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Post by Iole on Aug 29, 2011 3:06:44 GMT -5
::The stars were always clear over Leah Garden. The only light pollution thanks to the student's curfew came from a town nearly a half hour away. The stars had looked so beautiful to her when she was a girl. But after learning of the existence of other worlds apart from Gaia, the stars in the sky had taken on different meanings. She didn't want to look at them right now either. They felt like a multitude of eyes on her. The proof of what she was, what she had become was out in the open for all the cosmos to see. She sat glumly on the stone steps leading to the manor and kept her eyes instead on the courtyard in front of her. The night air blew teasingly through the field of lillies that encircled the entire estate and the moon shone down on it all, giving it a bluish hue. But right now, as the memories began to flood through, the courtyard was basking in the noon-day sun on a hot summer's day::
::The dark haired little girl was knocked flat on her back by the hunched wolf demon she was fighting. The demon licked its chops, sure to descend on its prey and devour her. But this was not a deep and dangerous forest, this was the front courtyard of an old mansion that had once been an orphanage. And instead of leaping onto the incapacitated young girl, the wolf-thing simply stood its ground, waiting for her to get back up. She did, and growled in her throat as her arms began to change::
Natalia: Iole.
::The girl turned to the woman standing at the edge of the courtyard with her arms folded; an indescribably beautiful elven woman with long raven hair that framed a sand colored face with deep violet eyes, and dressed head to toe in black::
::whining:: But Auntie...
Natalia: No. No changing. Your powers aren't going to be able to solve every problem.
Then how am I supposed to win? Look at him, look at me. He's bigger, he's faster, he's stronger,
Natalia: But you have one thing that he doesn't.
::The woman annunciated every word the same way that she moved, the same way that she did everything. With clarity and grace::
::The girl tilted her head the way a dog would when it was confused::
What?
Natalia: Will. A strong will is what truly succeeds, not mere talent. Without it, even the most impressive strength topples. And your will is ten times stronger than that thing's. Now again.
But--
Natalia: AGAIN!
::Without warning, the wolf demon lunged again, swinging its great brawny arms at her, brandishing its claws. The girl countered with accuraccy, but her fatigue was beginning to wear on her speed, and if she couldn't stop defending long enough to attack, she wouldn't win::
Natalia: You have to want it Iole. Does your life mean anything to you? What if it wasn't just yours? What would you do then?
::still countering the wolf with nothing but her bare hands and feet:: I'm... ::pant:: trying
Natalia: Kenny's down.
No.
Natalia: It just took down Eva.
No!
Natalia: Now it's coming for me.
NO!
::With a single thrust, she threw the wolf's hand away from her, sending it off balance. Then in one breath, she twirled into the air and brought her foot down hard on the monster's head. It fell to the earth, it's tongue hanging from its maw, and its yellow eyes glazed over and spinning. Iole stood over it, still in an offensive stance, breathing hard. If that thing got back to its feet, she would tear it apart with her bare hands. It didn't. Her adrenaline was pumping so hard that when a hand came to rest on her shoulder, she spun and caught it by the wrist, preparing to throw the one who had touched her. But when her eyes met the amethyst ones of her Auntie, all the primal fury that had filled her moments ago was gone::
Natalia: Very good. That's what it takes to win Iole.
::Exhausted, her shoulders heaving and her thin tank-top and shorts plastered to her body by her sweat, the girl buried her face in the woman and let her run her fingers through her coal black hair::
Natalia: That's my dear little girl.
::The night wind blew through her hair again, reminding her of where she was and what she had lost, returning her to her pitiful situation of what she believed she was losing::
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Post by Oliver on Aug 29, 2011 17:59:32 GMT -5
The night was as dark and cruel as any had ever been, casting a cold blanket over an awful day as if trying to hide it from condemning eyes. For hours since the good news came to light, Oliver had been struggling with the questions he would have to ask. He was never very good at this and the longer he struggled the worse things may become, yet he was afraid - afraid to learn the truth and afraid to ask the question. He walked as silently and detached as a ghost around the Garden, one hand constantly fiddling with something tiny, clenching and rubbing it between his fingers. Emily sat on his shoulder the whole time, quiet as he.
His wandering soon led to the source of his anguish, as he came upon Iole a short distance away, sitting on the steps to the main courtyard. She appeared as miserable as he felt. His stomach turned with anxiety, she hadn't seen him yet, he could turn and walk away. He felt he wasn't prepared yet and he trembled from nerves. He took several deep breaths and watched her for a few moments - considering what first to say. He was going to try and do this, he had to do it. He walked closer, each step feeling like a long mile till he was close enough to call her name.
"Iole...?" He spoke sheepishly at first, then swallowed his fear. "Iole? We need to ta'k about this." He attempted to speak through his accent, try to keep the conversation as clear as possible. It was straining. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "I... I just want to know w'y ye did it? Of all t'e things ya could of lied about, w'y this?"
