all going to die and if I don't appear to be on their side, I die too. Right here, right now."
Mihai would have shaken his head if there wasn't a blade there. "You'll die either way." He reached behind him and the blade dug deeper into his throat. He gave a small gag and his ever so dark eyes widened in fear. "You wouldn't dare..."
"I am a ruthless person, Mihai. I thought you knew that by now. I have made many attempts on your life before."
"Well, I have a rolling pin." Santa stated jovially from behind her before hitting her over the head. She fell and the Grand Mage coughed a little as the blade dragged across his throat. "Are you okay, Mihai?"
"It cut me, Santa..."
The Scandinavian teleporter pulled the strange man off his seat and to the door. They both jumped when there was a knock. "Mihai?" Haos called, sounding a little bit terrified. "Please! Let me in!" Her voice rose and became hysterical. "Lumina's a traitor and I don't know what to do, but the corridor's empty right now! Let me in! Please!"
Yulianna groaned from the floor as the curse in her bracelet took effect. "They're both traitors..."
"And you're untrustworthy and have just made an attempt on the Grand Mage's life." Santa reminded her. He then turned back to Mihai. "What are we doing?"
The Grand Mage hesitated. "We let her in and we shackle her. Put shackles around Polina's ankles too, providing the curse doesn't kill her." Santa looked shocked by the idea of shackling an elder. "Polina's right. We cannot trust anyone. Not in these dire times." Haos was shrieking to be let in again. "Shackles please, Mr Claus. Prepare yourself." He opened the door and pulled Haos in. The hall was filling again with all sorts of things that worked for Mevolent. Haos gave an indignant cry as Santa shackled her.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"Extra security, Valoros. No need to be offended. I fear. It is what I do."
"Mihai!"
"I am sorry." He lifted Polina over his shoulder and linked arms with Santa. "Go."
"Where?"
"I don't know. Scandinavia."
"Mihai, there is a reason I came here..."
"Anywhere that isn't full of vampires and deadly things!"

In a panic, he found himself in what used to be Polina/Yulianna's room. It was still covered in a sheen of ice from their last visit and all the lights were off. It was like one of those scenes from a horror/fairy tale film. "Wow." Mihai breathed.

-----

When Boden left him, Darren smirked and kicked his shoe off. A rather odd and silly place to hide a phone, but it had been Darren's place for a long time. The reason he appeared to walk with a perpetual limp. Besides, it was a strong, fat, clunky phone. He lifted it to his ear and grinned, speaking in Norwegian. "Chunk Cider to Glitter Ninja."
"Quit calling me that." Came the snappy reply.
"You have your vantage point?"
"Uh, duh. The Grand Mage lives here. I think I have more than a vantage point."
"Then go?"
"Darren, sometimes I really want to kill you."
"Maybe later."
She hung up on him and went upstairs, reaching into her handbag. It was very late, or early depending on how you want to view it, and Axel had decided he would rather sleep than attempt to catch up on his workload. He was undressing as she walked in and his face lit up. "You're up late." he commented joyfully. She threw something from the handbag at his face. He winced then laughed. "Did you just throw glitter at me?"
She smiled along, the smile growing as what Axel had thought was glitter began to burn him.

-----

Austin reluctantly knocked on the door, plastering a sheepish grin over his face when Helper opened the door, glaring through a pair of black eyes. "Hi, Box..."

The living room was full of friends and foes alike, all sporting similar injuries. Daemon walked over for a hug and nodded to Cadence, who nodded back.

Awesome sighed as Austin took his place beside him. "Things escalated, I see." The Necromancer pointed out in a quiet voice. "You get involved?"
"I did."
"Verdict?"
"Box's taking the Necromancer girl's side."
"Cleric Noon has never been one for rational thinking. Box would be making a mistake, and I'm not just saying that because she wants to use me as a sacrifice. Cleric Repine can be impulsive but thinks things through properly and more rationally. Plus Daemon's not going to let it happen, nor is Cadence when she finds out."
"Sierra supports Noon, Robyn opposes."
"Good for her."
"You're in a bad mood."
"You think?"
"Don't be like that. Remember when we were best friends?"
"No."
The vampire shifted in his seat. "What happened to you?"
"Belinda died."
"Ah." He hesitated, trying to think of other friends of Austin, trying to think of one that might still be alive. "I have a sister."
Austin frowned. "Arachne."
"Arachne." Awesome confirmed.
"Our sisters are really weird. Mine, yours and Gale's that is."
The bone breaker nodded and sighed. "Who's the redhead?"
"Niamh. Gale's sister."
Awesome's frown deepened. "Crystalline?"
The Necromancer Cleric looked up, glaring. "What?"
"I have a plan. If it's okay with Box I have to call some friends over. All my friends."
Austin arched an eyebrow. "All?"
"Aleron, Amandine, Artemis, Luna and Katherine. I have a job for all of them, plus it achieves the same without killing you."
"...Yay..."

