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Death. Destruction. Pandemonium!

Core tenets of the Mad Avatar, ordained by the voices of the black tears in the world. All that stood in her way, all those that were a stain to her grand design, all that failed to quell her fury, they had to perish.

Dorothea nearly lost her life. Yuliya was next. But before long, an awe-inspiring flash of light rid the world of the Mad Avatar. The shunned hero, Born-on-Solstice may very well have saved many lives. But only Intaba knew this wasn’t a once and for all deal. Vaughn Marbrand made his move, and Juliette was now among them once again.

So help the established order the day the siblings make peace with their endeavours and unite.

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[center][h2][url=https://youtu.be/ra0LOs1Ucg8]♫[/url][/h2][/center]

When Juulet came to, still quite dazed, she was in a room, on a bed, surrounded by the fluffiest pillows. Her childhood stuffed toy, Miss Monke, was there beside her. Leaning over her was... Tannifer. [color=00FF7F]"Oh thank Oraff!"[/color] she exclaimed, [color=00FF7F]"You're okay!"[/color] There was no pretense. The yanii leaned in and enfolded her in a warm, tight embrace. [color=00FF7F]"We've been looking for you for so long,"[/color] she bawled, blinking back tears. [color=00FF7F]"So long, sugarplum."[/color] She pushed herself back. [color=00FF7F]"And you're so..."[/color] Her eyes searched the yasoi's. [color=00FF7F]"Grown up now."[/color] She glanced over her shoulder. [color=00FF7F]"I can't believe we've [i]found[/i] you."[/color]

The groggy and very recently half-alive Juulet awoke to ... Yaniis. Not just Yaniis - familiarity. The first thing that hit her wasn't their faces, or voices or even the linens. It was the smells. The odour of a person, even through their cologne was recognizable to those close to them. This woman's evoked memories, but the plush by her was the one to trigger the most. The hug was met with surprise and a half-hearted pat from a still dazed Juulet. A stark contrast to the consistently aggressive and bombastic creature that terrorized Ersand'Enise.

She silently reached out for the toy, looked at it with longing. Tannifer could tell she remembered, if only a little bit.

[color=8B008B]“That's what happens when years pass by.”[/color] she remarked as she regarded her elder sister. [color=8B008B]“Many, many years.”[/color] a twinge of bitterness could be found in her tone, but her eyes remained half-lidded with little emotion to be communicated. [color=8B008B]“You've gotten old too.”[/color] she smirked, head tilted cheekily. The plush was clenched close to her chest.

From the nearby kitchen could be heard the pop and sizzle of something being cooked on a stovetop. The unmistakable aroma of omelette, with Mycormish parsley and Lindenholdt sausage slices, wafted towards her. 

For a moment, Tannifer's face filled with rueful mirth. [color=00FF7F]"I thought I'd hidden the greys pretty well,"[/color] she laughed, tilting her head in the exact same way. They were nearly mirror images of each other. Then, her expression saddened. [color=00FF7F]"I'm so sorry, suunei."[/color] She swallowed and reached out for her little sister's cheek, to stroke it. This was very much not the roguish, fly-by-the-wind zeno that most students knew. She seemed an entirely different woman. At the last moment, she paused, as if unsure, as if waiting for some sort of permission. [color=00FF7F]"It happened so suddenly. You were there and then you weren't and... Shune, we tried, but we couldn't find you."[/color] She shook her head. [color=00FF7F]"We searched for years. You were deep within yasoi lands, weren't you?"[/color] She swallowed and shook her head bitterly. She opened her mouth as if to ask more, but then a small thump to the side drew her attention. There was a cat there: old and grumpy, with brown and orange stripes.

Juulet initially went to lean into the attempt caress, but found herself quickly retreating back when the hand that touched her was not the one she had grown to know and love. It didn't feel right. Only one ever showed this tenderness to her. 

[color=DA70D6]“I was with my mother, yes. In the homeland.”[/color] she answered somewhat dryly, in an almost defensive manner. [color=DA70D6]“Everything was fine,”[/color] she claimed, her look intense at first like she was trying to simulate confidence, but upon meeting her sister's eyes, she softened. [color=DA70D6]“I promise. I was alright.”[/color] she smiled, internally hoping the subject would just vanish.

Luckily for her, a distraction occurred. A cat! [color=DA70D6]“Is that Mister Biggles?!”[/color] she was just about ready to bounce, but just reached for the animal to tug it close and join the monke. [color=DA70D6]“He's so big. He was sooooooooooo small! Teenie tiny. Yer a grumpy one, aren't you, huh?”[/color] she nuzzled the poor, old animal that likely wasn't used to so much attention. [color=DA70D6]“So, what's cooking?”[/color]

The cat tried to squirm away, but it wasn't able to muster a hiss. After some time, it settled into dull acceptance. 

