The Moments That Change Our Lives... [Finished]

[Vyn]

(This thread takes place just after the FanFic: Turning Points)

Xylia was notable shaken as she made her way down the shadowed streets of Corvistowne, her eyes hollow and her heart aching. Tears plagued her eyes, but never made it to a point of falling. No, she couldn't allow that. She would be strong, because she couldn't bare to be weak and sad right now. No, she needed to hold her head up and find a bit of light in the world again. It was late, she still hadn't slept, but she was determined that she'd overcome this collapse in her reality.

Things were not as they had seemed.

Or perhaps it was that her childish beliefs of the world had simply been shattered, Xylia couldn't tell for sure...but it would not remain broken for long. She had always bounced back from the punches life dealt her before. Reality had reared its ugly head a dozen times before, perhaps it was time to actually get her act together and listen to what it had to say. Sighing softly she finally found the area she was looking for.

It was a more upscale part of town, with less mess and a bit more people, but it was far enough away from where she usually stayed that she could recognize very little of the buildings and hopefully none of the people. She would head home eventually and leave for the Capital to start anew from this ordeal, but for now she just needed some time to find her balance before returning home to confront Ophelia.

With a sigh she slumped down against a random shop front and allowed the rays of morning sunlight to fall upon her tear-stained but drying face. Everything would be okay, even if she'd just lost her best friend...everything would be okay.


(By the way, to anyone thinking of replying, this is mostly just a desperate attempt to gain the last three points I need to grow lil Xylia and get her plot underway so it doesn't necessarily have to be a long thread. ^_^<3)

[Shinigami]

Maxwell had been wandering through Corvistowne on a mission to get a few rare parts that he'd wanted, checking in with each of his suppliers in turn. He hadn't expected to be able to get it from the general parts supplier, but he'd checked there first anyway, just in case. As he'd thought, they never carried anything that specific, and he'd headed out disappointed, but unsurprised. The annoying part was that, no matter who else he checked with, he still couldn't find that one little part. His most reliable supplier had told him that he had come in fifteen minutes too late, and his precious part had just walked out the door with a Corvistowneian. While Maxwell may have been unusually inventive and skilled at working with mechanics, enough to rival the best Corvistowneians, he was still a Torquey, and that meant that most suppliers would value other Corvies over the weird Torquey.

Oh well, he forced himself to think, and relaxed. It aint like this is the most important thing ever! I can wait and relax, and maybe even work on a few things that I haven't had the time to get around to yet... Yeah. There was that one thing, and the other, and the doll that he'd been fiddling around with for so long. Yeah, that one was his own pet project, one that he'd been refining for...a long time. A really long time.

Before he could get too indepth into his musings, he saw a rather familiar green-and-black form up ahead. Not Ophelia, but one of her children with Silvanus. He'd taken care of those kids along with his own a time or two, but he'd never really gotten the chance to get all that close to any of them. Sure, that one kid - Mephit? - had shown interest in his doll, but they hadn't really had a chance to go beyond that. He wondered absently what she was up to now, but that wasn't anything that really concerned him. No, right now he wondered what the other kid - Xylia? - was doing looking as if someone had just yanked the rug out from under her after assuring her that it was perfectly safe.

"Xylia?" he called, trotting over to her, purple eyes concerned. "What's wrong, lass? Where's your mother?" Okay, so she was old enough that Ophelia probably didn't accompany her everywhere, but he was used to worrying about his own kids, seeing as they tended to get into plenty of trouble when left on their own. He figured that, if he worried about his own children, he could certainly worry about their half-siblings.

[Vyn]

A familiar voice abruptly sliced through the silence of her musings and brought the adolescent doe back to her surroundings. Blinking in surprise, she lifted her head and peered up at Maxwell with a tear-streaked look of confusion. What was Maxwell doing here and...had she been crying again? She absently nuzzled her cheek to her shoulder, brushing her tears away in shameful embarrassment.

"Hi Maxwell, I... She's at home, last I knew."

Xylia slowly lifted up, forcing a smile for his sake. For Xylia, who was typically bright and bubbly most of the time, this strange sense of woe was simply too much. The very least she could do, for herself and for Maxwell, was to manage a smile. Slowly, however, the doe's head dropped and she scuffed her hoof against the concrete.

"And I'm..." She paused, trying to word her troubles just right. She wouldn't do Mephit wrong by expressing exactly what she'd seen, but she would give him enough -hopefully- that he wouldn't think something was missing. "I'm moving. I saw something, just awful..." She shook her head, squeezed her eyes closed and whimpered oh so faintly. "Corvistownians are just so...cruel and self-serving, hurting people to fulfill their own means. I can't stand it anymore."

