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Post by Oliver on Jul 14, 2011 4:39:07 GMT -5
” In less than two hours, all the good he had done was forgotten.”
[/center] A prayer.
A solemn plea left on high for what had been done, a plea for forgiveness, a plea for sanity. I was only a boy, truly, though I thought myself a man when I entered that tower. I left nothing but a husk. How did I survive? How did any of us leave that edifice on our own accord – did we all leave as I had? Not in bags, lost to a media spin. Labeled terrorists and executed in the court of public opinion, why I was allowed to escape I would never know. Now, twice in my brief life, I was on the lamb from authorities – not of god, but of men. I knew, despite my sins, that righteous was my life and no broadcast or bulletin could change that. I would be forgiven in the end, a welcomed embrace that kept me on this path of blood and gunpowder I’ve carved for myself. [/i][/blockquote] Oliver awoke in the mid-morning, the sun already set high in the sky, and the radiant light shining through the window’s shutters cast long columns upon the floor. Emily, perched on the shutters, chirped sweetly some high-tempo song to welcome the warmth of the day. Groaning, he raised, his paw-like hand rubbing the back of his head while the other hand rubbed away the dreariness from his one eye. It felt like a lifetime apart from Iole, and even longer still since he had come to this place. Ghost were here, haunting specters from his past. Spooks he had hoped he could forget, but alas, kept dragging them into their wicked haunt. Made worse by a witch, one who would never let him forgive or forget. He dreaded her most, yet loved her more dearly for it. For that reason, he sought shelter here when life was most bleak, it was the only home he had left, and even that, he felt, wasn’t far enough away from the world to protect himself or those he cared for. Even if she wasn’t here anymore, this place still held those strong bonds. He had to rest, build his strength once again, and seek out the justice he so thirst for. “Emi’y, shut it, wi’l ya?” Oliver cried out with a groan. “Me head is pound’in enough wit’out all the chirps.” His accent kept breaking into cockney, stronger now, since he had needed to perpetuate the ruse as Sid. Emily peered down to him dismayed, but quieted herself. He hopped out of the bed, dressed. Throwing his scarf around his neck, throwing over his long coat, tying his red slash over his head and eye, then finally talking up his goggles with the one blacked lens and slipped them over his head so they rest neatly before his ears and on his forehead. His whistled for Emily to come, she landing on his shoulder as he left the room. The Garden was much the same as all the others, except for its Headmaster and the uniqueness of their curriculum. Yet, it was still a school and as such, the students played and made merriment between and before classes. Oliver wandered from the guest dorms where he had been allowed to stay, safely tucked away from the general population, towards the cafeteria. His stomach guiding him till he came upon the Mecca to his hunger. A delightful smell permeating out from within that tantalized his nostrils. He fluttered in, grabbing a plate and filling it high with eggs and hash, with a bit of toast to eat it from. The plate almost felt unnecessary. Breakfast was consumed quickly, followed by a violently fast downing of some-form of juice or another. After breakfast, Oliver made his way to one of the little gardens, there, as he had done every day since he could move from his bed. He’d sit upon one of the stone benches, covered by a shade tree, setting his cracked mirror given to him by Natalia and taking out the book Iole gave him as a gift that had helped him learn to read and subsequently write. Within its bounds, it carried with it several pictures that fell out that floated to his lap. One stained and yellowed picture of his mother and him as a child, he barely recognized the child in the photo. The other, of his father and his love when she was a child. A picture that burned with such mixed feelings, jealously and sadness, but a profound sense of joy. It was bittersweet, a memory he wished he could of enjoyed personally. He slipped the pictures back behind the cover of the book and begun to read under the stillness of the shade tree. [/size][/blockquote]
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Post by Lillith on Jul 14, 2011 5:01:09 GMT -5
::a voice that brings it's own set of mixed reactions interrupts his thoughts::
When was the last time the two of you spoke?
::There she was, the woman who , besides Iole was the closest to his heart, and also the one who knew him best. She remained very close to the way he had remembered her in spite of the years with her long brown hair and slight build. But there was a change that he welcomed. Her strange cat-like green eyes still seemed to see into him, but they no longer held that condescending look of an adult to a child the way they once had. Instead the penetration stemmed from true understanding of his feelings that could only come from someone who shared similar life experience.
