So Long and Goodnight [Finished]

[Kari Muffin]

Theofilus watched as the woman he loved broke down in front of him. So... she was saying the Ez lost... lost the children? Oh God and sky above why? He moved to comfort Calia but just as he did she moved out of his reach and slammed her fist against the wall.

"Calia..." he whispered quietly as as he drew closer to her on the floor, bringing her into a hug. He wasn't going to let go of her even if she protested. With a sad smile he traced the path of her tears with one hand while he used the other to keep her in a steady hug. She was shaking so badly he thought she might just fall apart in his very hands.

"It's not fair at all... it shouldn't have happened, but we can't control it," his voice wasn't above a whispered. He couldn't bring himself to say anything louder. Somehow if it remained a whisper, maybe it wasn't as real? For now anyway.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Calia collapsed against Theofilus, moving into the hug completely. She needed the comfort more than anything, and she buried her head in against his shoulder, giving in and sobbing desperately. He was her anchor now. It wasn't fair of her to do, but she didn't have anyone else to turn to. When it came down to it, she really didn't want to turn to anyone but him either. So she clung helplessly to him, crying out all of the pain that she felt on their son's behalf.

"I couldn't help him, Theofilus...[/b]" she whimpered, grip tightening slightly. That was her deepest pain in this moment. She felt like she had failed him as his mother. She hadn't been able to take away his pain. Slowly, her sobbing began to receed, though the tears continued to flow. "I don't even know how I'd be able to live with something like this... How can I expect him to deal with it?[/b]"

She looked at the other sparrow, her eyes searching his for an answer that she probably would never find.

[Kari Muffin]

He didn't look away. Theofilus wasn't going to lie to her. "I don't know. Ezekiel is a long stronger than we give him credit for half the time. He can get through this, he just has to do it in his own way.... and we just need to be there for him when he needs a shoulder to cry on."

He squeezed her briefly before taking a hand and wiping away some of her tears. "We're a Family. It doesn't matter what you throw it us, we can get through it. You can live with this, and so can he. I promise. It's going to hurt for a long time--for all of us--but life will go on. It always does, even if it's slowly."

It was the only way a person could live on after a tragedy. At least, that's how Theofilus saw it. At the moment it seemed like a perfectly logical plan as he looked at his first love's tear stained face. The news was more than just devastating, there were really know words to describe it. For now, Theofilus would play the part of the rock, later he would have time to mourn.

[Kiki]

Kari and Xenon receive 2 tokens each, to be redeemed in Ashwin's Shoppe. This will automatically be added to your recorded totals in the shoppe. Congratulations, and keep up the good RP!

[carcinoGeneticist]

Calia listened to Theofilus, sniffling quietly as she took the time to allow his words to fully sink in. She sniffled rather pathetically, raising a hand to wipe at her cheeks, the movement completely pointless considering that the tears were continuing to fall freely. She clung to him as if her very world depended on it, which, in a way, it did. He was right, of course. His words to her were almost the same as the ones that she had just spoken to Ezekiel, and that reassured her that her advice was likely good.

"I know, I know...[/b]" she murmured, then let out a small and harsh-sounding laugh, shaking her head almost ruefully. "It's just... so hard to accept that it will.[/b]"

She relaxed her grip on him slightly, still sobbing gently, though it was slightly more diminished now. The world was coming apart in her mind, and the only thing that was holding her together was this amazing man. "Can I stay with you tonight?[/b]" she asked in a small voice.

[Kari Muffin]

The sparrow hugged her tight, he didn't loosen his grip as much as she did. He wasn't going to let her go when she was shaking and crying like she was. Theofilus couldn't do anything but comfort her with words and a hug. He hated being helpless.

"Of course it's hard to accept. Not even time can fix that," He said quietly as he held her close to him.

He blinked and looked down at her with a surprised expression at her words. "Of course you can stay Calia, I would never kick you out!" He wouldn't even dream of saying no to her, even if she wasn't in such a horrible state over this... this nightmare. What was going to happen when the rest of the family found out? How was Ez going to deal with this alone. So many questions that couldn't be answered tonight. "Do you want me to make you some tea? It might make you feel a bit better... well... it might make the tears disappear for a while."

