[RP] Children of Aether

[OOC: Ringo: Good, that means my writing isn't a gigantic pile of horseshit :wacky:
Diar: I'll take the bait. We're overdue our lover's spat anyway. xD]

Lily had expected an answer like that. She knew Alyss would want vengeance for what had been done to her; Alyss was strong, she wouldn't take such punishment lying down. Lily would have folded in an instant, despite her high tolerance for pain, she was deathly afraid of prolonged suffering.

She didn't say anything in response, considering. Running away sounded like a much better plan...but could they really run away from her? It didn't seem likely...and what was to stop them from running into another witch? Lily had done much the same thing, running from Alyss and right into Poppy...who was to say the next one wouldn't be even worse? But then, being worse than Poppy would be a remarkable achievement.

"To be honest, I didn't really do anything." Lily said, blushing as Alyss thanked her, "she scared me, and you were screaming so loudly..." she trailed off, rather lamely, she thought. "I don't have control over the shadows...until today, I couldn't get them to do anything. They just kept...touching me." she shuddered at the memories; waking up to find shadows crawling over her, or ready to sneak up on her at any time, every waking second of the day...

"I should thank you for coming after me...I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't stepped in. I'd probably still be drugged...but she was so kind to me..." Lily hugged herself, unable to make any sense of it.

Alyss' next proposal startled her, and she looked at the girl in surprise. Live at her apartment? She found down an urge of panic. Why would she suggest that? Would she want to introduce her to her Knight friend, as well? Lily didn't think he'd be so kind to her...she had nearly killed them all, after all.

No, that wasn't me. I didn't ask for that. But he didn't know that, did he? He'd probably draw his sword and-

"I-I don't know." Lily managed to get out, "I hadn't thought about it. I suppose I should leave the country, but I don't think there is anywhere I can run to where she can't find me. But I'm not going to fight. Ever." she said that with finality, and meant it. If it came down to it, Lily would run. If she could just learn to control her abilities, nobody would be able to catch her. She could be halfway across the world in a split second. A coward's way out, perhaps...but Lily was a coward. She wasn't built for any of this. Why the Horned King had chosen her was beyond her...she didn't have what it took to be a Witch. Not like Alyss, who could withstand torture and pain and even laugh about it afterwards, even if it were a rather feeble laugh. No...Lily could never be like her.

She pulled the pizza out of the fridge then, inspecting it closely. Safe to eat. Well, she had only picked it up last night, so unless the fridge was malfunctioning, it should be fine. Plain cheese and tomato, but Lily was a plain girl. She never saw the logic of putting fruit and bizarre things like fish on top of pizza...some people had very strange tastes. She set it down on the table, next to where Alyss sat.

"Help yourself. I'll go find you some clothes..." in truth, Lily was getting distracted. There was a sensation in the pit of her stomach not dissimilar to what she had felt around Poppy, and she wanted to get it out of there as quickly as possible. I'm making her life bad enough as it is, without that on top of everything...

--

The presence was faint, yet very, very familiar. Poppy? The sword was halfway out of its scabbard as Heath moved carefully along the street, sticking to the shadows where possible, making as little noise as he could. There was a faint puff of smoke coming from the alleyway, at regular intervals. Whoever was in there was smoking...

Wait...smoking? Heath inched closer, sword all the way out now, ready to strike. Was this another of Poppy's tricks? Luring him out into an alleyway to dispose of him, as she had with the two men earlier? Well, Heath wasn't going to fall for that...and right now, he was running a little low on rational thought. He had lost two witches, and one of them was beginning to become a very close friend. He would take what he could get.

He turned the corner, raising his sword, preparing to strike...and then halting, as he came face-to-face with someone he had not expected to ever see again...

"Tristana?!"
 
[OOC: I’ve been thinking the same thing about my posts lately, to be honest. :sad3:]

Alyss grabbed a piece of the pizza and ate it quickly. Not even bothering to put it in the microwave or heat it up in any fashion. After what had just happened to her, it was the best meal she had eaten in ages. As soon as she had finished it, she grabbed another piece and did the same. She ate it in less than a few seconds and enjoyed every last bit of it. However, she still couldn’t help but be a little worried about Lily. Poppy had really done a number on her… tricking her like that.

Standing up, Alyss’ legs instantly regretted it. However, now that she had discovered that she could turn her own emotions off and even the ability to feel things, it wasn’t a problem. Using her ability to turn off pain again, she slowly walked after Lily. “You should give yourself more credit.” Alyss said. “Sure, you may have not been able to do anything with your powers until today… but the fact of the matter is, you were able to figure it out when you needed it most… when I needed it most.”

Still smiling, she continued. “That is an accomplishment to be proud of. You did wonderfully. As I said, you saved me, and I really do appreciate it. So even if you will not feel proud of yourself, then I feel proud of you for you.” Alyss smile became a grin, “it may not be fair, but too bad. I am proud of you regardless.”

Alyss really hoped she was getting through to her. A smile, a laugh, a grin, something, just one thing to let her know that Lily would be fine would do wonders right now. “You do not have to make a decision right away, if you do not want. I will not make you do anything that you do not want. As for Poppy, people… if you can classify something like her as a person, use people and trick them. It is awful…” Alyss paused for a bit, to let things sink in. “But you do not have to worry about me doing something like that. I will never force you to do something that you do not want.”

