Post by No Face on Nov 25, 2019 21:05:44 GMT -5
When Ethan came back out of the bathroom, he was fully dressed, with socks and boots on... He was tired, a little pale. The clothes were too small. The seams threatened to tear at the shoulders. He found a quiet, dark corner to sit in. He'd been through a lot in the last 2 days and he hated himself for being weak... Physically, emotionally, mentally. He had to rest, he had to work it out... He rested his head against the wall and fell asleep.
If left undisturbed... Ethan would sleep in Felix's bed. His snoring was quiet. Here, now, when/if Avery or Eddie came to check on him the fact that he had a strange smell to him became prominent. The strange musk was thicker, stronger than it usually was... He sweated through his clothes in his sleep. His entire body hurt. Even in his sleep, he was semi aware of pain... He almost always was... In his sleep, in an actual bed, he looked too young. Or maybe, more accurately, he looked like actual age of 17... Instead of the early twenties he looked in his waking moments. When he woke, he was silent. He pulled on his former suit instead of Felix's clothes. He'd had no socks or shoes upon his arrival and his clothes are shredded and burned in a few spots, but at least they fit. He searched his pockets, looking for Gerold's necklace given to him by Edith.
For anyone who might wander into the washroom... There were bits of debris in the waste bin. Upon closer inspection, there were slivers of wood, shavings of steel beams, broken glass, tiny bits of shale... All of them, stained pink or red with blood. Tiny shreds of flesh built up around them from where his flesh had grown over it and he'd had to pull it out... It was in the waste bin, sure, but if was still an odd and somewhat grisly sight to see.
That necklace...
Its little lead pendant didn't look much like the modern equivalent. The inscription was in Dutch.
Hart van een os
It was Felix who found the contents of the bin when he went in to clean up after bringing Liessel in. He stared, the bin in his hands tilted toward the meager light in that room, counting and assessing. The fastidious part of him--which was very outspoken--was pleased that it was at least in the wastebasket. That same part of him, though, soured and he found himself eyeing the rest of the room--the cracks in the tiles, the grout, the bathtub--suspiciously, unable to stop from finding any sign of something missed.
When he'd jumped out of the tub, he'd cracked a few tiles where he'd landed... But grout? Water damage? Nothing that wasn't there before... He'd cleaned all the water up, he'd cleaned the tub. He'd promised to clean up his mess and he had.
After he'd woken and dressed, he'd come out of Felix's room... He looked like he felt better. He looked less tired, less irritable. And the first thing he did was go find Aurelia.
It was late in the night. Or maybe early in the morning depending on viewpoints. Aurelia had never left the couch. It was too much of a risk to move her to one of the bedrooms. Best to keep the slowest of them all closest to the exit should they need to make a quick getaway.
She was stretched out on the couch, head propped against one of the arm rests. The blanket was tucked tight around her small form with a small pillow beneath her head. She was, finally, sound asleep. The slow, steady, rise and fall of her chest was evidence enough. Her face blank and peaceful in slumber. Bruises still colored that pretty face and jawline. The rest of it, though, was hidden beneath the blanket. Out of sight and out of mind.
Ethan didn't sit down beside Aurelia... He kept his distance. He didn't want to speak and risk waking her... So he sat in a chair, watched her, and dozed in between... He waited. He waited until she was awake to apologize.
He wouldn’t have to wait long.
There was something about being watched while sleeping that always brought one back to wakefulness. It was as if the body knew of its vulnerable plight and forced consciousness like a defense mechanism. Blearily, green eyes blinked away. Her breathing shifting from something deep and rhythmic to something sharp and aware.
She blinked, head turning around the room, until her eyes rested on Ethan. Something about it made her shift a little uncomfortably. Her good hand pulled the blankets tighter around her body.
He sat, head bowed, elbows on his knees... He looked like he was meditating... His shoulders were exhaled and he didn't lift his head... But he seemed aware that she was awake because he lifted his head to pin her with those bright green eyes. "I owe you a massive apology," he said softly. "I'm sorry."
