Vicier

[ROLEPLAY CLOSED] - Once Upon A Time (Restart)

Scar Lionhart and Odette Swan

Present Day - The Pride Lands

Finally, the evening had come to a plesant end. The witch was gone, vanished from Scar's castle entirely after the lull of the feasts' entertainment had come to an end, though not without a final gift given to The Swan Princess before they even had a chance to enter the Dining Hall. Having not even taken into consideration Odette's apparel, as his thoughts were more on the relief that she was no longer a swan, The Dark Queen changed the damp, torn rag of a dress she wore, bestowing Odette a beautiful blue dress that had just enough Pride Landish roots to be towards Scar's liking and approval.

During the feast, Maleficent sat to his right, and Odette to his left. The selection of food that evening perhaps the finest arrangement The Pride Lands had to offer in order to please their magical-horned guest. The entertainment fell far from short, as once more his dancers were brought back out, led by the Gypsy and this time, Scar was able to give his attention to them fully, having missed the duration of their last display since his mind was far from easy - having to converse with a swan...

But now the evening was over and just as soon as Scar was ready to make his way to the chambers in which he kept his dancers to fulfill his promise given to the Gypsy earlier about a more fruitful reward, he quickly realized his own lustful desires would have to be quelled a day longer, as now he had Odette to look after. He didn't want to keep her too far from the enchanted water at a time... just in case. It only felt right to convert his grotto into some sort of living space for her, because no matter how he looked at it, the area that used to be his quiet little haven away from the stresses of being King, his grotto now belonged to her. Though he couldn't help but to feel that he was condemning her to some sort of dungeon, the way the grotto was placed. It was far from a dungeon, he knew that, but the feelings remained.

Pushing open the door that led out into the halls, holding it open for Odette, he waited until she passed him by before following behind, letting the door's heavy weight close it on it's own, his longer strides allowing him to catch up to her quickly and then adjusted his pace to hers.

Tightening her grip ever so slightly over the material that made up the beautiful gown that she had been given by the Dark Queen, she smiled excitedly up at her father as she passed him by, her long and wavy blonde locks bouncing lightly upon her back as she gave him a gentle nod, thanking him for holding the door open for her, though just as quick as she had given him her attention, she had taken it away again; allowing her eyes to flicker excitedly back and forth between everything that she could see , unable to keep her attention upon anything in particular for too long a time. Everything was just so new to her… everything from the decorations that were hanging and standing tall about the castle around her, to the people that surrounded and moved about around them as they walked… even the Guards that were posted around were unlike anything else that she had ever seen before, and for the life of her, she just couldn't seem to get enough of the sights being offered to her.

Unable to help herself from stumbling over her own two feet ever so slightly due to her own excitement about not only once again being with her father, but also about being able to explore a whole new part of the world, she quickly came to a stop within the middle of the entrance hall, her sudden and slightly abrupt halt causing some of those that were in the room to slow down and watch her as she lifted the bottom of her dress higher, her face seeming to scrunch up as worked to kick off the beautiful blue heels that she had been given along with the dress. Shoes… she had never really had any need for them before, always having spent most of her life bare foot and wandering around the gardens of Swan Lake, but here it was different… she was expected to dress, carry herself and to act in a certain way; but anyone who saw her knew that it was going to take some time for her to learn the ways of those who already called the Pride Land’s their home.

Catching sight of something over the other side of the room, the young Princess all but forgot about her heels as she once more began to move, her now bare feet barely making any sound against the floor as she made her way over to one of the Guards who seemed to be carrying a weapon that was different to the ones she had seen the others carrying; the young girl hesitating for a few moments as she just looked up at him before she reached out towards it, her finger tips lightly brushing over the metal and her eyes lingering on the slight reflection of herself that she could see within it.

Watching quietly as Odette made herself comfortable within his castle, letting her curiosity lead her feet over towards one of his guards, he simply stood by, leaning his large figure against one of the stone pillars that extended all the way up to the high ceiling and crossed his arms over his chest. It was a natural thing for a child to be curious, but Scar knew that Odette would be even more-so, given her upbringing. Having been practically raised by Rothbart, there had to have been very little opportunities for Odette to step foot inside of her father's castle after The Great Animal took it over, and even less opportunity to examine what splendors were held within - that including soldiers, and well... people. He learned that just as soon as he learned that the Princess of Swan Lake still resided there, but had been shut off from the world around her to appease the greedy, trapping claws of the dark sorcerer.

The guard that Odette had been inspecting the weapon of, did not move, instead taking on a more statuesque pose as though he were nothing more than mere decoration than human. His eyes bared forward, unrelenting to look down at the small child who was all but a stranger to him. He had been trained well, however, just as all the others under Scar's rule had been - to know better than when their King was present, the situation was well under control unless specified otherwise. He was, after all, their war general before he was their King.

"Kukri." Scar said from his station at the pillar, giving a name to the weapon Odette was keenly interested in. Tilting his head to the side a bit, as though in thought, Scar then pushed himself from the pillar, letting his thick arms fall back to his sides as he crossed the small space between himself and his adopted daughter to stand behind her, putting a hand on her small shoulder. "Go ahead. Take it." It was not even of mind within Scar to believe that letting a young girl handle a weapon was to be considered dangerous. In fact, it was quite common within The Pride Lands for noble sons to pick up their first, real weapon at the age of seven straight before being thrown into training for the kingdom's army. But even before that age, exposure to weapons of all kinds was strongly encouraged - to better acclimate the children into becoming well-versed in the art of combat and war.

“..kukri…” Being sure to repeat the name of the weapon after she had heard her father speak it, she leant herself in just that little bit closer towards it, her bright blue eyes sparkling slightly and her lips turning further up in her smile as she manages to catch sight of her own reflection staring back at her from within the blade- it was just so… different. There were so many things surrounding her that she had never seen before; things that she wanted to look at, to touch, to learn about… but where it was that she wanted to begin she wasn't quite sure. Turning her head slightly so that she could look up at her father as he approached her, she just couldn't seem to hide the curiosity that flickered across her young features before she once more turned her attention back down to the sword; her finger tips running further down the length of the blade until the next words to leave his lips caused her to take a step back and pull both her hands tightly into her body as though she had just injured herself upon the weapon in question.

“Father, I-I could not… I only wish to gaze upon the beautiful craftsmanship of blade; I do not intend to wield such a weapon of any kind…” Pressing her hands only slightly harder as she shook her head lightly from side to side, as though trying to push the point that she didn't ever want to have to take up arms against another living being, she shifted her body nervously over the ground before taking yet another single step backwards; her head dropping down ever so slightly to stare at the ground that was between them as she spoke, her voice softer than it had been moments before, “..fighting… violence… such things are never the answer; I do not understand why such methods are to be put to into practice when there are other ways to deal with the issues that those who are in higher power seek to throw your way…”

Scar was silent for a moment. Of course he had to come to expect that just like anyone outside of The Pride Lands, Odette would not understand warfare and even... maybe even had learned to hate it. The very thought perturbed him, but Odette was young, and her loyalty to him (shown by her actions of leaving Swan Lake to come and see him) made her quite impressionable. That was something Scar could work with. With his quick wit, silver tongue and ability to manipulate, he managed to get an entire army to turn on their own King. A teenage girl who looked up to him as 'father' would be an easy task in comparison.

