Post by Kari Muffin on Dec 16, 2008 13:32:57 GMT -5
DAH DAH DAH! Three more chapters. <3 Thank you so much for all your comments on the 24 hour comic. X3 that made me glee.
Chapter Eleven is Conway being emo. Chapter Twelve is Theo being emo and having serious doubts that he would NEVER verbalize completely. Chapter Thirteen is my favorite. Peaches is awesome. XD And I enjoy her relationship with Xiven half the time. There is cursing where Peaches is evolved.
Next Chapter is "No Regret" which is an awesome chapter filled with violence.
*procrastinates Christmas cards some more*
*reposts because it did the retarded thing again*
Home. Or rather, the place where his Uncle resided. The only place he could call home, or something remotely to it. His Uncle didn't like him, but that wasn't saying much. He had been bitter since the day his passed away. He had never taken his human form since that day, even when Conway's mother begged him to do it once or twice.
Conway knew that he was lonely. He also knew that June meant the world to the old man. If she would be safe anywhere, it would be with him. Conway reached up and knocked on the door.
It wasn't long before Dhaval Rennick answered the door. He was a Persian cat with a slightly pressed in face. His fur was a pristine white, white dark markings that looked to be a cross of orange and red. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Conway standing in front of him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Where's June?"
Something in his face fell. It was a look that Conway had only seen once before. It was the same look he had so many years ago when his wife had passed away. Conway's heart skipped a beat. No, nothing horrible had happened to June, had it?
Conway's movements were sudden. He grabbed his uncle's wrists, looking up into his eyes. "What happened to June."
He whipped his hands out of Conway's grasp. The man gave him a rather annoyed look before walking into his house. The door was left open, which obviously meant Conway was meant to follow. Obediently Conway followed his Uncle.
His house was as creepy as ever. He was a Doctor. Spiritual. He was good with the more sensitive and untouched things in life. Conway had always wanted to be like him since he was little, but he never had that sort of talent. His Uncle just knew things and had the ability to do things he never could. June had been like him when she was younger... that was until all the horrible things happened.
"The only reason you're here is because of Nadia. Understand?" He said as he walked through the halls.
Conway knew that his Uncle lived for his sister after his wife's death. Mom had always been fond of him. June had been an accident, according to his mother's conversations with Uncle. He shouldn't have over heard what they said during their conversations, but he had been young.
And hearing that he was useless had been burned into his brain. His mother had defended him, she had even told her own brother to stop insulting her "darling baby."
Mom had loved him. And now she was gone.
"Sit down," ordered the feline.
Conway did what he was told, looking around the small dining room. There was no sign of June.
His Uncle sat across form him on the only other chair in the room.
The cat's fingers were laced together, a stoic expression on his face. Silence filled the little room as Conway waited for him to speak. What did the man have to say about his sister?
"I had to put her into a hospital at the capital."
It didn't register at first. Conway shook his head and remained silent for a minute. "Why is she in the hospital? Is she hurt? What happened?" Panic was welling up in his voice.
"Not that sort of hospital Conway. She's in a mental hospital because of your cursed and dirty father. She can't even look at someone who is remotely canine without screaming. She can't function normally in society. She never will be able to unless they help her." The briefly rain his hand through his fur to cover his tears. He had tried so hard, and had failed to protect his niece.
"June... is... no." Conway shook his head, "No! She can't be! She was supposed to be normal. Everything was supposed to go well for her! She was supposed to forget!"
"Shouting never solved anything, Conway. She hasn't forgotten her brother, that's for sure. She hasn't stopped asking to see you."
Conway looked up with wide eyes. She hadn't forgotten him?
"But I have to ask for you not to see her. It would be best if she didn't know that you really existed. You can only bring her pain."
"What?" Conway said flatly. His Uncle was asking him to disassociate himself with the only family he had left. The only person he had been living for. He wanted him to fade from existence.
"It would be better for her and her health."
Conway shook his head. "No. I'm going to see my sister."
"How do you intend to do that when I have the information and you don't? Are you going to run through all of the Capital trying to find your beloved sister? Grief is the only thing that you cause. You shouldn't exist."
Conway slammed his hands down on the table. He stood up and leaned forward, glaring at the man who sat before him with the same expression he always wore. "You heartless bastard! She's the only person who ever loved me and you're telling me to forget about her?"
"It's not all about you, Conway."
"You're right, old man, it's never about me. You have no heart despite the one on your chest. This is all about your need to make me miserable. So what if I'm a freak? I'm part of your family! My name is Conway Rennick! I will always belong to your family if you choose to acknowledge me or not!"
Dead silence leaked into the room. The man's expression changed to one of foreboding, it quickly vanished though. "Rennick. I see. Conway, I suppose your mother was right about you."
Conway stared at his uncle, taking a seat. He wasn't sure what to say or do.
"You're welcome to stay the night. I'll tell you where June is staying and the other information you'll need to know. Just promise me, Conway, that you'll be careful. If you're caught in that place...."
"I promise. I promise!"
"Good. Your mother would kill me if anything bad happened to you."
Conway kept his mouth shut. If his Uncle had known what happened to him, well, he would probably be terrified that his mother would come back from the dead to strangle him.
***
"Kleio, what would you do if he was here?" Dhaval asked the air. He knew the answer to his own question already. She would have treated Conway as if he were her own child. She had loved him dearly when she was still alive. Who couldn't have loved him when he was a baby. He was different now that he was older, but he had always been a monster.
She would have slapped him for that thought. Both Kleio and Nadia would have kicked him down a flight of stairs for calling his own kin such a thing. It was hard to think of Conway as family when he wasn't like everyone else. He didn't have a real rank. He didn't have the real magic. He didn't have the talent.
But he was "just a boy" to Kleio and Nadia.
They were both gone, however, and there was no way that he could take care of the boy.
"He'll be the death of me, Nadia." Dhaval said as he picked up a small container. Flipping over the lid it revealed a vertebrae. It had belonged to his sister, and he had every intention of giving it to June one day. It was just a matter of when.
He sighed as he walked through the house to the kitchen. Maybe if he made breakfast, Conway would wake up without him having to knock on the door.
To the man's surprise Conway was already in the dining room eating a rather well made breakfast.
He looked up from his meal, "I'm sorry. I helped myself."
"It's all right. I'm just surprised that you can cook."
"Of course I picked up a few things while I was on my own. Sign language is a lot harder than cooking." Conway said before taking a swig of milk. "I can make you some breakfast if you want."
He blinked. "If you really want to."
