Masquerade - These Masks We Wear

[Channelknight Fadran]

11 hours ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

Nico offered his arms for a hug.

Accepting it gratefully, Wendy whispered, "I'm sorry."

11 hours ago, Vapor said:

"You're gonna have a baby? Can I name it?"

"I--"

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

“Sorry for what, miss?”

[Channelknight Fadran]

"For... that night. Last week." Wendy shivered a bit at the memory. "I wasn't thinking about you. I was just... really scared, and..."

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

“Naw, i’s okay. I should really have gotten over sleeping with girls by now….” He shifted nervously but tried for a smile. 

[Vapor]

2 hours ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

"I--"

"Am I overwhelming you? My mom told me I had to pay more attenshun to people and not overwhelm them."

[Channelknight Fadran]

“No, honey, I’m just…” Wendy smiled. “I’m still figuring it out, okay?”

[Vapor]

"Okay." Ara smiled back at Wendy.

[Channelknight Fadran]

Wendy pulled Arabella into the hug.

[The Ward's Guard]

The wind on Fischer's back was cold when it pushed him back towards the eating house where he had left Nico. He pressed on, trying to control his tears through consistent breathing, in and out. Each breath trembled within his chest and it only slowed the flow of tears, but it was a good way to center himself. 
He looked up at the barracks, hesitating for a moment at the front door. It was taller than he remembered, and it seemed to look over him. He swallowed any sense of intimidation from it, and rushed through the door.
It felt as if every eye in the room turned to looked at him, but he didn't care. He didn't care when he rushed through the room with heavy footfalls, staring at the floor to ignore the undoubtably judging eyes that followed him even after he reached his bed. The pillow provided little comfort when he tried to bury his face in it, with it barely soaking up his tears. His very diaphragm trembled shuttered with every tearful breath, no matter how many times he tried to breathe deeply and get control of himself. But every time he thought he managed to slow the tears, the image of Nico's face in tears broke him down again. He hardly noticed the abrupt shuffling of feet until his cot shook as if someone sat on the end of it.

"Hey pal," a familiar voice called out, "you doing alright?"

Fischer peeked up just enough to see sergeant Nowak looking back at him. "I'm fine," he hissed before turning his head back into the pillow. 

"I've seen fine, corporal, and you're not it."

"What do you care?" Fischer demanded with his voice muffled by the pillow.

Nowak shifted on the cot, "I just figured that it would be better if you talked about it. Use it as a way to organize your feelings."

"Go. Away."

"You need someone to talk to. This isn't the first time I've seen something like this, kid."

"I'm not a kid!" Fischer lifted his head and turned to shout at the sergeant, "and you're not my father! So leave. Me. ALONE!"

Without bothering to see Nowak's reaction, Fischer planted his head back into his pillowed, and continued to cry uncaring of who saw. He didn't care what they thought, he didn't care what anyone said. He didn't care . . .

[xinoehp512]

23 hours ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

"I see it now..." Riva lamented, tearing up. "This is what Ivian wanted. A tame and obedient Raveness who respects her superiors. What... what have I become?"

Nico had never been good at hiding his tears, but at the moment, he found he couldn't cry. He had already cried, years and years ago, when the pain was still fresh. Now, he could do nothing but sit here and hurt. He ended up ordering some beer instead of water. That would down the pain. Hopefully.

Maverick cocked his head, surprised at the disrespect from an apparent minor. But then... she couldn't be as young as she looked, could she? "Are you a demon?"

The room darkened, a chill wind blowing in from... nowhere. The candles flickered.

"No," she said bluntly.