Sitting on the bed, Alyss turned her feelings of pain back on. There was a slight jump, and then Alyss laughed again. “Try not to think about it too much. We will both be fine, I promise… trust me, please?”
 
Tristana was quietly enjoying her cigarette when footsteps approached. She inwardly sighed. Was it someone there to tell her that this was a no smoking zone? That children played here or something? Because if so she would have a few choice words to say to them. She was still hungover enough to instill her own brand of humiliation on anyone who pissed her off today.

With an expectant, harsh gaze on her face, she turned around to meet and greet whoever it was that was joining her, twirling her cigarette between two fingers as she did so and opening her mouth for a sarcastic remark.

When she saw who it was though, and heard her name spoken in those familiar tones, her fingers parted, the cigarette falling to the cold cement of the alley floor, where it smoldered harmlessly into ash. Of course, it could have set fire to the nearby grass and Tristana wouldn't have noticed or cared.

He had aged a little, sure, and his face had hardened somewhat, more mature than the boy she had met all that time ago. But regardless, she knew that voice, that air, that blood, that spirit.

What was she supposed to say to him? A polite hello? To state his name as he had exclaimed hers? She opened her mouth, and let the first words that came to mind out, not even considering that they probably weren't the best greeting.

"Oh fuck me. You again."
 
Lily said nothing in response to this, not daring to turn around. Proud? What did she have to be proud of? It had been a fluke, like every other time she had gotten the shadows to do what she wanted. Alyss didn't seem to realise that Lily had wanted her gone, as well. It was only because she was crucified to a tree that was essentially a part of the house that she was still here, and not...wherever it was Lily had sent Poppy. Lily wasn't some saviour, or even a nice person. All she had cared about was getting them both to leave her alone. They could have killed one another for all she cared, just as long as they didn't do it around her.

Alyss must realise that. Lily had no chosen her over Poppy, it had simply been Poppy the shadows had targeted. So why was she being so nice? She couldn't make any sense of this girl...she was still trying to mentally process everything she had been shown, everything she had felt - and forced her way into - and this was proving to be more than she could take.

She opened the door to her father's bedroom; it was dank, slightly smaller than hers, and it smelt like stale alcohol. When she saw the empty bottles on the floor, Lily was quite hurt. Daddy had promised that he would stop drinking. So much for that. She stepped delicately over a pile of unwashed clothes - she would need to tidy this place up later - and opened the wardrobe, going immediately to the large chest at the bottom. Her mother's chest. She did not go in here very often anymore, it reminded her too much of...everything.

Inside were some old clothes, jewellry, as well as a series of diaries. Lily knew those word for word; she had spent days just reading them after her mother had died. She picked out a pair of black women's trousers - she had only worn those twice, to the funerals of Lily's grandparents - and a white shirt she had always worn to work, putting them on the bed, not meeting Alyss' eyes, then turning around again to methodically replace everything she had taken out.

"I know you prefer black, but when mummy died, daddy threw out most of her work clothes." Not to mention she didn't want Alyss wearing the summer dresses in there. That would be a little too much for Lily to handle right now. "I know it isn't much, but it'd only be until you went home."

Now, that did not turn out at all how she had meant it. Lily sighed. She was making a mess of things as well. It was funny, the way things were often lost in translation. The more articulate you were, the less you said what you actually meant, and the less you said, the less people could understand what you were trying to say when you did speak.

As Alyss spoke of Poppy, Lily shuddered. Quite clearly, she didn't understand the circumstances behind that, either. Poppy hadn't forced Lily to do anything; she had gone with her because she wanted to. She might have been used, but to Lily, the feelings were real. They were always real. Part of her still cared, and still wanted Poppy to come back to her, so they could explore those feelings together. What hurt wasn't how she had been used, what hurt was how she had been abandoned. How she had forced Poppy away. It was insane, given what she had done to Alyss, but...it was there, and it only made Lily feel even more guilty about it.

Words came so easily for Alyss, despite everything. She was trying so hard, and Lily knew how much it was costing her; she knew that Alyss was not the sort of person to act this way. She was trying, for her. But...Lily couldn't take any of this. It hurt badly enough that she had been abandoned, only to then have to force herself to share her very soul with someone she had been deathly afraid of, only to find that she had made the wrong choice, and now the girl's thoughts and feelings raged inside of her, as her mind struggled to process them.

"I...need time to think. To sort all of this out. I'm...not ready yet. For any of this."

That was true enough but time, Lily knew, was not on her side. But could she really afford to jump headlong into another friendship - was this even a friendship? - when she had only just been abandoned by her last friend? Had Poppy even been her friend to begin with? Lily finished her repacking, gently closed the chest, and sat down on the bed. She knew she should have stayed in bed this morning.

--

Heath blinked, then laughed. Damn near twenty years, and she hadn't changed one bit. Well, she had aged some, but then, so had he, and women bore it far better than men did. She was still smoking and, from the smell of it, she was either drunk or very close to it, but otherwise, she was unchanged. Obnoxious, rude and generally damned unpleasant, but still...his.

"Hello to you too, dearest. Don't tell me you've been hiding here in merry old England for the last however many years its been since I last saw you!" Heath laughed again, sheathing his sword, feeling younger than he had in years, "You've been off the radar for so long I thought you might have died in a ditch somewhere."