Conway gave him a grin before wolfing down the rest of his meal. He hurried up to fix his Uncle a proper meal.
It was strange. It had been years since someone had cooked for him. He had missed it, and he was surprised that Conway could cook a decent breakfast. Perhaps it had been too long since he had a real cooked breakfast, perhaps?
Once he was finished, Conway cleaned the dishes. He was happy.
His Uncle hadn't seen him that cheerful in years. Maybe he could take care of Conway? But was it too late for such an offer? The man watched as Conway came back into the kitchen, completely finished with stacking the dishes an the like.
Dhaval remained silent for a long while as he looked at Conway. He was a scrawny boy who looked mostly like his mother with the small exception of his nose and the color of his eyes. It didn't take away from the fact that he was staring at his sister. But Conway could only pretend to be normal. He never would be normal.
"I suppose I should tell you where your sister is. You've been waiting for quite sometime, and I wouldn't want to ruin your reunion," The man smiled.
He prayed that Kleio and Nadia would forgive him.
***
He sneaked into the building in the dead of night. Things were a lot easier when your made very little sound. It was difficult finding his sister's room, but after a while he managed to locate it.
He peered inside of the room, to check if his sister was indeed inside. Her faint image was outlined by the faint moonlight filtering through the bars. After a bit of a struggle with the lock, he slipped inside.
His sister's ears twitched, but she didn't move.
"June," he whispered. He didn't need to whisper of course, but it just seemed appropriate.
She shifted, he couldn't see her face, but he gathered that she was looking at him. It was terribly dark and dreary in the room. Why had his Uncle thought a change was good for her?
"Conway?" she said in a faint whisper.
And suddenly she was sitting bolt upright, her eyes bright in the darkness. It was as if she was a completely different person. Best of all, she was happy to see him. She really hadn't forgotten!
"Conway!" she said in a breath as she lept of the bed to run and "hug" him. He got down on his knees so they could properly greet each other."I missed you so much! They kept on telling me you weren't real. But you are! I am absolutely not crazy!" She exclaimed before burying her face in his chest.
Conway let out a sigh of relief as he sunk completely to the floor. Everything was okay. His sister still loved him, and she wasn't going to forget about him. He kissed her on the forehead, pulling away from her for just a bit. "You can tell them I don't exist to make everything easier. But I'll always come back to you. I promise."
June nodded as she leaned on her brother's chest. He was warm, real, and had a heart beat. She had crawled into his bed so many times when they were children she had lost count. Right now she wanted to do the same, but everything was different now.
"I brought you something," Conway said quietly as he pulled away from her.
She looked up at him, her eyes catching in what little light the room had. Conway only paused briefly before he removed the gift from his pocket. Before he had left his Uncle's he had went out of his way to sew something for his sister. It was a little stuffed wolf of an Esterberry he had seen before.
June's face lit up as she looked at the stuffed animal. "Is it really for me?"
Conway nodded. "Of course it is. I made it just for you."
June let out a small squeal as she scooped up the doll. She pranced over to her bed and set it carefully on the edge. "I'll have to think of a proper name for her! Thank you so much brother!"
Conway smiled. June was happy. That's all that mattered. He still had questions though. He frowned at the thought of asking them to her right now, but he didn't know when he would be able to come back. He couldn't stay in the city for long. People might catch on.
"Do you like it in this place?"
June shrugged as she kept her eyes on the doll. "There are a lot of nice people here. The nurses really like me, and some of the people in this place aren't all that sick. I guess it's okay. Not like being back home though. I don't know why Uncle won't let me stay there."
Conway knew why. From what he had said, June couldn't see another wolf without going to a fit of screaming and tears. She was still terrified that their father was going to get her. Suddenly the words flew out of his mouth, he hadn't expected it, but they came out anyway. "You know father can't hurt you anymore, right?"
It was silent for a while. June kept her face on the doll in front of her as she spoke. "He can. And he can hurt you. He can hurt Uncle too."
"He's dead though...."
"I doubt death would stop him from ruining our lives."
"W-what?" Conway shifted so he could stand up and walk to June. However she turned around and padded over to him. An usual expression was on her face as she leaned forward.
"Even in Death, that man we called our Father and destroy everything. I am, and will always be, absolutely terrified of him. It will never go away."
"But June..." Conway could feel the tears making their way down his cheek. His sister still had a stoic look on her face. "But June... if you stay afraid you'll never be able to get away from this place."
June snorted. Suddenly she licked at his tears and flopped onto her rump. She looked like her usual cheerful self, triumphant smile on her face."Yes I will. When I'm eighteen I can leave with you. I'm a legal adult, no one can argue with me if you come to take me out of this place. Then we can go back to Hisstor and be a proper family again!"
Conway blinked. How long had his sister been hoping for this? How long had she been dreaming of a happy family? What would happen if she ever found out that her brother was a monster who would be killed if anyone found out the truth?
He didn't want to know the answer.
Theofilus had saw something in the future. He couldn't be sure of what it was, but it was something that had caused his heart to skip a beat. He sat in his study, staring at the crystal ball tears sliding down his cheeks.
He had written all of his visions in the journal Clari had given him. He had started a new one recently, keeping all of his thoughts amongst the predictions. This one, however, he wasn't sure if he had the strength to write.
It was a while before he noticed the knock on the door. Wiping away the tears he called out, "What is it?"
"Your Majesty? Is everything all right in there?"
"Ceren?" Theofilus said as he pulled the door open. It was indeed his daughter on the other side of the door. He never had seen her with a worried look like that on her face. Suddenly, Theofilus felt worse than he had before. "Please come in."
"I... all right." She said as she walked into the room.
Theofilus sighed as he shut the door quietly behind her. His room was in it's usual pristine order. Not a single thing was out of place, so there was no reason for Ceren to be suspicious of him. But she had a look on her face that mirrored one from her youth. It was the same look he had given her when she had done something irresponsible.
"I didn't do anything," He said bluntly.
"Then why do you look like you're a guilty man?"
"Don't use that tone of voice with me young lady."
"Don't use that tone of voice with me, either. I am a titled noble too. You may be the Queen, but you're still my father. Now, what happened?" She crossed her arms and stared down at her father in her bidpedal form.
Theofilus had half a mind to switch to his bipedal form just so he was taller. Instead he shrugged it off an rolled his eyes. "I saw something that upset me. That's all."
"That's all? Then why are your eyes blood shot? What did you see? What's going on?"
