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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2017 10:08:57 GMT
Rhea hadn't settled into motherhood well. But she had finally returned home after leaving in an emotional fit. Faron was obviously unhappy with her for abandoning both him and their daughter and had disappeared entirely a few days before without a word. She assumed he would be back, but she assumed wrong. Rhea had managed to get herself into a bit of trouble while she was running from responsibility. Apparently, she was a little rusty with her card tricks compared to before her pregnancy. She might have cheated a few men out of their money....and they might have been looking for her. She didn't want to let their father in on what she was up to, Faron was off who knew where, and she was afraid to handle a group of angry men alone with a babe. She had sent the messenger to Connor a couple days prior carrying a simple note. I need your help...I think I'm in danger. Love, Rhea. Along with it she sent her address, the house Faron had purchased for them to live in with the babe.
Rhea sighed and sank down into a char at the small kitchen table. Gently brushing the babe's blonde hair back down where it had been ruffled. She was trying but she just wasn't a natural mother. But she was back now, Faron though...she didn't think he would ever forgive her for leaving in the first place. He had been so upset. He just couldn't understand...
Rhea took a drink from the cup of water that sat on the table in front of her. Listening to the soft grumbling sounds of her daughter as she tried to fall back asleep. "You might as well stay awake, uncle Connor will be here soon. He's an asshole but I love him anyway and I'm sure you will too. Just...don't touch him. Ever." She tipped back another drink of water and stood to answer the door at the soft raping sound on the wood.
Connor Lachesis
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Post by Connor Lachesis on Dec 4, 2017 22:25:35 GMT
It was an unfortunate reality that Connor didn't tend to make a point of visiting his family. It was not necessarily personal - Rhea did tend to goad him on, though their father was a kind enough man - but rather a combination of factors. Perhaps when you had eternity, the appreciation of spending time with loved ones dwindled; was taken for granted, in exchange for a constant state of pressing such events off into the future. In his case, perhaps his secrecy had also driven a wedge. It was also true that after some months of Rhea having known his closely held secret, and utilizing that to extract (re: blackmail) some favors now and again, Connor had not been the most inclined to seek her out.
And yet, loyal as a dog - something which frustrated him, but which he could not escape - he came to her beck and call at the sign of trouble. A letter had turned up, a plea, mere days after his return to the Imfala Kingdom. At first he'd grown tense, suspecting that it might've been Solara's mother enacting some sort of plan. Something nagging feeling in his gut, however, knew well that his sister likely had far more pressing matters to worry about, ahead of some unseen apparition. She had a way of getting her hands caught in the cookie jars she sought to steal from, at least in his mind.
Thus, he'd set off after a quick exchange of the items in his saddlebags. It was clad as any commoner, though covertly carrying more weapons than a soldier, that the Commander had found his way to Cendra. It took a small amount of navigating to seek out the home on the letter, though he didn't dare call attention by seeking directions. It was... different. The place to which the paint carried him was not ultimately one he'd expected to find his sister at, the exterior far more homely than her typical abode.
Dismounting, securing the mare, he exhaled a small sigh as he cast one last look over the place before approaching the door. Not bothering to remove a glove before he rapped the door, the man cast a glance out at the yard to his back, searching for any indication of the trouble Rhea had mentioned. Nothing. Not a sign.
The door opened, and it was when he turned to regard her that he found what he presumed was the trouble she'd mentioned. For the look of shock that crossed his features, he might've been stabbed in the stomach - and he didn't make attempt to school the expression. "Well... This is certainly a sight to behold, little sister." His brows still lingering in their quirked position, he tilted his head slightly to regard the blonde fluff of hair. "What did you do? Did you steal a baby this time?"
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2017 23:19:15 GMT
The smile on her face fell into a look of shock, cradling the babe in one arm she punched her brother in the shoulder with the other. "Oh yeah, cause you know me. I was always dying to be a mother." Rhea rolled her eyes and nodded to the table where she would then take her seat again. "This is where we should do the catching up thing...right? Like, have you special ordered any barrels lately? Had a sudden craving for a shipment of wine?" She smirked. Satisfied that she was able to bring up this old little nugget. "The baby is mine actually, and Farons but I haven't seen him in a week or so..." She sighed and waved one of her hands as if to say it wasn't important, or at least not why she called him there.