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Post by Oliver on Jul 14, 2011 16:00:10 GMT -5
The voice broke Oliver’s concentration like a snapped chord, startling him back to reality from his reading. He turned his head up to the woman, remembrance in his eyes. How long had it been, he wondered? Time seemed to move so fast in this world compared to that of hers, had it only been a few weeks, or a few months? He may not know the time in minutes and seconds, but he knew when they last spoke. It was an awful evening, one he had played back in his head countless times since. He closed and set the book aside.
“W’en I told her w’at I planned ta’do. Wasn’t rea’ly speak’in t’ough, was more like yell’in.” He replied, sheepishly. “Her yell’in at me.” His ears drooped. “Have’in spoken sense. Figur’d once I was done an’ came back, it’d be fine… not gonn’a happen now.”
The spark of memory shot through his head, that morning at Triceutical. Everything started out perfectly, but they knew. Somehow they knew. They walked right into a trap, freely and oblivious. Those… suits, the pasty ones with the strange swords and weapons. It was pandemonium. The gravity of the situation had been sitting heavy on Oliver’s shoulder since, worse that he knew not who made it out alive and who didn’t. He hadn’t heard a word from his team and they were so separated that, by the end of it, none of them knew where they others were.
He rotated his shoulder, messaging it softly. “An’ I s’ould be outa ye hair soon enoug’, see, doesn’t make the crunc’y sounds anymore.”
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Post by Lillith on Jul 14, 2011 17:45:15 GMT -5
::Lillith only sighed.::
Oliver you know you're always welcome here. I can't do much for you, but I can do this much. You're family. But at the same time, I don't think we're the family you should be worrying about.
::she sighed again as Oliver looked away from her. Somehow all of their conversations lately came back to Iole, and she knew he was tired of it. But she also knew he was being unfair to her::
Oliver, no one would question it if you went back. This is different than Lindblum and you know it. Is your revenge really worth jeopardizing what you have with her?
((I'll let you decide if he's told her about the baby or not. Wasn't sure if he'd share that with her))
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Post by Oliver on Jul 14, 2011 20:39:16 GMT -5
“Ya’ but will Miss Bardi take t’at as a’ sign of weakness?” Oliver interjected, voice solemn. “Me bein’ here is putting ye students at risk, I can’t allow it to come to t’at.” He remembered how the LPA and the Regent’s men would take any advantage the other presented, be it just a moment of weakness, and jump on it like vultures ripping any poor soul to shreds who faltered on their way.
Her words stuck him like a hammer, though, and he stood quickly. “Yes.” He said firmly. “Lillith…” He gritted his teeth, the next statement. “Iole is… pregnant.” He cusped his hands into fists. “An I’m not gonna let my child grow up in the world I did.” He tried everything to justify his actions. “My dad died to end Loci’s regime, I died once to make the world a’ better place and gods knows, I’ll go even further ta make t’is world better for my son or daughter. Won’t let t’em live the life I had. This is as much about her as it is my child.” His fur was frazzled, adrenaline coursing through his veins. In his mind’s eye he saw nothing but contempt for the Plague Weaver. “I gotta finish w’at my dad started or we’ll be right back to square one.”
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Post by Lillith on Jul 14, 2011 21:01:34 GMT -5
::Lillith's eyes grew wide, and for a moment he caught a glint of anger. But she quickly supressed it.::
Oh my... Oliver, a child? And you're letting her endure that by herself? Oliver for heavens sake, Yersinia doesn't even know who you are! Even if she did, could she really follow you to Freya? Would she even want to? It doesn't sound like she's as interested in revenge as you are.
::She took a deep breath to calm herself. He knew she didn't mean to sound like she was scolding him. Maybe it was the time she had spent as his guardian, or the years of running a school, or being the mother to her Own son. Either way it seemed part of her would still try to be Mother to him.::
Oliver think about this. It's really not just Iole's anymore. You have a whole family to think about. It's scary enough on it's own. But you're letting her go through it all by herself, worrying about you all the while. Can you imagine what that must be like?