She certainly was his child. "It's nothing that I can change or do something about. It simply is. I think, though, I need to go back to the Capital and talk to your mother and Zane."
Ceren raised an eyebrow. Obviously there was more to this than what her father was letting on.
"Yes, I know you want to know more about it, but I'm not inclined to explain everything until I talk to your mother. I'm sure you understand, even if it is frustrating." He waved a hand dismissively.
"I understand, but while I'm here... were you the one who decided giving sugar to Kaiesha before she went to bed was a good idea?"
Theofilus grinned. "Now why would I do that?"
***
Theofilus cursed as he kicked the door frame in his bipedal form. Whenever he looked into the present it only caused him grief. Nothing more and nothing less. And now Peter was gone, and he had that monster attached to him. Theofilus was powerless. He could try to figure out where Honker was, but it was a long shot.
The Queen of Diamonds had no power to keep his family together. He was yet again helpless. History just enjoyed repeating himself.
The memory of a phrase haunted him. "It's all your fault."
It was, wasn't it? He should have done more to protect Honker. He should have done more to be a proper father. He had failed so many times it was difficult to count. With all this power to protect people, he could barely keep his family in one piece. Maybe he should just give up completely?
No one would care. No one would notice. Well, Iria and his daughter would notice, but everyone else would completely be in oblivion to the fact that Queen Theofilus had stepped down and failed rather miserably at life.
Could he really do that to himself? To his family? Could he afford to fail again?
Did he have the strength to continue trying to change things.
He took a deep breath leaning on the wall. He had to calm down before talking to Calia. If Peter had ever seen him like this, he would have been known as "scary Daddy" forever. Peter. He prayed for his son's safety.
Once he gained his composure, he went to Calia's room.
She was still upset. Of course she was, but she looked up with hope in her eyes. He shifted to his human for to match hers. Silently he went to sit besides her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her. "I'm sorry," were the first words that came out of his mouth. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop it."
"It's not you fault, Theofilus." She said as she pulled closer to him.
But it was. He hadn't been able to stop it, had he?
A sharp exhale escaped him as he forced himself not to cry. Fail. That's all he was capable of.
Being emotional wasn't going to help either, was it?
"Calia, I was thinking of doing something, but I'm not sure if it'll work."
She looked up at him with a curious expression. She seemed surprised by the change of subject, but she was willing to listen. At least, that's what Theofilus had gathered from the look on her face.
"What if I started an orphanage? I'm sure there are plenty of homeless children out there with no place to go... but I don't know if it would work at all. Anything I seem to propose or do just seems to fall through."
She kissed him on the cheek. "It's a wonderful idea, and I'll always support you."
Sometimes he wondered if she was just saying that. He gave her a light kiss on the forehead in return. "Thank you."
If he could just help one more person, maybe he could make up for all of his mistakes.
***
The birds had grown more powerful. Theofilus had deliberately learned more magic to make them as such, but he was slowly starting to regret it. He shouldn't have cast the spell in the first place and now he was building on it. There had to be a punishment waiting for him after this, but in all honesty he didn't want to think about it.
He would probably be punished when he was dead, and Theofilus was going to live as long as he possibly could.
However, he didn't realize the extent of which the birds had changed until he summoned them out of sheer curiosity.
It was a little shocking.
"Why are..." he began looking at the pair of them. He knew they could respond now, but they both kept a rather awful smirk on their faces. "What the hell." He sighed, crossing his arms to inspect them.
Huge was an utter understatement. He could probably sit on one without trouble. Though he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to ride on one. They were still awfully terrifying and ugly to boot. Sitting on smoke didn't sit well with him either.
"No snide remarks?" He asked one of them as he brushed his fingers across the feathers made out of smoke.
Of course they made no sound. The one he had been "petting" simply turned its head to lok at him with a large smirk. Nothing that Theofilus wasn't terribly used to. He rolled his eyes. "Well I suppose this means I can't use you for sending messages to people I hate anymore. You'd probably just give people heart attacks now."
They were bad when they started, now was just a whole new level of bad. Thankfully not many people had seen the birds in action beyond the fight for the title of Queenship. He kept most of his magic under wraps. There were rumors, of course, but not much else. Calia and Kelasia were probably the only two people who knew the full extent of his power because he went out of his way to tell them.
This news, however, he wasn't sure that he could inform them of. It wasn't particular good news that two demonic birds that lived in his head on a regular basis were now ten feet tall monstrosities. How fantastic.
This day just couldn't get any better, could it? He let out a sigh. He might as well do something useful with his birds.
"It's all your fault."
Theofilus's head snapped around. It was a faint whisper, he knew it. They must have said something. His eyes widened as he looked at the creatures. Their expressions remained the same. They only spoke horrible truths. All the sins ever committed by a person were up for grabs.
But what was all his fault? Everything? Myron?
It must have just been his imagination. He shrugged it off as he turned around. It must have been his imagination.
He prayed it was his imagination.
Hatter was an unusual person, but to Peaches he was the perfect stranger. Nothing more and nothing less. She had no intention of finding out the truth about him, and if she did she would probably cry.
But today she had decided that she was going to test one of his powers by sneaking in his house. Then of course, once she was done she would visit him for tea. It would be a rather fun day if everything went as plan. She hummed to herself as she approached the mansion.
Slipping through the window she used her magic. She was a shadow, clinging to the shadows in the ceiling. And there Hatter was, sitting there and fiddling with his things. The man hummed happily as he fiddled with one of his inventions.
And then Marchie slipped into the room. They two held a rather usual conversation that Peaches wasn't completely inclined to listen to.
Until her name was said. Suddenly she found herself ass naked in Hatter's lap.
"We were just talking about you!"
"I gathered." Peaches said with a snort as she licked his cheek. "I should get my clothing."
"Aw but I like it this way."
"That's all well and good but I'm absolutely freezing, so I would generally would appreciate something to wear. A hat won't do it either," She said with a smirk as she pulled his down before hopping off of his lap. She scurried over to one of the windows, slipping out of it briefly.
Sometimes the problem with her power was finding her clothing. Sometimes it was more difficult than she bargained for. Today, however she found her clothing in a neat little pile. She hastily put everything on as quickly as she could.
Her power hadn't gone as planned, but she could at least have some tea and possibly some fun. She nearly squeed as she reentered the room, hurrying to Hatter. "Ta da!" She said happily, a top hat on her head along with a smirk on her face.
Hatter clapped his hands together with a smile on his face. "I think it's time for some tea! I'll go get Marchie!"
