@RoflsMazoyDiana was on her bed, sitting. She wasn't doing much, merely staring at a wall. And not even there. Her gaze was unfocused, like that of a weary soldier, her mind lost in the horizon. She did acknowledge the intrusion with a tilt of the head.
Right, it was my week to renew the spirit wards. I must have forgotten what with CEL BEING KILLED and Luigi on the prowl."Don't need to. You reek of Clara's od. Should have better taste with messengers though." Her eyes, weary and with noticeable dark bags under them blinked slowly. Her gaze rested on their question. "No, it's a wonderful time. I was looking forward to a visit from an accursed little-girl-ghost thing that will show me the past christmas or something. So really, it's a great time. Now that Lightbringer is
dead by Luigi's hands there could not be a better time to talk. I'm pretty bored with the whole idea of going in a
self destructive rampage right now." She said, in a calm tone, betraying an unrelenting sadness and fury underneath.
"So little sweetcheeks, this had better be important, or I will make use of you as spell components."
Sometimes, everything started with a call. The call. Upon receiving it, a somber known voice would deliver probably a piece of news tough to stomach. Such had been the case for the Blackgate family, now bereaved and without home. Victor Blackgate, the patriarch, had finally arrived... to find nothing left of his home, and strange tales from his children who were staggered at the loss of a mother.
He needed to know. He needed to understand. And that's when the call was made to acquaintances. First his trusted allies. Then people who might had been witness to his children's recent mishaps. And so, Victor had called Wolf, requisitioning for him to talk, a message relayed by his own comrade in arms who happened to be Wolf's father. The direction was an affordable motel.
"I need you to come. There's something I need to be explained."
Wolf was at a loss. He had probably shared all of two words with Victor in the past... mostly because the man barely ever spoke. That was at best a mild exaggeration, but the fact remained. It was strange that the man wanted to speak to him specifically and at some random motel.
He was at least half certain the man wasn't going to kill him.
Someone like Victor would have been more upfront about that.
Probably...
And so Wolf arrived, knocking at the door he'd been directed to, wondering all the while what the hell was going on.
It was then when the door opened, revealing a shadow that loomed upon the small knight. Huge and overbearing, a meaty paw was raised, and then made a single finger gesture, pressed against the lips that bore small dents and scars of a hundred battles. "They are asleep". Said Victor in a coarse rumble, his attempt to not raise the tone. "Mona is dead. My house is gone." He added as he closed the door. "Mer keeps saying she has to be a good girl. She has lost so much weight she resembles her late mother now." His gaze steeled. "What...do...you...know?"
Wolf's mouth hung open, perhaps answering the question long before he could verbalize it. He was only learning about this just now.
"N-nothing. Wh-what? When!?" He figured he should leave out that he'd been threatening Mona for... the next eternity or so. That particular fact didn't seem conducive to his continued existence at the moment.
Victor narrowed his eyes, as he leaned upon wolf. His stammering was genuine, but the choice of words was not. "What...do...you...know." He replied again, insistent, like a hound having found an scent.
"Th-the last time I was at your house I was... just talking to Mona about Meredith. She'd been acting... off lately. I, u-umm, w-wanted to know if she knew anything about it. It got a little heated so I left to keep from b-bothering the kids..." Wolf swallowed nervously. "That was the last time I saw them." Well it wasn't a lie anyway.
Victor frowned deeply, his hand reaching his chin now. " What did Mer do, Wolfram. I was told nonsense. A masked guy who pretended to be a girl blew my house up and beheaded Mona according to Zack. And Mer is making the same miserable stare as when i first found her, half feral." His teeth gnashed by now. "My life is ruined and unless i get the truth, I might... lose it for good."
"She... uhh... got manipulated by some bad people into helping them do something... people almost got hurt..." Wolf explained vaguely. He'd barely been able to handle the truth, having been forced to live through it. He wasn't sure Victor needed to know the full details right now. "M-maybe Meredith can tell you more when she's... calmer?" If Victor really insisted, he'd say more... but he hoped he didn't have to.
"As for your house, and that girly man I've the answers you're looking for." Someone says as they emerge from another motel room. Wearing a pair of tattered cargo pants, combat boots, and a wife beater. His body looked more metal than man, almost like he had a suit of plate mail integrated with his mortal form. "Hey, uh, judging from what you said...You're Mer's dad..." The stranger says, motioning towards Victor. "And you're....Her friend?" He asks, motioning to the poor terrified looking lad. "My name is Luigi, and, uh, mind if we talk around back? I'd rather stay away from wandering ears."