[Shinigami]

Though she may have wiped away the tears, her cheek fur was still damp and matted, and he looked her over with concern. Coming closer, he gave a comforting lick to the top of her head, and then proceeded to curl around her and begin grooming her fur. He paid special attention to her mane, neatening it and making sure it was detangled, his experience with his own abundance of hair meaning that her short strands were no real problem.

When she said that she was moving, his heart clenched, especially when she said that she'd seen "something, just awful." What could she see that was that bad, especially with Ophelia around? Well, from what she'd said, maybe her mother hadn't been around, at least not when she'd seen...whatever it was. He didn't ask, and let her keep her silence.

"Not all Corvistownians are bad," he said gently, and smiled encouragingly at her. "Look at you. You're a wonderful kid. And your mom's just as nice. She's never hurt me, at least. Well, there was that one time, but that was because I wasn't watching where I was going." Maxwell couldn't help himself and chuckled at the memory, grinning at her and hoping that maybe she'd relax enough to share in the joke. "But moving away...do you know where you'd go?"

[Vyn]

Xylia wanted to nudge Maxwell away, to announce that she was a 'big girl' now and that she didn't need his doting concern. Yet, in all sad reality, she did. The moment he wrapped around her, she melted quietly into his protective warmth and let out a soft gasp that was somewhere between a sob and a sigh of relief. Despite her sudden conviction that this town was awful and unlawful, she knew his words were true: not everyone here was bad. Of course they weren't. There were many people like she and her mother, Xylia just couldn't see it all too clearly right now.

The doe wrinkled her nose slightly as Maxwell began to groom her, but after a moment she surrendered and allowed the older male to do as he pleased. Regardless of how much she wanted to pretend it wasn't helping, it truly was. There was just something oddly soothing about his presence that she just couldn't cast off. Perhaps it was the parental aura he exuded as he did it or just the fact that she wasn't alone anymore but, whatever it was, it was honestly quite nice. His words made her giggle and slowly she began to allow the tension to drain from her slender form.

"I'm not quite sure, to be honest. I just need to go somewhere for a while. I was thinking I'd go to the Capital but I don't know anyone there, really. I'm good at potion making though, like mom... Maybe I'll be able to start up a little shop there, or sell potions to Cauter like she did..."

[bewilderness]

Seiga shuffled down the cobbled streets of Corvistowne. He was usually known as the all around man for medicinal services. Usually Seiga would treat an 'accidentally' injured patient or scientist. There was once even an explosion, killing two and injuring several dozen, all of whome were treated at one point or another by himself. Today, Seiga was out shopping for medicinal supplies, although he knew that he would have to travel to the Capital eventually to bring back what he needed.

He entered a medicine supply store, but as he entered, he noticed a deer and a feline, the feline grooming the deer. Seiga had seen the deer-child before, mostly with her mother, Ophelia. He would sometimes get concoctions and potions from Ophelia. It was not only the deer and feline that caught his eye, but it was rather the tear soaked fur. How could such a nice girl be so distraught?

He browsed the herb selections and once he chose the needed supplies, he brought his purchases to the front of the store. As he paid for the supplies, he gazed out toward the odd pair.

[Shinigami]

Maxwell smiled gently to himself as she submitted to his attentions, relaxing with relief and allowing him to groom her, to neaten her up. So he might not be a Corvistowneian like her, or like most of the people there. So he might not be some sort of chemical genius or anything. He was good with his dolls, though, and that helped. But he was also a genuinely caring soul, which meant that his kids had grown up as loved as was possible, if they'd allowed it. And if there was another kid in trouble, or one who just needed some help, he would be there if it was possible. Especially if it was one of Ophelia's other kids. And Xylia was a truly sweet child.

"That sounds like a good plan, if nothing else. And...you know, I think that Solo's got an apartment there. If you want, I can send him a letter for you and see if he'd be willing to take in a roommate," he offered. "I'm...not actually all that sure on what he's doing right now, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind letting you move in with him."

Maxwell had seen Seiga before...but he'd also seen a number of other Corvistowneians before, especially coming to visit Ophelia. The other Corvie didn't rate a blip on his radar just then, his attention focused entirely on Xylia.

[ooc: And Maxwell wishes to adopt Xylia...*sighs at him and his surprising maternal streak*]

[Vyn]

Xylia had always been fond of Maxwell.