-----

B-J looked up when the lock clicked. Twist nudged the door open and smiled, gesturing for her to come to the door. Her emerald eyes widened as she hurried over. "Advantageous!" He put a finger to his lips, pleading her to be quiet before handing her what appeared to be Sense Warden robes. There was a muffled noise behind the short man and the door that he kept mostly shut. Once she was draped in and hidden by the robes, she stepped out and had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing too loud. Erin Hades Motionless was behind Twist, duct tape wrapped in layers around his head at jaw level in a desperate attempt to silence him. He was still talking through, his hazel eyes flickering about in a panicky way.
Twist gave a quiet sigh and locked the door again before gesturing for the two of them to follow him. The amount of times he had been here, he was pretty sure he knew the entire mapping of the place by heart. Arduous Marshmallow was waiting outside by his car, scowling. "You know," he started as they approached, "I think it's best I stop doing favours for people. The only reason I'm helping you, Twist, is because that ginger bloke practically begged me to help this Maleficent woman should we find her..."
B-J frowned. "Ginger bloke...?"
"That weird tunneller with the ugly shoes. He seems quite attached to you. Went to Roarhaven when we got him free. Not sure where he went after, but Roarhaven would be a good bet if you wanna see him."
B-J laughed a little. "His name was Garnet and he's not attached to me. He thinks I'm bad luck." She hesitated for a moment. "He's an old friend of mine, though. I got him into magic in the first place. In a way it could be seen as my fault he ended up in a cell, I guess..."
Arduous rolled his eyes and started the car. "Get in and I'll take you to Roarhaven."

-----

Perseus was still with Faine when Arachne arrived. Her hands clenched as she approached the man. He was sat on her bed, talking to the little girl quietly.
"Hi mummy!" Faine cooed, waving with an adorable little grin on her face.
Perseus shifted away from the child, looking at his feet.
"This is Perseus and he used to look after me. He's nice. I like him. Can he stay with us? Can he babysit?"
"Maybe. But now he has to go back to his room." She took him by an arm and the back of the neck and heaved him to his feet.
"I'll come quietly if you let go of my neck." He muttered. Reluctantly, Arachne complied.

Charles was in the corner, curled over, chin on his chest, eyes closed, hands clasped together on his knee. River was pacing in front of him, talking about how this new information made no sense to her. Perseus walked in with his head held high, arms crossed as tight over his chest as he could cross them without hurting himself for warmth. He completely ignored River and snuggled down next to Charles, who cracked open an eye and failed to make out the form of the person beside him.
"It's Percy." The Cuban Mage offered helpfully.
The small Frenchman closed the eye again and slipped his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders, ignoring Perseus' hiss of pain.
"Charles?"
"Mmm?"
"What's with her?"
"She's having a mental breakdown."
"Oh...why?"
"Because."
He hesitated. "Have you been crying?"
"My everything hurts..."
He hesitated before hugging Charles back, who gave a cry of pain as a response before biting down hard on his bottom lip to stop himself doing it again. "Sorry."
"It's okay." Charles gasped before another tear spilled through. "I'm never playing brave and fearless again. I made an idiot of myself and now they know where my Grand Mage lives..."
"You've never been tortured before coming here, have you?"
He shook his head sadly.
"You get used to it."
His eyes snapped open and he gave Perseus a look. "Seriously?"
"It takes a really long time, but I can sleep through it now."
"You're weird."
"And you're French. Oh well."
"Heeeey!"
With a grin, he tightened the hug. "No offence."

((...What just happened?))

