taste the blood as feathers fly

[imatreenow]

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.]

Comments

[wise_maiden]

[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.

Split off here?

[falenandawn]

[Looking from Sheena and Raine to Mithos and Sayo, Frey realizes he can't simply let Sayo take Mithos home.

They might be in the clear now, but he couldn't risk Mithos losing it again. He had proven, twice now, how emotionally unstable he could be. What if someone, somewhere along the way, set him off again?

He'll glance back at Raine, making a quick motion with his head- He needs to follow them, and he wants her to know that. He needs to make sure they both get there without incident.

Then he sets off after Mithos and Sayo.]

Sure thang!

[memoryboxes]

[She doesn't look back to see if someone's following, because she knows she needs to focus on Mithos and keeping him calm. She lowers her hand from his shoulder and takes his hand, squeezing it gently.]

... Talk to me, Mithos.

I know--it's... Martel's left Luceti, right?

[imatreenow]

[He hasn't yet noticed that Frey is tailing them. He barely realizes that blood still trickles down his arm as his wound begins to coagulate. His focus is all on the raw aching that pulses through him, and now on Sayo's hand protecting his. He's silent for a few more yards; then he speaks, above a whisper.]

Martel is gone... I kept waiting for her to come back, and she never did.

[He doesn't need more bloodshed. What he needs more than anything right now is for someone to listen, and if Sayo is willing to bear that responsibility, he isn't going to hold back.] It isn't fair! She was taken away so quickly...we were supposed to make up for lost time here!

[His voice is becoming heavy and damp; the first hot tear loosens itself.] She shouldn't have to go back to that worthless world, where she'll only be killed again!

[falenandawn]

[He continues to follow, paying attention to Mithos' body language as much as his words. Both would be the first hint of any violent reaction from him, and for Sayo's sake he truly had to keep track of every movement Mithos' made. He still wasn't quite sure what to make of this- If Sayo was truly immune to his rage, or if she merely pacified him.

Of course, hearing Mithos speak of his sister in such a manner struck closer to home then he would ever admit. 'She'll only be killed again!'......He chose to shove away any thought on that for now, though. He couldn't afford such thinking at the moment.]

[memoryboxes]

[She reaches over and gently pulls him close as they walk, pulling a hankerchief from her sash and pressing it gently to the wound he's gotten.] I know. I know it's hard, and so unfair... That's the nature of Luceti, isn't it? And yet, it's the worst part of meeting someone, being afraid for the day when they leave...

It's okay to feel miserable, knowing that much. It's okay to cry when we think about how cruel the world can be. I'm here to help you with all of that.

... Does it hurt? You arm...

[imatreenow]

[He shakes his head vehemently. It hurts, but it doesn't matter. Flesh wounds sting less than wounds of the heart.]

Why did she have to leave? Why is it always Martel? I thought we could finally be happy here... I thought we could live here together until the end! [Death wouldn't part them for a long time if they could both manage to stay. It may not be an eternity, but right now, he's willing to settle for less-than-perfect.] Even if there are humans here, and the Malnosso...it would have been alright as long as Martel could stay with me!

[He knows, somewhere underneath his grief, that it isn't true - it still wouldn't be alright. There would still be too many knots, too impossible to untangle. This realization sends another seismic wave through his crumbling insides. Is he really asking for too much...?]

I need my sister! I can't do this without her...! I need her...

[falenandawn]

[Frey continues to follow, listening closely to his words and slowly forming a picture. It was clear the loss of his sister was the source of this outburst. He had always known Mithos was violent... but..

He truly was just a child, wasn't he? He hadn't been able to deal with the loss of his sister, grow beyond it, cope with it. He did not even seem to want to. Was it a way of keeping her memories close, perhaps...? Or to avoid that hurt again?

It was something to think on.]

[memoryboxes]

I know.... [She rubs his shoulder, voice soft.] I know, it's not fair... It's not. It's too cruel, what they do. You should never have to see your loved one return like this. If you ever went away like that...

[She realizes it's personal, so personal, another vocalized reason why she cared about Mithos. But it's hard not to say it.]

I think... my heart would break.

[She'd never remember her husband--but the pain was real then. She's a strong person for the people she loves, but take them away, and what is she? What is anyone, really?]

[imatreenow]

I'm not going to leave... I can't. [He knows he can't keep this promise. He'll have no choice in the matter when the time comes. But it's true that he can't leave - he has to stay and wait for Martel all over again. More things anchors him to Luceti too...things he never had back in his world, things that are irreplaceable.]