That wasn't true, of course. Heath would have known if she had died - part of his own spirit would have died with her. He knew that she would have felt the same thing; it came from sharing your essence with someone. Still, he had little else to say. Of all the people he had expected to find, she had been on the bottom of the list.
 
Grabbing the clothes, Alyss realized that she was not making this girl feel any better. In fact, it was quite possible that she was doing the exact opposite. A part of Alyss felt genuinely bad, the other part of her just felt awkward. There was very little she could do. She had made the effort, she had tried to spark conversation, she had done nothing but spoke kindly to her, and Lily was still so upset. They knew many things about each other now, things that most people would never know, and probably never even care to find out.

So why was Lily so upset? Alyss didn’t mind that Lily had seen what she saw. Perhaps it was Lily that minded that Alyss saw what she saw? She had never wanted to speak out to a person so much in her life. Not out of anger, just out of genuine worry. And yet everything told her that no matter what she did, no matter what she said, Lily would only end up feeling much worse.

Lily had said that she wasn’t ready. It was completely understandable… but Alyss was under the assumption that Lily was looking for a friend. At least, that’s one of the things she felt from her when they shared names. It just felt like Lily had wanted to get rid of her and be alone. Alyss understood that feeling well; after all, she wanted nothing more than to be alone so badly she was willing to kill her Mother to do it.

Alyss looked around for a restroom to get changed in and wash up in. However, she was going to need someone to cover the mirror in there. Had Lily seen that? Did she know that Alyss was terrified of mirrors? Perhaps if she shared more about herself, Lily would see that Alyss really was trying to be a friend. Though Alyss felt it odd that she was even making the effort, she couldn’t help it. Everything about it felt… right. Just like when she had helped Heath in that alleyway… it just felt like the right thing to do.

It didn’t help that Alyss also wanted to protect the girl. She was slowly learning just how fragile Lily really was. Maybe if she shared a piece of her own frailty to Lily, she would understand that she wasn’t alone, that she did have a friend… one that was trying really hard. “Lily… could you point me in the direction of the restroom, I need to wash up and get changed. Also, this is somewhat embarrassing to say, but considering that you already know many things about me, I see no harm in telling you more,” Alyss smiled, genuinely. “But I am rather… not fond of mirrors. Could you please cover it for me?” The laugh that Alyss let out was a rather nervous one.

She would rather be tortured with the cactus again than have to see her Mother in the mirror.
 
Since she had spoken, Alyss had been rather quiet for a time...she could practically feel the frustration radiating off her. She was pushing her away with her indecisiveness...but she couldn't be any other way. She just...wasn't strong enough. She pushed everyone away. First Poppy - although the circumstances had been unusual, she had nonetheless banished her - and now she was slowly, steadily doing the same to Alyss. How long before the girl snapped at her? Lily didn't know, but felt herself trembling at the thought.

Alyss spoke then, and Lily wordlessly guided her to the bathroom, across the landing, just past her room...the tree was still there, a grisly reminder of all that had brought them to this point. It was an odd request...wait, no it wasn't. Lily remembered (or, rather, she saw, since it wasn't her memory) Alyss' beaten, broken body - far worse than she had been scarred now - in front of a mirror, her mother standing just behind her. She shivered and nodded, walking into the bathroom first. The only mirror they had wasn't attached to the wall; it was strung up a hook above the sink, making it easy to remove.

"Go ahead."

Lily hovered outside after Alyss had entered, although her thoughts raced. Should she make a run for it? The thought crossed her mind briefly. She doubted Alyss would be able to follow her if she simply slipped into the shadows and disappeared...but there was no telling how much of her power she had acquired. She'd be much happier with Lily there to babysit, pestering her with stupid questions, prying into her personal life, too self-centered to care about anyone other than herself...perhaps it would be better if she just disappeared into the shadows now, save them all the bother...

"Alyss...can you tell me what you were doing, in that cafe? The other girl you were with was a witch too, wasn't she?"

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She needed - no, wanted - to know more. She could tell herself it didn't concern her, but it did, whether she chose to run from it or not. That was the simple truth of it. Running blindly wouldn't do her any good...she needed some answers first. She knew she could never trust any of the Knights, and no other witches - the Horned King had expressely forbid any other transferrence, and she did not even care to consider what would happen if she disobeyed him - and there was no other way to be sure of their intentions...she wasn't even sure of Alyss'.
 
Alyss walked into the restroom and began to examine her body. Without the use of a mirror, it made it slightly harder, but she could manage. Just as she thought, she could see where the spines had pierced. She was going to have quite a few extra scars because of it. The ones of the palms of her hands would be the only ones really noticeable, as the rest would remain covered by Alyss’ daily attire. Lily had asked what she was doing in the café, and about the other witch. It was a reasonable question, Alyss could picture herself being just as worried if she didn’t know what was going on in there.

“We went to that café after we ran into some of Poppy’s handiwork in an alleyway. After Heath, the older Knight stopped the rest of the Knights from swarming myself and Crimson, the Fire Witch, he took us there to eat.” Pausing for air, she realized how odd that was. “The other Knight is… Ardis? I cannot quite remember his name. I was not too fond of him. The Fire Witch, Crimson, probably has it out for me. We did not get off on the right foot at all… it was my fault, of course. However, I know that I probably cannot trust her.”