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Quote

Disclaimer: I was super tired when I wrote this, so it escalates quickly

Allivia stormed out of sickbay, glad to be out of there, but mostly just angry. Wendy, Wendy... That girl was a thorn in her side. Everyone else in the palace feared her, but not the new girl, oh no. Luckily, Allivia had a disposable ace up her sleeve; it was high time Nicolae Kimby was gotten rid of. A good horse - even a young one - with a broken leg had to be shot eventually, no matter how fun it had been to ride before. She rapped on his door, loud enough to wake him if he was sleeping. When Nico opened the door for her, Allivia grimaced. He had clearly had too much to drink. Which... would make things significantly easier for her tonight.

"I didna wan' to see your ugly face tonigh'," said Nicolae, his words slurred. 

Welp. Apparently it wouldn't be easier. "That's not very polite, Nico." She shoved past him and into his room.

"I'm drunk, woman, whaddya expect? I'll be hatin' myself in the mornin' anyway, migh' as well say wha's on my mind."

"Well, if you're already going to hate yourself tomorrow-" Allivia started stripping "-why not just add one more thing to the list of reasons why?"

Nicolae threw his hat at her, red in the face with anger. "You's a whore, 'Livia. Ou' me room. Now."

'You're drunk, you don't know what you wan-"

"I said GET OUT!" When she said no, Nico growled and marched toward her, totally intent on grabbing her and dragging her out. But the moment he got close enough, Allivia drew a dagger and stabbed Nico in the stomach. The boy cried out and doubled over, blood pouring from his torso, staining his shirt scarlet. "'Livia?"

Allivia grabbed his collar and pulled him forward, even as his knees buckled with pain. "You shouldn't have stepped on my foot, Nicolae. And you shouldn't have left me for Wendy. You're no longer of any use to me." With one last kiss, she let him drop to the floor and left him there to die.

Edited August 5, 2021 by Zephrun's Imperium

[The Ward's Guard]

Fischer awoke later, he was unsure how long he had laid there in his tears, and how long he had slept, but he still felt a horrible pit in his gut. He stirred slowly, his arms and legs aching from the position he had laid in for so long. He would have jumped when he turned to find Nowak at the foot of his bed, having held his position from the last time that Fischer saw him. The older sergeant looked somber, sitting and staring towards his shoes. He didn't think that Nowak had noticed him stirring until he spoke. Nowak's voice was low and hoarse, but Fischer was caught off guard with how deliberately gentle it was. "I . . . I know I'm not your father. I'm no one's father, really. But I do care."

Fischer opened his mouth to interject, but Nowak cut him off. "Just let me try. We're meant to be a team, and this team needs to always be at it's best, otherwise people die. So even if you don't think I care on a personal level, I do on a professional one. So tell me, what's wrong."

"It-" Fischer coughed softly, his voice far more gravelly than he thought it would be. He cleared his throat, and continued. "I don't want to share."

Nowak nodded, "then I'll stay here until either you do, or you're fit for duty."

"Why won't you leave?" Fischer whined at the sergeant.

Nowak looked up to meet Fischer's eyes, "because I've seen things like this before, and bad things have happened to good men who I've left alone like this. Now, what happened?"

Fischer groaned, "a friend of mine who was . . . Very close to me long ago met up for the first time in ages."

"That's a good thing," Nowak pointed out. "Is that who you were going to see when you left, then?"

Fischer only nodded, causing Nowak to lean forward. "I'm guessing you two didn't quite see eye to eye after these years."

"He said-" Fischer took a deep breath to try and force away the tears, "he admitted that he was the one who did something horrible to me, years ago that betrayed our trust and caused me years of pain."

The sergeant paused, taking it all in. "Do you know why he did it?"

"He said," Fischer felt his chest tremble slightly with another breath. "He told me that he was doing it for our own good. I guess . . . I guess I can see it now, but still . . ."

Nowak leaned back, obviously considering the situation. "There's two things I can see you doing, Fischer. You can either choose to cut him out from your life and try to move on, or try and reconcile with him." The sergeant turned to meet Fischer's eyes again, "you know the situation better than I, so I can't really tell you what's better, only that I've lost too many good pals because of some differences and perceived betrayals. Sometimes I think ti was worth it, other times I'm left thinking about whether I did what was right."