She’d already turned her head to look at the fireplace when his head lifted. Aurelia was staring at the fireplace, watching as the flames licked and danced across the wood. It was soothing, watching as they capered about. Almost as if they moved to something that no one else could hear. It was something magical for the fire alone.
The sound of his voice brought her head to turn and look at him.
She watched him, on guard but not because of his demon. Little by little, as the silence stretched on, Aurelia’s eyes softened by some form of understanding.
“You’re forgiven.”
He reached up and scratched at his head. "I've... been through a lot these last few days.... It's not been good for me most of the time... When I get tired, When I'm forced to use the demon's power, it makes me... irrationally cranky," he said softly. "And I took it out on you. And Avery. I'm sorry."
When she spoke, it was soft but not timid. There was still strength beneath her quiet words. “It’s been a taxing night for everyone.” Lightly, her good hand picked at the edges of the blanket. Hours ago, she had discovered a frayed edge with enough string to twirl and untwirl around her finger. It was a good distraction to keep her from fiddling at the chain and pendant around her neck.
He nodded. "I told him not to hurt you," he said very quietly. "I can't stop him... I didn't know what else to do. He's faster the eye can see sometimes... You looked dead. That's the only reason I left you there."
Aurelia wasn’t looking at him. Her head was tipped, matted and stringy strands of red hair curtaining around her face as she watched her fingers play with the frayed edge. “I almost was.” She said. There was a deep take of air and she was looking up at him.
“It’s not your fault. You were not yourself and you didn’t know.”
"You..." He frowned. "I don't know what you are... But in truth, unless its demonic or undead, I don't recognize things for what they are right off the bat... You tickled my senses, but it was a feeling I'm not familiar with... I guess-- I guess I should've asked you what that tickle was. Maybe it would've told me to get away from you so you wouldn't be a target."
“It was my decision to help you.” She said. Her fingers abandoned the edge to rest neatly in her lap. “And if given the chance to do over, I’d make the same choice.”
He looked down at his hands. "I want this to be over, Miss... I'm so tired of being led astray and lied to... I'm so tired of running," he said.
Her brows were furrowed. "I am sorry this has happened to you."
He shook his head. "It is what it is... Its been in my family since 1624. It was only a matter of time... They killed my brother cuz he almost lost control. That's why i got him so young."
There was a nod.
“Do you have any other brothers or was it just you and him?”
"Just me and him... Next in line is my cousin if I die."
Something about that made her eyes flicker to where the Avery sat at the window. She watch him for a moment and then turned back to the other man.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Ethan." It didn't matter if they were close or not. What mattered was that Ethan had a brother... and now he was gone. And that alone, was its own kind of torture.
He shrugged and look at the fire. "with a family like mine, it is what it is... It's not the beginning of my tragedies, damn sure isn't the end."
Unsure of what to say, Aurelia nodded in response. Without consciously knowing, she was watching the fire again.
“Hopefully in a few days, you’ll be one step closer towards the life you desire so much.” She said.
He rubbed at his forehead. "Maybe. We'll see," he said softly. "Its the closest thing to hope I've had since being possessed... The Flynns started that... I just--" He shook his head and fell silent.
"You what?" Her head was tilted in curiosity.
"I just wonder how much better off people like you would be if I didn't ask for help."
She blinked at him.
"I don't... really know what I'm supposed to say to something like that, Ethan." She said.
He sighed again. "Sorry... I don't like to see people hurt. Especially because of me... If I hadn't asked you for help, Seth wouldn't have targeted you". He went still and thoughtful for a, second. "Well, I don't know if that's true. He might've come after you anyway"
“I don’t believe in spending too much time on ‘what ifs’.” She said. “To me, the present and future are a much greater priority. What’s done is done. We cannot go back and change it. And to spend too much time wondering what we could have done differently won’t get us very far. All we can do is take the knowledge we’ve learned and apply it to what comes next.”