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Zebulon Regicide(And Felicity Insouciant): Vengeance

The car hit Ravel in the side. He just ran out in front of them as they screeched to a halt, Ursa letting out a yell of shock. He turned to Millie. "He dead?"
She shook her head. "Not yet. He might be dying."
Garnet got out of the car. "Oh God, Ursa! That's the bloody Grand Mage! How fast did you hit him?"
"I have no idea. I think he should have a doctor, Gar."
Garnet crouched beside the fallen form, but tended to the crying baby first. Ruby was perfectly fine. The Grand Mage was still alive. The redhead stood with the baby in his arms, turned, and narrowly avoided being stabbed by Mortis. Instead, he turned his back on his friend to protect the infant and got his arm sliced.
"Mortis! What the hell are you doing?!"
"You! You little brat! You monster! You freak! You deserve to die!"
"What the hell are you-" he cut off as he tripped over the body of the Grand Mage. Erskine let out a grunt as the redhead's feet and bottom crashed into him. Mortis grabbed him by his Nirvana shirt and drew their faces close together.
"You're going to go the way of Legerdemain, begging for your worthless life..." Then he was hit in the head by Ursa's nunchucks. The Australian Mage went to help Garnet up. Millie got out of the car next.
"I assume I'm addressing Zebulon Regicide?"
Mortis glared at her. "What do you think?!"
Millie gave a polite smile. "Good evening, Zebulon. You're a Necromancer, right? I wonder what granted you a passage into this body, hmm?" She grabbed Garnet's hand and forced the burn mark that still hadn't faded into view. There was a faint ring of sigils, the exact same as those on Mortis' fingers. "I see..."
Ursa was keeping Mortis at bay. The elemental could still use his magic, but the Necromancer's knife was still in Garnet's jacket pocket. He wasn't wearing the jacket at the moment. Jayden slipped out of the car, slipping the athame blade from the pocket at the same time.
Garnet bit his lip. "It's my fault..." then he looked at Mortis. "That's Regicide?" He let out a dark laugh. "You talk about Legerdemain. You spoke of him when I killed you, Regicide." Any trace of a smile faded. "I warned you about speaking about him like that, didn't I? I could have made your death quick and painless. Richard didn't like it, keeping you holed down there. How long was it before you actually died? A week? A month?"
Regicide slammed his arm against Ursa's jaw and the Australian just keeled over. "Jaw of glass." He remarked as he approached. "You were a dark and very angry man, ginger."
"You don't even know my name."
He shook his head, or rather Mortis'. "Why bother learning? I hardly knew Legerdemain's, apart from that he was on a list. He owed me a lot of money. I didn't know he had a brother, but it wasn't like you were ever going to repay me. I didn't know why you were even after me that night. I understood Malcolm and," He stopped with a Muttley-esk laugh, "Phillipa. I knew them both better than I ever knew you. Oh, hello Malcolm..."
Jayden's hand tightened around the athame blade. "Dennis. You took everything from me..."
"You're disgusting, you know that?" He raises and lowered his arms as if to say 'that's life'. "Anyway, now I'm taking even more from you. I'm surprised you managed to find another...eh...lover...you know, Phil's sister was really hot. He didn't like me thinking that. He told me if I said it again he'd kill me. He hated Felicity though. He tried to kill her, you know that? I don't know what went on in that weird little mind of his. Wasn't just my thing for his sister, either, though. I was just good at ticking him off." He shrugged and smiled and Jayden stepped forward, hand so tight on the blade's handle something was liable to snap. Zebulon chuckled.
"If you try hurt me, you'll just be hurting your boyfriend, you know."
"Oh, I know. But there is nobody in the world I hate more than you."
"I won't even feel it. I can pull out of here whenever I want." And he did. Mortis gave a gasp.
"Help me!"
And then he was gone again, and someone else was behind the face, making the eyes blink and the body straighten. "Oh, it's my turn now. Hello, gents." Garnet and Jayden exchanged looks.
"This is weird." Garnet remarked as the woman in Mortis' body flicked some hair over his/her shoulder.
"It is, really." Mortis' new possessor commented with a shrug. Zebulon actually acted a bit like the long-haired Necromancer, but this one was so very different, so very girly. "I'm not used to having long hair, I'll tell you that now. Never thought of myself of the vengeful type either. I mean, Phil didn't actually kill me..."
"They both know his given name." Franz stated with a raised eyebrow.
"Phil, or Mort or whatever...well, he was my brother." Felicity Insouciant shrugged and smiled, playing with the hair.
"Give him his body back" Jayden shrieked. Felicity walked over in her feminine way, smirking.
"What, so he can kill innocents like me?"
Garnet raised a finger. "You just said he didn't kill you."
"Ah, no, he didn't. He just chased me with a knife...to the edge of a lake-thing...infested with crocodiles..." Fists clenched. "So it's still his fault."
Millie shook her head. "Ms. Insouciant, do you actually know the effects of what you're doing on your brother's body?"
"I just want him to behave."
Garnet glared. "Honey, he was kind of trying to stop a nice evil man from destroying the world, y'know? You're stopping him from doing any good for anyone."
"I'm stopping him from killing"
"This is a war, woman! People die in wars!"
"Oh, he would love that." She winced as Regicide tried to get back in. "Besides, I have to keep this other gent out."
"You'll both give him a heart attack if you're not careful." Millie hissed.
Garnet bit his lip. "What about his other organs? His liver's a transplant..."
Insouciant gasped and Regicide returned. Between that, Mortis was there and lunging for Wilbur. When the Necromancer's hand closed around Jayden's, it was Regicide in there. He knew how to use the magic, and the first thing he did was cut off fingers to get Slander to release his own grip. It worked as the Child of the Spider staggered back with a howl, trying to stem the flow of blood. Ricky and Franz bolted from the car. Ricky went to help Jayden and Franz ran at Regicide, tackling him to the ground and attempting to wrestle his blade from the Necromancer's grip. "It's mine!" He screamed, raining down punches and elbows and kicks and the like. He didn't give Regicide a chance to recover.