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Post by Iole on Aug 29, 2011 21:38:09 GMT -5
::She closed her eyes. There was no way he could ever forgive her for this. She couldn't expect him to. If their roles had been reversed, she probably wouldn't::
What can I say? Nothing I say could possibly make it any better. I'm sorry could never ever be enough.
::Her will had been shattered earlier, and now that she was finally speaking to Oliver, there was no stopping her from sobbing. She didn't reach for him. How could she? Her own knees were the only touch she could hope to lean on right now::
But I am. I am sorry. I'm so so sorry.
::Then she whimpered something low and hoarse that he had to strain to hear it::
Gwen was right, I am a monster.
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Post by Oliver on Aug 29, 2011 21:56:04 GMT -5
Oliver's eyes nearly teared and if he wasn't trying to be strong, he would of let them run. He knelled beside her and leaned in close and embraced her in a hug.
"I know... I'm still angry, but I know. I love ye too much to let it come between us. I just want to understand w'y." A momentary pause as he eased away from the hug, just slightly, to look her plainly in the eyes. "Don't ever say ye'r a monster, I'd never love a monster - Gwen is a sick, twisted person. It sickens me we ever had to see her again."
He returned the hug again. "I'm sorry too, for leaving. I wanted to do it for us, all three of us. I was downright sick of our nightmares coming back to haunt us. Yersinia, then August and now... Gwen." He shuddered. "I t'ought I could do something, for once. I can't ask for your forgiveness for not being t'ere at that crucial time but... I just - I dunno... fool for t'inking I cou'd c'ange the world for us. Give our son w'at I never had."
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Post by Iole on Aug 29, 2011 23:31:26 GMT -5
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZRWhAL1-1U::His touch made it seem as if her crying had started all over again. It had been almost a year since he had held her like this, and it felt as if she had just remembered how to breathe. She couldn't describe what she had been missing because it had just exploded back into her all at once. She wasn't sure how long she cried, letting her tears fall into his chest, soaking his fur. Of course Oliver would forgive her, miserable creature that she was. How could she have ever thought otherwise? He was a hundred fold more selfless and kind than she was:: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. ::It was all she could say for awhile. After a while, her crying subsided and she felt strong enough to form a coherent answer. She nestled her head into his chest:: I really didn't do it to hurt you. It's just... ::She decided to go back. She'd just done an immesurable cruelty to him that would probably shatter his full confidence in her forever. He at least deserved to hear the whole story from the beginning:: When I was younger, I always pictured celebrating my first child surrounded by family and friends. Kenny would be a nervous wreck, Eva and Rainii would be coaching me through it, Lillith would be getting things ready for his room, his crib, Nyx would be doing... something, but she'd be there. Then you came along and suddenly I knew who was going to be at my side when I brought that life into the world. After we found out I was so happy, I didn't even care about the other details. It would be fine as long as you were there. But... you weren't. I was alone, and in hiding. Nyx and Gideon were there to help me through it, and thank the gods they were because it was more painful than I could have imagined. But all I could think of was where you were, why you weren't there. And that got me thinking about some other things. I started to wonder if I could raise him on my own if you didn't come back. What kind of mother could I be? The only mother I ever had was a Demon Witch. She taught me how to fight, how to be strong, but she never taught me how to be compassionate, how to love, all the things I'd need to be his mother. Then I started thinking, what if you did come back? We're both constantly in danger. Neither of us know the first thing about raising a child. We're not even married yet. I started to wonder if... we were... ready to be a family.
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Post by Oliver on Aug 30, 2011 0:10:24 GMT -5
And as Iole cried, Oliver held her close. He imagined all her sorrow flooding onto him and leaving her, like a river running from a mountain. His anger making way for the future he imagined once more - that which he though was shattered just hours before.
"I can never make up for missing that part of our life toget'er." He started to understand why she said as she had, though he could never understand the wanted cruelty behind it. It was something foreign to him. In his life, things were plain and obvious. The gangs, his mother, the war, he understood what was what and what things meant. This battlefield of love was something so foreign, he hesitated with every step. "But I'm here now, an I won't ever let ye go again. We got to let go of our pasts, as best we can, so we can bui'd a future for our son. I see t'at now. Push past all t'is an' live for him."
The object he had been fumbling in his hand suddenly found it's way into Iole's palm. It was warmed - from his touch, and circular. It was a simple, metal ring, strange in its texture but obviously not made from the known precious metals. It wasn't necessarily beautiful by normal standards, but its value lay in what it was from - least in Oliver's eye, being a poor man.
"A stórín; had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, enwrought with golden and silver light. T'e blue and the dim and the dark cloths of night an' light an' t'e half-light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, 'ave only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread upon my dreams." He spoke the poem as he clenched his hand around hers, letting that ring press into her soft skin.