Thinking back on that moment, Alyss recalled that Crimson didn’t seem very pleased about Alyss outburst when she called her a coward. “You see, I am afraid that I am not the nicest individual in the world. I tend to say awful things at awful times… so I apologize in advance for any future rudeness.”

Turning her hands around, she looked at the back sides of them. The spines had really gone all the way through. She then remembered he legs and what Poppy had done with the cactus… She didn’t even want to look, she refused to look. Turning on the hot water, Alyss sighed. “I really am sorry to inconvenience you like this, Lily. I will have that tree removed as soon as possible, and get the damages repaired.” Realizing that Lily may think that it would be herself that was the inconvenience, she continued. “Do not worry about the cost; I get paid far too much for doing far too little at work, so it is of no concern.”

It was then that she realized that jumping into water she knew to be hot while not being able to feel the heat of it was probably not the best idea, she turned her ability to feel back on again. “What about you, dear?” Alyss asked. “I am sure that if we had not shown up you would have probably had a wonderful meal. I will make it up to you one day, I promise.” Now that was something she was sure Lily could agree with. It would be Alyss’ treat, and they could make up for that day and eat and relax and everyone else be damned. Alyss smiled at the idea.

Removing her clothes, she also witnessed her bruised body. “She really did a number on me,” Alyss said as she jumped into the bath. The water was warm… it was fantastic… she could sleep in that bath, but knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. “Oh my… this is… amazing, thank you, Lily.” Alyss' voice came off far to light and pleasured, but she didn’t care. As far as Alyss was concerned, after today, she had died and gone to Heaven. Heaven being a nice warm bath.
 
"He...stopped them? Why would he doing something like that?" Lily was curious, and more than a little suspicious besides. Nothing she had heard of this Heath character filled her with confidence. Seeing him cut through Poppy's barricade, cutting through even the darkness she had accidently called upon, steel and fury, made her legs water. She hoped never to meet him again.

The Fire Witch? Good, maybe Poppy would go after her, instead of Lily...let her burn the girl to ashes. She felt guilty immediately after thinking that, though; she wouldn't wish what Poppy had done to Alyss on anyone, not even the ones who had...done things to her. Beside, what if she failed, and Poppy acquired her powers? Then she'd have another element to play with...fire-resistant plants...Lily didn't even want to consider such a possibility. Were she not so afraid of witches - and, from what Alyss said, Crimson would probably attack her on sight, scattering her shadows with fire and then burning her at the stake - she might have considered seeking the girl out...she would be able to protect against Poppy's plant-based attacks better than any other witch. Unless there was a Witch of Chainsaws, anyway...

"You shouldn't say such things about yourself." Lily said quietly, after Alyss had apologised for her perceived rudeness. She hated hearing other people criticize themselves. She always seemed to make other people feel badly about themselves, when she was the one at fault. At fault for being so...miserable. So weak. She hated how she always managed to accomplish that, even when she didn't mean to...

"Forget the tree, I'll get rid of it later." Could she do it? She wondered if the shadows would respond to such a wish, but she had acquired a new form of...confidence? Was that the right word? Either way, she believed she could do it, if she wished hard enough for it.

"It doesn't matter anyway...I can't stay here anymore, and since Daddy comes home maybe once a week, I doubt he would even notice. If I leave him a not saying I've gone on holiday, he might not come home again after that." there was a touch of bitterness in her voice. Ever since her mother died, her father had gradually grown more distant, as though she were...tainted, somehow. Lily couldn't blame him; she did indeed feel tainted, unworthy, and less than human. She hated herself more than anything else, but she had hoped that her father would be able to see past her imperfections and just love her, as his little girl, as she had been before...everything that had happened. Yet another hope she'd had, dashed upon the rocks, to be swallowed by the tides and forgotten.

"Oh, not really...I was just getting a coffee. I couldn't sleep, so..." Lily sighed, realising that this lapse was going to hit her extremely hard eventually. She had slept for about four hours today...already, she was beginning to feel tired, although she suspected that was because her heart had stopped pounding against her ribcage in rebellion. "You don't have to make it up to me; I don't want to be a bother. I should apologise for interrupting your conversation...if not for me, you wouldn't have been...captured." she struggled with the words, realising that this entire sequence of events was, in fact, her fault. If she hadn't overreacted to their presence, she wouldn't have run into Poppy, and Alyss wouldn't have given chase, and...she sighed again. She had brought this girl nothing but pain and misery, and she was thanking her and apologising, as though it was her fault...
 
[OOC: Good luck with your exams. I'm sure you'll do fine. :grin:]



“It is quite alright,” Alyss said. “As you said earlier, if things had not have played out the way that they had, Poppy would have done to you what she did to me.” Imagining that scared Alyss somewhat. She was tolerant to pain, Lily wasn’t nearly as durable. “My offer still stands, by the way. If you do not feel safe here, my place is always open for you.” Grabbing the shampoo, Alyss started washing her hair. It would be rather nice to get the blood out of it.

That was one thing that Alyss really did like about herself. A lot of women would kill for naturally straight hair. For her, it just came naturally. She didn’t even have to brush it in the morning if she didn’t want to. And often enough, she didn’t, she would just leave it in a bushy, yet straight kind of mess and go about her business.