[carcinoGeneticist]

She clung to him, burying her beak in against his neck and shutting the world out in a mass of soft blue-and-white feathers. Here, life was safe and warm, and if she tried hard enough she knew it wouldn't be too much of a challenge to shut out all of the day's pain.

But she wouldn't. She couldn't, not without abandoning her duties as a mother. If she ignored the pain, how could she be there for Ez? Without sympathy or empathy, she would be lost and useless in this sort of situation. "You're right, and I know it... I just don't want to accept this. Any of it. I don't want it to be happening.[/b]" she choked out a sigh, burying her face in her hands. "...Thinking like that doesn't change anything, though, does it?[/b]"

Tea. Tea would be wonderful. Her throat felt raw from crying, and she was thirsty. Now that the rage and sorrow had begun to fade, her hand was aching fiercely, too. She gave Theofilus a small nod, not trusting herself to speak again just yet. She knew that he would find her something soothing and delicious. She closed her eyes, reaching up to wipe the tears away once more. It seemed like a futile effort, but she couldn't help herself. The moment hand touched face, however, she let out a soft cry of surprise.

She recoiled backwards slightly. She had been expecting the feel of feathers and beak, but all her talons - fingers? - brushed was soft skin. Shock filled every corner of her mind, and she looked down at her delicate fingers and featherless arms in a mix of surprise and wonder. "T-Theofilus![/b]"

[Kari Muffin]

Theofilus was... shocked when she pulled away. He was utterly speechless as he stared at Calia. She was very much human right in front of his face. She was stunning, and Theofilus couldn't find the proper words.

"Uh..." Theofilus blinked. Words. He had them somewhere. He just needed to find them. "You... you... look amazing." He managed. Well he was failing rather spectacularly at all of this. This was a night full of surprises, wasn't it? The sparrow stood up and shifted to his human form, he might as well match for this very amazing occasion. He offered Calia his hand to help her up.

"I will never stop being surprised by you, will I?" He said with a smile. "You look amazing, and I think I can find tea that'll make you feel a bit better once you have a seat in a proper chair." There, he found his words. He just hoped they would stick around.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Calia looked up at Theofilus as he changed, her mouth opened slightly from the shock of what had just happened. What had caused this? Could such emotional turmoil have sparked this change? She didn't know. In all honesty, she didn't want to know. In silence, she took Theofilus's hand, allowing herself a moment to enjoy the feel of his skin touching her own, the subtle strength that he had in his fingers, and then rose to her feet as best she could. The chair provided her all the grounding that she needed for the time, and she settled into it, hands in her lap.

"D-do I?[/b]" the woman asked, wonder in her voice. She found it easy to take his word for it, and under and other circumstance she might have blushed. As it was, she felt as though she was going into shock. Was that even possible? Her mind was a blur of thoughts and emotion, and the expression on her face was one of simple surprise, blue eyes widened ever-so-slightly.

She managed to push through the surprise that was filling her mind, and blinked. Tea. "Tea would be lovely. T-thank you.[/b]" She wondered if Theofilus had any alcohol, but pushed the thought out of her mind. Bad and bizzare things had happened on this night, that was true... But she didn't want to rely on alcohol to get her through this. She had her Theofilus, after all.

[Kari Muffin]

Theofilus wasn't quite sure what to do. He smiled weakly before going to fix and fetch the tea. He bit his lip as he searched through the small selection of teas. He could go upstairs but it was easier to just use the things in his office.

It didn't take very long for him to fix the tea. He returned with the pot and a set of cups. He set them down on the table and carefully poured them some tea. "I'm not sure what to say Calia." He honestly didn't. The words weren't coming. He never thought this was going to happen. Things like this didn't normally happen. Something horrible normally didn't lead to something wonderful.

He sat down across from her, propping his elbows on the table to look at the woman across from him. "I hope that tea is good enough. It's a calming blend."