((Trying to do my posts through Oliver's Point of view if that's okay))
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Post by Oliver on Jul 14, 2011 21:58:28 GMT -5
A low growl bubbled up from Oliver’s throat. “She’s strong, she’ll endure just fine.” He spat with muffled venom. “An’ ya, it was revenge at first… but it’s gone beyond t’at. I’ve seen and heard t’ings. Sick, vile t’ings that Triceutical has done. Yersinia says she’s changed, but it’s a lie. A monster never c’anges, she just put on a suit and calls it ‘progress’ but it’s the Order all over again.” Anger begun to brew inside him, festering deep within his stomach. He hated Yersinia, he hated everything she stood for and it blinded him. He snatched up the book on the bench, flipping it open and drawing the picture of his father and Iole together and showed it fervently to Lillith. “She took him from me, an’ she has to pay for her sins, all her sins. I know Iole understands, even if she won’t admit it.”
He shoved the picture into the book and slammed it close, then stashed the book away under his coat. “I know exact’y w’at it’s like… I lived every day of my life knowing exactly w’at it is like. An damn if I’ll let it continue longer t’en it needs to be. I’ll finish my work here an’ I’ll return to her triumphant.” He takes a long, deep breath. “It’s not every day that a father can give their child t’e world, an’ my child deserves not’ing less than just t’at… but Freya isn’t my world. So I'll give them Gaia instead.”
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Post by Lillith on Jul 14, 2011 22:25:36 GMT -5
::Lillith placed her hand on his arm::
Oliver, listen to yourself. Yes she took your father from you, and you have every right to be angry. But think about how much you've missed because he's been gone, how angry that makes you. Then think about your child. If you don't go find her soon, that little one might grow up feeling that same loss. Could you live with yourself if that happened?
::she places both her hands on his shoulders now, forced to look up into his steely gray eyes.::
They don't want the world. They just want you.
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Post by Oliver on Jul 14, 2011 23:34:55 GMT -5
Oliver pulled away from Lillith, he knew she was right but his stubborn pride wouldn’t let him say otherwise. “I won’t let t’at happen.” He stated firmly. “But I can’t stop now, not w’en I’ve come this far.” Oliver believed, firmly, that he had Yersinia running scared. He had come so close and survived, despite all odds. She may have won the battle but the war was still raging on. “T’ey’ll understand, t’ey have too. T’is is no different t’en war an’ w’at would I be if I abandoned the fig’t. W’at would I be t’en, Lillith?”
Oliver crossed his arms as he turned his back to her, refusing to look truth in the eye. He was as stubborn as ever. “The Commitsar once said: ‘to right the sins of the past, perpetuated by the bourgeoisie, is to remain strong to our convictions and see justice served for the masses’. I’m doing t’is not jus’ for myself or my child, but everyone. An’ especially for t’ose I left behind in t’at gods-forsaken tower. I’ll get her… mark t’ose words and Triceutical will fall wit’her.”
Then he remembered something he wished to tell her, something that had been troubling him. Something he had not mentioned to Lillith yet. “Lillith, remember… August Rasputin?” The name made him boil, “Yah? Guess who is reported to be work’in wit’ Yersinia as we’l. I t’ought I saw him briefly… but I know I ‘eard him. I’ll never forget t’at voice…” He furrowed his brow. “I dunno how, or w’y, t’ey say a demonic pact… but he’s back too… An if he’s alive then none of us are safe. Couple t’at wit’ the ‘Suits’ and t’ier strange technology, can’t expect me to run back to Freya wit’ me tail between me legs?” He flicked his tail, angrily.
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Post by Lillith on Jul 15, 2011 1:24:04 GMT -5
::Oliver felt her stiffen as he brushed her off::
He's alive then... He's with her.
::across her face he could see the struggle inside of her. The same ideals and passion for the fight he now expressed to her had once burned inside of her. And now the hero was fighting the mother, thrashing inside her to escape. Now she had a choice to make as well::
So I can't stop you then... Short of beating you within an inch of your life. Then at least let me help you.