Victor's eyes narrowed even more as he stopped all sudden movement. His gaze rested on Wolf, bearing his full intensity on it. However, by a stroke of luck, his attention went elsewhere. A newcomer. Victor did not make any further comment, merely a grunt of acceptance as he began to walk away, indicating with his head that both of them would have to follow him somewhere secluded by the emergency stairs.
If it wasn't for the fact that Wolf had seen a being similar to this Luigi during the tournament, he might have panicked more at his sudden appearance. How did he know Meredith? How did he know... anything? Who exactly was he? Why was he here?
Why did Meredith bring nothing but chaos into his life these days?!?!?
For now all he could do was nod and follow and hope this guy was as forthcoming as he promised to be.
"...Now, to start off, the masked girly man who blew up your house, and killed your Mona was a friend of mine. He came to me looking for weapons and armor....him and his brother. They both acted possessed, even his brother begging for his mother as whatever it was quashed his will. They talked about going on a divine mission to kill fate breakers. One of those fate breakers was a friend of mine...so....I disposed of them. Your Mona was avenged, and in doing so it nearly killed me...Mer found me walking down the street, dying. She saved my life. Not the first time she did either. If you recall the cultist attack, I had my chest ripped open by one, and she healed me then too. As for everything else.....I've no idea, other than she seems immensely stressed out." Luigi starts, before he lets out a deep sigh.
"This entire thing has been a shitstorm, and I'm sorry for not getting ahold of you earlier. My phone went up in the disposal." Luigi adds, very purposefully avoiding talks of killing. He turns to Wolf. "..You seem of the right age you might of ran into him before. Do you know of a fellow named Celest Lightbringer? Goes by Cel?"
Victor's eyes became wide at the mention of the masked killer and how it attacked Luigi and Mer... before his eyes became like pinpricks. He bit his lips so hard he bled. His eyes rested on Wolf once more. "Yes Wolf, explain me, once again... you're lucky you are son of who you are son. What...did...my...daughter...do?" Victor said a third time, this time in the form of an ultimatum.
Wolf let out a long breath. He didn't look scared anymore, so much as he did... resigned. He didn't like thinking about it.
". . ." For a moment his mouth opened silently. "She kidnapped my friend, using her as payment to convince someone to kill Vera. I stopped her, but that masked... person... was there. Probably the same one, but I never knew their name. They seemed to be playing both sides. After that it's a blur... my powers went out of control. When... I came out of it the masked one convinced Meredith to go with them. That's why I went to Mona, because I blamed her for influencing Meredith to act like that. But I didn't touch her, I left and then Meredith came and yelled at me for confronting her. But we talked and I thought I got through to her finally..." He let out another long sigh. "That's... that's all I know."
With his story told he finally processed what Luigi had said. The "Fallen One," AKA Cel apparently, was dead? Well... he wasn't going to lose much sleep over that one to be honest.
".......He was quite the manipulator. The wild card in the devil's den. Poor girl would never of known what hit her." Luigi mutters, his neutral stance slowly slouching as fatigue boiled up to the surface. "I know you don't know me, and you don't have any reason to believe me when I say that your friend Mer got twisted around by someone like Cel. With what I heard of her childhood from the little ones...He is a master of taking your pain and twisting the knife to whittle you into what he needs." Luigi tells as he reaches slowly to put a hand on Wolf's shoulder. His other hand produces a card with a number on it. "Here. Incase you've got anymore questions, or need help with something. A friend of Mer is a friend of mine, and someone willing to go talk to a demon about being a bad influence...that's a friend if I've ever heard of one."
Luigi also produces a card for Victor, the card flittering into the air from a port on Luigi's collar where Victor could see what it read, and could grab it.
Something seemed to break inside Victor as Wolf kept explaining. He was not an expressive man, but even he would feel sometimes as if someone had twisted a knife directly in his heart. His baby girl... well. She had done bad things, and she had been mingling with undesirable sorts. He eyed Wolf, as a meaty paw seized his shoulder. "I am deeply sorry for whatever trouble Mer has caused." He droned, ignoring Luigi's business card and stomping towards the door. Opening gently, he indicated Mer to come out. The eldest daughter obeyed, sheepishly. She had a real bad case of dishevelled hair and was obviously skipping on meals and sleep. "Dad?"
"I...thought that the poison had not gone that deep." He said. In a single movement, his hand shot at mer's face... backhanding her all the way to a lamppost. "I guess apples don't fall far from the tree. " Victor said, in a low rumbling voice. "I guess it's up to me to clean the mistakes of my children." He added, his gaze hostile. "I guess it was wrong trying to raise you as human, when you are anything but." His fists clenched. "I will make sure you don't ruin the Koenigsmann family any more than you did!"