"Because there are those who fail to see reason, Malaika. You of all should know this. Does not the very man who killed King William - the man you once called father, and held you captive in your own birth home - not hold true to this? The Great Animal sees no reason, and must be dealt with by other means than negotiation and rationale of which I have promised you. Surely you have enough intelligence in that space between your ears to know I speak truth."

At the very mention of the man who had been her captor for as far back as she could remember, her stomach quickly began to twist and tighten nervously within her, causing her to hunch her shoulders over ever so slightly and to press the palms of her hands against it- Rothbart was nothing more than a monster… and Scar was right; there was no amount of negotiation or reason that would be able to get through to a man who was like him. There were cases, it seemed, where violence and bloodshed were the only answer… the only option that you could turn to, “I… understand father…”

Seemingly unwilling to allow herself to relax as she willingly took in the valuable life lesson that he was providing her with, she slowly lifted a single hand up from where it had been resting with the other one against her stomach, her fingers lightly brushing over her untouched flesh as she pulled some of her long wavy blonde locks back off of her face before neatly tucking them back behind her ear, the young girl still showing reluctance in once again allowing their gazes to meet as she kept both of her eyes focused upon the ground, “Your words ring with nothing more than truth and honesty- please father, forgive me my questioning of such things in which I do not understand… I only inquire that I not be made to handle such instruments of death and destruction.”

That was good enough for him. For now. There was plenty of time to mold her into the woman he knew she was capable of becoming under his care - just like his Vitani would have become, had he not given in to the temptations of magic to solve his problems. Had he not killed her in cold blood in his blind rage as a cursed beast...

Moving his hand down from her shoulder, he pressed his palm to the middle of her small back and with a gentle nudge, pushed her body closer to his. Bending his head down at the neck, he pressed his lips to the crown of her head in a firm, though not without love, kiss.

"He can't harm you here. I won't allow it." he told her, dropping his voice down into a soft, soothing tone before withdrawing his head to stand back up at his full height, his hand never leaving her back but instead gently guiding her to turn and face front with him so that they could walk down the hall together - side by side, closely.

The gentle feeling of his lips pressing lightly against the top of her head caused a warmth to spread throughout her body, and her heart to soar within her chest at the sweet bit of affection he was now giving to her. All the things that she had been warned about… Dominic had been sorely misguided in his words about her father. How anyone could of ever dream to think ill of him was far beyond her comprehension- he had shown her nothing but kindness and love within the time that she had known him, and even more so since she had come to be within his care… she could ask not, nor feel want for anything more. Relaxing once again within his company as she felt the ever gentle nudge against the small of her back as he encouraged her to continue their stroll through the palace, she lowered both of her hands so that she could once more take up the bottom of her dress, holding it only just inches above the ground as she walked by his side, allowing him to take control and to lead her wherever it was that they were headed to.

“..father..? Are all the men that reside within the Pride Lands as brave as you are..?” Falling into what she felt was a comfortable silence for a few moments, she turned her head so that she could gaze up into his face, her eyes filled with nothing more than her own curiosity, mixed with the adoration that she felt for the man who had taken her in out of the goodness of his own heart, “..I mean, I have met very few within my life, with courage enough to face the Great Animal; those few whom I have had the pleasure of making acquaintance with, they all seem to linger for but a single night before they leave once again with empty promises of returning, or before they are forced into suffering a fate far worse than our own... nevertheless, you chose to face him alone- would such a task of ridding the evil that is Rothbart from this world not be swifter if there were more men whom shared in your strength and bravery..?”

Her words had Scar thinking. Right away, Scar's immediate response would have been 'no' followed by a slightly arrogant laugh, but the men she mentioned, the men who had faced The Great Animal before him, and perhaps even after, they had all failed, just as he had. But none of those men were driven by the same means as he was. No one wanted his curse broken more than he did. Of that, he was certain. So his want was stronger, not necessarily his strength, nor his bravery. It was his will. But of course, he couldn't go into such things with Odette, she would find out in due time what made the King of The Pride Lands tick, but tonight was not the night, and perhaps not even tomorrow night or a weeks time from now. But someday, yes, he planned to tell her everything. So he kept his answer simple.

"There is only but one me, Malaika. The fight I bring to The Great Animal is of personal nature for what he has done to m- us. I will find a way to reverse the curses, or kill him trying. Perhaps both. But what I do will be by my own hand." Scar wasn't sure how much Odette knew about war tactics, but he knew it had to be very little. He had an entire army at his disposal to throw at Rothbart if he so chose to, but even with his army, as strong and numerous as they were, they were no match for The Great Animal. No, Scar knew this Dark Sorcerer required a different approach. It was the main reason he returned to The Pride Lands to begin with - to surmise a plan as to how to get the ante up on Rothbart, to catch him off guard at his own game. But that was the problem with the bastard - he always saw it coming. "One day you will understand. I will teach you." Pausing on that thought as they both began to descend down into the grotto so that they could retire for the night, he let his mind wander, realizing only then that he rather liked the sound of that. "Yes, I will teach you all that there is to know here in The Pride Lands, as though you were born here. As though... you truly were my own..." Vitany was not dead. No longer. No, she lived. She lived through Odette. He would make it so.

[ROLEPLAY CLOSED] - Once Upon A Time (Restart)

Dominic Greyjoy and Eliza Brie

Present Day - Lake Tahoe, Earth

Previously...

His eye caught onto Eliza as she separated herself from the rest of them, not as quick to believe as the rest of them were...she was ever the practical one.

Moving away with a hurried, "Excuse me" Dominic approached his adopted niece slowly, letting both hands fall to his pockets yet again.

Not stopping until he was right beside her at the edge of the balcony, Dominic initially said nothing, doing as she was and overlooking the view.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it...?" He asked, though the phrasing of his question implied he already knew the answer to that.

---

The sound of her uncle’s soft and weary voice sounding so close to her wasn’t a surprise to her in the least. Of course he was going to try and get her to believe what he was saying- the rest of them had believed him, so why shouldn’t she, right? Shaking her head softly from side to side as she felt a light sting go through her eyes, she tightened her grip on the railing that she stood in front of. How was it that she was expected to take a leap of faith into something that was just so unbelievable..? Unlike the others in the group that all seemed to have jumped in with both feet forward, she just couldn’t… she couldn’t bring herself to open up to believe in such childish things- none of what he had said was possible… was it..?

“..uncle Dom, just stop… I’m too tired to listen to what you have to say about this; and I’m too old to believe in such childish stories… You’re asking me to take a leap of faith but-… but there’s just no such thing as magic, or witches, or pixie dust, or anything like that…” Closing her eyes tightly for a few moments as though she were holding herself back from saying something she knew she was going to regret, she once more shook her head, her arms shaking lightly as she eventually loosened the grip that she had over the railing, her hand coming up to lightly brush at the corners of her eyes in an attempt to rid herself of any tears that were forming before they could fall and help to ruin her makeup. She was no Princess; she was just herself… and honestly, now she wasn’t even sure about whether she knew who that was anymore...

“I’m trying… but, it’s so hard to believe what you’re saying- I just can’t see what it is that they see…”

Dominic kept a small smile, despite the skepticism in her tone and words. "You're very much like your father, you know. Practical, realistic, inquisitive. Those are good traits, solid. But for just one moment, I want you to forget being practical, being realistic, open your eyes if only for a split-second and simply flirt with the notion that maybe, just maybe...there's a whole other world, a whole other life outside this one. If you let skepticism and disbelief rule your life, Eliza, then you'll never be able to rise up to your full potential." Dominic finished on an optimistic note, clasping his hands together over the rail as he once more turned to look out across the horizon.