Tannifer, meanwhile, could sense that her younger sister - half-sister, in truth - was very much not the girl who'd been stolen away a dozen years ago, and how could she be, in all honesty? [color=00FF7F][i]Fine?[/i][/color] she thought, [color=00FF7F][i]You were aberration mad and minus an entire leg![/i][/color] Yet, it seemed a sensitive topic and Juliet seemed happy enough and that was what was important right now. The Zeno knew when to back off. She retracted her hand and rose. [color=00FF7F]"You don't recognize the smell?"[/color] Tannifer shook her head. "Where's that bloodhound sense of smell you used to brag about, hmm?" Turning on her heel, she began padding softly to the kitchen. [color=00FF7F]"Don't stand too suddenly,"[/color] she added, motioning in passing at the girl's crutches. [color=00FF7F]"He took most of the sickness out, but, well... you know how it is with balance after one of those."[/color]

That both elder Marbrands had taken them in the past was no secret between the three, but their younger sister, half-yasoi to boot, had been to young to join in. She had only just started to develop her first hints of magic when she'd been stolen.

Mr. Bigglesworth - or Biggles, for short - merely dug his claws into Juulet just enough to cause discomfort and ensure his grip. He let out a small noise of feline annoyance.

[color=DA70D6]“Eggs.”[/color] Juulet, or rather Juliette in this household, realized quickly enough. [color=DA70D6]“I haven't had chicken eggs since ...”[/color] she wiggled her nose and squinted. [color=DA70D6]“A while. And meat. Defo some meat. Oh yeah.”[/color] and despite the warnings, she hopped off her bedding after gently prying the discontent cat off her. Still, even with her experiences and inclinations, she regretted not heeding the warning a little more as she nearly fell on her rear and just barely found balance with her crutches.

[color=DA70D6]“'Ey, Vaughn.”[/color] she called out, her voice changed but the cadence was almost depressingly nostalgic as if time hadn't passed at all. She made her way to the source of the food with the help of her crutches. [color=DA70D6]“I heard some guy called Marbrand ate shit with the school-”[/color] she couldn't help opening with a little bit of provocation. [color=DA70D6]“Did you actually shit on the Yanii squares?”[/color] an impish smile took form on her visage as she regarded both him and the feast dedicated to her. [color=DA70D6]“Badass. Heh. Heh.”[/color]

He was just scooping the omelette delicately into a plate and he scowled. [color=000000]"Still a little fuckstick, I see."[/color] He shook his head. [color=000000]"And you know that was a good job."[/color] There were beans, as well, and toast, and her old favourite: lindenholdt sausage. Vaughn slid it onto the table and went back to the stove. [color=000000]"Pay was sweet, and I got to steal all their secrets."[/color] He winked. [color=000000]"Tanny's still there, you know."[/color]

[color=00FF7F]"Haven't managed to get fired yet,"[/color] she agreed, sitting across from her sister. Vaughn slid a second plate her way. [color=000000]"I missed you, kid."[/color] There was no big sappy speech, no attempt to hug her, or anything like that. [color=000000]"Lots."[/color] It wasn't his way.  He was thirty-two and, by his reckoning, she was nineteen now. They were far from being peers but, while Tannifer had seemed a bit like a mother at times, he'd made no pretenses at being anything more than someone who'd teased and played with his little runt of a half-sister. 

He brought the last plate over and sat at the head of the table. [color=000000]"First time in a long time - even for me and Tanny here - don't tell me if my cooking sucks, okay?"[/color]

[color=DA70D6]“Fuuuuuck youuuuu.”[/color] Juliette flipped off her brother and took a seat. Her early education had gone out the window and her posture could be generously described as casual. Nothing ladylike. A little fuckstick indeed. Immediately she dug into the coveted sausage and couldn't help but speak whilst eating. [color=DA70D6]“Fwuck yew fer bein' - Mmm- such an awesome cook. What the fuck. Why teach? You should do this.”[/color] and, for a moment, she immitated Vaughn's voice, accent and all, [color=DA70D6]“Where's m'fuckin' lamb sauce?!”[/color] she tapped the table a couple of time before continuing her feast.

It was a nice moment, one most would believe she'd have forgotten, but clearly she hadn't. This was home, and for a moment she could forget what she truly was. [color=DA70D6]“I-”[/color] she pursed her lips in hesitation. [color=DA70D6]“Missed you too. Even papa. But, I couldn't write to you. Not with the blockades.”[/color] she regretfully expressed, although were there ever such embargoes in Yasoi lands? 