Mer was unable to respond, instead clutching her face... with sorrow and resignation.
Wolf shared a concerned look with Luigi as the man stomped off back toward the room. There was no way... right? Victor was just as much a marshmallow as he was an unstoppable force of destruction. He'd literally married a demon to try and give his daughter a normal life. That was the kind of silly, if terribly misguided, thing Victor did.
He wouldn't hurt Meredith.
However, as he followed the man and heard his words... he began to fear otherwise. He sincerely hoped Luigi was ready to make good on his word, because he might be needed. Useless as a screen door on a submarine, but needed all the same. To be fair, Wolf was in the same boat. And then Victor hit her.
He wasn't a liar. Never had been, but his next words may as well have been a total falsehood, "I-I don't know what you're intending, but... if you try to hurt her again... I'll stop you!"
Not a liar because he wouldn't... but because if it truly came to it... because he couldn't.
He could only hope Victor wasn't willing to go that far. Because he
would try, and surely Victor wouldn't raise a fist, or blade, against the son of his mentor.
. . . right?
Luigi's ears heard, and his feet began to move. There were few times in someone's life where Hermes boots found their way to them, but now was one of those times for Luigi. He saw Mer impact the lamp-post as though everything was going in slow motion. He slid, sparks flying from the steel against pavement as he moved between Mer and Victor. His feet burned from the sheer friction, but the pain fueled his sheer fury.
"Come towards her again, and I'll break every bone in your body. What kind of father strikes his child when they need help? What kind of father does what you did, leaving his children under a demon's care? To hell with you. The only stain is you, so come get some you bastard!" Luigi's voice roared, a sheer fury taking hold.
There were few things upon the god's green earth that drove Luigi towards such hate, but an abusive parent was one of them. While his mother died, these pieces of human garbage walked the earth spreading misery. Knowingly or not, Victor had summoned an obstacle that would only falter under complete destruction.
Victor gritted his teeth, silent without amswering, eyeing the two. He seemed to be furious, but did not strike twice. He simply lowered his hand. "Hm." He said, apparently calming down. "So, after all what's said is done, Wolfram... you are vouching for her." Victor added, only making a single passing glance at the metal man. "So do you... whoever you are." The rumbling man looked at Meredith, and then grabbed the metal man by the shoulders and carefully repositioned him to a side. "Mer. Are you truly sorry?"
Meredith looked at her father. "Ih...uh...yeshh..." She said, eyes teary. Victor's hand descended upon Meredith's head... only to pat her, and then give her a bear hug. "I'm sorry too. I've been absent for so long... my little girl. We best pick up the pieces, what do you say?"
Mer was unable to speak, breaking into sobs.
Wolf let out a long sigh of relief. It had all been for show, but it had worked. He had a feeling in Luigi's case it had all been genuine, but the metal man had no idea what he was up against. Even Wolf didn't know the limits of Victor's power, but he knew enough to know that if he'd decided that he wanted to hurt Meredith... he would have. They had no real say in the matter at that point.
But for now at least the crisis was averted and Wolf placed a hand against the nearby wall to hold himself up, stress flooding out of his body as he tried to convince himself it was OK to relax again...
He opened his mouth, but words didn't come out. It was all too much. Meredith was becoming too much. One minute she was betraying him and the next she was in dire need of his help. And he just gave it. Against insurmountable odds he's barely hesitated.
Were they even yet?
With those thoughts on his mind, all he could really do was shoot a grateful look at Luigi. He wondered if he'd have been as bold had he stood alone.
Luigi Vile watched tensely as he was moved by Victor, having to resist the urge to strike out if only for the moment. He watched as Victor talked to Mer, her blubbering as he hugged her. Feeling all that aggression he had built up begin to die down, Vile started to walk back towards his motel room. As his gaze fell over to Wolf, he caught a look a gratitude and sent back a gentle smile, and an offer. "Hey, wanna cola?" He offers, seeing the situation as mainly defused. He thought he might as well leave Victor and Mer to their bonding, knowing if something kicked up he could make a direct b-line to the scuffle.
That, and his feet were killing him after that stunt of sliding across the asphalt. The smell of hot metal was still faintly upon the open air and the skid marks were still ground onto the pavement.
After a few moments, Victor seemed to talk again. He was tired. Clearly he hadn't been talking this much in
years. "This city is not safe anymore, Mer. We will go to my hometown. All of us four. Maybe a little peace is all we need." The man said.