***
"Mom, what are you wearing?" Xiven asked as she sat on her bed reading a book required for an assignment. Her mother had come in to check if she was actually doing her work. Heaven forbid she be more responsible than her mother.
Peaches rolled her eyes."Most people call it a top hat."
"I can see that."
"Then don't ask silly questions."
"You know..." Xiven started before shaking her head and sighing. "Nevermind. Why should I even bother to use logic with you?"
"Ow. That hurts. Talking to your own mother like that!" Peaches said placing her hand on her forehead in mocking.
"I'm sorry if it's true."
"You are not. Don't say sorry if you're not sorry, that's worse than not apologizing at all." Peaches said with a wiggle of her finger.
A paw slipped over Xiven's face.
"Don't do that either, it's disrespectful."
"What can I do?"
"You tell me," Peaches said in a sing song voice before leaving the room entirely. She had to do a few things before she could relax with her daughter.
She had gotten a mission that was outside the Court of Hearts, something private. She sighed as she leaned on the door for a moment. She shouldn't be doing missions like this. They were dangerous, and had nearly gotten her killed on numerous occasions. Not to mention she had only developed the use of her magic for her own personal interests.
It was nice spying on people having sex when they couldn't see where you were.
But that was besides the point wasn't it? Peaches sighed as she slipped away from her daughter's door. The job was going to pay her quite a bit. She didn't necessarily need the money, but if Xiven or Eldy ever chose a difficult path and needed a bit of help, she would at least have one way to help out.
She turned into the hallway leading to the garden. She paused, however, in front of the door. "Maybe... I should pester Bernard."
The corners of her mouth pulled up into her characteristic smirk. Well yes, that would be lovely, wouldn't it?
***
"Oh shit," Peaches cursed as she pressed against the building. She knew why she had taken this damn job, but she was regretting it right now. If Jokers were real, she honestly wished she was one right now. That would save her ass rather quickly. She glanced around the alleyway.
The footsteps were getting quicker and closer.
Peaches honestly didn't want to fight. She made a whining sounds as she hurried down the alleyway.
Why had she agreed to deal with people who had sharp pointy knifes and horrible tempers. The only thing worse would have been if they were Lowlanders—but they were pretty damn close.
She skidded to a halt when she came to a dead end.
It was a good thing she hadn't used her ability to walk on any surface recently. Taking it to her advantage she scurried up the wall.
Once she made it to the top of the building she flopped over the edge. Waiting in silence for something. Her breath was heavy as she listened to the footsteps come to a sudden halt. If any of them were Spades she would have been dead already. The question was, were any of them Diamonds with that pesky flight ability?
"Do you think whoever that was saw anything?"
"I highly doubt it. I've made sure all the shipments were untraceable. I can't imagine the police are on to us."
"But where the hell did it go?"
"Don't worry about it, I doubt it'll come back." There was a slapping sound. He must have been hitting him on the shoulder then? Peaches didn't dare move to look. She didn't want to push her luck.
"Hey, wait, what's that up there?"
Shit. Peaches grimaced and remained completely still.
"Is that a tail?"
"It's not moving."
"Someone's mane then? Maybe you should fly up there and check it."
For the love of suits, please don't.
There was a moment of silence before Peaches found herself looking at one of the people she was supposed to be spying on. With a small curse she rolled to the side and onto her feet. She snapped her fan off of her belt, barely blocking the fist making it's way to her head. Unfortunately it was enough to make her fan whack her in the eye.
Peaches ignored the pain as she spun to the side, she whipped her fan around in a circular motion before slamming the man in the stomach as hard as she could.
He went down like a ton of bricks.
"That was easy..." Peaches said as she reached up to touch her eye. That was going to bruise. Now, what was she going to do with the person who had seen her. She couldn't walk away and risk her name being ruined by some halfwit drug dealer.
He groaned. Peaches rolled her eyes before walking over to him. "Don't open your eyes," she whispered, "You'll regret it."
The man froze, he was grasping is stomach, curled up in a tight ball. A ton of bricks to the stomach did that to you. Stood to her full height, and without a moment's hesitation slammed he boot down on the man's temple.
End of that story. Even if he did wake up, he'd never be the same. Now for the one on the ground, waiting.
She hummed to herself as she walked towards the edge, she carefully peered over. The man was looking up at her, but not really seeing her. With all those colors he must have been a Morganberry. She briefly debated jumping down. It was quite drop, but it wouldn't have killed anyone. Probably just a twisted ankle or a few broken bones. But she had a better idea. In this little world it was kill or be killed.
It didn't take her long to situation things. She managed to drag the dealer across the roof with a great deal of effort. She had to resort to rolling after a few minutes of struggling. The man below was getting anxious, and she wouldn't want him to try to come up here.
With all the strength she could muster she kicked the man's unconscious body off the roof.
As he cascaded down, there was no time for the other man to react. With a horrible thud the unconscious body landed in a trash heap. The other man screamed bloody murder as he ran towards his friend.
Peaches watched from her perch, holding back laughter. This was terribly amusing in a sadistic sort of way.
"Are you okay?" The man asked as she shook his companion frantically. "What happened?"
Obviously the unconscious man didn't answer.
"Oh man, you're still breathing!" The man said before hugging his companion's limp body. "I'll go get help!"
Peaches gave a sigh of relief as she watched the man hurry off.
The mission wasn't a complete botch.
***
"Why do you have a black eye?"
"I got into a bar fight."
"You don't drink, Mom."
"I ran into a door?"
"You're not that stupid."
"A drug dealer smacked me in the face with my fan while I was fighting on a roof top."
"Seriously, Mom. How did you get the black eye?"
Peaches sighed, "I just told you. Now let me do my work. Shouldn't you be studying or something, Xiven, dear."
"The instructor gave me a break. Anyway, how do you intend to do paperwork with one eye?" Xiven said as she hopped onto the desk, nearly falling flat on her face. Once her balance was regained she walked over to her mother's paperwork and sat on a few sheets of it. "Don't you need some help?"
Peaches sighed yet again. "As much as I would enjoy help, you aren't a Jack of the courts, so unfortunately it has to be left to me. But, you could easily go and practice your handwriting missy."
"Argh. Fine." Xiven said with a frown before hopping off of the desk.
Peaches watched her daughter trot out of the room. Honestly, if that girl knew what she did in her spare time, she was sure that there would be a lot more respect from her daughter. She snorted. Not like she would tell Xiven what she did every so often. Pushing someone off a building wasn't something to brag about.
Oh well. She had paper work to do.