“I am not too sure why Heath decided to spare us from the other Knights… I think he may have loved a Witch a while back. At least, that is what I inferred from the conversation we had. What I do know is he had the opportunity to have two Witches killed by a full squadron of Knights and he did not take it.” Alyss was now scrubbing the blood off of her with soap. Those scars would never wash off, but she didn’t mind much, she was quite used to the ones she already had, a few more never hurt anyone.

Letting out a sigh of relief Alyss continued. “After I am done here, we can go out for coffee. For the sound of it, you and I both could use a cup.” Coffee sounded amazing to Alyss. After she made sure that she was clean, Alyss stepped out from the shower and grabbed a towel from the rack. She started drying her hair, “if you do not want to fight, no one is going to make you. I will make sure of that. If it comes down to it, I can go it alone… I do everything alone.” Alyss paused for a brief second, “it is… nice… having someone to speak to.”

It had just hit her. She had been completely alone since she was sixteen. This was the first time she had opened up to anyone since her Father died. And now here she was, speaking to someone who used to be a complete stranger almost as if she had known her for her entire life. Had she completely turned into a recluse? Was she really that distant from everyone else? Alyss had let logic control for most of her life… it really felt good to just let it go.

Of course, it came as no surprise as Alyss realized she was crying. They weren’t sad tears, but happy ones. Drying herself off, she put on the clothes that Lily had handed her. She then opened the door and limped out of the restroom. “Thank you… really, I mean that.”
 
[OOC: Thanks :lew:
...I wish I was as confident in myself as everyone else seems to be...and now I'm starting to sound like Lily. xD]

"Probably..." Lily didn't really know how to respond to that. She didn't even care to think about it. She was still worried what Poppy may have done to her whilst she slept...she had not started in the bed, that was for sure. Yet she could remember little of the whole event...and that, she thought, was probably for the best.

She felt that familiar little tug of fear - or was it paranoia? - when Alyss suggested that she stay with her again. But then, Lily didn't have anywhere else to go...she'd probably end up on the streets. She wouldn't steal, and she knew first-hand what happened to girls like her on the streets...but Lily wasn't like any other girl. She could control shadows...or, rather, the shadows controlled her. The last two men who had tried to take her had nearly ended up dead, and Lily didn't want anyone's blood on her hands...even if they meant her harm. Perhaps she simply offered out of kindess...or perhaps she just wanted to keep an eye on her. Lily didn't reply; in truth, she was still giving the matter a great deal of thought. It might be nice, coming home to find someone waiting there for you with a smile and maybe some food, or looking forward to having someone return to you. But did she really deserve such a privelege? She didn't think so, at least.

As Alyss spoke of Heath, Lily began to get a sense for the man...or at least, the man he had pretended to be. He sounded like a complex individual...or a remarkable actor.

"More like he wants something out of you, which he hasn't gotten yet...something like me, and all the other witches he hasn't found yet." she clapped a hand to her mouth, surprised at herself. Since when did she speak her mind like that? She was getting far too comfortable around this girl without even realising it, and that was extremely dangerous...for both of them. "I'm sorry." she apologised, feeling profoundly guilty, "But...I don't like Knights. They exist just to kill us. I-I don't want to die." she still could not forget his battle prowess, his...determination. Determination to do what, though? To get into the room and back up Alyss, or kill them all? Alyss seemed to think it was the former, but she was far from sure. What was to stop him from just stabbing her in the back after she had done his dirty work for him? Knights couldn't be trusted.

"You want to go out?" Lily was unable to keep the surprise out of her voice, "Shouldn't you rest for a while? I can always go out and get us something if you want something nicer...its still light out." she added that almost as an afterthought, realising afterwards how stupid it sounded. Of course it was still light out, it was about three in the afternoon. But Lily still wasn't about to go out in the dark, especially not now, now that she knew there was someone out there out to get her.

Alyss' next words shocked her. Earlier, she had thought exactly the same thing...now, she wasn't so sure. This girl...frightened her. But it wasn't a bad sort of fear...which was what made it all the more terrifying for her. Lily could think of nothing to say as Alyss opened the bathroom door, wearing her mother's clothes, almost as though she...fit in. As if everything made sense. Shadows swarmed around Lily, and she fought down an urge to panic, direct a fierce mental command at them;

Stop jumping to conclusions!

She forced herself to contain them, keeping them within her own shadow. Eventually, they subsided, and Lily actually felt a little better: she had never managed to force them to bend to her will before. Perhaps, with time, she could control them completely, instead of hoping and praying that they wouldn't betray her when she most needed them...like everything else, everyone else, Lily was afraid that her powers would betray her, so she had never really used them. Yet...that was changing. Slowly, but surely. But she was not entirely sure she liked it...

The silence stretched out, until Lily forced herself to say something: "Sorry..."
 
[OOC: Try not to worry about it. I used to get the same way often, and then would find I would own the shit out of the exam with no problems. After a while, I just quit worrying about it, and I was fine. :grin:]

As Alyss stepped out of the restroom, she noticed that Lily seemed… Well, she couldn’t quite figure out why Lily was feeling. It was almost as if she were confused. Her shadows came back out as if they were ready to attack. Alyss wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it in her current state. However, Lily seemed to have them under control as they went away. Something had made her want to panic… and she controlled them.