"Anyway..." Rhea rocked the babe softly in hopes of keeping her asleep. "A group of men have been threatening me...I may have cheated them out of some money. If it was just me I wouldn't be so nervous but theres not much I can do to defend myself if they come now." She looked down at the babe with a mixed expression on her face. She did care about the babe, that wasn't the issue really. Just the entire....settling down and being a mother thing. That was harder. "I'm not sure when...if..Faron will be back. I don't want to involve dad in this so..." She disliked having to ask Connor felt help. But especially now since she had been the one making jokes that he would knock some woman up and she had been the one to end up with a child. Eating her words wasn't easy.
"I'm not blackmailing you...this time. But If you would keep then from killing us it would be great. I just don't have anyone else to depend on right now and illusions only get me so far." She sighed and flicked a crumb on the table at him in a very younger sibling manner. "How have you been though? Really? Its been a while."
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Post by Connor Lachesis on Dec 4, 2017 23:51:50 GMT
[blockquotes] Observing her cradling the infant was such a drastic departure from any image he’d had of her previously. It was just so… odd. In fact, Connor was so distracted by it that he scarcely reacted to her prodding for once, instead regarding the tiny body with a look of mild curiosity. “Here is fine.” When he followed her in, her explanation drifting to his ears – that was when he had to bite his tongue. Rather than the first quip that came to mind – I can’t believe it doesn’t have a third eye – his head tilted. What came out wasn’t much better. “I suppose it’s fortunate Uncle Faron isn’t… our biological Uncle.” Although, the last remark caused him a pause. He decided to not follow with a question right then – stowing that information away for later. Where had the man gone if we wasn’t with his child… and niece.
Lowering himself to sit across from her, Connor propped a foot up across his knee, resting an elbow on the wooden surface of the table. His eyes lingering on the child as a cat might a mouse, alert to any small motion, he listened. Hearing her out in her entirety, rather than biting out any further quips, he remained silent. She’d gotten herself into a mess, even beyond a babe. A proper mess. In some capacity, he was relieved. Considering how things had gone with Solara following her mother’s threats, he felt it better to deal with stupidly-robbed men rather than the woman. Nevertheless, lips pressing together, his eyes finally met hers. “I can spend a little time here, but if it becomes too much of an issue you’d be better off spending time at my quarters in Imfala.” He exhaled from his nose, watching the crumb soar through the air in his direction.
"Long enough for you to have a child, apparently. Perhaps I should check in more, less you surprise me with a brood of them." Slowly, he smiled, his finger pressing the crumb into the tabletop. Sort of. More of a half smile. “I’ve been running throughout Oedir as of late, trying to get answers for someone I am seeing. From the Duskmire to the Naihan mountains.” The look faded slightly. He was stubborn. “Might still be seeing. It’s complicated.” He didn’t know why he was being so forth-right; perhaps it was a kind of habit Solara was beating into him. Seeming to realize how that might’ve sounded, his lips down-turned. He fully expected her to make another remark about – no, he sought to cut her off before she could try. “And not because of barrels. I was actually meaning to speak to you about it; her mother is a fair bitch. It might just be better if you stayed in Imfala, because she’s threatening us.” Was it better to come out and say it? That she was threatening Rhea too? His fingers drummed the tabletop, Connor growing quiet for a long moment.
“What it’s name?” He tilted his chin toward the quieting infant.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2017 0:21:53 GMT
Rhea glared at her brother when he made the comment about 'uncle Faron'. "Well I don't think there would have been any relationship if he were really 'uncle' Faron." She said with a roll of her blue eyes. The mention of his quarters nearly made her laugh. "You really think you could tolerate me and a baby in those small rooms?" It was more of a statement and less of a question. She shook her head. "No, if it gets that bad I'll figure out another way to handle it...maybe just having a man around will deter them more than just me and an infant."