He nodded. "He's dangerous... But he's offering me a way out. Everyone else... They're for it. They're the ones doing the actual binding... But... The thing that will handle the brunt of the binding... Was meant for the vampire. He gave it up to save me."
"Can you tell me about this binding you keep mentioning? What exactly is it?"
"No," he said softly. "It's... It's not something I can talk about... But the intention is to renegotiate my demon's contract. To keep it from taking more souls. To give me more control. I can't break the contract... But we think we can change it.
"It's strange that you say you can't talk about these things... and then you proceed to vaguely talk about them." She said. "It makes things confusing to keep up with and understand."
He smiled at her slightly. "Sorry. I can't be specific," he said softly. "I shouldn't know... They shouldn't have ever told me what it was... But they gave me a taste of the kind of peace it could bring." He had an almost... weepy expression on his face as he remembered... "It was... amazing. I have not ever felt that kind of calm in my life."
“What’s the cost of achieving such peace?”
If it was one thing Aurelia knew it was magic. And magic always had a cost.
"I don't know," he said softly. "But I can't bind myself... And they have the means and the knowledge," he said. "Especially the priest, I think."
"You're agreeing to this without knowing the price? That's a..." Aurelia looked for a more diplomatic word. "... risky move."
"From what I understand... The thing with the power being used was freely given."
The thing with the power being used.....
She blinked at him. "What?"
"The thing... That I got a taste of... What they're using to make the bindings... The thing and its power were freely given."
"I don't understand what you mean." She blinked again. "I thought the peace given to you was because the demon was bound. What is this... thing you speak about?"
He frowned. "I don't know how else to explain it without coming straight out and saying it." He frowned. "A creature of considerable power... Gave Seth a present... This present has immense power... They gave me a taste of this power-- to see how it would affect the demon. It gave me peace... So now-- they're going to use this present to be the power behind binding my demon."
"This sounds incredibly dangerous."
"It might be, but after having knowing what it feels like..." He shook his head. "I literally can't describe it, Miss... It was so good. So overwhelmingly good."
“For every ounce of bad that is my demon... There was a pound of good...It was amazing."
"And you are certain this wasn't some trick of the mind?" She asked. "What is it that the binding will do for you? Banish your demon? Permanently wall it away in the dark corners of your mind?"
"Like I said-- we're hoping to renegotiate the contract... The contract is bound to the life of the host and the soul of the initial contractor... I can't get out of the contract without giving up my life, but the hope is we can change what he can do... Whether he can take my soul or not. Who has more control. Restrict him from messing with my head... I want a line drawn. Where I know exactly where my power stops and his power starts... I want it to be black and white and not gray all over."
"And... this binding will do that?"
"We think so, yes." He sighed. "They tried exorcism... It almost killed me. He's so deeply bound into me that to get him out will kill me."
"You've been pushed into a very specific corner." She said.
"The demon does that," he said, closing his eyes and simply letting his head drop. "His contract is very tight. With very little wiggle room."
She nodded. "It looks so."
He rolled up one of his sleeves. "If this were a known language... Iv'e been told these symbols are the written contract," he said. He gestured to one of the lines in his markings where the symbols were.
"Every host gets these markings when they become the host... My father has them. My brother had them... Except my father's are all black now. The red is for the active host."
Her eyes scanned over the markings. It was a slow trace from his wrist all the way up to where the skin hid beneath the shirts cloth. "You will keep these markings for the rest of your life; even without the demon?"
He nodded. "Yes. If I reach the age of 40 without dying, it'll jump to the next in line... Which is my younger cousin... It only goes by male bloodlines-- it'll jump to the son of my uncle. My uncle, who's younger than my father. If I had children by the age of 40, it'd jump to my son instead. It doesn't care about age. It'll jump into an infant if it can."
"Demons care little about most things." She said quietly.
"Don't I know it," he said just as quietly. It was in no small part with a bitter tone.