“Dreaming is what my sister does… not me.” Sighing softly, she fell silent for a few moments before she dropped her hand back down to the railing and once more lifted her gaze up to the mountain in front of them both. He wanted her to open her eyes… to try and entertain the possibility for even a moment- she could do that; or at least she could try and do that. Taking a few more minutes to herself so that she could collect her thoughts, she eventually turned her body so that she was facing him completely, her hip resting softly up against the railing as she tilted her head ever so slightly so that she could try and see any doubt or any sign that he was joking within his eyes, “..okay, fine, I’ll humor you just this once…”

Pausing for a brief moment as she turned her head to glance over at what was left of the group lingering upon the other side of the balcony, she took a deep breath as though readying herself for what she was about to hear and turned her attention completely back to her uncle, “..so there’s a whole ‘nother world, that’s full of magic and other childish wonders- and we were all sent here to Earth from that world to keep us safe because some witch went on a massive power trip and wanted to take over the entire world… okay, for this little exercise's sake, I’m with you so far… But really, me? I’m meant to be a Royal Princess..? If that’s true, then everything that I’ve known up till now is a complete and utter lie… Uncle, if that’s true... then who am I..?”

"When you came here, to this land, with your sister, you were given a new name. The only knowledge of your heritage is that you and Annalise were found alone in the snow. Your sister had almost contracted hypothermia by the time your father found you, yet you were perfectly healthy - content, even. However, the life you lived here, Eliza Brie, was hardly a lie. Your experiences and memories are real - sincere. But there is much more to you, who you are. Where we come from, home, you are called Elsa, future queen of Arendelle. And I'm sure you can quite easily guess who your sister would be." Dominic finished sounding slightly amused, yet optimistic at the same time. Her piqued curiosity and interest were all signs that she was opening up, if only a fraction.

“Elsa..? Arendelle..? You telling me that back ho-… that in this magical place we’re meant to be from, that I’m meant to be the snow Queen from that Disney movie ‘Frozen’..? I mean, yeah okay… I see some similarities; we both love snow, and well, the cold doesn’t really bother me as much as it bothers everyone else that I know-…” Her sentence trailed off lightly as she seemed to freeze where she stood upon the balcony, her mind only seeming to catch up with what it was that he had said to her about who she was supposed to be- Queen… future Queen of Arendelle… She could barely control her sister when their father was away on his business trips; how was it she was suddenly expected to rule over an entire Kingdom that she hadn’t ever been to, let alone wasn’t even sure existed.

“..wait, future Queen..? As in-… You mean with the whole sitting on a throne, ruling over a Kingdom, looking after a lot more than just one or two people..? I’m sorry, that’s not me- you have the wrong girl, uncle Dom…”

"You underestimate yourself." Dominic replied simply, a somewhat stern edge to his voice but not unkindly. "Eliza, royalty is in your blood - I've seen it here, at the lodge. And you won't be alone. The Sorcerer and I both will be there to guide you every step of the way. You're young, yes, and inexperienced -- but not alone. Arendelle needs its Queen, and that's you. As daunting as it may seem." Dominic clasped a single gentle hand on her shoulder, offering a small, warm smile.

“..you really think that I’m that special, don’t you…” The words were soft as they slipped through her lips, though just by staring back into her uncle’s eyes, she already knew what his answer was going to be on the matter: yes. He did believe her to be completely capable of everything that they were both discussing with one another… of putting faith into everything that he was saying to her… of believing in not only everything that she had heard, but also believing in herself… of becoming the very Queen that he seemed to think her capable of being… It was daunting, that’s for sure.

Tearing her gaze away from his own as she dropped her head, she focused her attention instead on both of her hands which had at some point pressed up against her stomach, her brilliant ice-blue eyes watching on as her fingers nervously played with not only one another, but also with the beautiful blue material that made up her dress- she was still unsure; it was clear in her features. The others had all been so willing to believe… and as much as she wanted to, there was just something seeming to hold her back from letting herself go completely, “..if I’m supposed to be Queen, what’ll happen to Anna..? And then-… then do you know what supposedly happened to our parents..? I mean, our real parents, not our adopted father…”

"Your sister is royalty, like you, but being the younger sibling she will not inherit the throne." Dominic explained, adopting a more scholarly tone that he had gained through the thirteen years of experience working at a museum.

As Eliza approached the subject of her parents, Dominic gave pause for a moment. "Your parents ensured that you and your sister were safe with us but...we lost contact with them after a dangerous ship crash in the midst of a terrible storm. I do not know if they are still alive or not." Dominic explained cautiously, clearing his throat.

"However...they left you gifts, mementos to remember them by." Dominc quickly shifted gears, moving over to the envelopes gathered near the folder, finding one that looked no different from the rest aside from an elaborate wax seal.

Carefully opening the envelope, Dominic procured two items from it. A single, delicate tiara fit with gems that made it glint in the moonlight, and a pair of elbow-length gloves, made of the finest silk and colored the most brilliant shade of blue, decorated with simple dark blue patterns along its length.

Approaching Eliza once more, Dominic held out the items for her to take, a look of nostalgia across his features.

She couldn’t help the way that her soft pink lips parted at the very sight of the items that were lain out in the palms of his hands, her own hesitating against her stomach for a few moments before she slowly reached out towards him with her right hand, her finger tips lightly brushing over the delicate metal of the tiara causing a small but sad sort of smile to cross over her features as she continued to look it over- the gentle light from the moon above them lightly dancing over the gems causing them to shine ever so beautifully, the very sight of it reflected within her eyes as they seemed to gloss over with tears that once again seemed intent on forming. She knew this tiara… she could feel it deep in her heart; it had belonged to her mother.

Pulling her hand back from the tiara as though in fear that it was going to break into a million pieces or disappear completely if she wasn’t careful, she slowly turned her attention down to the beautiful pair of elbow-length gloves that he held in his other hand; the young woman hesitating for only a second before she reached out to take them from him, the feeling of the silk brushing upon her skin so familiar to her… Lifting her gaze to meet with his as though she was looking for some kind of encouragement that it was okay before she dropped her eyes back down to the gloves, pausing for what felt like a lifetime before she took a deep breath and slowly began to pull them onto her arms one by one, “..conceal; don’t feel…”

"These have waited many years for you to see, Eliza." Dominic said simply, believing there was little else to say at this moment. "Will you return home?" He finally asked after pausing for a few moments, letting his free hand move to his pocket while the other still held onto the tiara as though it were a delicate artifact that would shatter if even the wind blew a certain way.

Lifting her newly gloved hands up ever so slightly so that they were instead hovering in front of her at around chest height, she continued to stare at the gloves, seemingly mesmerized as her eyes lightly followed the strange but still beautiful patterns that were embroidered upon the material- the small floral images from her home causing her lips to turn up further than before, causing her smile to get bigger than it already had been. Though she was still skeptical in some senses, she knew in her heart that he was right… the lodge may be where she lived, but it just wasn’t her home…

Lowering her hands back down so that they were once more resting together against the front of her dress, her head nodding softly as she returned her gaze back to meet with that of her uncles, “..yes; I-... I wanna go home…”

With a wide smile, Dominic took another step closer, holding the tiara with both hands he reached out, placing it gently on top of her head. "Then we will." He said simply, for there were no more words needed.