“Sorry…” Lily said. In return, Alyss shot her a smile. “See? You can control them if you try. Practice makes perfect, after all.” Limping past her, Alyss went to sit down on the bed again, towel still in her hands; drying her hair. “I suppose we can get take out or something. Just because I can limp around, does not mean that I should.”

She wondered what kind of food Lily liked. Obviously she liked cheese pizza, but she may have been in the mood for something different. Alyss didn’t care what they had, but she wanted to treat the girl to something she would like. Her thoughts eventually trailed over to what she said about Heath. “That is a logical mindset that you have when it comes to the subject of the Knights. By all means, I agree. While I do trust Heath to a certain degree… he is a Knight, after all. I can only trust him so much. For all I know he could be using me… but I am confident in my abilities to defend myself and you if need be. I will not let that happen.”

Setting the towel in her lap, she wondered what the Knight could want with her. He really did seem like a nice person… but all Knights were supposed to kill Witches. Didn’t that come with the job description? Either he really fell for a Witch and it changed his views, or he really was the best actor on the face of the planet. Alyss wanted to believe he was one of the good guys… but she could never be too sure. Just what did the Knights have against Witches anyway? However, they were both involved with silly Gods.

If this was some kind of game between their two deities… Alyss wouldn’t be very pleased at all. “Do not worry, I will ensure that nothing comes of you. Heath never has to know about what happened if you do not wish it.” Looking back over at Lily, “So, what do you like to eat? Would you like anything in particular? I can arrange anything that you would like.”
 
Looking around the alley a bit more Ardis let out a slight sigh. He was paranoid some right now and still on edge. Part of him felt like knights would be swarming this alleyway any minute, another part thought that one of those witches they were chasing would jump out and attack. Looking around again and realizing none of those two events were happening at least at the moment he let some relief fill him.

Taking a few steps out to the corner of the alleyway he noticed it turned into another one and that this one lead out to the street. It was one he didn't know off the top of his head but looking up he couldn't see any remains of the tree Crimson burned down.

"Could we really have been down there that long? Well maybe it was a good thing, hopefully the rest of the knights won't be on that much of an alert as they were before."

Without even realizing it he stopped, he then noticed he was talking a bit out loud and was hoping he didn't worry Crimson any. Trying to do a slight recover he stuttered some before speaking again.

"Not that I think they would be out this way. I mean why would they, it doesn't look like were near any of the other two accident sites." Getting himself composed now he realized he seemed a bit in of a panic, and not wanting to make Crimson fell worried or on edge, hell even her thinking him of a total nut job he relaxed himself. Then continuing on he spoke again "Hey so what do you think of going for a walk and trying to find a cafe? I can treat ya to that drink Heath promised you earlier and never got. Sides we can talk about what to do next, and maybe possibly get to know each other a bit better. I mean we might be working together so it would be nice to have a small sense of trust."

He gave her a small smile trying to be friendly, and at the same time hoped he wasn't creeping her out. He was getting more and more a wreck of himself being around this girl.
 
Crimson
Fire Witch

Crimson watched the knight, her lips curving into a slight smile as she watched him stuttering and spluttering about with his words. He obviously thought she'd be scared or worried about the knights finding them but to be honest the knights were the least of Crimson's worries. She'd much rather be caught by a group of knights who would kill her decently rather than a witch who would slowly torture her until she screamed out her real name, then be kept as a pet or left to die.

"Hey so what do you think of going for a walk and trying to find a cafe? I can treat ya to that drink Heath promised you earlier and never got. Sides we can talk about what to do next, and maybe possibly get to know each other a bit better. I mean we might be working together so it would be nice to have a small sense of trust."

"I doubt there will ever be trust between us, Ardis. But I am thirsty so I will take you up on the offer of coffee so long as I can get an ice-cream as well." She began to walk out of the alley way, not bothering to scout the area for any knights. Running was tiresome and Crimson was over it for now.

"There is a small cafe across the street that I do enjoy going to, It's quiet, I usually study there during exams. I like the feeling of having people busily going about their day while I work. It's much better than being cramped away in my room all day... also safer being in a crowd rather than hidden from sight for long periods of time." Crimson explained, her paranoid ways showing in her story.

"C'mon then" She smiled gesturing with her hands for Ardis to follow her as she crossed the road while there were no cars about. This part of the street was relatively empty, most people were probably rushing about in a panic at the site where the oak tree was before she burnt it down.

The girl entered the cafe, small little bells jingling as the door hit them letting the cafe staff know they had new customers.

"Hello luv." An older waitress said smiling at Crimson. "Would ya like ya usual, a Chai Latte?" She had a strong English accent. It always made Crimson smile.

"Hey, Anna, That would be really great, and a Chili-chocolate ice-cream. This poor bugger is paying for me!" She pointed at Ardis

"Ohh, on a date I see?" The older woman smiled at Ardis and gave him a wink. "You take care of her, she's a good kid!"

Crimson's face went red and she frowned "Anna! You're embarrassing!"

The older woman let out a hearty chuckle "Sorry luv, I couldn't resist..."