That seemed to get a reaction of Mer: "Wh...what? But..."
"I will give you a few days to mull it over..." He said. "Now... I need to check on those two, too. " The giant man said, as he released Meredith from her bear hug and went back to the hotel room.
Wolf didn't understand. Before he could respond to Luigi, Victor spoke of leaving with all his children. Wolf didn't know what to think. It was like he'd lost Meredith, gotten her back, and here she was about to leave his sight again. Perhaps it would be better for her, but he'd promised to be there for her like he should have been all along. And... could Victor keep her under control? Stop her from slipping? What if she slipped again and his response was another back-hand?
And quite frankly, selfish as it was, he'd miss her... somehow... despite everything.
"H-hey... are you..." What? OK? Of course she wasn't OK! She was as far from OK as she had ever been, he was sure. Or at least dangerously close. ". . . can I do anything?"
"......I'll take that as..a..no..." Luigi begins, also seemingly gob smacked by the sudden declaration. He looked at Victor confused, like he was processing things, before he turned to Wolf looking very confused. He shakes his head, and heads back towards his motel room to go get something ready. As much as he owed Mer, he didn't know how to help her with this. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask Mer. Anything at all." Luigi says, before he vanishes into his motel room.
Meredith looked at her father's back, trying to extend one hand sheepishly to his departing figure. She did not say a word, but the eyes were telling all everything that was unsaid. Confusion, grief, defeat. "I don't know... can you? You can't help being who you are. You're not my prince in shining armor. We should stop deluding ourselves. Mother's gone now... father's back. I guess it would be nice to just start a new leaf. " Meredith said as she strained herself trying to piece herself together. "The real question... being if it's in this city or not."
Part of Wolf knew that separating Meredith from her remaining family wasn't ideal. However, he didn't know what
was ideal for Meredith anymore.
"You'll... always have a place if you stay here," Wolf told her after a moments hesitation. "In the past... you were always there when I needed you most, so I'm here for you now. It's... how it always should have been." And how it would be going forward if he had any say in the matter. If things spiraled out again it wouldn't be from a lack of effort on his part. He couldn't let that happen again. "No matter where you end up, you just have to say something. Even if it's your father." Again, a borderline meaningless gesture in practice, but that wasn't the point.
"Likewise. If you ever need anything call, even if I have to cross the planet I'll get there. I owe you a life debt, and that's something I take seriously. If you decide to stay, you'll have two places you can go." Luigi offers."I...if I can voice my concerns, I worry about your safety if you go with him. He leaves you with a woman who shows young children pronos, and then attacks you by sending you flying with a punch. It's...not a good look from the outside....looking in.....But I don't have the full story, so I won't render full judgement."
With that, Luigi gently gives Meredith a pat on the head with the kind of touch one might have with delicate glass. "I'm sorry all this is happening to you."
Meredith stood still for a second, eyeing Wolf. Even after all of this, he still offered his hand to her. Nice to a fault, that was probably when she had become smitten with him. And then literally batshit crazy for him. She smiled tiredly at the young knight, as she stood tall. However, the niceties soon turned curdled upon hearing Luigi. "Father is a fool. But a fool who charged a succubus lair to rescue a child of his who only knew he had known by rumours until then. He's rough around the edges, in a similar way to you, Luigi. Surprisingly that you did not catch on this earlier." She paused, after a bit. "Alright I will speak to father..." She finished, after starting to walk proud once more.
She had a noticeable sway in her hips, while doing so, as well as a glare... that was reminiscent of Mona once more.
"Dad?" She asked.
"Yes, Mer?" His voice rumbled.
"I'm staying." She said, flashing a vicious smile.
"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR M-" It was the vicious rumbling of Victor again followed by one of his tough lecturing slaps.
Except this time, it was cross countered. With a punch to his face. Meredith reeled and buckled under the pressure, but countered. If there was something she had learnt about all of this... nonsense is that sometimes the nice way was not the best way. It was a delicate balance. "I don't know, Have I? I still have friends here, you know. Oh, and the whole thing about the demonic taint? Why don't you fucking recollect how shitty my life has been as of recent. You can't , Can't you. All you are good is for flexing muscles. I may be at fault, but the hell you were thinking, really?"
Victor was... speechless, as if force had escaped her.
"So how about this, dad. I stay, you take my younger siblings, Satan forbid i need a break specially from that little mini-Mona called Annah. Spend more time with Zack, he idolizes you. "
Victor's voice ...trembled. "Uh...okay." He reeled back, not physically hurt, but surprised that Meredith was that insistent in that regard. "You will come on weekends, right?"
