[center]"Once lost, twice found."[/center] ---------------------------- Nervous. [i]So nervous[/i]. The fluttering in her stomach worsened the closer she got to Thorpe. Aeris' heart was beating faster than a hummingbird's wings as thoughts about what could happen flooded her mind. What if she found him? What would he do? Was he still the same as 200 years ago? Was that even possible? What would he think? How much could he have changed in the last two centuries? The whirring of her mind continued even as she passed over Thorpe, unintentionally pushing herself faster and faster. It was beginning to take a lot of focus to continue flying. [i]Calm down.[/i] The two words were curt and simple from a familiar female voice penetrating her mind. Lisara. [i]But, but--[/i] Aeris' thought was interrupted quickly. [i]No. Enough. Focus on [b]him[/b] later.[/i] There was a warning growl that accompanied the words, causing Aeris to sigh. [i]All right, fine.[/i] With that, the voice in her head went silent. Almost out of Thorpe's "air space", Little Kasio looked down at the small town. There was a rush of adrenaline that shot through her when she flew, and especially when she could see what she was flying over. Everything was so small... she could rule the world from up here. A small giggle passed her lips as she did two flips in the air, pulling her wings close into her back so that she seemed to dive bomb toward the ground, only to open them and pull up at the last second. The reverse momentum she had gained from doing so sent her skyrocketing upward just as she was reaching Mt. Jigger. She straightened herself in the air, almost as if she were simply standing in the sky, her wings beating slowly to keep her airborne. The blue-eyed vampire stared at the mountain for a few moments, taking in its size before looking at its peaks. It was covered in snow. And she was wearing a dress. "Great." The girl muttered to herself as she wove shadows around her legs to form relatively insulated leggings. She stared at the mountain for another few moments, its dense forests causing her to pout a little, how was she supposed to find anything from the air? A huff started her descent toward the middle of the mountain, no way in hell was she walking up the [i]entire thing[/i]. Once on the ground, Aeris inhaled and pulled her hoodie closer to her, zipping it closed, and pulling the hood over her head. The horns on the top of the hood weighed it down a little, pushing it down over her eyes a little more than she liked, but they wouldn't really be hidden considering they were iridescent. After adjusting all of her garments, she inhaled again, and blinked. [i]Strange.[/i] She thought, to herself, breathing in again. Nope. There was no mistaking it. There was a familiar scent in the air on this mountain, but she wasn't entirely sure [i]who[/i] it was. It didn't really smell the way she thought Mai would, but then, the last time she saw him she was Human and didn't have the exaggerated senses she did now. It didn't smell Human though, that was for sure. Following the scent, Aeris began her trek up the mountain, weaving carefully through trees. The fog of her breath quickened the higher up she got, as it would have if she were human. Oxygen difference, and all that. The closer to the top she got, the grumpier she became. Where the [i]fuck[/i] was this person? It was cold. Really, fucking cold. The scent she followed didn't let her down though, she found where it was coming from after wandering around for a while: A flora covered Mansion. "Well, someone didn't take much care of their home..." Aeris mumbled to herself staring at the large house. She'd almost forgotten how cold she was. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Vault door slammed closed behind Solus and his, possibly temporary companion, Mairyell. "Well..." Solus began. "That was an experience." One that Mairyell will not soon forget anyway. He wondered what was going through the Vampire's head right now. Solus revealing not only the current, more pressing situation, but also a place that's horrifying enough to bring gods to their knees. [B]"Yeah, and I'm sure as hell glad it's over,"[/B] the vampire stated, glancing around. He looked behind him, noting the door's closure, and then unhinged the gate on all his senses rather slowly for the next 10 seconds till he was back to his normal sensory abilities. A sigh of relief was then released from his mouth, he was glad to be out of that place, and glad not to have to suppress his senses anymore. It was very likely that no matter the need he would not go into that Vault again at any point unless it was absolutely necessary for him to do so for some reason. At present he could not fathom how or why that would come about, and he hoped it never would. Shaking himself, Mairyell began to ascend the stairs out of the basement of Solus' mansion. He wanted be just a bit further away from the Vault, though he knew that he could never be quite as far away from it as he'd like...sadly. [B]"So Solus, what's next on your bucket-list of shit to do? I hope it has nothing to do with anomalous [I]things[/I] of any nature. If I am correct, perhaps I ca-..."[/B] he stopped mid-sentence and sniffed the air. [B]"Someone's here,"[/B] he narrowed his eyes which briefly shone red before turning back to a stable purple. [B]"Who the hell else knows about this place..." [/B] he said, thinking aloud, he wasn't in the mood for anymore bullshit, he'd had enough of that for one day. "I have been away for two hundred years... anyone could have found this old ruin in that time." The essence that radiated from outside felt familiar, though Solus had sensed many familiar essences since his return, so that mere fact didn't really matter. Perhaps it was someone else seeking Solus, just like Mairyell did. Or maybe, seeking his hidden riches. "Feels like a surface demon..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aeris teetered back and forth from heel to toe staring at the mansion. The girl was debating on just bursting in, instead, however, she made her way slowly to the door, simply knocking on it. "Hello?" Her voice chirped softly, the timidity in it blatantly obvious to anyone listening. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mairyell frowned slightly, [B]"I suppose that's true enough...what should we do about it?"[/B] He was feeling out the essence and while it was ever so vaguely familiar he didn't think much of it. Though it did feel sufficiently strong, [B]"Probably a vampire," [/B] he smelled the air, [B]"or...a chimera of some kind?"[/B] He shook his head a bit, dismissing it. [B]"Should we let it in, or what?"[/B] "Not just yet..." Solus said as he carefully listened with every sense he had. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aeris paused looking around for a moment, inhaling. The scent was definitely here... but who was it? She closed her eyes for a moment and thought back... A strange man in a trench coat flashed across her closed eyelids and she opened them gasping a bit, "Solus, maybe? That was his name right...?" She muttered to herself, walking from the door to the side of the house, thinking she saw something for a moment. When she didn't find anything, she returned to the front door, having not strayed far from it in the first place. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Glancing to Solus and watching him...sense, Mairyell finally sighed, looking annoyed before he stalked towards the door. [B]"Screw this, I've been listening to you for the past..."[/B] he stopped, realizing he had no idea how long they'd been in there. His eye twitched as for once he wished he had a watch. "Whatever," he walked to the door with the intention of opening it, unless Solus did something to stop him. [B]"I'm sure the two of us are enough to deal with it if it's a threa-..."[/B] if Solus hadn't stopped him by now he'd have tried to open the door only to be interrupted mid-sentence by the fact that the door would not budge. Looking at its essence Mairyell gritted his teeth, turned around and glared [I]through[/I] Solus. [B]"I've mentioned that I [I]hate[/I] you sometimes right? Yeah, I'm sure I have..."[/B] Mairyell grumbled and walked past Solus, intentionally bumping into him out of irritation as he went to the back door. Before he disappeared from sight he yelled back, [B]"...and I swear to Aaurus, if you fucking open that front door while I'm gone I will [I]skin[/I] your chimeric ass."[/B] Mairyell then disappeared from the hallway and after a few moments Solus would hear Mairyell kick the broken back door out of his way. Solus smirked as his and Mairyell's shoulders rubbed. [i]Oh, I'm opening it alright....[/i] He walked up to the door and placed his wounded hand on it, letting it take a small dab of his drying blood. Just like the door to the Vault, its rings began to turn. The essence that he could feel beyond it, was thicker now, and much easier to recognize. "It's that girl..." Then, the door opened, revealing a young female vampire, standing there, seemingly lost. Aeris' eyes fell on the hunter before her, a nervous smile shown through the shadows surrounding her face. Little Kasio removed her hood, letting her dark locks fall around her back. "H-hi... Solus..?" Aeris mumbled, looking around when she saw a shadow slither quickly across the ground. Mairyell could [I]feel[/I] Solus open that damned door, so his pace quickened to reach the edge of the mansion before he got annoyed with that, formed his wings from his back, and slammed them downwards through the air, sending him straight upwards after which he angled off a bit so he'd end up arcing over the mansion. He noted the figure of the woman at their door before he plummeted from the sky and nearly slammed into the ground before flapping his wings once to dramatically slow his descent. He did not appear pleased as he landed and his blood red wings first folded behind his back and then almost appeared to be absorbed by his body. Aeris blinked as a rush of air caught her, holding her skirt down she found herself staring at some person that severely resembled Mairyell. [i]Is that...[/i] "M-Mai...?" Aeris voice cracked a bit as she stared at him for a moment, and then looked at Solus again, if she wasn't lost before, now she definitely was. "You know him, Aeris?" Solus said stoically, finally recognizing her. She joined him on his way out of the Western Realm after his botched and rather pathetic attempt at reaching the Citadel some 180 years ago. Mairyell dusted himself off and began looking up as he heard his sister's name. "Yeah... Pretty sure that's my big brother..." The vampire murmured, her eyes locking back on Mairyell. For a moment, the blue glow about them intensified, and then dimmed back to normal. He froze for a moment as he heard the words [I]'big brother,'[/I] before he continued the motion and met with the eyes of a ghost. A ghost that Solus could also see and recognized for some reason. He stood there, frozen in place, unable to entirely process what was going on. It was like his surroundings became a grey scale, and then were altogether forgotten, his vision tunneling before him. His mouth opened and closed several times before his eye twitched and he clapped his hands onto his cheeks and shook his head. When Aeris was still standing several feet in front of him after that he took a tentative step forward, a look of complete disbelief on his face. [B]"What..."[/B] he said, thinking aloud, his mind barely functioning. It had to be an illusion, every other time he'd seen her that'd been what it was, an illusion that only he could see. However, now Solus could see it too. Could they both be hallucinating? I mean they had just been through the vault...stress could cause hallucinations, right? Yeah he didn't know what the fuck was going on. "I remember you telling me you had a brother." Solus said as he turned to Mairyell. "You only missed him by 5 minutes when we met..." "And then for another 180 years..." The girl muttered a little bitterly to herself. However, before she realized it, she had begun moving, running, actually. She didn't even realize what was happening until she was already hugging the elder vampire, her face buried in his chest. [i]God dammit.[/i]... [i]God, [b]fucking[/b] dammit[/i]. His arms remained somewhat open as she ran into him and then wrapped her arms around him, clutching at the back of his shirt like he'd disappear. He looked at Solus and for a moment he felt part of him want to hit the hunter for having never said anything. Then he realized that it's not like he'd ever told Solus the [I]name[/I] of his sister. [B]"What the hell,"[/B] he said out loud, his arms almost instinctively wrapping back around her after a moment or two had passed. However, while his body knew what to do, his mind did not. He had long since stopped thinking of himself as a brother, not only had he thought himself unworthy of the title, but he had figured that his little sister was long dead, something he now regretted somewhat. He knew it had been necessary for him to remain sane and in control. To remain emotionally stable, but now...he didn't know what to say. How to react, or how to treat her. It was too sudden. So he tried to trust his brotherly instincts, instincts that he had buried a long time ago. [B]"W-...welcome back?"