She was quiet then. Allowing the silence to fill the space for what it was. Her head began to turn away and watch the flames once again. "I meant what I said. Knowing what I know now would not make a difference. I would have still helped you."
"You're a rare woman, then, Miss," he said softly.
If left undisturbed... Ethan would sleep in Felix's bed. His snoring was quiet. Here, now, when/if Avery or Eddie came to check on him the fact that he had a strange smell to him became prominent. The strange musk was thicker, stronger than it usually was... He sweated through his clothes in his sleep. His entire body hurt. Even in his sleep, he was semi aware of pain... He almost always was... In his sleep, in an actual bed, he looked too young. Or maybe, more accurately, he looked like actual age of 17... Instead of the early twenties he looked in his waking moments. When he woke, he was silent. He pulled on his former suit instead of Felix's clothes. He'd had no socks or shoes upon his arrival and his clothes are shredded and burned in a few spots, but at least they fit. He searched his pockets, looking for Gerold's necklace given to him by Edith.
For anyone who might wander into the washroom... There were bits of debris in the waste bin. Upon closer inspection, there were slivers of wood, shavings of steel beams, broken glass, tiny bits of shale... All of them, stained pink or red with blood. Tiny shreds of flesh built up around them from where his flesh had grown over it and he'd had to pull it out... It was in the waste bin, sure, but if was still an odd and somewhat grisly sight to see.
That necklace...
Its little lead pendant didn't look much like the modern equivalent. The inscription was in Dutch.
Hart van een os
It was Felix who found the contents of the bin when he went in to clean up after bringing Liessel in. He stared, the bin in his hands tilted toward the meager light in that room, counting and assessing. The fastidious part of him--which was very outspoken--was pleased that it was at least in the wastebasket. That same part of him, though, soured and he found himself eyeing the rest of the room--the cracks in the tiles, the grout, the bathtub--suspiciously, unable to stop from finding any sign of something missed.
When he'd jumped out of the tub, he'd cracked a few tiles where he'd landed... But grout? Water damage? Nothing that wasn't there before... He'd cleaned all the water up, he'd cleaned the tub. He'd promised to clean up his mess and he had.
After he'd woken and dressed, he'd come out of Felix's room... He looked like he felt better. He looked less tired, less irritable. And the first thing he did was go find Aurelia.
It was late in the night. Or maybe early in the morning depending on viewpoints. Aurelia had never left the couch. It was too much of a risk to move her to one of the bedrooms. Best to keep the slowest of them all closest to the exit should they need to make a quick getaway.
She was stretched out on the couch, head propped against one of the arm rests. The blanket was tucked tight around her small form with a small pillow beneath her head. She was, finally, sound asleep. The slow, steady, rise and fall of her chest was evidence enough. Her face blank and peaceful in slumber. Bruises still colored that pretty face and jawline. The rest of it, though, was hidden beneath the blanket. Out of sight and out of mind.
Ethan didn't sit down beside Aurelia... He kept his distance. He didn't want to speak and risk waking her... So he sat in a chair, watched her, and dozed in between... He waited. He waited until she was awake to apologize.
He wouldn’t have to wait long.
There was something about being watched while sleeping that always brought one back to wakefulness. It was as if the body knew of its vulnerable plight and forced consciousness like a defense mechanism. Blearily, green eyes blinked away. Her breathing shifting from something deep and rhythmic to something sharp and aware.
She blinked, head turning around the room, until her eyes rested on Ethan. Something about it made her shift a little uncomfortably. Her good hand pulled the blankets tighter around her body.
He sat, head bowed, elbows on his knees... He looked like he was meditating... His shoulders were exhaled and he didn't lift his head... But he seemed aware that she was awake because he lifted his head to pin her with those bright green eyes. "I owe you a massive apology," he said softly. "I'm sorry."
She’d already turned her head to look at the fireplace when his head lifted. Aurelia was staring at the fireplace, watching as the flames licked and danced across the wood. It was soothing, watching as they capered about. Almost as if they moved to something that no one else could hear. It was something magical for the fire alone.