Chapter Eleven is Conway being emo. Chapter Twelve is Theo being emo and having serious doubts that he would NEVER verbalize completely. Chapter Thirteen is my favorite. Peaches is awesome. XD And I enjoy her relationship with Xiven half the time. There is cursing where Peaches is evolved.
Next Chapter is "No Regret" which is an awesome chapter filled with violence.
*procrastinates Christmas cards some more*
*reposts because it did the retarded thing again*
My Darling Sister
-She means everything to him
-She means everything to him
Home. Or rather, the place where his Uncle resided. The only place he could call home, or something remotely to it. His Uncle didn't like him, but that wasn't saying much. He had been bitter since the day his passed away. He had never taken his human form since that day, even when Conway's mother begged him to do it once or twice.
Conway knew that he was lonely. He also knew that June meant the world to the old man. If she would be safe anywhere, it would be with him. Conway reached up and knocked on the door.
It wasn't long before Dhaval Rennick answered the door. He was a Persian cat with a slightly pressed in face. His fur was a pristine white, white dark markings that looked to be a cross of orange and red. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Conway standing in front of him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Where's June?"
Something in his face fell. It was a look that Conway had only seen once before. It was the same look he had so many years ago when his wife had passed away. Conway's heart skipped a beat. No, nothing horrible had happened to June, had it?
Conway's movements were sudden. He grabbed his uncle's wrists, looking up into his eyes. "What happened to June."
He whipped his hands out of Conway's grasp. The man gave him a rather annoyed look before walking into his house. The door was left open, which obviously meant Conway was meant to follow. Obediently Conway followed his Uncle.
His house was as creepy as ever. He was a Doctor. Spiritual. He was good with the more sensitive and untouched things in life. Conway had always wanted to be like him since he was little, but he never had that sort of talent. His Uncle just knew things and had the ability to do things he never could. June had been like him when she was younger... that was until all the horrible things happened.
"The only reason you're here is because of Nadia. Understand?" He said as he walked through the halls.
Conway knew that his Uncle lived for his sister after his wife's death. Mom had always been fond of him. June had been an accident, according to his mother's conversations with Uncle. He shouldn't have over heard what they said during their conversations, but he had been young.
And hearing that he was useless had been burned into his brain. His mother had defended him, she had even told her own brother to stop insulting her "darling baby."
Mom had loved him. And now she was gone.
"Sit down," ordered the feline.
Conway did what he was told, looking around the small dining room. There was no sign of June.
His Uncle sat across form him on the only other chair in the room.
The cat's fingers were laced together, a stoic expression on his face. Silence filled the little room as Conway waited for him to speak. What did the man have to say about his sister?
"I had to put her into a hospital at the capital."
It didn't register at first. Conway shook his head and remained silent for a minute. "Why is she in the hospital? Is she hurt? What happened?" Panic was welling up in his voice.
"Not that sort of hospital Conway. She's in a mental hospital because of your cursed and dirty father. She can't even look at someone who is remotely canine without screaming. She can't function normally in society. She never will be able to unless they help her." The briefly rain his hand through his fur to cover his tears. He had tried so hard, and had failed to protect his niece.
"June... is... no." Conway shook his head, "No! She can't be! She was supposed to be normal. Everything was supposed to go well for her! She was supposed to forget!"
"Shouting never solved anything, Conway. She hasn't forgotten her brother, that's for sure. She hasn't stopped asking to see you."
Conway looked up with wide eyes. She hadn't forgotten him?
"But I have to ask for you not to see her. It would be best if she didn't know that you really existed. You can only bring her pain."
"What?" Conway said flatly. His Uncle was asking him to disassociate himself with the only family he had left. The only person he had been living for. He wanted him to fade from existence.
"It would be better for her and her health."
Conway shook his head. "No. I'm going to see my sister."
"How do you intend to do that when I have the information and you don't? Are you going to run through all of the Capital trying to find your beloved sister? Grief is the only thing that you cause. You shouldn't exist."
Conway slammed his hands down on the table. He stood up and leaned forward, glaring at the man who sat before him with the same expression he always wore. "You heartless bastard! She's the only person who ever loved me and you're telling me to forget about her?"
"It's not all about you, Conway."
"You're right, old man, it's never about me. You have no heart despite the one on your chest. This is all about your need to make me miserable. So what if I'm a freak? I'm part of your family! My name is Conway Rennick! I will always belong to your family if you choose to acknowledge me or not!"
Dead silence leaked into the room. The man's expression changed to one of foreboding, it quickly vanished though. "Rennick. I see. Conway, I suppose your mother was right about you."
Conway stared at his uncle, taking a seat. He wasn't sure what to say or do.
"You're welcome to stay the night. I'll tell you where June is staying and the other information you'll need to know. Just promise me, Conway, that you'll be careful. If you're caught in that place...."
"I promise. I promise!"
"Good. Your mother would kill me if anything bad happened to you."
Conway kept his mouth shut. If his Uncle had known what happened to him, well, he would probably be terrified that his mother would come back from the dead to strangle him.
***
"Kleio, what would you do if he was here?" Dhaval asked the air. He knew the answer to his own question already. She would have treated Conway as if he were her own child. She had loved him dearly when she was still alive. Who couldn't have loved him when he was a baby. He was different now that he was older, but he had always been a monster.
She would have slapped him for that thought. Both Kleio and Nadia would have kicked him down a flight of stairs for calling his own kin such a thing. It was hard to think of Conway as family when he wasn't like everyone else. He didn't have a real rank. He didn't have the real magic. He didn't have the talent.
But he was "just a boy" to Kleio and Nadia.
They were both gone, however, and there was no way that he could take care of the boy.
"He'll be the death of me, Nadia." Dhaval said as he picked up a small container. Flipping over the lid it revealed a vertebrae. It had belonged to his sister, and he had every intention of giving it to June one day. It was just a matter of when.
He sighed as he walked through the house to the kitchen. Maybe if he made breakfast, Conway would wake up without him having to knock on the door.
To the man's surprise Conway was already in the dining room eating a rather well made breakfast.
He looked up from his meal, "I'm sorry. I helped myself."
"It's all right. I'm just surprised that you can cook."
"Of course I picked up a few things while I was on my own. Sign language is a lot harder than cooking." Conway said before taking a swig of milk. "I can make you some breakfast if you want."
He blinked. "If you really want to."
Conway gave him a grin before wolfing down the rest of his meal. He hurried up to fix his Uncle a proper meal.