[/B] he said, a slight question in his voice, he had obviously not come to grips with reality just yet. Aeris looked up at her brother, very obviously trying not to cry. The fuck. She hated crying. Always had. She was both happy and sad, though, and her brain wasn't sure how to process the emotions. "I... uhm.. Yeah, back... that's a good way to put it, I think..." After a moment, she finally relinquished her grip on him, and stepped back. "I... I'm sorry, this must be one hell of a shock, huh?" [i]Aaurus knows what he thought actually happened to me...[/i] she thought somberly. As she tried to draw away he didn't let her. He didn't know why, but he wouldn't let go. After an additional moment of speechlessness he hugged her tightly and...kissed the top of her head after which point he let her go and took a step back. [B]"I need to sit down..."[/B] he looked at Solus' mansion, but he really didn't want to go back into it, even if it was just the Vault that he didn't like. He needed to process this, and he didn't think he could quite do that standing up. The doll nuzzled her brother's chest when he wouldn't let her go, hugging him again when he clung to her. When he finally let her go with a kiss atop her head, she turned to look around, only to see Solus wasn't standing at the door anymore. "I... what?" She looked back at Mai with a confused expression as if he could answer a question she hadn't even asked. He shook his head, bringing a hand up to rub one of his temples. He could feel a headache coming on, but nonetheless he took a whiff of the air and noted Solus' essence nearby. He wondered where he'd wandered off to, but he didn't entirely care at the moment, though he knew he owed the man a swift hit to the stomach. [B]"He's nearby, can't have wandered too far...ugh,"[/B] he continued to rub his head despite knowing that doing so would not alleviate his headache. Little Kasio watched as Mairyell rubbed his temples and smiled warmly. "Would he mind if we went in and sat down?" She questioned calmly, staving off tremulous emotions of her own. [B]"I doubt it, but it's just as bad inside as it is out here, not that I care much,"[/B] he said sounding only a bit against the idea. He knew he needed to take a seat, despite not wanting to go back into that accursed house. Aeris took her brother's arm gently and pulled him toward the door, letting go when she was inside the house herself. She looked around cautiously and then found a comfortable enough chair to sit in, waiting for Mairyell. Before she sat down he spoke, [B]"Make sure it's stable before you sit in it, the majority of this stuff hasn't been taken care of for at least as long as we've been apart,"[/B] He then proceeded to sit down on a couch, one of the less...moldy looking ones. Aeris nodded pushing on the chair with a little more strength than her sitting in it would be. It seemed stable enough, so she sat down, crossing her legs one over the other, her hands resting loosely on her thigh. ---------------------------------------------------------- While the two siblings had their [i]titillatingly[/i] touching reunion, Solus sneaked off into the old garage. The place was even more of a mess than the house. The roof had collapsed right in the middle, rubble and fine plaster covering what appeared to be a large car, hidden underneath a thick sheet of plastic. The shelves had fallen off the walls, and the tools were scattered along the edges. The floor itself had overgrown with thick weeds. The faint feeling of guilt washed over Solus' being. Abandoning this place was hard, but returning to it was much harder. Just seeing the aftermath alone was enough to convince him of that. With a sigh, he stepped over weeds towards the old vehicle. He doubted it would be in any decent shape, especially after the amount of time it's been sitting here. He hoped, that the least he had to do was some restoration, and that it wasn't a write off. But even then it was probably a false hope. That hope stayed in his mind as he began to remove the concrete and rusted, broken steel re-bar off the top of the old [i]Mustang[/i]. ----------------------------------------------------------- The porcelain doll fidgeted in her seat, not really sure what to do or say. The silence was palpable. She hated it. The shadows covering her legs wove themselves off and into the various dark corners of the dilapidated building, while she simply stared from her brother to the floor. [B]"So..."[/B] the reappointed big brother began, breaking the painful silence, [B]"...What's up?"[/B] There was a distinctly awkward feeling in the room. Aeris blinked, and then out of no where just... laughed. An uncontrollable sort of laughter. "What... what the fuck are we doing? Seriously, Mai. We're not strangers, we're blood. Why can't we just talk?" She questioned him, still sort of laughing at the awkwardness between them. Mairyell chuckled a bit, and while the tension melted away somewhat, he retained the awkward expression on his face as he looked up at her. He looked almost...apologetic, but not quite. He was hunched over a bit now, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped. [B]"I-..."[/B] he shook his head, he couldn't say that he'd thought she was dead, he just couldn't bring himself to. So instead he just shook his head and laughed at himself. He felt kind of pathetic for some reason. It was a bit unfamiliar, but at the same time he remembered the feeling well. He'd often felt that way, but that had been 200 years ago and this was now. [B]"Aeris, it's been 200 or so years since I last saw you. We're blood, but people change.... I've changed,"[/B] he looked up at her, his eyes having been aimed at the ground initially. A small smile formed on his lips, a gentle smile, something he did not often wear. [B]"I can't treat you like I did then...things are different now, but I'll do my best to...adapt,"[/B] he almost met her eyes before looking away, he couldn't look her in the eyes yet. Aeris stared at her brother, calmly observing his movements and words. Watching in a similar manner to how Szayeis had once watched her when he was teaching her how to use Brisn... Or when he turned her. "Heh..." She scoffed a bit, "I wish I could say I hadn't changed, because then I could have some semblance of normalcy, but life just isn't that lucky." Absently, her hands found their way through her hair, and she looked away. Much like the brother she had once had, the little sister she had once been was gone. It was really time she faced up to that. She couldn't expect rainbows and sunshine, that wasn't fair to either of them. "Oh, the web we weave..." She murmured softly, resting her eyes upon him once more. "No matter how much you changed Mai, you'll always be my big brother. Just... don't forget that, yeah?" The vampire nodded a bit, [B]"Yeah..."