Did he really just say a brood? "You should stop in more often. But I won't be having any 'litters' anytime soon. I'm not a cat thank you." Her brother looked almost lost in thought, the trace of a smile lingering on his face as he began to speak. Her eyes widened and a look of surprise came to Rhea's face. She even stopped rocking for a moment before remembering to continue. "Oh...wait wait...first things first. Since when do you 'see' anyone?" She tilted her head to the side as if imploring him but couldn't hide the grin that tugged at her lips. "I mean I know you seeeeeee them. You seeeeee lots of them. But since when do you actually claim to be seeing someone in particular?"
The babe made a soft grumbling sound and Rhea shifted her in her arm a little until the infant quieted back down. "Secondly, might still be? What did you do? Be yourself and run the girl off? Or was it more of discovering that you could literally kill her with a kiss?" She held up three fingers on her free hand, obviously full of questions for her big brother that she hadn't seen in far too long. "Third, why is some bitch I don't even know threatening me?" She glanced down at the wooden table where his fingers danced, gaze turning back up to his face when he asked about the babe.
"Raelynn." She said a little hesitant. "Faron named her. I haven't been good at...this, any of it. I left once and came back about a week ago. He's been gone since and I don't think he will be returning...The straw that broke the camels back I guess..." Rhea scratched at a divot in the wood. Her throat tightening at the mention of Faron. "Anyway!" She said quickly. "Who is the unlucky woman who caught your eye? Would I know her?"
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Post by Connor Lachesis on Dec 5, 2017 3:09:45 GMT
Her eyes rolled, then came the rejection of his offer. One of his shoulders rose and fell. He wanted to push that option, but would see how she reacted to the rest before he did so. “We can see. I could go rough a couple of them up if it persists I suppose.” He responded evenly, still considering.
With his brief update, her eyes widened, and her body stilled. His eyes returned to her face then, brows briefly knitting as her rocking motion stilled. It was as if a floodgate had opened for the onslaught of questions she began pitching at him. At first, he continued rapping his fingers, maintaining a cool, composed expression But then she continued, prying. His fingers stilled, save for one, which started etching on the tabletop instead. “I’ve claimed it right now at the present.” The response was simple, short. Clipped. He was still navigating his feelings for himself, especially after Solara had thrown them back in his face. He still questioned their legitimacy, still wondered if perhaps he had extended trust to her when he shouldn’t have. It wasn’t a sore spot, not yet, but one of many he wanted to keep reasonably contained.
His eyes fell to the mumbling infant, almost expecting a reprieve, but Rhea went on, not missing a beat. Leaning forward, twisting his posture, both of his elbows rested on the table. He chose to ignore that second finger in favor of answering the third. The answer began by means of a heavy sigh. “Because the bitch doesn’t want me influencing her daughter against her wishes. The daughter is a former noble, and the mother wants her to get their family lands back by any means necessary, since she relinquished her title against her wishes. Where she was at when this took place I have no idea; but I guess she presumes that bringing you into it will keep me out of it… And that is part of the reason why I said might still be..” His jaw tightened, expression of irritation plainly written across his features. Even with a brief description, it was probably the most emotion he’d ever really shown seriously over a woman. Over anyone. “We fought about it. She doesn’t want me to help. I told her I could secure your safety, but she insists I’ll… be killed or something. It’s ridiculous.” His swirls across the table top went still, as he shook his head.
Sitting back in his chair, he brushed a hand through his hair, attention briefly falling back to the curiosity of a child which his sister held onto so carefully. “Raelynn.” Connor repeated the name, considering it with a nod. A small sound in the back of his throat, and a quiet comment of, “If she’s anything like us, she’ll be trouble.” His dark gaze fell to her hand as she picked at the divot in the surface of the tabletop, her words seeming to linger heavily on Faron. She sounded so… withdrawn about it. Clearly upset, but not as expressive as he’d known her to be. Taking that as a sign of a deeper concern, he was quiet. After nearly a minute, a look of resignation passed over his features, as he tried to grapple with his next words. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t offered to complicate things further with an invitation to the palace… And it wasn’t as though Solara would be around any time soon. “If he doesn’t turn back up I’ll help you make due, and send him away with a swift kick to the ass the next time he does turn up. Alright?”