It was strange. It had been years since someone had cooked for him. He had missed it, and he was surprised that Conway could cook a decent breakfast. Perhaps it had been too long since he had a real cooked breakfast, perhaps?
Once he was finished, Conway cleaned the dishes. He was happy.
His Uncle hadn't seen him that cheerful in years. Maybe he could take care of Conway? But was it too late for such an offer? The man watched as Conway came back into the kitchen, completely finished with stacking the dishes an the like.
Dhaval remained silent for a long while as he looked at Conway. He was a scrawny boy who looked mostly like his mother with the small exception of his nose and the color of his eyes. It didn't take away from the fact that he was staring at his sister. But Conway could only pretend to be normal. He never would be normal.
"I suppose I should tell you where your sister is. You've been waiting for quite sometime, and I wouldn't want to ruin your reunion," The man smiled.
He prayed that Kleio and Nadia would forgive him.
***
He sneaked into the building in the dead of night. Things were a lot easier when your made very little sound. It was difficult finding his sister's room, but after a while he managed to locate it.
He peered inside of the room, to check if his sister was indeed inside. Her faint image was outlined by the faint moonlight filtering through the bars. After a bit of a struggle with the lock, he slipped inside.
His sister's ears twitched, but she didn't move.
"June," he whispered. He didn't need to whisper of course, but it just seemed appropriate.
She shifted, he couldn't see her face, but he gathered that she was looking at him. It was terribly dark and dreary in the room. Why had his Uncle thought a change was good for her?
"Conway?" she said in a faint whisper.
And suddenly she was sitting bolt upright, her eyes bright in the darkness. It was as if she was a completely different person. Best of all, she was happy to see him. She really hadn't forgotten!
"Conway!" she said in a breath as she lept of the bed to run and "hug" him. He got down on his knees so they could properly greet each other."I missed you so much! They kept on telling me you weren't real. But you are! I am absolutely not crazy!" She exclaimed before burying her face in his chest.
Conway let out a sigh of relief as he sunk completely to the floor. Everything was okay. His sister still loved him, and she wasn't going to forget about him. He kissed her on the forehead, pulling away from her for just a bit. "You can tell them I don't exist to make everything easier. But I'll always come back to you. I promise."
June nodded as she leaned on her brother's chest. He was warm, real, and had a heart beat. She had crawled into his bed so many times when they were children she had lost count. Right now she wanted to do the same, but everything was different now.
"I brought you something," Conway said quietly as he pulled away from her.
She looked up at him, her eyes catching in what little light the room had. Conway only paused briefly before he removed the gift from his pocket. Before he had left his Uncle's he had went out of his way to sew something for his sister. It was a little stuffed wolf of an Esterberry he had seen before.
June's face lit up as she looked at the stuffed animal. "Is it really for me?"
Conway nodded. "Of course it is. I made it just for you."
June let out a small squeal as she scooped up the doll. She pranced over to her bed and set it carefully on the edge. "I'll have to think of a proper name for her! Thank you so much brother!"
Conway smiled. June was happy. That's all that mattered. He still had questions though. He frowned at the thought of asking them to her right now, but he didn't know when he would be able to come back. He couldn't stay in the city for long. People might catch on.
"Do you like it in this place?"
June shrugged as she kept her eyes on the doll. "There are a lot of nice people here. The nurses really like me, and some of the people in this place aren't all that sick. I guess it's okay. Not like being back home though. I don't know why Uncle won't let me stay there."
Conway knew why. From what he had said, June couldn't see another wolf without going to a fit of screaming and tears. She was still terrified that their father was going to get her. Suddenly the words flew out of his mouth, he hadn't expected it, but they came out anyway. "You know father can't hurt you anymore, right?"
It was silent for a while. June kept her face on the doll in front of her as she spoke. "He can. And he can hurt you. He can hurt Uncle too."
"He's dead though...."
"I doubt death would stop him from ruining our lives."
"W-what?" Conway shifted so he could stand up and walk to June. However she turned around and padded over to him. An usual expression was on her face as she leaned forward.
"Even in Death, that man we called our Father and destroy everything. I am, and will always be, absolutely terrified of him. It will never go away."
"But June..." Conway could feel the tears making their way down his cheek. His sister still had a stoic look on her face. "But June... if you stay afraid you'll never be able to get away from this place."
June snorted. Suddenly she licked at his tears and flopped onto her rump. She looked like her usual cheerful self, triumphant smile on her face."Yes I will. When I'm eighteen I can leave with you. I'm a legal adult, no one can argue with me if you come to take me out of this place. Then we can go back to Hisstor and be a proper family again!"
Conway blinked. How long had his sister been hoping for this? How long had she been dreaming of a happy family? What would happen if she ever found out that her brother was a monster who would be killed if anyone found out the truth?
He didn't want to know the answer.
Crystal Baller
+ A Breaking Point for A Man
+ A Breaking Point for A Man
Theofilus had saw something in the future. He couldn't be sure of what it was, but it was something that had caused his heart to skip a beat. He sat in his study, staring at the crystal ball tears sliding down his cheeks.
He had written all of his visions in the journal Clari had given him. He had started a new one recently, keeping all of his thoughts amongst the predictions. This one, however, he wasn't sure if he had the strength to write.
It was a while before he noticed the knock on the door. Wiping away the tears he called out, "What is it?"
"Your Majesty? Is everything all right in there?"
"Ceren?" Theofilus said as he pulled the door open. It was indeed his daughter on the other side of the door. He never had seen her with a worried look like that on her face. Suddenly, Theofilus felt worse than he had before. "Please come in."
"I... all right." She said as she walked into the room.
Theofilus sighed as he shut the door quietly behind her. His room was in it's usual pristine order. Not a single thing was out of place, so there was no reason for Ceren to be suspicious of him. But she had a look on her face that mirrored one from her youth. It was the same look he had given her when she had done something irresponsible.
"I didn't do anything," He said bluntly.
"Then why do you look like you're a guilty man?"
"Don't use that tone of voice with me young lady."
"Don't use that tone of voice with me, either. I am a titled noble too. You may be the Queen, but you're still my father. Now, what happened?" She crossed her arms and stared down at her father in her bidpedal form.
Theofilus had half a mind to switch to his bipedal form just so he was taller. Instead he shrugged it off an rolled his eyes. "I saw something that upset me. That's all."
"That's all? Then why are your eyes blood shot? What did you see? What's going on?"
She certainly was his child. "It's nothing that I can change or do something about. It simply is. I think, though, I need to go back to the Capital and talk to your mother and Zane."