[/B] for a moment he almost let the conversation fade back into silence, but then he followed up with, [B]"Though it's hard to forget with that face,"[/B] he smirked a bit, appearing to jeer slightly before laughing a bit and standing up. They'd have to just take things slowly, he figured. After all, it was just a matter of finding their new [I]normal[/I] rather than abandoning the concept overall. Taking in a breath he then exhaled deeply and smiled at her before nodding at the door. [B]"Should find Solus, not sure about you, but I may still have some business with him,"[/B] in truth he just didn't want to be inside the mansion for too long, though he wasn't exactly lying when he said there might be more business to take care of. A small smirk crossed Aeris' lips, "Oh, you got jokes, huh?" She snickered a little following him in standing. "No, I don't think I have anymore business with him, but I don't particularly wanna leave just yet." She smiled softly at him, consciously making an effort not to use shadows in front of him. When she looked at him for a moment, she began to notice something both of them had more or less been ignoring. Their Brisn was resonating slightly. It was faint, but she could feel it strengthening a bit the longer they were in proximity to each other. Feeling the soothing warmth of Brisn on his skin he became aware of the occurrence as well, raising his hand to look at the blue energy before glancing at Aeris. [B]"Well, that's neat,"[/B] he then shrugged and began walking out of the room before he turned and smirked at her. [B]"Oh, I've got jokes like you wouldn't believe,"[/B] he winked and then continued on, likely with her in tow. Smiling wider, Aeris wove some Brisn through the air as her brother looked at his own blue aura. "Yeah, s'pretty cool." She muttered a bit, forming a ball of the energy to play with as she started to follow him out of the room. When he stopped, she bumped into his back and looked up only to laugh at the words that came out of his mouth. "Oh, really now? You should share, I wanna laugh too!" she joked, making various shapes with the energy ball she was playing with as they walked. With his back turned, he rolled his eyes, yeah, she really still was his little sister. With that settled he headed out of the mansion and tracked Solus towards wherever the hell he'd wandered off to. As he was trudging through the snow covered ground, which Mairyell found annoying despite the fact that he didn't feel cold in the least. At this point his blood basically kept him warm, it was an odd process that he didn't entirely understand. He didn't really care either. Eventually the two happened upon a dilapidated looking structure, maybe a garage? [B]"Well, Solus is in there,"[/B] he gestured before putting the hand back into his pocket. She could [i]feel[/i] the eye roll her brother did as they walked, and couldn't help but giggle. Luckily for her when they went back outside, the resonance of their Brisn kept her sufficiently warm. Even then, Aeris slightly levitated off the ground, if only to not impede her own movement. As they reached the structure in which Solus' scent was coming from, she slid something around Mai's neck. A crystalline blue necklace, completely comprised of the element they both wielded. She smiled softly, floating beside him. Almost grabbing her hand as she slid the necklace on, Mairyell calmed his reflexes, which had become quite honed since their separation, and glanced down at it. [B]"Did you make this?"[/B] He realized how silly the question was, but decided to ask it anyways. It was more rhetorical than anything. Smiling a bit he turned part way and ruffled her hair, [B]"Thanks,"[/B] he hoped she didn't recoil when he did that. He had done it more out of habit than anything, even if that habit was now 200 years old, one simply could not beat the brother out of someone, not even if that person was [I]time[/I]. Aeris smiled as he asked a question that didn't really need an answer. When he reached out to ruffle her hair, she lowered herself a little out of the air and laughed. "Mmmhmm." She murmured, hugging him again, letting go after only a moment. "Y'know.." She spoke after a few moments of silence, "I find it funny we both know the same hunter. Though, it seems you're more friendly with him than I." Her eyes flickered purple a bit before returning to their blue hue as she stared at the garage. [B]"Yeah, you know what's even funnier?"[/B] He asked, with a look of wry amusement on his face. "No, what?" She questioned him curiously, looking at him with her head tilted. [B]"The fact that I met him about...10 minutes after Szayeis took you, and then he encountered you 5 minutes [I]after[/I] I'd left the Western realm. We were trying to rescue you by the way,"[/B] he stared at her with a look said that he did not entirely appreciate reality's sense of humor in this instance. Aeris laughed softly, pecking her brother on the cheek. "All's well that ends well?" She said with a slight shrug. She wanted to talk to him about what happened to her, but that opportunity would come in time, time that was definitely not right now. Smiling a bit and then quickly looking away when she kissed his cheek, Mairyell walked towards what he was fairly certain was a garage and entered quietly. He knew he couldn't get the jump on someone like Solus, but he sure would love to punch the shit out of him for opening that damned door. As he entered, the Mustang from the time that he'd first met Solus came into view. It wasn't exactly in the best shape. [B]"I hope you don't expect this thing to actually work. I mean, it's probably covered in at least 100 or so years of rust."[/B] His tone was amused, but similarly unsympathetic. "Tech nowadays does wonders for things like that, Mai." Aeris said as she slid into the building behind him, staring at the wreck of a car. "I'm sure that was one hell of a vehicle in its prime though." "Oh, you can say that again. When I met him he slammed it right into a werewolf, not even a dent. Don't even get me started on the drift that he did either." He shook his head a bit, glancing to Solus, interested as to what his response might be, if any. "I don't expect it to work... No..." Solus said out of the driver's seat of the car, all its doors open. "Just assessing the amount of work it will need. And it's a lot..." He grumbled something unintelligible to himself as he stepped out of the car and moved over to the other end of the room toward the boot of the car. He placed his hand on the handle and pulled. Nothing. [i]Probably locked...[/i] He pulled out the key he had in his pocket, and pushed it into the lock. The lock turned, unlocking the boot, and Solus pulled again. Nothing. The Chimera pulled again the handle a third time, harder, causing the back of the car to lift up slightly. Nothing. "Oh, come on!" Clearly, it was rusted shut. He nodded, happy with that response. Solus still had some measure of sense about him, despite the house of horrors he kept in his basement. [B]"Good,"[/B] Taking to leaning against one of the walls, Mairyell watched with mild amusement as Solus attempted to open the trunk of the car. [B]"You seem to be having trouble Solus. Do simple things give you trouble despite the amount of time you've had to get them right?"