[ROLEPLAY CLOSED] - Once Upon A Time (Restart)

~ ? ~

[ROLEPLAY CLOSED] - Once Upon A Time (Restart)

Audrey Ramirez

Present Day ~ Fairy Tale World ~ Province

Late… she was running late, extremely late- she was going to be in trouble when she finally got home. Her sister was going to kill her for keeping her waiting for so long, but what else was she going to do? She had had no other choice in the matter… there had been a mistake, a major screw up by one of her crew, and as the chief mechanic, she was the only one who was considered skilled enough to fix it- the King’s own words. If she didn’t, she would have been screwed worse than she already was. Estúpido... Just because she was more advanced than those who he had charged under her care… She huffed out a sigh, her hand coming up to roughly slip back through her hair, pushing it back off of her face so that she could get a better look at what she was doing as she made her way down the cobblestone streets of Province, her dark brown orbs flicking over to the house that she was able to call her own as she grew closer and closer to it, her feet carrying up to the front door where she nervously paused, bracing herself for her sister’s wrath… tonight was not going to be getting any better, at least, not this moment anyway…

“Audrey! Usted estúpida puta! You know that I have an important match tonight, you did this to me on purpose!” She hadn’t even been able to grab the handle before the door swung open and her older sister was in her face about being late. She knew that it had been coming, knew that she was going to have to face her sooner or later, but right now she was too tired, and too busy to deal with her sisters crap. Shaking her head softly from side to side, she turned her body slightly so that she could slip past her and into the house, not even bothering to give her a second glance as she headed further inside, her eyes searching around for something, or someone that she couldn’t see.

“Alright, nice to see you too, Nena… keeping your anger bottled up and ready for the ring I see. Look, I don’t have time for you to lecture me, and neither do you, so why don’t you just tell me where she is, and then get out of here…”

“Tienes suerte de que ella está aquí…” She didn’t even bother flinching as she heard the sound of the front door slamming shut somewhere behind her, though she wasn’t about to deny the fact that it annoyed the hell out of her- if her sister’s rash actions woke her up… She closed her eyes for only a moment as she tried her best to keep her temper under control. Her sister was a special case- she could both make her calm and get her to show a happier side of herself that she hadn’t in many years… or she could pull the opposite effect on her altogether by sending her anger spiraling out of control; right now, she was having the latter effect…

“O que? Huh? You going to beat me down- you going to leave her with even less familia than she already has?” She couldn’t remember doing it, but she had turned to face her sister- their bodies close against one another’s as they stared each other down, neither one of them giving any signs that they would be backing away from the other any time soon. It hadn’t always been like this; they hadn’t always been at each others throats- their temper was inherited, that much they both knew for a fact, but since they had moved to Province all those years ago… they had attempted to reign it all in, if only for the sake of their new familia- no, their only familia, “Go on- do it… but you can’t can you, Nyah. Heh, eres patético; you won’t risk losing another siste-…”

She couldn’t help but flinch- her sentence cut completely short as she felt a sharp pain shoot through her cheekbone, forcing her head to the side with the force that had so suddenly hit against it, the sheer power behind the blow causing the skin to split apart and a cool trickling sensation to slowly make its way down her face from where she knew she had been injured. She had actually hit her… it wasn’t a first, the two of them had gotten into several fights in the past; though it was the first time that Nena had ever become violent towards her at the mention of their late sister. Lifting her hand up from her side as she straightened herself up slightly, she pressed the tips of her fingers against her cheek where she could feel the most pain, her hand lowering down slightly and her head turning to look in its direction until she was able to see just how hard her sister had punched, the sight of the bright and fresh crimson blood staining her fingertips causing her jaw to clench.

“Fuera…”

“A-Audrey, please-… I didn't mean it- come on, you know that…” She could see it clearly in her sister’s eyes; she regretted punching her the moment that she had completed the action. But it didn’t matter anymore, the damage was done and there was no taking it back now, no matter how much Nena may have wanted to do just that. Now there was only one thing that she wanted, and that was for her sister to leave; she had things that she had to do, and the longer that she was there, the longer she was just going to stand around arguing about stupid mistakes and a past life that always caused a fight to break out, "..Kiara..."

“I said get out!”

She didn’t even bother to watch- she couldn’t, she was too angry. Instead she listened. Waiting until she heard the sound of the door closing behind her sister before she even thought about relaxing in the silence of the hallway- her shoulders slumping ever so slightly as she turned her back on the door, her feet carrying her further into the house that she was able to call her own. Her sister had crossed the line- no, she had destroyed the line completely; and it was just pure luck that she had other priorities on her mind that didn’t involve Nina hanging around the house with her. Slowing down her pace as she drew into the lounge area, she allowed her dark brown eyes to scan the area, seemingly searching for something before they finally came to a stop on what looked like a pile of blankets, however the small mess of tangled brown locks poking out from underneath them let her know that she had indeed found what it was that she had been looking for; the very sight of her daughter sleeping calmly upon the cushions, bringing a small though undeniably loving smile to her lips- she looked so peaceful, so content; her own little piece of heaven right here in front of her…

It was time for her to go to bed. Her little Elaina… her precious little world. Moving around the couch so that she was standing in front of her daughter, she reached out towards her as her body leant over slightly, her fingers light as she brushed them over the child’s forehead, brushing her fringe back and off of her sweet face so that she could see her properly- her arms slowly sliding down the child’s body before wrapping around her as gently as she could manage; careful not to wake her daughter from the sweet dreams she could only imagine that she was having as she lifted her up from the cushions she had been resting on, pausing for a moment as the child began to stir before she held her protectively against her chest, “My Elaina… time for bed my precious and beautiful baby girl…”

“..she looks so much like her father; not that I’m saying she doesn’t look like you…”

The voice, though she had been expecting to hear it soon enough, still caused her to jump slightly and to turn around in her surprise to face the large man that stood in front of her with his hands shoved deep into the recesses of his pockets; a small though ever saddened smile crossing over her lips and pain flashing across her features for only a moment at the mention of the father of her child. It had been four years since he left her on her own- she hadn’t even found out that she had been expecting until long after he had been gone… but ever since then, the rest of the team had all taken it upon themselves to help her out as much as they could, even when she didn’t want or need it, “It’s fine… I know what you mean Sweets- I look at her sometimes and all I can see is him; it used to hurt, but it gets better with every day that goes by…“

“..it’s been four years since he left you; he’s gone Audrey, he isn’t coming back- don’t you maybe think that it’s time you moved on? You deserve to be happy.” She couldn’t help the small bout of protective hesitance in her actions as he reached forward to take the sleeping child, her arms finally relaxing enough to allow him to separate the mother and child so that she was once more able to move around freely, her hand coming up to rub exhaustively at her face for a moment before she shook her head softly from side to side in response to his question. Why did people feel the need to point out what they believed others to be deserving of? Was it some sort of weird illness that had no possible cure, or was is just because people were too nosy to but out of other people’s business… either way, she didn’t have the luxury for things like happy endings- in her experience, they just didn’t exist.