Seeing her continue with further queries about this mysterious woman, he grumbled slightly. Not having been to the ball, not being an engaged person politically, and living on the fringes of things as she was, he hardly expected Rhea to know of her. And yet, something about having a confidant beyond a mangy, ill-tempered wolf woman held some appeal, if only to help feel things out. “Her name is Solara. She had a ranch, supplied our military with horses. But the place got burnt to a crisp.” Feeling a little indignant, he couldn’t help but relent a further detail. “And for the record… she knows about my ability. Not because I wanted to tell her, but because we also fought over it. I had her live with me for a short while following her place burning. I tried to avoid spending too much time around, and she took it that I didn’t want her there.” His finger resumed tapping, expression unreadable a moment. “I’m still… unsure if that was a good idea. Especially since I can’t seem to convince her against the noble bullshit her mother has thrust upon her.” A pause. “I was considering asking Justus to give me a title to stop it.” As if that wasn’t the absolute last thing he wanted. Responsibility, a spotlight on his actions even more than there already was… But he didn’t want to see what was to come of the situation otherwise.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2017 7:21:30 GMT
Rhea rocked her shoulders upward in a shrug. It was nice just having him here. As much as they might butt heads he was still her brother, her twisted brother...but her brother. "I see..." She said with a tiny smile to his next statement, her gaze falling to watch his fingers on her table. It was strange to even think of him in a relationship and she couldn't shake the feeling that it wouldn't end well, for at least one of them She assumed he did 'touch' the woman. How long could they play with fire until she ended up getting burned.
"You're with a noble?" It was more of a statement than a question. She had heard him clearly enough. "Or...former. But still...So she is basically trying to blackmail her with you, and you with me?" She couldn't hide the note of admiration in her voice. It sounded like this woman Connor was 'with' had one hell of a mother. He appeared annoyed which was strange. He was always so detached, keeping his expression carefully schooled. This woman had apparently gotten under his skin effortlessly. Rhea grinned a bit when he called little miss 'former noble's' concerns ridiculous. "It sounds like that woman loves you....I don't know how-" She gave him a pointed look before continuing on. "-but apparently she is trying to keep you safe. Maybe you're being too hard on her. You are just a little bullheaded. And she probably is prideful as all get out. Being a noble isn't something she can just...change. Its bred into her. Like my dazzling blue eyes or that five head of yours." She shrugged. "But I've never met her so I have no idea if she is even worth you stressing."
She looked down at her daughter an exasperated look coming to her face with a soft chuckle at his words. "I knoooow......I hope to god she's not like you. I'm the good child." A mock smile then. She was obviously the troublemaker, her brother probably 'did' more. But he had connections. She wasn't exactly someone who murdered women regularly, she just had sticky fingers. Rhea's face fell when he spoke of Faron. "I would appreciate it but...I don't want anything to happen to him. I left them just like a week after she was born. He and dad took care of her. I didn't even...name her." She scratched at the table. Unwilling to look at Connor while she spoke of her bad parenting. "I can't blame him for not coming back...I'm here." She shrugged again and cleared her throat. "Anyway....I shouldn't have mentioned him. I'm a little sensitive about my singlemomdom at the moment."
The mention of her brother considering wanting a title drew Rhea out of her sad thoughts. "You? One of those uppity assholes? What on earth would you having a title do to help her anyway? You think you can just waltz in and get her things back for her or something?" Rhea smirked. "But if you do get a title maybe you can find me some duke on his death bed or something...I could use some income...other than the kind I'm in trouble for right now."