Ceren raised an eyebrow. Obviously there was more to this than what her father was letting on.
"Yes, I know you want to know more about it, but I'm not inclined to explain everything until I talk to your mother. I'm sure you understand, even if it is frustrating." He waved a hand dismissively.
"I understand, but while I'm here... were you the one who decided giving sugar to Kaiesha before she went to bed was a good idea?"
Theofilus grinned. "Now why would I do that?"
***
Theofilus cursed as he kicked the door frame in his bipedal form. Whenever he looked into the present it only caused him grief. Nothing more and nothing less. And now Peter was gone, and he had that monster attached to him. Theofilus was powerless. He could try to figure out where Honker was, but it was a long shot.
The Queen of Diamonds had no power to keep his family together. He was yet again helpless. History just enjoyed repeating himself.
The memory of a phrase haunted him. "It's all your fault."
It was, wasn't it? He should have done more to protect Honker. He should have done more to be a proper father. He had failed so many times it was difficult to count. With all this power to protect people, he could barely keep his family in one piece. Maybe he should just give up completely?
No one would care. No one would notice. Well, Iria and his daughter would notice, but everyone else would completely be in oblivion to the fact that Queen Theofilus had stepped down and failed rather miserably at life.
Could he really do that to himself? To his family? Could he afford to fail again?
Did he have the strength to continue trying to change things.
He took a deep breath leaning on the wall. He had to calm down before talking to Calia. If Peter had ever seen him like this, he would have been known as "scary Daddy" forever. Peter. He prayed for his son's safety.
Once he gained his composure, he went to Calia's room.
She was still upset. Of course she was, but she looked up with hope in her eyes. He shifted to his human for to match hers. Silently he went to sit besides her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her. "I'm sorry," were the first words that came out of his mouth. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop it."
"It's not you fault, Theofilus." She said as she pulled closer to him.
But it was. He hadn't been able to stop it, had he?
A sharp exhale escaped him as he forced himself not to cry. Fail. That's all he was capable of.
Being emotional wasn't going to help either, was it?
"Calia, I was thinking of doing something, but I'm not sure if it'll work."
She looked up at him with a curious expression. She seemed surprised by the change of subject, but she was willing to listen. At least, that's what Theofilus had gathered from the look on her face.
"What if I started an orphanage? I'm sure there are plenty of homeless children out there with no place to go... but I don't know if it would work at all. Anything I seem to propose or do just seems to fall through."
She kissed him on the cheek. "It's a wonderful idea, and I'll always support you."
Sometimes he wondered if she was just saying that. He gave her a light kiss on the forehead in return. "Thank you."
If he could just help one more person, maybe he could make up for all of his mistakes.
***
The birds had grown more powerful. Theofilus had deliberately learned more magic to make them as such, but he was slowly starting to regret it. He shouldn't have cast the spell in the first place and now he was building on it. There had to be a punishment waiting for him after this, but in all honesty he didn't want to think about it.
He would probably be punished when he was dead, and Theofilus was going to live as long as he possibly could.
However, he didn't realize the extent of which the birds had changed until he summoned them out of sheer curiosity.
It was a little shocking.
"Why are..." he began looking at the pair of them. He knew they could respond now, but they both kept a rather awful smirk on their faces. "What the hell." He sighed, crossing his arms to inspect them.
Huge was an utter understatement. He could probably sit on one without trouble. Though he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to ride on one. They were still awfully terrifying and ugly to boot. Sitting on smoke didn't sit well with him either.
"No snide remarks?" He asked one of them as he brushed his fingers across the feathers made out of smoke.
Of course they made no sound. The one he had been "petting" simply turned its head to lok at him with a large smirk. Nothing that Theofilus wasn't terribly used to. He rolled his eyes. "Well I suppose this means I can't use you for sending messages to people I hate anymore. You'd probably just give people heart attacks now."
They were bad when they started, now was just a whole new level of bad. Thankfully not many people had seen the birds in action beyond the fight for the title of Queenship. He kept most of his magic under wraps. There were rumors, of course, but not much else. Calia and Kelasia were probably the only two people who knew the full extent of his power because he went out of his way to tell them.
This news, however, he wasn't sure that he could inform them of. It wasn't particular good news that two demonic birds that lived in his head on a regular basis were now ten feet tall monstrosities. How fantastic.
This day just couldn't get any better, could it? He let out a sigh. He might as well do something useful with his birds.
"It's all your fault."
Theofilus's head snapped around. It was a faint whisper, he knew it. They must have said something. His eyes widened as he looked at the creatures. Their expressions remained the same. They only spoke horrible truths. All the sins ever committed by a person were up for grabs.
But what was all his fault? Everything? Myron?
It must have just been his imagination. He shrugged it off as he turned around. It must have been his imagination.
He prayed it was his imagination.
Fun Times, Broken Times
-A woman plays with hats
-A woman plays with hats
Hatter was an unusual person, but to Peaches he was the perfect stranger. Nothing more and nothing less. She had no intention of finding out the truth about him, and if she did she would probably cry.
But today she had decided that she was going to test one of his powers by sneaking in his house. Then of course, once she was done she would visit him for tea. It would be a rather fun day if everything went as plan. She hummed to herself as she approached the mansion.
Slipping through the window she used her magic. She was a shadow, clinging to the shadows in the ceiling. And there Hatter was, sitting there and fiddling with his things. The man hummed happily as he fiddled with one of his inventions.
And then Marchie slipped into the room. They two held a rather usual conversation that Peaches wasn't completely inclined to listen to.
Until her name was said. Suddenly she found herself ass naked in Hatter's lap.
"We were just talking about you!"
"I gathered." Peaches said with a snort as she licked his cheek. "I should get my clothing."
"Aw but I like it this way."
"That's all well and good but I'm absolutely freezing, so I would generally would appreciate something to wear. A hat won't do it either," She said with a smirk as she pulled his down before hopping off of his lap. She scurried over to one of the windows, slipping out of it briefly.
Sometimes the problem with her power was finding her clothing. Sometimes it was more difficult than she bargained for. Today, however she found her clothing in a neat little pile. She hastily put everything on as quickly as she could.
Her power hadn't gone as planned, but she could at least have some tea and possibly some fun. She nearly squeed as she reentered the room, hurrying to Hatter. "Ta da!" She said happily, a top hat on her head along with a smirk on her face.
Hatter clapped his hands together with a smile on his face. "I think it's time for some tea! I'll go get Marchie!"