“Whether you think I deserve it or not, it doesn’t matter- my sister was happy, and you know as well as the others what happened to her… I was happy, remember? And he left me; sailed away with promises to come back, and he broke each and every one.” She didn’t have time for any of this; much like her sister, she was running late, and if she left it for too much longer she was going to be left out of the running altogether. Crossing her arms over her stomach so that she could grab hold and pull her top up and off over her head as she turned and made her way across the room, she balled it up in her hands before tossing it through the door that led into her room ahead of her as she continued to make her way towards it, her body leaning over slightly to snatch up the tight leather top that she had gotten out for herself earlier that morning in the hope that it would help to save time, “And look at where that left me- do not get me wrong, I would never complain about being a mother, I love her more than anything; but I barely get time to spend with her, Gaston has me working sunrise to long past the sun setting, and what I get is still not enough to support our familia…”

“You know that we’re willing to help you out as much as you need us to; all you have to do it as-…”

“No- I don’t like charity. I’ll earn my own way, and I will support my familia on my own.” She cut him off before he could even finish his sentence- she knew exactly what it was that he was saying to her, but there was no way she was going to accept their help. She could support her familia without their help, what kind of a mother would she be if she couldn’t do things on her own? Clenching her jaw for only a few moments at the thought of having to look her baby girl in the eyes if she ever failed to provide for her, she dropped her attention down to her hands as she tugged roughly on the bottom of her top, making sure that it was covering her properly before she slipped her hands up behind her neck, fastening the leather straps tightly as she let her attention turn back to where Sweets was standing cradling Elaina in his arms, “..speaking of which, I have to go- it’s high stakes, and once I win, I’ll be able to get her something special… I’ll be back once I’m done, I don’t know how long it will be tonight.”

“Your stubbornness continues to astound me- is everyone like that where you come from?”

“Oh you have no idea…” She couldn’t help the gentle chuckle that fell from her lips as she began to make her way back through the house and out the front door, though unlike her sister before her she did all that she could to shut it softly, not wanting to wake the sleeping child that still remained in the arms of the doctor safely within the four walls of their home- her hand slipping down into her back pocket to pull her gloves out as she began to make her way back down the cobblestone roads, her dark eyes flicking down to her hands every so often as she tugged on the leather finger-less gloves that she usually took with her when they were out on a job. If she won tonight, she was going to take the morrow off work so that she could spend time with Elaina… now she just had to hope that there wouldn’t be any interruptions to her night- the last thing she needed was Isabella and the rest of the Knights showing up to ruin her plans…

[ROLEPLAY CLOSED] - Once Upon A Time (Restart)

Eliza Brie, Alan Woodard, Dominic Greyjoy, Annalise Brie, Daria Belikov, Rapunzel, Jaidyn Beachley, Sebastian Beachley, Morgan Reginald, Ireneo Funes, and Igor Pechorsky

Present Day - Lake Tahoe, Earth - Part Two

Previously...

"Give me a few moments of your time, Detective....and all will be made clear." Dominic reasoned as Morgan turned to head back inside.

"Now then. For the more practical of you, I have evidence that will not only correlate with what I've been telling you tonight, but hopefully allow us to reach a goal we've been trying to for over thirteen years." Dominic explained, once more to the group as a whole, planting both hands in his coat pockets.

---

Jaidyn couldn’t help the way that his eyes dropped down to the folder that Alan had slammed down on the table in front of Dominic- that was supposed to hold all the answers to the questions that they all seemed to have burning in their minds? It looked so plain, so boring, so… normal. It was like all of the other binders that any of them would have used for work or school if it was ever needed; so what the hell was so different about this one in particular? Furrowing his brows in his own confusion as he tried to sort through the different questions that were bubbling away in his head, he shot a glance to the side and over to the others that were standing around him- Sebastian, Eliza, Daria, the detective whom he hadn’t officially met yet, the quiet blonde who had a substantial amount of hair, the guy who was completely silent while in the wheelchair and the one standing behind him who looked as though he worked at the lodge, Dominic, Eliza’s little sister-… Was that a look between her and her sister’s boyfriend?

Clenching his jaw tightly for a few moments as he shoved the thoughts to the side so that he could discuss them later on with his brother, Jaidyn lifted his hand up from his side to lightly rub at the back of his neck as he pushed himself away from the railing, slowly letting his feet carry him forward until he eventually came to a complete stop in front of the table that the folder was resting on, his brilliant sea-blue eyes dropping down to stare at it for a few moments before reaching out to pick it up, the pages bending slightly as he let the cover flick out from under his thumb so that he could look at everything that was written inside, his brows furrowing with each page that he flicked through until he came to a stop, his heart seeming to sink low in his chest as he stared down at a couple of pictures of himself; one as a young boy, and the other more recent, “..Eric Bourdelle..?”

Snapping his head up after a few moments so that Jaidyn’s gaze met with Dominic’s searching for some kind of confirmation that what he was reading was true before turning to face his brother, his feet taking a couple of steps towards him as he motioned to the folder before looking back down at it completely, “If what they’re saying is true; then according to this… my name is actually Eric, and that I’m some prince of a place called The Southern Isles- I’ve never even heard of it.”

“I’ve heard of it- but it isn’t a real place Jaidyn.” Eliza hesitated for a few moments before she made her way over to where the two of them were standing by the railing again, her arms wrapping over her chest as she quickly shot a glance down at the folder before looking between the two boys, “The Southern Isles is a place in that Disney movie ‘Frozen’; it’s the place that the villain comes from, I think his name is Hans, or something like that. I have the movie in my room with the rest of the movies in my collection.”

Daria trained her attention on Jaidyn when he started to speak as he looked through the file. Prince Eric... Her curiosity won out and she walked over to him and looked at the file as well. Slowly, she flipped the pages until she saw her own picture, her other hand holding her necklace tightly. She stared at the picture, she was in the clothes she had been found in. A gold scarf and a blue beaded dress of sorts which was far too cold for Russia.... Her eyes slowly drifted up to the name, a name she was somewhat expecting to see.

"Jasmine Singh," She said quietly, "Princess of Agrabah..." She shook her head, "None of these places actually exist. Did the two of you just decide to stalk us and felt like putting a Disney twist on it to make it fun and delightful? Make our lives a joke?"

As much as she wanted answers... As much as she was trying to get Eliza to listen to her uncle. This was too far. Had her home been a real geographical place maybe she wouldn't be getting upset but now she was just starting to feel like they were playing with them. Toying with them. She wouldn't exactly put it past Alan. Maybe this was just some big magic trick he felt like playing. Got the photos from the uncle and since none of them had actually said when they were found, just deciding it must be the same because they were told it was...

Rapunzel stepped forward and placed her hands on Daria's arm, "Hey... Benefit of the doubt, right? Wasn't that just what you were telling Eliza?"

"Ya... Well, that was before I realized these two creeps have been stalking all of us..." Daria hissed, pulling her arm back.

"Me next! Me next!" Sebastian nearly vaulted himself over the table that was placed between himself and the table where the group was slowly starting to congregate. He couldn't help it. As completely unrealistic as this all was, a surge of excitement began to flood his veins, spiking his attention disorder he had a cap on since their arrival and his next scheduled medicated time wasn't for another few hours thanks to the time zone change. Jet lag? What jet lag? Sebastian felt completely and entirely alive for those few moments as he finally made his way through the group, having to push some people aside a bit in his efforts.

"Prince Eric, huh? Sebastian asked, looking towards his brother for a second before he started to flip through the binder, expecting to find his picture either right before or right after Jaidyn's considering their family ties but he was unable to find it in either place. Not letting that perturb him, he kept looking. "The only Eric I know in the Disney-verse is from The Little Mermaid, the fish banger..." Sebastian paused to give his brother a dirty look, though with a twisted sort of smile. "Thought you were riding those sea waves a bit hard." Sebastian chuckled and elbowed his brother in the ribs a few times before his attention fell on his own picture towards the front of the binder.