Then she regarded Tanny, her half-sister and a near monther-figure. [color=DA70D6]“You might not have a job anymore after this. I fucked up.”[/color] she realized, eyes peered down and jaw shifting in growing nervousness. [color=DA70D6]“I fucked up hard, and because of that you did too. You shouldn't ...”[/color]

For a brief while, there was laughter around the Marbrand family table: Vaughn, Tannifer, and Juliette brought together for the first time in years. Biggles wove his way between the various legs beneath it, rubbing up against them, purring, and being a generally adorable nuisance. It was a stark contrast to how things had been for far too long.

Then, as all good things do, it had to end. At Juliette's words, Tanny regarded her and, for a second, there was a hint of sternness. [color=00FF7F]"I shouldn't what?"[/color]  she replied, [color=00FF7F]"let someone hurt my sister again?"[/color] She shook her head, stabbing at her sausage. [color=00FF7F]"I won't fail you, Juli, never again."[/color]

Vaughn's face was serious. [color=000000]"They won't send their dogs after me. It'll either be an arch or nobody."[/color] He shook his head. [color=000000]"I'm not defenseless."[/color]

[color=00FF7F]"And they keep me around in hopes of gettin' to him,"[/color] said Tanny, jerking a thumb in her brother's direction. 

He nodded, swallowing some omelette. [color=000000]"But here's the truth, kiddo:"[/color] His eyes both narrowed and gleamed. [color=000000]"We're strong, and we have strong allies."[/color] A grin grew. [color=000000]"Yeah, you goofed."[/color]

Tannifer nodded. [color=00FF7F]"Nothing wrong with some of the good stuff, but you know you've gotta self-regulate."[/color] She pursed her lips. [color=00FF7F]"Or that happens."[/color] She tilted her chin back at the bedroom.

[color=000000]"Anyway, truth is, they're scared of us."[/color] Vaughn was grinning now. [color=000000]"And with all three of us?"[/color] He laughed and leaned back, dabbing at his mouth with a kerchief. [color=000000]"We can really start to do it. We can build our own power base. We can topple this whole fuckin' order."[/color]

Tannifer arched an eyebrow. [color=00FF7F]"Or just do family things in peace..."[/color]

He shrugged, fingers drumming on the tabletop. [color=000000]"Yeah, or that,"[/color] he admitted. Notably, perhaps, they hadn't spoken about their father. A couple of glances were exchanged. If it was a large kitchen, the elephants hiding behind the furniture had the potential to make it seem much smaller than it was.

It was there that Juliette remembered who she was - Juulet, the true Avatar of Vyshta. And her remark, initially one of concern, had another facet of pride and hubris worthy of one convinced they were a God.

[color=8B008B]“You shouldn't have, because those nothings couldn't do anything to a Goddess.”[/color] she said in a tone that could be interpreted as a bad joke at first, but the lack of any follow-up made it quickly come off as genuine. [color=8B008B]“I was fine. You shouldn't have fucked your gravy wagon over my bullshit.”[/color] she leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms, stump over her opposite thigh too.

Then the notion of family came. Juulet felt a warmth take hold - something good that she felt like she had to stifle. It felt too good, to the point of feeling like an indulgence, and thus a weakness. She was beginning to feel too vulnerable. [color=8B008B]“I can't stay.”[/color] she said bluntly. [color=8B008B]“I ... Want to stay longer, but I have a responsibility to my people. As their light and leader.”[/color] the way she spoke, it was the Juliette she had naturally emerged from over a decade of absence, but something that sounded recited. 

However, she didn't let this wave of cold spoil the moment. [color=8B008B]“But you're right. Us three's a banger. After Yasoi lands are saved, we could do some good to the Yanii world too.”[/color] she regarded her brother in particular with a complicit grin. [color=8B008B]“Or just chill ... Maybe take a break before the six years pass. Kinda thought about that until these Grey islander fucks rushed me and-”[/color] she shook her head. 


Vaughn very much recognized, in that instant, what he had suspected all along: that his little sister was quite insane. Twelve years apart and... Gods only knew what the world had done to her. For starters, she'd been fed a consistent diet of aberrations. The addiction was obvious and severe. Then, they'd taken her leg and... had people simply begun worshipping her as the fallen goddess' avatar or had she purposely crafted herself into the role? A darker thought occurred to him. She'd mentioned a 'mother' earlier. Had someone else done it instead? In any case, she'd have died, beyond any shadow of a doubt, had he and Tanny not intervened. They'd been unsure. They'd taken the risk. They'd been right. It was her, but it was... not her. No, that was wrong. It was Juliette, but she'd grown wild, feral, outside of their supervision. 