The sound of his voice brought her head to turn and look at him.
She watched him, on guard but not because of his demon. Little by little, as the silence stretched on, Aurelia’s eyes softened by some form of understanding.
“You’re forgiven.”
He reached up and scratched at his head. "I've... been through a lot these last few days.... It's not been good for me most of the time... When I get tired, When I'm forced to use the demon's power, it makes me... irrationally cranky," he said softly. "And I took it out on you. And Avery. I'm sorry."
When she spoke, it was soft but not timid. There was still strength beneath her quiet words. “It’s been a taxing night for everyone.” Lightly, her good hand picked at the edges of the blanket. Hours ago, she had discovered a frayed edge with enough string to twirl and untwirl around her finger. It was a good distraction to keep her from fiddling at the chain and pendant around her neck.
He nodded. "I told him not to hurt you," he said very quietly. "I can't stop him... I didn't know what else to do. He's faster the eye can see sometimes... You looked dead. That's the only reason I left you there."
Aurelia wasn’t looking at him. Her head was tipped, matted and stringy strands of red hair curtaining around her face as she watched her fingers play with the frayed edge. “I almost was.” She said. There was a deep take of air and she was looking up at him.
“It’s not your fault. You were not yourself and you didn’t know.”
"You..." He frowned. "I don't know what you are... But in truth, unless its demonic or undead, I don't recognize things for what they are right off the bat... You tickled my senses, but it was a feeling I'm not familiar with... I guess-- I guess I should've asked you what that tickle was. Maybe it would've told me to get away from you so you wouldn't be a target."
“It was my decision to help you.” She said. Her fingers abandoned the edge to rest neatly in her lap. “And if given the chance to do over, I’d make the same choice.”
He looked down at his hands. "I want this to be over, Miss... I'm so tired of being led astray and lied to... I'm so tired of running," he said.
Her brows were furrowed. "I am sorry this has happened to you."
He shook his head. "It is what it is... Its been in my family since 1624. It was only a matter of time... They killed my brother cuz he almost lost control. That's why i got him so young."
There was a nod.
“Do you have any other brothers or was it just you and him?”
"Just me and him... Next in line is my cousin if I die."
Something about that made her eyes flicker to where the Avery sat at the window. She watch him for a moment and then turned back to the other man.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Ethan." It didn't matter if they were close or not. What mattered was that Ethan had a brother... and now he was gone. And that alone, was its own kind of torture.
He shrugged and look at the fire. "with a family like mine, it is what it is... It's not the beginning of my tragedies, damn sure isn't the end."
Unsure of what to say, Aurelia nodded in response. Without consciously knowing, she was watching the fire again.
“Hopefully in a few days, you’ll be one step closer towards the life you desire so much.” She said.
He rubbed at his forehead. "Maybe. We'll see," he said softly. "Its the closest thing to hope I've had since being possessed... The Flynns started that... I just--" He shook his head and fell silent.
"You what?" Her head was tilted in curiosity.
"I just wonder how much better off people like you would be if I didn't ask for help."
She blinked at him.
"I don't... really know what I'm supposed to say to something like that, Ethan." She said.
He sighed again. "Sorry... I don't like to see people hurt. Especially because of me... If I hadn't asked you for help, Seth wouldn't have targeted you". He went still and thoughtful for a, second. "Well, I don't know if that's true. He might've come after you anyway"
“I don’t believe in spending too much time on ‘what ifs’.” She said. “To me, the present and future are a much greater priority. What’s done is done. We cannot go back and change it. And to spend too much time wondering what we could have done differently won’t get us very far. All we can do is take the knowledge we’ve learned and apply it to what comes next.”
He nodded. "He's dangerous... But he's offering me a way out. Everyone else... They're for it. They're the ones doing the actual binding... But... The thing that will handle the brunt of the binding... Was meant for the vampire. He gave it up to save me."