He was always kind to the family, helped out whenever he could and was quite motherly when given the chance. He doted on all his children even with their habits of being a tad errant and overly independant. Xylia couldn't help but realize that it must've been awfully hard on him. To have all those kids and know that so few of them truly wanted his doting.

Sighing softly, she snuggled into his shoulder and closed her eyes thoughtfully. She was nearly grown, and yet here she was slumped in her mother's assistant's limbs. It was rather cute, but she wasn't thinking about that now. His words were echoing about her skull and left her with a look of unmaskd surprised. Move in with Solo? In the Capital? Now that was something she could do! She and Solo had always gotten along rather well after all!

"Oh! That'd be wonderful!" She pulled back, looking up at Maxwell with a brilliant beam of pleasure. "You're the best, Maxwell!"

As she pulled back Xylia thought she glimpsed something from the corner of her eye although she didn't immediately glance to it. Instead, she tilted her body ever so slightly and quite casually, making it hard to tell she was looking over her shoulder at whoever it was 'stalking' her. For all she knew, it could've been Mephitsia and that was the last person she wanted to see! Luckily for the still distraught deer, it wasn't Mephit. The stranger was quite intimidating, but better than nothing.

"O-Oh. Hello, were you needing something? ...Hmm, Mr. Seiga was it? I've seen you at Mother's lab a few times..."

[bewilderness]

((I'm so sorry I've been taking so long. My internet hasn't been working.))

As Seiga walked by, he was startled by the doe speaking to him. He didn't think that he was that conspicuous through the crowd.

"Ehem...Yes, she has helped me much throughout my study of muscles...", he said to Xylia.

Seiga noticed the feline's, Maxwell's, discomfort and said, "Don't worry, I won't experiment on you, sir, that is unless you want to volunteer...I have been working on this very interesting theory about muscle mass that involves using a specific species of..." He then realized that he was rambling on and decided to stop talking for once

"I couldn't help but notice the distress on your face, dear Xylia...That is your name, correct? Anyway, what seems to be bothering you? Your mother hasn't done anything, has she? She doesn't seem the type to...Oh, sorry if I'm intruding too much! I do seem to get carried away sometimes", he said. He sighed, relizing he probably may have made the situation worse. He really should not open his mouth sometimes.

((Meh, I changed it as much as I could without changing the whole post...Sorry about that ^^...))

[Shinigami]

[ooc: Erk. Uhm, bewilderness, love? Maxwell's been an experimental subject for several of Ophelia's potions and the like. The thought of being experimented upon doesn't bother him in the least; and heck, he's practically been living in Corvistowne for the last...several years, actually. So he's used to some of the really, really weird things that Corvistowneians do. Please don't dictate his reactions.]

Maxwell grinned broadly in pleasure at her reaction - yes, he rather thought that she'd enjoy being around someone of her own age, especially someone who was as personable and cheerful as Solo. Especially since, the times that they'd spent together, they'd gotten along so well. He was practically preening himself, so proud was he of his idea.

...plus, it would get his son some company, even if it was his half-sister.

"Then I'll send off that letter right away, so that he'll know you're coming!" he said brightly, but he didn't look like he was quite ready to move. No, he had the feeling that she still needed some company, at least for now. No one really went from down in the dumps to a cheerful mood that fast, after all, even if they could fake it.

When her attention turned to someone else, he himself shifted to catch sight of the other Corvie, obviously a medical-type - the syringes sort of gave it away, and he was just glad that he didn't have to have those sorts of things sticking in him all of the time. For the short periods that Ophelia needed to inject him with whatever it was, was fine, but anything beyond that...? No thanks. He nodded in a friendly manner toward the Corvie anyway, grin permanently affixed to his face, and just grinned when the guy - Mr. Seiga, was it? - started to try and reassure him that he wouldn't experiment on him.

"Don't worry," he said as well, nodding toward Xylia. "Her mom already uses me as a test subject for various things, and I doubt she'd want to let me go to work for some other Corvie." He actually didn't know if she'd be possessive of him or not, but he rather preferred the deer-snake to this new guy. Energy drinks and the like were far more preferable to getting his muscles warped out of shape - he needed them under fine control, for the mechanical work that he himself did. "The name's Maxwell, by the way," he added, aware that he hadn't yet introduced himself.

He stayed quiet when the Corvie asked his questions, content to let Xylia answer them on her own. It was her right, and even if he knew more of the details, he wasn't about to go gossiping about them.