Not that Mr. Bigglesworth seemed to notice. The cat appeared to be making up for lost time, rubbing quite aggressively up against Juliette's lone leg and purring, batting playfully at the tips of her forearm crutches, gnawing on their goma rubber treads.

Tannifer, finishing her omelette, smiled grimly. [color=00FF7F]"I wouldn't dream of trying to stop you, but... don't just disappear on us,"[/color] she entreated. [color=00FF7F]"We're stronger together, and..."[/color] She sighed, fussing with her hair a bit. [color=00FF7F]"Doesn't hurt to have people who have your back, even for the strongest of us."[/color]

Vaughn, not quite finished eating, placed his knife down gently. [color=000000]"Then you go,"[/color] he decided, [color=000000]"and be the goddess they need, especially with the Grey Fleet."[/color] He stood and pushed his chair in, signaling an end to the affair. 

[color=8B008B]“Anyway - Is Papa still kicking?”[/color]

[color=000000]"Father is..."[/color] He shrugged.

[color=00FF7F]"Gone,"[/color] Tannifer confirmed. [color=00FF7F]"Aberration madness."[/color] She wrapped her arms around herself almost... protectively.

Juulet scoffed, and then chuckled. [color=8B008B]“Lightweight.”[/color] she muttered at the announcement of her father's passing. Then, she laughed with the shakiest of voices. [color=8B008B]“Fuck. I'll miss the man.”[/color] she clenched her fist and raised it, hesitant to just unleash like she always did, only to let go soon after. 

Vaughn nodded. [color=000000]"Petrified, in the end."[/color] He scowled. He could've warned her to learn from their father's example. He could've lectured. It wouldn't have helped. He loved her, his little sister, but he had to let her go. He could tell that the feeling was mutual. 

Tannifer brushed around the table to embrace Juliette. [color=00FF7F]"You stay safe, you little shit, okay?"[/color] She reached up and brushed some hair from the teen's face. [color=00FF7F]"Use every ounce of that godly power if you've gotta, understand?"[/color] She shook her head. [color=00FF7F]"Well... I'm sure you do."[/color]

[color=00FF7F]"Oh, and if there's anything you wanna take with you, help yourself. It's yours, after all."[/color]

Vaughn was leaning there against the counter: shoulders broad, arms crossed, watching his younger sibling. Breakfast was cleaning itself up behind him, in the grip of chemical, blood, and kinetic magics. He nodded her way. [color=000000]"Write sometime, huh?"[/color]

Things remained sentimental, something Juulet had never been good with. The discomfort was evident with the avoidance of eye contact whenever Tannifer manifested her cares and worries. [color=DA70D6]“Nah, I won't write.”[/color] spoken like a true brat. She reached under her leg to seize the increasingly affectionate Biggles for a brief cuddle session, even if the notion of being held in such a manner never enthused him. [color=DA70D6]“I'll just pop in here. Now that I know I'm welcome.”[/color] she smiled. [color=DA70D6]“I figured after being gone for so long ... I guess I overthought.”[/color] she shrugged before releasing the poor animal with a peppering of kisses on his head to go.

It was Juliette's turn to be showered with affection. She still didn't quite know what to do with something so ... Genuine. Her arms closed in a mechanical motion as if her joints had long since petrified. Her body was stiff, on guard. But eventually, after resting her chin over her sister's shoulder, she let herself melt into it. Eyes closed and deep breaths to take in the finer details of the moment. [color=DA70D6]“I'll be safe. Not so sure about some fucko's that think they can pull fast ones on me.”[/color] As departures were inevitable, Juulet reared her head more and more. This wild critter was going to be trouble no matter what, and yet it seemed her family wasn't going to give up on her. Gods, she missed them.

[color=DA70D6]“Actually-”[/color] as she presented her flat hand before her sister she had since parted with, Miss Monke appeared on her palm. [color=DA70D6]“Monke. She kind of reminds me of a friend from Hyparii. And he goes to school here too. Far to good for us scumbags.”[/color] she chuckled.

It was on that note that they parted. Vaughn sighed when she was gone. Tannifer closed the door with her own hands instead of magic. Then, the two of them were in this room together, alone, for the first time since their father had gone. [color=00FF7F]"We can bring her back,"[/color] Tanny said, with a shaky sort of certainty. [color=00FF7F]"She's been through the wringer, but she's still there. She's still her."[/color]

Vaughn's arms remained crossed, his eyes lingering on the door. He dropped a sonic bubble around them, just in case. [color=000000]"Maybe,"[/color] he allowed, shrugging and finally peeling his eyes away. [color=000000]"But whoever 'mother' is, we don't have a chance until she's dealt with."[/color][/color]