Crimson rolled her eyes and went and took her usual seat by the window, and waited for Ardis to order and follow.
​
 
[OOC: Easier said than done...tis just in my nature to worry about my exams. xD]

"I don't want to practice," Lily mumbled in response, ashamed that they had reacted that way at all. "I wish you'd just taken them entirely, so I didn't have to worry about them anymore."

Now, wasn't that a selfish thing to say? Then Alyss would have to worry about being molestered every night, or dragged down into her shadow and ending up who knew where, or worrying about hurting the ones she cared about...

Lily was breaking down further with each passing second. She didn't deserve any of this girl's kindness, and she was just handing it out. It hurt, and what hurt the most was that Lily couldn't help but feel comforted, even though she knew she shouldn't. Her guilt was blacker than any shadow, and it was slowly devouring her.

"If you say so." Lily said, mentally raising her barriers again to (hopefully) prevent another outburst. As far as she was concerned, Knights couldn't be trusted at all. She couldn't help but notice that Alyss was assuming that Lily was going to tag along, as well. What if she decided that she wanted to disappear? Would Alyss try to stop her? Or was she simply considering her to be a part of her life now? If so, did Lily want to be a part of her life? In truth, she didn't know, nor was she ready to find out. This was all far too sudden, too new, for her to processs...

But Alyss' last words comforted her, and she nodded. She didn't want anything to do with a Knight if she could help it, and she had a feeling that Alyss would keep quiet about her if she asked her to. She had promised not to betray her, after all. Fleetingly, she would wonder what would happen if she did. Would the Horned King exact vengeance for her? Or did bonds mean nothing to a creature like Him?

"I-I don't mind." Lily stammered. She wasn't used to eating with other people, and she had bland tastes that she knew Alyss probably wouldn't share, "Just get whatever takes your fancy..."
 
Seeing the way Lily reacted to her powers made Alyss want to take them. However, she knew the only way to do that was to kill her… and she didn’t want that. It was the last thing that she wanted. Alyss could see that Lily was still not comfortable. Had she really upset her that badly? Fortunately enough, Alyss was too stubborn to give up. She was going to make her smile even if it killed her.

What if Lily decided to go? That would worry Alyss more than anything. Because then she would have no idea at all what would happen to the girl. There was the possibility of Poppy finding her again… and that would be awful. She could picture the scene in her head now... Lily being bound by the tree and being tortured. Lily wasn’t like Alyss… she could break… no, she would break. A shudder went down Alyss spine as she imagined it.

Lily also didn’t make a suggestion when asked what kind of food that she wanted. “Hmmm…” Alyss started thinking. “Well, if you do not have any suggestions… I will have to-“ Something had just occurred to Alyss… where were they? Even if she did order something to take out, Alyss wouldn’t know where to bring it. For the first time that day, Alyss burst out laughing. Here she was planning on ordering food and she didn’t have the slightest clue where they were. It wasn’t really funny, but Alyss couldn’t help herself as she continued to giggle.

“Oh, I am sorry. I just realized that I have no idea where we are, and here I am trying to order food.” It hurt Alyss’ chest somewhat to laugh. She put her hand over where Poppy stabbed her in the breast… but still couldn’t stop giggling. “It hurts a little bit to laugh,” Alyss said. She took her cellphone out of her bag and using her abilities, she charged it up. “I do not know what is around. If you would like something, anything, feel free to use my phone and order something. Really, anything is fine.”
 
"I didn't look for you after I got out of there." She lit up another cigarette and drew deeply on it, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes as she let the smoke flood into her lungs, exhaling a slew of smoke before glancing upon Heath again.

"So then. How have you been? That's what long lost friends say to each other, isn't it? If you can call what we had friendship." She waved her cigarette absently, drawing a smoke circle in the air before placing the cigarette back in her mouth.

"Before you ask, I've been all around England. Pretty sure I ended up in Scotland and Wales here and there too. Took a trip to Ireland. Even spent a few years in France. And now I'm back here. Have been for a coupla years."

"But." She opened her eyes and stared at Heath intently, dropping her cigarette again and stamping on it loudly. "I didn't know I was back in Order territory. If I had, I probably wouldn't have come back here. But years away from home tends to leave you a little forgetful when you return."

"And Heath." Yes, she remembered his name. It came with the territory of intertwined souls, for better or for worse. "Why exactly are you here? I don't think you usually find Order members wandering around back alleys."
 
Last edited:
Lily jumped back when Alyss suddenly started laughing, alarmed. Even when she explained herself, she still couldn't see the funny side of it...but then, Lily never did have much of a sense of humour.

"Oh. We're in Camden, on the outskirts. The market is about a fifteen minute walk from here...quite far from where we started out." she realised, surprised. Had she really transported all three of them that far? She could have sent Poppy anywhere...good. The further away she was, the better.

She accepted the phone with trembling hands, feeling the charge in it. She could take it out again, if she wanted to...the thought scared her. More power. Just what she didn't need...

She held it for a few seconds, before realising that she didn't know where to order food from, either. She had never phoned in before...she handed it back to Alyss, feeling slightly sheepish. "I...don't know where to order food from, either. I always eat in cafes, or buy something from the shops..." in truth, she was somewhat ashamed of her house, and didn't want anyone seeing it. It was always so messy...even more so, now that she had a tree in her bedroom.