[/B] The vampire was smirking over at the hunter before he winked at his sister and waited to continue after the man's response. Solus completely ignored the smartass as he placed his right foot on the steel plate for a back bumper, and this time, pulled the handle of the boot with some serious, unseen strength. The metal hinges began to buckle and the rust that glued the boot door began to crack. Suddenly, the trunk door was completely ripped off. Solus tossed it aside like trash. "Don't need that anyway..." Within the trunk, was a large metal canister. The Chimera placed his hands on either side of the vehicle's back side and tipped it from left to right a few times. Fluid slushed around within. "Hmm. Still has fuel..." Aeris watched as the hunter tore off the door to the trunk of his car, wincing a little. She didn't know what the car originally looked like, but she did enjoy cars to some extent, and to see one being dismantled, well... she felt bad. When she heard the sloshing of the the fuel in the tank, her head tilted. "I'd have figured it would have dissipated or something. That's pretty cool." She muttered to herself, moving to stand directly beside Mairyell. "Fuel doesn't evaporate, especially up here. It's too thick... It also has a sell by date of 3 months. It's 199 years and 9 months out of date, so it's useless. I'll have to drain this thing down to a vacuum..." Solus replied absentmindedly, staring at the half full fuel tank. Mairyell chuckled at Solus when he was ignored, caring little if the man responded. He listened absentmindedly, his mind drifting to matters of sustenance for a while. He still needed to replenish the blood he'd lost from his trip through the Beyond.... Little Kasio looked from her brother to Solus, and then around the dilapidated building. Her mind wandered to and fro between topics, ideas, and food. "Hey Solus?" She spoke softly, her eyes on the hole in the ceiling. "Do you happen to have any demon blood around here?" She asked, her eyes coming to rest on the hunter calmly, an incline to her head causing her hair to fall away from her right eye. "The blood that was here is dried up and undrinkable now..." Solus stared directly into Aeris' eyes. "Welcome to the House of Grim..." His mind distracted by his thoughts of feeding, Mairyell only realized what the conversation was about when he heard Solus use the word 'blood,' causing him to look up. [B]"Hmm?"[/B] He then glanced at Aeris, looking at her for a very long moment. [B]"Demon blood..."[/B] he said a bit suspiciously. "Mm?" Aeris mumbled looking at Mairyell confused for a moment. "What? It's all I've ever had, and all I'm willing to drink." She spoke as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She forgot for a moment who she was talking to. When she realized what she had said she covered her mouth, and turned her head away so she didn't have to look at him. [i]Oops.[/i] Something clicked on the vampire's mind as his sister said that. "Well," he said, his eyes twitching as he looked away, masking his anger with a smile, [B]"...there's another question I don't have to ask."[/B] He exhaled long and deep before taking air back in and speaking to Solus, holding the anger from his tone almost as well as he was from his face. [B]"Anything I should stick around to help you with Solus? Considering what you told me that is,"[/B] he asked, trying to distract himself somewhat. In actuality he wanted to collapse the building they were currently in, which was obviously a terrible idea regardless of how strong or durable the other two were. In terms of his question, he was referring to Szayeis, which didn't help his anger one bit. "...Sorry Mai..." Aeris whispered through her still covered mouth, keeping her eyes on the floor. "Actually... There is..." Solus said, stepping away from the trunk of the car towards Mairyell. "Find an essence fragment named Zi, and bring her here. She is absolutely necessary to our success. If she dies... Well... you know what happens..." The Chimera let that sink in. Aeris blinked, looking at Solus, curious about what he was talking about. She didn't ask, though, in part because she didn't want to say something else stupid in front of her already emotionally tremulous brother, and in part because she didn't think he'd tell her anything. ----------------------------------------------- [b]SO IT HAD[/b] begun, along with the little petty endings of most bitter fates. The preordained reunion flowed somewhat awkwardly, but such trivialities did not matter to him. [i]Time[/i] was of the essence of this world, and they lacked it woefully; they all did, and never truly spent it wisely. [i]Solus Grim... Mairyell Kasio... Aeris Kasio...[/i] It was [i]their[/i] time now, and [B]ITZAL SLYRE[/B], the reaper of cultivated souls, was so very keen to allot it to them in his grand scheme of little subplots. [i]This should be fun...[/i] Almost immediately as the young vampiress blinked, the House of Grim began to change; the mold retreated; plants faded away; the state of disrepair that was prevalent throughout the halls, doors, and walls began to reverse back to a finer time. The present day shifted little, the sun continuing to shine brilliantly upon the now fully restored house. But inside, the lights were on, and shadows fled to nooks and crannies, between ankles and backsides. It almost seemed as though time itself was being rewound. [i]But it wasn't.[/i] For that would be a most absurd (and unfortunate) event. The illusive transformation that took place before the trio required very little time, perhaps leaving them with an eerie sense of stupor and anxiety. No sooner had their senses taken up the changes could the odd sounds of little [i]pitter patter[/i] of tiny feet also be heard. A young 8-year-old boy, followed by a younger girl and boy, raced into the garage, mischievous grins leading their faces. They sought shelter behind where the Mustang had disappeared, which had been replaced by a suitably larger vehicle, one meant for a [i]family.[/i] The source of voices, soft at first but then growing in volume, danced about the halls, and entered Solus Grim: father of [i]four[/i]. Like the little ones, this Solus paid no attention to Mairyell or Aeris, let alone the real version who was present. His voice once again inquired after the kids, a playful smirk on his warped (but smoother) visage. He almost seemed more human, but the scars of his past lingered. It would seem that he was in the middle of a game of hide-and-go-seek. He sauntered past Solus, his shoulder lightly phasing through him and leaving the real Solus with a heightened sense of [i]warmth[/i]. Almost as soon as he maneuvered slowly around vehicle, his children ambushed him with hugs, kisses, and delightful squeals. So much [i]uncultivated[/i] innocence, it could make one [i]gag.