lucetilogs | taste the blood as feathers fly

Entry tags:

taste the blood as feathers fly

Who: Mithos, Sheena, Freyjadour, Sayo, Raine
What: Confessions of a quadmillennial drama queen
When: Saturday the 16th, morning
Where: Somewhere in the village
Summary: Martel is gone and Mithos takes it about as well as usual. Misplaced rage very nearly solves everything (except not really), until someone has to show up and ruin it all. Then other stuff happens.
Rating: T for tantrum

[Cycles, patterns, unrelenting repetition - it becomes a way of life after so many stretched-out years, and especially in somewhere like Luceti, somewhere shaped and re-shaped by comings and goings yet somehow always the same. Over and over again. Mithos climbs the stairs, like he does every morning, to pay pilgrimmage to Martel's room and make sure that even if she remains in the custody of the Malnosso, she at least hasn't returned 'home'. Insanity - doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, like maybe this time his sister would stay by his side and he could be where he belongs. When he pushes the door open, he expects to see the same clothes sitting neatly on the chair, folded by patient hands months ago, waiting to be put away by their owner. The panpipes should be on the bedside table, perched precisely where he sets them down every day when he's done playing. The sheets and blankets should be rumpled just so, just as they were the day she was taken, her scent no longer lingering between the threads, neutralized by his own.

He takes a breath and his eyes sweep the space. The bed is right. The panpipes are right. The clothes are gone.

Gone. One word, one sharp syllable lodged into his chest, his ribcage constricting around it and pushing the tips of bone into the raw yielding tissue of his heart - he swears he can feel it puncture. The only sounds he can hear are the ones in his head, gutted memories, hollow voices, the same bad dream returning with a vengeance. His feet carry him to the wardrobe. Pull a drawer open. Empty. He backs away as though singed, sinking to the bed. He crumbles as soon as his body touches the blankets that don't smell of his sister anymore. His legs fold underneath him; his spine curls him into a ball; his fingers shape trembling fists. Tears, at first startled by the suddenness of loss, finally come spilling out.

Time keeps going around him. His swollen tearducts run dry and his body is still, but it's isn't alright. It isn't enough. Crimes should be met with punishment, and it is a crime of the highest order that his sister should be denied reprieve from her imminent death in a world that wanted neither of them. It is a crime of an even higher order that she should be pried from him, that he should be separated from her. But there is nobody on the other end of this crime. Nobody to blame. Nobody to wrest revenge from. Nothing he can do about it.

He refuses to accept that answer. He pushes himself up from the blankets. He stands, and he walks back down the stairs, and he takes up a sword. Out the door. Up the road. No destination in mind - let fate choose his target, and let it choose wisely.]

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[He actually does take his eyes off Mithos when he hears Sayo, eyes wide, moving his weapon away from her but not lowering it. She shouldn't be here. He had to pull her away-]

Sayo!

[but that confusion on Mithos' face is enough to draw out that pause.

...What was this?]

It's alright... I trust him.

[She smiles, coming closer to Mithos, crouching down to his level with her arms still open. She imagines it must sound insane to the two, to hear that, but it's the truth. She trusts that he won't hurt her. Before he would have. Now? She just relaxes in front of him, reaching out to put a hand on his cheek.]

I'm here.

[He swallows a shuddering breath. Half of him just wants to collapse in her arms and have her shield him from everything, but half of him is still intent on running himself into the ground.]

I don't know what I'm supposed to do. [He can't stop - it never stops. Fight until he can't fight anymore. Fall farther and farther until he slams into the stone below.]

[He begins to pull himself up, slow, aching. His eyes dart to Frey, to Sheena. The intense desire to force his pain on others still grips him, but his sword remains dormant at his side, tip pointed toward the ground. It isn't accomplishing anything. He doesn't feel better.]

Tell me... [how to make it stop.] Tell me what I should do...!

['Tell me what I should do.'

That raw call for help has him lowering his weapon.

There was nothing fake about his emotions right now, and Frey thought he knew enough about the boy to know he wouldn't hurt Sayo if he truly needed her words as much as he seemed to.

he wanted her help.]

[She stands close to him, relaxed. Close enough that if he wanted, he could kill her. But she knows he won't. She knows nothing is like it was a year ago.]