--

"Ah, you wound me with your words." Heath replied, a look of mock consternation crossing his face. In truth, he had only partially looked for her, as well. He had hoped he would find her accidently...much like this. In fact, if he hadn't have been looking for her sister...ah, maybe I'd better not say that.

Heath chuckled again. What a thing to ask! "These last...twenty years? Oh, I've been keeping busy...scrubbing temple floors, teaching novices how to avoid cutting themselves on weapons they'll hopefully never use, following the trail of bloody corpses your youngest sister has left in her wake since she got her powers...oh! And I was thinking of trying a new brand of cereal the other day. Chickened out, though: plain old Weetabix keeps me regular, starting to worry about that sort of thing in my old age. Same old stuff. How about you? Find any good ditches we could lie in? I could use a vacation."

He was surprised to find he was more or less immune to her acid tongue...although the smoke was choking him a little. But then, it had choked him a little back in the day, as well. He knew she was pleased to see him. Just not very good at showing it. Of course, he could be kidding himself...but then, that was part of the fun.

All over England, she said? He must have just missed her...perhaps. Heath had never been to Ireland before...although he had heard some rather interesting tales from Garth about Irish pubs. One of these days, perhaps he'd have the opportunity to check one out for himself...

"Everywhere these days is Order territory, dear." Heath replied then, quite seriously - after all, the Order had doubled in size since he was a boy, and the expansion was just continuing...they were practically an organized religion...albeit one with a Goddess that physically speaks to us every now and then, and some very potent magical powers, "they - or, I suppose I should say, we - are arrogant enough to assume we're keeping the entire world safe...hah, they should see the mess London is in right now!"

Ah, the expected question, "Me? Knightly things." he replied evasively. He was far more interested in why she was here...Poppy, Alyss, Crimson, the Witch of Darkness, and now her. All in ine place, at the same time? Evidently the Horned King was tired to waiting for one of his witches to win and was bringing them all together. In London, of all places. Things were going to get very messy if he couldn't find them all and have them call some sort of truce before they started fighting one another...
 
Still nothing… not even a slight giggle. Alyss sighed somewhat. She wanted to make Lily feel better, but she really wasn’t making this easy. Lily had explained they were in Camden… quite a way from where they were. If she could teleport them that far, Alyss really wanted to know just how far she could take them. Also, where had she dumped Poppy off at? Right now probably wasn’t the best time to think about it. She would cross that bridge when she came to it.

Even the phone seemed to bother Lily. Her hands trembled just holding it, and she quickly handed it back over to Alyss. “I… don’t know where to order food from, either. I always eat in cafes, or buy something from the shops…”

This left Alyss with very little choice. Placing her hand to her head, she turned off her ability to feel pain again. Placing her phone back into her bag, she stood up. “Well, then, I suppose we will go to one of those cafes or shops. After all, you need the coffee, and I certainly would not mind some…” Alyss said, still smiling. “We will decide on what to do over some coffee. You can order whatever you like, I will pay.”

She hopped Lily opened up, even if it was just a little. She desperately wanted to ensure that she was fine.
 
Looking at the waitress with a bit of a bewildered look, Ardis covered his face with his right hand and shook his head. Sitting down across from Crimson he looked at the waitress and tried to remain calm.

"Does it really look like that to you? There is nothing going on between the two of us, we just got separated from some of our friends and now were taking a break before looking for them again.Though i'll take a french vanilla cappuccino please."

Watching as the waitress left to go take care of their order Ardis returned his attention to Crimson trying to figure her out some. "So you care to elaborate on what you were saying earlier? Something about being in a crowd is safer for you, and while were on the subject what's with the trust thing. If you weren't willing to trust any of us I don't understand why you helped us in the first place. Regardless both of us need to think of something now, we have no idea if that Nature witch killed the others, if she did I think she will be coming after us next. Seeing what she could do with a tree I don't think we can safely run or hide anywhere. I intend to go look for Heath and that other girl, you're free to do what you want. If you don't tag along and we part ways after this I wish you well and good luck, even though our factions may be enemies I don't wanna see some one as young as you getting killed anytime soon."

Just shortly after he finished speaking the waitress came up with their drinks and set them on the table. As she was setting them down Ardis could have sworn she turned towards him and gave him a slight wink as if encouraging him with what she thought was a date between him and Crimson.
 
[OOC: Short post is short. Might write something for Poppy later, just to track her progress.]

Why did she keep placing her hand to her head like that? Was she overcome with exhaustion? Did it have something to do with her powers? Or was it barely concealed disappointment?

Lily paled at Alyss' next words. Going out right now was the last thing she wanted to do...if she came across anyone, be they Witch or Knight, she'd run, wishing the shadows to take her as far away as possible. What would Alyss think of her then? Strange as it sounded, she didn't want to let the girl down. Whilst her impression of Lily was a wrong one - if she had any sense, she'd just abandon her, like everyone else did - but she still didn't want to simply leave her.

"...a-alright then." Lily stammered, bracing herself. It wasn't like it was dark out yet...there were still a few hours of daylight left. But, that said, Lily was beginning to think that, despite her fears, she might actually be safer in the dark. After all, if her shadows were this powerful in daylight (although the house was fairly dark) then what could they accomplish at night? She shivered, suddenly very cold.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top