***
"Mom, what are you wearing?" Xiven asked as she sat on her bed reading a book required for an assignment. Her mother had come in to check if she was actually doing her work. Heaven forbid she be more responsible than her mother.
Peaches rolled her eyes."Most people call it a top hat."
"I can see that."
"Then don't ask silly questions."
"You know..." Xiven started before shaking her head and sighing. "Nevermind. Why should I even bother to use logic with you?"
"Ow. That hurts. Talking to your own mother like that!" Peaches said placing her hand on her forehead in mocking.
"I'm sorry if it's true."
"You are not. Don't say sorry if you're not sorry, that's worse than not apologizing at all." Peaches said with a wiggle of her finger.
A paw slipped over Xiven's face.
"Don't do that either, it's disrespectful."
"What can I do?"
"You tell me," Peaches said in a sing song voice before leaving the room entirely. She had to do a few things before she could relax with her daughter.
She had gotten a mission that was outside the Court of Hearts, something private. She sighed as she leaned on the door for a moment. She shouldn't be doing missions like this. They were dangerous, and had nearly gotten her killed on numerous occasions. Not to mention she had only developed the use of her magic for her own personal interests.
It was nice spying on people having sex when they couldn't see where you were.
But that was besides the point wasn't it? Peaches sighed as she slipped away from her daughter's door. The job was going to pay her quite a bit. She didn't necessarily need the money, but if Xiven or Eldy ever chose a difficult path and needed a bit of help, she would at least have one way to help out.
She turned into the hallway leading to the garden. She paused, however, in front of the door. "Maybe... I should pester Bernard."
The corners of her mouth pulled up into her characteristic smirk. Well yes, that would be lovely, wouldn't it?
***
"Oh shit," Peaches cursed as she pressed against the building. She knew why she had taken this damn job, but she was regretting it right now. If Jokers were real, she honestly wished she was one right now. That would save her ass rather quickly. She glanced around the alleyway.
The footsteps were getting quicker and closer.
Peaches honestly didn't want to fight. She made a whining sounds as she hurried down the alleyway.
Why had she agreed to deal with people who had sharp pointy knifes and horrible tempers. The only thing worse would have been if they were Lowlanders—but they were pretty damn close.
She skidded to a halt when she came to a dead end.
It was a good thing she hadn't used her ability to walk on any surface recently. Taking it to her advantage she scurried up the wall.
Once she made it to the top of the building she flopped over the edge. Waiting in silence for something. Her breath was heavy as she listened to the footsteps come to a sudden halt. If any of them were Spades she would have been dead already. The question was, were any of them Diamonds with that pesky flight ability?
"Do you think whoever that was saw anything?"
"I highly doubt it. I've made sure all the shipments were untraceable. I can't imagine the police are on to us."
"But where the hell did it go?"
"Don't worry about it, I doubt it'll come back." There was a slapping sound. He must have been hitting him on the shoulder then? Peaches didn't dare move to look. She didn't want to push her luck.
"Hey, wait, what's that up there?"
Shit. Peaches grimaced and remained completely still.
"Is that a tail?"
"It's not moving."
"Someone's mane then? Maybe you should fly up there and check it."
For the love of suits, please don't.
There was a moment of silence before Peaches found herself looking at one of the people she was supposed to be spying on. With a small curse she rolled to the side and onto her feet. She snapped her fan off of her belt, barely blocking the fist making it's way to her head. Unfortunately it was enough to make her fan whack her in the eye.
Peaches ignored the pain as she spun to the side, she whipped her fan around in a circular motion before slamming the man in the stomach as hard as she could.
He went down like a ton of bricks.
"That was easy..." Peaches said as she reached up to touch her eye. That was going to bruise. Now, what was she going to do with the person who had seen her. She couldn't walk away and risk her name being ruined by some halfwit drug dealer.
He groaned. Peaches rolled her eyes before walking over to him. "Don't open your eyes," she whispered, "You'll regret it."
The man froze, he was grasping is stomach, curled up in a tight ball. A ton of bricks to the stomach did that to you. Stood to her full height, and without a moment's hesitation slammed he boot down on the man's temple.
End of that story. Even if he did wake up, he'd never be the same. Now for the one on the ground, waiting.
She hummed to herself as she walked towards the edge, she carefully peered over. The man was looking up at her, but not really seeing her. With all those colors he must have been a Morganberry. She briefly debated jumping down. It was quite drop, but it wouldn't have killed anyone. Probably just a twisted ankle or a few broken bones. But she had a better idea. In this little world it was kill or be killed.
It didn't take her long to situation things. She managed to drag the dealer across the roof with a great deal of effort. She had to resort to rolling after a few minutes of struggling. The man below was getting anxious, and she wouldn't want him to try to come up here.
With all the strength she could muster she kicked the man's unconscious body off the roof.
As he cascaded down, there was no time for the other man to react. With a horrible thud the unconscious body landed in a trash heap. The other man screamed bloody murder as he ran towards his friend.
Peaches watched from her perch, holding back laughter. This was terribly amusing in a sadistic sort of way.
"Are you okay?" The man asked as she shook his companion frantically. "What happened?"
Obviously the unconscious man didn't answer.
"Oh man, you're still breathing!" The man said before hugging his companion's limp body. "I'll go get help!"
Peaches gave a sigh of relief as she watched the man hurry off.
The mission wasn't a complete botch.
***
"Why do you have a black eye?"
"I got into a bar fight."
"You don't drink, Mom."
"I ran into a door?"
"You're not that stupid."
"A drug dealer smacked me in the face with my fan while I was fighting on a roof top."
"Seriously, Mom. How did you get the black eye?"
Peaches sighed, "I just told you. Now let me do my work. Shouldn't you be studying or something, Xiven, dear."
"The instructor gave me a break. Anyway, how do you intend to do paperwork with one eye?" Xiven said as she hopped onto the desk, nearly falling flat on her face. Once her balance was regained she walked over to her mother's paperwork and sat on a few sheets of it. "Don't you need some help?"
Peaches sighed yet again. "As much as I would enjoy help, you aren't a Jack of the courts, so unfortunately it has to be left to me. But, you could easily go and practice your handwriting missy."
"Argh. Fine." Xiven said with a frown before hopping off of the desk.
Peaches watched her daughter trot out of the room. Honestly, if that girl knew what she did in her spare time, she was sure that there would be a lot more respect from her daughter. She snorted. Not like she would tell Xiven what she did every so often. Pushing someone off a building wasn't something to brag about.
Oh well. She had paper work to do.