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Post by Oliver on Jul 15, 2011 2:25:48 GMT -5
“G’osts of Perdition refuse to s’eep sound’y, aye.” Oliver muttered distantly. “T’ey also have a prisoner… Ierys.” He snorted, nose flaring. “Probab’y dead now for a’l I know… August ‘ad her last. Sick bastard imagine he did a’l manner of twisted t’ings to her.” He clenched his fist, “An’ for w’at I ask!?” He turned back to her, burning resolve still flaming in his eye. “Triceutical tested somet’ing in Treno, t’ey released a epidemic t’en sold t’e cure – t’at’s how I first caug’t wind of all this… t’en it kept gett’in bigger an bigger.” Rubbing his hand over the cloth covering his missing eyes, he lets out a soft sigh. He was over his head, he knew it, he once thought he had it all figured out but that came crashing down that morning at Triceutical.
“W’at ye proposing? Hav’in me here ‘as put t’is place at a great risk a’ready. Est’ar, the Suits, Triceutical… any of t’em cou’d come marc’ing t’rough t’ose doors any minute. T’is place was a’ready compromised once. C’ive said that August was actually here, disguised as a student named Afanasei. How he got a’old of Ierys. Oh gods, C’ive!” He burst. “Poor bugger-“ There was deep seated worry radiating from him. “He was at t’e mainframe before it a’l went to s’it…” He fell back, onto the stone bench with a thud. “Been so-“ Fluttered his hands, failing to find the right word. “Arg’h brain not work’in. Gah, I forgot about him. S’ould of mentioned t’is all sooner.”
Then another little insight flashed into his head, a memory that had been blurred from the trauma at the tower. ”The Hag an Wolf! Here, t'at night." He started rambling off quickly. "Wit' Clive, after yatch. Oh bloody 'ells." He stood, quickly, looking left, then right and with frustration lets out a grunt. "It was dark, dammit." He cursed, talking to himself. "Lillith," He turned, "Secret passage... 'ere, ye know of any secret passages to some sort of underground ritual chamber?"
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Post by Lillith on Jul 15, 2011 2:57:41 GMT -5
((jeez the poor woman gies on sabbatical for awhile and you kidnap her peers, and get them kidnapped. Speaking of, do we even know where Ierys and August currently are?))
::Lillith's expression didn't change, but faster than he could blink he felt her grip his long furry ear and drag him down to eye level with her::
Hold on a moment. You mean to tell me you involved Ierys and Clive in this? Without consulting me because I would have assuredly said no? Oliver did you suffer any brain damage in that explosion?
::he saw her aura darken and knew that she was furious.::
Wait... I vaguely remember a student by that name. I was supposed to give him his orientation, but had to leave. Kenny handled it and then Shaft enrolled him. You mean to tell me that was August? And that he was using the basement?... I know the place you're talking about. Gwen used it once. But it's been sealed... Or it was supposed to be. I sealed it myself because the hag and the wolf are still down there. Their pact holds them prisoner.
::She finally released her hold in his ear, but the thunder in her stare made up for that.::
I'm going with you. But now it's not to lend you my assistance. It's to reclaim my delinquent students. You are just lucky you're to big for me to tan your hide.
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Post by Oliver on Jul 15, 2011 3:12:20 GMT -5
Oliver yelped when Lillith seized his ear without even a moment to explain himself. "Oye, ain't 'Ike that. August and Ieyrs were. A'ready a factor when I came on scene an C'ive insisted in helping w'en we found out about Augusta's true nature. I tried to rescue her. Just didn't go as planned."He rubbed his sore ear after she let go. "Anyway, lead on. Fill you in on the rest on the way.
(August yes. Ierys no.)
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Post by Lillith on Jul 15, 2011 3:47:40 GMT -5
Of all the foolish, disrespectful... First you show up at my house beaten and half dead, worrying me and Rose sick while you recover, and then you tell me you've abducted one of our students to go chase two more!
::Lillith led Oliver through the Garden, speaking only to shoo the mulling students out of her way and to mutter the occasional threat against Clive and Ierys when she finally got her hands on them. She quickly evacuated the dining hall with a sharp order and a sharper crackle of lightning that sent the students scurrying. She led him next to the back wall which at first appeared blank and unimpressive. She turns to him and gives him a serious look::
What you're about to see you are not to speak of to anyone. Not even to Kenny, am I clear? Stay right behind me until we reach the bottom level and then let me do all the talking. You've only encountered a demon once and barely escaped with your life. Do not argue with me on this one. Understood?