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Post by Connor Lachesis on Dec 6, 2017 18:32:33 GMT
“That is idea.” He responded at Rhea’s summation of the situation. Then she continued. Her grin caused his demeanor to shift. A little more serious, withdrawn. And then, came that word. His expression was grave, as if they were speaking of death rather than a purer emotion. “Loves… me?” Was he puzzled by the word? Not exactly. He knew it was supposed to mean if he didn’t think he’d experienced it. Didn’t know… But perhaps… Solara’s original reaction to his description of his feelings, however, was troubling. Tears had welled in her eyes, she’d pushed him away. Said her peace about his position not being good enough even if it so obviously bothered her. His drumming on the tabletop stilled again before he shook his head. Seeing her injury, hearing the summons from Alvina’s pack, however, that had caused an unexpected feeling of tenseness. It’d felt like he were on the cusp of being beaten, as if someone had drawn a dagger across his beating heart. Exhaling a sigh, he regarded his sister stubbornly. “She should let me have my way. I’m perfectly capable of keeping myself safe. It’s her that I’m concerned about.”
A small crack of a smile crossed his features at the mention of Rhea being the good child, a very similar thought crossing his own mind. In truth, she was, at least as long as a lack of bloodshed indicated such a thing. With her request of how to handle Faron, his head tilted as if scrutinizing her. Drawing out a pause, he finally inclined his head. “We don’t have to speak on that any further. How is father anyway?”
Out had slipped his intention to make such a request of their King. With Rhea’s quick quip, he had to acknowledge that she wasn’t wrong. His brows knit slightly, and he finally sat back in his seat. His words were slow, a reflection of his developing thoughts on the matter. “It would be easier to press for it, getting her lands, if I had the clout a title would bring. The nobles seem to forget that without an army our people wouldn’t be able to maintain structure enough for them to build their aristocracy.” Lips pressing together in a grimace, he continued. “I can’t make any promises about a duke. It was more of a thought… I don’t really want to be spot-lighted at Court in that way more than I am already.” The bitter look lingered on his lips. “This would all be much simpler if she’d let me just dispose of the bitch – but no, she said ‘no matricide’.” He practically scoffed. “That woman was crazy enough to burn her ranch down unprovoked. I don’t know what makes Solara think she’ll keep her actions contained even if she does follow through with her demands.”
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2017 6:30:18 GMT
He repeated the word 'Love' and Rhea watched him curiously. She supposed it was a new sort of situation for her brother. Although there had likely been many women to swear their love for him over the years. Just because he hopped in and out of their bed. "I never said she was smart, you don't have to look so unhappy. It's not like its something you have to address. You've had lots of silly girls swear their love for you over the years right? Just treat her like that. Smile, nod, and sneak out the back door like I'm assuming you always have." To her it was simple, but she had no dog in the fight. Nothing to lose if it went badly. "She should let you have your way? You sound like me now." She laughed at the sheer petulance of her older brother.
"Dad is good, I think. I only see him when I need something, the same with you. It doesn't really make the best bonding moments." She shrugged. "He was angry at first...about the baby. But I think he's getting attached to her too." She could understand her brother's concerns for getting even more popular at court. Drawing more attention to himself and his less than legal past times. He could lose his rank, face jail time, or worse. His 'gift' was one that had forced him to keep distance from everyone. But had he finally found someone he couldn't? Or was the woman just too stubborn to take no for an answer? Rhea was silent for a few minutes as she mulled over his words. Eventually speaking in a soft voice that wasn't akin to her normal sarcastic tone.
"It sounds like the question really is if she is someone that you would risk it all for? If she's worth it? If you cant say yes then it sounds like you are stressing about a whole lot of problems that aren't yours to handle." The note of the woman not killing her mother despite the threads caused Rhea to raise a brow. "Its foolish of her. But I can understand. I mean if we could have mum back, if she went crazy. Could you really forget all the good times with her just because she wasn't that person anymore?" Her words stopped suddenly when there was a sudden cacophony of hammering coming from all sides. Windows, doors, boards were hastily being placed on all exits.
Rhea was on her feet in an instant, clutching the startled shrieking child to her chest. "I told you that you messed with the wrong people you little whore." Came a voice from outside. "What the-" Smoke...she smelled smoke. And then it hit her, just what was happening. They were planning to burn her house to the ground with all of them inside. "Ohgodno." She ran to the door to yank at the handle in vain. Sending a terrified look over her shoulder to her brother. "They are going to burn us to death!" She practically yelled. She was afraid and trapped, her heart hammering against her chest and Rar screaming for all she was worth.