"...I have wings to take me anywhere." Meredith shrugged. "And you're still my dad. Even if you're a musclehead." The half-demoness said, before stretching herself to kiss her father's cheek.
"Wha-" The ruckus seemed to wake up the two little siblings, who were now awake, staring at the exchange wide eyed. "Did the mammoth just countered DAD??"
"That was cool!" Zack said.
"......Explains why I didn't like him from the start." Vile mumbled after watching Mer walk away, a sense of dread forming in the pit of what would of been his stomach. ".....I feel like I did something stupid...." Vile grumbled, cursing his own lack of social grace. He looked over to Wolf and looked like he was about to ask something before shaking his head. "Hold onto that card for if you need anything. Car repairs, a new weapon, or hell, even jewelry is in my wheel house.....First one's free." He says, before he begins to shuffle back to his room.
Wolf tensed up at the sound of Victor slapping her again, but this time it seemed Meredith had the confidence to deal with it herself. It seemed... that it was over. The future still left him nervous, but for the first time in a while, he let himself breathe. He had some faith now that he could handle what would come.
"Thank you..." he said to Luigi. And he was thankful. Thankful that he'd lent his voice and that he might be there in the future as well. And he was also just thankful that it had all ended well -- that it hadn't become another painful chapter in his life.
Meredith looked then at the two boys, while nursing her hand. That had been worse than punching a brick wall, but it had yielded result. She tilted her head, and then smiled coyly eyeing Wolf. "Actually... can you dance, Wolf?"
". . . a little." Vera had tried to teach him once, but apparently he'd been largely incapable of transferring fighting footwork to dancing. Considering who his parents were, he was lucky anyone had ever tried to teach him. Or not so lucky considering what Vera had said to him every time he messed up... "Umm, why?"
"Well, that sounds rough. Ask your girlfriend to teach you. There's a charity party soon" Meredith said, and promptly walked towards him, eyeing Luigi. "Can you dance, Luigi?"
Luigi stops, and thinks for a few moments. "Hmm, for something like the charity party? I could certainly try. I've always fancied slow dancing. Why do you ask?" Luigi replies, not registering what such a question would mean.
"Excellent. I won't take a no for an answer. You're coming with me." Meredith said. "Even if you're Mephisto."
"...Wait, what? I'm horrible, an eyesore, and not...safe...to be around...." Vile starts, as if he was going to protest before he sighs. "Ok, what time would you like picked up, by car or by horse, and would you like for me to make you a dress for the event?" Vile offers, a bit thrown off his game.
So that was it. Even without Vera telling him about it, he recalled now that a costume ball was being held. Vera had actually sounded somewhat excited.
He didn't know much about this Luigi. Him being a Mephisto and what he'd just said should have made him nervous, but he clearly had some code of honor or loyalty which seemed to be working in Meredith's favor, so he said nothing. If anything, he was glad for it. It would make things easier. Someone else to keep an eye on Meredith and to keep her company at the event.
There was one last issue though. One that wasn't going to be so easy in the end.
"Umm... I'll get out of your way for now, but..." He sighed. "When your father leaves, let me know. You can stay with us. I'm sure my father will allow it." The difficulty of course coming from when Vera inevitably found out. But he'd deal with that dumpster fire when it happened.
Meredith looked at Luigi. "You get things done. That's what it matters in the end, Luigi." The girl said. "I do have an idea for a dress already. As for the pickup, I don't need anything. I can fly, remember? And your house just blew up." She paused eyeing Wolf.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Are you a masochist? As much as a I have decent memories of that house, that girlfriend of yours... oh well, I appreciate the effort." She said, shrugging. "Will be fun... to see you trying to reign her in." Meredith added, her smile now resembling Mona's.
"......Oh...right....also..uhh...thank you for...going with me....the only other people who'd normally want to go are no doubt gonna be in a sour mood..." Luigi starts, before seeing her grin at Wolf, as if she was about to put a straw in him and suck out his misery. "....So..uh...I've gotta go get a suit tailored. Have fun with your masochism." He adds, as both a gentle jab, and a reasoning as for his departure.
"It's fine. I'll manage somehow," Wolf mumbled, trying not to think about it. "I can't let you be homeless."
"Okay then... I will be seeing you then." Meredith said, before waving her hand to her family too, and Wolf. "Now, let us go, Luigi." She added, while neatly sliding herself to grab his arm "Gonna start practicing now. You don't think I will ALLOW you to get that suit tailored without me?"
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