Another spike through his system, though this time it wasn't excitement. Sebastian wasn't actually even sure what it was - it was hard to read over the words in his state but the very first word was all he needed before reality began to set in on him.

"Peter..." Sebastian felt his jaw hanging open for a bit, his posture straightening up as he met eyes with his brother as though he held the answers. "Pan..." he then finished, and then with a quick, unpredictable flailing of his arms, Sebastian awkwardly pointed to his rib-cage where he knew his brother would know rested the ink of a very particular tattoo Sebastian had done on his eighteenth birthday, and then flailed his arms again at his brother, expecting yet again an explanation. "Unless my ex-girlfriends have been talking to someone... you're the only one that knows, Jai..."

Prince Eric..? The Little Mermaid..? Argh, his brothers words made his stomach churn in pure disgust at the very thought that he was supposed to somehow fall in love with a fish-woman. This was just all too much; yeah, so he had a thing for being in the water and on the beach, it didn’t mean he was going to fall in love with a mythical creature and then run some octopus Lady through the chest with the bowsprit of a damn ship. It was some joke… it had to be a joke- he’d give it to them though, they had all put a lot of damn effort into getting all the little things right, like the pictures of when they were all young… it must have taken them a while to track them all down and convince their parents to get in on the gag.

“Dude; there is no way that I’m going to run off into the sunset after marrying some mermaid- I love fish, but not that much Seb, and you know it.” He was trying; oh Gods was he trying, but eventually he just couldn’t hold it in any longer- Jaidyn’s lips split into a huge grin as the sound of his laughter began to fill the area around them, his arms dropping back down to his sides so that his hands were able to once more slip into the recesses of his pockets, his head shaking lightly from side to side in his amusement at his brothers actions in front of him. Sebastian was acting as though he had all the answers to their questions, when in reality Jaidyn was just as clueless as the rest of them were- but the thought that his brother was supposedly the one character he had idolized as a child was more than ironic, “Hey Seb… to die would be an awfully big adventure; don’t you think? Heh, so I’m related to the infamous Peter Pan- think I’m good enough to become one of the lost boys? Or are you going to fly off and get a thimble from dear old Wendy?”

"You shutup!" Sebastian yelled back at his brother. This wasn't funny. None of this was funny anymore. All his life he had been searching for answers as to where he had come from and sure, most of the time he was the care-free kid who loved nothing more than to screw around and make light of hard circumstances but this... where he came from... it had always been a raw nerve hidden deep within the fun-house that was Sebastian Beachley. But he wasn't Sebastian Beachley, not really. Though he wasn't exactly hot on the trail of starting to call himself Peter Pan just yet, it was the only damn thing that was making any sense in his life... and that scared him just a little bit.

Dominic's expression became stoic, like stone as he watched a few of the now-grown children come up to read their file...and react with varying degrees of disbelief.

“Open different doors, you may find a you there that you never knew was yours. Anything can happen.” He recited once, simply, concisely, looking on the group as the words seemed to echo off his lips. A quote, from Mary Poppins of all places, but it didn't fit any better than it did now.

"You're scared and confused...I know you are. But please, keep an open mind. Read between the lines, know that this is your heritage." Dominic added soberly, reaching a hand up to cup his chin.

Rapunzel shook her head at Daria's outburst before she glanced over at the folder. There seemed to be pictures of the other's missing years... Maybe... Maybe there were something to fill the empty void that was her memory. She walked over to the folder and looked at the brothers, "May I?"

She asked quietly before taking the binder from them and flipping through the pages. Daria rose an eyebrow, "You really need to look to see who you are, Rapunzel."

The blonde looked at the girl, who seemed to go from a hopeful optimistic to rather irritated about it all. She supposed she could understand that... There was a difference between blind faith and accepting facts, especially when those facts seemed more fictitious than anything. Rapunzel shook her head, "I've just... never seen a picture of myself."

She buried her nose back in the book until she found a picture of the girl she had seen in the mirror. It was... strange, looking at the unmoving picture of herself. What was crazier was the sheer amount of hair that she had. She had thought it long before, when it was trailing on the ground behind her.... But in the photo, it trailed behind her and hung from the banister, it raced up stairs and lay of the floor.

There was only one other photo of herself, sitting just below the first. Curled up in the arms of what she assumed to be her mother, a man, her father, with his hands on the woman's shoulders. Rapunzel bit her lip. She knew her story despite not remembering her history... They never really knew her. Robbed from her cradle when she was just a babe... They knew as much about her as she did them. She pulled the baby picture from the file and looked up at Dominic, "May I?"

"Yes, yes, of course." Dominic replied quickly, motioning for Rapunzel to have free ownership of the picture. He otherwise remained silent, his gaze stern and heavy as he kept a close eye on each of them, hoping maybe, maybe for that one shred of hope.

Annalise stood in the back silently as the others started to look at the file that was laid out before them, hearing some of their reactions, such as Jaidyn's, as she watched him looking over his own file. She heard him say his real name, Eric Bourdelle, and where he was actually from, a place called The Southern Isles. Annalise quickly thought it was a huge joke, she shook her head looking over at her sister Eliza as she explained that the place was actually from the movie Frozen. "This really and truly has to be a joke, if what you are saying is true then..." Annalise pointed over towards Sebastian. "Then he would have to have the ability to fly around or something, right?" Annalise asked.

Taking a few steps forward, she looked over towards her friends then looking over towards Rapunzel, watching her look down at her own file for a few moments. "Mind if I take a look?" Annalise asked in a soft tone before she slowly took the file away and took a few steps back, looking over towards Daria as she stood next to her friend. Quickly flipping through everyone else's files until she found her own and quietly read through it, her eyes looking down to some of the pictures, one of them was of her when she was five years old, without the white streak of hair she always had... "Anna Bryndís, Princess of Arendelle.." Annalise said to herself, remembering watching the movie Frozen herself with her sister, and opened the next page to see that Eliza was there as well. She looked over towards her sister before putting the file back down, knowing how Eliza would react.

"You were all brought here, to this realm - to Earth, to escape a dark and terrible fate that befell your home, The Fairy Tale Realm. We four: Igor, Funes, Alan and myself were assigned as Guardians, to watch over each of you until the time was right for you to return home and claim what once was yours."

Turning towards the rather impressively sized folder, Dominic began to dexterously flip through the pages, eyes rapidly scanning each one until it reached its destination, a series of pages near the far back, as inconspicuous and unassuming as the rest. Yet as he reached the page, he treated it with immense care, as though it contained priceless artifacts from an ancient time.

"This is the last piece of evidence I have for you." Dominic spoke up once more, his voice turning serious, almost reverent.

"These pages contain any lasting sentiments or artifacts from your family and friends back home. You may look and examine as you will." Dominic added before receding from the table, allowing the group to come up and look as they wished.

The sudden change in the atmosphere around him caused Jaidyn to shift slightly where he stood, his arms crossing tighter over his chest for only a moment before they dropped back to his sides. There was something different now than there was before… the way that Dominic was talking; the tone of his voice, the word he chose to use, the posture of his body, the look on his face… it made it all just feel that much more final- maybe this wasn’t all a joke after all… The thought had Jaidyn second guessing everything that he had ever known, but then… could they really blame the others and him for believing that everything that they said had been a joke? The Fairy Tale realm… Mermaids… Evil Queen … darkness and destruction… Princes and Princesses… it was everything that made up a great fairytale or Disney movie, and because of that, it was also a lot for someone to take in, let alone take seriously enough to believe any of it...