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Post by Connor Lachesis on Dec 7, 2017 7:04:50 GMT
She spoke so flippantly about the situation. He didn’t think that she could see how the past girls didn’t matter, didn’t prompt the bothersome lingering feeling that this one had. They hadn’t made him seek to do better, be a better person. Hadn’t been challenging. If only it were so easy as smiling and sneaking off. He’d had time and time again to do that, and yet, just as he was now, he’d shown back up as a dog to his master. He grumbled, shaking his head. No, he wouldn’t argue, wouldn’t try to make her see when he himself still didn’t know. That was the most frustrating part. Connor was not a man who often felt disoriented in his own thoughts. To experience such a thing now, for this of any reason in his lifetime… He didn’t understand.
Connor met her with a nod at the update regarding their father, making a mental note to at least send the man a latter when he had some time. At the last bit, his eyes lingered on the infant. He himself didn’t think he could become attached to something so helpless as their father had. He’d never given much thought to children, aside from finding annoyance in them. “It’s good that he had a change of heart. I can’t say I’m surprised. He’s… a good man, our trouble-making aside.” His words held a kind of respect, more than plain affection, a fleeting smile playing on his lips.
The smile faded slightly in exchange for a look of intense concentration as her tone shifted with her continued speech. Propping his jaw on one hand, he carefully considered her words. Risking it all? Worth it? Had he considered her in such a way before? Not precisely. Perhaps weighting inaction and action were not enough. Then again, he had never been a man with much of a grounded purpose. He drifted, oscillating between tasks and extremes as it suited him. It hadn’t been but for the military, one trial of many endeavors, that had grounded him in any meaningful way for as long as it had. “I’ll think on it. As it is-“ His intention had been to say that he barely remembered their mother’s face. He broke off, intending to censor himself, knowing it might bother her – and then it happened.
The Commander rose to his feet even as the infant began screaming and the banging sounded outside. His jaw grew tense, his eyes quickly seeking out the disappearing rays of sunlight as the glass was obstructed with wood. How had he been so preoccupied? Twisting tendrils of smoke blotted out the view in other places, where wood had not quite yet. And then the scent hit him; bleeding inward, pouring under the doors and other openings. Rhea’s cries of fear echoed against the sounds from the outside. At first, he tried a door to no avail. With calmness, it was then that he moved to a window. Using a hand which was covered as always with a thick layer of leather, the man sharply busted out one of the nearest windows in the kitchen. He was just about to throw his weight against the board obstructing their escape when the heat of a torch was shoved through. The intensity of the heat stung his skin. Jumping back, he narrowly avoided the flame.
The floor was surrounded. They weren’t going to press out pass the flames. Rhea’s cries of panic sounded in an ear-grating contrast with the shrieks of the infant. Smoke was beginning to penetrate the air. Hurrying over to her, he grasped her by the elbow. Setting eyes on their course, he took aim for the stairs leading upward, pulling her along with him. To the perimeter of the room, sounds of shattering glass echoed as more torches were thrown inside. “This way! We need to get to a window upstairs.” If they could reach the second floor, they might jump out. Only having the ability to speculate how many were outside, he still preferred trial by combat to trial by fire.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2017 10:55:26 GMT
Like hunters attempting to smoke a fox from its burrow they slung torches into her home. Curtains caught almost immediately. Clothing, little things burst into flame in a matter of seconds. Rhea stood dumbstruck until Connor grabbed her arm and jerked her from her shocked stillness. "O-ok!" She stammered, hurrying after him with Raelynn still clutched tightly to her chest. Smoke had risen quickly and climbed the stairs with them. Already it was filling the second story, chocking nearly all air from the room. Rhea began to cough and struggled to fold her shirt over the infants mouth to try to filter the air a least slightly. Her own lungs burned and her eyes felt as if they were full of glass. "Connor!" She gasped, her voice breaking oddly. "The window!" She gestured to the window on the opposite side of the room. Their access to air, but also for the fire. It would undoubtedly blossom when oxygen flooded the room.