A couple of steps away, the Grand Mage was sitting up, groaning. Neither man had a good grip on the blade anymore. He pushed at the air and the blade flew from their separate grips, landing back at Jayden's feet. The Child of the Spider had tears streaming from his eyes from a mix of pain, frustration and grief as he remembered exactly why he had wanted his little brother dead in the first place. He knocked Ricky away and his good hand closed around the blade once more. He glared at both of his old best friends. "Regicide took everything from me. Dorado condemned my lover. I hate both of you!" Regicide stepped in front of Dorado, who was still holding Ravel's daughter.
"Then do something. Lose everything again."
Ricky shook his head as he came close again. "Jay, don't." He was pushed again, and this time lost his footing and fell against the car, blacking out as he hit his head a little too hard. Jayden ran at Regicide, no longer caring that his lover would die alongside this ghost. He ignored Millie and Franz telling him not to. Regicide stepped aside and Wilbur was plunged instead into the belly of Garnet, who let out a surprisingly light and dainty gasp for himself. Jayden stepped back and yanked the blade out, glaring as though he didn't care. Gar looked at him with pleading eyes and Regicide laughed.
"I would have loved to have done that myself, but that is just so much funnier!"
Jayden took the baby off him and pushed the blade handle into his hand instead. "Goodbye, Garnet." He walked slowly back to Ravel and handed him the wailing infant before turning to Regicide. Regicide was grinning maliciously. Jay's eyes flickered down to where Ursa had lay seconds earlier. He still had Garnet's pistol, which became obvious when it clicked readily behind Regicide's head.
"Awright, twat muffin. I know about all the blades you keep on you. Make even the slightest move, I shoot." Regicide smirked but stood still. His eyes flicked to Dorado, who was on his hands and knees now, trying to put pressure on his wound. The smirk grew into a delighted grin. Jayden gently eased a scalpel from the Necromancer's sleeve and passed it to the rather shocked Millie. "Fix the sigils. Get them both out of there now."
"But...but your friend..."
"I told him I'd kill him if he passed on that curse to Mortis, so I did." He narrowed his eyes at Mildred. "I'm nothing if I'm not a man of my word." He sighed. "He's not my friend anymore. Mortis is my friend. Fix him. Bring him back. It's what you came here for, isn't it?"
She nodded. "We need Regicide out before we can lock the sigils though...and I need to locate the right one..." Jayden took the Necromancer's hand and thrust it at the flustered woman. She took a moment to examine it and looked the dark-skinned man in the eyes. "I'm sorry I have to do this..." She scratched deep into the little stump where one of Jayden's fingers used to be and Mortis' eyes closed as there was a fight in his head between all three consciousnesses. She grinned and stabbed the scalpel into the 'patient''s wrist. He let out a shriek and dropped to his knees as she smeared a thin line of blood over her chosen sigil...