"I want to make t'ings right. Do w'at I should of done a long time before. I may not 'ave gold or silver to give you. So I give ye w'at took so much from me and made me see on'y ye from now ti'l I die. It's made from from t'e shrapnel t'at took me eye, from L'enfant Terrible." He took it from her grasp and showed it in the moonlight. It's polished surface reflected two words engraved on the inner band: 'Never again'.
"Doja know how much I love ye?" He moved a hand around her to run through her hair, his fingers running through it's silk like water. The touch further reaffirming his desire for her. "An I'll never do anyt'ing to hurt ye again. Be forever my love and my wife."
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Post by Iole on Aug 30, 2011 0:31:41 GMT -5
::Through her tears Iole smiled::
Leave it to a soldier to make something beautiful out of shrapnel.
::She laughed::
What did I ever do to deserve someone as brave and selfless as you?
::She pressed her lips against his and let him slip the ring onto her finger::
I will. Forever and ever until the worlds burn.
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Post by Oliver on Aug 30, 2011 0:57:37 GMT -5
"That's all I ever wanted."
He let his hand run through her hair, and gently graspe her head in his hand and brought her close for a kiss. In that moment, all the pain she had put him through washed away, replaced by what really mattered. Though he knew that this sting would last for some time, in this moment, all was forgotten and only their love shone through. He broke the kiss and looked to her with nothing but happiness in his smile.
"W'en t'is - silly business is all over. We'll go back to our son, forget this happened, an' tru'y begin our lives toget'er. I'll make up for my absence, ten-fold."
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Post by Iole on Aug 30, 2011 1:47:44 GMT -5
::She rested her head against his shoulder, and for the first time in a long time she slipped into a peaceful sleep, breathing out an agreement as the night took her into her dreams of the future she was waiting for::
I love you Ollie.
::She wouldn't even notice or stir when he carried her back inside that night. Her future with him was back and playing out in front of her in her dreams, and nothing could take that away::
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Post by Oliver on Aug 30, 2011 3:01:28 GMT -5
Oliver laid her to rest in his bed, watching over her with soft eyes, his hand gently petting her head. Seeing her so vulnerable, so innocent in sleep made him realize how much she meant to him. He was her's to protect, even if she truly didn't need it, he was going to do everything he could to make sure no one hurt her again. As he sat on the edge of the bed, unable to sleep, he couldn't look away from her. Throughout the night, he laid beside her, held her hand and watched her sleep soundly - the stillest he imagined, in a long time. He was happy, deeply so, to finally have her in his bed, warming it's once vacant sheets. The morning was coming, and still he couldn't sleep, his mind too awash with all the thoughts of their future. He kissed her neck, taking in the scent of her hair and smooth, silkiness of her skin. He could eat her up right now, devour her and hold her forever close and never let her go. When the first rays of the morning begun to show, he took up his banjo and walked outside, to the courtyard so Iole would not be disturbed. He sat on a bench, right outside the room and begun to play. An old photograph of Iole pegged into the top neck of the instrument. Love was kind, for a time Now just ac’es, an’ it makes me blind T’is mirrors ‘aunts, by eyes too brig’t T’at I can't see t’e ot’ers in my life
But we too young, ‘eads too strong To bear t’e weig’t of t’ese lover's eyes Cuz I feel numb beneat’ ‘er tongue beneat’ t’e curse of t’ese lover's eyes.
Do not ask t’e price I pay for I must live wit’ my quiet rage Tame t’e g’osts in my ‘ead t’at run wild an’ wis’ me dead S’ould you s’ake my as’ to t’e wind Lord forget all of my sins O’ let me die w’ere I lie beneat’ t’e curse of my lover's eyes
Cuz t’ere's no drink nor drug I tried To rid t’e curse of t’ese lover's eyes Cuz I feel numb beneat’ your tongue Your strengt’ just makes me feel less strong
Do not ask t’e price I pay for I must live wit’ my quiet rage Tame t’e g’osts in my ‘ead t’at run wild an’ wis’ me dead S’ould you s’ake my as’ to t’e wind Lord forget all of my sins O’ let me die w’ere I lie 'neat’ t’e curse of my lover's eyes
But I'll walk slow, I'll walk slow Take my ‘an’, ‘elp me on my way.
An’ I'll walk slow, I'll walk slow Take my ‘an’, ‘elp me on my way.
An’ I'll walk slow, I'll walk slow Take my ‘an’, I'll be on my way.
An’ I'll walk slow, I'll walk slow Take my ‘an’, ‘elp me on my way.
Aaaahhh ahhh’ a’hhhh’.
Cuz I'll walk slow, I'll walk slow Take my ‘an’, ‘elp me on my way
The morning sun begun to rise over the horizon and for once in a long while, he felt that everything would be alright with this coming, new dawn.
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