They didn't have time to plan, time to think. Rhea's head felt cloudy, sparks of pain igniting in her lungs. She wasn't aware that she was casting an illusion. That all around her and the infant strange red jagged shapes were appearing and twisting and turning like bizarre tortured beasts. Could they even make it from the second story to the ground? Could Raelynn handle a tumble like that even in someones arms? Connor was undoubtedly better equipped to land such a fall, but then the men that were undoubtedly waiting for them would have him unarmed and with an infant in his arms.
"Connor, take her!" She coughed harshly, tears leaking from her reddened eyes. "I *cough* I'll distract them and follow you. I cant - *more coughing* I cant land that fall!" She was feeling like a rat in a cage now, desperate. And strangely for the first time since Raelynn had been born she felt the overwhelming urge to protect her child at all costs. The babe would have a better chance with Connor, she would just need to scare the mob enough that they would back away. "Please!" She thrust Raelynn out to him and waited, her red eyes imploring her brother to get the child out of here away from the smoke before it was too late. If Rhea landed on the babe it would kill her, but she was ready to throw up illusions. Ready to follow them out the window as soon as they went. If, they went.
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Post by Connor Lachesis on Dec 9, 2017 6:24:41 GMT
As quickly as he could while leading her, Connor ascended the stairs. Two, three at a time, each step carried him into the cloud of smoke that was billowing upward with them. It stung his eyes, burned his lungs, even as he sought to keep his breaths shallow, or hold them all together. His vision blurred a little with tears, his hang covering his nose to obstruct the smoke.
With some fumbling, reaching the top floor, he lead the way toward the light he glimpsed at the end of the hallway. The attackers, as was his guess, hadn’t brought ladders to wall them in. They probably thought they’d break their necks attempting to bail out, or, as he was just beginning to consider, that they would be free for them to attack upon their escape.
Any clean air was disappearing as the fire lapped hungrily at the curtains, the couch, the rugs – anything and everything downstairs. Releasing Rhea, he quickly wiped his eyes in preparation to break the window. As Rhea had known, there wasn’t time to plan. He was prepared to fight the men blindly with the knives he always carried, for reaching the sword that was on the paint – which he hoped was sufficiently far from the flames – didn’t seem like an option. They’d have to make due. Clenching his fist, about to shatter the glass, it was his sister’s plea that brought his hand to a stop. In that moment, time seemed to slow, despite the urgency they faced. Take her? The baby? He twisted his head, very nearly ready to tell her she was ridiculous. Right then, seeing her, however, he quickly became aware of something. She was not a solider, not trained. One of the last times he’d seen her, when she hadn’t just birthed a child, she had just barely landed a similar drop. And, as it were now, she was thrusting that infant out to him.
If she fell, she’d kill her child. Rhea wanted it, wanted him to take her. Without illusions being cast, if it came down to fighting, he wasn’t stupid enough to consider his ability to dodge blows while carrying a baby. But, to cast such illusions, to give him enough time to escape… In an instant, any emotion drained out of his face. “Rhea, you’ll die.” His voice came roughly from the smoke. Two millennia, and she would be extinguished as the curtains, the rug, the whole house - rendered to ash, as if she'd never existed. And she was so resigned, red eyes streaming as she held out the bundle. Whether it was training or a void empty of emotion that kept him from reacting, he didn’t say more.
The gravity of what was to come was walled away, as if he were watching it from outside of himself.
Stepping close to her, taking the bundle in one arm, brought his other around her in a tight squeeze, the grip almost bruising. The smoke had grown so thick by then that it was difficult to see her without the proximity. “Little sister.” The words were as close to a resigned ‘I love you’ as he might’ve given, his voice betraying him where his face did not. It was also a promise, to get the child out.
His lips pressed against her temple, nose lingering against her blonde head of hair for a fleeting moment, before he sprang into action again. A swift strike shattered the window pane to bits, at once allowing smoke to billow as if it were being siphoned outside. Within the home, the flames seemed to explode. Careful of the glass, keeping the child’s body pressed firmly to his frame, he started by slipping his feet out. One hand lingering tightly on the window frame, it was not until he kicked off from the side of the home that he released his grip.