"Can you tell me about this binding you keep mentioning? What exactly is it?"
"No," he said softly. "It's... It's not something I can talk about... But the intention is to renegotiate my demon's contract. To keep it from taking more souls. To give me more control. I can't break the contract... But we think we can change it.
"It's strange that you say you can't talk about these things... and then you proceed to vaguely talk about them." She said. "It makes things confusing to keep up with and understand."
He smiled at her slightly. "Sorry. I can't be specific," he said softly. "I shouldn't know... They shouldn't have ever told me what it was... But they gave me a taste of the kind of peace it could bring." He had an almost... weepy expression on his face as he remembered... "It was... amazing. I have not ever felt that kind of calm in my life."
“What’s the cost of achieving such peace?”
If it was one thing Aurelia knew it was magic. And magic always had a cost.
"I don't know," he said softly. "But I can't bind myself... And they have the means and the knowledge," he said. "Especially the priest, I think."
"You're agreeing to this without knowing the price? That's a..." Aurelia looked for a more diplomatic word. "... risky move."
"From what I understand... The thing with the power being used was freely given."
The thing with the power being used.....
She blinked at him. "What?"
"The thing... That I got a taste of... What they're using to make the bindings... The thing and its power were freely given."
"I don't understand what you mean." She blinked again. "I thought the peace given to you was because the demon was bound. What is this... thing you speak about?"
He frowned. "I don't know how else to explain it without coming straight out and saying it." He frowned. "A creature of considerable power... Gave Seth a present... This present has immense power... They gave me a taste of this power-- to see how it would affect the demon. It gave me peace... So now-- they're going to use this present to be the power behind binding my demon."
"This sounds incredibly dangerous."
"It might be, but after having knowing what it feels like..." He shook his head. "I literally can't describe it, Miss... It was so good. So overwhelmingly good."
“For every ounce of bad that is my demon... There was a pound of good...It was amazing."
"And you are certain this wasn't some trick of the mind?" She asked. "What is it that the binding will do for you? Banish your demon? Permanently wall it away in the dark corners of your mind?"
"Like I said-- we're hoping to renegotiate the contract... The contract is bound to the life of the host and the soul of the initial contractor... I can't get out of the contract without giving up my life, but the hope is we can change what he can do... Whether he can take my soul or not. Who has more control. Restrict him from messing with my head... I want a line drawn. Where I know exactly where my power stops and his power starts... I want it to be black and white and not gray all over."
"And... this binding will do that?"
"We think so, yes." He sighed. "They tried exorcism... It almost killed me. He's so deeply bound into me that to get him out will kill me."
"You've been pushed into a very specific corner." She said.
"The demon does that," he said, closing his eyes and simply letting his head drop. "His contract is very tight. With very little wiggle room."
She nodded. "It looks so."
He rolled up one of his sleeves. "If this were a known language... Iv'e been told these symbols are the written contract," he said. He gestured to one of the lines in his markings where the symbols were.
"Every host gets these markings when they become the host... My father has them. My brother had them... Except my father's are all black now. The red is for the active host."
Her eyes scanned over the markings. It was a slow trace from his wrist all the way up to where the skin hid beneath the shirts cloth. "You will keep these markings for the rest of your life; even without the demon?"
He nodded. "Yes. If I reach the age of 40 without dying, it'll jump to the next in line... Which is my younger cousin... It only goes by male bloodlines-- it'll jump to the son of my uncle. My uncle, who's younger than my father. If I had children by the age of 40, it'd jump to my son instead. It doesn't care about age. It'll jump into an infant if it can."
"Demons care little about most things." She said quietly.
"Don't I know it," he said just as quietly. It was in no small part with a bitter tone.
She was quiet then. Allowing the silence to fill the space for what it was. Her head began to turn away and watch the flames once again. "I meant what I said. Knowing what I know now would not make a difference. I would have still helped you."
"You're a rare woman, then, Miss," he said softly.