::She only looked away when he gave her a weak nod. But despite her directness, she didn't fool him. Instinct told him that she was scared of whatever was down there. She turned and faced the wall, placing her hand over it. Sparks danced from her fingertips as layers of dust began to peel away from the wall and from the previously unseen cracks. A great space of the wall receded and then moved aside down the middle like the doors to the elevator. Oliver caught Lillith swallow before she took the first step down the winding stone staircase.::
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Post by Oliver on Jul 15, 2011 12:52:00 GMT -5
“Did no suc’ t’ing!” Oliver protested, again, he couldn’t help to feel this was an uphill battle all the way. He started to wonder if being captured and imprisoned by Yersinia would be less harsh then the tongue lashing he had been getting this morning. “He volunteered! An’ I t’ink C’ive can handle himself we’l enoug’. The lil’git is scary resourceful.”
Once they had reached the secret door, flashes from that night begun to swim their way through Oliver’s head. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory and Lillith’s demands, she hadn’t known about the last encounter he had with these things but that worried him too. He had promised not to tell Lillith about the demon’s little dealings under her school in exchange for passage to Spira and Esthar. Too late now.
“Uh… Lillith, somet’ing ye s’ould know.” He sheepishly spoke, hoping not to be cut off. “But-“ An’ she was already descending the stairs, as if she didn’t hear him or was, rightfully, ignoring him. Oliver ran his hand over his face, this was about to get painfully interesting. He checked his pockets, luckily he had brought his father’s combs with him. With that piece of comforting gold in his pocket, he descending the stairs after Lillith.
“Ye rea’ly s’ould know t’at I-“ Both he and Lillith had reached the stairs landing before he could finish, and a howl followed, echoing up the staircase and probably throughout the school above.
Wolf: “Doomrat!?”
The raspy voice quivered, it was afraid. Not for Lillith, but of ‘Doomrat’. Oliver gingerly laughed at the outburst as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. “I… I may a’a’ready ‘ad a ta’k wit’ t’em a bit ago. Kind’a put t’e fear of ye into t’em in exc’ange for a favor or two. Heh… don’t ‘urt me p’ease.”
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Post by Lillith on Jul 15, 2011 16:28:50 GMT -5
((where's the thread where all of this happened? I'd like to catch up))
:: Lillith is silent for a moment staring at the wolf and hag that emerge from the shadows in their stooped skulking forms. Oliver gulped when he saw the electricity course over her hands. But she instead vented her frustrations on the demons. The foul creatures fell back and staggered to their hands and knees coughing::
Hag: please stop Witch of Storms! You've tried to kill us so many times before, but to no avail! Death would be preferrable to this miserable existence you've imprisoned us in!
Who said anything about killing you? I just wanted a fresh reminder of what happens when you don't cooperate in your minds. Now we've come here for answers. The first; what exactly did you do to my idiot son over here? What sort of deal did you make with him? And tell the truth or you will suffer.
((I realize this is the first official time she's called him that, but she's a little too mad to call him by his name right now, and I couldn't think of anything else for her to call him. Oliver wouldn't mind her calling him her son would he?))
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Post by Oliver on Jul 15, 2011 23:34:47 GMT -5
Oliver watched, snickering in the back as the Hag and Wolf were overcome with a fit of terrible coughing, causing them to fall to their knees. It was satisfying, he held no love for these things anymore than Lillith did. He leans casually up against the wall, watching.
His ears perked when she referred to him as her ‘son’, he was unsure how that made him feel. Nephew perhaps, but ‘son’, that was a word that brought with it all sorts of connotations. He let it slip aside, for now, as there was more pressing matters at hand.
“Not’in an’ it was more’a t’reat.” He calmly interjected. His eye darted straight at the Wolf, smirking devilishly. Though Lillith told him to remain silent, he wasn’t going to let anything become more muddled than it already was, despite her request.
Hag & Wolf: Truth, truth, he speaks the truth.