[/i] A different voice, softer still and strong yet feminine, alerted Solus, the wee ones still trying to pin him to the floor. Jumping up to his feet and carrying all three kids (ushering in surprised little gasps), he started walking towards the door, once again, passing through the real Solus but also blocking his view of the womanly figure in the doorway, her belly slightly large and expecting. But the illusion of Solus swept past him and in that spot right in front of the real Solus, was Slyre. [i]And the illusion vanished just as Solus might see Rina's face clearly.[/i] "Oh, what could have been..." the grim reaper droned, almost sadly. Hunched over, Slyre stood at a much greater height than all three little gods. One might reckon him to be about 10 feet tall, broad shouldered (which faced Solus head on, almost with confrontational interest), and smelled exactly like poison and toxic slime, with a faint trace of a woman's perfume. From toe to head were the details of finely woven black boots, covered by a flowing robe with dark purple fabric, crimson trims, and white lettering adorning the material. An ornamental matching belt girdled Slyre, as did his large folded up collar. It seemed like the white lettering design became more extravagant closer to the head... and the face. The hooded, overshadowed eyes. But his chin, barely seen even in the darkness of the garage, hovered just a foot above (and away) from the Necromaster's skull. Slyre's voice croaked again, leaving not a true moment to respond. "[i]Two hundred[/i] years, Solus Grim... and what do you [i]really[/i] have to show for it. Hmm?" His hooded face turned slightly towards Mairyell and Aeris to his right, though his unseen eyes weren't necessarily sizing them up. "Other than such [i]dismal[/i] company," he added snidely. The image of the illusion remained in Solus' mind for a few minor moments. His face remained unchanged as he replayed it all in his old and shattered mind. In the end it didn't matter. It was a future he never expected to live up to. Death has always been his path, with that rictus grin, waiting for him at the end. He had grown accustomed to being surrounded by misery that such happy illusions made him feel sick in his stomach. Such families were pathetic, weak, holding on to the illusion of a false hope. The evil that lived deep within him loved this weakness, fed from it. And his human side cared little for such trivialities. So the illusion didn't truly faze him, just surprised him by its sudden appearance. It was a life that disgusted him, one he never wanted to experience. His only purpose was his work, and there was no better place to be than one that was surrounded by death. Solus looked up at the Reaper, completely ignorant to what he truly was, and a smartass smirk appeared on his destroyed face. "Nothing... I achieved absolutely nothing..." Slyre tilted his head back towards Solus, his rictus grin spreading like a rash. "Oh, really? I suppose then that you chronicle everything, too? Because [i]nothing[/i] seems unlikely," he stated deceptively, letting slip a wee hint that he recorded everything and, in this case, jested at Solus's sense of appreciation towards his (lack) of achievements. Aeris stared between the... [i]thing[/i]? And the hunter. An eyebrow arched in confusion. She wasn't really sure how to react to the situation, and thus, remained mostly silent. Mostly, because she inhaled, as if she were about to speak, and then stopped, not finding the right words. "Oh, don't hold back on my account, girl," Slyre retorted, and stood a little straighter (but not quite all the way). The added height shifted the shadows and light in the room, as though they were melded to the growing tension in the room. "You might just [i]miss[/i] another one hundred and eighty years," he added with a chuckle, his hooded gaze resting on Mairyell. There was a small hiss as Aeris exhaled the breath she had taken in through her teeth, but she continued to remain silent, her eyes moving from the hooded creature to her brother. "Oh, that's [i]cute[/i]," Slyre whispered, clearly amused. "No wonder the Babysitter took on another child to molest. I find that surprising." He turned back to Solus and crossed his arms, his runic robe sleeves slipping over each other. "On the contrary, Solus, you actually [i]did[/i] achieve something that is rather... [i]priceless[/i]." Slyre paused for a moment before quickly lowering his arms and clasping his hands. His voice rose suddenly, making it echo in the room. "My mercy! ... Ri- ..." Purposely stopping short of saying her name, the reaper slowly closed his mouth as his perpetually rictal grin returned to grace Solus's mind. Solus' face still remained the same, but despite that, all kinds of thoughts raged through his mind. Thoughts that he was sure Slyre would hear in someway. "Finish..." He said, his voice low, and weary. Oh. [i]Predictable.[/i] Even Solus was not immune to such things, but of course, he was the one who amused Slyre the most. His unpredictability streak was without peer; everyone else might as well just be sock puppets. Slyre unclasped his hands, holding them behind his back as he tilted his head to his left, almost as if he wasn't sure if he [i]should[/i] finish the sentence. "Hmm... Rina," Slyre murmured, and then proceeded to enunciate carefully. "Ri...na... Al...lice...Gen...noo..." Slyre inclined his head forward, obviously relishing in what he was doing. His mouth parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of bright red teeth. "I took her away from you, very similar to how [i]Szayeis[/i] deprived Mairyell of his yummy little suck-toy here some time ago." Those bright red teeth, Solus wanted to punch them all out. But that wouldn't get him anywhere. "Oh I remember. That's one thing I never forgot. Though I sometimes wish I did..." Solus' face still remained stoic. This was his silent, seething rage, held in for 200 years. Very few ever got to see that face, and they never lasted for long. "Asking if she is alive would be a stupid questio---" "--Alive like a plant? Hmm?" Slyre interjected with a chuckle. Secretly, or perhaps not, Solus was enjoying Slyre's retorts. They would give Solus more reasons to crush this being's skull with his own hands when the time finally came. "You wouldn't have mentioned her otherwise..." "Oh, but wouldn't I? Judgement without knowing all the facts is the height of foolishness," Slyre shot back, revealing more of those bright red fangs and lightly curling his dark gray fingers at his side. "Wait, wait, hold on a second... Uhh." Aeris paused a moment, "What even should we call you?" The doll queried almost [i]politely[/i]. Slyre smirked, glancing back at Aeris. "Hehehe... hahaha! Oh, so adorable. I like this one," he lied, completely ignoring her question. Aeris' eye roll could be felt from across the room, and so, she continued. "Did--" "Careful now, those things tend to fall out, you know," Slyre chuckled. She smirked, continuing "--you just basically call [i]The Chimeric Lord[/i] a child?" "Oh, [i]good grief.