((Nope, no clue where any of this came from...How much do you guys like Gar, Mort and Ricky, by the way? I might keep Garnet alive long enough to reunite him with B-J and have him confess his love for her...then die and shatter all hope...what do you guys think?))

Monday, June 17, 2013

Zafira Kerias: The Years Before Part 1

IN THE PAST
Zafira looked at the other people around her. She was one of the only people from America to help with the war. The rest were busy with other war problems but Bisahalani had insisted she be allowed to go to Ireland to help. She was actually lucky. She was with Dexter Vex and Saracen Rue. Vex was cool but Saracen made her a bit uneasy. She thought him to be a know it all. She was only supposed to be giving them the location of Mevolent and then returning to await word from Meritorious. Saracen glanced at the field,
"They're coming. Vengeous and Vile." He said. The three of them prepared themselves. 
"Just Vengeous Vile got distracted." Saracen said. Zafira readied shadows and Vex was ready. Vengeous came and saw them. He attacked. Zafira sent shadow knives at him. Vex sent a stream of energy after Vengeous.  Saracen kept back for a moment and struck from behind Vengeous. Vengeous turned on Saracen and Zafira sent shadows at him before he cut Saracen. Saracen took the chance and moved far out of reach of the cutlass. Zafira felt something cut her and Vengeous was standing over her. She focused on good things and sent shadows at him. There was a slightly high pitched screech and she saw the Baron retreat. Someone grabbed her and helped her up. Vex.
"Thanks." She said. Vex nodded and they walked far from the field. 
"You can shadow-walk far?" Saracen asked. Zafira smiled
"Yeah perks of knowing your true name I suppose." She shrugged, everyone knew she knew her true name. Since Justaria came out last. She grabbed the two and shadow-walked to where Meritorious was. He seemed surprised she had both of them with her.
"Sorry felt better knowing these two were safe. Mevolent is in that damn field." She reported. Saracen nodded
"Yeah Vile is too and Vengeous attacked us. Speaking of the attack Zafira you should get that nice cut across your chest looked at." She glared at Saracen but went to get help. 

A few days passed and nobody had attacked. Zafira enjoyed helping the Irish mages in the war. It felt good to beat up evil. Saracen had stayed with her since he owed it to her. He was the one who wanted her to go with them. It was close to a big battle. Zafira had only seen Vile, as herself, once. So she hadn't any idea how they'd survive. One person on duty called and everyone was ready. Zafira readied the shadows and ran forward into battle. Then she saw Lord Vile. 