You grieve and cry, and you hide and ask questions nobody is sure how to answer... You can look for something to cling onto, that way when you do all these things, you're never alone. But your sword can't talk to you, and everyone else's blood cannot comfort you with actions. Injuries and death won't hold your hand when you need it most.

[Her eyes line with tears--her heart is heavy for him. The situation is awful and it shouldn't be happening.]

There's no way to wash the pain away entirely--it sticks to you and never wants to let you go, doesn't it...? But there are ways to fight it.

Edited 2012-07-06 04:38 (UTC)

[She reaches forward and puts her hand over the one clutching the sword.]

Come home...

Please.

[How does she do it? She makes it sound...maybe not simple, but possible, when he stopped believing in so many possibilities a long time ago. Dangling from the end of a threadbare rope, more than once he's brushed against the damning realization that he might never find a way to undo everything that hurts.

Come home.

He's always thought that the only place he could call home is by his sister's side. He's beginning to wonder if it's okay to give that precious name to the spaces he shares with Sayo too. He can't answer that this morning, but labeling the feelings doesn't matter. The why or the what or the how. He just knows that his starved heart needs every word she can feed him.

His fingers begin to uncurl. The sword could be knocked from his grip with a light push.]

You'll...help me? [He still has to ask, even through all the times she's never wavered once.] You're going to stay by my side?

[Don't do it Sayo he'll just wind up with you on the same pedestal he put Martel on and when something happens to you he'll do this all over again.

He's got to learn.]

He's gotta learn. [It comes out slurred and quiet, and by now it's likely no one is listening to Sheena.] Ev'rybody has bad stuff happen. Not just you.

[Even with dimming vision she's staring very hard at Mithos. She's been thinking of tackling him again, now that his guard is down and he's not ready to attack with the sword. Even if Sayo and Frey and Mithos would all hate her for it. Hatred and Sheena are not strangers.

When she tries, she just ends up on her good hand and knees in the dirt instead. Damn. She's been bleeding more than she thought. Why does he get help when he attacked me out of nowhere?]

[Raine had been on her way to the flower shop, when a casual glance at her journal revealed a frantic note from Sayo. It had been a relatively peaceful morning, though the quiet was deceptive. Not many people seemed to be out, perhaps engrossed in routines or enjoying the break from the rest of the week.

Hearing the voices, she continues down the path, toward where she senses a certain presence. And there it is, laid out in front of her: Mithos, holding a sword, eyes wide and dangerous. Sayo, near him, being comforting. Frey on the defensive, likely confused - and then there was Sheena on the ground and in the dirt. Not a situation one walks lightly into, even after a very brief warning. She'd have to get to Sheena quickly, but any sudden movements could result in more injuries.

She keeps herself out of Mithos's line of sight, trying to catch the attention of Sayo or Frey with a pointed, direct look.]

Edited 2012-07-06 23:54 (UTC)

[Frey, while distracted, is able to see Raine in the distance, his eyes lighting with recognition when he spots her. There's a slow nod, and while he doesn't make any large movements, he does jerk his head slightly towards them, as if to say 'Come. Quickly.'

While Sayo seemed to be defusing the situation, they could not be too careful. He was ready to knock Mithos unconscious if he showed any sign of renewing aggression, especially since Sayo did not seem capable of defending herself, but he could not keep an eye on the situation and take care of Sheena's worsening injuries at the same time. Casting, right now, wasn't optional for Frey. It might even enrage Mithos again, bring him out of whatever calm Sayo had brought him, if Frey tried.

It seemed the best course of action might be to divide and conquer, without relighting the fuse that was Mithos' chaotic emotions.]

[She nods at Mithos before gently unclasping his fingers and taking the sword, dropping it at their side before she puts her hands on the boy's shoulders.] You already know the answer to that, Mithos. I'll help you as long as you want me to help you, always.

[She knows that they're moving behind her--Raine was here at last, and Sheena would get the help she needs. But she's still focusing her attention on Mithos, because she knows that's where she can help most of all. For both sides to this.]

No more fighting today... It's enough. I'll take you home where you can rest. I'll make us something good to eat. You can talk to me about anything you'd like there. You'll be safe there.

[He had stood still, listening, almost spellbound by the things he never thought he would believe.

You'll be safe there.

You'll be alright.