[/i] Look, you whimsical [i]cunt.[/i] If you're going to talk with the [i]grown-ups[/i], please [i]do[/i] pay attention. And no, the--" Slyre lied, but then turned to Mairyell who seemed to be suffering another case of hemorrhoids. [B]"Shut up,"[/B] Mairyell's voice said in a quiet, but undeniably fierce tone. As he said it the room, previously occupied by Slyre, and the other's presence, now held a harsh malice as well. Having already been bothered by the events earlier in his shit of a day, Mairyell was [I]not[/I] in a good mood. If finding out about what Szayeis had done to his sister had not been enough, then this surely was. His fist hit the wall, and when it came away there was a hole in it despite the fact that he had not turned to the wall to hit it, but rather slammed his fist into it. The vampire was gritting his teeth and the blue that typically balanced his eyes at a stable purple appeared as if it had bled out, for there was a glow about him. A glow that was seeping onto the walls of the garage even as trace amounts of searing red acidic blood dripped from his palms, forming small spheres. His eyes held the same crimson color as the blood that he grasped in his palms. He took in a deep breath and then let it out in not a hiss, but more of a terrible sneer. A smile curved onto his lips as his eyes looked up to the taller being. He wanted to kill it. He hadn't been this pissed since he'd failed to reclaim Aeris, and before that he had only been this angry once, and that time had been when he'd snapped on those shitstain excuses for vampires that had [I]dared[/I] pose a threat to beings under his protection. Impressively enough, despite the sheer seething rage, an anger which practically burned him from the inside out, Mairyell managed not to lunge at the figure. He couldn't read its essence, not the way that he could sense someone else's. In fact all he felt when he tried to detect the being was himself, which made no sense. However, in his state of anger all confusion did was piss him off [I]more[/I]. If only he hadn't gone into the vault. Then he wouldn't be so damned [I]hungry[/I] right now. Then perhaps the tall figure wouldn't look like a delicious fucking treat, teasing him with its presence. Solus simply shook his head at the whole affair. "How about you two go outside... Hmm?" Solus asked calmly. "Get some air while I deal---" "---Ah ah ah, slow down there. Let me clarify a little something..." Slyre grinned, wagging a finger at the enraged little blood god. "There are no coincidences. Everything from our meeting back to your little 'mishap' of minutes... ooh yes. It was I who engineered that and this, and yes, you may not believe me," he continued, lowering his hand and putting them behind his back as he straightened to his full height. He loomed over the three, no longer hunching over like some decrepit old giant. Even if they looked up into his face, the foreboding darkness of his hood would not reveal his eyes. Aeris looked at her brother, her eyes widening a little. [i]Welp.[/i] She thought to herself as she looked at Solus when he spoke. "I'll happily get the fuck away from that thing." She spoke candidly. "--and quite frankly, if you do, you will [i]never[/i] see your--" Slyre interrupted and quoted the air "--big brother again." "Go fuck yourself." She growled, eyes darkening from their bright blue, very, [i]very[/i] slowly. She wasn't easily angered, and it took her longer to get there, even as she spat out the three words she said, she wasn't angry, [i]just[/i] yet. [B]"Solus,"[/B] Mairyell begun, his eyes locked on Slyre even as they became an even darker shade of red. In fact if they got any darker they'd be [I]black[/I]. [B]"I'm going to kill it,"[/B] His claws formed and his blood turned jet black as they did, to which Itzal Slyre laughed with an unabashed [i]roar[/i], his howls of delight ringing the very walls of the garage. "Well, isn't this a bit of fun--" "--You can try..." Solus said to Mairyell. "I sure as hell did. And I died in every lifetime." Solus folded his arms. "Simmer down... You'll get your chance one day. Just not yet." Solus' words of wisdom, number 1874. "So quoth the Necromaster," Slyre chuckled, extending his right arm out toward a space on the Kasio twins' left. "I mean, if he wasn't so antagonistic, I'd be perfectly fine right now." Aeris spoke, only slightly opening her mouth to do so. "It's give and take, child," he retorted, looking to his right. "For example, do [i]give[/i] a glance to your left. The one and only..." "And I did what to you? To deserve anything you've said?" "Well, as Solus put it, 'absolutely nothing'... isn't that right, [i]Layna Grace Kasio[/i]?" Slyre sneered deliciously. All so very quietly, the shadows had delved and lights bent in the spot to their left, a good 5-ft away from Aeris and Mairyell, and perhaps twice that length from Solus and Slyre. Wearing nothing but a simple worker's dress and apron, Layna breathed air for the first time in ages, choking on its dustiness as she came to. Forces of power held her in place, but she could clearly see. Her eyes fell on Mairyell first, whom she hadn't seen for decades since their training sessions prior to Loom's occupation by Judas. Then she saw Solus: a person of interest to her husband, Ioi. And then Aeris... [i]my daughter?[/i] It didn't take a genius to figure out who had brought her here. "Oh no..." she rasped lowly, almost not audible. "It is my hour...?" "Who's Layna Grace," The girl asked, obvious obliviousness written on her face. "Am I supposed to know that name?" The doll looked at the woman, her dimming blue eyes starting to become swallowed by purple hues. She didn't understand. She didn't remember anyone in her family with that name. "Our mother," Mairyell said through gritted teeth. In an attempt to abide to Solus' words, the words of a man who was perhaps stronger than him, and likely wiser, Mairyell had began to claw at the flesh of his own palm, letting the pain of it mitigate his rage. If someone else had inflicted it then it would have made it worse, but since it was him...well, it helped. It was a meager supplement for blood or being removed from Slyre's presence. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't leave Aeris here, even if she were strong enough to defend herself. Aeris' eyes immediately reverted, looking at Mai as if she had lost something. Something very important. She looked from the woman who was supposed to be her mother, back to the being who claimed to have caused all the turmoil in their lives. She didn't understand. That's when the shadows began to move. Swirl, writhe, and dance about the room as the girl unwittingly pulled them toward herself. She needed to get out of here. She needed to leave. She didn't care where. "This is not fair, Slyre. This is my hour? I didn't think--" Layna said softly, glancing back and forth at her children. "--Ah, ah, yes that's the part, 'didn't think'? I'm glad you understand your foolishness," Slyre interjected and folded his arms. Solus realized what this was all about as he witnessed Layna Grace Kasio's arrival. His mentioning of Rina. Recreating an illusion of what could have been Solus' future with her. It all fell into place quickly. "You're here to make a deal...." His voice was quiet, as a deep feeling of dread sunk like a stone in his stomach. The being would make them all do something they might one day regret. "As astute as a constable, that you are, Solus. Oh, how I thought you were about to break your unpredictability streak, but then, lo and behold, you surprise me yet again," Slyre replied deceptively, clapping his hands together as though he was some kind of fan of the Necromaster. "I was waiting for the right moment, but now things seem to have become interesting enough for those involved, but in case one of you feel like calling my bluff..." he continued, before gesturing to the opposite side of the room from Layna. The shadows delved again, along with the light that bent about. A metallic object about the size of a small trash can appeared. On top of it was a timer. It was ticking. [i]Down.[/i] With about 30 seconds on the clock. "That is a bomb," the reaper lied, "and not just [i]any[/i] bomb... but one personally tailored to remove this pimple of a mountain off of Progaia's left ass cheek." He turned to them, that rictus smirk ever present. "I have a proposition for all of you, but make one wrong move, and we're all going to Heaven. Wouldn't that just suck something awful? The vacancy of that place just gags me." Pleased with himself, Slyre took a moment to wait and gauge their responses and reactions. Layna's face had fallen distraught, hanging there with her eyes half-shut and almost given up. She should have never made a deal with the grim reaper to see her children. Solus simply walked past Slyre, his face had finally changed from its stoic nature to that of curiosity. He stopped beside the device, and began to inspect it carefully, just in case. The first thing he looked at was the timer. It was digital, a panel of an alarm clock, counting down from 30 seconds, now at 26. 6 wires ran from its back and along the large metal cylinder towards what looked like a tacked on circuit box. He easily pried it open, as it wasn't even locked. The box was empty, the 6 wires leading to nothing but thin air. "Wow..." Solus said in amused astonishment. "A bomb that isn't even a bomb. How jolly of you. You're starting to remind me of the Joker..." The Chimera turned back to the Reaper. "...Be that as it may, if any of you want to take the risk, be my guest. Anyone?" Slyre replied knowingly. "You said you liked spending your time wisely. So how about you get to the point, and actually use said time wisely?" Solus stated. He was done. The moment that the bastard simply made a bomb appear, he was done. Noting the shadows, Mairyell crossed the distance to Aeris, wrapped his arm around her waist, bent his knees, and leaped through the roof, an umbrella of blood dissolving the roof as he flew upwards, his sister in tow. He had failed to protect her from Szayeis, he had failed to rescue her from Szayeis, but he would [I]not[/I] fail now. He was tired of that shit. Tired of being someone else's toy. In fact, because of his reaction, he never saw Solus inspect the bomb and prove it a dud, and if Aeris hadn't tried to resist his attempt to extricate her, then neither would she. Presuming he weren't stopped, Mairyell's wings would spread near the apex of the jump as a silent thought went out to their mother, [I]I'm sorry[/I]. As Mai closed the gap between himself and Aeris, she stared up at him. She was completely lost. When his arm wrapped around her waist, she instinctively clung to his shirt, her eyes falling on their [i]mother[/i] as he jumped upward, and began to fly. There was a solitary tear that slid down her cheek as the child part of her, the part of her that would [i]always[/i] remember her mother, lost her for the second time. This time, she wouldn't forget. Layna, as numb as her mind was, could sense what was going on and felt her last moments upon her. She watched her only son flee wisely with her daughter, her quivering eyes trained on them. [i]He didn't look back.[/i] A light sigh left her nose at that thought. [i]Good... he doesn't need more scars to carry.[/i] Just as the Kasio siblings vanished completely out of sight, Layna's vision toppled. It rolled. The room spun... She did not feel a thing, even as the last few seconds of her mind perceived her body slumping sideways onto the ground. Her mouth parted, exhaling the final breath. But something interrupted her vision: a pair of eyes with a black and white pupil each, all aligned. Slyre was reaping her soul, and into him it went. And Layna died. Slyre licked his fingers almost greedily, the blood swirling around in his mouth before being swallowed. "You know, if you hadn't been such a stiff, Solus, that might have been better handled," he lied. "But their exodus means nothing. They were here, they saw me. Whether they want to or not, they will be tied into your fate," he continued, lowering his now cleaned hand. "And you must ask yourself something: 'Do I want Rina to bear the same fate as Mairyell's mommy?' Hmm?" the reaper prompted rhetorically as his white pupils rested on the dead mother and his black pupils regarded Solus with interest. "Everyone is tied to my fate in some way. Fate is an interesting thing..." Solus began staring at Mairyell's now deceased mother. What a damn fool, that Mairyell was. Always has been. "There are so many different branches it can take. You just never know where it's gonna take you. So I just close my eyes, and settle in for the ride of a lifetime..." He turned towards Slyre. "About Rina... You wanted to make a deal. So let's get to it." Slyre's rictus grin spread from ear to ear. [center][b]COLLAB POST[/B]: [I]Celaira, yoshua171, Synthorian, Mikael[/I][/center]