Unable to help but hesitate for a few moments as he tried to shake the nagging feeling in his mind that told him to believe everything being said to him, Jaidyn made his way over to where the folder had been left on the table, his bright sea-blue eyes flicking over the things lain out on top of it before they came to rest on a slightly yellowed envelope. Eric Bourdelle. The name was written clearly and precisely in beautiful penmanship that obviously belonged to a woman. It was so… familiar; like he had seen it before, but couldn’t pick out just where from. Quickly shooting a glance over his shoulder at his brother for only a second, he reached out and picked the envelope up from the table, lifting it up in front of him, staring at it for what felt like a lifetime before he flipped it over in his hand, his eyes lingering upon the red seal on the back before he broke it and pulled out the contents, his jaw dropped only slightly as his eyes flicked over the words written over the page he held.

“..this really isn’t a joke… is it..?” Lowering the letter down slightly as he lifted his head up so that he was once more looking at Dominic, Jaidyn stared at him in slight disbelief before he once more returned back to the letter that he now knew had come from his mum… his real mum… her words seeming to just confirm everything that had been spoken out loud for them to hear. His whole life he had thought that he had known exactly who he was- thought that he had been happy not knowing about his real family because he already had one; one that loved and supported him, and who was there every step of the way… but now the opportunity was there… Frowning slightly as his eyes read over a particular sentence towards the end of the letter, he turned the envelope over completely; his eyes widening slightly something cold and hard fell out onto the table, the ring like object held fast on a black cord. Shifting so that he was holding all the paper in one hand, he reached out to pick it up, wrapping the black cord around his hand, “..it’s… my families royal seal...”

Rapunzel was surprised that she spotted an envelope with her own name on it. She hadn't expected to have any last sentiments from her parents... They didn't even know if she was alive... She stepped forward and took the letter into her hands, staring at her name. It was in a woman's writing... Her mother's. Turning it over, she broke the seal and removed the letter from inside. Her eyes took in the writing of her mother and her wishful thinking, praying that she would be reunited with her baby girl again. There was another picture inside, a picture of the sky lit up with paper lanterns. Her mother had mentioned how they were for her. She stared the picture for a long while, there was a faint and distant memory of seeing the lanterns but didn't know where or when.

Looking back at the envelope, she reached in and pulled out a long necklace. At the center there was a small purple pendant with yellow sun on it. She stared at it for a long while. Finally, she let out a long exhale as she blinked back any tears. She had been lost for the last year and now it seemed like she had never really been with her family... Not her true one. Going back with the guardians meant that she might be able to reunite her family again... Her parents deserved that...

Annalise stared at Dominic as he pulled out a series of envelopes one with each of their names on it, seeing how he was handling them she assumed that they contained delicate items. Crossing her arms over her chest Annalise watched Jaidyn grabbing an envelope with his name on it, and watched Rapunzel reaching for the one with her name on it as well. As curious as she was Annalise took a step closer to her friend seeing the letter as well as a long necklace in it. She took a few steps forward Annalise reached for the envelope with her name on it and opened it.

Dumping the contents of it was a small box one half of it was purple and the other half was green with a symbol of a golden flower in the middle of it. The crest seemed to be oddly familiar to her she opened it up inside contained a small ring with the same exact crest on it. Inspecting the ring Annalise rolled the ring around in her fingers as she inspected it. Along the band of the ring Annalise could see her real name inscribed in very intricate and delicate writing also had her parents names inscribed into it. Annalise had a shocked look on her face as she started to remember that it had her kingdom's crest on it. Her eyes looking along the rest of the group and then over towards her sister. The more she thought about it the more Annalise thought that this whole thing was actually real.

Daria reluctantly approached the envelopes before she grabbed the one addressed to her. Opening it, she found a letter, like the first two. However, unlike the others, her own was written in a language that she didn't understand. The letter looked more like a piece of art over a beautiful sentiment to an estranged child. Shaking her head, she folded the useless letter up and reached into the envelope again as she felt something resting at the bottom. Grabbing it, she pulled out a long blue ribbon with the largest sapphire she had ever seen in the center. She gasped, by simply looking at it she could tell the gem was real. There was no way that Elsa's uncle or Alan would have gone to any extent to try and get something so expensive for a prank.

She ran her finger of the gem and shook her head. It was exactly like the one from the movie... She laughed a little before she wove it through her hair. Looking at herself in the reflection of the window, she thought that... maybe this was all real...

There was only a single letter left. And it wasn't even a letter really, more like a thin package you would expect to come through the mail that would otherwise be too big for a standard envelope, but too small for a true package. Sebastian stepped forward, still feeling that frantic beating of his heart against his rib cage, and picked up the packaged envelope.

Tilting it, Sebastian held out his hand, feeling the contents inside sliding down to the opening and stopping once it reached his palm. He could feel his fingers beginning to tremble, but his curiosity won out in the end, forcing them to pull the envelope up, allowing the contents of the package to fall neatly into his hand.

For a moment, Sebastian just stared, his brows furrowing in confusion as he looked over what looked like a wad of thick jungle leaves though slowly, the leaves began to unfold themselves, forced outward by creases he didn't know existed until the wad of just leaves actually began to take on the semblance of a child's hat, folded in half. A small, red feather, perhaps belonging to a tropical parrot, pierced through the leaf-made hat but more interesting than that, the hollow shaft of the feather also kept in place a small piece of paper, though upon sight he knew it wasn't exactly paper at all; more like very thin tree bark.

Gently setting the envelope aside on the surface of the table behind him without looking at it, Sebastian's hand came to the hat, pulling out the red feather and with it, the small note that had been attached. There was writing on it, the sight in itself causing his heart to leap into his throat rendering him unable to speak. It was messy, blotchy black ink, and hard to read, but it was indeed a message. A message to him.

Can you smell that? That's the smell of someone who has ridden the back of the wind, Peter. The smell of endless fun summers, with sleeping in trees and adventures with Indians and Pirates. Oh remember, Peter? The world was ours. We could do everything or nothing. All it had to be was anything 'cause it was always us.

~

You know that place between asleep and awake? That place where you still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always be, Peter Pan. That's where I'll be waiting.

~

I believe in you, Peter. Now, just one more time, I need you to believe in me.

Tink

It wasn't until he read over the words in his mind three times did Sebastian began to consciously become aware of a distinct smell. When he had first opened up the package, his subconscious had assumed the aroma had been from the old packaging envelope itself, or the waxy seal that kept it together at the top. It wasn't at all unpleasant, though not quite savory either - simply it was just too faint to be able to tell heads or tails out of it, but once Sebastian understood that it came from the hat, it all began to make sense.

Unable to help himself, Sebastian brought the hat up to his nose, taking in a deep, slow breath. His eyes closed as his mind tried to make sense of the familiar smells, but before he could, something from within the folded up hat slipped through and fell to the floor, making a strange, hollow-sounding clink.

His eyes opened and his head tilted downwards, spotting the object at his feet though it was hard to tell what it was in the dark. Slowly, almost as if he were afraid to, Sebastian squatted down onto his haunches and picked it up. There, being held within his fingertips, was a child-sized, crudely made pan flute kept together only with what looked like bits and pieces of twine. He couldn't bring himself to look away from it, however, as though there were some deep, magical connection between it and he. A history.