His fingers snap shut around empty air, panicked by the absence of the sword's weight. The right words slip from his grasp. He looks at her, wanting to follow her and leave everything else behind but finding himself stuck. He turns his eyes to Frey, to the lowered weapon, still a clear warning, and...]

[His skin prickles acutely as he becomes aware of a familiar presence pressing down on him. He twists around, shoulders attempting to break free from Sayo's hands.]

[Sheena in her wavery obliviousness has not a clue why Mithos is suddenly jerking around like that. She just knows it's bad, and grits her teeth to force herself standing again, one knife back in her hand.

Just in case.]

[Well it was too good to hope that he would be too distracted to pick up on her presence. Although in his state it was likely a reflex of being hyper aware of the situation.

Fine then. They'd do it this way. She'll even do him a favor, stepping into his line of sight.]

What is the meaning of this?

[Well, how does one explain this sort of situation....?

He isn't sure how to explain, and he isn't quite sure he should be the one doing it, given he arrived near the end of the fight. But just to make sure there was less of a risk to the health of everyone involved, he'll be kicking that that sword out of reach while Mithos is distracted by Raine.]

Edited 2012-07-09 13:28 (UTC)

[She holds his shoulders in her hands, shaking her head. She hopes Raine understands that she has to speak carefully. Or else more people will get hurt. She has to be careful.]

Raine--Sheena-san needs a healer.

[She looks back to Mithos.]

Mithos, it's okay. I won't let anything happen--you know Raine is just here to help. I know you're angry, but I need you to trust me.

[A jolt of pain in his right shoulder forces him to turn back to Sayo, limbs tight with tension - what little she had unwound is back. He's silent for a few more beats. With everything shifting around him and underneath him, he has to start with what he knows.]

...I don't want to be here anymore. [Not with Frey, Sheena, Raine. He's done. He just wants to go back.]

[Raine doesn't need to be told to heal Sheena. The only reason why she hadn't moved to do that directly was to avoid aggravating the situation further.

It wouldn't be the first time, especially with Mithos in a state like this.

Still, if there was a way to peacefully resolve this, they should look for that possible outcome. If Mithos were to leave with Sayo ... she would have to trust in Sayo. The problem was that Mithos wasn't one to be trusted.

She gives Sayo a sharp nod, and moves to stand by Sheena's side, attempting to keep eye contact with Frey. If she could at least indicate to him to keep something of an eye on that pair - at least to make sure nothing else went wrong - then she could focus on healing Sheena, and have time to come to an understanding of the full situation. From there the next step of handling this situation could be figured out.]

Edited 2012-07-11 07:09 (UTC)

[Oh, good. Standing around looking ready to fall over wasn't doing any of them any favors. She won't ask, Raine - she'll just lean, using her uninjured arm to hold on for support.

It's useless to tell her now that she hadn't started it. The focus is on Mithos and getting him to stop it and that won't help with the goal.]

[He doesn't plan to take his eyes off Mithos at all, so that eye contact is not going to be much noticed until he feels the sensation of eyes on him, and then he only glaces at Raine with a nod before turning back to Mithos.

As much as he would like to trust that he would not do anything..... He had given him a chance already, if only a little one. This attack proved that Mithos was still vastly unstable.]

[She nods, holding one of his shoulders still. She glances at Frey, glad to see his attention is focused on not letting Mithos attack again. This situation is awful for everyone, but. But they have to try not to let it go out of hand.]

... Then let's go. We'll talk about everything at home. Is that okay? About everything that you need to talk about.

[There doesn't have to be anymore bloodshed today.

She won't allow it.]

[He'll fire off a final round of glares to the others - it still comes off as bewildered more than anything - and without another word he curtly begins to walk away. He has nothing to say until he can reach privacy. He doesn't try to brush Sayo's hand off. He needs its weight.]

[Finally, once they start moving, Raine can turn her attention to Sheena's wounds. She's not comfortable with the outcome of the situation, but there is nothing more she can do about it until later on.

For now she'll help Sheena settle into a half sitting position, at least enough so that she can properly cast a few healing spells to seal up the bleeding wounds. Cleanup would come later, once they're able to hobble to the clinic.

For now, though, she'll begin her casting.]

Hang on. We can talk more about it soon.

Sorry for the late tag!

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