You'll stay here too, won't you? [Likewise, he knows it isn't fair to ask that. He knows it's childish. Reality hurts too much - he needs to disregard it as much as she'll let him.]

[falenandawn]

[He really is trying to focus on Mithos here, for Sayo's safety. But her words, too, make him think as he continues to follow, silently and trying to not draw any attention.

She cared for him, and he cared in return.]

[memoryboxes]

Of course I will. I'll stay as long as I can.

Just... please—try not to hurt anyone, alright? If you did, and they made you go away...

[She bites her lip, chest tight.]

You're my family, Mithos. I want you here, close by. I don't want anything to happen to you, or to anyone... I've seen so much pain and bloodshed here--at the drafts, even to myself--that I just... want everyone to live. I've seen so many die and get hurt, people who've helped me....

[She's kind. She can't handle these sorts of things. It wears her down, makes her mind heavy and tired... To think Mithos or anyone could bleed while she sits back helpless--she wishes everyone could exist together. They don't have to like each other but...

The alternative is just too painful for her to bear.]

[imatreenow]

[Her words eddy past him. Try not to hurt anyone? What do those nameless others matter to him, when he never mattered to them? He's too unhinged from society to look at it through her eyes. Causing pain is not the problem, it's a symptom of his own suffering. It isn't his fault.

But he seizes the words he likes. Family - in the violent wake of losing the only blood-related family he has, he doesn't know if he wants to embrace the idea or fling it away in confusion. Without that, he feels smaller and colder and distant. He needs her to be his family. He needs her to want him close by and he needs to hear that she'll be there for him.]

You're my family too. [He's half saying this to himself, but he can't remember if he's ever told her out loud before. The front doors of building two stand a short distance ahead, but he has been paying little attention to his surroundings.]

[corrinesbell]

Leave it alone, it's fine.

[None of her injuries are particularly terrible on their own; even together, she's stood through worse. It's blood loss getting to her.]

You can't just let him go with her like that...

[wise_maiden]

It's not fine. You've lost a lot of blood, so you'll need to rest as soon as possible.

[She's not happy about the arrangement either. In this situation however, there was very little she could do about it.]

Frey is going with them.

[corrinesbell]

Yeah, 'cause he could do so much about Mithos by himself.

[Her intention to get up again doesn't even make it from thought to action. She just isn't moving. It's a safe bet she doesn't notice her head leaning against the nearest leanable thing either.]

[wise_maiden]

I'll trust him to ask for help when he needs it.

[But she may stop giving conversation soon, when her attention focuses to more important healing spells, making sure that all of Sheena's open wounds are sealed.]

[corrinesbell]

[Someday, one mage or another will figure out how to fix bloodloss along with healing and they will be the most famous mage to have lived.

Until then.

Sheena relaxes as the pain fades under the influence of familiar spells. Getting up for a short hop to the clinic (there are no illusions about going home right now) actually starts to seem thinkable.]

[wise_maiden]

[After she finishes casting, she gives Sheena another careful look over. Not as extensive as one might receive in a clinic environment, of course, but one that's just enough to make sure that Sheena can make it over there without too much difficulty.]

We'll start moving in a few moments, so your strength can get back up. The walk won't be far.

[corrinesbell]

Yeah, I know it's close. [I know where I am, which is nice. The last time this happened with Mithos she couldn't keep her head on straight afterward.]

...I didn't start this fight.

[wise_maiden]

I know.

[There are many reasons why she knows. It wouldn't be the first time Mithos attacked in a blind rage... and there was nothing that frustrated her more than him being unchecked in this village.

But there were very little things in her power that she could do about that. For now, Sheena's injuries had to be her priority.] ... Let me know when you feel ready to move.

[corrinesbell]

[Why is she always the target of his stupid blind rages anyway? What'd she ever do to him, if you don't count the 'we've gotta kill you to keep the world safe from you' stuff?

Better her than someone innocent who doesn't know a thing about him. Rational thoughts like that kinda bled out of her already.]

Let's just go before I really pass out.

[wise_maiden]

All right. Just hang on, then.

[She'll move to support her as best as she can for the walk.]

[corrinesbell]

[The healing was enough to make her feel a little better, clearing her head to the point where the world isn't in a full-out spin every time she turns it. There's a lot of tilt and blur anyway. The walk to the clinic won't be slow because she's not moving very fast, but because she's not moving very straight.

At least it's close by and things aren't nearly so dizzying once they're through the door and into a smaller space.]

[wise_maiden]

Lets get you to a bed. [The closest closed off area isn't too far away once they're inside, and it is hardly as if the clinic is constantly full. So she continues to guide Sheena toward it.]