***To be continued

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Ursa Borealis: Her again

Garnet and Ricky were waiting outside. Jayden was using the bathroom and Ursa was talking to patients, and Hiro wasn't allowed to leave yet. Ricky heaved a sigh and lit up a cigarette. Garnet shifted away a little and sighed. "So we're leaving it here then?"
"Gar, I would trust Bayside with my life, as you've seen, as would Hiro. He's just a trustworthy person."
"Because you know all about trustworthy people with Valiant, Zebulon, Laureate..."
Ricky narrowed his eyes. "Oh shut up."
Garnet laughed. "I'm just saying."
"Well don't."
"Laureate was the one who set fire to you, right?"
"Not to me directly..."
Ursa walked out, followed by the dark-haired patient, Revolta. Revolta smiled at Ricky. "Can I have a light?" He produced a cigar from his pocket and Garnet covered his mouth and nose, moving swiftly to the other side of the street. Ursa wrinkled his nose at the smell and followed suit.
"I can't stand the smell of smoke." The Australian Mage hissed in disgust. The Irishman shrugged.
"I have a tumour thing. I get kind of phobic of smoke."
Ursa nodded. "It's disgusting stuff."
"Ursa?" Both men turned to see the woman with dark hair and an eyepatch. Ursa's eyes widened and he swore. "I thought it was you!" The woman cried, the swearing having convinced her that she was seeing Ursa.
"I'm not doing anything else for you, Mildred."
She tilted her head to the side. "We're not friends anymore, you psychopath?"
"We never were."
"But Fred wants to talk to you."
"Fred can die in a fire."
"Fred's already dead, remember? Vile killed him."
"Is that how he died? Never thought he'd be taken down by a killer. I thought the eating disorder would take him first."
"Don't joke, Borealis."
Garnet smiled a little. "I like constellations as well."
Both of them gave him a weird look, then Ursa nodded.
"He means my name, Millie."
"Riiiight...You are...?"
"Garnet Dorado, at your service." He actually bowed, to Millie's shock and Ursa's annoyance.
Ursa shoved him away. "He's a psychopathic killer working against Mevolent...like me."
"He's a lot like you, right down to the ginger pubes."
Garnet laughed. Ursa went red. "What?"
"Pardon, dear, pardon."
"Oh, go die!"
"No thanks. Nice to meet you, Garnet. I'm Millie."
Ursa glared. "You have business here?"
She smiled sweetly. "There's someone attracting spirits of the dead around here, and not by choice. I think someone's being used."
"Good for them. Let them be used."
"It could mean the end of the wo-orld."
"I don't even like the world."
"You'd die in agony, Ursa. It's a Necromancer being swamped by a Faceless supporter named Regicide or something and some chick named Insouciant. I think she's neutral but has beef with the guy. I think they both do. The guy being swamped is anti-Faceless."
Garnet arched an eyebrow. "And these people are dead?"
"They are. Why?"
"I knew a Regicide. I killed him once because he killed my brother. My friend had something against him as well."
Millie ignored him, deciding what he had to say wasn't worth her time. "I'm going to try help this person. I need back-up, because Regicide might force the man's hand, make him kill. He might hurt me when I try get him out of the Necromancer. Your friends can come along. Garnet here can distract him with his babbling."
"I was going somewhere with what I was saying."
"Sure you were."
Richard and Revolta crossed over, now finished smoking. Jayden was behind them now. Ursa sighed.
"You think it's your friend?" He asked softly to Garnet.
"Maybe, but if it's not, we'll be giving a disadvantage to Mevolent's side by helping this person, right?" They both looked to Millie and Richard asked what was going on...

-----

Indishan sent a blast of air at Mortis, sending him stumbling, but the Necromancer still came at him. The Australian Detective cried out as he was slammed against a wall. "What are you doing?! We're on the same team!"
The knife slid into the man's stomach as he clicked his fingers. The fire never lit up properly. He was still conscious and went after him, but got a door slammed and locked in his face. He pounded on the door, but Mortis was the only one in the hallway beyond. The Necromancer walked on with a bored expression, leaving his knife embedded in Anonymous' belly as not to arouse suspicion with the blood.

Erskine wasn't entirely sure what his final decision in terms of taking Ruby with him was, but she was in his arm, watching him work with her dark eyes, being quiet. Mist was just in the medical room if Ruby needed feeding, and he could take care of everything else. There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Nobody entered. There was another knock. "Come in." He repeated impatiently. This time there was a sound like a body being slammed against the door. "Hello?"

Mortis was fighting against it. Against the urge to kill. It wasn't something he was used to fighting, unless he was faced with a child when around Garnet and Jayden. He pressed his palms flat against the door. "Don't let me in. I'll kill you if you do. Someone's in my head." He pulled his hand away and looked at the faint burn mark on his fingertips. Now he looked closely, the blisters looked like sigils. He swore. "I think they work for Mevolent..." He gritted his teeth, furious at himself for allowing this curse to reach him in the first place. It didn't have a chance to sink into Garnet, and if it had effected Garnet instead of him, the redhead would already be dead. The door suddenly opened, crashing into Mortis' head and causing him to black out for a few seconds. When he came round again, the Grand Mage was disappearing round the corner, off to raise the alarm. He was able to hold himself back, but instinct to go after runners added to the influence from the other person in his head overtook him and he was chasing the Grand Mage. He loved the thrill of a good chase, whether he was doing this of his own free will or not.

-----
Bourges, France

The blue shutters were opened and the glass window smashed. An alarm went off as the four men entered the house. One more man outside silenced the alarm and spoke through a Power Rangers walkie talkie. "I told you to wait until I'd disabled the alarm." He hissed furiously.
One of the first four laughed. "Consequence, we know what we're doing!"
"Morose, we had a plan, please stick to it."
"Hang on, we're at his bedroom door. the light's still off. We should shut up now."
Morose pushed the door open and the four men crept into the room, stopping at the centre as they realised no-one was in the bed. The light went on and they found they were surrounded by cleavers as well as Elders Montagneux, Ame and Orage. Morose swore. "Justis...kill someone...please..."