Fischer looked away, "I don't know . . ."

Nowak stood up from the bed, "whatever you choose, we'll have your back. We Praetorium Guard stick together, no matter what." He performed a short salute before walking away from Fischer, but he found a spot where he could still keep an eye on him if needed. 

Moments after tossing and turning in his cot over everything he had said and heard, Fischer sighed as he reluctantly sat up and got his boots on. He marched out of the barracks, nodding to Nowak as he left. After asking around quickly, Fischer finally found his way to Nico's room, and he knocked on the door, only to be surprised by it hanging ajar. He stepped inside, only to pause at what the room contained.

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Nico hadn't tried to crawl away to get help. Or... Maybe he had. Everything was fuzzy and unclear through the pain. All he knew for certain was that he lay there on the floor of his bedroom, bleeding out. He deserved to die, of course, and it was probably his time now anyway now that Wendy had come into his life. She made him so happy and Stars knew he didn't deserve that. 

[DramaQueen]

On 8/3/2021 at 8:05 PM, Channelknight Fadran said:

Wendy let out a breath, then glanced over at the new girl. "Are you okay?"

@DramaQueen

Quote

Sorry, jumping back in time for a sec.

Leina stood in shock. "I... I think I'm the one who should be asking if you're okay."

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

22 hours ago, xinoehp512 said:

The room darkened, a chill wind blowing in from... nowhere. The candles flickered.

"No," she said bluntly.

"Then what are you? You and your organization."

[xinoehp512]

"People who control demons."

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Maverick paused. That was a surprisingly satisfying explanation. “Alright,” he said with a nod. “I can respect that. What’s your name?”

[xinoehp512]

"Umbra," replied the young woman. "But you can call me Master."

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

“Umbra. Shadow. Very nice.” He smiled. “I don’t really do masters, you understand.”

[Channelknight Fadran]

On 8/5/2021 at 10:35 AM, DramaQueen said:

Leina stood in shock. "I... I think I'm the one who should be asking if you're okay."

Quote

Oh, don't worry about it. Our timeline does not work.

"Umm... no. No, I'm not. So are you?"

[The Ward's Guard]

On 8/5/2021 at 7:28 AM, Zephrun's Imperium said:

Nico hadn't tried to crawl away to get help. Or... Maybe he had. Everything was fuzzy and unclear through the pain. All he knew for certain was that he lay there on the floor of his bedroom, bleeding out. He deserved to die, of course, and it was probably his time now anyway now that Wendy had come into his life. She made him so happy and Stars knew he didn't deserve that. 

At the stench of blood, Fischer's mind cleared of any semblance that resembled emotion as he dropped into a combat stance, immediately scanning the room before seeing the blood that surrounded Nico. He rushed to the man's side, the thought of scanning the room fleeing his mind as a sense of panic took hold of him. He hesitated when he reached Nico's side, but he forced himself to take a deep breath of air to bring back the focus of battle. He gently touch the other man's shoulders, "Nico, can you hear me? Are you awake?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Nico blinked, shivering. "Fis-Fischer?" No, go away. "L-Leave me."

[The Ward's Guard]

"Not happenin' buddy," Fischer told him as he tried to find the wound on the man. A sense of relief came over him when Nico could speak, but he had to clear his mind to return to the singleminded focus of the battlefield. "Where are ya bleedin' out at?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

"Stomach." Nicolae coughed weakly, though even that small movement shook him.

[The Ward's Guard]

Fischer tried to hide how he winced at the wound, "you're gonna be fine, pal." The amount of blood he had already lost was worrying to say the least, but he was still conscious, which was a good sign. "Listen here, I need you to keep talking, ok?" With the pang of regret over leaving his equipment that held the bandages back at the barracks fresh in his mind, Fischer rushed to the bed and ripped off a blanket.