((Linked to this instance in cbox, a lot of events unfolded right here in Leah. Can be read in the previous threads. Important ones I believe are Augustus Holiday, Cram Session, and Back to School. In reverse order.))
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Post by Guinevere on Jul 16, 2011 0:06:22 GMT -5
((Yeah I had followed the story all the way to where August takes Ierys with him on vacation, but somehow the washed ashore thread escaped my attention. But I finished reading it just now, and he so totally kidnapped Clive!))
::Lillith growled under her breath, staring long and hard at the creatures::
So you made a pact with August as well then. What was the nature of this pact?
Hag: Youth...he wished to look younger so as to decieve you and allow him to stay. Please forgive us! Don't harm us! His magic binds demons to his will as strong as any pact we've made! We fear him!
::You dressed that monster up so he could roam around MY school grounds with MY students? I should dismember the both of you right now!
Wolf: Please, we had no choice!
:: now Oliver could see her shoulders trembling with rage::
Alright, one more thing. When this one came down here, there was another with him.
Hag: yes yes, The one whose presence disrupts the air around him. He was here once before with the girl with the sunset hair.
:: this apparently was also news to Lillith.::
Ierys and Clive have been down here before?! Who else?!
:: Another wave of electricity brought them to their knees::
Wolf: No one! No one else, we swear it!
Hag: The lightning rat and the sunset haired girl were the first to disturb us since our Lady of Webs left us. Then came the Harvester, and the. The lightning rat returned against his will with the one eye behind you.
::Oliver caught Lillith twitch when her suspicions of him dragging Clive down here were confirmed. She didnt say anything more about it, but he got the feeling she would have his fur for a coat when they were safely away from here again::
Alright, last question. Do you know where they are now? Where is August keeping them?
Hag: ::shrinks back:: We know not. The Tourniquet Man most likely has them both with the Plague Bearer. But we know not where they are.
::Lillith exhaled through her nose sharply::
Fine then. I suppose you may now resume your cursed shadows you call lives. But if I find out you've so much as whispered to any of my students, I will cease my search for the banishing spell and you will wish more than ever that I could kill you. Oliver, we're leaving. You first.
:: She motioned for him to return up the stairs, keeping her eyes firmly on the demons::
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Post by Oliver on Jul 16, 2011 0:23:00 GMT -5
"W'oa nel'y." Oliver proclaims, refusing to budge. "I wan'a k'ow if August can be ki'led. If not, I wa't t'at pact or contract t'a cur made nu'l an' void." Exclaiming, eying down both the Wolf and Hag. He advanced on the Hag and Wolf, that burning flame of power and anger burning inside him - the spark left by his father. "Or... I'll 'ake good on t'at lil't'reat I made t'at nig't. First ye bal'ocks-" Staring down the Wolf. "Up t'at special spot; then-" Darting his head over to the Hag. "Ye k'ow w'at comes next, donc'a? Ya, all up in t'ere."
He glanced back to Lillith, though he would know without a second glance how she would respond to this, but he didn't care. Intimidation worked before, likely work again.
"I du'no w'y ye keep t'ese two 'round anyway, Lillith. T'ey ain't wort' t'e space. I'd say we just finis' t'em off, ye and me, 'ike old times."
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Post by Lillith on Jul 16, 2011 0:50:15 GMT -5
::The wolf and the Hag both cowered away from Oliver and tried to shrink back even more when Lillith turned her head ever so slightly to pin her strange cat-like green gaze on them. Then with a fling of her hand a red glow enveloped them::
Stop!
::The spell took effect and the two demons ceased trembling, frozen in their places. Lillith spoke in a low voice, sounding very drained, and then Oliver knew why she had chosen to freeze them instead of inflict more harm. She was tired. This encounter was taking up a great bit of her mental strength::
Oliver, I have spent the last two years searching for a way to kill them. I've had to live knowing that they are dwelling under the same roof as my students, my husband, my son. I've had to constantly check and maintain the wards and seals over this chamber. You have no idea what they could do if they weren't trapped here. These things were spawned by something darker than your worst nightmares. I want August as badly as you do, but these things only exist to cause pain. I'm not about to ask for their help.
((You know I don't know if August has elaborated on that pact of his yet. I don't think it came from these two.))
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