Scrunching up the hat a bit in his opposite hand, he maneuvered it to hold onto the other side as though it were the most natural thing to do. Of course he had seen pan flutes before - his wide musical almost-career having exposed him to many different instruments, however he had never held one before. At least... he didn't think he had. The weight of the instrument was light, much lighter than how it looked and yet he couldn't bring it in himself to be surprised. His fingertips began to tingle, followed closely by his lower lip - a muscle memory he didn't even know he had.

"Never say goodbye." Sebastian said out loud, though more to himself than to those around him. He didn't understand where the words were coming from, but they tumbled from his tongue as though there were his own at one point... some time ago... "Because saying goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting."

Bringing the pan flute to his lower lip, the leafy hat still clenched in his palm pressing against the instrument, Sebastian ran his lip back and forth over the pipes a few times before taking a small breath, and began to blow as he stood up straight again.

A song began to form after a few random notes, until finally, a full-fledged, obviously practiced tune came from the pan flute. In that moment, no one else existed. In that moment, Sebastian wasn't even on the balcony, being watched by his peers. There was only him and the music.

His eyes remained closed all the while though the passion that would have otherwise been held within them reigned prominent upon his features. Halfway through, a single tear rolled down his cheek, catching the light of the moon until it caught on the strong line of his jaw and splashed down onto the shoulder cuff of his green suit jacket.

After finishing, he paused before letting his eyes slowly open, revealing the unshed tears left behind within them. Taking a moment, coming back from whatever place he had just been taken to, his eyes found that of Jaidyn's.

"I want to go home."

Jaidyn couldn’t help the way that his hand clenched tightly around the black cord that held the ring as the beautiful melody from the pan flute floated around the balcony. His eyes shutting tightly for a few moments as he felt a quick sting run through them, giving him plenty of warning that if he didn’t do anything to stop them, tears would threaten to bubble over and run down his cheeks- his grip on the cord relaxing and his head turning so that he was looking over at his brother as the extremely beautiful melody came to a close, his own bright sea-blue eyes seemingly glazed over with the tears that he was holding back himself as he met with Sebastian’s gaze; his head nodding lightly up and down in agreement with his brother, showing him that he knew that going home was the only right thing for them to do… at least, for the two of them anyway.

“..I know; I wanna go home too. And we will- I promise Seb.” Dropping his left arm down to his side, Jaidyn turned and closed the gap that was left between the both of them, his right arm coming up to wrap tightly around Sebastian’s back, pulling him close against himself in a hug. This wasn’t a joke… not anymore- it was their lives… and he was going to sacrifice anything to make sure that he and his brother were happy again. Holding the embrace for just a few seconds longer, Jaidyn relaxed his arm from around him, his hand coming around to cup Sebastian’s neck as he lent in closer to him; his forehead pressing lightly against that of his brothers before he stood himself up straight at his side again, his attention turning over to where Dom stood silently watching on, “..we wanna go home, sir… please, take my brother and I back where we belong…”

Dominic couldn't help but smile softly at the varied reactions from each of them as they saw their respective mementos and gifts from their families. It had worked...after thirteen long years.

"Don't worry, we'll all be heading home soon. Each Guardian is equipped with an amulet capable of opening a portal from this realm to ours. Events required me to use mine recently and it won't be ready for another use for another few hours. For now, though, feel free to talk among yourselves and look through all the files if you'd like to. You've a lot to catch up on." Dominic finished, the smile never once leaving his grizzled features.

Morgan crossed her arms tighter over her chest as she listened to everything that was going on around her. They were all completely off their rockers. They were willing to listen to the crazed ramblings of a raving old man and a car thief, over the cold hard facts of reality. Shaking her head as she took a couple of steps backwards, she kept her already cold and hard gaze locked on Dominic- she had lost every bit of respect for him that she had ever possessed, and the others were quickly losing her interest as well. They were all nuts.

“Sir. You say you have proof, but any of that- maybe even all of that could have been forged and faked. And to be honest, I cannot believe that you’ve managed to convince and scam everyone else that’s here tonight.” Letting her disapproving gaze slowly glide over each and every person who was out on the balcony, Morgan shook her head once more before she turned and started walking back towards the door, her voice monotonous and with a cold edge to it as she spoke, “My apologies to everyone here, but I bid you all a good night. I cannot afford to stand around here and be sucked into your crazed delusions. Hope you enjoy the rest of your party…” Pulling open the door the moment that she reached it, Morgan quickly shot another disapproving glare back at them all from over her shoulder before she slipped herself through the door and disappeared into the crowd on the other side of the glass, leaving the group standing one less on the balcony.

The sound of someone speaking out almost everything that was going through her mind caught her attention, causing Eliza to lift her head up and watch as the detective quickly called them all out and said her farewell before leaving. She wanted to follow after her; to walk through the door and to just disappear into the crowd as if none of this had happened, but she just couldn’t… this was her family… these were the people she loved, and as much as she wanted to call them out on their slightly crazed behavior… she wanted to believe in everything that they were saying- she just couldn’t.

Biting softly upon her lower lip, Eliza hesitated for a few moments where she stood on her own by the railing, her stomach muscles tensing and her hands tightening the grip they had over the bottom of her dress as she tried turned her attention back to all the others in front of her- Jaidyn and Sebastian; they believed with all their hearts, she could see it in their eyes… Anna, Daria, and even that girl with the long hair; they all believed as well… so why couldn’t she..? Shutting her brilliant ice-blue eyes for a few moments as she shook her head lightly from side to side, Eliza slowly turned her back to the group before she began to move away down the balcony- she needed space… time to think… none of this was making any sense to her.

Reaching the far end of the balcony, Eliza brought her hands up, letting them rest softly upon the railing as she looked out over the view lain out before her; a gentle sigh escaping through her lips as her eyes came to a rest upon the moonlit and snow-covered mountain that was looming overhead. She wasn’t like the others; she couldn’t believe in things like magic, and portals, and pixie dust…

Dominic couldn't help but sigh as Morgan, staunch in her stubbornness, left the group, still unwilling to take that leap of faith - to believe.

However, not letting one loss hurt the morale of the group, Dominic looked to them, that brilliant smile once more returning to his careworn features.

"Now then, we all will meet back here tomorrow afternoon around four o'clock. Our amulets should have enough power then to let us return home. You may continue to look through the folder if you wish, but if not then you are free to return to the festivities for the evening." Dominic bid, sounding almost like some kind of glorified tour guide leading a bored group of high school students.

His eye caught onto Eliza as she separated herself from the rest of them, not as quick to believe as the rest of them were...she was ever the practical one.

Moving away with a hurried, "Excuse me" Dominic approached his adopted niece slowly, letting both hands fall to his pockets yet again.

Not stopping until he was right beside her at the edge of the balcony, Dominic initially said nothing, doing as she was and overlooking the view.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it...?" He asked, though the phrasing of his question implied he already knew the answer to that.

[ROLEPLAY CLOSED] - Once Upon A Time (Restart)

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Vicier - Character List - *Private*

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Vicier - Character List - *Private*

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[ROLEPLAY CLOSED] - Once Upon A Time (Restart)

Hey guys,

Important news on the group pad; please make sure you head over there and have a look as it concerns everyone.

Thank you,
Vicier~

[ROLEPLAY CLOSED] - Once Upon A Time (Restart)

Just testing something- ignore this post