Below, as he landed neatly on the ground, he was just hearing the men round the corners of the home. They heard the glass breaking, seen the billow of smoke no doubt.
Trusting Rhea, he ran toward a pair of them.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2017 8:31:32 GMT
“Rhea, you’ll die.” She didn't reply but the waver of her blue eyes told all she needed to say. She was aware, but that didn't change her mind. It was primal need to protect her young, instinctual. But it was also her once chance to do something that wasn't for her own selfish gain. Her throat tightened when he took her daughter, her arms readily wrapping around her brother in a way they hadn't since she was small. "...don't let her know what a failure I was..Ok?" She pleaded softly, her hands gripping him tightly. Not wanting to let her brother go.
Her blue eyes drifted shut when his lips met her temple, a soft sob punctuating the crackling of the fire around them. It was pretty pathetic that it took her possible demise to bring them together. But it was to be expected really, everything in her life was a few kinds of twisted. "Go." She told him, a moment later flinching back from the shattering glass. Coughing hard she leaned through the heated pane to see the two of them land safely on the ground. Red eyes followed the two of them as he ran. Quickly casting the illusion of an old woman carrying a loaf of bread, seemingly terrified by the fire. The men parted around him, only on the look out for the blonde woman and dark haired man who had entered only moments earlier.
Pale eyes continued to follow her brother until she was certain he was free of the threat. She sank weakly against the window. Still coughing, wheezing. Dark specks filled her vision. Fuck. She half fell/climbed from the window. Landing harshly on her back on the ground below. She coughed and wheezed again. The men converged on her, yelling and cursing but she couldn't make out any of it. She could see their mouths moving but nothing could be heard over the ringing in her ears. It was a strange calm that fell over her in those moments before one of the men lifted a sword to angle the point down against her chest.
She was smiling and crying, her eyes red and raw. Each breath crawling into her throat with a loud gasp. She didn't feel a thing as the blade slid into her heart. The dark specks in her vision suddenly blossoming until they swallowed her whole. Her last thought, I finally did something right. And the immortals flame was extinguished.
[Rhea Lachesis has died.]
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Bisexual, Prefers Women.
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Post by Connor Lachesis on Dec 10, 2017 6:40:49 GMT
'You weren't. I won't." The murmur, a quiet promise, had slipped from his lips even as her grip had lingered. Without losing any more precious time, Connor had slipped from the window.
Outside, on the ground, it was for the briefest skip of a heartbeat that Connor's eyes locked with one of the men obstructing his path. His grip remained secure on the babe, even as his hand started to move. Ready to grasp the blade at his back, ready to keep his forward momentum… and then the man's gaze glazed over. He knew without turning back what was going on, that Rhea was casting her illusion was a blanket of protection. And so, he ducked around the men even as they sprang away, still cradling the child close, hurrying quickly to the place where he'd tied his mare.
She lunged back against the binding that secured her, a loud, hoarse whinny ripping through the air as the roar of flames seemed to intensify behind them. To his benefit, he hadn’t bothered untacking her upon his arrival. He’d been meaning to ask his sister just where the best place to keep her would’ve been. As it were… His jaw tightened. Jerking the fastening free, he pulled the rein over her head with his free hand. A moment more, with a little struggle, he found himself seated. Beneath him, the paint threw her head about, tossing her mane, and again whinnying in protest to the proximity of the fireball.
With a tight squeeze, he sent her back down the pathway at a brisk trot. It was only as he reached the road, his path having been cleared both by Rhea’s illusion and the converging of the men on her, that he paused. In the distance, only yards from the home that was quickly being eaten away, he saw them. Six men, one with a blade being drawn over the form sprawled on the ground. He wanted to say something, to call out. He’d been prepared to fight them all, was still willing – and then the soft cough caught his ear. His dark eyes fell to the pale face of the babe, wheezing but alive, as the blade was driven into her mother. When his gaze finally lifted, then spying the crimson gleaming on the edge of the weapon as it was drawn from her body, he abruptly kicked his mare to send her off.
Six men, he would be paying visits to upon his return visit. Their forms lingered alongside of the image of the bloodied sword as he sought to distance himself and his niece from the city.
[End.]
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